Dragoncrest Cliffs You are wildings: untamed, unholy, ungod
gubraithian fire
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Ooc — Kat
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Despite her total languor lately, Wildfire managed not only to leave the den this sunny April morning but she even managed to catch herself a gopher for breakfast. She carried it back to the den site and leaned against the log's mossy exterior as she rapidly devoured her meal. Afterward, she was trying to muster up the energy to move herself inside when a cramp seized her gut. The Feisripa instinctively bent forward in case she needed to vomit, cursing herself for eating so fast. Fortunately, nothing came up and the pain quickly passed.

Slowly, she rose to all fours and maneuvered herself inside the fallen log, plopping down with a gusty sigh. It took her several minutes to get comfortable, only for a second wave of pain to wash through her the instant she settled. Wildfire began to wonder if it wasn't just a mere case of indigestion. She breathed through it and it passed just like before, then returned a third time about five minutes later.

She thought of calling for @Thuringwethil but she knew her mate was busy tending to her duties. The labor would take a while anyway and, truthfully, she kind of preferred to be left alone. Although she was bursting with excitement, Wildfire did her best to make herself comfortable and prepare for what was to come... only to fall fast asleep, despite the rhythmic contractions.

When she roused some indeterminate amount of time later, Wildfire noticed the light had changed. Wincing slightly, she craned her neck to peek outside and saw that it was overcast now. It looked like it might start raining any moment. She withdrew with a hiss as a sharp contraction wracked through her. Unsure of how long she'd been asleep, the Feisripa found herself yearning for the commander's presence after all as the delivery drew near.
what do i do after all this survival?
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Ooc — Kermy
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Vague because of the previous thread...!

She does not return to the den right away, cleaning up the wounds left over from her trip out, but she can’t avoid her forever; especially not when she should be giving birth in a matter of days. What’s left of their kill is put in the caches near Hougeda and the whelping den, and her wounds mostly taken care of, she returns to the fallen tree where Wildfire.

Though it is later in the day, warmer than the last few days combined, she rounds the last bend to arrive. A choice piece of the kill held delicately between her teeth—a hopeful distraction at best—and chuffs low upon approach and carefully places the piece to the side. “How are you feeling?” she says, nose going for any sign of change.
Trigedasleng · Common
all that wanting, all that aching, all that capacity for love:
it never belonged to you in the first place
gubraithian fire
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Ooc — Kat
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An hour passed, the pain building in intensity and the time between contractions growing smaller and smaller. Wildfire whined under her breath as she shifted, trying to get herself into a more comfortable position. She glanced outside. It was growing dark. Surely the commander would be by soon to check on her.

The Feisripa's teeth clenched as a particularly powerful ripple of pain seized her womb. Instinctively, she pushed. It hurt enough to wrench a small cry from her. But when she bent down a moment later to find a dark, damp pup between her legs, she smiled through her panting. She closed her teeth around the pup, settling it between her forelegs.

A girl, she observed as she began cleaning the tiny whelp. She'd just finished drying her off and was about to nudge her in the direction of a teat when she heard footsteps outside, accompanied by the smell of blood and meat. Seconds later, there came a quiet woof and the Heda's welcome voice.

"Oh, you know," Wildfire replied with mock airiness even as a contraction seared through her so agonizingly that she felt torn in two, "just casually birthing your children." Even as the word "children" left her trembling lips, another puppy arrived, a tiny gray lump with white smudges. "You have two new daughters," she announced, "so far. Stay close," she added, reaching her smudged snout outside of the log for a kiss.

Welcome, @Kiwi and @Bat! :)
what do i do after all this survival?
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Ooc — Kermy
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Blood and mucous touch her nose and her ears slick back, curious, but Wildfire responds without much distress that she eases up a little. When she notices the change when Wildfire speaks of their children, she takes several steps back (not without missing the gentle chance for a kiss) and settles on the ground.

“Healthy?” she asks, nervous, though she has not said anything yet or sadness in her tone, she can only assume that, as far as they can tell, they have two healthy daughters. In an attempt to make herself comfortable, she winces from a pull of a sore spot but brushes it off once she’s still. Curious still if there are more to come, she tries to wait with patience, but it bubbles in her chest all at once with a tightness she’s all too familiar with.
Trigedasleng · Common
all that wanting, all that aching, all that capacity for love:
it never belonged to you in the first place
gubraithian fire
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"Yes," she breathed against a silken black cheek, though she didn't get to enjoy her lover's touch for long. With a quiet hiss, she drew back into the log, turning her attention to the two puppies at her breast. She made sure the firstborn was feeding as she cleaned the second little girl. As Wildfire tended her, her chestnut eyes widened at her strange markings and comically large ears. They would be downright enormous once they stood upright.

