Dragoncrest Cliffs This Is the Only Way to Be

Chacal hasn’t called out, so this would be open to closer family members (mothers and siblings) who might be near her den. Once she makes the announcement, others will be welcomed in.

For the majority of the night, Chacal slept restlessly. She’d mentioned to @Erzulie and @Sobo that her time might come soon, and that she might need them. Her ribs and hips aches, the small or her back was in constant pain. In the last week of her pregnancy, she had really put on weight, and all of it seemed to hang in her belly. 

When she awoke after a short sleep, she knew it was time. She circled within her den and panted heavily, freezing to flinch when contractions hit. She didn’t call out, as she knew certain pains were normal. She circled and circled, until she felt a heavy pressure within her, and began to push. 

The first pup born was a male- and he came to life once she shifted around to clean him and encourage breathing with rigorous licks. She knew the puppies needed oxygen, and that this was all she could do. She’d just finished marvelling at her son when she felt another clenching in her muscles- and another male pup was born. Like the first, she cleaned him, and had just finished when the next came forth. 

Three boys squirmed, nested carefully at her side, and she thought she was done. She relaxed, and nudged her boys toward her belly where they would find milk. She tore herself away from them, gently, when she felt a slight stirring in her stomach. Thinking she might be sick, she pulled away, and gagged slightly at the entrance to the tunnel. A cramp of pain rolled through her abdomen, and something tickled her nose. She lowered herself a bit and sneezed- and as she did, a tiny, still runt passed part of the way into existence. Surprised, Chacal lay back down and strained to try and pass the puppy out. She reached around, grabbed whatever she could, gently, and pulled- and the tiny thing was freed. 

The littlest one, the only female, did begin breathing but Chacal feared for her health. She wasn’t half the size of the others. Exhausted, Chacal pulled her children close, and rested her head down on the ground so she might at least catch her breath for a moment.

Second born, but just as loved. It was terrifying to be born. Not that he would know that emotion yet, if ever. His entire world of warmth and protection was upended.

He had been warm and now he wasn't, and he was not okay with it. Pitiful whines came from his throat, and he searched, wiggled and moved, but barely.

Once he was pressed to the warmth of something and life giving liquid was soothed into his throat. He fell fast asleep and would remember nothing.

oof so long since puppies...oof. Can i be changed from loner ? 

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The first born male suddenly felt cold. Then he was being
warmed again, by the soothing motions of his mothers tongue.
Yet to be named, he squirmed his little, chubby, body over to his mother,
pressing his little paws into her stomach to get milk. He settled himself down
beside his siblings. the little pup sighed in content and was soon asleep.

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First there was soup ( a very lumpy soup ) and then there was the feeling of being bear-hugged as he spilled from the warm confines of the womb, to be met with the shock of life.
Those shapes he had previously been nesting against were here too, crowding the space. He didn't like the feeling of them as much as he once did, and without thinking gave a few pathetic kicks of his little nubbin legs. He even managed to swing his head around and cough a series of dissonant notes before all of his energy was sapped.
The hunger came quickly after that — but the largest and softest of the warm things had gone away, leaving him to squirm with need. He was oblivious to the birth of his sister as he was oblivious to everything beyond the limit of his personhood; he was a creature of liminal spaces, waiting for his chance.

All around her had been the constant comfort of pressure and the pounding of heartbeats, big and small. She was used to the pressure changing when her siblings or mother moved, but it wasn't troubling for her. Not until things became restless, and contractions began to disrupt the peace. 

Over and over again, she felt as though she was being squeezed, and in the lull between those times, there was one less heartbeat to feel, pulsing nearby, until the only one left was the strongest and loudest of all of them. Another squeeze- this one much more sudden and tighter than the others- left her feeling constricted around her middle for a moment, before she felt herself slip into space. Space that was colder, and didn't have the same presence of pressure. 

