Sun Mote Copse Your body is a wonderland

The pups kicked regularly now, drumming a steady beat on Wildfire's internal organs. She swelled even further, though not so much as in past years, which led her to wonder if there were less pups this time around. She supposed she would find out in a week or two. For now, she ate a lot, slept even more and resigned herself to leading a pretty housebound life for the next month or two.

Speaking of which, she and @Eljay had toured the copse tirelessly in search of the perfect den. They'd found several suitable locations, though of course as her time drew near, Wildfire found herself embarking on her own, discarding all the burrows and dugouts they'd discovered and looking for something else. She wasn't sure what until she found it.

Wildfire chuckled under her breath and shook her head lightly as she stood beside a downed tree. It had fallen ages ago, snapping in half over a large boulder in its path. The tree's upper limbs had rolled away and begun to rot, practically part of the earth now. Its lower section rested against the huge stone, the tangled roots slithering every which way around a doorway that looked like it had been created via some sort of explosion.

She crawled past these tentacles of wood and sniffed the damp wooden floor. It smelled musty and it was dark, the rear blocked off by a wall of stone. The Sovereign stamped her feet, circled and curled into a ball, letting out a contented sigh. She had always preferred trees for whelping and should've known she'd end up in one again. Wildfire would have to find her mate and bring him here, let him know this was where she intended to give birth.

In the meantime, she slithered forward so her head dangled just outside the blasted entrance, tipping her snoot into the chilled air to see if she could detect any smells of spring as the unborn babes stirred in her womb.

As per her promise to supply food for the pregnant leader, Niamh had caught a good-sized pheasant earlier in the day and carried it toward where she thought Wildfire might be denning up soon for the birth of the pack’s first batch of pups. She’d stressed momentarily over handing over a creature with such beautiful feathers- male ring-necked pheasants were so brightly coloured and beautiful after all, and Niamh was a fiend for collecting and hoarding such things- but she decided to make the sacrifice and bequeath the bird with all but two of its banded tailfeathers to her leader. Those two she would stick in her den hastily, tucking them into the fur that lined her own den, before she carried the otherwise untouched kill to one of the many places the leader had frequented lately. 

It was an above-ground hold, not what Niamh might have chosen as she herself preferred to be underground, but quite picturesque nonetheless with the tree’s broken trunk sprawling over a large boulder. Wildfire seemed to have settled in this place, after having checked out a few others; not much went on without Niamh noticing. She hadn’t dogged the couple’s movements, but as a tracker, she had noticed their path going from one shelter to the next as she assumed the pregnant Sovereign sussed out her favourite. 

She spotted Wildfire’s fiery coat against the dark, dusky brown of the fallen tree and woofed a greeting through the pheasant’s neck feathers as she approached. She could only imagine what it felt like to be that pregnant- and didn’t want to steal too much of Wildfire’s time, but she figured a few moments in exchange for a meal might be acceptable.

She put the bird down in front of her leader and moved forward to gently lick Wildfire’s cheek before she stepped back and stood rather than sitting down- it was Wildfire’s call if she anted company or not. ”How’s the Momma-to-be today?” She asked, but quickly added ”Well, not first time momma-to-be ‘cause you already got kids and already -are- a Momma, heh, but you know what I mean,” She laughed.

The smell of fresh game made her nose twitch. She gazed expectantly to her right, her tail thumping a hollow tattoo on the damp wooden floor as Niamh appeared, towing a sizable pheasant. Ignoring the faint twinge in her breast—the sight reminded her of her eldest son—Wildfire carefully rose to all fours to greet the visitor. She stretched forward to accept the proffered lick, tail waving slowly now, making wispy noises against either side of her new abode that sort of matched the rhythm of the stirrings inside her.

"I'm feeling pretty good, thanks," the Sovereign reported, setting a paw on the dead bird as she spoke the last word. She was glad for a visitor, regardless of gifts. In a few days' time, she might grow more territorial of this new space. But those particular instincts hadn't woken yet and she was happy to share her freshly picked whelping den. "I just found this. I plan to use it as my den. I've always given birth in a tree," she mused.

"How about you? How're you?" she asked in the next beat, chestnut eyes settling on Niamh's appreciably fair features.

Wildfire seemed relatively appreciative of the company, and reasonably welcoming as well, so Niamh scooted forward a bit just to sit, but was still prepared to dodge off at any moment if Wildfire decided that she wanted to be alone. She couldn't help but look past Wildfire and into her wooden-walled den, appreciating the fact that the wood likely would have given her a bit of insulation without feeling cold to the touch, unlike the earth that composed the walls of Niamh's den. They'd probably be fairly warm in there, and it was definitely a unique place to live. She was lucky to have found it- Niamh could appreciate it for what it was, but still preferred to sleep and keep herself and those she loved in a small den underground, like a fox, with a narrow entrance to keep them safe. 

