The Sunspire i heard that you were in town

It was the perfect day for a sit-down, Forrest thought. The sun was high and the skies were clear, and though the wind still retained its wintery talons, spring was creeping up behind. Their spot on the mountain was high enough for Forrest to gather a full view of the Wilds below, though she'd neglected to take advantage; seeing the world like that was overwhelming to the elder.

Besides, there were other things that she could relish in. It was a gift to have made her way back to @Olive, though she was embarassed to have not seeked her out sooner. There encounter at the border had been the first one since reuniting with one another, and with it having happened at under a man's vise, Forrest didn't think that it made for a proper reunion at all. Thus, she searched her out, hoping that the lass wouldn't be too busy to talk.

Besides the cerberus, there was only one thing that Moonspear had that Sunspire did not: Olive’s garden. Inwardly, Olive was semi-surprised to realize just how long ago that had been! Her garden had been a work of art, finely crafted and used as Olive’s passion project during her and Dakarai’s initial dissolution. All she love she felt for the man, she poured into that small plot of earth and she grew bright flowers and beautiful vines with curling leaves — it had been a short-lived venture, as not soon after, her all-consuming depression became the blight of her son, then her daughter, and finally her carefully tended garden. Then, she had become a wanderer and such a lifestyle did not afford those luxuries she once enjoyed.

But things were getting better, were they not? This mountain would be here home — their home, and damn that felt good to say. She had a home once more, and wolves with whom she could tend relationships. Olive always vacillated between desiring community and desiring solitude, and at that moment her pendulum swung greatly to the side of community and warmth. She wanted it more than she wanted anything, but she had not realized the fact until very recently.

— as always, whenever Olive mused upon her good fortune, there was always a dull reminder in the back of her mind that it could end at any moment… and who could she blame but herself, if her home was spirited away from her? It was entirely within Rannoch and Liffey’s right to turn her out; and she half-expected them to do it, too, as Olive now knew the world to not be so kind to expectant mothers. Upon hearing Rannoch explain to Forrest his wish for a litter, Olive now understood that she was the competition here. It was a reality she must prepare for.

Very few wolves knew of her condition — in fact, did anyone that mattered? Somehow Dakarai had known, but they had been so intimate, for so long, and the man had always the knack for reading her unspoken states like a book. But he was neither here nor there, and within the next week or so her figure would begin to fill out and then she would truly be at risk. Troubled by this, Olive moved across the valley that lay at the great mountain’s summit and attempted to find a place for her garden to be cultivated — and came across the woman Forrest, with whom she felt closer than she had any real right to be. 

Drifting alongside the woman with a featherlight gait, Olive made greetings by strumming the length of her maw against Forrest’s own. It was such a comfort to have her here.        

Although initially startled, Forrest was quick to settle into Olive's presence. The silence between them was allowed to linger for a moment while she returned the greeting with a gentle nudge to the girl's shoulder. There had been some lingering suspicions, but Forrest had dismissed them as confusion. Now that they were right beside each other, it was easier for her to confirm that her intuition wasn't as far off as she'd pegged it to be.

With a smile on her maw and a flutter of her heart, Forrest began to speak, Olive, how have you been?

Olive steeped in the warmth of their greeting, feeling as though Forrest were the teabag and she were the mug of lukewarm water! How nice it was to be surrounded by others who seemed to genuinely like her and wish to aid in her journey. It will all go away, the small voice reminded her. and it’s all your fault.

These were the good times, so the druid would not give into her melancholy so easily. Dusky gaze and simpering smile, Olive both lied and told the truth all at the same time. “It is so delightful,” she chimed earnestly. “Sunspire in a wonderful place.” The fae of ash-and-bone took a lofty step forward, tail swinging low and wide, happiness yet unabated.

“I am very happy you are here.” 

Olive hadn’t been aware of Forrest skills, over and beyond her stargazing and storytelling abilities. She realized her good fortune when she had acted as audience to Forrest’s initial acceptance. During her first pregnancy, it had always been a comfort to have her nurse within arm’s reach — until she wasn’t. Olive’s stomach gripped at the thought of Carina’s auction, though the two had since made ammends. 