She felt something jostle her, rubbing along her belly and back, wiping across her face and she didn't like it. Overe and over, her tummy was rubbed until she opened her mouth with a cough, and dragged in a breath. She puffed a few times, and then she stopped. She felt nudged and rubbed again, until her lungs were stimulated to work on their own. She was pulled in toward something warm and soft- and through it, she could feel the distant, constant thud of her mother's heartbeat. She did not eat- she felt hungry, but didn't know what it meant. All she wanted was to get closer, feel nestled again, and take comfort in the heartbeat that now seemed so far away.

chacal had remained assured in her pregnancy. she was a daughter of sapphique and erzulie did not move to hover, only offering advice when asked and perhaps a little more food.
sobo had kept close to his older sister, and the obsidian visited the densite each day with a treat or encouraging word. soon enough the weight settled back toward chacal's hips, and erzulie felt it would be quite soon.
the young tanzanite did not call. her mother's appearance there for her labor was coincidental. the seawife heard the panting and her heart ached for chacal, for love and for the pain her child suffered. she sat outside the den, counting the breaths and sighs until she heard the most delicate little sounds emerging from the ground-hollow.
her eyes filled with happy tears.
she was a grandmother again, and val was home. she thought of him now as he and regin had been the first of her grandchildren.
erzulie cleared her throat. she ducked inside the den only her muzzle, to kiss chacal, to offer her a crooned word of praise, and then she looked over the little ones and wept silently. a girl and three boys.
sapphique stood tall.

cameo!

mireille was no scholar of medicine, and so she busied herself with hunting for the impending birth of her new nieces and nephews. 
what she had not expected was the scent of birth in the air, how it struck her differently than the appearance of aminthe and quennell. she found herself swallowing hard and smiling toward her mother, who had just dipped her head inside the den. mireille herself held back, but when erzulie vacated she would creep forward and proudly offer a catch of grayling for the new mother.

She fretted over the children, now that she was convinced that she was done giving birth. She tidied up the area as much as she could, though the scent of blood and afterbirth would linger for some time. The puppies themselves smelled divine, to Chacal. Their pelts slowly began to dry once they were cleaned up, and they became as soft and velveteen as a rabbit's ear. 

For a quiet moment, she considered them. She'd placed them along her side in order of their birth, so she might remember, and took a moment to appreciate and differentiate between them. 

The first born was dark, like her, and with the same hint of gold fur which came to a peak in his forehead, and trickled down his neck to his shoulders. Only time would tell if he shared her eye colour as well- privately, she hoped he would. It made her proud to see a child born who looked so much like her. He kneaded her side as he suckled, before he fell asleep. She kissed his forehead, where the dark fur met his golden locks. 

The secondborn had a coat of tan, but with dark points, which pleased Chacal. While she did not share blood with Erzulie, Chacal had forgotten that fact, having never considered Erzulie to be any less than being her Maman. And so, she believed the markings to have been inherited from Erzulie- she would be so pleased to see her little lookalike!

The third boy was dark, with fur that might either darken or lighten with time. He looked a shade lighter than the firstborn, with perhaps a hint of Rosalyn's auburn. His lower jaw and his paws were lighter, and would make for striking markings when he grew up. His smile would definitely be more noticeable, with his upper and lower jaw contrasting in colour. He looked upset, and she could only imagine how confused he felt, so she nudged him toward a teat that was swollen with milk, so that he might feed like the others, and fall asleep comfortably.

And the teeny, tiny girl, half the size of the others, seemed content enough pressed against her side, and she did not seek to feed. She nudged her little head repeatedly toward a teat, but the girl's mouth didn't open. She didn't suckle or complain, but wanted to nuzzle closer. This little ash-brown girl perplexed her. She was so tiny, and she didn't seem interested in nursing which was the very thing Chacal needed her to do. It did not escape her notice that out of all the pups, the little girl looked the most like Ashlar- even down to the faint silverish hairs along her shoulders. Her face and limbs were paler, markings which mirrored the dark mask and limbs of her second-eldest brother. She seemed settled, but Chacal worried. If she did not eat, she would lose energy and fade away. 

