Dawnlark Plains Roses have thorns

Heartbroken Sunny. Perhaps @Spiritwalker

It hurt. The knowledge that the girl he'd been so sweet on and loved had died. Keoni. The name was on repeat in his mind constantly since Pema had let him know. The fact that Burr had also died added to his heartache. 

Yet he continued in his duties and hunted. He hunted for the pack,not himself. He hadn't eaten since Pema had told him. He had gone out and snagged a single pheasant, stupid enough to have returned to the nest that he and Easy had disturbed. He carried it in his jaws on his way to Catori and his father's den, hoping to drop off the meal and nothing else. His depression was obvious from the glazed look in his eye and the way his tail and ears drooped.

The whelping den was becoming more real, every day it's progress marked by the way that it had taken shape. Grayday was mow paranoid than she, but, Catori had a greater trust in the earth to protect its own. She wouldn't be given to him and his family only to fail them so quickly. She was resting just beyond its entrance, sunning her pale fur, when she caught sight of Sunny approaching. Her tail beat the ground happily until she noticed the state of the boy. 

Catori pushed herself up from her Sphinx like recline, frowning as she chuffed at him. "I don't think I like you looking like that." She said candidly before she patted the ground next to her with a paw. "What's going on, Sunny?"

He startled, his body jolting and ears flicking back as Catori spoke up. He didn't know why he hadn't expected her to be here testing but she had given him a scare. He settled down and exhaled through his nose, knowing the questions and pain and probably tears would begin now.  He nodded and moved closer, dropping the rabbit by Catori's paws. "I caught that for you Cat"He said gently and then resigned himself to the conversation about to happen and laid down by her side."I grew up with a girl. She was sweet and polite. Fur like  snow with pretty little areas of grey. Eyes so blue, just lik the sky."He figured she didn't know about his history with easthollow so he began at the beginning his eyes misting over as he remembered how beautiful Keoni was.


"Her name was Keoni. She uh...she was my best friend but I dont know if she really liked me. She hung out with me and played with me, hunted when we were older. She had her tongue torn out by some witch but..she was still so sweet and the silence made her even more interesting. She tolerated me and didn't seem to find me annoying. I liked her...i really did. I think I loved her. Shes never left my mind even though I left Easthollow" the tears were flowing freely now and he pressed his muzzle down between his paws and stifled a sob.He sucked in a breathe to try and control himself"I was gonna go visit her, tell her how I felt. I won't get the chance to tell her how she made me feel because she's dead. She died."the words made him whine, a high pitched keening that rose from his chest.

She had known heartbreak before, watched it dance across her uncle's face like the lightening danced during a storm, she'd seen the way that Seelie and Oxtli both exchanged long looks when the subject of their mother came around. This was different. They could always pretend that Selkie was off having her adventures, her loyalty to her Man and to her Work eternal. Facing the real true reality of death was unfair at any age but especially when one was so young. 

If she didn't know any better she would have suggested that Sunny loved her; the way he spoke of Keoni was near sacred even when just explaining her traits. Catori gave a soft sigh and reached over to press her snout to Sunny's cheek. "I am so sorry, Sunny." She said softly. "Not only did she live what sounded like a hard life, it was cut far too short." She would never have the chance to meet Sunny's family or his little siblings or to explore and grow their relationship. She wondered what she might have done if Grayday had lost his voice, but, she and Seelie communicated just fine and so maybe that wouldn't have been an issue 

"Would you like us to set up a memorial for her?" Catori asked after awhile, the silence growing between them but not in an uncomfortable way. "Even though you didn't get to tell her directly you could still talk to her there. She will still hear you, sweetheart. She'll know." Catori said softly. They had held a ceremony for Chaska when he had passed but Easthollow probably also had their own traditions so what they did here might be something special just for Sunny. "....Maybe we can find something we could move like a pretty stone or a unique plant we could move with us. Maybe Pema could help us plant it if you found one?" 

