Sleeping Dragon Music sounds better with you

Wildfire woke with a start, just barely extracting herself from the commander's warmth and pitching out of the den before the previous night's dinner rushed up her throat and splattered at her feet. She heaved several times, her abdominal muscles clenching as her stomach emptied. After the convulsions passed, she breathed heavily, sour saliva dribbling from her mouth to join the puddle of sick. When she was able to recollect herself properly, she grimaced, wiped her mouth and then promptly kicked soil over the vomit, burying it.

She was tempted to slither back into the den and go back to sleep, yet the cool November air felt good on her heated skin. Wildfire sat, though the stench of her own breath made her frown again and she rose onto all fours, padding several dozen yards away to find the nearest stream and rinse her mouth. The icy water felt like a stone in her stomach, though it seemed to settle it somewhat. Sighing and smacking her cold lips, the Bandrona began to thread slowly alongside the small waterway, wondering what had made her sick.

His pre-dawn patrol had run its course without interruption and now, snaking slowly up beside the small waterway, he was gradually winding down just as the morning was beginning to hit stride around the Dragon. But, as per his routine, he'd reconvene with the borderlands before afternoon rose in full. For now, his slate was cleared and he had a little time to kill -- a thought punctuated by a long, drawn-out yawn. Stopping by Portia's den didn't sound bad, but he didn't want to get in her way if she were busy today. Maybe, it wouldn't hurt to just.. visit anyway -- something he sensed was bound to become habit should he allow it to.

Where his path went one way, Wildfire's went the other -- unknowingly for a while, at least. When they intersected, his ears perked and he settled his sights on the red bandrona easily. "Hey," he offered alongside a companionable tail wiggle simply to test the situation here. She didn't look particularly preoccupied as far as he could tell, but a quick sniff left him to wonder.

Whatever the cause, it seemed to be an isolated incident. Wildfire's stomach settled as she moseyed along the shore, so that by the time Dio appeared, she felt more or less normal. She favored the second-in-command with a smile and a bow of her head, her black tail lowering deferentially. At the same time, her heartbeat ticked up a few notches. She had told herself that she would let Thuringwethil handle Mission: Baby Daddy but Wildfire wasn't sure she could resist passing up this opportunity.

But she wasn't going to start with that right off the bat. Instead, the she-wolf returned his, "Hey," and then paused before saying, "It's good to run into you, Dio. How are things?"

Largely unawares of what had plagued her earlier, all seemed well enough to him here and now. He still wasn't quite used to Dragons deferring to him (the commander's mate, no less), necessarily and specifically, but she made it about as easy as it could be. Dio tipped his muzzle, smooth in his returned acknowledgement with a soft tail-flip through the chilled autumn air.

He almost arced a brow. 'Good to run into him'? Although ultimately he decided it just toed the line of politeness in favor of not delving unnecessarily. "Well, pretty good. Quiet morning patrol, so I've got a little time to kill," he rolled his shoulders, because he didn't quite intend to say he was looking for something else to do besides pester Portia or go nap. "Do you have plans?" he returned with.

He reported nothing out of the ordinary, then asked her about her own plans for the day. She didn't have a formal itinerary and Wildfire found herself suddenly unable to think past this conversation and its potential. She bit at her lower lip and glanced over her shoulder, roughly in the direction of the den she shared with Thuringwethil. She then faced Dio again, wondering if it was too early—both in the day and in the conversation—to bring up such a sensitive subject.

But with this wide open opportunity suddenly consuming her thoughts, of course the Bandrona couldn't stop herself from blurting, "No, though I'm glad I caught you. I've, ah, been wanting to speak with you, to ask you something." The words hung in the chilly air between them for a beat as her heart suddenly broke into a nervous sprint. Continuing in her typical socially fumbling fashion, she added, "Thur and I are hoping to start a family soon. We—I—we were wondering..." Suddenly her verbal diarrhea turned to verbal constipation, her chestnut eyes lifting a bit imploringly to the Wocha's face.

He leveled her with an attentive look, one suggesting his open curiosity with the subtle tilt. He came up empty when he tried to think of what she could have to talk about with him. Naturally something concerning the pack, their respective outlets of the leadership with the Heda, so on and so forth were his first guesses but none seemed obvious enough just yet. She steered it onward and he couldn't be anything except all ears.

