Moonspear what new magic does your heart hold

She wasn't going very far, or doing very much as of late. If she wasn't found loitering immediately near the densite, she was somewhere close to the small circuit of pathways she'd carved out around it. At her furthest, she'd find herself following the creekside just because it felt right -- which was today's agenda beneath these cloudy skies, and her gait a slow walk with her nose alternating between testing the winds, and tracking underfoot.

Every bit of her was achy, and relief was hard to find some days, which kept her attitude appropriately clipped at best. She was swollen and shifting in places she'd never even considered before now, so every bit of this body felt uncomfortable to her -- all of which was exacerbated by the puppies, who had all evidently grown considerably more lively in these recent weeks to long since progress past the gentle flutters of motion that had been almost endearingly strange at first. They now packed enough punch to really be nuisances on her innards, and were downright merciless, even at times when she least needed to be reminded of them. But she knew she should expect no less, and grit her teeth and bore it because it would have to be over soon.

 

It had been easy to be as withdrawn as she needed to be with all things considered, but still, underneath the instinctual urging that suggested these puppies may not be so far off now, she still wanted to touch base here and there before she tucked herself away for entirely different reasons. Several faces of the pack came to mind, some more familiar to her than others, and she caught her thoughts trailing towards a certain russet female in particular. Although she also hoped some of the newer faces were doing alright, like sisters Estella and Paikea, the scouting efforts of Judas and Pyx both had not flown entirely away from her radar. About those, the mountain-bound alpha wanted to hear more.

However she didn't know what her timing was in relation to those very same ventures, or if she was too soon in her curiosities.

Either she'd run into something worthwhile to keep her distracted for a little while, or get tired and stalk back to the den. One was going to meet her before the other, and she hoped for the former, so tracked casually at least.

i know she's been out scouting and stuff with judas so if this really doesn't work in your timelines, that's all cool but maybe, just maybe, a @Pyx ??

Set after the journey, but going to be very vague about details since it's still ongoing.

The travel had been long and hard and after returning Pyx had decided to take a few days to relax. She had to admit she was a little disappointed with the way her body had handled the travel. Her muscles were sore, nothing horrible, but she wouldn't have expected them to be. She'd eaten a single raspberry leaf to take away some of the soreness and had spent the day stretching and sunning to remove the rest. A small soak in one of the streams had helped to keep her cool during her sunning.

Her head raised as she heard the approach of another and she was pleased to see Amekaze amble into view. She rose from the rock, happy at least that her fur had dried in the time she'd been sunning, and offered a soft chuff to the female. Should Amekaze wish for company Pyx would be more than happy to be of service. She, of course, couldn't know that the alpha female was actually looking for her. Pyx stretched and then lowered her rump to the rock, waiting to see if Amekaze would swing her way or carry on.

Despite her own very minimal effort towards tracking, she caught the faintest trace that gave her just enough to warm her chosen trail along the creek. She still didn't quicken her approach, though, and enjoyed the satisfaction of finding Pyx upon a rock before some sort of soreness set in. Her tail signaled this in a subtle, soft wag. "Pyx," she greeted with a returned chuff of her own, content to be conversational at least for a while; she had not done much mingling with the pack lately, and despite the instinctual urge to be more reclusive than normal, she still missed many of them. But she wondered how long this would last. She was full of contradicting feelings lately, with hormones cited as to blame, so even she didn't know what she'd want in ten minute's time.

"I was wondering if you would be back on the mountain these days," she said as she stepped closer to the rock and by extension, Pyx. Unsaid implication being and I am glad to see you are back. She guessed that meant Judas was here someplace too. Another good, considering how close her suspicions were for the pups. While never one to clip the wings of her scouts, something about knowing her wolves were here while she was.. ah, busy came as a relief. "All is well?" she quipped.

and like i said no rush about replying to this if y'wanna let those other threads do their thing first >_>

ALSO, GASPPP, i just realized today is pyx's bday. happy bday pyx~*~*~*

D'aww. Happy Birthday nerdy herby girl! Looks like those threads are coming to a close so we can continue!

Pyx was pleased to see Amekaze wag her tail and head her way. It had been some time since their last chat, though that was not surprising. Amekaze's pregnancy had been progressing slowly but surely. Certainly now her time was not far off, judging by the shape of her belly. Her ears curved to catch Amekaze's words, and she soon jumped down from her rock disliking being above her alpha's head. "Oh, yes. Just barely, to be honest. That's why I was sunning, trying to rid myself of some soreness. It's good to see you again, Amekaze. Your time will be here before we know it, I think. How are you faring?" Healer instincts came to light directly after the pleasantries, and she gave her alpha female a concerned look.

