Wolf RPG

She had needed to get away for some time now and she was finally doing it. When she had first left the Silvertip boarders, she didn't know where to go. But there was only one place she could go. And so she started the long journey to the Caldera. The long distance was hard on her pregnant body, her swollen stomach weighing her down and making the walk longer than usual. She stopped every now and then to sleep and try to find something to eat, so after four whole days of traveling, she finally scented the borders in the distance, the huge flat topped volcano looming up above her.

By the time she had reached the Caldera, she was starving and rather ragged looking, her eyes weary and tired. As soon as she reached the border, she nearly fell down, barely able to lift her muzzle and howl for the only friend she could think of. Fox.

In her weary mind, she didn't think of the fact that Fox probably had pups to take care of, so once she called to her, she collapsed, resting her head on her paws and falling into a cold and hunger induced sleep.

Their three children had now been alive for a full turn of the moon. Nightjar, Wildfire, and Raven (as she'd finally been named) were doing well, growing like weeds, and generally just about as much of a handful as Fox had expected them to be. The first few weeks had been incredibly tough, but she'd made it through the worst, and things would only get better from here. The pups now made daily trips outside the den, practiced their motor skills, and were slowly learning the ways of the world.

Fox and Perry were watching the kids this afternoon when a rather unexpected howl caused Fox's ears to tip forward. She gave Peregrine a cursory glance, then let him know she'd be back just as soon as she could. Most of Fox's nutrition was going straight to the kids, so she still looked a bit scrawny around the edges. Still, the sight of Raissa seemed so much worse. Not only was she skinny, but her belly bulged at the sides, which could only mean that Fitz and she were planning their own future. But why on earth would Raissa come here?

"Raissa?" Fox asked, once she was within earshot. "What the hell happened? Is Fitz okay? Are you okay?" It wasn't until she was closer that she realized Raissa was (or had been) asleep.

A voice brought her out of her dreamless sleep and she blinked her eyes wearily, relieved to see it was indeed Fox calling to her, not someone else. She didn't really want anyone to see her like this. The first thing Raissa noticed that her belly was gone(of course) and that she looked rather skinny. Raissa guessed that was from feeding the pups.

She tried to give her a warm smile, but it ended up looking more like a grimace as she tried to sit up. She could barely think straight and her legs trembled with fatigue, but she managed to sit up and say something.

Her voice wobbled slightly, "Fox, I'm glad it's you. I need help." was all she could manage, her words ending in a hiccupy sob, her effort to smile draining away as tears filled her eyes.

She probably looked pathetic, coming to someone she hadn't know for very long, but she was the only person Raissa could think of. The fact that she had just about no one who cared for her made her lip tremble even more. She got the feeling that she resembled a whiny baby, but she couldn't manage to do anything else.

Fox's mouth twisted with concern when Raissa sat up and spoke, her voice only confirming that things were not all well with her. Fox couldn't imagine FitzDutiful doing anything to harm her. Was it somebody else where they had settled? Had something happened to Fitz between then and now? Fox moved in closer, licking the top of Raissa's head (if the girl would allow it). The Firebird was no expert, but she was fairly certain being like this was no good for the pups in Raissa's belly.

"Tell me what happened," Fox said. Without knowing that, Fox could only guess ways to help the former Redhawk resident. Patiently, Fox settled into a sit, giving Raissa however much time she needed to collect herself and explain what had gone wrong.

Fox's comforting lick warmed the shaking girl's heart and she sat up a bit straighter, trying to look a little bit less disheveled. She was glad Fox was here. She had been through puphood before, plus she was an alpha, therefore Raissa hoped she would know how to deal with someone like Bindi. That was her main problem. She knew Bindi hated her guts and she was actually scared for her own well being.

Not knowing where to start, she decided to just go from the top. She took a deep breath before engaging in the long tail of how she ended up on the Caldera's doorstep, ragged and pregnant.

"Well, I'll just start from the beginning. About six weeks ago, Fitz and I, ya know..." she trailed off, not sure how to put that. "Anyways, that was six weeks ago, and now I'm pregnant. But there is this she wolf in the pack and I don't know how to put it, but she scares me." she breathed, looking up at Fox with frightened eyes. "She scares me a lot. I don't want my pups to be around her because quite frankly, I get the feeling that if they weren't Fitz's pups as well, she would have no trouble killing them." she suppressed a shiver at the image she had just conjured up in her head.

"And the worst part about it is, there is nothing I can do about it!" she exclaimed rather loudly before calming her trembling self. "I think her beauty is blinding Fitz. He even made her beta... I think he might have feelings for her. I think the only reason he is still with me is because I'm carrying his pups." she finished with a pathetic whimper, not knowing what to do with herself.