Sunny's eyes closed as Catori pressed her muzzle against his cheek. While he may have been able to contain most of his heartbreak to crying before with his father the almost motherly gesture broke the dam. He buckled and belly crawled toward her, not caring that th gesture was like a pup seeking it's mother. He needed one more than ever right now, he'd felt a mother's love with Krypton but he'd also lost it again when she had left. He needed that feeling now and he trusted Cat with the ability to give it to him,to be his mother. He pressed his face against her fur and listened to her words, his body trembling as tears leaked down his grey cheeks.


The only sound was his shaking breaths for a while before Catori spoke again and suggested something that made him pause in his tears. He sniffled once and lifted his soaked face from her now soaked fur. He had a look of serious consideration on his face before he nodded. "That sounds perfect, I'll have one at Easthollow. I have the perfect thing. Seelie gave me a seashell, unique and beautiful just like Keoni. I'll place it on her grave with a pheasant feather and maybe some flowers."He said sounding more calm and optimistic though his throat was gurgly from crying. He cleared it and offered a watery smile, placing a grateful kiss to her cheek "Thanks ma" he said and then clamped his jaws shut, eyes widening with panic as he realized what he had said.

 

Catori sucked in a quick breath as Sunny fell apart next to her. It was part hormones, she was sure, but there was also the real and raw quality to his pain. He chose to let her see it - to share it with her. He let her in and Catori knew that of all of Grayday's children Sunny was perhaps the most depensive of what they'd gone through. Catori reached awardly to shift a paw across his shoulders when he was close enough before she finally gave in and just curled up at his side like she might have Lavender or Easy.

"We can go back to the island once the puppies are older and find a matching one to keep here," SHe offered - her maw snapping shut when he called her ma. Easy had called her Mom - but this was something different. She'd never imposed or pushed to be a mother to Dawn and Sunny, knowing they'd gone through so much in their young lives. "Anything I can do to help you I always will." She promised, licking the tears from his cheeks. "Once their a little older and they can have people around, I'd love if you'd come to visit and tell them stories about Easthollow and Keoni." Catori said softly, keeping her voice down so that she didn't disturb Sunny anymore. She just wanted him to relax and do whatever it took to stay comfortable. She let out a little indignant squeak as one of the puppies kicked her hard; it was enough to make her skin twitch over her swollen belly. 

The few moments of silence felt like hours to Sunny. He'd called her mother. Not even Krypton had gotten anything but "Aunty K" from him. Did he mean it? The question swirled around his brain like a tornado with it bringing up gusts of fear and warmth at the same time but the answer was yes. He meant it entirely, he trusted Catori. She seemed so different, so genuine and warm that Sunny had let down the walls instantly from the moment of their first chat where she had confided in him about the pregnancy.

As she licked his tears away and said they could find another he smiled softly and shook his head. "No...it was given by family and i planned to save it for someone special. It's perfect that it goes to Keoni, I won't miss it knowing it went to her. She was the most special girl I knew"He said. Once again he had a flicker of doubt. Was it just him that felt this way? He had latched onto Keoni from their very first meeting where she had gotten him unstuck from an icicle. Was it therefore normal that he had developed such strong feelings for her? He was unsure but he was certain that he felt love for the deceased girl and that was why his pain was so great.


When Catori said she wanted him to visit and tell stories of Easthollow his eyes brightened. He only had fond memories of Easthollow even through the painful times when he was separated from Dawn and his dad. "I'd...love that. I have lots of funny stories about Easthollow."He said gently. The squeak from Catori made him look at her with alarm "Are you alright? Should I get dad? Do you need Pema?"he didn't know pups moved around. He didnt really know much of anything about pregnant females, from the panicked look on his face it looked like he thought she was dying.

 

"She sounds special." Catori said with a gentle smile, letting a paw rest across his legs. She wanted the contact and to make sure that she was present for him - even if it was a little harder since she didn't know Keoni personally and she felt like a whale. Moving was harder now but she didn't care, she wanted to do what she could for him. Her tail wagged happily and proudly when he referred to Seelie as family - she definitely was and it made Catori so happy to think that the rest of the Sameth wolves would see Seelie as their own too. "It would be nice hearing them too since I haven't seen Easthollow myself." Catori only knew that it had been the start of something special given that her family had all started there. 