The mother to be was quick to remind herself that Forrest’s skills were not hers to take — she served Sunspire’s leadership “Your skills will be of such great use to Rannoch and Liffey,” she commented, wishing dearly that she could finally share her own news with someone who would not throw it back into her face, or guilt her for what was clearly a blessing.  

The Sunspire was a lovely place and the wolves within only furthered its appeal. There hadn't been anyone who she'd met thus far (which, to be fair, didn't include very many) who she thought was sour or cold, so it was easy to assume that settling in would be easy. One thing that was evident was that Forrest was what one might call a senior compared to her packmates, though she didn't mind the title.

Olive's adorations were returned with Forrest's own — I'm glad that you're here, dear. It means I have someone to talk to. — because she wanted them both to be completely comfortable before she started to touch on more sensitive topics. The secret was clearly one that Olive had planned to maintain and it wasn't her fault that she didn't foresee Forrest's discovery.

I'm going to be someone you can talk to, too, she said with a sigh, Are Rannoch and Liffey the only wolves I'll be looking after?

The sylph shrank at Forrest’s question, every desire to share her news leaving her body at that very moment. Olive realized, quite suddenly, how much she did not want everyone to know this part of her. She wished it could be her secret until the end of time, so that she could be nothing but happy and celebratory when considering the lives that stirred within. Until this became public, Olive found it easy to settle into the peace that pack life afforded, but she was certain this pretty picture would soon fall apart. Didn’t it always? 

“No,” she admitted, her voice coming feeble — frightened. “I do not know how it happened.” I mean, of course she knew — her mind flashed to those nights in the wood, alone with that man, indulging in every fashion of indecency — but, no matter how godsent these cubs might be, Olive honestly thought she would had been smarter this time around. How many times must she put her children in danger, before she learned to plan ahead, instead of simply dealing with the outcomes of her choices? When might she learn that, just because she wanted something didn’t mean she should actually have it?

But still, it felt good not to shoulder this burden alone. Forrest was a woman that Olive implicitly knew she could trust; it was something the empath felt in her bones. She was in good hands. The midwife had Rannoch’s respect, and the mother-to-be could not help but appreciate the god’s great timing. “No one knows.” the waif admitted, somewhat surprised that Forrest had been so perceptive...  Well, actually, Forrest was an experienced mother herself and seemed to have shepherded many through their pregnancies, so perhaps her surprise was somewhat unwarranted. It was an idea that her mind worked to process in the background. 

The worry and fear in Olive's voice was palpable to anyone within earshot. It was something that years of experience had luckily made Forrest quick to notice and experienced in handling. When a mother showed such emotional vulnerability, it was rarely because she feared for her own life, as Forrest had been forced to learn through her own life experiences. No one has to know, she reassured Olive, Not until you're ready for them to know.

A part of being a midwife was being a friend, and it wasn't very friendly to go about telling other people's business, especially when that business involved more than just the accuser and the accused. Who is the father? Forrest asked, wondering if it was a male within Sunspire, Does he know? They didn't have to tell him if Olive didn't want him to know, nor did she have to reveal his identity if she didn't want to.

All that mattered was that Forrest had all of the necessary tools to properly treat Olive as a patient, and to comfort her as a child.

Then, Forrest did the most spectacular thing: she didn’t judge. Not that Olive believed her friend would judge her, no, it was more that Olive questioned who wouldn’t be able to abstain from passing judgment upon her? A single mother of, what did Dakarai call it again — a bastard litter? Oh, yeah, that. The worst part of it was that Dakarai hadn’t even been wrong about it, because she was alone, to either raise these puppies or watch them die at her feet. Though Olive loved motherhood and babies and everything about it, the stigma and the unspoken assumptions that came along with her solitude was almost unbearable. 

