Sun Mote Copse Another summer wasted

When Niamh awoke and moved out into the sunlight, she was surprised to see that it was almost noon already. She grimaced lightly, and made her way toward the river nearby in hopes of getting a drink- but found herself not only uncoordinated but nauseated as well. She licked her lips as she moved along, hungry for something- but at the same time, just the thought of having something to eat enhanced her nausea. Once she reached the river, which had made good progress in opening up and melting, she took a minute to collect herself, before heading out to where the ice broke and she could reach the water. 

As she looked down at her reflection, she staggered slightly, put off by another wave of nausea, and lay down, dangling her two front feet over the edge of the ice and into the water, hoping that might drw some of the nausea away. She huffed, and set her chin on her outstretched forelegs, waiting for the dizzines to pass.

Maia hadn't exactly been a social butterfly these past few months, but she figured the time had come to introduce herself to one or two more of the packmates she hadn't met yet. She'd met Colt once or twice, but Niamh remained a bit of a mystery.

They seemed around the same age, but Niamh's closeness to Kiwi made Maia nervous to approach her.  So much so that when she spotted her alone, in a momentary panic, she wondered if maybe she could run before she was spotted.

Cmon Maia that's super dumb, she thought tiredly.  Wasn't like she was going to attack her or anything, and it couldn't be any worse than talking to Kiwi was.

Hey, hi, hello! She said, her voice chipper as she walked up.  You're Niamh, right?

Niamh, comfortable enough in her own environment to drop her guard down, didn’t really hear or see Maia approach as she lounged on the ice shelf, peering down into the cool water and waiting for the nausea to pass. She startled lightly- lifting her head but then settling it back down weary as the sudden movement gave her the spins. It was Maia, someone she didn’t really know, but had intended to get to know better. 

She guessed the right name and Niamh nodded, still looking down toward the water, breathing in the cool air. ”Yup. Just feeling nauseated,” She explained. ”If you promise not to crack us both through the ice I could use some company,” She said.

Ok so... Niamh was super pretty.  In that way that made Maia amazingly self-conscious as soon as she got a good look at her.  She was also super nice, though, so at least there was that.  Oh m g Maia, you didn't even really groom your fur that well this morning.  What?!

Okay, I'll.. try. It was a good natured comment from Niamh, but it reminded Maia how much bigger and clumsier she was, ugh.  She took a few slow, tentative steps, but didn't go as far out as Niamh was.  Just close enough to maybe talk easier.

Did you eat something? She asked, wondering about the nausea.  If you did, you could try some grass or something and throw up.  That usually helps me.  Oh, wow, not that I throw up a lot, just when I feel sick.

Having apparently taken Niamh's wry comment fairly seriously, Maia inched a bit closer, but didn't chance anything by drawing near Niamh's side. Willing to make conversing a bit easier, though, Niamh shifted so that she could lay on her side, with her chest propped up a bit by her forelegs, facing Maia who moved with a sort of self-conscious timidity. 

To Maia's first question, she shook her head. She was hungry- but she wanted her stomach to settle first. Maia then suggested eating grass, but Niamh again shook her head. "Nah. I don't think I need to be sick. This is just gonna happen, I guess, and I just kinda hafta suck it up." She said. Realizing then that maybe Maia didn't know yet, she wrapped her tail around her hind legs, with its tip pointing at her belly. "I'm pregnant. Or, pretty sure I am, I guess," She said with a soft smile and a gentle shrug.

There was probably definitely something she could do, right?  Maia had gotten stomach aches in the past, and best thing for it was to eat grass and sleep it off.

But that was only for normal ones, and apparently Niamh was pregnant.  OH! Um, congratulations! Right?  That was a happy thing, having kids! She figured.  That's cool! Not the whole stomache ache thing, that sounds like it sucks, but the rest of it!  Her mate was Colt, right?

You guys' kids are going to be gorgeous, she added without really thinking about it, though there was definite admiration (and maybe a hint of jealousy) in her tone.  Niamh was gorgeous, Colt was a looker, and any combo was sure to come out amazing.

Niamh smiled as Maia congratulated her. It felt nice to have others appreciate her, even if it was just because she was going to have puppies. Considering how high a value Niamh had placed on having kids as soon as she was physically able to, the compliments she'd receive in the upcoming days and weeks would have a glowing effect on her ego. "Thanks Maia," She said, shifting slightly so that her posture was a bit more relaxed. Sure, she'd let this lower ranked member relax and bask in her company- she was glowing, right? Even though she was a bit nauseous, she still felt proud that she was pregnant. She'd share some of her happiness with Maia, like a proud, albeit somewhat slightly conceited ruler. 

