Dragoncrest Cliffs i love the sensual

open to all! <3 @Chacal @Njord @Sobo @Coraline @Loko @Meerkat @Hermes @Jorunn

the sea moved within erzulie.
restlessness had fallen over her the evening before. she had lain next to @Rosalyn but she had not found sleep. her experienced body knew each step of this, and after the sun had fallen, the long pulses of pain had begun.
she breathed, seeking comfort in her wife as the contractions intensified. as the sky started to pale, the pains eased and erzulie moved to her feet. she paced outside the den, pausing as labour resumed, striking a harsh and dull ache at the base of her spine.
something was different.
the obsidian moved back inside their den, her breath coming more harshly. 
the sea rose and sunlight sheared the inside of her body.
a child between her drenched and shaking thighs; erzulie drew the babe closer, swiping tongue over nose until the little girl shouted a loud infant's squeal of indignation. "@Aminthe," erzulie breathed out with a shivering breath, delighted but already worn by the birth.
she had little energy for the next wrenching spate of contractions; erzulie's vision grew blackened and hazy. perhaps it was the listening loa which drew her from such a descent.
a boy, his voice loud to match that of his sister. "@Quennell." so odd to have another son again, erzulie wildly felt, thinking of the two sea-sons that surely, she hoped, were near at hand to welcome their brother.
but the crushing waves began again, and at their end was a third unmoving pup, too small to have lived outside the support of her body. erzulie had not lost a child in its first moments before; she stared near unseeingly at the tiny figure, before nudging it gently toward the entrance of the den where it might lay in the new light of first morning.
a girl.
gently now the woman moved the pup to the shadows. they would bury her later; she did not want the others to see what had happened. they would know in their own time.
erzulie shut her eyes and moved back to the children eagerly butting at her side.
sapphique warmed in the springtime air and the waves crashed with delight against the seacliffs.

As she had last year, Rosalyn remained near while Erzulie labored. This year seemed harder, and while she served as quiet support, she pleaded as she always did that nothing go wrong. She didn't have the skill to help if things did.

By the end, there were two new and one still. The new were beautiful and the still Rosalyn would assist with once Erzulie was ready. Her wife had not lost before - Rosalyn not since her first year. She spared it a few glances, but most of her focus went to the living.

She would fetch Erzulie whatever she needed, but right now she sent a questioning look to her wife. When she had confirmed that she had the want for it, Rosalyn stepped out to announce the children to the pack. Then she re-entered and settled herself close, preening her wife's pelt and keeping careful watch.

Some instinct in Sobo drove him from his usual haunts to the edges of the lake, where he restlessly prowled and peeled bark from the willow trees. Spring was still a ways off and there was little on offer for remedies in the cold season. He made a mental note to collect and dry everything he could for next year; Coraline's injury and now Erzulie's labor were both stressful with no stores.

He stored most of what he gathered in small caches along the lake, but took one soft strip with him to the den. He wedged it in his jaws behind a stick wrapped in salt-caked kelp. It wasn't much, and he had no idea if it held any power, but he had whispered to the loa and offered sea fare in hopes they would bestow their blessing on his totem.

He arrived when both children had been delivered and sensed his maman's pain as though it rippled in the air. Sobo dropped his bundle and thrust the totem into the earth near the den's entry. Protect dem all, he told it. Then he made a low sound in his throat and pushed the willow bark toward the entrance. Erzulie would know what to do with it, but for good measure, the boy instructed, chew for de pain. It be all I have.

Then he settled himself outside the den to await the arrival of his family. He was especially vigilant for Njord and his blushing Barbie bride; Sobo was still angry for the thoughtless way his father had treated him and his siblings where Meerkat was concerned, and in some twisted stroke of retribution, intended to deny them both the joy of this event by brusquely sending them away. They had plenty of their own to celebrate.

A sister and a brother. Sobo loved them already, and meant to ensure that the latter in particular was valued and loved even more than his little sister, who would have Sapphique's blessing by default.

During the first few weeks, she occasionally worried that history might repeat itself. What if her first season went like her mother’s? But her heat hadn’t been anything like Towhee’s. And soon enough, Meerkat began noticing signs. Her appetite grew and her bladder seemed to shrink in direct proportion. More recently, her whole underside became tender. She could’ve sworn she was curvier too, though she had been eating a lot…

Rosalyn’s call caught the Pearl in the middle of her second squat of the morning. She finished her business, then popped her head inside the den. We should bring them something, she murmured to Njord, tail slowly waving as she quickly turned and began padding to the stockpile nearest their humble little burrow. She found a relatively fresh groundhog on top. Meerkat’s mouth watered even as she grasped it in her jaws and began trotting slowly toward the Obsidian’s whelping den.

