Dragoncrest Cliffs Your heart full of foxes

Although she hated to leave the pups, Wildfire needed an occasional break to step outside, relieve herself and stretch her legs. She never went far, simply milling about the area immediately adjacent to the log. Usually @Thuringwethil switched spots with her for the duration, though on this particular outing, the commander was busy elsewhere. The Feisripa stuck particularly close, constantly shooting glances at the litter and keeping her ears pricked for any noises of distress even as she walked in slow circles to work out the kinks in her shoulders and legs.

Before climbing back inside, she parked beside the mouth of the whelping den and simply smiled down at the brood. @Kiwi and @Bat were fast asleep, the latter upside down as per usual. @Silkie and @Tux were a little more lively. Their mother watched, easily entertained, though the sound of footsteps caused her to glance upward. She hoped it was her mate returning, or maybe @Artaax, @Blixen or @Bobby paying a visit.

cameo!

he had been slumbering peacefully until his mother had stood and left — rude! — and as the cold seeped into his little body he let out a discontented squeal.

penguin boy rooted towards his siblings and buried himself beneath them the best he could with his feeble nudging, and contented once more the warbling stopped.

she may not be good at handling feelings, but she understands, at least, when she's gotta let it go. blix's stuck close-ish to the den since the birth, sans her usual patrols, just to keep an eye on everything. just to be safe. you damn bet those babies are gonna grow up without so much as a spot of discomfort if blix has her way.

the redhead happens to be close enough passing by to catch her mother's appearance at the mouth of the weird tree-den, and she picks up her pace to catch her. "hei," she says, and smiles, glancing toward the sleepy bodies within. "all good?"

A smile instantly twitched her lips when her chestnut gaze clapped upon Blixen. "Hei," she rejoined easily, turning her body slightly to more fully face her grown daughter. "Yes, everything's great," she reported, pausing ponderously for a second before deciding to confess, "After you and your brothers were born, I struggled a bit. I think it was the newness of it, the sudden sense of responsibility over such new, tiny lives. It overwhelmed me. But," she finished, feeling a little guilty even as she said, "it's much better this time."

Wildfire took a breath, then wondered, "How're you this morning? May I welcome you officially to big sisterhood?"

she's not prepared for mother's confession, nor does she quite know how to react. "oh," she says, awkwardly, "that's good."

there's not really a point in getting too hung up on it: as far as blixen can remember, her mother has always been loving and nurturing and has not left her or her siblings wanting in any regard (well, sans the kidnapping thing, which she can't really be blamed for). she dismisses it with an easy shrug, grinning at her mother's question. "yeah! yeah. they're so tiny," she adds, again, for the millionth time, still so surprised by their teensy little forms. "did you name them yet?" assuming they have remained unnamed by the end of that other thread blix is in, of course.

Even if Blixen repeated herself a million times, seeing her marvel over her younger siblings would never get old for Wildfire. She smiled indulgently at her grown daughter, quietly tickled to death over her remarks, and then bobbed her head excitedly at the query about names.

Turning more toward the pups again, she pointed at each with a red toe. "They're called Kiwi, Rorqual, Silkie and Tux." Her chestnut eyes flicked to Blixen's face to see what her daughter thought of the pups' monikers.

mother names them, pointing as she does, and blix follows the gestures. kiwi, rorqual, silkie, tux. a tiny, fragile smile blossoms across her face. it's a little overwhelming. "good names," she says, then tilts her head at one of them, rorqual, she thinks. the others were all nestled nicely but... "why's that one upside down?" 

truthfully she could watch them for ages, fascinated by their being. will she ever have kids? its not something blix had thought about -- even with her feelings about furi (damn it, furi), she'd been focused on the now and not the future. thinking now it makes the warmth in her chest turn heavy, sink to her belly like a stone. no, she probably won't, because she's never ever going to love again. "furi dumped me," the redhead announces abruptly, her expression twisting -- not bothering to mask any of the grief that rolls through her suddenly, having to admit her relationships failure.

"Because," she answered without missing a beat, "she thinks she's a bat. You and your brothers didn't do anything like this, so I don't know if there's a purpose behind it. It's probably just a little quirk."

Wildfire took a moment to smile indulgently at her newest daughter's peculiarity before looking up at Blixen again, just in time to see her face fall, shortly thereafter followed by an announcement. Although she'd literally never found herself in this situation, Wildfire followed the cry of her motherly instincts without hesitation.

