Chimera Fields burn

AW, but strangers might be munched

Hokulani never managed to make it to the hunt. The cramps that began a week prior had persisted and forced her into a bedridden state only a few days later. By then she had thankfully found herself a suitable enough den under the roots of a long gone tree. It had likely been dug out by a coyote a year or so prior from the smell, but she couldn't be picky.

Today the pain was worse than ever. She had shut herself away entirely, growling at anything and everything that came near. She felt like she was dying, or at the very least going to be torn straight open. Hokulani knew better though; her body spoke to her well enough that she didn't need to be told what was happening to her. They had waited long enough, her pups were ready to meet her.

Groaning, she gritted her teeth and reminded herself of what was to come. She would have something to care for, something to build. Her children would prove what she had to offer the world.

A sharp pain that made her legs numb and finally she wailed; loud enough to be heard territories over certainly, announcing the new arrivals.

Aureli had been busy, gathering the needed herbs and giving Delos a crash course in the triaging of catastrophic wounds. Part of his education was the understanding that not every wolf could be saved, and that there was a great chance of so-called "failure" in their line of work. He tried to be discreet about it, but Aureli was trying to prepare Delos for the fact that someone might die at this hunt.

He'd seen it happen often enough.

And so he'd meant to be at the boy's side through the whole thing. It was Hokulani's call, however, that drew him away.

"I must attend a mother nearing her whelping time," he told his young apprentice. "You may accompany, or you may stay here with Arrluk. I will soon return. You will not be needed for the birth itself — we must find a woman who can get to know you, and invite you to her whelping herself."

He'd set his paw on his apprentice's shoulder and offered him a pleased smile either way. And then he departed.

It took him some time to find Hokulani. Another call had distracted him at first, and then he's lost the woman's trail. But he heard her voice again today, and followed it to its source. Still a distance off, he called to her:

"I'm a little late, but I am here."

He slunk closer, but not nearly within snapping range. He didn't want to crowd her until she specifically asked for his help. In most cases, he wasn't needed at all, and stood by merely as an insurance policy. He was happy to do so again now, and would situate himself nearer or further as it pleased the laboring woman.

Aureli's familiar voice brought temporary relief, a reminder that she wasn't completely alone in this. He had kept his promise.

The bark inviting him closer was cut off by Hokulani's scream, partially pain, partially terror. What the fuck is that, she could only wail. How else do you respond when a slimy alien creature shoots out of you?

That alien creature would later become @Taamele, her first son, but for now Hokulani could only be terrified of him. He was so small, and crying in an instant. How was it already making so much noise? Were there more? Would they all be like this?

The mother's fear soaked into the first son like a poisoned balm.

In truth, it was coincidence that their first meeting was more screams than wonder. Birth was horrifice, and Taamele was wired for maximum fear - it had been that way since the neural tube days, and had only gotten worse as his cells divided and specialized.

Instinct duked it out with terror in the boy's lizard brain as he wailed and kicked, blind and deaf and still somehow afraid. In the end, the radiating heat of his mother's body and the primal knowledge that he needed milk milk milk drove the boy to flail more specifically in the direction of the teat.

I'M ALIVE!

He'd intended to let Hokulani go through this on her own, as he felt every mother deserved the chance to. But her cry of alarm concerned him enough that he pressed forward anyway, even if it was a normal enough sentiment for a first-timer. He wondered often what it truly felt like, and wished that he could experience it for himself. He'd feel better providing care if he could better understand the tactile process.

"You're doing well," he said as he tentatively entered the den. He knew from the the degree of blood scent that she was not currently hemorrhaging, and the rest was nearly incidental. First, the mother must survive the birth — that was always his priority.

But he was quick to check on the babe as well. No immediate concerns jumped out at him, aside from the fact that Hokulani had not yet tended to it.

"He seems perfectly formed," he informed her in low, steady tones. He coached her in the same voice: "You must clean him, and then place him at your belly. If you are unable, I can help."

It was always best that the mother perform this task. Perhaps the father, if he was available. Aureli was aware that this might be him — but he was acting in his capacity as healer and midwife in this moment. Hokulani had chosen to do this herself, and he would not steal that from her in her moment of vulnerability. It would need to be her choice, and he would reaffirm her previous decision on the matter until asked explicitly to do otherwise.

It seemed to Hokulani that two halves of her brain were fighting against each other. One was listening to Aureli, telling her to take the pup that she had waited on for so long into her arms and love him. The other half told her to kill the parasite who had leeched off of her for months before it could continue to do so for the next year.

