Stone Circle acquaintances

@Amber

Kids. Children. Youths. Or as Belle preferred to call them, vermin. And there were more than enough within Easthollow's borders. Never had she been a fan of the procreative cycle. Children were...useless. Sure, they upped a pack's numbers, but at what cost? They were loud, they couldn't work, and they did nothing but eat. Not to mention the appetites of the women who chose to bear children; they ate as though they'd never eaten a day before falling pregnant. To Belle, it seemed like nothing more than a selfish excuse to spend a couple months off.
So when she caught air of another litter on the way, she scoffed aloud, ready to meet the mother-to-be. A quick howl as she paced around, and Belle figured the woman would be quick to arrive.

If Mirabelle thought Amber would be any sort of fast, she was dead wrong. Even if she hadn't been in the middle of eating, the rotund woman wouldn't have come to the unknown summons at any more than a leisurely waddle. That was exactly what she did, too, after finishing stripping the bones of the rabbit bare. 

Eventually, she made her way towards the woman who called, warily fanning her ears every which way -- Althaia's death hadn't scared her so much as Day, but she had to be on edge. If there was any chance her kids were in danger, she wouldn't hesitate to run or, if need be, to kill. @Grayday was usually somewhere close, too -- Amber was sure that a howl from her would bring him running to help. 

Coming into view of a mostly dusty brown woman pacing irritably, Amber chuffed a stiff but curious greeting. She didn't speak yet, out of fear of being rude to someone who didn't deserve it, but that was just the way she felt right now.... Damn those hormones.

To say that Belle was surprised was an understatement. The woman who approached did so at a slow wobble, taking her time to arrive at the call. No matter how much it irked her, Belle remained silent on the point; a greeting was in order. I'm Belle. You are? With that much out of the way, it was time for the nitty gritty.
It was your scent that called my attention. Now that you're here, I can see that the air was correct. How far along? Not that she much cared to know, but Belle did care to know where to den and how much time she would have to get a good night's sleep in said den. 
Though the situation might not have been the right one, Belle took the liberty to dig even deeper. And the father? Is he here? Maybe it was rude to some, but to her it made for common courtesy. She got what she needed out on the table, no sugar to be seen.

Licking her chops to make sure her meal was totally gone, Amber padded forward until there was only a couple yards between them. Here, she stopped, ears cupping forward to catch her name.

                                   "Amber Ciel. Nice to meet you."

The questions that flooded her ears were curious, but had a harshness to them that the ebony woman didn't like. Sniffling with her wary sapphire gaze steeled against Belle, there was a long moment of silence after the questions stopped. Her hackles prickles, tail curling ever so slowly over her back -- not as high as it could be, but level with her flanks. 

                                                                    "Why does this feel like some kinda business meeting?"

Amber grew defensive, but Belle stood neutral. There seemed no reason to be on edge; Amber couldn't do much of anything anyway. But still, in an effort to keep the peace, Belle continued on in a slightly less invasive tone. I'm just trying to get the gist of the situation. I like having the facts. It helps me think. If Amber didn't want to answer then surely somebody else would, but Belle hoped that she could get all she needed then and there.
I'm a new recruit, so I'd like to get a better feel of the pack wolves within the territory. That and the fact that Belle wanted to know just how much she might be called on. Steady and Valette told her that they didn't have any caregivers in their ranks, so if this she-wolf was about to burst, then Belle had quite the storm ahead.

Grayday was, indeed, nearby. Nothing too dangerous had been happening, so he'd eased back on his trailing of her and tried to simply remain in her general vicinty - whistling distance, as it were. And although the conversation was a fair bit quieter than whistling, the sound of an unfamiliar voice still perked Grayday's ears. If he'd been paying half as much attention to the goings-on around the pack that he paid to Amber's safety, he might've noticed they had a new recruit - but Day tended to stay focused on things like this.

