Dragoncrest Cliffs got a soul so big, we were giants at the start of it

I’m posting just because I’m excited to welcome babies! The birth date is 4/14 and this is set 4/15. It’s not actually a birthing thread, oops! But it comes with a theme song. :)

Please let @Njord, @Stingray, @Swordfish and @Mercy post first, then anybody is welcome!

Her eyes cracked open slowly to see soft morning light spilling into the burrow. Meerkat raised her head, her entire body aching in a way that caused the memories to rush: hours of labor, followed by a textbook delivery, with maternal instincts and @Erzulie guiding the way.

She blinked the sleep from her eyes, heart leaping into her throat as she peered down at the three newborns nestled at her side. Gasping gently, she bent to kiss each fuzzy head, nosing them toward her teats when they began to whimper and squirm.

Good morning, babies, she said for the first time.

Morning held no meaning for the hungry little boy. Everything was dark, though he could note the change in feeling around him after birth. The wiggling of his siblings caused squeals to fill the den. Swordfish only wanted to sleep and eat. The warmth of his mother was all that mattered. 

Whimpering, the boy nuzzled into the plush fur and began to eat. Swordfish suckled until his stomach was round and firm. He squirmed with no idea of where his movements would wiggle him toward or away from. If luck was on his side, perhaps he could paw his sister in the face to pay her back for stuffing her snout into him and trying to feed on his paw.

It was a sleeping Stingray who got the brunt of Swordfish's flailing paw. With a snort that turned into a cough, he started awake and struggled in place, sucking in great lungfuls of air and expelling them in loud wails.

This in turn made the recently devoured milk in his belly start to churn. Without knowing what was destined to come of it, Ray went right on screaming until his body had enough. Hiccuping once, he spewed milk and stomach acid all over his squirming brother.

Their children arrived on a warm spring night, the sky clear above them. Erzulie had arrived to help Meerkat through her delivery while Njord, never far from his wife, had given space as they needed it. Worry was his companion as he listened to the sounds of labor, wishing and hoping for everything to be well – knowing well that both love and peril had their place in this endeavor. Yet when he heard the mewling cries of new life, a fresh joy washed over him.

Njord slipped into the den and laid behind her. Two boys and a girl suckled ferociously at Meerkat’s breast: strong and healthy babies. His muzzle pressed against his wife’s temple, sensing her tired delirium. Words just didn’t seem to matter in that moment – how could he possibly utter anything as grand as the feelings in his heart?

As the night waned the new family fell asleep together, and when dawn approached Njord slipped away to patrol the area and catch a small breakfast. He returned with a field mouse in tow to find Meerkat awake, glowing with radiance, and admiring the new life besides her.

“Mo chride, you are Madonna now,” he said, returning besides her. “They are verra beautiful.” As if on queue, the children began to jostle and squirm – one even spat up milk in all the ruckus. Njord chuckled. “Och, they’ll grow ta be troublemakers, I ken… What shall we name them?”

mobile post! don’t wanna hold things up <3

she squealed incessantly.

it seemed as though it might never end. even with a teat in her mouth she made discontented sounds around it, milk gurgling and pouring down her parted lips. 

blind and deaf, she knew nothing of the chaos that surrounded her, only the chaos within.

Visitors are welcome anytime! Let’s go without a post order, so long as everyone posts once per “round.”

Every little thing they did brought a smile to her face. Even when they made noises, or messes—and she had no choice but to clean them up with her tongue—Meerkat never stopped grinning. Her cheeks ached for it.

It only slipped from her face momentarily when their little girl somehow managed to twist a nipple painfully. Oof… have mercy, she crooned, lowering her head to skim her nose over their heads for the nth time, nudging the pups to right them and make sure they latched, like Erzulie had instructed her.

I think they’re already troublemakers, Meerkat quipped to Njord, eyes absolutely shining as she raised her head to meet his gaze. I’m so happy they’re here, she breathed. I love them. And you.

He asked about names and she looked down at them again, lips pursing thoughtfully, the corners still twitching upward. I’m tempted to call her Bonny, Meerkat admitted, wondering what her husband would think before sharing, Everyone in my family is named after an animal, often birds but sometimes other kinds.

Since they all wore Njord’s surname, perhaps he wouldn’t mind if she christened them accordingly? Their maternal grandparents would probably appreciate it if they continued the convention. Meerkat studied them, trying to note any resemblances to other wildlife, but she kept getting distracted by their cuteness.

Maybe we could name them after creatures of the sea, to honor Sapphique? she murmured thoughtfully, once again catching her mate’s eye.

The young boy did not have any idea what had happened, but he was soaked with vomit and milk. His round head lifted in a wobbly way. Swordfish squealed like a spoiled piglet. His paws began to churn furiously in his youthful indignation. The soft kisses of his mother were fine, but this was far too moist for the boy’s taste. 