— or, it would be, when her packmates eventually came to their full understanding. Until that time, it was only she who made herself feel this way, Olive realized with despair.

The elder midwife gave the younger no reason to be untruthful. “I— I don’t know his name…” she said sheepishly, wondering what Forrest would make of this. “I don’t know where I’d even find him.” The man, though she had met him thrice, remained as anonymous to her as would be a stranger. She knew nothing about him, not his name or his allegiances, where his family was from or his favorite food. He had a way of engaging in conversation that challenged her splendidly and encouraged her to think, but did so without revealing an iota of information about himself. It had been a fantastic act, and Olive had no problem succumbing to it, at the time. “He doesn’t need my trouble, anyways. I’m bad news.” That, however, was another story entirely.

The shrouded sylph wanted to get out in front of it, to tell her packmates before they started to smell it upon her, but there was such a risk in doing so… and she always wanted to keep the sanctity of her bliss with Sunspire for just one more day. In the three weeks since their conception, Olive nearly convinced herself that the only possible outcome to this fiasco was her banishment from the beautiful, springtide mountaintop. This, however, she considered a survivable offense — the real pain came from her once more unavoidable separation from Cassiopeia. It seemed that the two were never able to remain in the other’s life for more than a month or two at a time, and it was truly sorrowful for she loved her daughter so. Certainly it was all part of the gods’ bigger plan, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t going to hurt like hell.

Then, an idea Olive hadn’t yet considered creeped into the back of her mind. “Forrest, you don’t think they’ll be… k— killed…”  she took a deep breath. “or banished…” It was the same fate, swung from a different axe. The thought was almost too tragic to bear. It didn’t seem as though Rannoch or Liffey or Terance were capable of committing infanticide, but hadn’t she thought the same thing of Arturo — and hadn’t she been wrong? “Do you?” Here, the lamb drew her lip between her teeth, appearing to be truly disconcerted.        

CAN DELETE IF THIS ISN'T OK. JUST A CAMEO.

it wasn't that terance was purposefully eavesdropping, he was not mistrusting of olive, it was simply that their conversation was... well, very public. perhaps they just didn't think anyone would stick around to listen, which was fair-- for it was quite unfair of terance to linger so close. 

but that was just it, he was close enough to hear and so he heard, not on purpose necessarily but he certainly didn't try not to hear. the words stained his mouth with a bitter taste, and though his ears wanted to fold tightly to his head in frustration, he held them cupped forward little little satellite dishes, clinging to every word. he was downwind, thankfully, and out of side, up on a higher cliff. the words i'm pregnant never left olive's mouth, but terance was not stupid. he put two and two together so easily... and that was all he needed. 

his brows knitted together as he listened, hearing olive's concern about being killed or banished. is that what she thought of them? murderers? child murderers? terance was quite appalled by that worry. even though he firmly believed olive was not suited to be a mother (and a bastard litter? how careless of her), there was nothing he wanted less than to keep the pups safe. they were children, after all. and though terance would not have the opportunity this season to see his own offspring grow up besides rannoch's, olive's might, and terance thought that rannoch's pups deserved friends to grow up beside. 

but this conversation was not for him-- not yet, at least, and so he kept his distance, leaving olive to worry to forrest without a clue he'd ever heard. and though he wanted to speak with rannoch, he would give olive the chance to do so herself.

Had Forrest noticed the stray presence, she might have tried to shush Olive further. The questions that she was asking were hard to answer, for even a sage as tried and true as Forrest knew that the future was out of her hands. While it was the Alpha's right to secure the lives of his children before anyone else's and under any means necessary, Rannoch didn't seem like the type to go to such extreme lengths. Then again, Forrest didn't know him well enough to say.

With a sigh, she sat back on her haunches and took a moment to meet Olive's gaze with a deep sincerity. I don't know, Forrest sighed, If I could tell you, I would, dear. There were too many possible outcomes to a situation like this to say with certainty what would come to pass. But what I do know is that I'll do what I can to keep all of you safe. Worry about getting through this before you worry about what move you'll make next.