"Looks like a good place for Firebirds," She said with a smile, giving Wildfire a wink. At least they were near the ground, though; she could only imagine giving birth to pups up in a tree, off the ground. That'd be a terrible idea. "I like it." She said with a firm nod. The pups would love it too- running all over the place, trying to climb up the tree bent over the rock when they were big enough...They'd definitely have a good childhood here. Wildfire asked how she was and her smile faded a bit; she'd been struggling, recently, knowing that eventually she'd have to separate herself from Colt so that they didn't give into their instincts. But that day was yet to come. "Oh, doing well. Keeping busy. Dug out a den for Colt and I too, and we've just about got it perfect now," She said. "He's getting better at the whole 'interior decorating' thing."

Wildfire's ears folded when Niamh mentioned that she and Colt had dug a den. Her attention had drifted to a raven alighting on a nearby limb, though it cut sharply back to the Tradesman. Her lips began to form a question, though she pressed her tongue against the back of her teeth. Just because the two of them were making a den didn't mean it was a whelping den; it was entirely possible the pair just enjoyed having a home base. But that made the Sovereign think of something that had been in the back of her mind lately, mostly since their joint hunt.

Niamh's latter remark suddenly distracted her, prompting her to query, "Oh? I never pegged Colt for an interior designer." She snickered. "But that reminds me. I'm really glad the both of you have worked your way into the Entourage." Colt in particular had gone from none to two trades in a very short time span, which led Wildfire to believe he really took his shot at fatherhood very seriously.

"I've been thinking about what he asked me a month back," Wildfire revealed, her chestnut gaze glimmering now almost impishly as she gave the other woman a speculative look. Surely Niamh knew what she was talking about. "The pack isn't huge but we're a tightly-knit family. Plus we have so many skills between the lot of us." She paused, tail snapping audibly against the blasted log's interior. "I do think we could support a third litter, so you and Colt have my blessing."

The pups inside her own belly seemed to bounce with the good news, causing Wildfire's lips to twitch into a smile. She sensed that they were few—two, maybe three—which was part of her decision, even if she was counting her chickens before they hatched. It seemed unlikely that either she or Finley would have notably large litters at their ages, so it was a pretty safe bet that another batch of Blackthorns wouldn't strain the resources beyond the Firebirds' capabilities.

Niamh hadn't even considered that Wildfire might make an assumption based on the fact that Niamh had dug a den for her and Colt. Other wolves who knew her better- say Towhee, Quixote, Tegan, or any of the Redhawks- would have known that Niamh almost always had a den dug for herself whether it was winter or summer. She'd had one, but had abandoned it alongside the memories of being cooped up in it for too long with Screech- and had then dug herself another. Digging a den didn't seem too abnormal for Niamh at all, but that was simply a quirk of hers, and she was unaware of the fact that it might have been odd for a non-childbearing wolf to have a den. 

That being said- she didn't really notice the way Wildfire subtly reacted to her news about the den either. She wasn't the best at picking up on fine social cues. She was more content to pick apart the ways in which Colt had no idea what he was doing with regards to making their den more comfortable. "Yeh, not his best skill, but like I say, getting better, slowly," She said. Her ears perked when Wildfire jumped the topic to their ranks, and she was susprised, and bashfully dipped her head. "Well, we both like it here...And we're both happy to pitch in, as we said we would." She said. She wasn't aware of it, but some part of her brain was keeping up with what Wildfire was saying, and was reading between the lines. It caused her heart to beat faster- which made the rest of her wonder what was going on, and why she suddenly felt so nervous. 

But as soon as she mentioned Colt having asked her something a month ago, Niamh understood. She felt a bit self-conscious now, and flattened her ears. He'd asked her for breeding permission, and she was reminded- by herself of course- that they'd been denied that permission. She assumed that more questions would follow- were they officially together then? Were they committed to one another? Would they be okay with trying the next year? Niamh was too quick to jump to conclusions- but fortunately, she'd learned to keep her trap shut until all the cards were on the table. Her face probably showed all of her thoughts, though- the fact that she felt guilty he'd even asked, how sad she felt that they'd been denied, but also the budding hope that eventually turned to bright surprise and shock when Wildfire admitted they'd have room for more kids- so she and Colt were given permission. 

"You...You serious?" She asked, awe-struck. But without waiting for a reply- possibly because she didn't want Wildfire to reconsider- she broke into a massive grin and dipped down into a play-bow, waving tail held high in the air. "OHMYGOSH! Thank you so much!" She said, and bounded in a small circle, before she slipped forward- carefully, mind you- to place an appreciative lick on Wildfire's cheek. "Thank you thank you thank you!" She babbled happily.