Fox listened as Raissa unfurled the tale of what had transpired between herself and FitzDutiful... and another female that Fox had never heard of: Bindi. Six weeks was... one and a half turn of the moons, if Fox remembered correctly, which meant that Raissa was getting dangerously close to the birth of her children. Running all the way down here was a goddamn terrible (not to mention irresponsible) idea that close to the whelping time. Somehow, though, Fox couldn't bring herself to demean Raissa right then and there. It wouldn't do much good now, anyway. The damage had already been done.

"Raissa," Fox began, her tone as empathetic as she could manage, "FitzDutiful is one of the most loyal wolves I’ve met in my life. There’s no way he’d think of leaving you. What you're saying is nonsense." If there was one thing Fox knew about her former pack-mate, she knew that the things Raissa were saying just didn't make sense when applied to the wolf she had known for so long. Fox paused, then added, "Are you sure it’s not the pregnancy making you think that?" She didn't intend to make Raissa feel stupid... but the girl was kinda asking for it.

Raissa's eyes widened at Fox's suggestion and tears gathered at their corners. Sure, what Fox said was reasonable, but she hadn't been there. She hadn't seen the way Fitz seemed to avoid her at all costs, not even sleeping in their den most nights. Just thinking back to that time made the tears come quicker, threatening to spill over her lashes.

"That's what I used to think too." she admitted, thinking about the time they had first me, how sweet and caring he had been to a complete stranger. So much had changed in such a short time. It seemed like just yesterday he was showing her around the Caldera. She wished so much that she could go back to those days, so much that it almost hurt.

"But you haven't seen him. Even I never see him anymore... He is never around, he is never even in the den. When I come back, he says he has something to do and he leaves. I have no doubts, there is definitely something going on." she finished firmly, her voice certain.

"You've told him about your concerns?" Fox asked. If Fitz didn't realize how he was acting, how could Raissa possibly expect him to change? And if he was never around, how could his mate form such a negative opinion of him? To Fox, the whole thing stank. Not just for Fitz, but for Raissa, too. She was flabbergasted at the apparent lack of communication between the two of them. Were she and Peregrine really the odd ones out when it came to talking things through? If so, Fox could now see why so many other couples seemed to fizzle out after such a short amount of time.

No matter what had transpired, or who was to blame, the children would suffer for it. Even if they survived, which Fox wasn't counting on, they would be weak and small. Pregnant mothers were supposed to be coddled, well fed, and comfortable. Raissa was none of those things. Even the strongest, healthiest mothers lost children, as Fox had experienced for herself.

She hadn't, but she was planning to. But judging by the way he was acting, he wouldn't care. Raissa carefully blinked her eyes to clear them of rogue tears. Admitting that to Fox would make her seem like a pathetic cry baby. She avoided her friends knowing gaze when she answered that question, not wanting her to see the humiliation that was probably clear on her face.

"No... I should probably get back." she mumbled, not wanting to go back, but she knew it was the right thing to do. Maybe they could work it out. Maybe all this would go away and they would live happily ever after just like they planned.

"But do you have any water? And maybe a place for me to rest till tomorrow?" she asked, clearly ashamed of herself. Here she was, asking things of another pack and crying over something that could probably be solved very easily. But she still felt a sense of forboding as she spoke the words saying she would go back. She felt that she would be walking into hell itself and that thought alone made a shiver pass through her body.

Raissa said she should go back—and Fox was about to protest—but seemed to change her mind on the spot, asking for a place to rest instead. Fox was incredibly wary of letting outsiders (no matter how well-known) into the caldera. Let alone pregnant ones who might seek to be a threat to her own right to be the sole bearer of children. "There's a little stream and a hollow tree about a five minute walk from here," Fox offered. "I hope you'll understand that we can't just... take you in." Her eyes fell upon Raissa's abdomen once more.

"Come on; I'll show you." Raissa could take it or leave it, but Fox had to draw the line somewhere. Letting a pregnant female who didn't belong to the pack any deeper into their territory was just asking for trouble. What if Fitz came here and grew angry with the mother of his children? Or worse, what if he grew angry with Fox? Blinking the thought away, Fox began the short walk to the hollow tree, glancing back to make sure Raissa was following behind. "I can get somebody to stay with you, if you'd like. Maybe Elwood or one of our newer members." Jaws would make a fine guardian for the evening, as would Grimm.

Once Raissa was settled in, Fox lifted her head to call for @Elwood, assuming he wasn't busy with something else. Her conscious settled, Fox gave Raissa a quick good-bye, and set off back to her own (decidedly drama-free) family.