At first, the statement seemed unfinished so he hadn't meant to stare expectantly for the rest of it. News of them wanting to grow their family was interesting enough, although somewhat inevitable for a leading wolf, so what this exactly had to do with the Wocha came a few beats after. When this realization dawned, then it finally started to fall into place like the heavy subject matter it could very well be. "Wait. Wondering.." he straightened the small bit of slack to his jaw with a thick swallow, then gestured his muzzle at himself. "If.. I would.. ?" He filled the blank hesitantly with just one of his own, tiptoeing over the words because he was not wanting to come off as presumptuous to assume it meant that. Although on the spot Dio he couldn't think of other scenarios involving him needing spoken to about their family when the Heda could surely do as she pleased in a great many regards. Together they lacked the anatomy (which he possessed, virility included) for offspring in the most traditional sense.. then here was him, ranked loftily, trusted, able-bodied.. It made a little more sense now that it was processing, but he was going to feel like an ass if he misread this.

If he was right, he was half flattered, and entirely in dire need of some more details.

She felt something loosen in her chest when Dio seemed to understand, despite her sudden inability to articulate. She shot him a grateful look, then swallowed. Although the Wocha appeared to comprehend, Wildfire knew she must summon up the wherewithal to explain exactly what they were asking of him. A few inhales and exhales later, the Bandrona found her voice again, spurred on and encouraged by the fact that Dio hadn't immediately rejected her.

"We need a donor," she was able to say, flushing slightly but keeping her cool otherwise. "I'm going to carry them, so this wolf would—mate with me in order to conceive," she continued, sounding only slightly stilted. "Then Thur and I would raise the puppies as our own." Wildfire paused, her heart pounding so hard she could feel her pulse all over her body. "How involved you—he—wants to be beyond that is up to you—him."

That was all Wildfire could manage for now. Her skin prickled with tension and heat as she waited for Dio to process that. She tried to put herself in his shoes, to anticipate how he might respond. But in the end, that just made her terribly anxious, so she tried to just empty her mind and await his reaction.

Not being immediately rebuked for his guess gave him some hope, and next as more information gradually revealed itself, he could understand better already. She even cleared up a few things before he'd even had the chance to wonder about it -- namely, who, exactly would be mothering these hypothetical cubs and what his (potential) options were concerning the results.

Genetically his, yet by raised by the heda and bandrona among this pack that had done well to prove its capabilities already, steeped in everything he had seen grow over his moons here. He had little to lose, correct? Gyda and Gavriel's lot were strong, skilled, and impressive in their own right as well, so it wasn't that he could have any doubt about the pack raising its young expertly. In the back of his mind, he knew the unquestionable value of it from his standpoint. He'd been in the business of perpetuating his genes for long enough to see it, and understood that basal, instinctual satisfaction it brought.

And.. he wouldn't be surprised that if not him, it would be someone else donating the necessary components eventually. Gavriel would have been his next guess, although his new mateship would complicate it. Hush was an option too, if Wildfire wanted to practically guarantee small babes with red-brown furs. Goliath and Tanja were the only others, unless she intended to go roving for what she could find beyond their borders. None of that really gave him many reasons to decline. She didn't need to risk herself like that, not when he could do exactly what she asked and rise to the occasion.

Dio also had to take a second consider Portia too in the midst of all this, namely what she may think if this came to fruition, but it wasn't because it was quite like that. Or maybe it was, because the notion occurred to him at all. He'd handle that later, without an anxious Wildfire in front of him.

He blinked, his options clearing up slowly. Realizing her relative youth and the fact that this was the commander's mate wanted to make him uneasy, but again, if it was to be anyone.. he was no stranger. He knew what he was doing. As prideful as the thought seemed, maybe with him, she would be best off. "You would be alright with it being me?" he tilted his head in search of a sincere answer, because if so, they'd have to get personal at least for a bit and he wasn't going to venture where she was uncomfortable with him going. "And with them being mine, too?" By blood.  He'd not thought about his involvement beyond then just yet. They'd be her offspring, her first, above all else.