Though Amekaze assumed Judas was back within the 'spear, Pyx would have told her otherwise. Judas had gone on an errand for Charon, after a friend she did not know the name of. "Well enough for me, thankfully. Some simple soreness from the journey but nothing else. It was an... interesting trip. I was glad to see the surrounding areas, as well as to travel with Judas. I've missed having friends, I didn't even realize that was something you could miss until it became familiar to me again." She smiled softly at Amekaze as she thought on the journey, but didn't directly go into details. She hesitated only briefly over interesting, trying to decide how much was Judas' position to share verses hers. 

If asked, she would tell certain details to her leader, she was not a liar. It wouldn't hurt anyone to tell of the pack, Judas' friend. She'd just...shy away from all the emotions involved in meeting that friend...and his confession.

Pieces of the puzzle came together and she appreciated that her timing was good enough to catch her here and now like this. Just barely, then. "Good to hear.. well, not the soreness, but still. Glad you are back," she said lightly with a matching, fond tail wave. She could take her solace in this -- just knowing Pyx was here, fine (since Ame wasn't worried about her soreness much), attentive as ever as she made her mention of the pups' hopefully soon arrival date. "I hope it is soon," she exhaled with a soft sigh. "I am rightfully a bit impatient at this point," she huffed for her best summary of how she was faring. It was a big lengthy complaint these last few days that were somehow each more uncomfortable than the last. She was tired of being swollen in places she didn't think about before.

Nevertheless, she couldn't help but cant her head curiously when the trip was cited as being interesting. While she considered how appropriate it was to want to pry versus what she was going to be told already, her expression curved accordingly as she took it in. Mention of Judas wouldn't go unnoticed, either, but she did not know the full lengths of his involvement in it yet -- nor what all she could assume from reading between the lines, if anything at all. "Which way did you two travel? I have not left the mountain since the lightning incident, so I will admit, I am a bit jealous," she chuffed, her smirk meaning it in good (enough) humor; she missed her freedoms but they'd be back soon. Because of this, she was more than willing to hear the boring, trivial details of scenery and paths traversed alongside anything else useful. She was not going to be choosy and instead, quite content to listen.

Pyx nodded and smiled to Amekaze. "Glad to be back, sore or not." Pyx was pleased that Amekaze seemed happy to have her back. It was nice to be missed, to have someone look for your face. She assumed it likely had a part to do with her medicinal skills as well, in case anything were to go wrong with the birth or after. Her ears twitched and she smiled encouragingly at the female's sigh. She'd never been pregnant before herself, but she had seen and could only imagine how tiring it much be. "Growing strong little ones is bound to make you tired." Pyx commented, smiling softly. "I'm sorry you have so much discomfort though. The raspberry leaves are safe to take during pregnancy, I've seen them used during birth even. Should you ever want any, just call for me."

Sadly there truly was nothing to be done, other than for the pups to be born. The raspberry leaves would only soothe so much and there was no curing the cause, for the cause was the children. Amekaze seemed interested in their trip, and at her own admission stated she was feeling a bit of wanderlust. It must be hard to travel anymore without getting worn out, Pyx thought. Pyx chuckled and nodded. "I can understand that, though I certainly don't think I'm the scouting type, after that trip. Not without some more training, anyway. We went west, over the mountain. Judas led, I followed. Didn't notice any worthwhile plants on our path, sadly." She said, shaking her head and sighing a little. "Not that we looked overly hard, Judas wanted to cover some ground." And here was where it grew complicated. 

"I feel like I'm stealing his scouting thunder, by telling everything." Pyx laughed. "We did run into a wolf, though. A female from a pack called...." Here she truly was unsure. "Arthendal, I think? She'd known Judas before he came to Moonspear, apparently." She made a mental note to tell Judas that she'd told Amekaze this, in case for whatever reason he thought to conceal that they'd seen Malice. "A few days past that Judas remembered Charon had wanted him to try and find someone, a friend, so Judas bade me to come back and he'd go alone." There was obvious worry in her tone for Judas. "With your time so near I didn't want to argue, not that you'll need me but just in case." With that she smiled to Amekaze, waiting to see if the female had more questions for her.

