Dragoncrest Cliffs She says if you're not here, at least make sure you miss me

When dawn broke, it brought a rosy hue to the sky and a nauseating feeling to the wolf who stirred slowly from her slumber, and stumbled gracelessly toward the lake to get a drink. The taste of the water made her recoil for a moment, and what she'd swallowed did not rest long in her stomach before it came back up. Immediately, she felt a bit better, and settled down for another drink, taking in the water slowly in hopes she would not upset her stomach again. 

Such had been her battle every day for a week now, and she felt confident that she could confirm that her partnership with Ashlar had resulted in her pregnancy. While she couldn't necessarily see it on herself, to a trained eye there was a slight rounding of her lower belly. The faint ache she felt in her hips at the end of every day was enough to tell her that she was beginning to put on weight, primarily in her underbelly. 

But despite these changes, for the most part her life went on as is usually did. She checked in on her youngest siblings, and patrolled the borders, touched base with her mothers, and hunted. But today, for some reason, instinct drove her to seek out a new task- and find a den for herself. 

She knew where the Roja den was, and that Meerkat's den was somewhere in the woods. Chacal, however, felt drawn toward the Eastern part of the pack's territory, near the fields where the wildflowers blossomed blue in the summertime....And at the edge of the meadow, along the farthest reaches of their claim, was the Tangle. Perhaps she longed, still, to see Ashlar come to the borders to speak to her, and perhaps that was why she chose to make her densite in the small patch of woodlands at the edge of the lake, where the Bluepeace Meadows began. In the fall, the red leaves would tumble from the Fireblood Stand, and litter the ground near her densite. 

Having chosen what she felt was an ideal location, she set to work, and began to dig where the earth felt rich with clay.

that eye belonged to her mother.
chacal was confident and self-sufficient. she had not come to either of them that erzulie had known; she had kept herself away. and the obsidian had been too preoccupied with the tanzanite's younger siblings to truly suss her out. but now she came across her daughter's trail, and when she found chacal, erzulie confirmed what she had already suspected with a silent once-over.
it was very hard not to be so proud.
the young woman was in bluepeace. the seawife joined her there, and in quiet solidarity, sought to help chacal if her daughter wanted the assistance.
she knew now that quennell and aminthe would be the last. chacal carried the next generation of their coastal dynasty. and mireille was near ready to join her upon the dais of leadership.
she kept a companionable silence.

Once she had found her way below the earth to the point where the opening of the den sheltered her shoulders, she pulled back for a break, and shook the reddish dirt from her fur. She was pleasantly surprised to see her mother, and moved forward to greet her with an affectionate nuzzle. She couldn't help but notice that Erzulie's scent smelled somewhat stronger, if that was at all possible. The fresh, briney scent of the air entwined with her scent, laced with the smell of pups and milk. She'd never noticed how strong Erzulie had smelled, but it was a comforting scent nonetheless. 

"Maman," She greeted warmly, and a quiet smile came to her features. She glanced at the den, which was a very new project of hers, and she bowed her head bashfully. "I 'ave been sick a number of mornings dis week, an' I feel..." She shrugged. Different. A gleam of excitement showed in her eyes, as she begged for her mother's discerning, knowing approval and diagnosis.

in time chacal nuzzled closer, and erzulie kissed her between the ears. "you be carryin' little ones, i expect," the obsidian said with a broad smile. the sickness was the precursor. a den was another. she looked softly at the new glow carried by the tanzanite.
erzulie was curious about who chacal had chosen, but it made little difference. naming the man might give a mother's head the thought he should be involved. she expected her daughter to rear them in the feminine safety of their cliffs, without input or the presence of another man. look at njord. her own sons loved him but now they would watch as their father built a true life with meerkat. it was one he deserved. but if she had chosen outside the pack then they would not have had to witness.
she swept her mind on. "de sea mallow be good for nausea. an' de purple kelp near de nort' side of de beach, dried and powdered, relaxes de smoot' muscle, when it comes time."

There was a twinge of apprehension that braided it’s way into her heartstrings, but being told by her mother that she was likely pregnant pleased Chacal. It was what she’d wanted, and at one point she had been very content with the idea of having puppies on her own, with her family in Sapphique to be her partner. Had it not been for the keen sting of infatuation, she might not have felt any apprehension at all. 

She nodded, nevertheless, and her smile never faltered. She could tell that her mother was pleased, and she looked quite proud as well. ”I feel it is so…And I am glad. I was worried for a time day per’aps I might not have…” She trailed off. It would have been so disappointing, had her chance passed without success. Her smile returned, when her mother began to speak of herbs for her symptoms.

As of yet, she did not fear the signs of pregnancy, or any potential issues that might arise during birth. She had much already preoccupying her mind, and it was already a mood booster to finally get to talk with someone about her pregnancy, now that she felt assured enough to do so. 

”I will look for it. Sobo might be interested in helping me,” She said thoughtfully, hoping she could include her younger siblings in the course of her pregnancy. ”I was just beginning a den here, but I t’ink now I want somet’ing to eat.” She said, gazing out over the meadow. Her pupils narrowed for a moment and she uttered a soft moan. ”Mmm, I want crab. Oh, crab would taste so good now. De tunnel is not too far- wan’ to come wid me to de beach?” She asked.

erzulie bobbed her head. "sobo be quite de healer himself already. soon i will teach him all dat i know." she kept to herself the lessons of spirituality. such things were transferred to to those who asked, and such things already belonged to chacal as a woman of the seawives' line.
a grin decorated her face. "of course." the demands were quite strong during pregnancy. "i could not get enough of shellfish during my pregnancies. somet'ing about it."
she would accompany chacal to the tunnel entrance and through to the beach, where she immediately started to search for the little sandballs that announced the presence of the crustaceans.

She felt confident that her pregnancy would be smoothe sailing, with such excellent medical attention at hand. The pack flourished, and even when she became too uncomfortable to run and hunt she could scavenge along the beach- and rely on her large family to treat her to meals.

She wanted one of the dark green crabs often found in the ride pools. She and Erzulie both searched, and she felt her stomach rumbling- or perhaps it was movement. It was a flutter, and it did not go ignored. ”I know, I know, I will feed you soon, I promise,” She said, muttering softly, musically under her breath. 

She passed through the wet sand, making note of the marble-shaped balls of sand and the little scuttle marks left behind by claws. The surf quietly ebbed and flowed around her paws. ”Ah- Maman?” she called out, as a thought struck her. ”What does a fish say when ‘e is stuck in seaweed?”

erzulie trudged to join chacal. her eyes were alight with good humour. "what do de fish say, chacal? tell me." her teeth flashed in a wide grin. 
the beach was a plentiful locale of many blessings.
she hunched down and began to dig in the sand until a small crab snapped a claw up toward her muzzle. erzulie dodged it, moving around the other side to continue her excavation.
another pincer. she pulled from reach of that one as well, circling to yet another place, all in efforts to tire the animal.

She took a moment before she replied, waiting for her mother to turn her head as she continued hunting for crabs. Then, she reached down and dunked her muzzle through the salty, foamy surf and pulled up a long, dark brown piece of slimy, limp seaweed and flung it into the air toward her mother.

”KELP!!” She whooped, guffawing merrily at her own joke.

fading this <3 lmk if u want it reopened! <33

for a moment erzulie stood in surprise, and then she laughed aloud, squealing as the wet flotsam hit her shoulder. "kelp!" came her own voice, and the laughter was long.
mother darted after daughter, the kelp held in her jaws.
she flung it toward chacal, landing with the nimbleness of the moment as her two-toned eyes danced.