Dio probably needed a few moments to process and digest what was being asked of him. Wildfire wished she could say she was happy to give them—she absolutely understood the necessity, of course—but it was perhaps the longest wait of her life. She felt like she could barely breathe, torn between hope that he would say yes and fear that he would say no. Internally, she wrung the hands she didn't actually possess, as well as shifted impatiently from foot to foot. Externally, however, she somehow remained more or less composed.

She felt her guts pinch at his first question, for no other reason than because it wasn't yet an answer. "Of course," Wildfire replied a bit breathlessly. "We'd be honored if it was you," she added. Gavriel had been her first choice simply because the Bandrona knew and trusted him above all other males in the pack. Dio was a sound candidate as well, with even more esteem than his guardian counterpart in addition to apparently good, healthy genes.

"Yes," she clarified further, trying to tamp down the urge to scream it at him. "They would be the offspring of the Hedonakru," Wildfire added, eyes practically gleaming as her lips twitched upward at the corners. "We'd be honored," she repeated, sincere and genuine and more than a little enthusiastic.

When he'd asked, she was straight to the affirmations and that helped him feel more encouraged. Offspring of the Hedonakru was an interesting way to put it. Weighty, sure, but he could certainly appreciate what it would stand for among them all. He felt a little tingle in his chest at the thought of it all and was reminded promptly of Wildfire's anticipation just by looking at her look back at him. Dio couldn't stall her on this any longer.

He could find no reasons not to, and steeled himself with a slow nod. "Alright, yes.. When you're ready, I will help." He almost said donate but couldn't quite manage it. His nose would let him know when the time was right to act, and most likely, he'd find himself guarding her then as well. He then had to wonder of the commander's involvement and how that may play out.. but he did intend to broach the subject with her in the meantime, just to see. He wanted to know all he could before the wheels of this were in true motion.

To retrace to an earlier mention a bit: "I don't exactly plan on going anywhere. The Dragon is my home, so long as they'd be here, so am I," he said, wanting to establish some sort of baseline on that while it was heavy on his mind. "I would be there for them in whatever way they, you, or the commander would need me to be," the Wocha added more thoughtfully, doubting she'd find any objections in that. He didn't really need a front seat to parenting, and decisions would always default to Heda or Wildfire first of all, but he knew he wouldn't be able to not be involved, somehow..

Wildfire scarcely heard anything beyond "Alright, yes." It felt as if her insides were suddenly brimming with explosive warmth and light. She wanted to leap at Dio, hug and kiss him, to show her utmost gratitude. He would literally be giving her the gift of life, of a family and future. She was both ecstatic and humbled. She would have joyfully agreed to any terms and conditions he put on the table at that point, though Dio's one demand was as simple as they came: he wanted to be part of the pups' lives.

It took her a moment to collect herself and rewind his words before Wildfire could speak. "Of course," she said quietly, lip quivering slightly as she tried—and succeeded, thankfully—to blink away the moisture gathering in her eyes. "Thank-you, Dio, thank-you. This means more to me—to us—than I could ever hope to articulate..." And, quite honestly, her voice momentarily failed her as the knowledge seemed to hit her over the head all over again: her dream was coming true!

The Bandrona quite frankly couldn't help herself after that. She flung herself at the Wocha, embracing him and muttering more words of gratitude in his ear, before quickly backing off and favoring him with the world's shiniest smile. "I can't wait to tell the commander the good news," she breathed with an excited swipe of her tail. "Would you like to come with me to tell her?" Wildfire wondered. She would be fine either way but wanted Dio to know he was welcome—every step of the way, honestly.

He'd need his time to digest this and fully -- absolutely -- wrap his head around it that he'd just agreed to sire her pups. Not really what he'd intended to do here somewhere in the coming months, but better than anything else. Wildfire practically overflowed with thanks at this, which he couldn't quite keep up with if he'd tried. His tail gave some slow waves, pleased, somehow almost flattered, but happy that she was happy with it too. It was going to be a big change for her, if she did mother a litter, so knowing that she seemed really keen to this definitely helped ease him and he had to admit, an element of her delight was contagious. "You're welcome," he slipped in somewhere after her voice seemed to run out, his tail then waving harder.

Dio flicked an ear at the mention of the commander, and truthfully, she'd been on his mind almost this entire time. "Sure, we can go," he said, nodding. Together. Although he was suddenly a little nervous about it? Even better to get it done sooner. Wildfire had probably a better idea of her trail, so he'd follow if she went. He was poised to go but there was something else on his mind too, and he might as well get right to the point.