When she arrived, Meerkat did not approach directly. Instead, she halted nearby and set the carcass at her feet, then lifted her muzzle to howl a low note to the proud mothers.

it seemed only yesterday loko had shyly noticed the rounding of erzulie’s frame. and now, a howl announced the coming of new siblings to the world.

it was sobo that loko sought first. between his teeth he carried his own sorry specimen, the hollowed carapace of a horseshoe crab. he nosed it close to the flung totem, aligning himself along sobo’s flank.

he knew better than to approach the den, or even reproach meerkat and her offering. instead, he watched his brother for guidance, lips tight in an unusually sober expression.

her offering was a large fish she had wrestled from the edge of the sea. it had taken her a long while and several drenchings. but the girl was proud; she carried it happily to the entrance of the den. 
there her brothers waited. meerkat was given a small smile; no matter the way that loko and sobo looked at her, the girl was determined to be friendly. 
the little squeaks and wails emerging from the den had her decorated with a glowing smile. "they sound so cute!" she hissed to her brothers. "cannae wait to meet dem."

The sea pulled the tiny girl from her warm cocoon. She was helpless against the shifting and moving as she was thrust into the cold. She squirmed against the discomfort but didn't have the strength to do much other than uselessly protest with swipes of tiny paws and the throwing of her head from side to side.

Warmth made her pause and then she could finally scream her displeasure with the world. 

But the warmth was nice and so was the scent of food the surrounded her along with the large form of something she instantly knew was safe. The runt searched until she found something to attach herself to, then she could no longer cry, nor did she feel much like she needed to in this moment. She was warm and filling her belly and then finally overcome with sleep. 

Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad; it was too soon to tell.

quennell's arrival might have been a warning sign, perhaps.

his lungs forced air out as quickly as they sucked it in. a baby's screams of welcoming the world. or rather fighting against the world. so suddenly thrust into a new environment.

at least he could have a pirate's fill of drunkening milk.

soon his cries would be silenced, making a mess of his first sips. guzzling as much as he could handle before he promptly passed out in his messy indulgence.

Njord’s head popped out of the den when he heard Rosalyn’s call on the wind. Meerkat suggested they bring a gift, to which Njord responded: “Aye, that’s a bonny idea.” He walked abreast with his fiancée as they approached the Roja den site – the smell of birth on the air. Sobo, Loko, Mirielle had gathered as well.

It seemed just yesterday last year’s litter was born… and Njord remembered being completely captivated by their arrival. This time, he felt more balanced and whole. That was singularly Erzulie and Rosalyn’s gift to receive.

As if on queue, the Ruby stepped out to announce the arrive of a boy and girl. Aminthe and Quenell. Njord smiled as he pressed his shoulder into Meerkat’s… wondering if they, too, would be blessed as well.

skippin Erz with permission, tho she's free to jump in anytime ofc!

They were beautiful. Rosalyn had turned back while she waited for others to gather, nosing the children gently, then giving Erzulie a gentle kiss on her forehead. The corner of her gaze caught the still shape again, but still later. There was no reason to tell the pack about a child who never was. It would be Erzulie's to share, should she wish - otherwise it would be between the two of them.

Voices began to sound outside and Rosalyn emerged, though she situated herself firmly before the entrance. No one else would be allowed within until her wife had rested and was ready, but she gave Sobo a greatful look and a nuzzle where he was lying near the entrance. His help had been greatly appreciated, and doubtless the willow bark had eased the process some. They'd never had anyone to assist them like that in the past and she was proud that his skill seemed to be growing.

Two, a boy and a girl. Both healthy. She said with a smile. Their names are Aminthe and Quennel. Once Erzulie is ready, doubtless you'll be able to see them. But thank you. She directed this at Meerkat, who had seemingly brought food. That meant she would not need to go looking, which she appreciated. She hadn't done nearly the work her wife had, but the anxious hours had been taxing.

Will you keep watch? She asked Sobo quietly. She trusted the pack would all honor her word, but still felt better knowing that someone was on guard. It would leave her free to rest inside and be ready there, should anything be needed.

With both Rosalyn and Erzulie preoccupied, Chacal had naturally taken to patrolling the borders. What with there being other packs along the coast, and her sister being injured, she felt it was important to have a presence and keep their markings maintained. She was fortunate that she was not the only one- the pack seemed to have pulled together to keep a watchful eye for strangers wandering too close. 

She was far away when she heard the announcement. She knew if there had been concerns there would have been a call for help, or a mournful peal to her mother’s voice. She sang out in joy and congratulations, and did her best to keep her regret hidden. Why, of all days, was she along the borders when her newest siblings were born?

Because someone had to be. And she was a leader; whilst her packmates inevitably stole their first glances and heard the puppies cry out for the first time, she was miles away, patrolling. Her heart ached, but there was yet another stretch ahead of her before she even reached the beach, where she could trail along the ocean’s edge and then back to the den her mothers shared. 

An ache stirred deep within her; she would see her siblings then. And for them, she could sacrifice her own wants and wishes so that their first hours were spent safe, with the borders patrolled and guarded by one who loved them so much already.