"This way you don't lose Keoni either - like they won't lose my brother Chelan. He stayed behind to lead our natal pack, but he was like my Dawn. He, Seelie, her brother Amoxtli and I were as close as could be. They'll get the stories of our childhoods and that way nothing will ever be lost. They'll be handed down to the children." Catori promised as she nuzzled against his shoulder. She wanted to reassure him that they would never forget the girl, even if she didn't know Keoni she knew that she mattered greatly to Sunny.

The gravid woman took a few deep breaths and let them out when she felt the flurry of kicks, nodding as Sunny quickly asked if she was okay. "Here," She said quietly, leaning back on the ground and letting herself relax on the ground. "They're just active; it's a good thing - if you want, you can feel them." She offered. With her extended size it was more apparent that they were getting bigger and getting tired of their one-room world. 

His mind reeled a little bit at all the names she listed off, suddenly getting the knowledge he had a much bigger family than he'd originally thought now that dad was mated to Cat. He had known about Seelie but he didn't realise their family was so huge. The meaning behind her words sank in and he blinked back more tears, this time being touched. He wasn't the brightest and he knew this, so he was grateful that Catori had come up with such a great idea. "That's perfect. Really. Thank you"He breathed out with a warm smile.


As she rolled back and exposed her rounded belly his eyes widened and he lifted his gaze to hers. "R.. really? I can?"He asked incredulously before sliding onto his belly and moving forward. He pressed his nose to her belly and flicked an ear, his tail wagging nervously. Just as his breath blew against her thinned fur a quick bump hit against his nose and he startled, wriggling backward with a surprised expression that slowly turned into a goofy grin. "Heck... they're strong little guys."He murmured fondly and pressed close again. "Or girls....hey little puppies. I'm Sunny. Whenever you guys are born I'll be there to help your mom and pa raise you. I'll protect you and help feed you. I'll play with you. Welcome to the family"He spoke softly against her belly, not feeling embarrassed or foolish at all. Then something occurred to him "Can they even hear me?"He asked and just before he turned to face her another flurry of bumps and wiggles came from her belly. He laughed and looked at her his face lighting up.

 

Even if it seemed silly to introduce himself to her giant stomach he did so with all the tenderness that Catori had come to expect. While she knew Sunny had struggled some with his place in the family, she also knew that he'd truly risen into his own after getting through the turbulent stages of adolescence. She'd never known anyone to make it through smoothly, after all. She laughed when the puppies had kicked and moved, giving several beats of her tail against the ground. "I think so." She admitted. 

"They're stuck listening to me all the time - and your dad has talked to them too." She encouraged. The Sameth-Corten litter came from a long line of story tellers with rich histories and traditions. She was excited to see them born, and even more excited to watch them bond with family. " What's your guess on how many we'll have?" Catori asked with a playful glint in her eyes - she felt so big it'd be twenty at least! 

Sunny felt something begin to blossom in his chest, something akin to yearning. A woman with a belly full of pups, his pups, who would be born and raised in Morningside . That's what he wished for, he wanted a mate and love and a family of his own. The yearning also brought more pain with it, for a moment he wished he could have done so with Keoni but he knew that was a foolish thought. Perhaps he would start to woo one of the ladies here at home, get to know them better.

"They can hear us?"he asked and then laughed, shaking his head. "Well..i hope they can. Otherwise we're all talking to a belly for no reason" he joked. At her next question he stared at her belly and gave a low hum.  She was pretty big and he didn't want to be rude and state too big of a number. He thought logically. His mother had had two and Akuti had given birth to three. "Maybe two or three?" he suggested. It seemed better to assume that than to guess at a higher number.  Besides...four pups? Even he could imagine that to be overwhelming.