Redhawk Caldera Druid II: fairlight cracktro.

The fatigue persisted. Towhee listened to her body, cutting her patrol schedule in half and spending the rest of her time resting in the Hobbit Hole. She was there now, whilst a thunderstorm heralded the arrival of autumn. She leaned against the northern wall, watching the rain fall and fighting the heaviness of her eyelids.

Everything smelled more intense when the air was this wet, herself included. Towhee’s drooping eyelids snapped open when she caught a whiff of her own scent, which told her she wasn’t just herself anymore. She had never before experienced this phenomenon, with herself or any other she-wolf, yet Towhee abruptly knew she was carrying pups—beyond a shadow of a doubt.

And yet, disbelief was her first reaction as she sat up straighter and mumbled, Does anyone else smell that?

Please feel free to infer your character is already in the den with her. :)

Lyric was not a fan of the thunder, and it was being made a problem for just about everyone taking shelter despite the best efforts to keep him quiet from his parents.

He wailed whenever there was so much as a crackle outside, taking shelter as beneath his mother as he could get. It was taking a toll on his usually great temper too, because he wasn't nearly as tolerant of his sister today.

Exhausted, upset, and overwhelmed, Towhee's new scent was not welcome. GG, why do you smell so bad? His voice came out as a whine, splayed out on the floor where his most recent thunder-fueled fit had occured. Whether or not Towhee actually smelled bad, it was unfamiliar, and Lyric wasn't into it today.

Her orange eyes peered into the dimness at the back of the den. Several sets of eyes glowed back at her, though Lyric’s were the nearest. Towhee’s gaze dropped to his face in time to catch his question. His whining tone was lost on her, though the disgruntled look on his face earned a huff of laughter.

It’s not me, she replied, wonder both in her voice and on her face, it’s your… Towhee paused, face scrunching. Cousin. She paused again, then corrected with a skipped heartbeat, Cousins. I smell at least two.

And what kind of sorcery was that? Towhee blinked down at Lyric, then glanced past him at the den’s other inhabitants as the news landed. Killer and Mal would be happy for her, she knew, even if they likely had some really reasonable reservations. But what would Carolina and Lyric think of new puppies to come?

Lyric thought that Towhee was trying to make some sort of joke, given he certainly couldn't see any cousins. Did he even know what a cousin was?

You're not funny GG. He scrunched up his face and turned to run back to his mother, but when the next crack of thunder sounded above he ran to the just slightly closer Towhee.

Smelly or not, it didn't seem to matter when the trembling boy tried to wriggle underneath her front legs. He didn't like her supposed jokes today, but he liked the storm outside far less.

She didn’t catch Lyric’s jab, her eyes currently caught on Killdeer’s in particular. But then the pup scrambled closer to her and tried wedging himself beneath her forelegs. Towhee raised one to accommodate him, the movement automatic despite her blinks of confusion. A snap of lightning cleared that up a beat later.

I always thought storms were cool myself, she said to him, though she hugged him closer, aware that he didn’t feel the same. Maybe she was feeling even more maternal than usual, for reasons. They can’t hurt you, Ricky. Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a quill in my eye and all that…

She nosed the crown of his head, feeling little thrills rushing through her when she realized she would soon be cuddling a much tinier pup, quite possibly more than one. It was at once so easy and so hard to imagine. Towhee hoped she hadn’t gone nuts, that she really was smelling two. Just two, she thought hopefully toward her midsection.