Evening was her favourite time of day, especially throughout the Summer months. The pastel shades that swirled the clouds as the sun continued its descent always reminded her of home. Paar loved the warm oranges and hot pinks, the promise of a good weather the following morning.

She lay alone at the river's edge, watching the surface of the water as it glistened in the dim daylight. Her afternoon had involved organising her herb cache, now that they'd been given time to dry and be stored away without the risk of mould. They'd last through until next Summer, she thought, when new supplies would grow.

Paar dipped her nimble paws into the water and she flicked her toes across the creek's surface, and she propped her chin atop her elbow to watch the droplets splash with ripples. The arrival of a familiar she-wolf drew her attention away, however, and the two-toned medic lifted her crown once more to follow Bazi's movements with curious copper eyes. "Hi," Paarthurnax called out in greeting, her tail sweeping across the grass at her rear.

Paarthurnax stayed put as Bazi continued in her direction, and smiled softly as she sank to her belly beside her. She watched quietly as the young Alpha stretched out, dipping her own paws over the edge and into the water. Playfully she batted the rippling surface once, splashing a few droplets in the pale leader's direction. Paar grinned mischievously then, and lean closer to press her shoulder to Bazi's in an act of support.

She liked Bazi. She was young, forced into adulthood and leadership far sooner than she may have liked, but she did her best. Where others such as Njal and Tuwawi saw fit to deny her the chance she so deserved, Paarthurnax yearned to reach out to her. She'd never been in any position of leadership, though her gentle nature prompted her to care for anyone who might be troubled. That evening, however, it appeared that it was not the stresses of Alphaship that weighed on Bazi's shoulders.

Paar nodded confidently in response. She'd been present at the birth of many Samarkand pups, all her younger half-siblings through her sire's other wives. Paar had cared for them, but she never really considered them to be her brothers and sisters like Viin, Nezzar, Arta and the others had been. "Yup," the medic said, "is there anything you'd like to know about the... experience?"

Paarthurnax waited patiently as Bazi paused to consider how to word her questions. She did find herself wondering why the pallid girl's mother had never informed her of such things, but then found herself considering the fact that she may not have had a mother for any real length of time. Not all wolves were as lucky in their childhood as Paar was. It was true that Nita held great pride for her many strong sons, but she treasured her daughters as well. And above all else, she taught them to respect and know their bodies - they would never be used as many Samarkand females were.

"Not everybody believes it, but in the early stages of pregnancy I find that girls have a certain glow," she flicked a velvet ear, trying to think of a better way to explain it; "like... their coats shine more than usual. They look healthier, even when they feel like crap from morning sickness." She smiled then, recalling how her mother had been violently ill throughout the first weeks of her final pregnancy with Arta, Vash and Sahloknir. "I've never been pregnant, but I guess some wolves just feel the changes of their bodies and simply... know. Everybody's different."

The bi-coloured medic eyed her leader curiously, uncertain if she understood or if her explanation even made sense. Pregnancy was something she'd never been particularly interested in until she came of age herself, and sought to learn about the changes of her own hormones. "You stay kinda big after the pups are born, for a few days to a couple of weeks. The uterus needs time to shrink, and you naturally gain a few pounds throughout the pregnancy - reserves used to make milk when the pups are born. You may or may not shed those quickly while suckling them, again, it depends on the individual."

Bazi asked her a question she couldn't give a good response to, and she shook her head. "Sorry," Paar said with a sympathetic smile, "wolves deal with change and pain and everything that comes in that sort of package in a different way, so it's impossible to say what one particular girl's pregnancy will be like."

The bi-coloured wolfess leaned close to the river's edge, her copper eyes scanning her leader's reflection. Bazi might think herself unattractive or plain as she frowned down at herself, but to Paar, everyone was beautiful in some way or another. "Are you considering motherhood, Bazi?" Paar smiled encouragingly; she did not yet have a mate of her own, but rearing a litter of her own was something she herself desired.

Paarthurnax brushed her nose against the tufted base of her leader's pale ear, and preened the fine hairs there to offer comfort and support. She recalled her own nervousness when she entered her first heat cycle, but thankfully her mother had warned her of what was to come. Her body was never a stranger to Paar; she had been well aware of the changes she would experience well before her time came, so she would know what to expect when it came to her duties as a wife when the time came.

"You bleed a little, from... you know," the bi-coloured medic answered, abandoning her brief grooming session to shoot a sideward glance in the direction of her rear. "And then you don't, and that's when you're receptive. Or, ovulate, to be precise." Paarthurnax flicked a russet ear, trying to pull together the best way to explain. Throughout her own heat, the two-toned medic always retreated to a place of privacy where she could let her hormones run their course alone. This was not only to prevent rogue males from pestering her, but to keep herself from shoving her tail beneath the noses of men she found attractive. "Again, everybody's different. Some women get mood swings, others want to be alone, or they'll eat or pee more than usual. And you'll find your own way of dealing with it."

Paar smiled, amused, when the young leader crunched her face up at the likely mental image her comment had roused. Yet another question was asked, once that the bi-coloured medic truthfully hadn't been expecting, and she held her breath for a few moments to keep herself from giggling. When Bazi started to bleed from her lady parts, she very much doubted that keeping it out of her fur would be her main concern. "You could groom yourself," Paarthurnax said, then gestured to the water that they dipped their toes in. "Or you could sit in the water?"

When she was asked about her own family, the one she'd left behind, Paarthurnax felt her heart skip an uncomfortable beat. Her expression faltered somewhat, enough to be noticeable, and she continued to gaze down at her own reflection. She studied those bright eyes that stared back at her, that sleek muzzle, those fine cheekbones, eyelashes that so many other girls might kill for. A delicate desert flower. The most lovely of Nita Frostfur's children, an exotic beauty wherever she went. "My parents were leaders of a pack called Samarkand, far South of here," she started, feeling uncertain. She stalled for a short time, not sure if she was ready to share her awkward birth-pack, but figured she could trust Bazi with some less fragile information until the time was right to share the rest. "They were not an Alpha pair in the traditional sense. The Alphess - or Shabanu as we called it - could be challenged by any of the other females in the pack. My father had many wives, and many children, though my mother was never defeated when it came to her rank. She held the title for as long as she lived there, until she and my father retired and moved on, leaving my older brother inherit leadership of the pack." And my father's leftover wives. Paar paused then, eyeing Bazi tentatively for fear that she might think of the unusual hierarchy she had left behind.