It was a woman's voice, and that eased the male's nerves somewhat. It shouldn't have, but he was just a little bit sexist, at the end of the day. Besides, he couldn't've known that it was another woman that'd murdered Althaia that day. Still, even if he had considered her the same level of threat as an unfamiliar male, the questions seemed somewhat innocuous at first. It wasn't a crime to wonder about your new packmates, after all.

But then Amber's voice grew a bit antsy, and it was too much for Day to take lying down. Worried, the male turned his nose away from the rabbit trail he'd been following and made his way toward the dark smear of Amber on the horizon, and toward the dusty blob of someone else. He didn't know it, but a quiet growl was already ticking in his throat when he reached his mate's side - not loud enough for the other female to hear, but deep enough that Amber would feel it like a second heartbeat under his skin.

"Everything peachy?" he asked, trying for levity but not quite achieving it. He already didn't like the other woman. Her questions bordered on rude and were blatantly invasive, but Day had been raised to be charitable until given reason not to, and rudeness was not a crime.

Amber was someone who could understand the need for knowledge, the calming fact of being familar with whats going on -- but there was something in her being that didn't trust Belle. Maybe it was hormones, since pretty much everyone seemed weird to Amber right now, but the Ciel couldn't be too careful with her kids' future. The color-clad female stayed neutral, tone softening, but before Amber had the option to move, Grayday was pressing against her side gently in support. Indeed, she felt his rumble of warning, a sort of silent questioning underneath his more polite voice. She purred softly in thanks, turning her muzzle but not her gaze to brush over his shoulder. Her words were soft, for him, and laced with pride over her mates possessiveness -- there was once a foolish time where she and her sister might've thought Grayday hadn't wanted her. Perhaps he wouldn't have, had he not gotten her pregnant, but nonetheless he was attentive, gentle and passionate -- he was exactly what she needed.

                  "Day, this is Belle, a new recruit. She was just wondering about the pups, is all."

Now absolutely positive that Day was sticking close to her, Amber felt a sense of security she'd never had wash over her -- she'd always looked out for herself or others in the past, even when she'd been a part of a pack. It was never her ebony self that was under watch, but she loved it just as much as she loved him. When she again spoke, her eyes still glinted like stones, but her voice was calmer than before. 

                                      "I'm due to pop in the next week or two: this is my mate, and their father, Grayday."

A thinly marked smirk crept across Belle's face, though diminished almost immediately. 

Great.

When Grayday stepped onto the scene, Belle took a different stance. Normally, she would take the opportunity to try enticing the male, but there was no sign that he was much farther up than she was and he was mated already. She now held herself even more confidently than before, and yet remained aware of social cues. 
Congratulations, you two. I don't know if you need one, but I'm a caregiver and if you need help during the birth, I can assist you. Why she offered, Belle wasn't sure. But she had and she wouldn't back down from her commitments. Besides, a show of responsibility might impress Steady, her real goal.
Regardless, whether the couple agreed or disagreed didn't much matter to Belle. She had what she needed, so there was no real reason for her to linger longer than needed.

Though Mirabelle did not know it (come to think of it, Day didn't think he'd ever mentioned it to Amber, either) and Day did not parade it, he was, in fact, the third-highest-ranking wolf within the pack. Day saw the rank more as a higher level of responsibility than elevated status, having come from a very lax background in all this, but he still did not miss the pride in the other woman's stance. His first instinct was to dislike her for this, but the male remembered again his easy dissmissal of Valette.

"Pleasure," said Grayday as he was introduced, and this time, there was less of a growl in his tone. The male shot his wife a sheepish glance, inviting her to share in his amusement at his overreaction. And, although he'd just as soon keep all other wolves away from his kids until they were old enough not to die if you breathed on them wrong, Day allowed a small wag of his tail at the woman's offer. "We'll be sure to call if we need you," he replied, shooting another look Amber's way. It would be up to her, of course, to decide whether or not Belle was needed.

Despite being lower ranked than Grayday, she was aware she was the only one claiming dominance of the pair -- this was okay, really, -- over someone she was only one step above. Usually, it wasn't something she cared about, status, but she didn't like Belle. Licking her lips anxiously, Amber snorted softly. The Ciel femme was too pregnant stubborn to back down from someone who'd gotten on her bad side. Voice tight and politely forced, Amber shook her head. 