Soon, she was ready to be placed beside her sister. As the two suckled, Wildfire took a moment to breathe. Her contractions had dulled and spaced out after the second delivery. She sensed that it wasn't over though. There was no telling when it might continue, so she stole another moment to glance out at Thuringwethil.

Her heart skipped a beat when she finally noticed her mate's state. "What happened?" she asked, sitting up partially but managing to freeze before she dislodged the nursing babes. Wildfire looked down with a mildly alarmed expression on her face, which quickly turned into one of amusement. "I think I gave birth to a bat," she said, wondering if Thuringwethil could see the little gray girl, who'd somehow positioned herself upside down and above her mother's teat and, as a result, was now covered in dribbled milk.

Wildfire took a moment to correct the puppy's position before returning her concerned gaze to the Heda. "Seriously though, are you all right?"
what do i do after all this survival?
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Ooc — Kermy
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Yes.

Thuringwethil releases a breath, keeping a focus on the opening and from her positon she can see enough. Wildfire starts to clean the second girl and she watches from a distance though details are lost on her for the time being. It doesn’t matter what they look like as long as they are healthy and she’s already been assured everything is fine. She remembers this from the year before, wondering what lays out before them and who they’ll turn out to be and she’s sure she’ll be just as proud as this group as she is the first, and their family will still remain intact.

Six months ago she couldn’t picture this moment even if she tried.

After a while, Wildfire asks about her and Thuringwethil one shrugs one not-so-sore shoulder. “Nothing,” she assures her. Nothing that she needs to worry about right now. “Blixen and I brought a deer home, filled the nearest cache with it,” she tells her, though it’s vague, and a point of her nose to the food she brought with her, "I'm fine." With closer inspection, it’s evident her wounds are not produced by a deer but at her distance she can cover it up—at least until all this is over and they’re on the other side.
Trigedasleng · Common
all that wanting, all that aching, all that capacity for love:
it never belonged to you in the first place
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Ooc — Kat
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There was no place she'd rather be than on her surfboard out at sea, as the song went.

But Bat didn't know about surfboards, seas or even songs yet. She didn't know shit.

Well, she knew a little about that.

Anyway, she performed most of the textbook birthing thread maneuvers: she was born'd, wiggled a bit, waved her paws, mlem'd a couple'a times, sucked a titty, burped, cried and fell asleep.

One day, she would be interesting. Today was not that day.
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"Nothing," Thuringwethil claimed. "Ummm," Wildfire said, though that might have been due in part to the sudden recommence of her labor pains. She winced, trying very hard to pay attention to what the commander was saying. "If it was nothing and just a deer, then why...?" she managed to grate out through clenched teeth, waving a foreleg in her mate's direction. She was having difficulty concentrating, sure, but she was still genuinely concerned about the Heda's health.

The particularly gnarly contraction eventually passed and Wildfire tried to relax her muscles and breathe somewhat. "I think there're more coming," she explained to Thuringwethil while she could. "I'm exhausted," she added without thinking, even as it really hit her. "I think I'm going to try to catch a few winks while I brew up a few more babies." She laughed dryly. "Will you talk to me? I don't care what about. Just as long as I can hear your voice."
what do i do after all this survival?
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Ooc — Kermy
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Wildfire doesn’t like the answer and her jaw tightens, watching her for a moment as she tries to sort the information and ask why, but she’s cut off. Her ears cup forward and she jerks forward, forcing herself back in place before she’s too close. Thuringwethil opens her mouth to brush off the concern but it seems to work itself off the table for the time being.

I think there’re more coming, she says and she’s curious, slowly inching closer to the opening of the tree trunk. If allowed, she inches close enough so that she can rest her head on the ground near her mate and if not, she keeps whatever closeness is allowed.

“Okay,” she says and, instantly, falls silent. And remains that way for a few awkward seconds, as if she hadn’t just agreed to talk. Her brows knit together as she peers toward their daughters. “They will be strong,” she tells her, thumping her tail on the ground a few times, watching as they wiggle and feed and fall asleep and do everything expected of them. “They are strong,” she rephrases. Whatever blip in her pregnancy a while had been, it doesn’t seem to impact the two they’ve created together and while the rest remain to be seen, she hopes these two are indication enough of what is to come.

Thuringwethil reaches out and touches her, nose to nose, with a smile upon her lips, and she talks about nothing and everything as her world becomes soft mews and gentle breathing of her small, sleepy family.
Trigedasleng · Common
all that wanting, all that aching, all that capacity for love:
it never belonged to you in the first place
gubraithian fire
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Ooc — Kat
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Wildfire welcomed her mate's nearness as she settled beside the log's entryway and indulged the Feisripa's request. As the commander's timbre brushed her ears, the careworn mother rested her eyes. Although she stirred every few minutes as the contractions began to ramp up again, she managed to capture some semblance of rest as one day passed into another and the clouds slowly cleared from the post-midnight skies.