Four children- three boys, and a tiny little girl. Privately, she'd hoped for more female offspring, so the matriarchal system of Sapphique might continue beyond her- but she realized quickly that she shouldn't try and thrust that responsibility upon any of her children. It might make her treat the little girl differently- if she even survived. 

While she had a long list of names that she'd been considering, she wasn't sure which name she ought to give each pup. She'd thought of more girl names than boy names...And had a name she wanted to give the little girl already- but it felt unfair to give one a name, and make the other three wait. Would she be able to treat each child fairly? Would she be able to keep up with four children, and give each of them enough love and attention? She'd simply have to do her best. 

She was about to call out and announce the birth when she realized Erzulie was just outside the den. She'd had her mother's shadow lingering there, silently supporting her through her labour but allowing her to find the strength to give birth on her own. She only noticed her mother's presence a moment before she poked her head inside the den, right when Chacal was about to beckon her. She leaned into her mother's touch and hummed affectionately. "You are Grandmaman to t'ree 'ealthy boys, and a p'tit fille. She will not latch; I am worried for her, she is so tiny." She admitted. She inhaled, and realized that Mireille had come too, lingering just outside the den. She gifted Chacal with a fish, which she appreciated with a happy sigh. "Merci," She breathed. She looked to her Maman, then, who she wished would stay with her. "She will live, though, yes?" She asked tearfully.

Etienne was oblivious to the voices all around him, though he did feel the vibrations as his mother spoke. It woke him briefly. He let out a loud pious whine, and snuggled deeper against her warm underside, 

He snuffled and ran his little muzzle all along it, not sure what he was looking for he couldn't even see, hear, nothing. But he was up now, so he might as well try and get more of that stuff that shut his whine up the first time.

So with gentle perusing and finally a tug, he kneaded his tiny paws into her belly, and the soft whine quieted and then was gone, only to be replaced of sounds of suckling. And eventually snores.

just a cameo <3 I don't want to hold things up but wanted to make sure I got something in

Rosalyn knew that Chacal's time was near. Today she drifted past and saw her wife posted at the den... but, with a knowing smile, she'd remained back and taken watch from a distance. She was not a healer and did not wish to crowd her daughter. Two in a birthing den had always seemed enough.

In time she would come and she would meet their grandchildren, the newest arrivals to Sapphique. For now she trusted Erzulie and took her own role, keeping a careful eye on any who might pass nearby. No one who was not family would be allowed near the den beneath her watch, not until Chacal was ready to invite the pack forth.

Don't we have a posting order? I thought I was after Etienne...?

Theo woke up after a moment. There was a lot of movement around him.
He became aware of a much smaller figure next to him. He tried to make a little sound at it
He wasn't quite sure what it was. It was much too small to be one of his brothers...

@Theo - usually, yes! But with birth threads, since puppies are pretty much in potato mode, the adults take priority. A lot of people write puppy cameos in these threads and then wait for the character to be a little older before posting more. The first couple weeks are pretty slow for puppies.

He had not yet sought a teat for himself.
It had not entered the boy's mind to find food, but he was hungry, or in the very least he missed having something to hold. He reached out with his little legs and touched upon something warm and soft ( a sibling ); but without any fine motor control his little feet went a bit haywire, leading him to roll and lose his balance.
Stuck for a time on his back beside his more somber siblings, the boy found solace in the warmth where he was wedged and began to doze again. His breath whistled a minimalistic tune from the gap of his little mouth.