Another sigh. Are you taking care of yourself? Managing your symptoms?

Even if Terance had been in view, Olive would have been too wrapped up in her own drama to notice. So, she went on talking, becoming more lucent with her locution. 

“It hasn’t been so bad — it wasn’t so bad last time, either. The women in my family have always been good at having babies.” That’s what mother had always said, and Olive had no reason not to believe her. In fact, her mother so resolutely convinced the young druid of this that the belief had carried her through her life up until now, and had only been confirmed by her prior experience bearing children. The circumstances surrounding the event had been an utter calamity, but her body had performed beautifully. Minimal nausea, little weight gain, and an easy delivery with every pup alive and thriving; as a mother, you just can’t ask for much more than that.

The sylph had taken comfort in Forrest’s presence, and how her mien had not changed when Olive had expressed her darkest fears. Certainly, the elder midwife could not scry the future from some crystal ball, but did not her composure speak of confidence and care? If there was a reason to truly be concerned, her and Forrest would be having a different conversation — she was sure of it.

Didn’t mean she couldn’t still talk about it, though. Olive had never been able to keep quiet about the things that concerned her anyways, and this concerned her the most. “I know that worrying isn’t good for me, or for them…” The sylph glanced over her shoulder at belly, still neatly tucked up against her spine, with no auspicious convexities to be seen yet. “but, I can’t stop thinking about what comes next. I have to tell them.” The girl’s mossy glance fell from Forrest’s, and she pushed forward to embrace the woman and rest her chin against her collarbone. “How would you do it?”

Although Forrest had never been put into a situation this complex with this many variables, she had been the caretaker of women who were. It was never an easy trail to navigate, but when taken with care, the steps often led to an O-K outcome. Things like this were never easy or predictable; keeping Olive safe was her first priority. Once the babies were here, they could focus on doing the same for them. 

With a sigh and a pensive furrow of her brow, Forrest began to speak, I would tell them the raw truth. I'd start off with, you know, 'I'm pregnant', then go from there. It wasn't smart to begin with a backstory because all of that blabbering gave the Alpha time to think, and when Alphas think, they become anxious. An anxious Alpha rarely ever gives what is being asked.

Do you want me there? Forrest asked. It was a private matter, of course, but if Olive had chosen to clue her in thus far, it wasn't impossible that she wanted her there for the (first) big moment, too.

Olive nodded and then hung her head against Forrest, rather listlessly. The druid so appreciated the midwife’s guidance, closeness and softness — in some ways, she filled the role that Dakarai had during her first pregnancy. Olive may not have a mate for this go-around, or even know the name of her litter’s father, but she had friends and a pack who would support her journey. With Forrest here, she was sure it was true. All she had to do was broach the topic of her litter with Rannoch, and the rest would take care of itself. There was no guarantee that he would swing his sword and fracture her life once more, so there was nothing to be scared of.

Drawing a deep breath, Olive plucked her visage from the thick fur of Forrest’s décolletage and looked up at her with gaze wide and stelliferous. “I would be honored to have to present, and to be your patient.” It didn’t seem at all intrusive to her, considering Dakarai had joined her to the birth of Aries and Cassiopeia and Sirius, huffing and puffing alongside her for better or for worse. Olive was certain this was a task she could accomplish alone, if needed, but the druid preferred to bathe in the positive vibrations of women like Forrest, as it very much nurtured her and gave her strength. The sisterhood between wild women was a beautiful thing, and the ability to share such intimate experience was nothing to laugh at. 

“I supposed there’d be no better way to learn from you, would there?” She commented with a wry, knowing grin. The proclivity and willingness to experiment on oneself was the hallmark of the naturalist-healer type, and Olive wished to finely hone her own skill in midwifery under Forrest's tutelage. A small smile grew upon the fae's visage, reminiscent of the dissipating anxiety she felt inside. It was great knowing that she had Forrest here to support her, and hopefully, the support of the entire Sunspire pack.