Her chestnut eyes popped open when a particularly brutal wave heralded the birth of a third puppy. "It's a boy," she murmured to her mate after reaching over to clean him, his pale coat seeming to glow in the dark. "Hey, look at this. Can you see it?" she questioned, glancing up to see if Thuringwethil could make out the small marking on his face.

She tucked him in beside his sisters, giving the squalling firstborn a few kisses to the crown to get her to settle. Soon the three were suckling quietly and Wildfire stole another moment to collect herself. She sensed that there would be at least one more push.

She was right. Only moments later, she arched her leg into the air a final time and brought forth a fourth babe, his dark anterior rivaling his eldest sister's and his paler underside matching the other girl's. Wildfire gave a great sigh, sensing that it was all over... or just beginning, depending on how you looked at it.

Hooray, it's a @Silkie and a @Tux! *claps*
IF BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER
YOU KNOW WHERE YOU'LL FIND US IN THE END
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cameo!

there was not much to being born, especially to a mother who was experienced.  first he was in and then he was out, and it was about as simple as that.  the two-toned babe rooted towards his mother's teat — one of the three things he presently knew how to do — and took hold of it with a surprisingly strong grip.
trigedasleng around all who speak it, common around those who don't
members of drageda are encouraged to liberally pp tux
what do i do after all this survival?
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Ooc — Kermy
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When the new mother finally drifts off to sleep, her voice softens and she gently nudges against her nose and listens to her breathing. For a while she gets a little bit of rest but Thuringwethil remains alert at all times. She scarcely moves if she can help it and only once considers calling for another to stand guard so she can focus solely on her mate. If anything were to happen, she’d likely notice ahead of time, but she zeros in closely to what’s going on.

Thuringwethil is startled when Wildfire bolts upright and she lifts her head, leaning back to give her space, and a beat later they have a boy. The experienced mother shows her work and Thuringwethil smiles, nodding her head once, but follows it with a quiet, “sha.”

And, with one more, is the biggest of the biggest of the four. Her eyes trail across all four of them, neatly cleaned and ready for the world. It’ll be a while yet before they’ll conquer, but until then, the four nameless babes mewl into their mother.

“I am proud of you,” she whispers, leaning forward again, inching as close as her mate will allow, with soft kisses where she can reach.
Trigedasleng · Common
all that wanting, all that aching, all that capacity for love:
it never belonged to you in the first place
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Soon enough, the last pup was cleaned and tucked in beside his brother and sisters. Wildfire took in the whole litter for the first time, chestnut eyes lingering on each child before moving onto the next, then repeating the process over again. Occasionally, she shot glances at her mate, her black tail giving a happy thump at Thuringwethil's words.

"Get in here," she said, shifting her fatigued body a little to make space for the commander. "Look at this," Wildfire added, pressing her nose against the youngest pup's feet even as he drank greedily. Her brow furrowed a little as she counted his toes, which seemed too numerous. She shot a quizzical glance at her mate, then blew out a breath.

If that was the only disfigurement in the litter—not counting the little bat girl's ears—then... Wildfire would be grateful. She thought of poor Falcon and Hawk a moment, wishing things had turned out differently for them, but then looked at the four living, breathing puppies at her side and knew Thuringwethil was right. Even with her questionable genes, they were strong. And, more importantly, healthy.

"I know we should give them names and all that jazz," the Feisripa murmured after a bit, "but I'm not sure I can keep my eyes open much longer." As if on cue, her jaws parted on a huge yawn. "Could you call for @Artaax, @Blixen and @Bobby? You should tell them the news, nomi." She paused to stifle a second yawn. "Plus I like the idea of the whole family being close by."
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Ooc — Kermy
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pls come in childrens

Wildfire urges her inside and Thuringwethil moves as carefully as she can, stepping over and around her mate so that she is on the other side, curling protectively around them. One move and she’d be over them, keeping them from harm’s way. In the meantime, she doesn’t have to worry much and she drapes her head over the fiery woman and looks at the four, healthy puppies as she points out the strange defect on the darkest child. She looks over and notes the extra toes hanging on and twists her brow in confusion, and slight concern but Wildfire doesn’t seem too bothered by the oddity. “Maybe it means he will be fast,” she says with a light heart.
 
The request for their other children is made and she lifts her head, leaning in close, before she moves only slightly to release a low call for them, hoping they aren’t too far from their previously expecting mother.
Trigedasleng · Common
all that wanting, all that aching, all that capacity for love:
it never belonged to you in the first place
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There was something off about Nomi’s call, something that almost sounded like...joy? Contentment? Euphoria, perhaps? Regardless of what it was, Bobby was eager to answer, quickly trotting his way to his mothers’ den. It wasn’t until he was a few yards away that he could tell what exactly it was that’d made Nomi so happy: pups! Actual, living, screaming pups!