The news appeared to blindside Niamh. Wildfire's smile grew as the pups continued to squirm around her insides. "Yes, I'm serious. I wouldn't kid about something like this," she replied with a wink (because pun). The Sovereign fell silent then as the excited Tradesman dipped forward, sprang up and licked her cheek. Her tail did the speaking for her: raising to demonstrate her own gladness and then making a skrt skrt noise as the tip once more whisked against either side of her humble abode.

"You're welcome," she said after a moment of observing Niamh's prancing. "This means we'll get to raise our children together, along with Finley too. Think of how many little Blackthorns will be running around the copse this spring..."

Niamh was pleased (and relieved) to hear that Wildfire wasn't about to rescind her statement any time soon. Apparently she and Colt had proved themselves; and though they weren't mates, she was glad that Wildfire had faith they could still be parents. Niamh was ready for this to bring them together, and her whole body practically vibrated with excitement. She couldn't wait to see the look on Colt's face when she told him, and her heart was beating so wildly she felt it might explode. She told herself to be calm, and that she should probably wait rather than just ripping off to find Colt. It wouldn't be polite, even though her impuslive nature wanted her to do nothing but that. 

Her ears tipped forward when Wildfire mentioned that their kids would be raised together and she liked the sound of that idea. She'd almost completely forgotten the fact, but Wildfire was right- all the pups born to their pack in the spring would be Blackthorns. She laughed. "Oh jeez. A packload of Blackthorn pups; you sure this is a good idea?" She joked. "It'll be nice for them all to grow up together, cousins," She said. "At least, I think they'll be cousins, right?" She asked. "I've never been much good at keeping track of relations...Finley's kids and your kids will be..." She said and trailed off.Finley was Eljay's mom, so any of Finley's kids would therefore be siblings of Eljay's, which would make Eljay's kids nephews and nieces of Finley's kids. Or so she thought. "Maybe more nieces and nephews than cousins. But prolly raised like cousins." She said. Given the fact that Colt and Finley were brother and sister, their kids would then be cousins- but would still be aunts and uncles of the Wildjays. Or something like that. Someone else here wasn't so good at figuring out family relations.

Niamh made the classic joke, to which Wildfire replied, "Yes, I think it's a great idea. The Blackthorns are a wonderful family and I'm tickled to be part of it, honored that I get to help grow it." She chuckled as the blonde mused about how the pups would be related. "Elwood and Finley are simultaneously my godparents and my parents-in-law. I wouldn't think too hard about it or worry much. 'Cousins' works." They would all be around the same age, so it was the simplest title to use.

"Would you like to call Colt here, tell him the good news?" Wildfire invited.

For some reason, Niamh found herself wishing that Finley had been there to hear the news. There would be three batches of Blackthorn pups that year, then. She could almost imagine the look on Finley's face, and the sound of her laugh- but she supposed she'd get to really see Finley's reaction once she found out that Niamh, too, was pregnant. They'd all be family, though- and Niamh hadn't experienced any first-hand hostility from the Blackthorns for having temporarily screwed over Colt's life, so all she could hope for was the fact that they could peacefully raise their little hellions all together. Some part of Niamh already knew that though the kids would be all related, though, that she would probably give birth to the worst of them. Regardless- the idea of birthing even just one little shitraiser Blackthorn pleased the heck out of her. 

Speaking of that, though- it was either her biological clock that had chosen that very moment to set off a long-awaited time-bomb, or the shock that had caused her body to shift into baby-making mode, but as soon as Wildfire suggested she should invite Colt there to tell him the news, she felt the overwhelming need to go find him and not just tell him...And such a thing was probably best not done in the company of their leader. "Uhm," She said, her voice cracking lightly. "I think I'm gonna go tell him myself, if that's okay?" She asked, somewhat tentatively. She gestured to the pheasant she'd brought. "Didn't want to bother you too much anyway- just wanted to drop off a snackaroonie." She said.

It disappointed her, a little, when Niamh said she would rather to go find him and tell her on her own. Wildfire would've loved to be there for that moment when her blessing was conveyed to the couple. However, she totally understood the need for privacy. It was an intimate thing and she didn't need to stick her nose into the middle of their business any further than necessary. Permission was granted, that was where her jurisdiction ended.

"You're not a bother," the Sovereign insisted, "but, of course. Go to him. And thanks for the 'snackaroonie,'" she said with a snickering smile at the silly word.

"Nar prob," Niamh answered with a gleeful smile. She was glad she'd been able to help out- but even more glad knowing that she and Colt could have kids- ones of their very own. She backed away giving Wildfire a courteous nod of her head, but as soon as she felt she'd walked away calmly enough, she shot off like a rocket, in search for her man-toy, so she could deliver the good news, and take advantage of the sudden shift in her biology.