Pyx seemed to sympathize to her struggles, and she took the note of raspberry leaves -- even for birth, which could be good information to keep on hand. "Good to know," she said. So far, nothing was unbearable but that wasn't to say that was here to stay. Hopefully it wouldn't change and even the birth would go smoothly enough, even for an untried, first time mother like herself. However she knew that could be asking for too much and it was best to stay prepared for the worst. "I will keep that in mind. I have.. ah, no idea how the birth is going to go. First time for everything, though, and I just want to get it over with," she grumped lightly. 

Then, more so on their trip, she was plenty content to listen as she lowered back onto her haunches to sit; she may as well while she planned to stay mostly stationary, not that even this was much more comfortable than standing. It was just different and she was done with it.

West was the direction she knew less than the flatlands, and it was too bad about the plants. Although, knowing of a new pack was.. worthwhile. Potentially. "Arthendal? I am not familiar," Ame shook her head and didn't like the way the word handled on her tongue for the first time, so foreign as it was to her. So long as they were not situated close to her, she didn't really have effort to expend on wondering much about them. "I only vaguely knew about the pack he came from before, Moonlit Hills. I do not think it was around for very long, and it had dissolved.. suddenly, I believe." she mentioned to potentially piece a few bits together that way.

Towards what Charon had requested of Judas, she considered it quietly and wondered who it was he sought and why. "I see. I think he will be fine," she said, not missing the worry in her tone. Ame believed Judas could handle it, despite not being as experienced of a scout as some of her other previously-titled comrades yet. However these were the experiences that would make him stronger for it. "The weather has been holding well, it is a good time to rove a bit in the Teekon. Hopefully he can find that someone soon enough," Amekaze nodded.

Pyx nodded, sympathetic. "I'm sure everything will go fine." She could understand the rush. No telling how many little limbs were poking at Amekaze's innards and skin, pulling and pushing at her. Not to mention the hormones themselves affecting her emotionally. Pyx noted that Amekaze hadn't heard of the pack and she realized she knew no more of it. Malice had not commented on where it lay or how near the borders had been.

Amekaze began to speak on Judas' past and Pyx listened intently, interested in piecing the tale together. The sudden dissolve must have been due to Malice leaving, or being held by the other pack. She recalled her saying that she'd been locked in a den, and then that her and a male had somehow escaped to this new pack, where she was happy. "Yes, Moonlit Hills. That name was mentioned. I tried to...to not eavesdrop on them much while they spoke." It wasn't a lie, she had spent much of the conversation trying not to listen. "I didn't want to intrude on their reunion, you know?" She certainly hadn't wanted to intrude on the dramatic scene, but she'd been there all the same.

Thankfully the conversation turned to Judas looking for Charon's friend. She nodded, chuckling softly. "I'm sure you're right. I'm simply a worrier, a fair few who seek the medical trade are." It was why she wanted to know as many plants as possible, because what if? "Yes, hopefully. He didn't say who or where, so hopefully it wasn't terribly far." She shrugged, assuming Amekaze would know who he sought more than she. 

"Have you thought on names yet, for your little ones?" She said after a moment. "Do you and Charon have special naming conventions? I know some parents have traditions, my pack believed in naming after physical attributes." She smiled softly. "I was the smallest, so Pyx for pixie." She wondered if Amekaze would know what pixies were. Did they tell tales of fairies here?

Her mind drifted back to Judas and his past. Did Amekaze and Charon have a right to know it? Judas had killed wolves before...but he was not a bad wolf now. It was his business to tell, wasn't it? A ball of guilt lodged in her belly, as she wondered.

Assurances aside, Ame just nodded, and hoped so too. Nature would hopefully be kind to her in that regard. But on Moonlit Hills, she had found herself to be a bit surprised to hear them brought up again at all, considering how fleeting of a presence the pack had been in the Teekon's grand scheme. "Understandable," she said, not having known about the extent of Judas' relationship with his former pack wolves, so was not able to guess how exactly that reunion might have panned out.