Swordfish squirmed, feeling his legs smack against odd shapes with no force. Another squeak from his lips. He’d filled himself up, but he was almost certain that he could eat more. Traumatic experience, getting showered in sibling vomit. Really worked up an appetite.

this can be a sort of...cameo-read-only type unless interacted with <3

it was time.

meerkat became sjømor that fine spring night, but jorunn waited until that clear cool day came upon them. the morning light unfiltered and pure. surely a good sign for the new mother and her brood.

jorunn would bring gifts. a bundle of things.

the thick meat of a seal, a sea worn bone for when the babes were old enough and a small collection of spring flowers.

a warm sound would escape her throat as she left her gifts just outside the mouth of the den. she figured that perhaps sjøfar might come receive them. meerkat surely was geared into a recovery state, tending to newborns.

jorunn was merely happy to be able to provide.

cameo!

meerkat had done very well. erzulie had left when the young mother was sleeping soundly, but only for a few hours. she lay and caught snatches of slumber amid the round bodies of her litter and the comforting angles of rosalyn.
when she returned to the birthplace it was with herbs for the new maman's milk. jorunn was close. the obsidian felt herself shift somewhat but kept focus upon the den. 
she lay her packet against that of the woman and turned away, though her look as it passed over the other wolf was warm.

cameo also lol

mireille trailed her mother. she felt taller somehow, and more awkward. the girl's eyes followed erzulie, but she gave a decisive wag of her tail when she spotted jorunn ahead. 
with her she had brought a near-perfectly round shell, mica-glittering and a soft coral on the inside curves. she missed anything communicated silently between the woman, nestling her gift slightly aside from the others.
red ears strained curiously for noises, but mireille was polite, and turned away to nip playfully at jorunn, inviting her into play as she traveled away from the den.

Though Njord chuckled at Meerkat’s jeer when their daughter caused her mother pain, there was a pang of worry as a feeling of helplessness welled within him. To be a mother was nothing short of a miracle… and it was a father’s curse to only have the ability to provide in limited ways. He groomed the hair of her neck in contemplation, soothing Meerkat as she reflected on their new blessings.

He smiled warmly. “I love ye, too,” Njord said quietly, “An’ our family.”

Meerkat suggested the name Bonny, and Njord grinned. “Aye, that would be a fitting name. She is a bonny wee lass,” Njord cooed, batting his blue eyes at his little red daughter. Would her personality grow to be as fiery as the color on her back? "But I ken she'll 'av ya cryin' out Mercy in not time a t'all."

Truth be told, Meerkat could have named them anything and Njord would have been happy all the same… but when she suggested sea animals, he felt fresh sense of pride for their coastal family. It reminded him how thoughtful Meerkat was, an how their relationship was a true partnership.

“Well let me see…” Njord mused as he looked over their little brood, inspecting them closely. One of the boys took after his mother in coloration: he had a rich, sandy pelt and a cream underbelly. “This wee lad looks jus’ like a stingray,” Njord observed. “I’ve seen em many a time skirtin’ in tha shallows. They can blend right in with tha sand.” His brother was quite a bit darker. A cool slate color painted his spine, though his belly appeared creamy in the dim light of the den. A shock of red to his tail matched Sobo’s. “An’ this one… he looks like a swordfish I once saw as a lad. It jumped from tha sea, catchin’ the sun on it’s scales. It’s snout was long like a spear – I didna believe it was a fish at first.” A tale for another time.

“But our wee lass…” he laughed as he racked his brain trying to think of anything as colorful as she. “She looks more like a red vixen than anythin' else.”

Mercy’s and Ray’s players gave me permission to skip them. 

While Njord mused over names, Meerkat gently lifted the fussiest of the three, nestling him cozily between her outstretched forelegs. She began to clean him, ears pricked toward her mate’s timbre, following along as he picked a name for each. She smiled into her ministrations, approving of her husband’s choices. As soon as she was finished cleaning their younger boy—little Swordfish—and placed him back beside his brother and sister, Meerkat leaned up to kiss Njord’s chin.

Stingray, Swordfish and Vixen, she murmured, eyes drifting from one child to the next before abruptly flicking outside as visitors came and went, dropping off gifts but otherwise leaving the family to their quiet moment. Welcome to Sapphique, Meerkat finished, motioning for Njord to gather the offerings dropped on their doorstep.

Meerkat felt fiercely protective of their little brood, though more than anything, she wanted to share them with the world. She hoped their extended family here knew they were welcome to visit whenever they liked. In the meantime, the new mother curled more tightly around the newborns, speaking to them in a low voice even though they couldn’t hear, glad to have them to herself and Njord for just a little while longer.

Maybe the last one for this little man! >w<

Just like that, the puppies had their names.

Swordfish wouldn’t be old enough to hear his own name for some time, still. It was important that he had been given one, that he was blessed with an identity. Perhaps when he was old enough to hear the stories his mother and father would tell, he could hear about the real swordfish that Njord saw spring from the sea.

They were home and they were safe.

Swordfish did not last for long before he grew tired. The warmth of their den was almost suffocating, but it was pleasant enough that he could feel his body drifting. Darkness surrounded him. Before long, the small boy fell away into a deep sleep. He was content beside his family.