Sun Mote Copse When there's nothing left to burn

Waddling a bit, Niamh moved through the forest toward where she was sure there would be a warm patch of sun for her to rest and get through the next brawl which she knew was preparing to take place just below her ribcage. Near the Rendez-vous site, she found it- a little knoll in the woods with a gap in the trees above it where the mid-afternoon sun beamed down, so she carefully circled a few times and lay down, just as the kids in her abdomen began their usual afternoon romp. She groaned and lay her head down on the ground, but would crane a look at her side whenever they got particularly pushy and shovy to see if perhaps one of them had managed to stick an entire foot through her side. The pups were big enough now that she could actually physically see the movements in her side, but she wasn't marvelling at the sight anymore- instead, she was just ready to evict her tenants and start trying to get her body back. She heaved a sigh and relaxed, laying her head down to doze gently in the sunlight.

"Hey!" Towhee shouted, too caught up to sign, "What is that? What'd you just—hey! Spit it out! Now!" She put a paw to her child's mouth, slipping a toe against her gums and tiny teeth, prepared to yank the thing out if necessary. But Meerkat's jaw loosened and out came... "What is that?" Her nose wrinkled and she shook her head.

A few minutes later, @Phox stopped by to feed the pup some freshly chewed meat. Towhee asked him to keep an eye on Meerkat while she took some time to herself. -"She's been putting random things in her mouth,"- she informed her fellow parent before striding off into the copse. She loved her little girl, truly and deeply, yet she was particularly glad for the break just now. It was such a delight, watching Meerkat grow, but she became more of a handful every day.

The sight of a heavily pregnant Niamh dozing in a patch of sunshine made Towhee stop short, a slow smile curling over her muzzle. She padded over to the Honoree and reclined on her haunches before sliding forward onto her belly with a contented sound. Not wanting to disturb her friend's rest, Towhee yawned lightly and prepared to wait her out.

She'd just begun to drift off when she caught Towhee's scent, but she didn't move from where she was, listening to the soft sound of Towhee's footfalls as she drew closer and closer, until she heard the sound of her friend laying down nearby. The childish, playful part of her brain wondered if Towhee would nudge her, or do something silly- but she reminded herself that her friend wouldn't likely do anything to surprise her, not while she was this pregnant. She stretched, then, sticking her legs out at all angles, and rolled over onto her back, tucking her front paws to her chest, and she turned her head to open her eyes and look over at her friend. She waved a foot- just to catch her friend's gaze before she began to speak and sign, finding it easier to make gestures when both of her front feet were free.

-You're still glowing- She commented, and stretched again, finding it a bit uncomfortable to lay on her back with so much weight in her belly, so she rolled onto her side again, shuffling until she got relatively comfortable. -Can't wait until I can evict these rascals, one of them's been doing a tap-dance on my kidneys every hour or so- She exagerrated with a smile.

In the brief interim before Niamh stirred, Towhee's thoughts strayed to her recently deceased godparents, as they often did when she was given any amount of time to stop and think. She sucked in a deep breath, happy for the distraction when her friend roused and slowly rolled onto her back, her distended belly on display. The Regent's lips twitched into a faint smile at the sight, gladdened by the sign of new Blackthorns even as her heart ached for the ones who'd passed away.

Niamh maneuvered onto her side and commented about the discomforts of late pregnancy. Towhee's head tilted, wondering what it must be like, knowing. It sounded uncomfortable, though, so she couldn't quite bring herself to feel bad about the lost opportunity. Besides, there was always the chance that, someday, maybe next year, she could experience it for herself...

-"How many do you think are in there?"- Towhee asked, craning her neck to touch her nose softly to Niamh's flank. -"I can't wait to see what Meerkat makes of her younger siblings."-

Niamh chuckled at Towhee's question, and she shrugged. -Well they're- And she realized then- that neither she nor Phox were Blackthorn by blood, so she couldn't use that family's excellence in proliferating to explain why she might have so many. The reminder of Finley and Elwood's passing made her smile dim for a moment. She had to re-route her thinking. -They're feisty. But it feels like more'n last year, so,- She said, doing her best to recover from her momentary blip in thought pattern. Baby brain, she thought ruefully. She shrugged. -Prolly 8 or 9- She said casually. 

