Flycatcher Downs copperhead road

He walked due east until an unpleasant odor—the smell of the mire over yonder—made him nudge @Odessia back the way they’d come. If the smell turned his stomach, surely it would be even worse for his pregnant companion’s sensitive nose. They retraced their steps for half a mile before finally settling down in the sparse grass, brittle beneath them.

He gave her time to make herself comfortable while he fetched some food and water. When she was hopefully wanting for nothing, Cambria folded himself down beside Odessia and gave her a speculative look. He hadn’t broached the topic of Etienne just yet, having given himself a day or two to collect his thoughts. He was ready now.

I ran into Etienne the other day, he told her. I was thinking it might be nice to ask him to join us. He could use the support and so could we. But I know there’s a lot of history there, so… I wanted to see what you think.

:D

Odessia did not know know that she was pregnant, but something about the way she had felt "off" the past few days had started to tip her off to the idea that it might be happening. She had never felt strongly one way or the other about having children, but now that it was in the cards, she found herself amenable to the idea.
Cambria was ever-dutiful in keeping her fed and sticking close with her, something Odessia most certainly appreciated on a primal level. She was finishing up one of his recent catches when he spoke of Etienne, a name she had not expected to hear from him. She knew they had been close at one time—like brothers, even—but she had not bothered to ask more about their relationship. As always, she was far too self-centered to pry.
"Would his friend come with him?" she asked.
It was Tattered Ear who had killed Viper, and he was who Odessia feared would bring back those memories again.

She didn’t balk at the name, which boded well. Cambria watched her face carefully, his eyes lingering on her peculiar teeth as her mouth began to move. She posed a question, a fair one. He actually pondered it a moment before shaking his head.

Just Etienne. He was alone when we crossed paths, which is why I think it would be good to team up, Cambria explained, repeating, He could use our company as much as we could use his support. It would definitely be a mutually beneficial arrangement.

He really wanted her to say “yes,” for both selfish and selfless reasons. The Dragonling carefully shifted his weight, keeping his mouth shut to give Odessia a chance to mull it over and respond. But then a relevant thought struck him.

He’s a healer, you know. It would be great to have one on hand to help during the pregnancy and everything else.

Odessia wanted to believe that was a good arrangement. And, quite frankly, she was willing to so. She had been more tired lately, which she would gladly blame on pregnancy. Besides, Cambria seemed to like the idea, and that made it all the more attractive to Odessia. What he liked, she liked. It was funny how quickly that came to be, how easy it was to fall into a codependent relationship. She did not think of this as a negative thing at all, only beneficial.
"That sounds good," she said.
"I was thinking we would name the cubs using the end of our names," she said, "An '-ia' name for each one. For girls, maybe Victoria and Sophia."
She paused, trying to gauge his reaction.

The instant she agreed, Cambria wanted to dash back to the meadow to let @Etienne know. He restrained himself, though his mismatched eyes brightened and he wagged his tail, his heart skipping a beat in his chest. He was going to live with his two favorite people in the world. It made him incredibly happy… and extremely leery, in one fell swoop.

Then there were the pups to consider too. Odessia reminded him when she suddenly brought up naming conventions. This excited him too, though the fear clutched at him. He could barely handle caring about the two adults in his life. Cambria could scarcely breathe around the concept of innocent children… particularly daughters.

That sounds good, he found himself echoing her words.

He took a moment to collect himself, then glanced northward. The meadow wasn’t very far away. If Etienne was still there, he might be able to hear Cambria’s call. His gaze swung back to Odessia’s face and, apropos of nothing in particular, he stepped closer and placed an affectionate lick on her forehead.

Then he threw back his head and howled to let Etienne know he was welcome to join them anytime he liked.

Odessia could have sworn she saw his muscles ripple under his coat, bracing for takeoff, but he remained where he was. He seemed to like the names, though Odessia wondered what she would name them if they were boys. She struggled to think of a single name (outside of "Cambria") that had the same ending sound. For that reason alone, she hoped for females.
She watched as his attention went elsewhere, before returning to her and blessing her with an unprompted lick to her head. Odessia's tail wagged, and she listened as he called out for Etienne. She could only hope Cambria was right about his friend Tattered Ear not coming along. She was not sure she wanted to be in the same place as him again.

No answer came. Shit, Cambria thought. Etienne must be out of earshot, somewhere near the coast. He didn’t fault his friend, of course, he was just disappointed. He had wanted to see him sooner rather than later.

He swung his head toward Odessia with a small smile, explaining, He said he had some business near the coast. He’ll come find us when he can. I figured that even if you didn’t want him living with us full-time, he could still visit. Although I’m glad you do want him with us.

He really couldn’t overstate it. The Dragonling’s tail swung of its own accord. He kept listening for an answering call, though it stayed quiet. It seemed they wouldn’t see the other man today, perhaps not even for a while. But one day, they would be reuinited and become a triad. The thought made his heart pound.

We should rest, Cambria said, even though he was too excited to sleep. He pointedly curled up with his body pressed against hers. What about… Chimeria? Someone called me that once, said they knew I was one because of my eyes.

Wanna fade this one? :)

She wondered what "business" a wolf could possibly have that was not with his pack, but for once, she held her tongue. Etienne seemed as close to family as Cambria had (outside of her and their impending cubs, of course). That made her a little bit sad, but she was glad that they had at least found one another. Their relationship was... utilitarian, in her opinion, but that did not make it any less of one than those that were not. In fact, she preferred it over the relationship she had seen between her own parents who seemed to have some kind of other attachment to each other—one she would never really understand.
Cambria suggested rest, and she nodded in agreement. She had been more tired lately, but she was not sure if that was due to the heat or the pregnancy.
The name he mentioned, along with the story, made her briefly think of Viper and his weird family traditions. She could no longer recall the names of the two "classes" of wolves, likely because she had blocked much of his memory from her mind.
"I like that one," she decided.
Soon, they would find a nice place to rest for the evening.