Swiftcurrent Creek so in the clear will appear that black swan

the call is not directed toward the leaders specifically, and so she uses the excuse the rise and makes her way towards the sound with loping trot, breath coming quickly and stride off-balance. she wants nothing more than to birth them as soon as possible, for with each day does she feel less like an individual and more like a walking incubator. in her dreams, she is as she was months ago. she does not know what she ever envied pregnant mothers, longer to bear children, save the fact it seemed to offer stability and a chance at the kind of familiar love she'd lost. 

when she reaches the man, pain lances through her side. it is sharp and more intense than any of the earlier spasms, nor does it fade as quickly as them. she exhales through clenched teeth, pausing, and regarding the stranger then. she dips her head in greeting, moving to recline on her haunches. "you called?" she offers a curve of her muzzle, but it is a smile undercut by pain that only barely seems to be fading.