She smiled at the thought of seeing Meerkat nestled amongst her children, and the vision of seeing them romp and play together. -Ugh- She grunted. -They're gonna be so cute all together. We make the prettiest babies- She said, gesturing to Towhee so she knew who she was referencing. -Be neat to see what the older kids make of them too.- She said, given the fact that there were four older siblings in this case, though the thought made her frown slightly. -Depending on how much they'll be around. Bronco brings my breaky almost every day, but doesn't stay, and I h'ain't seen Nellie in weeks.- She said.

The momentary pause made Towhee blink, though she didn't question it further when Niamh joked about carrying eight or nine pups. She huffed, smiling when her friend went on to paint pretty pictures in her head about all the babies playing together. Such images helped take the sharp edge off her melancholy, though the mood of the conversation took another downturn, albeit in a slightly different direction.

Fortunately, Fig and Fen were no strangers, though they did spend most of their time off doing their own things. Towhee wondered why Bronco would avoid his mother and where Nellie might've gone. She chewed at her lip but didn't bother speculating aloud. She just hoped Nellie didn't up and vanish like before.

-"Our older kids don't need us as much anymore. But that's fine, these freeloading newbies will require 'round-the-clock attention to offset that,"- Towhee reassured, clicking her tongue thoughtfully. -"I know you probably don't wanna move right now but whenever you're up for it, wanna show me the den?"-

Niamh felt happy that her life had become what it had- and aside from the pangs of regret knowing that her children didn't fully accept her decisions, things were alright. Bronco, at least, still seemed willing to acknowledge her, and Towhee made a fair point. The kids would be a year old soon, and though Niamh did still want them to need her- they didn't, not really. The next litter of children would take her time and attention, and even though she knew she was not a perfect mother- she would try to do better. She still loved Bronco and Nellie for who they had become, but she couldn't help but feel that fate had intervened in the happy bud of their youth. She'd done as much as she could, for all that she'd been able to do, and maybe it wasn't enough...But still they lived, and still they grew, learned and changed. So at least she had gotten this far- the rest, now, was up to them. She herself had left home when she'd turned a year old...So she knew that they were rapidly approaching the age where they too could be independant of her, as much as it made her pine for their lost youth. 

The idea of being distracted by babies, again, was a welcome relief, and she smiled faintly. -Ahh, between the three of us, we'll have 'em figured out, though,- She said, grateful to know that at leadt this time around, she would have one more adult in the mix to parent the kids. She tried to reposition herself again, but couldn't get comfortable- so at Towhee's suggestion, she nodded, and heaved herself to her feet. -Sure. May's'll go now, I can't lay on this belly for too long. Don't want flat kids anyway,- She reasoned, and gestured. -Got Bronco to heave a bit of dirt out of it the other day, now that it's warm enough, so there's a bit more space now,- She said, as she began to walk.

Towhee pushed onto all fours, ready to help Niamh if her friend needed any extra support. She managed on her own, cracking a joke as she rose and earning another chuckle from the Regent. Her tail switched as she waited for Niamh to lead the way, moving to flank her so they moseyed in tandem through the copse.

She couldn't hear the birds calling in the trees, though she saw signs of spring everywhere she looked. The air smelled of it too. Of course, the surest sign was her companion's swollen belly. Her gaze dropped for a second and she fell behind for just a beat as she admired Niamh's silhouette. Towhee then hastened to catch up again, thoughts bouncing from her own baby to her deceased godparents to the upcoming litter and back again.

As they walked, they shared a comfortable silence between them. It was easier to walk in silence, and she'd gotten used to sharing a path with her friend without the need to talk, given the fact that it was difficult to sign in ptero and walk (it was possible- but involved nearly tripped, sometimes, in order to have the right foot movements) and it was harder for anyone to read lips from a side view, rather than being faced directly. She didn't feel the need to speak, anyway, though she did pause when she felt Towhee's eyes on her belly, just as the pups began to move and shove against her insides. 

