Bearclaw Valley i don't know how many more da-da-dums i can take

because idk how that will turn out, i will say this is set before the thread w/Xan, but after Reigi's promotion is common knowledge :) tags are just for reference, this is AW!

The news of the dumb girl's promotion hit Laurel hard for she didn't understand. Why give the girl who already had everything more, more, always more? Laurel greedily wanted more too, but unlike the dumb girl more didn't get blown in by the wind on a leaf for her to simply grab. All she had was Indra. It wasn't really anything new. She'd always only ever had Indra, but there was something about seeing other wolves that had all the things that ignited something in Laurel. A deep passion to have more, too. And then the frustration that she knew she would never have all of the things she wished for.

It didn't help that whenever she thought of Xan she just wished that he were different. That he loved her, instead. But she knew that none of that would happen and there was little use for wishful thinking. Suddenly Laurel longed back to the time when she had felt miserable because nobody gave a fuck about her... But at least she had been free to leave if she wanted. She longed for spring but she didn't long for what it implicated, what it brought.

It was clear by this point that she was pregnant; her stomach had swollen considerably, and though she wasn't as sick anymore she was hungry pretty much all the time. @Indra had been caring for Laurel and it felt to her that nobody else really cared enough to do a thing. @Blondine had mostly been caring for the other pregnant girl, as, or so it felt to Laurel, everyone had anyway. She'd avoided the borders mostly because the sight of the stupid girl made her sick to her stomach and reminded her of her predicament, filling her with anger and sadness and a sense of self-hatred and the desire to claw her own eyes out until she bled out and maybe then everyone would know they should've cared.

Of course, such thoughts were fleeting. Laurel sighed as she sifted through her options again as she made her way to the territory's center. She found a creek there and leaned down to lap up some of the cool water. Just one day at a time, she thought to herself — then maybe she could make it through this and see what was on the other side. She stared down into the water, a sore reminder that she was just an ugly side-dish and nothing more, and cursed herself for her own stupidity in her mind.

In truth, Blondine hadn't cared to spend more time than necessary with either of the mothers-to-be, but it was fair for Laurel to think otherwise. The two of them hadn't gotten off on the best foot; if the roles were switched, Blondine might have thought the same thing. But, because her job was to heal, she knew that she ought to get over herself and do what she'd been hired to do in the first place.

It wasn't difficult to spot Laurel when Blondine wasn't trying (she normally lingered around her sister, to whom Blondine was most pulled), but now that she was actively seeking her out, she couldn't seem to place a finger on where exactly she might be. There wasn't enough motivation behind her task for Blondine to howl for Laurel, so she just kept walking, hoping that they might cross paths.

Eventually, beside the creek, Laurel came into view. Blondine chuffed as she approached, tail wagging at a friendly beat and a half-smile on her face.

She hadn't really intended on any company but Laurel knew that Blondine was one of her sister's good friends and so she didn't want to be rude. She turned 'round to look at Blondine's friendly approach and her tail wagged a few lone beats before falling silent as she watched the woman approach. "Hey," said Laurel and the briefest of smiles flashed across her face. She wasn't too sure what else to say; her mood wasn't really in the region of 'cheerfully chilling' or 'getting to know her sister's friend' but she wanted to make the best of it.

To fill the void and give herself some extra time to think Laurel leaned down to the water again and lapped at the cool liquid, hoping she'd find something good to say during her drink.

Howdy, Blondine cooed in return, pleased to find that Laurel wasn't completely turned off by her presence, I wanted to come and check in on you, see how you were faring. By now, the Redleaf had become so filled with life that the medic wondered if the innocent spirits of those pups in her belly were what made their Mama so tolerable. In her mind, it was the most logical explanation.

Mind if I come closer? she asked with one ear cocked back and the other half-off to the side. It was around this time that most mothers went from "I'm-hormonal-don't-touch-me" to "Do-whatever-you-want-but-getthemout"; although the latter was (of course) ideal, Blondine wasn't sure if Laurel had it in her.

Luckily Blondine filled the space between them as Laurel took a drink, saying that she wanted to come and check on her. Laurel figured she could use the checking-on, considering all that was going on, considering all the stress that went paired with her current predicament. Not just the being pregnant, but all that surrounded it, mostly. She didn't really feel like being touched but maybe it would be for the better.

She shrugged lightly as Blondine asked to come closer. "Okay," she said, then added quickly: "As long as you don't start touching things without asking." She wouldn't mind Blondine having a look but she would mind being touched suddenly. Laurel raised her head from the waterside and turned towards Blondine, waiting for her to come and check. She had fallen in love with her children already and could not bear to lose them, on top of all else she had lost recently. They were perhaps Xan's, but they were also hers and she bore them inside her womb.. to lose them, too, would be tragedy.

It was understandable that Laurel be no more keen to unnecessary prodding than Blondine was, so she heeded the warning with no complaint. In an effort to silently communicate her well wishes, she lowered the bulk of her body to the ground (this, in turn, also gave her a pretty good view of Laurel's bloated belly). She came so close as to feel the warmth radiating from her taut skin, but dared not go any further. 

Do you feel 'em move? she asked quietly, pulling back from Laurel's belly. Blondine couldn't imagine having something inside of her that was actually alive. It terrified her to think that she was even capable of such a thing, but it also amazed her. Still, Blondine much preferred to play doctor on Laurel and Reigi than the reverse.

Blondine stayed well clear of the too sensitive areas and Laurel was grateful for that. She hoped this could be done without too much prodding, really. Blondine asked if she could feel them move and Laurel hesitated visibly to answer the question. Eventually she said: "Sometimes." She was always wondering if she really felt them move or if it was just a rumble of her bowels or if she was just moving herself or anything of the sorts. For the sake of answering the question she decided that 'sometimes' would do, and really, she hoped that it was true. If something was growing inside her then it should at least be felt, and she was already feeling like a momma knowing these pups grew inside of her so she wanted to feel them.

"Is everything going alright?" she asked, glancing back at her stomach. She really just wanted a 'your pups will be fine' from Blondine, so hopefully Indra's friend would deliver the news Laurel wanted.

It wasn't like Blondine really knew anything about pups or pregnancy or what would happen once either of Xan's mommas popped, but as medic, check-ups like this felt obligatory. However, from what she could see, there was nothing wrong with Laurel which meant that the pups had to be fine, right? It made sense that things worked that way; healthy momma, healthy baby. 

I reckon everyone is doing just fine, Blondine cooed with a wide smile and another glance down at Laurel's belly. I won't be here when y'all give birth, but I'll be back a little whiles later to see how its gone. Dealing with pups on the outside was a much less daunting task than dealing with them on the inside; at least then, she could be sure she was prodding a pup and not a kidney.

feel free to fade this if you prefer :)

Laurel breathed out when Blondine let her know that the pups were doing fine. She hadn't realised that she had been holding her breath until she breathed it all out. Laurel smiled fleetingly until Blondine admitted she wouldn't be there for the birth. Her face fell and Laurel sharply said: "What? But I need you there! I don't know what's right or wrong when it comes to this kinda stuff!" She felt a little panicked at the thought of having to do it all alone -- well, with Indra -- though it only showed in the raising of her voice in indignation.