Hushed Willows pa rum-pa-pum pum

I want kiddos! Any puppers will do!

There were more children in the ranks, now that Morningside was settled in. A few girls and a boy, the latter of which looked positively depressed every time she'd seen him. Little wonder--that pack had gone through so terribly much in the last few moons. She couldn't imagine being in their paws.

Lily had ulterior motives for seeking out the pups, beyond her usual duties as a leader. She needed to become a better caretaker. It seemed beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would bear Khali's children this spring, and the thought of it scared her to bits. She didn't feel prepared at all; she felt like a pup pretending to be a mother, except in that scenario, the real mother would pick up the pieces when she inevitably failed.

But there was no real mother in this scenario, really. What, was she going to ask Seabreeze to raise her children for her? How embarrassing. No, she was on her own--and it was terrifying to comprehend.

The blackbird wandered by the minnow stream, frozen over, now, and placed a paw on the ice. She remembered sliding on the ice with Korei, and she sighed, bowing her head. Such simpler times, gone now. . . As much as she loved Khali and Elysium, she would beg and plead to have such simplicity again, were it available to her.