Dragoncrest Cliffs Waving through a window

There was no doubt about it now: Wildfire was hell'a pregnant. As her due date drew nearer—it couldn't be more than a week out, two tops—she ballooned visibly every day. And just like last time, she grew lethargic, unwilling to drag her swollen body about the pack lands. She did muster the energy to relocate to the log she'd used to whelp last year's litter, since the hollow redwood would be too tight a fit for a growing family. But once she got there, the Feisripa sprawled and proceeded to nap like it was her job.

A soft rain fell on this chilly April morning as she snored inside the log, her body heat having turned the space quite cozy. She shifted and whimpered in her sleep, feeling restless even at rest. Wildfire's lips flapped like a horse's as her legs began to twitch, a crude mimicry of running. The instant she fell still again, a thunderclap directly overhead caused her to startle awake with a gasp and an unpleasant spurt of wet heat as she peed herself.

Rose had unintentionally stuck to the redwoods ever since her return to the cliffs. Every now and then she would meander past the tree line, but somehow always managed to find herself back in the forest within minutes of leaving it. However, today she actually had an excuse for her introverted behavior and said excuse was currently pouring down on her. She didn’t mind the rain, didn’t exactly enjoy it either, but it’s not like it hurt her. Thunder and lightning on the other hand.

She had never done well with thunderstorms, probably due to the fact that she had spent them alone as child. But whatever the reason may be, they made her anxiety levels shoot through the roof and fear of being alone skyrocket. So when she zipped by the hollowed redwood and saw a flash of red in the corner of her eye, Rose immediately stopped what she doing and proceeded to dive head first into the Feisripa‘s resting place, mistakenly believing it was Blixen napping there and not a complete stranger.

"Did that—" Wildfire said aloud to no one, voice slurred by sleep, "did that just happen?" She looked down at herself, soiled in her own urine, and sighed. How was she going to clean up when she could hardly bend in half? She made an attempt but found herself coming up short. She blinked, then slowly turned to look outside at the rain—

—pow! It wasn't so much painful as startling when someone leaped into the log with her. Wildfire let out a noise somewhere between a screech and a snarl, her fangs snapping in the unwelcome intruder's direction purely out of instinct. Horror swept through her when she realized it was Blixen. Wait, no, that wasn't right. She looked like her daughter (and Wildfire herself) but she was only familiar in the vaguest sense.

"Like," the Feisripa said loudly, voice still a little bleary from her disrupted nap, "get out." She attempted to shove at the younger wolf, not only because she was a little indignant but also because she was covered in her own filth and she needed to step out and douse herself.

Rose, in her state of frenzy and panic, never came to realize that this was in fact not Blixen. Her eyes had snapped shut the instant she’d manage to slip herself inside the den and with everything smelling like a wet dog, identifying by scent itself was not very helpful. That and the fact that Rose didn’t pay close enough attention to the change in voices, led the kru to continue believing that this was indeed the fiery gona. “No, no, no, no” she frantically sputtered out in between shaky breaths as soon as the words get out were hurled in her direction.

She refused to go back out into that hell now that she’d managed to secure herself some protection and a warm body to wait out the storm with. “Please” she croaked out, every fiber of her being fighting against the shoves that came her way. “Don’t make me go back out there.”

"Ugh," the still-not-quite-awake and pregnant-as-heck she-wolf said with uncharacteristic irritation when the intruder argued with her, "then at least get out of my way. I'm covered in pee." She pushed at the other wolf, warning, "If you don't move, you're gonna be covered in pee too," before somehow managing to slide her ballooned body past her unwanted guest's and plopping out into the rain.

She just sat there a few moments, letting it soak her to the skin and wash away the pungent smell of urine, before turning to stick her head back inside. She squinted through wet lashes, taking a moment to gather her thoughts now that the rain had roused her. "Are you... Rose?" she guessed, sounding slightly less grumpy.

She was about to prevent Blixen from exiting the den, because even though they weren’t really friends, Blixen was still far better than nobody at all. It was only when she heard the word pee did her eyes snap open and a disgusted grimace came to her face. “Eww” she shot at the gona, disapproval written all over her features. Only one tiny problem. This wasn’t Blixen. 