Moving closer to Blixen to nudge her cheek, she asked, "What happened?" and then, in the very same breath, she added, "I'm sorry." It didn't even cross her mind that she'd had anything to do with it, though she felt deepest empathy for her crestfallen child. There was a measure of anger there too, a pot of water sitting on the turbo boil burner, but she kept it tightly lidded as she awaited details.

rorqual's weird quirk earns a fleeting smile and a mumbled "bat," but her amusement at her little sister can't override the depression that's descended upon her with admitting her relationship's failure to mother. she accepts the affection, pressing in a little closer. when mother asks what happens blix tenses slightly, furi's face flashing into her thoughts, furi saying you told your mom.

she'd been so, so furious, but when she pulls back a little and takes in her mother's concerned face and the babies behind her, she can't find it in her to act on it. "i don't know," she says instead, not really lying, "she said she wasn't ready? i don't know what she meant, though." she adds miserably, moving to butt her head against mother's chest.

The lid on the pot rattled ominously when Blixen gave a reason, which was not in the least surprising given what little Wildfire knew of Furi. That stupid girl, the mother caught herself thinking with unfair viciousness even as she nosed her daughter's temple. She knew she'd have to watch what she said. Especially as the "dumpee," Blixen surely still had strong feelings about Furi.

"I'm so sorry, Blix, that's..." She paused to come up with a neutral word. "Unfair," she decided, "to you." When Blixen leaned into her, Wildfire welcomed her by lifting a foreleg to wrap around her slim shoulders, holding her close and licking betwixt her ears. "I've been through heartbreak too. It hurts so much, doesn't it?" she crooned, swaying ever so slightly.

she manages a tiny smile, sniffling into mother's chest. she'd almost forgotten what it felt like to be babied a little -- she kind of likes it. only in a short dose, though. after a few moments of indulgence the gona pulls back, nodding, her expression still crestfallen. "it does," she agrees, frowning. "how did you... get on?" it'd never occured to her that mother might have had any romances before nomi -- it gives her brief, fleeting hope (although that won't last).

Blixen only allowed herself to be coddled a moment before she drew away. Wildfire obligingly let her slip free, though she was glad the Gona didn't go far. She wanted to know how her mother had moved past her own past heartbreaks. Before Thuringwethil, there had only been Floki. And she'd gotten over him by running away (helped by Charon).

Of course, she wasn't going to tell her daughter to flee to the horizon. "The only way to get over someone is to focus on other things, like family, friends, hobbies." She paused thoughtfully. "You're more than welcome to use the puppies as a distraction anytime," the Feisripa offered, the corners of her eyes crinkling. "Whatever you do, minimizing contact is probably your best bet. It's easier said than done, especially when you live in the same place." That's exactly why she'd run, though, again, she wasn't going to advise Blixen follow in those particular footsteps.

(ironically, it would be furi who would inevitably flee, just like always. but even if mother had said something about distance, it wouldn't have meant much to blixen, for whom home was bound in geographical precision -- leaving drageda's never on the table.)

she mumbles a "thanks, mom," taking her advice to heart. it's not a bad idea -- work, maybe, a little dangerous, since her and furi always used to patrol together. but, she reminds herself, there'd been plenty of times when they hadn't because of fights, and she'd managed. and, and, it's an opportunity to really focus on proving herself worthy of cheka, isn't it? 

as for the other offer... she gives the puppies an intense look. they're cute but not very interesting yet. "when will they start talking?" the gona asks. once they're actually old enough to do stuff, they might be a nice distraction. hey, maybe she can train 'em up, that'd be kinda fun..

as if he knew he were being talked about, tux wiggled out from beneath the pile of siblings and towards his fire-hued mother and sister (although he cannot yet see them.. i think?  stray doesn't remember.)  he lets out a tiny wail, feeble but baby-thick legs flailing as he tries to find the source of the disruption.

Truth be told, Wildfire couldn't remember when, exactly, pups reached that particular milestone. "In a few weeks," she answered rather vaguely, shooting the yearling an apologetic smile. "They'll grow up so fast, it'll make your head spin," she shared.

Tux emerged from the pile (Silkie having dropped off like his sisters). Wildfire knew it was time to feed them, so she nudged Blixen's cheek and then stepped inside the den, maneuvering gingerly before curling around her brood. She began plucking them one by one, rousing them and settling them near a teat, starting with squirmy little Tux.

"You're welcome to stick around, though I know they're kind of dull right now, so if you have better things to do, I won't hold it against you," Wildfire quipped. "Just try to stay busy, Blix, and you'll be okay. And come visit any time—every day, if you like. I know I would."

'a few weeks' is specific enough for blixen, who takes it with an interested look, observing the chubby black-and-white body scuttling towards them with an unearthly wailing sound. mother seems to know what that means and she watches as her lookalike moves back to the squirming pile of bodies, rearranging them expertly. "okay," she says, looking back to her mother's face, "i'll -- keep busy, yeah. i can come visit." and maybe it would get better, even if she didn't quite believe it yet.