"Portia -- she and I, there's something, and while it's not quite like that," he made a face that alluded to the fact that there was a lot he could say. If he intended to be in their lives, and have Portia close to him in his, there was going to be some overlap here beyond just being a part of the same pack. But this was just part of it. How protective of this information did Wildfire wish to be until it was actually happening? Giamalva wolves had been plenty secretive, if they could help it, so courtesy their conditioning and not remembering specific protocol on the subject well before Gyda's had been born, he'd naturally default to that. "I would like to have her know about this ahead of time if you're alright with that? It doesn't have to be right away.. you know, just to save her some questions in the long run in case it does get like that and, well, they end up looking like me," he smirked with the exaggeration, but simply put, he did intend to be up front with the both of them in all the ways he could.

Dio volunteered to accompany her and Wildfire spun on her heel, quashing the urge to frolic back to the den she shared with the commander. Her steps were swift and light, though she managed to avoid prancing as they made their way in that direction. Although consumed by her own excitement, she did bend an ear as Dio suddenly brought up Portia. The Bandrona may or may not have heard a record screech somewhere in the back of her head.

But he'd already agreed, he was only mentioning this in an informative capacity. Dio wanted to know if it was all right to mention all of this to her. Unaware that she had stopped breathing, Wildfire bobbed her head even as a gust of air escaped her with a rude noise. She smiled sheepishly even as waves of relief crashed through her. She had frozen momentarily but began moving again, just as spryly as before.

"Of course," she replied and only right then did it click what he'd just told her. "You and Portia? Really? That's great!" Wildfire gushed. Out of every other she-wolf in the pack, she somehow felt certain the Skayona would understand their need for Dio's contribution better than any other. On that note, would he still be a willing participant even if Portia took an issue with it? This was why Gavriel had rejected her, after all: because he had taken Gyda as a mate. Or at least that's what Wildfire chose to believe.

But she didn't ask right this second. There were actually quite a few logistics they needed to discuss and Thuringwethil should be present for it. Possibly they would want to call for Portia too, just so they could lay everything out on the table and be sure everyone understood how it would all work. Even as they closed in on the commander's den, Wildfire decided she would let @Thuringwethil take the lead on all of that.

Dio knew it was not the most tactful of times to bring up this with her moving onward so merrily, and neither did it really seem to fit right after agreeing to what he had. There was no faulting her for not having been prepared for it. He only couldn't say yet what he intended to make of his relationship with Portia, but he wasn't going to deny that it was there and a real possibility. He wouldn't expect her, of all wolves, to not understand this -- she was too good, and close enough to all the wolves included in this, so he just maybe wanted her involvement in it all to be ideal. Having Wildfire be someone who understood this too could very well make it better, despite it also possibly being him getting too far ahead of himself.

His ears splayed briefly but her reception was wholly positive, making him feel less iffy about bringing it up at all. "Yeah, well, like I said it's not.. quite," he swung his muzzle, intentionally tight-lipped because it had not been immediately addressed with Portia, and neither was he ready to right this moment. "We've been close. I don't expect to stop it," he decided to summarize with for now. What he did know was that he was captivated by her charm and presence. He wanted it near -- protected, with him. Dio knew she liked him well enough, so he was only led to think it was somehow mutual even with knowing that she enjoyed her freedoms, and had been a wandering soul not so long ago. Next was deciding what to do with it from here.
 
But all of that aside, her quick, light pace got them nearing the commander's abode soon enough. He reminded himself to focus on this much, and peered at Wildfire thoughtfully as they closed in stride by stride.

It is chance that Thuringwethil is at the cave when her mate and Dio arrive, swinging her head to see them upon their approach. Her ears swivel to the top of her head as intrigues paints across her features. The children Wildfire desires so badly is not often at the forefront of her mind so she does not note the pleased expression as anything other than being glad to see her. Hopeful that nothing is wrong, and led to believe such with the absence of a heavy or worried or urgent indicates, Thuringwethil nods her head once in greeting.

