Wolf RPG

The pups were constantly on the move now, every moment punctuated by fluttering kicks. Meerkat took both comfort and pleasure in this sign of a healthy pregnancy, even when a particularly precise kick hit some internal organ or another. She bent double, breathing through the surprising shock of it.

When she straightened, Meerkat suddenly noticed the weather preparing to take a turn. The sun hid behind darkening clouds as thunder rumbled over the open ocean. Keen to avoid being caught in a downpour, she looked around to find the nearest shelter, ducking into the mouth of the tunnel just east of the lake.

The popup thundershower lasted only a short while before the sun peeked out again. Meerkat stepped out into the damp, glistening world, inhaling deeply the scent of petrichor. The deep breath prompted the puppies to wriggle harder. Meerkat smiled to herself as she began trundling toward the nearby meadow.

while rain scoured the earth overhead, loko was underground exploring one of the many tunnels he'd discovered during his house arrest. finding nothing of interest in his current batch of caves, loko headed for the surface. he was thirsty, and the scent of fresh rainwater informed him he'd missed a brief spring spat of rain.

when he came above ground, he saw meerkat's form carefully making her way to the meadow. for a moment, he wrestled with whether to call attention to her: sobo's coldness towards her was still very much in his mind.

he decided to pad after her anyway, a soft chuff from his muzzle as he pulled close.

Someone woofed behind her and Meerkat stopped, pale toes digging into the wet grass as she glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes brightened and a warm smile curved her mouth. Her tail broke into a wag even as she carefully swung to face him, minding her altered center of gravity even as the pups stirred inside her.

Loko! I’ve been meaning to come find you. I wanted to thank you for helping your da hunt the stag for our celebration, she said brightly, feeling particularly optimistic today.

she was so careful as she turned around - it was hard for loko not to notice.

he took pains to hide the slight grin that could be suggestive he was laughing at how fat her sides had become: after all, he was an immature juvenile, and the concept of being gravid was entirely lost upon him.

she was so bright and cheery, it was hard then to reconcile sobo's image of conniving stepmom with the gravid, sunny creature before him. loko pushed such thoughts away. it be my pleasure. he recalled the hunting lesson with da and the northerner proudly. a touch softer, loko spoke again. de wedding ceremony was very beautiful.

I thought so too, she said, her own voice soft. Your da did a wonderful job planning and executing it. I’m glad you were able to be a part of it, Meerkat said, feeling rather acutely fond toward Loko in this moment. She felt a little chagrined too, having assumed for so long that he was giving her the cold shoulder along with his brother.

I’m sorry we haven’t really spoken much, she said in the next breath, but I’d love to get to know you better, Loko. Erzulie says you’re a bold and adventurous sort? She told me that I might impress you with some sort of physical feat… but I think those are beyond me now, Meerkat said with a laugh, her face contorting into a bit of a grimace as she endured another bout of riotous squirming.

loko kept an ear turned to meerkat, a swell of pride in his chest to be reminded of he and da downing the stag. it had been a tremendous achievement, and it bolstered his spirits throughout the procession.

the boy was not yet so in touch with his feelings to acutely describe how the extravaganza had captured him: aware of his masculinity and the default, rigid role it employed, loko did not speak as he wished. the petals and decorations all wilted in comparison to meerkat that day, who shone brighter than any glittering wave loko had ever seen.

revealing she wished to get to know him better, loko's gaze met hers briefly. he too felt guilt, but for a different reason: when meerkat first came to the sound he felt as if his place in it was being threatened. day by day, he realized she only lifted his claim to dragoncrest -- for she was family. and she carried his siblings within her.

does it hurt? he asked suddenly, having been called attention to her current state and how physical feats were beyond her abilities now.

The question made her smile, even as a ponderous expression took over her face. Not usually, no, although sometimes one of them kicks and it feels like it hits one of my organs, can you believe that? Otherwise, it’s sometimes uncomfortable… and definitely weird… but not bad. Meerkat laughed, realizing, That makes no sense, does it? It’s really indescribable.

For the moment, all kicking had ceased. She assumed the pups were taking a nap. Logic told her that staying still was probably best, though she knew by now that a gentle, swaying walk seemed to lull them. Meerkat sniffed, shifting her feet in the wet grass.