Nevertheless, Pyx shared the hope for a quick success to his mission and justified her worries. Again, Ame understood. It was about all she could do from here herself, not until well after the puppies were born, and she'd already planned to find out more from Charon herself about the wolf being sought. It wasn't like there would be any shortage of opportunities; she saw the most of him recently, and it all made her glad for the peace they had seemingly restored after Althaia had been ousted and Lazarus found dead. Plus she had felt a little less moody once she'd reached some sort of plateau into the waning days of this pregnancy and instead was far more uncomfortable. It was just a different kind of bad attitude and at least not one so hostile towards her mate (and maybe not just because she relied on him more for food lately..)

"Ah, a bit. But naming conventions are not set in stone yet. A blend of our heritage's," Rightfully so, despite her not having extensive knowledge of Ostrega histories. "I am thinking of named stars, or mythic names, and perhaps a name to honor my mother -- and by extension, my family somewhat. Charon has mentioned wanting to do the same if we are able. But, I just want to meet them first so nothing is decided with certainty yet." Knowing that Pyx was named for pixies was oddly endearing, as evidenced by her subtle smirk and flicker of her tail. "It suits you. I was named for rain -- storms, rather." she explained, not considering that she likely did not know the language so may miss how literal that was. "In my homeland, we did not inherit our father's sirename. Instead we took on our mountain's title. Plus many of my family had two names, or would not go by their first name." She was no different, but in her heart and soul, she had always been Amekaze first, Mekkyaku second regardless of proper name order. Due to this, she was fond of that approach to names even if it implied coming up with multiple names -- but, if it fit, she would not hesitate to play a bit with that technique for her own whelps.

Pyx nodded as Amekaze spoke on names. A blend was fitting, a piece of the mother and father that had blended to create the pup. "Star names," Pyx commented, smiling. "That's a nice idea. I don't know much about stars myself. Do they have nice names?" She assumed so, if Amekaze spoke so fondly of possibly naming her children after them. "I like that as well, honoring the family in some way. There are so many options, I truly never considered it until I asked you. I understand why you want to meet them first, see what names fit them once you can well and truly see them."

Pyx enjoyed her own name, despite the teasing of her siblings, because her mother had loved it so dearly. "Pixie, Pixie, Pyx." She would say, nuzzling her only daughter into her side. Hearing that Amekaze had been named for storms made her nod. "I could see that, your name I mean. Storms are both awe inspiring and to be respected." Amekaze was a kind woman, Pyx liked her a great deal. She didn't for a moment doubt that Amekaze wasn't capable of carrying her own though, of being as fierce as a storm. 

"We didn't inherit sire names at all." Pyx said. "I'm not sure why, just different customs I suppose." She wondered if she'd give her children a sire name. Would their father have one? Would they take his name? She didn't know, wouldn't know until the time came. "And how many names do you have?" Pyx asked, interested. How funny the world was that she could have three letters to define her being while others had multiples.

Star names, indeed. "Some do," she confirmed for nice names. Some, not so much. She had a lot to choose from at least. They had practically endless depths between all of what she and Charon both knew about, him with his viking-hinted tales and hers drawing her old clan heritages. Doubtless, it could provide for an interesting route should the pups call for it. "I had never put a lot of thought into it either, not until lately." Largely because she had not been a wolf overly invested in the possibility of then the raising of puppies until Charon had happened. He was good at being the catalyst for change in her routines.

"Ah, well, it was in part because it stormed when I was born, evidently." she detailed. It was still good to know it fit, since she did happen to agree, and thus why it was her most preferred name despite it not exactly coming first in the order. "Interesting, though.. to inherit none. Was there a reason for it?" she asked. She'd had a few glimpses into several sorts of cultures, most notably through the wolves that came to live in her packs. It seemed natural to be curious of them. "Three, surname not included. I do not use them, though. Only this one that I prefer plus now with Ostrega on the end, it is a tie to whole new aspect," By this she meant more for the Teekon itself. A spectre on these lands for so long, it was a name that cropped up here and there all across the wilds in all the moons she'd known them. Now it was hers too.

Pyx could only imagine the great multitude of names for the stars. If each had it's own singular name...the sky was near to bursting with the dots to begin with. It boggled her mind. She nodded at Amekaze's response, it was reasonable. She herself hadn't put any thought into it yet either, minus the times she'd discussed it with Charon or Amekaze. "That makes sense. I had not either, not until we talked about it now. I feel that's only natural though, to wait until you have the children or even until you see them. It makes sense to me, at least."