Shock and the still ever present terror of the thunderstorm caused the redhead to go silent while she watched as her second look-alike squeezed her way out of the den. She managed to snap out of her daze at the mention of her name, but the embarrassment of her mistake was still fresh in her mind. “Ugh yeah, that’s me” she answered, slightly uncomfortable that whoever this was knew her name. “And you...are not Blixen.” Unless Blixen got fat and old, then it totally could be her.

She could think of a lot of worse things than being mistaken for her daughter. Actually, Wildfire was pleased by the reminder of how much Blixen had taken after her. Despite her sodden state, her lips twitched into a faint smile.

"No, I'm Blixen's mother. You can call me Wifi," she said, motioning for Rose to move back so she could climb back into the log. More thunder rumbled overhead and the rain picked up with sudden ferocity, soaking her hindquarters.

Minding her belly, she eventually inserted herself into the small space again and peered at her unwitting cohabitant. "I might fall asleep," she warned, apropos of nothing, before tipping her head and querying, "Don't like storms much?"

She stares blankly as the Feisripa introduces herself, nearly missing the silent instruction to move backward. “Huh?” slips from her mouth without any thought as she blinks a few times, finally realizing what was asked of her. “Oh” she mumbles before awkwardly wiggling herself towards the back of the den, eventually glancing upwards to make sure there was plenty of room for the pregnant redhead. “I’m Rose, but I guess you already knew that” which by the way was a little concerning. How exactly Wifi had managed to know her name was a mystery, but Rose assumed Blixen had mentioned her or something like that. 

Her thoughts are interrupted by the Feisripa’s warning and she shrugs a shoulder. “I don’t mind.” So long as she didn’t have to endure the storm alone or listen to any snoring, Rose didn’t mind who the company was. Speaking of storms, a question is tossed her way and she finds herself answering it a moment later. “I don’t see how anyone could like them.”

"I've always found them fascinating," Wildfire shared, peering out at the downpour for a moment before glancing back at Rose through the bleak light, "soothing, even. But that's just me." Realizing she wasn't entirely comfortable, she shifted again, tucking her forelegs beneath her chest.

"That was my guess, yeah," the Feisripa said in reply to Rose's formal introduction. Her lips pursed as she thought of what little she knew of the girl: she'd been a captive too. That didn't seem like the sort of subject to bring up lightly while breaking the ice, though.

"Are you close to Blixen?" she wondered instead, biting back a yawn as she tried to make conversation. Hopefully this one wouldn't be as awkward as Furi.

Fascinating wasn’t the first word that came to mind and soothing certainly wasn’t at the top of her list either. “Lover of nature I assume?” she guessed with a tilt of her head, brow raising slightly as she waited for an answer. Most of the naturalists she’d met from her travels were optimists who found beauty in all things, thunderstorms included, so she expected Wifi to be the same. That and also because Blixen held an interest in plants so she was curious if the trade ran in the family. 

Her wariness did settle a bit when it is revealed her name had been a guess, but it almost immediately spikes back up after she is asked about Blixen. “I wouldn’t exactly say close” she shared, glancing away briefly while trying to focus on the patter of rain outside, rather than how uncomfortable it was to be talking to the mother of the girl it felt like they were on the verge of gossiping about.

The question struck her as a little odd. Of course she loved nature. Didn't everyone? Then she realized Rose might be inferring trades. Wildfire shrugged and said, "I used to be a naturalist, way back when I was Blixen's age and even younger. I trained as a warrior too," she recollected out loud, giving a dry little laugh. "Anyway, I was definitely fascinated by the natural world as a kid. And sure, I love nature now. But I guess not enough to call myself a naturalist anymore." She chortled again.

Rose said she wasn't particularly close to Blixen and her phrasing caused Wildfire to look at her a little sharply, curious. Did that mean they didn't get along? She tried to read between the lines but she was suddenly so tired that it made it hard to think. She fought another yawn and promptly lost, her jaws splitting wide apart and her pink tongue curling forward.

Sure she was about to nod off any second, she murmured, "You're welcome to hang out as long as you like, unless you're, like, my daughter's enemy or something, in which case you might—" But the rest of the words didn't even make it out of Wildfire's mouth before she faded away and started snoring.