Maybe Bobby was meant to be happy in light of the situation, but he couldn’t help but feel a twitch of jealousy. He’d gotten over the idea of pups coming in to steal the spotlight with Wildfire’s miscarriage (had it even been real?), but now his imagination had become real. 

What’s this? he cooed in as sweet a voice as he could muster. Quite the surprise.
enough is an illusion
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Being born was awful. Somehow, someway, he’d managed to go from being warm and comfortable—albeit a little bit squished—to having his entire body forced out through a piping tube and plopped into the cold. He didn’t know what type of amusement park this whole life nonsense was supposed to be, but he wanted a refund right away.

Too bad he wouldn’t be getting it, which he seemed to realise as whine after whine spilled out past his lips, nearly creating one long, continuous whine (sorry, ‘rents!).

Eventually, the little chicken settled down long enough to cram a teat into his mouth, which shut him up indefinitely as he started sucking like his name was Candy Apple; maybe life wouldn’t be too bad.
i'm still here, but all is lost
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Ooc — remus
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#17
ooc: wanted to make an appearance, but feel free to skip her unless shes needed!

--

perhaps unkindly, blixen had not paid close attention to her mother's pregnancy -- her initial interest from their conversation had been swallowed up by her and furi's falling out, and in her frustration at mother for causing said fall out she'd been avoiding her as much as possible. 

but when she's called for, she comes quickly, and the reason for why clicks into place as the den slides into view. oh! a warm feeling overtakes her, temporarily easing the remainder of her anger at mother -- her siblings, her new siblings. she's never really seen pups this young. "they're so tiny," she says, voice hushed, observing the tiny figures as she squeezes in close by bobby. "what are their names?" she asks, glancing up at mother and nomi, her expression bright.
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
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Ooc — Stevie
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Artaax was not an idiot. I mean, well. Okay, kinda. But still, he knew that Wildfire's time was coming and that soon he would have new siblings. The miscarriage had been unfortunate, but he had accepted it. The news that his mother was still carrying pups even after had been unfortunate, but he had accepted that as well. All of this situation, the yearling had taken in stride, never lending his mental efforts too far one way or the other. Did he want new siblings? Was he happy for his parents? Was he pleased that the pack would be gaining these new additions that would one day make them even stronger? He didn't know. He doesn't think about things like that.

So when the pale lion of a wolf answered heda's summons, it was with neither excitement or anxiety. He was driven mostly by a mild curiousity, and of course, his overwhelming, sometimes blinding, sense of duty. You don't just ignore summons from heda, ya know. His other siblings were there already, peeking into the fallen tree that their mother had so weirdly decided to live in (srsly @Portia please teach him SOMETHING). Artaax stepped up near them, but only blinked at the newest additions to their family briefly before looking at nomi, giving her a questioning look and a cant of his head - his way of asking her if all was well. He could hear the healthy squeaks and gurgles of his newborn siblings (which were already kind of annoying, by the way) and could see the lack of tension in his mothers' frames, but still. He would accept that everything was fine when heda told him so, and then he would likely fall into guard-mode for his family until the pups were ...probably around three years old, willing they didn't attempt to usurp his role as best-offspring-ever.
 
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Ooc — Kat
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She wanted to stay awake at least long enough to introduce her elder children to her youngest. But by the time the yearlings arrived, the worn-out mother was already drowsing. Her eyelids fluttered when they stepped up close to peek inside, her lips twitching into a faint, welcoming smile and her black tail thumping quietly against the wooden wall of the whelping den. She simply didn't have the energy to properly engage at this point, however, and let out a long, happy sigh and let herself drift to sleep, utterly content in the knowledge that the Heda, Gona and two Hompleias would watch over her and the pups.
what do i do after all this survival?
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Ooc — Kermy
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It does not take long for the children to arrive, one after the other. To her surprise (once again), Bobby is the first to arrive and observe the arrival of their newest addition. He doesn’t sound too impressed but they’ve haven’t talked much about it when they thought she’d had a miscarriage. Blixen shows up not long after, followed by Artaax soon after. Her eldest son’s curiosity is met with a single not before she addresses the fiery girl. Wildfire has slipped off into exhaustion, so she speaks quietly. “Two girls, two boys. All healthy,” she explains, glancing down. Her eyes remain on the biggest of the four, nearly twice the size of the others, and find his toes curious but she does not bring them up yet. Later, they can determine what to do (if anything) about it. “They don’t have names yet,” she adds, looking back up to see their reactions.

For a while, they speak softly and occasionally stare in wonderment. Eventually, the three of them park it outside the front of the den as guardians for their little, albeit now growing, family.
Trigedasleng · Common
all that wanting, all that aching, all that capacity for love:
it never belonged to you in the first place