-Ouuh- She said, wincing slightly, and stopped in her tacks, craning her head around to look pointedly at her side. One of the little rogues in her belly leaned against the side of her womb hard enough that she could actually see her side ripple and move under the pressure. -Hah! You seen that one? Lookit 'em- She said, happy to take a moment to show off her childrens' stretching and repositioning, while she bore a grin that bordered on a grimace every now and again when they pressed a bit too hard against her insides. -One of them's for sure got my long legs- She commented, before the movement subsided, and she chuckled, and resumed the trek toward her den.

She stopped again at Niamh's pained sign, head canting with concern. Towhee's eyes followed her friend's, watching in fascination when her flank appeared to ripple. Gingerly, she touched her snout to that spot. She felt nothing for a moment, then jerked back with a snort when one of the puppies inside her friend kicked her right in the snoot!

"Whoa, what the fuck," she blurted, then laughed and caught Niamh's eye. "I did not know that was a thing." She paused thoughtfully before adding, "I mean, I know pups move. In hindsight, I felt Meerkat moving a lot before she was born. I thought she was gas." Towhee chuckled. "I never knew you could see it though. It hurts?" she wondered, based on the initial "ouch."

Niamh laughed, her belly bouncing slightly, when Towhee's eyes widened, and one of the pups pushed or shoved or kicked or did whatever interpretive dance move that it was doing that bopped Towhee on the nose. She felt a bit sad, knowing Towhee had missed this part of the pregnancy- knowing and watching and feeling the movement of life, and knowing it had been life. She chuckled at Towhee's explanation, and nodded, but shrugged again afterwards. 

-It doesn't really hurt much- it's just kind of surprising, when they do it, more'n anything.- She said- but then she winced. -'Cept when that one steps on my bladder. 'Scuse me,- She said, hurrying to the side for a moment to relieve herself. -Better.- She commented, when she was done. -Yeah. It doesn't hurt. Just feels like I swallowed my lunch whole an' it's still alive an' kicking, I think- She said, having no real way to describe it.

Her friend's description made sense and sounded familiar, based on her own vague experiences prior to her daughter's birth. Towhee waited patiently while Niamh toileted, then slowly resumed their walk. She caught her mind wandering back toward the number of pups currently kicking in her companion's womb. She supposed she could envy Niamh, for getting to experience all the classic stages of pregnancy and for having multiples, but that would include childbirth. She grimaced inwardly at the thought of delivering multiple pups, not to mention rearing them. Meerkat was already enough of a handful all on her own!

But then, Towhee would be there the whole way and the pups, however many they numbered, would get the benefit of three full-time parents. And outside of bringing them into the world and feeding them those first few weeks, childcare would be balanced between not two but three very capable wolves. It was kind of crazy to think that this would've been her only avenue of parenthood, by proxy, until Meerkat's surprise arrival.

She realized she'd gotten lost in her thoughts and suddenly blinked her sharp orange eyes to a focus. -"Are we there yet?"- Towhee couldn't help but joke.

I was thinking we could wrap this one now that the kiddos are here, what'cha think? :)

Niamh was content to walk in silence, feeling the motion of her hips having gone from a gentle sway to a waddle, which was probably quite unattractive now. She never truly felt like she'd gone back to her pre-pregnancy shape. She felt like her belly no longer rose up toward her hips like it had when she was younger, and that she wasn't as streamlined in the back end as she was in the front end- and while she would never trade in her children to have her chic form again- she did miss it. It'd been a strong part of her identity, and it had been hard to make the transition from warrior-babe to Momma. It was worth it, of course...And she would go back to her new, Momma form once she'd delivered these children, and she would remember to love her body for all that it had given her. 

She laughed at Towhee's complaint, and nodded. -Here- She indicated. 

It was a different den than the one she had shared with Colt. Bronco had actually found this den first, and had brought it to his mother's attention and at some point, she had switched to use it, to distance herself from the sad memories that returned when she slept in the den she'd shared with Colt. As per usual, though, the den's entrance was a bottleneck, only wide enough for Niamh to squeeze inside which meant that it would be more difficult for the kids to escape en masse. The walls were lined with roots, and the earth was heavy and clay-like, and had solidified into position. She hoped that regardless of deluge or drought, it would provide a comfortable and safe home for the growing family over the coming months.