Ankyra Sound drink the pouring of my fury

no rush! <3

in an intriguing turn of events, two solace-seekers with a newborn litter had shown up at rusalka's borders, and rosalyn had taken pity on them, ensconcing the family in a small den. erzulie had kept her distance for a short while, wanting to give the two space and time to settle, but from what her wife had said, the children had been quite small.
and so she set off with a few herbs wrapped in a scrap of sealskin, and paced gently to the threshold of the shelter wherein @Dalia nursed her children. "hello," the harlot called softly. "i be de healer here, erzulie. may i visit you today?"

to hear the voice outside was almost alarming to dalia, who had begun to doze off where she laid with her children. but she processed it quickly, gave a short thought to it, and then called back, please -- come in. 

she shifted, adjusting herself and moving her babies a little closer to her as he gaze settled upon the entrance of the den... waiting for the woman -- erzulie -- to enter.

she was so young, this dalia, with the stamp of exhaustion on her pretty features, eyes a striking sea-blue that held the apprehension struck by long days of travel.
”i came to see how you an’ de babes were faring,” erzulie explained lightly. ”how was de birt’ for you?”

that’s so kind, murmured dalia as the sea-maiden entered her den, speaking in an accent that both entranced and calmed the new mother. she shifted, revealing the babies to the healer but not  so much so that they were too exposed. dalia could quickly curl and protect them in needed.

to the woman’s question, dalia’s ears splayed and her expression faltered, but she answered anyway. it was... hard. i lost a pup, i think it was from my own stress and malnutrition. but the other two were born just fine — small but healthy, she explained, gaze falling to the children, and they’ve already grown so much since we arrived. it was good news, and relieving as well. as dalia looked back up at the healer, she realized she hadn’t given a proper introduction.

my name is dalia, i too am a healer... a specialty in plants and childbirth, she said. ironic.

a sympathetic look crossed erzulie's face; she nodded, turning her gaze upon the little ones curled beside dalia. "you did well to come here. dey will thrive." rusalka was a place of churning alliances and unsteady leadership, but their resources were clear and plentiful due to their proximity against the sea.
a smile wreathed erzulie's dusky features. "is dat so? i am not a midwife. i would be happy to learn from you," she added, beginning to divvy up herbs for dalia's consumption. "dis is for your milk. if de pups came early, your body may need some help." 
pausing for the moment, erzulie turned her gaze back upon the two. "have you got names?"

i have much to teach -- my mother was an expert, i learned all i know from her, shared dalia with a small smile, silently hiding that her mother was portia of drageda. would this woman know her? portia was quite the name at the cliffs... but perhaps that's as far as her fame travelled. dalia, however, was quite set on sharing her mother's story with the rest of the world. she looked at the herbs that the accented woman brought her, her nose twitching as she silently verified that they were what she claimed they were. no one had proven to have ill intent here, but that didn't mean she was any less on edge. but it all checked out, and dalia ate them when they were finished being prepared without any argument. thank you.

reluctantly, dalia shook her head. we.. worried they wouldn't make it. we haven't named them yet -- but we will soon, they are strong, they will survive, she shared now with a small smile, i think i will name them after the ocean. it has been home for so long.

had erzulie known of the girl’s origin, it was quite likely she would have passed judgement upon her new packmate. yet it would have been lacking in true vitriol, for dalia like her was a mother, and not truly of drageda.
however the harlot knew none of this; she moved close and listened in an attentive silence, charmed by the girl and her tenacious determination to see the brighter things. ”a name be a powerful talisman against t’ings past an’ present,” erzulie murmured, a smile upon her lips. ”i hope you come to see rusalka as a true home for you an’ for your children.”
presently she leant back, arched a dark brow. ”have you eaten recently?”

i hope so too, replied dalia, meaning it as well as she could. this was a pack she'd always harbor ill feelings towards... it had been the cause of much stress for her family. but, perhaps it was time she let bygones be bygones... she might ask velen at a later day. 

at the new question presented, dalia paused, her ears flicking as she tired to remember. i -- must not have, today at least, she replied a bit bashfully, velen has been bringing me food while the pups are this young, i don't think he'd come back yet. she tried to be more on top of it -- know that as long as she was healthy that her pups would be too... but, ah, life happens.

"ah," erzulie murmured, lifting herself. "i will be comin' back in a moment." with that, she departed the little den. true to the harlot's word, she returned in a short while, bearing the fresh tongue of a large clam. "i'm sure you have had dis before," the healer remarked, lying it near dalia's paw. "but you need de richest food right now."
that was all she knew of midwifery; she would share her kills with velen until dalia's children were weaned. but for now, the young mother was in dire need of rest, she suspected.
"is dere anyt'ing else you need?" erzulie inquired, seeking the brilliant seafoam gaze with her own mismatched eyes. "i can stan' watch while you sleep, until your man gets back."