Whitebark Stream overworked and underwhelmed

@Daylily

bhediya watched the sun's slow descent until it disappeared below the horizon. she sat there for a moment longer and waited for the colorful skyscape to fade to black before heading inward. she was nauseous, but not overly so; unlike her previous pregnancies, this one seemed to be progressing with relative ease.

after a few moments of walking, she had to stop and take a break. she settled onto her belly and from there, rolled to her side in an effort to alleviate a sudden bout of dizziness.

Daylily, who was often lost in thought, was wandering the territory at a leisurely pace, trying to pick a place to bed down for the night. At the same time, she was thinking of all of her new friends and how excited she was to get this new pack life started. She wondered if anyone would have pups this year; she was, as yet, too young, and besides, the idea of having pups of her own was a rather frightening prospect. She could be mature when she needed to be, but she wasn’t ready for motherhood. But she loved being around young ones, and more generally, caring for those in need, puppy or otherwise.

It seemed as though she had manifested the dark female’s presence with her thoughts. In the dark, she would have tripped over the woman without her sense of smell. As it was, she stopped short of her a few feet away once her brain caught up to her nose and let out a surprised, “Oh! I—I’m sorry. I didn’t see you, there.” She saw the way the woman lay seemingly uncomfortably on her side and asked, “Are you all right?”

bhediya's hackles were at a slight rise but she maintained her composure. it was an instinctive response; this she-wolf — however much like dawn she might have smelled — was unfamiliar. she didn't want anyone that she didn't trust coming so close to her developing young.

there was still a fair amount of distance between them. not wanting to seem rude, she lifted herself into a lazy lounge and said, sorry, i'm fine. though flat and unemotional, her voice held no hostility. i'm bhediya, she continued, hoping to break the tension.

Assuming @Dawn howled or something to let WBS know that Empyrean was here. Someone LMK if that’s not ok!

“Y-you don’t have to move on my account,” Daylily assured the woman. She felt bad for having disturbed her. “Were you going to sleep? I-I can go?” The statement was phrased as a question, and she moved her body in such a way as to suggest walking away. But then the female offered her name, so Day gave up on the idea of leaving. She didn’t sit, in case Bhediya changed her mind about all this, but she stayed where she was. “I’m Daylily, of Oakstead,” she said quietly. “Nice to meet you. I-I think Dawn let us know you were here? You brought the group from the mountains, right?”

no, i wasn't. bhediya's tone was sharper than intended and she was quick to notice. her ears folded back apologetically as she averted her gaze. i'm sorry. she was leaving a bad impression which had not been the goal. in fact, she'd aimed to do the exact opposite but that was proving to be quite difficult in her current situation.

she sucked in a deep inhale and released it all at once, hoping to expel her growing frustration. it's really nice to meet you, she said with a small laugh, uh, yeah. my family is here so it just...it makes more sense. the children were grown and seemingly beyond adopting her as their mother, but she didn't mind. being around them was enough.

what brought you here? she asked, wondering if daylily had a story to tell.

Daylily couldn’t help the flinch that occurred at Bhediya’s sharp tone. She leaned away from the woman, one paw suspended in the air, on the verge of fleeing. But Bhediya’s apology stayed her. Day took her own deep breath to calm her nerves and placed her paw back on the ground. Bhediya certainly seemed touchy, something she hadn’t been expecting, but she did seem willing to speak, and Day wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. Bhediya’s laughter also furthered her sense of calm and she allowed herself a small smile. 

At the mention of family, Daylily asked, “Who are your family here? I have met a few wolves; perhaps I know some of them.” 

In regards to what had brought her here, she replied, “I left my homeland to seek…” She hesitated for a moment before landing on the word, “purpose. I found it in Dawn’s invitation to join Whitebark Stream. I think I… I think I was meant to be here. If—if that makes sense.” It was still strange to admit that she thought she had found her calling in this place. Such a thing seemed something out of a fairy tale she might have been told as a pup: a knight going on a quest to save a land. Although Daylily was no knight, and she doubted that Whitebark Stream needed any kind of saving.

bhediya bit anxiously at the inside of her cheek. would the girls think anything of her mentioning their relationship? she figured that they couldn't be mad at the biological truth and so went on without guilt. my daughters are lavender and easy, if you've met them, she said, and my son is dauntless. sunny and dawn are...well, it's complicated. they weren't technically her children and she doubted that they saw themselves as such. however, bhe would always see them as a part of her brood.

it makes sense, she assured daylily with another small smile. the flexing of her muscles brought a pang of pain through her spine; bhediya turned away and winced. she settled back down onto her side, laying her head against the snow in hopes of finding some relief. sorry, i just... she sighed and moved to settle into a more comfortable position, i'm not feeling all that well right now.

“I’ve met Lavender,” said Daylily, as the names were given to her. “And Dawn, obviously. The others I haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting.” 

Daylily’s ears pushed forward in concern at Bhediya’s wince of pain. “I—I can tell that you’re pregnant,” she began, wishing now that she’d stayed in Oakstead a little longer in order to learn the more medicinal uses of plants and things, versus simply their spiritual ones. She sought in her brain for something that could be useful. She knew very simple medicinal things: poppy seeds for pain, the fact that yarrow was poisonous. She knew lavender helped with sleep as a type of aromatherapy, but it was the middle of winter. Almost no helpful plants would be growing now, and she had no stores saved up, having just arrived in Teekon a week or so ago. “I wish I could help in some way,” she admitted, trying not to actively hover over the woman. “Perhaps I really should leave you be?”

bhediya didn't want to be rude but she figured that there was no way to take it back. she nodded to daylily with bright eyes closed tight, whispering, maybe next time? she really did intend to make friends with the girl, but they were both aware that this wasn't an ideal situation. the leader allowed herself to drift off into a light slumber, eyes fluttering as she awaited daylily's departure.

Daylily nodded, feeling terrible for Bhediya. If this was what pregnancy was like, she wondered if it was really worth it. That was a terrible thought and Day took it back immediately; it was a miracle of the Lord and Lady to bear pups, the future generation. She would love to have the honor one day…

The yearling saw that Bhediya was falling asleep and she got up as quietly as she could and slipped away, not wanting to disturb the exhausted mother-to-be.

[Exit. End.]