                           "We'll be okay, thank you. I'm learning to be a caregiver myself."

Lowering her head and tucking her head underneath Day's, the woman grumbled irritably -- she wanted the woman gone, but was too polite and needing of a good place in the pack to tell her away outright.

Belle smiled curtly, seeing that she had what she needed and they'd shared as much as they wished. Belle was obviously glad that she wouldn't have to spend more time with the woman or her brood anytime soon. Well, it was lovely meeting the two of you, Belle began, though lovely was nowhere near how she'd viewed the situation, but I'll be on my way.
She was gone before either of them had a chance to argue, though she doubted they would. She had other things to attend to; more important than the pack's newest It Couple™.

Day would've laughed if he could hear the woman's thoughts. He hardly thought of himself and Amber as a couple, especially considering the third party in their strange little relationship. She was his mate, yes, and perhaps even his wife. Mostly, the male did not think much about what they were to each other - Day was far more concerned with her safety, their happiness, and the health of the children she would soon bring into the world.

But he couldn't read thoughts, and so he waited until Mirabelle was a ways off before turning to Amber with a (somewhat startled) laugh. "Weird," he commented, unconcerned now that the encounter had passed. Although Amber's opinion meant a great deal to him on principle, Day was far more inclined to let bygones be bygones. After all, there were a number of reasons the newcomer might've been acting so strangely, and not all of them necessarily pointed to her being a bad or unpleasant indiviual.

All the same, Day didn't feel like spending too much time getting to know her.

These thoughts quickly passed, and the male shot his mate an admiring smile. There were times he wished it could be as simple as 'like' or 'dislike', and a part of him almost envied Amber for her decisive nature. "Maybe she's got worms," he suggested, sotto voce.

Amber didn't return the smile Belle flashed, and her hackles didn't fall until she was out of sight, sapphire eyes glaring after her until she could no more. She was weird, and the Ciel was quite sure she didn't want anything to do with the woman, nor would she be permitted around her kids. 

Gray moved closer, and for the first time her gaze fell on her mate -- her thoughts on their relationship was quite different from Day's, seeing them as soulmates and a perfect couple. Dagfinn would make it all the better, but that was something she just had to wait for. 

                   "I hope she does, weirdo. I don't want her anywhere near our babies."

Grumbling in annoyance, Amber nuzzled the silver torso of her love.

Day's tail lashed at his mate's friendly jab - he liked riling her up when he thought he could get away with it. Now, however, did not seem to be the time. She'd clearly left that encounter with more reservations than Grayday had. While the male could not relate, Amber's wariness of the woman was not lost on him. He did not write it off as an overreaction, but neither did he allow it to cloud his own view of their new packmate. A part of him felt that Amber had the liberty to dislike the other woman that he himself did not.

"Let's go cover up her scent on the borders," said Day, hoping that a little bit of mischief would lighten her heart. On the one paw, he didn't much like the idea of having her out in the open like that, but on the other, it would be a fun way to vent her feelings about the other female without actually starting a fight.

Amber appreciated his supportive presence, and she didn't miss that he didn't comment either. She didn't know whether he disagreed with her or simply didn't have a comment, but either way it was nice to be able to be herself -- Spring had gotten her so worried that Day would be like Zander, Amber wasn't sure what to expect. It didn't bother her that her mate didn't side with her, either: she had enough attitude and and spunk for the both of them.

Grayday's suggestion twisted her scowl into a smirk, and her tail fanned excitedly behind her. So, her knight in silver armor had a mischievous side, as well? She really could pick 'em.

                      "Yes, yes, very wonderful plan, love! Lets go!"

With a loving nip to Day's shoulder, the wide-sided woman pranced off towards the borders: it could help her be active, get integrated, and it just might be noticed by Belle herself. Some part of Amber dared the woman to come at her for it, but the mother side of her shied away for the safety of her children.