Swiftcurrent Creek yours was not the only answer

there is no doubt about it now - her sides swell and ache, and her movement is weighed down, her usual grace eroding. she stretches now near the river, but the brief warmth of the afternoon is fading as clouds bear down on her, ripe and rolling quickly. the rain starts lightly, growing for a few moments driving and wild, before ebbing. she stretches out her muzzle and is content beneath the summer shower, the rain driving her pelt into dozens of spikes and furrows. the blue of the sky is visible again only a few moments later, the rolling storm departing as quickly as it came. it's not entirely uncomfortable out here - the air is still warm and humid, and so the huntress neglects to move from her patch of mossy riverbank.

omg…. It just kinda spilled out…..didn’t mean to write this much, but it happened sooooooooo here you go! Haha

Her body was changing more rapidly than she had been prepared for. Not that she had been prepared for any of this. However now she waited for more of her children to appear. The idea of raising them wasn’t as daunting as the idea of delivering them. She was scared, and slowly she had started to revert to her more standoffish ways from before living in Swiftcurrent.

After the birth of her elder children, her reunion with Alessia, and her further union with Kavik, Lie had changed. She found that being a mother suited her, and she loved spending time with the youngsters. But she could also see the strain they brought on the pack. The hungry mouths that needed constant feeding made her nervous. Chusi had just given birth as well, and now there was another female whom Kavik had accepted. The further along her pregnancy went the more and more she worried.

Her nausea had increased drastically over the last few days. She struggled to keep anything down, despite how hungry she was. During one bought of sickness the woman ventured for a calming walk away from the den, happy to bask in the rain. The cooling water, helping her relax. Any day now Lie knew Alessia would be reddening the pups at the rendezvous site, as such Lie had been heading out more and more frequently. Heading down to the river Lie caught sight of the gunmetal woman, tilting her head her seafoam gaze roamed her figure. Their shared predicament was obvious, giving the smallest smile she hesitated for a moment.

“We’ve needed rain.” She stated softly, just loud enough for the woman to hear, alerting her to her presence. Taking a few steps closer, Lie tilted her head to the side, awaiting some sort of greeting.

she was not alone for long - another woman, sharp and pretty and obviously pregnant drew up alongside her. for a moment, Dawn pondered the woman's condition. it made Kavik's acceptance of them all the more meaningful. what ruler would accept a pregnant stranger when one of his own was expecting? a compassionate one, a kind one, and this lent new respect to the ruler. 

she nodded at the woman's words. "summer will come more quickly because of it." smile curved her muzzle, and she drew herself onto her haunches. "I'm Dawn, Morningside." 

“Indeed I think you are right.” Dipping her head, Lie came closer and sat alongside her newest pack mate. “Hmm, nice to meet you Dawn. I am Rosalie. Kavik has told me about you.” There was a friendly sparkle to her eyes, even though she could feel a tingle of anger. Not at Dawn, but toward her lover leader. Where Dawn found respect, Lie found irritation. He had accepted a new pregnant member when she herself was expecting. Had he no worry for what the future might hold.

Trying to move past her emotions with her complicated relations, Lie focused on Dawn. Who seemed most agreeable. “You came with your mate? Aditya was it?” She had caught their scent lingering throughout the territory, and had no doubt that they were busy readying their den for the arrival of their children.

she dips her head, accepting the woman's introduction and placing the name to her face. she's pretty, in a sharp, elegant type of way. she seemed amiable, and Dawn offered her own small smile. it faded, however, when she mentioned Aditya. "he is not my mate." she clarified, though there was no edge to her words. she pauses a moment, something flickering briefly across her features. "these were a mistake, in honesty." its for this reason that she doesn't know what to feel toward them, yet once she was green at the sight of other pups in the Hollow, but she wonders now if it was the close familiar ties she so longed for - not the children themselves

id be happy to spree this out if you have time

Lie bit her tongue at the comment, a brow raised but a knowing smile lingered. Sometimes emotions were better left without words, feeling better left unsaid. “My apologies for the assumption.” She dipped her head to drive home her words.

Although she couldn’t hold the soft laugh at Dawn’s next words. “As were all of my children it would seem. But the best mistake I could ever ask for, and the easiest to forgive.” She held a motherly look in her gaze, Lie had been in awe since the day her eldest had been born. Never having thought of herself as a good parent, she was surprised by how quickly she grew to adore the title of Maman. “I’ve made many blunders before, but the children I carry are the best of them all. Even with all the complicated relations between Alessia, Kavik and herself, Lie was extremely proud to call herself a mother. Turning her seafoam gaze back at the silver lady, “It will be easier once they are here.”

she finds herself liking this woman - she's honest, and there is a sincereity to her she appreciates. small smile spreads across her muzzle as she reveals mistakes were not especially uncommon. the woman speaks from past experience, something Dawn has exactly none of, and it is somewhat relieving to hear her words when she's been so afraid. not of the birth itself, not of the pups, but of herself. and so, partly because she likes Rosalie but also because she's desperate for a confidant, she admits, "will it? I'm nervous - scared, I won't love them like I should." she doesn't much like admitting it out loud, but something feels better about laying it in the open. 

that'd be great!

And there it was. The self-assured woman sitting beside her laid her fears at Lie’s feet, and Lie couldn’t help but reach out to help best she could. “There is no right way to love your children. No proper way. You will have to show them in your own particular way.” Lie had no doubt that Dawn had an independent streak in her, judging by the way she was quick to correct Lie’s mistake of matehood.

“Children have a way of worming their way into your heart no matter how hard you try to avoid them. My eldest children, whom I am sure you will meet soon, were also a mistake. Although not a mistake of my own doing, I would do anything for them. They are not my flesh and blood, but they may as well be.” With a sigh Lie realized she wasn’t explaining herself very well.

“Until they are at your side, you cannot imagine what you would do for them. I know I’m not perfect, but when I look at them I know that there is something perfect in my life.” Rosalie hoped that her words would have an affect on Dawn, “All new mothers are nervous. Even I’m nervous. But by seeing your fear, I know you will be a great mother Dawn. And I’m sure Aditya knows it too, whether he is your mate or not.”

the woman repays her trust with sincerity, and while they do not alleviate all of her discontent, they balm over the worst of her fears. she is reminded, briefly, of her childhood, of her own father's worry that despite how much he loved Catori and his unborn children, something would terribly wrong. mothers never seemed to be steadfast figures in the huntresses life, and something terrible had in fact occurred. but, perhaps, she could change that. 

she was silent a moment. "thank you, Rosalie." contemplative, sincere, grateful. she considers a moment longer before, standing, significantly more at ease with this woman. "would you like to find something to eat with me?" she offers a grin, unsure of how to present her appreciation for the woman but knowing she'd rahter like to spend more time with her. 

should we fade here? :)

sounds good

She hadn’t eased all the apprehension, Lie could tell, but she hoped in someway Dawn realized how great a mother she could be. Would be. Offering a small smile Lie nodded. Her stomach rumbling rather loud, “I guess I am a little peckish.” Rising as well, Lie followed Dawn in search of something to subdue the hungry pups they both carried.