I think I’m going to walk to the beach. It’ll be slow going, but I bet some neat stuff washed up after that storm. Want to come with me? she said to Loko.

loko would never know the indescribable feeling of childbirth. he would never know how it felt to host the forms of several souls. but he did know one thing: it was truly alien to him to imagine life growing inside of you.

he pondered what meerkat had said about it not being bad, but definitely weird. it be strange, so may'b sense don't got much t' do wit' it. loko concluded, eyes lightening at mention of the sea. yes! dat be a good idea. might find some lunch.

the boy began to walk and realized meerkat was not besides him. oh, duh - she had mentioned it being slow going. appropriately chagrined, loko stopped and waited for meerkat to catch up with a bemused expression on his face.

He trotted ahead. Meerkat chuckled as she immediately fell behind. She thought about calling out to him but he beat her to it by noticing and doubling back. The look on his face earned a grin from her even as she trundled along.

Why don’t you run ahead and start scooping up all the treasure before the tide takes it away? I’ll catch up. By the time I get there, you’ll probably have a pile I can help you inventory.

the boy was a natural show-off; he did not need much in the way of encouragement.

loping past meerkat in athletic strides, loko called back: what makes you think i be sharin'?

his tail swayed as the distance between them increased. he rapidly -- almost neurotically -- searched the stranded pieces of kelp, flinging little shards of sea-stones and shells that caught his eye. by the time meerkat would catch up with him, he'd have a small collection of fractures shells.

nothing of great worth just yet.

It wasn’t long before Loko was a mere speck in the distance, scrambling toward the windswept beach. Meerkat smiled after him, taking her time and minding her new center of gravity, particularly where the ground was slick from the recent rainfall.

Her paws soon pressed into wet sand and she found Loko busily adding fragmented shells to a small heap near the water’s edge. By the time she came to stand over it, she felt out of breath. Her legs trembled, so she plopped, weight resting on her left hip to accommodate her big belly.

As soon as she caught her breath, she meant to ask Loko about his findings. Before she could, a rumble of thunder made Meerkat turn toward the horizon, which was darkening with another popup rainstorm. Her ears swept back a little when she realized she had no hope of escaping the beach in time to avoid it.

Incoming! she called to Loko, certain he wouldn’t be that bothered.

She wasn’t that worried, either. It would probably be a little chilly, but probably not entirely unpleasant. In fact, as the storm quickly made landfall, she turned her head skyward, eyes closing as she breathed in the scents of ozone and salt.

loko noticed by the time meerkat had made her way to his scant collection of shells, she was out of breath. he wondered if this was how his mother felt while she was with child — surely there was no evolutionary advantage for children taxing their hosts so clearly?

he had no time to ask meerkat of this — a dark storm snarled on the horizon. already he could sense the thermals hissing, the rise of wind and salt on the breeze. hope ye don’t melt. loko said with an edging smile, sitting next to meerkat in the cool sand. his gaze was trained on the horizon, where a swell of dark clouds twisted over the sea and rushed towards them with the hiss of rain. no matter what happened to loko in this life, he would never tire of the spectacle of living on the beach.

Are you implying I’m a witch? Meerkat jested, throwing an elbow at him. Because you’d be right, she added in the next breath, smiling as she faced the incoming storm. I’m a proud sea witch these days.

Moments later, a curtain of gray rain billowed inland to drench the pair. Meerkat closed her eyes and leaned into it, the winding picking up and causing the rain to slant. It sort of stung the skin and she reflexively bent forward a bit, a paw coming up to drape protectively over her belly.

It wasn’t long before the first gale tapered into a steady rainfall, complemented every minute or two by a clap of thunder. There wasn’t much lightning, though when Meerkat cracked open an eye, she was treated to a light show out over the sea.

Belatedly, she realized, Oh no, Loko, your collection is going to wash away!

There was nothing for it but to wait out the rainstorm. And when it passed just as quickly as its predecessor, Meerkat was quietly thrilled to discover she was wrong. Or perhaps the sea had simply spared the small pile, which the two of them began to sort through, separating out several beautiful treasures.