So when Maia mentioned the way her pups might look, she felt her ego being preened even more. It made her feel nice to know that Maia admired the way she looked, and the way Colt looked as well. "They're gonna be little sexbombs, that's for sure," She said- but just so that she didn't seem too conceited, she added "I just hope they're better behaved than me an' Colt. All things considered, they wouldn't have to try too hard to meet that bench mark," She said. "Otherwise, I suppose these kiddos will be called something like 'comeuppance' and 'payback.'"

Maia was willing to drink up every bit of attention that Niamh was willing to throw her way.  She wasn't that much older than her; but her presence and the fact that she was having kids made it seem like she was miles ahead in the adult department.  That and she just seemed really super cool.

If they ever need a storyteller, I'm your girl! Me or Wraen, she has some good ones too.  She used to watch us when we were little. Maia grinned at the memory.  I'm sure they'll be awesome, but I think you should definitely go with payback for one.  It's a super cool name.  It sounded like a spy, or a thief.

Niamh smiled as Maia mentioned Wraen- from what she knew, the two were fairly close, and both seemed to be quite personable and friendly, and weren't hard to warm up to. Wraen was a kindly soul, and here was Maia, eager to please and make Niamh feel better and offer help. Her nausea was slowly fading as she lay there, and when Maia offered her skills as a story-teller, her ears flicked forward. A distraction would be nice, and might be just enough to cure the last bit of her stomach sickness. 

"Can you tell me one?" She asked, hoping that Maia wouldn't be embarassed by being put on the spot. "I like stories just as much as any kid would, haha," She admitted with a shrug, and pushed herself up a little into a more attentive pose, so she could catch every word if Maia did consent to her request.

Oh yeah?  Okay!  She never turned down a chance to test her storytelling chops, and lately it seemed she hadn't had much chance to.  Sometimes she had to take a trip to do it!  They definitely aren't just for kids, otherwise I guess I'll just be a kid forever.  

What kind of story would Niamh like though?  For some reason, the giants from nearby came to mind. How about a story from right here? She wondered, feeling the structure slide into place even as she asked.  There would be a few things she would have to work out as she went, but she had her hero and her problem set.

Maia certainly brightened up when she was asked to tell a story, which was encouraging. If she was this willing to tell another adult a story, she would definitely get excited to tell kids stories too, then. And if she was lucky, her kids would like stories enough to sit around quietly and actually listen to stories to Niamh could have a nap. Of course, she wanted to gauge how engaging Maia was while she told her story, so that she might have a better idea of just how effective she'd be as a distraction for however many children she had. She knew she'd need a break now and again- and if Maia could entertain them quietly, then things would be perfect. 

She nodded and crossed her ankles. "Sure. Is it a true story?" She asked, then, wondering if this was a recounting of something interesting that had happened, or an elaboration of the truth.

Yess okay! She could totally do this now.  No, not true.  True stories aren't nearly as fun. She made a quick bleh of a face.  There was no danger in this girl goin for historian.

It's a story in a place a short ways from here, one Wraen and I discovered, full of all these rocks and stuff thrown all over.  It turns out that way back a hundred years ago, a bunch of giants had this huge fight that turned into a ginormous war.  They'd found this peaceful valley with this gorgeous waterfall, but since giants are so big, only one of them would fit there to nap where the grass was super soft.  And for giants, the only way to solve that problem was a good old rock fight.  Good napping spots can be hard to find when you are huge.  In some ways she could relate.

Unfortunately the valley was home to all kinds of animals, including a pack.  The wolves were havin trouble avoiding the giants boulders and things, and were howling for them to stop, but the giants either didn't hear or didn't care because they kept on going. It looked like they were going to destroy the whole valley, so finally, the wolves called Senna.  She was the leader of the valkyries, a commander for the storm god himself.  Maia straightened up.  If she ever needed a hero for a story, Senna was her go to.  It was a name she'd come up with a long time ago... she didn't recall if any of the valkyries had names in the tales.  So she'd picked one and now it was stuck, her favorite folk hero.

She came down on her winged beast from the storm God's halls and jumped off to stand with the valley wolves.  Her fur was silver and her eyes were the color of lightning, and when she spoke, she could be as loud as the thunder itself.  Maia tried to make her voice sound a little boomier, but it didn't quite carry.  'Giants!  Move on, there is no place for you here!'  But they ignored her.  She shook her head, then glanced at Niamh to see how the story was going over.

Niamh laughed- Maia was probably right, true stories left a bit less room for creativity, and for things to get out of control. Niamh had been through a few larger-than-life experiences herself, but they weren't exactly story-worthy, and they didn't exactly paint her as a noble hero. And there was something about a story that had a hero going up against all odds that she really liked, and she hoped this story would be one of those. 