Dio clarified the nature of the budding relationship and Wildfire couldn't help but comment, "Well, I hope it works out for you two," in a very enthusiastic and genuine way, even though it was a little difficult to think of anything else but herself and her—their—future pups at this particular moment in time. She felt such joy pass through her that it shook her limbs and rump, ending in the wriggling of her black tail.

Now they were at the den and Thuringwethil strode into view, peering between her two sub-leaders with questions in her eyes. Wildfire couldn't help but grin at the expression on her mate's face even as she pranced up to her with the declaration of, "Dio said yes!" She knew no further explanation was needed, not after how frequently they'd discussed this topic. Besides, Wildfire's attitude probably spoke entirely for itself. "We wanted to tell you and talk about, y'know, how it's all going to work..."

He appreciated the well-wishes with a little grunt, hoping she'd understand his not wanting to really explore that at depth right now with the commander's door coming closer. It was already enough to wonder how introducing this news to that would go, but he wanted to get through this one step at a time.

Obviously enough, Dio let Wildfire take the lead on this one. He followed a bit behind her still, watching them both for cues here. Wildfire is thrilled, that much is obvious and well-established. He's not well-versed on all of the details of the commander's thoughts on whelps in their mateship, so that one's a wildcard. The wocha gives a hopeful wiggle of his tail and a small nod to go with it; his stance is ever mindful in Heda's company, but even with some details and outside aspects still to be ironed out, he is glad that this opportunity is his.

Even though Wildfire and Thuringwethil had spoken about asking Dio, she still feels blindsided by the sudden news. Her ears twitch and flatten against her head for a brief second before swiveling back forward, turning to look at her wocha before her attention to returns to her wife. As much as it made sense to ask Dio, something lingers in the back of her mind that causes a disconnect to the situation. Mostly uncertain on how to put them all together, she offers a slight smile and nod of her head. In time, she is certain she will accept it fully, but for now she can pretend.

“Thank you,” she tells the man, moving to stand closer to Wildfire. “It means a lot to us.” Thuringwethil’s smile began to fade as she turned to her mate and search her face. As much as she appreciates the involvement, having already given her consent for asking Dio, the rest is not up to her. “I want you to be comfortable,” she says toward the woman, leaning her nose in to touch her cheek gently. Whatever it took for Wildfire to get what she wants, and as long as she is safe and happy, Thuringwethil will do, but there is no need for her voice in the details she really doesn’t want to think about.

Does anyone mind a tasteful fade? ;)

The commander looked a little startled by the news for a moment, though Wildfire was too engulfed in her own joy to notice the subtle signs. Thuringwethil's enthusiasm was more understated, especially compared to her young mate's, but it was clear that she was pleased too. Glowing chestnut eyes regarded Dio gleefully before the Heda's quiet question of sorts drew her attention.

She was basically ecstatic at the moment, so she was quick to say, "Everything will be just fine." And she truly felt that way, in this moment. Later, her fears and concerns would almost certainly surface. But nothing would hold her back from reaching out and grabbing her dream, not when it was so close at hand. As a team, they would work together through whatever challenges they faced in its pursuit.

Wildfire took a minute to breathe and calm herself before broaching the logistics. Looking at Dio, she said slowly, "If it's okay with you, I want Thur to be there." And so it went from there, the three of them quietly discussing how it would all work, Wildfire's slightly over-the-top enthusiasm going a long way to ease the way of an otherwise awkward conversation.

works for me! this is my last~

Wildfire's enthusiasm contrasted the commander's seemingly appreciative coolness about it, which gradually left Dio settling into the situation more and more. Without as much prior conversation as they had, he had to get up to speed quickly. "Ah, no, of course. You're welcome," he said, tipping his nose towards Heda. He grappled with that underlying nervousness carefully, and let the discussion on the details provide an eager distraction. Well, to a point.

He'd take a little time getting entirely used to this. It was.. a lot, and so suddenly now that Heda was to be more involved than he'd even thought about originally. Offspring of the hedonakru, he reminded himself silently, and so it would seem right from the very start, it would be the three of them. That all kept him quiet for a thoughtful moment, but when he did finally find his voice again, he agreed. Of course, his mind was churning with questions, some less formed than others, but over and over again he reminded himself that there was still time to make sure everything was neatly in place before anything came to fruition.

And so, for all the initial reservations and details to handle in the meantime, he would part ways from here looking forward to this unexpected twist.