skipping suzu w permission

grandmaman.
erzulie smiled at the younger of her daughters as mireille approached. when the girl had gone away, she turned back. chacal's lovely, exhausted face was etched with worry.
the obsidian crept deeper into the den to inspect the little girl. she was very small in comparison to the other three; even her sister was larger. 
there was a boy with a golden point upon his head, another which resembled sobo in many ways, and the third who reminded her of rosalyn. but her focus was the girl, the granddaughter of sapphique.
"your sisters nieve an' marisol an' clementine, dey all came early, an' each of dem were smaller den de ot'ers." she put her muzzle near the chest of the small girl, listening for the death-rattle that marked a newborn's breath for end.
"sometimes dey wait to eat, only for a bit," erzulie assured. she kissed her daughter's forehead. "i will tell you this: rest, chacal. i will stay here, an' every so many minutes i will try an' coax her," she offered. "if she still will not latch, den we must soak a fur wit your milk an' see if she is able to suck dat way."
she loved them all, ferociously. immediately. she could not bear the idea that any one of them would be lost.

Just to clarify, I also play Suzu XD and yep, she may be skipped in this thread.

 

With the children more or less settled, Chacal relaxed a little bit, turning her attention to her Maman. She saw her mother’s pride beam through the darkness, and searched her features for signs of woe or concern. Erzulie would know- she had had many children, though to the best of Chacal’s knowledge, most of them had been born healthy. 

She was reassured to hear about her sisters. It seemed common, then, for this sort of thing to happen. She tended as Erzulie leaned closer to listen and inspect the little girl more closely- and again, she was relieved to see that her mother stayed calm. 

”I want ‘er to live,” She said, tearfully. Her lip trembled and she pouted, eyes becoming watery as her mother explained what they would do if the little girl did not feed. She wept, overwhelmed by hormones and emotions, and did her best to wipe her tears away with one of her forelegs. She nodded numbly. 

”I will name her now, den. She needs to ‘ave a name,” She said. She did not fear for the boys- they were round and healthy. But she would not forgive herself if her little girl did not survive the night, and died without ever being given a name. ”Berceuse.” She said, nudging the little one agan, though the tiny one did little other than nuzzle into her fur, mouth still shut.

Theo can be skipped as well, but i may post with him from time to time

The first born woke up. He squirmed around a bit, moving his head around without realizing it. He was too small to really explore, and his senses weren't useful yet, so after a moment he let out a little whining noise to alert the adults he had lost where he was. He kept moving his little nose around in the air, trying to find his mother and littermates.

this can be last for me! <3

erzulie nodded. chacal's handling of a situation that might daunt another was masterful. she had rosalyn's poise, the obsidian decided, smoothing a lock of fur behind their daughter's ear as the words were spoken. it hurt again to think of the loss. she simply could not let that happen.
"she will, dous mwen."
she reached into the den to nuzzle the complaining boy and brushed the head of the tiniest child upon which they focused. "berceuse," she repeated, throat thickened with emotion. "a strong name for a child who will fight."
a tiny warrior surrounded by generations of family; erzulie would light each inch of land in sapphique with veves for the life of her newborn granddaughter.
she settled close and firmly so, indicating she meant to stay for a long while. her muzzle guided the girl back toward the nipple. even if she did not yet nurse, the presence of her face so close might compel the milk to come along all the same. she would learn to eat by proxy, then.
she pulled back and folded her forelegs, kissing chacal once more. "i be here. an' maman is out t'ere, keepin' watch."
little berceuse was encircled by love.

Motherhood, she realized, was not all songs, games and snuggles. It brought a fear to her heart which stung every time she thought about what could happen. And as much as she revelled in the sweet sounds they made, she felt a deep, intense bond form, compelling her to vow in that moment that she would fight to the very ends of the earth for her children. 

She heard the soft, almost musical plea from one of her sons and brought him once again back against her side. She had handled children before, and instinct gifted her with the gentlest of touch. With Erzulie pressed against her side, she nudged the little girl to a teat, and took some solace when she suckled for a few moments. Chacal breathed a grateful sigh of relief. It was not enough to guarantee her survival, but enough to assure Chacal that there was hope. 

She leaned against her mother, her children tucked into the warmth of two generations looking over them. As they squirmed and settled, she relaxed, and slipped into a well deserved sleep.