Nova Peak Tämäh

please let me know if not ok to assume MR is nursing the babies<33 aw to jump in for trades @Silatuyok @Ravens Call @Elowen Aeloria or cameo for husband & pups, pp of ayovi welcome

She is not permitted to nurse them. This is the greatest pain.
As the stone of a plum must break that its heart may seed in the sun, so must Ayovi withstand the agony of not holding her children. She can only watch them take a velvety pull from @Moon Runner’s belly while her own chest is heavy, aching and letting milk with every cry. Jealousy is misplaced, and still she feels horrendously empty watching them from across the room, in another's arms. Often she overflows with tears, but they are grateful ones to sister for keeping her children alive;  to the strong, capable council of medicine women— and Skorpa for keeping herself alive.
Tirelessly the shaman work, both days and nights, and when every part of Ayovi’s body hurts in ways she has never imagined, they are there to soften the suffering.
“They’re so beautiful,” the new mother breathes, ever in awe at seeing her little red bundles suckle the breast of Nemage. Her girls have flecking like frost, and her boy waves his tiny tail like an ember spouted from his father’s fire. She tries to focus on them and not the rupture of her belly.

---

silatuyok worked with the quiet devotion of one who knew pain too intimately to flinch from it. she was careful, precise—her tongue and teeth delicately pulled dried herbs from their braid, then pressed poultice to wound with moss that steamed gently with cedar and willow bark. her breath came in soft rhythms, a prayer beneath it all, though no words were said aloud this time.
hold, she murmured finally, not as command, but a kind invitation—one meant for ayovi’s body, coaxing her to stay steady through the worst of it. her pale paws moved to lay more pressure where the blood still oozed faintly. warm, red life. too much of it had already been lost.
the sharp scent of crushed juniper lingered in the air as she leaned closer to inspect the stitching—a weave done by her own design.
silatuyok did not speak of the children, but her gaze flicked often to them. then back to their mother, who bore every wound without the cry of a coward.
they look like you, she said at last, breaking her silence with a soft breath of truth. her tone was reverent, as if she too had been stunned by the sight of the tiny, fire-flecked lives. and they drink. this is good.
a pause, before she added more gently, soon you feed them. but rest now. this... this is your own battle.
and gently, again, she pressed poultice to broken flesh. quietly, as the mountain winds howled beyond them.

The mountain winds did not breach the entrance of the stone den. They swirled and tugged at the world outside, but outside they remained as Raven's Call darkens the entrance of the den.

Two fresh hares hang from her jaws. One for the woman of unknown name, the wet nurse that tended to the babes. Raven's Call had yet to learn more of her, something she hoped time would allow. To her, Raven's call deposits one hare first. Turning around, Raven's Call gifts Ayovi the second. Both woman needed strength.

Raven's Call could overhear the women's voices. Strung in a tongue that was unknown to her. With a nod to Silatuyok, Raven's Call gently moved to the Ekawotsa's side. Her eyes watching the deft work of the healer woman. Ayovi had a long road to recovery.

Looking to the patient's face, Raven's Call followed her gaze across to the babes. A soft smile is given to them.

Your babes are strong, just like their mother.

With a gentle paw, Raven gently swept back a flyaway tuft of fur on the woman's neck. Ayovi was beautiful, Raven's Call hoped her preening would help her spirits stay high. She then turned to the hare, precisely pulling small cuts of flesh from its body, preparing it in pieces for Ayovi.

With a glance back to Ayovi's belly, the blackbird girl took notice of her weeping of milk. It is with respect that she gently inspected her breasts, looking for any adverse swelling or redness. It crosses the girl's mind that there were no babes to stimulate her.

They will be in your arms soon. She takes Ayovi's paw in her own. I see that you are heavy with milk. Does it cause you any pain?

Ayovi is a good patient, still, because even the slightest of movements sear her abdominals in pain. Dull stars dot her vision, but she has regained her breath.
“Sila,” the huntress murmurs in gratitude, even as her cousin’s pressure lights a scorching fire in her belly. “You’re here…” she holds her chin up a moment before it collapses back onto the stone. She gazes dreamily at her puppies. “They look like him,” Ayovi’s grin pierces up from the pain.
Her eyes catch on the return of the silver woman. Ayovi does not know her, and yet beneath her warmth and light is some of the most tenderest moments she’d ever known. Her lids weigh heavy, at once softened to her touch.
“Your eyes,” she’d seen them during the birth— a beautiful contradiction of dusk and sundown burned into her memory. Ayovi murmurs from the floor, a paw shifting irreverently towards her  cloak of ash. “What is your name?”

---

silatuyok hums softly, the motion steady in her hands as she continues to tend to ayovi’s scar. her paws are gentle, skilled in their task. the soft pressure she applies to ayovi's belly helps to ease some of the tension, but the road to healing is slow, like the drift of snow settling into the mountains.
her gaze flickers briefly to ravens call as she watches her tend to ayovi with equal care. silatuyok nods, appreciative of the offering, as she continues her work. the quiet is familiar to her, comforting in a way.
yes, silatuyok murmurs, her voice soft but filled with conviction. she finishes what she’s doing and moves back slightly, allowing ravens call more space to work. the thought of ayovi’s babes fills her mind, and she can’t help but feel a deep satisfaction. the strength of family is always a powerful thing.
she looks to ayovi, a rare smile touching her features as she watches her gaze soften at the pups. as strong as the mountain, she agrees, as the spirits predicted. she pauses for a moment, watching the bond between ayovi and her new pups.

Raven Call's watches Silatuyok in her periphery. Appreciative of the Ekawotsa's expertise. The ivory woman was a fantastic healer. She blinked gratefully to the quiet woman, acknowledging the space made. They were a team; Silatuyok had tended to Ayovi's body, Raven's Call was to attend to her being. A smile reflected off of Raven's lips to see one upon Silatuyok's face.

Children were a blessing, as was keeping their mother with them.

Ayovi breathes words that are unknown to the blackbird. Her ears cup forward nonetheless, gathering their soft cadence. She does not flinch from Ayovi's touch. If it assured the woman that she was indeed there, she did not mind.

Ayovi's question reminds Raven's Call that they are still strangers.

Teeth gently show in a soft smile. Polite and direct, Raven's Call answers, I am Raven's Call. I'm sorry I had not introduced myself sooner. "When you were in better health" were words left unspoken. Raven's Call knows Ayovi's name, but she waits politely, allowing the woman the dignity of introducing herself if she wished.