The Sunspire i would love to get to know you and sit you down to talk about our little lives

If lethargy had been the mother-to-be’s proclivity in the nascence of her pregnancy, then the amount of laziness she exhibited now was nothing short of astounding. Olive did nothing more than jockey between the cool depths of her whelping den and sun-drenched clearing that spread before its entryway, and it was not because she was truly exhausted from the process of creating life — no, quite simply, the idea of hauling her gravid frame ‘round the valleys and up the spire’s heights did not at all seem appealing! For once, her restless nature had settled, and her travel-worn paws had stilled, and her vagrant nature had quieted into something that resembled a languid peace.The mother felt quite at ease.

But beneath that, she also felt quite guilty. 

Often, in her respite, the druid mused upon her role in Sunspire. It was still a large grey area, as she had not the luxury to explore her relationships with her peers before her pregnancy altered everything. What had she offered to Sunspire before now — what could she offer, save for hungry babes to feed, or an adult who’s hunting skilled were nothing better than remedial? In her stints with both Teaghlaigh and Moonspear, it was Dakarai who hunted and Dakarai who tended to pack matters, and it was Dakarai who was truly subservient and was oh-so-willing to utter those colorful pledges that made pack leaders keen on accepting/feeding/housing/caring for a family of five. 

Dakarai had done it all, and Olive offered very little of tangible value — sure, she could read the stars and speak to the gods and, yes, she had offered to help rear the @Rannoch and Liffey’s soon-to-be litter, but such a service seemed to pale in comparison to what they had given her. Their support and security allowed her to experience a sense of amity that had long since escaped her. Olive wondered how long it might last, and when her aegis from all the world’s evils might dissolve.

If someone wished to find Olive that April afternoon, the pale druid could be found sunbathing — a surprise to no one. She had made a half-hearted attempt to forage, and briefly she considered visiting the cache, but soon found that she wanted to lay down more than she wanted food in her belly. Not that she was too hungry nowadays; as the woman rolled into the final days preceding the birth of her litter, she found her body stiff and organs to be cramped and hunger was not on the forefront of her concerns. Instead, her awareness lingered on a pervasive sense of discomfort and tightness that had crept up in the past day or so, and knew her time would come soon. 

But, until that happened, she snoozed in the sun and staved off contrition for another day. 

Olive was precisely where Rannoch had expected her to be. Despite his confidence in where she was, he was conflicted on whether or not to approach her. Rannoch observed her from a distance; he wasn't entirely convinced that she was awake. 

With a rabbit— a gift for the expecting mother— laying at his paws, Rannoch let out a short boof in an attempt to determine whether or not she was up.

The sylph was roused by a gentle noise — Olive had been half awake anyways, drifting lazily across the line of wakefulness and unconsciousness, and was aware of Rannoch’s scent before he had made any sort of announcement. With this pregnancy, her olfactory senses had become nothing more that outstanding, both to her delight and her detriment. The flowers in her garden, which bloomed steadily with Spring’s vivacious energy, smelled absolutely delicious; yet flesh often smelled of death and decay. She ate it anyways, despite the loss of life it represented. 

So when Olive then scented the rabbit Rannoch had brought with him, her mind was revolted but her stomach cried out — or, rather, the babies within her belly cried out. They were so active nowadays, and were so sensitive and intuitively connected to their mother, that any fluctuation within her was also reflected within her babies as well. It was how she knew to ingest flesh, not because her own body desired it, but because her growing clutch needed it to fully develop. They spoke to her just as the stars and the gods spoke to her; less in actual words, and more with a distinct sensation.

The mother to be stirred because she wanted the food, but because she also wanted the opportunity to speak with her alpha. Olive smiled a sleepy smile, bobbed her head in greeting [it was about as formal as her condition allowed her to be] and shifted her weight to lean up on a still-thin elbow. She didn’t want to assume the slain hare was for her, but she felt pretty confident making that assumption anyways. “Oh, Rannoch, thank you…” she sang softly, beckoning him forward and wishing to engage further.