So as Maia began to tell the story, Niamh tried to imagine it. Of course, in her mind, 'giants' were basically giant wolves, having had no experience with a human or humanoid creature before. She could picture them fighting, knocking the tops off mountains and sending boulders flying- and laughed when Maia depicted the giants taking naps. "Aww," She said, picturing this massive wolf curled up, taking up an entire valley as it slept in the sunshine. Of course, she could picture the local wildlife having issues with this- trying not to get napped on, and avoiding the flying boulders. And this was where a valkyrie called Senna came into play. 

Of course, Niamh didn't know what a valkyrie was. Immediately, she pictured Senna as a sort of larger-than-life wolf- who could ride some sort of winged beast, so she pictured something like herself riding a massive version of X; how cool would that be? Then of course, her pelt colour was changed to silver, so Niamh instead worked with that...But of course, in her mind, Senna's pelt simply had a silver shimmer to it- but was largely golden in colour. 

"They didn't hear her?!" Niamh questioned. It seemed preposterous; with a voice as loud as thunder, even the giants should have heard her, or seen her as her massive version of X carried her up to the mountain tops. Maia had paused. "So?" She pressed.

Niamh's vision of the warrior was honestly pretty accurate to Maia's own!! Minus the gold, of course.  She was enjoying this telling thoroughly, mostly because Niamh was such a dynamic listener.  It was way better when the one you were telling to showed investment and she definitely felt interested.

They might have!  But giants don't care about wolves or warriors who are smaller than them because they are so huge!  So they kept right on fighting and destroying things.  Of course, this made Senna super mad, because who were they to ignore her and destroy this place for the poor wolves living there?  Even though she's a warrior, she's all about manners and respect.  She had a whole lot of class, since she was a leader.

Somehow she needed to make them leave, but she didn't want to fight them and destroy things even more.  Senna thought and though, and then she got an idea.  So she went around and gathered all of the creatures and wolves that lived in the valley.  It had actually taken her a second to come up with a solution that wasn't fighting, but since she imagined Senna to be a pretty great tactician, it had to be smart.  Sometimes the hardest part of storytelling was figuring out what someone would do in any given situation.

She told them to go to the forests and gather anything that looked uncomfortable.  Thorns, pinecones, needles, prickly plants - all of it!  As much as they could.  They brought her things all night, and as they brought it, Senna began to cover the meadow.  By the time the giants came the next day, most of the comfy grass was hidden beneath a whole bunch of thorns and terrible things.  They could barely walk without stepping on it!  Maia poked at the ground gingerly with a paw to illustrate.  Now they didn't have anything to fight over, so they just left, maybe to find another place they could argue about.  Giants really like to argue.  But the valley was safe, and aside from the boulders thrown everywhere, it was quiet.  The wolves thanked Senna a lot for saving their home, and then she left.

Maia smiled.  It's a cool place, if you want to go see it, yknow, after.  There's all these boulders all around to climb on, but kinda dangerous.  So probably not for kids.  Which was too bad.  If it wasn't so dangerous, she couldn't imagine how much fun it would have been as a pup climbing all up on those rocks.

To be honest, Niamh had sort of hoped for an all-out battle. And her hopes were raised when she heard that Senna gathered all the woodland creatures together- but not to form an army. Senna wasn't very much like her at all- as Niamh would've been quick to rally a group of warriors together to attack the guants, as much of a fool's errand as it would've been. She would like to have heard something along those lines- even if Senna's troops had had massive losses- but instead, she'd come up with a tricksy plan, one that simply made the giants uncomfortable. Niamh made an incredulous face as the story took a very gentle turn at the end. 

"Huh," She said, and laughed. "I was sorta expecting some big crazy battle. Guess that story's a lot more child friendly, though," She said, supposing it would be better for children to hear that using one's brain was a better idea than just rushing into a fight. Her ears perked, and she made a funny face when Maia suggested that the valley actually existed- and that she could go there. "Where's this?" She asked, incredulously, half expecting to hear that it was close by- and that the giants were still around somewhere.

Wrapping!

You can add a crazy battle to about any story, but sometimes it gets old. Maia replied, then grinned.  But I like the battles better too.  Maybe I'll have to have two versions.  One for the kids, one for the thrill seekers.  Most of her own stories with battles were pretty kid friendly too, though.  Maia wasn't big on the harsher aspects - battles had an air of fantasy to them anytime she described them.  She'd never been in one, after all.

I can show you!  Sometime.  Not now, she didn't seem like she wanted to travel and Maia was kinda enjoying lazing about.  Wraen showed me, it's like right over that way.  She indicated the direction, then her eyes lit up.  I could show you another place too!  There's this spot that's great for kids to play at, full of fireflies....  She went on to talk about the place Charon had taken her, pulling the conversation on and into talk of Niamh's upcoming kids.  Maia was enthusiastically gung-ho about the idea of babysitting always, and she could go on endlessly about the cool games she and her siblings had played as kids.  She couldn't wait to try some out with the new arrivals once they'd grown!