So Amekaze had been named for the weather during her birth. It was very interesting to Pyx. What would her name had been if the sky was clear? If it had snowed, or hailed? Now Amekaze asked a question of her own and Pyx shrugged, shaking her head. "I honestly don't know. It wasn't...something we discussed. None within my pack had sirenames that I knew of. Perhaps if they had come from without, they did." 

She paused, thinking if she'd ever heard mention of them. "Mostly, I guess, we would use our pack name as a last name. Though...not in the same sense as you use your sirename. We lived close to other packs, so our introductions would be: 'I am Pyx, of Moonspear Mountain.' It's not something I think anyone ever thought to not include, it just...simply wasn't a custom of ours, if that makes sense." Her eyes lit up for a moment.

"Although, we sometimes had wolves who would name themselves for their father, if their father was great. For example, Talon Oakson. His Father, Oak, was the leader of the pack before him. He didn't pass it to his children though. It was mainly used for posturing and intimidating." She supposed if she wanted a name for herself she could take either parent's name, simply adding kin on the end since she wasn't actually a son. Pyx Calixkin or Pyx Daiakin sounded odd even in her mind though, and she pushed the idea away for now.

Given the details she now had, she was granted a better peek into the family Pyx had come up from. It seemed like a veritable blend of different bits she'd heard, but such was the case for many different families out there, each pulling from their own influences over the ages. Naming for a pack was not so unheard of for her, after all, but not passing on surnames was a little strange given her own culturing -- where they had their last names, they just were not very public with them.

She nodded thoughtfully, trying to ignore the ache creeping on her back that was becoming more and more persistent. "That makes sense. Using the pack name keeps it simple.. clear. I could appreciate that. Still, it is not like most I hear about.." And she'd been around for a good enough while. "Some of our neighboring clans were far too proud of their family histories to not use theirs. It was just how it was there, which I understand to appeal of it," she nodded. Maybe she was a little more lax for herself personally, since her true surname was never exactly intended to be passed on.

"Anyway, as much as I hate to cut this short prematurely, you understand.." she gestured vaguely to her whole self, feeling disgustingly more puppy than actually Ame, what with them being her gravitational center. It was still an exaggeration but Pyx could surely see it well enough and not fault her for wanting to go back to being elusive. "But. I mostly wanted to just.. see you, know you are around. The pups have to come soon," she murmured with a slow way, although was preparing to steer towards a heavier subject before she slipped away back to the den's area. "I do not expect anything to go wrong, though, but I have to appreciate having someone with the knowledge you do around -- in case it did." And it was something she couldn't handle herself, Pyx was the next best thing she had. She feared for her stubbornness already, but it was bound to be a learning experience for her as well. She'd figure it out.

It was nice to share piece of her history with Amekaze, and be shared with in turn. The world was so large and full of so many different practices. She could accept that many did use sire names, could understand why it seemed so strange to Amekaze. "I can understand the appeal as well, so long as you do keep the pride in control." She smiled softly. "I adored my parents, had I been given a sirename I would have born it proudly."

When Amekaze gestured to herself Pyx smiled softly and nodded. "Yes, please, go rest. Don't wear yourself on my account. We can always have more conversations later." She listened as Amekaze explained why she had sought her out and Pyx's tail waved appreciatively. "I am here, Amekaze. I won't be leaving again, not until after your pups are ushered safely into the world. I am only a call away, for whatever you or they need." She nodded to Amekaze's words and grinned again. "Everything will be fine I'm sure, but all the same I am here for you."

It pleased Pyx to have a use, to know that she more than likely would be able to help Amekaze if she called. She knew about birthing aids and different things to try. "Go rest now, I appreciate the conversation, the visit. We will have to discuss our homelands more some day!"

Pyx offered her nothing but graciousness and Amekaze swept her muzzle in a short nod. She was lucky to have her, she deduced shortly afterward because indeed, there could be further conversations on the matter later when she felt less fit to burst. It was something off her shoulders to have touched base with Pyx, and a distraction more welcome than the healer may have realized. Ame would leave this spot feeling a bit better than before, mentally. "Right, thank you.." she said, paired with a sincere nod and tail switch. To all of it. What she said was only the very beginning. "We will." she confirmed. She'd once been a chronicler, after all, so it was only natural..

She was glad things had managed to conclude well enough lately. Lazarus was off her mind, the pack was comprised of a strengthening core, and seemingly the mountain had come to its peace. Now all she had left to do was wait.

With a quick goodbye on her own behalf, she departed and moved uncomfortably back towards the densite.