The former won, and he dragged the little thing closer to her. A boy, she soon found out while cleaning him in preperation for the world. He's so.. she paused, frowning, ..ugly. Why did he look so alien? Did all newborns look like that?

As if avenging their brother, another contraction hit her like a rockslide. This one must have been either stuck or eager, because the cries sounded out before the pup ever hit the ground.

She was disgusted now, but sooner or later she would learn to love @Kaiilani.

Kaiilani let out some wails as she entered the world. Though she couldn't see or hear much, she could feel that something had changed. The warmness of the womb no longer enveloped her and the coldness of the outside hit her with a force her new mind couldn't quite process.

She was cold and hungry and tried to snuggle close to her mother, wiggling toward her as she searched for a source of food.

To his relief, Hokulani heeded his words, or perhaps just her instincts, and began grooming the pup. Aureli looked on from a short distance, content to remain on standby unless he was needed again. But, at her comment, he could not help but respond, a twitch of his lips betraying his amusement.

"That's how they all look," he assured her. "I see no defect. He will grow very fast, and his features will change to be more like yours."

But the next crisis was at hand. Hokulani bore down again, and Aureli held his breath while the next pup took its time coming. He was relieved when it turned out to be a whole and healthy little girl, not at all weak or smothered by her slightly prolonged stay in the birth canal. He tested the scents of Hokulani and her children once more, and again, found nothing terribly amiss.

"You're doing well," he told her, his voice hushed in respect to the moment between mother and children. "The first few are usually the hardest. Tell me if you feel a significant difference in pain or difficulty."

But he was fairly sure she would come out of this perfectly.

Really? That was how they always looked? She would have called him a quack if the evidence wasn't right in front of her.

She was hesitant as she pulled her daughter over to be cleaned. Hokulani supposed that if nothing else, she was grateful to have a girl. The less mele in the world, the better.

The next puppy came after ten minutes of huffing, puffing, and ruthless pain. They felt larger than the first two, but the pain was more pressure than anything to cause her alarm. For all the time he took, the last son slipped out with ease. Hokulani felt sure that if any of them was from the forest brute rather than Aureli, it was this one based on size alone.

Later he would be named Ripstorm, her own gift to her mate, but for now he was a reminder that she wasn't here. Hokulani pulled him forwards, and laid her head down just a moment later. She swore that swimming across the ocean wouldn't even leave her this exhausted.

I'm never doing this shit again. Even she knew that was a lie. In just a day she would forget all of the pain, and the love reserved only for her children might blossom. ..Thanks for keeping your promise.

So maybe she was a little late. Storm had been in the midst of a chase when she'd heard Hokulani cry out. For a moment she'd contemplated abandoning her hunt entirely, but — wouldn't Hokulani need to eat?

So she tried to finish it quickly. Storm was a little scraped and a little bruised by the time she finally made it over, dragging the corpse of a small injured goat. Blood smeared her mouth, but it was only partially her own. She was rather proud of herself, actually.

But all that was forgotten when she spotted Hokulani. Her ears flew upright and she dropped the goat, dashing over only to half a few feet away with wide eyes. Storm went still. Puppies.

Aureli didn't dare laugh at this declaration, despite how many times he'd heard such sentiment before. He pressed his lips together for a moment to hide his true feelings before he spoke, earnestly and firmly: "You've done very well. I suspect you'll make a quick recovery. And, despite your misgivings," here, he failed to hide his smile, "I think that all three are quite beautiful."

There was a commotion, then. Aureli's gaze lifted, his ears flying into an alert position. There was a readiness to him that belied the pacifist vows that he'd taken, but in the end, his scruples were not challenged. This was the woman that Hokulani smelled most strongly of, and it seemed that she was only concerned for the newly minted mother.

The physician took a few careful steps backward, giving the family their space.

"I'll be nearby for the next few days," he said to the two women. "Call for me if there is need."

He offered them a little bow before turning to depart.

As Storm finally arrived, Aureli took his leave. She could smell that her mate had brought a meal just barely through the strong scents that came with birth. Hokulani was glad, but she would have to wait until she felt rested to eat anything.

Gesturing for Storm to come inside, Hokulani felt her eyes growing heavy. ..They're so ugly.. She repated the sentiment once more, yawning halfway through.

Hokulani was asleep only moments later, tail wrapped around the newborns.

I'll let Storm get in another post before we archive!

Taamele's fear lessened somewhat when it became clear that he would not have to battle this new world alone. A second blob arrived, she too squirming in the general direction of mother. There was a conversation that he could not hear, faces he could not see - and then, finally, blessedly, the warm bodies of mother and sister, and an endless flow of milk.