Although, the woman did not delay in displaying her gratitude once more. Perhaps Rannoch would one day get sick of her weird sense of dignified groveling, but she would never stop offering it to him. ”I want you to know something,” she started, pausing only as a puppy pressed it little paws into her ribs, then continued. “When I first saw you again — and Terance — and you welcomed me into Sunspire, I did not know about… this….” the ashen woman figured he would know what she was referencing, but if he needed clarification, it was her gravid state of affairs.

“It must have just happened.” She explained rather shortly, not sure if she wanted to go into intimate details of her sex life with her leader. If Olive’s memory served her correctly, she was only a few days out of her season when encountered the two ex-moonspearians in that cavern. Though the resulting pregnancy could have been inferred by the prior days’ activities, Olive had been simply to distracted to think of her consequences [or, as she chose to view it, god-given blessings]. She was still at fault for joining Sunspire under false pretenses, but it was not done out of malice or greed. 

Her expression turned rather serious for a moment, leveling with Rannoch, wolf to wolf.“I don’t know where I would be with out Sunspire’s generosity.” The druid did know — her babies certainly wouldn’t have survived. Perhaps she wouldn’t have either, trying to provide for them. It was possible that another pack might have found her and let her in, but it was unlikely; Olive was half convinced that the only reason Rannoch allowed her to stay was because they had been fellow pack members once before, and that happenstance didn’t happen often —  but, of course, everything happened for a divine reason. She trusted in it. “I know Seabreeze feels the same.” she tacked on, knowing full and well that she was not the only recipient of Rannoch and Liffey’s philanthropy. Since the seafoam fae and Olive had become much closer in their passions for midwifery, the druid felt safe speaking on her behalf.

A soliloquy welcomed Rannoch as he teetered closer to where Olive lounged; he lingered speechlessly before her and found himself unable to adequately respond right away. "I really appreciate you saying that," Rannoch ultimately acknowledged. He sat then and nudged the animal closer to Olive. "All of that," Rannoch affirmed, his voice softer. 

If Olive was going to share her truth, then it was only fair for Rannoch to share his.  "Just so you know, I never believed that you were accepted on false pretenses." He couldn't speak for the other members of Sunspire. "And I am thankful that you are among my ranks. You are appreciated here, Olive. I hope you know that." Rannoch met Olive's gaze with a smile.

 The gravid woman could not help but let her mossy gaze slide shut as Rannoch spoke her honestly, earnestly. “It is truly an amazing thing to hear that…” Olive did not want to reveal too much of her past to him, lest he know how she had been expunged from Teaghlaigh’s record for very similar transgressions. “I did not know how good it could feel to be wanted.” Dakarai had wanted her, of course — but Dakarai had wanted her far too much, and his love was quite toxic, so she would happily do without. Ridding herself of him had not been an easy task, much like an addict wishing to quit their inebriation of choice, but he had made it much easier by threatening death to his daughter and attempting to impregnate his whore. This wanting, of Rannoch and Seabreeze and surely the other members of Sunspire, was good and pure. 

She smiled at him. “Thank you,” she said for probably the millionth time — and she meant it, a million times over. Then, remembering the agreement the two had struck all those moons ago, Olive raised an eyebrow at her young alpha and grinned surreptitiously. “How is Liffey? I have been meaning to visit.” she conceded, knowing that she had not necessarily been holding up her end of the bargain. However, she could barely move and the situation would likely not get any better until the pups were born. Even then, her litter might need to tag along whenever their mother went to tend to her midwife-ly duties. With Seabreeze’s litter as well, it was certain that her babies would have many others to play with.

Olive and Rannoch's conversation developed from the subject of Liffey; he had a lot of questions for the midwife, and while they talked, Rannoch asked Olive whatever crossed his mind. Nothing like experience would prepare him for fatherhood but, her information was successful in soothing him for the time being.