Bearclaw Valley huwas

Back in a jiff, She said, as she pressed a kiss to her mate's forehead. She gave him a slightly guilty smile; all five infants began to protest the moment she stood up. Auberon had to be pried from a teat, and once her mouth was empty, she began to cry out with grating bellows, twice as loud as the wolf pups. She drew in a breath and left, assuring herself that this would pass. The children would settle down, the bearcub would stop crying- and eventually, they'd all grow up like the girls had. In the meantime...Motherhood was beautiful, but it was also very difficult. 

She needed fresh air, food, and to relieve herself. She needed to stretch her legs, and she needed a little bit of 'me' time that wasn't just napping while the children did the same. She couldn't unburden herself of the guilt she felt, leaving her husband alone with five bawling children, though, and the peace that she'd hoped to find once she was out of earshot was temporary. 

Normally, the scent of an intruder might have caused a flash of anger. Instead, she felt something akin to relief- after all, she wasn't shirking her motherly duties if she was attending to her role as Regina. 

The bison carcass, stripped of the majority of its worth, had attracted a visitor. She began to approach quietly, drawn toward the scent, not wanting to cry out and spook the trespasser until she'd at least clapped eyes on them. She gathered what information she could from the stranger's odour, as she closed the distance- female, and alone. No scent of disease or infection, no scent of blood having been shed. Whoever this was, she'd made it past their sentry- and for that, was worthy of the Regina's attention.