Whitefish River 'Cause I need you here with me

i know we already have an important family thread going on, so v sorry for the additional thread! this is just time sensitive and i wanted to get it up
@Spica @Syrma @Emrik
back dated to 5/8

She scented Acheron near the borders that morning and knew he had returned from his journey to the mountains. It had taken longer than she thought, and she had been pretty worried. So she was relieved to know that he was finally home. She did kind of wonder why he hadn't come to find her yet, but thought maybe he had just been tired. She needed to talk to everyone anyway, so she made her way to the river, jumped on her favorite flat stone, and then released a call to her children and mate. 

She knew for sure now that she was pregnant and she wanted to tell them all together. Emrik, she knew, would be just as excited as she was, but she worried about how the children would react. She would be showing soon, though, and she wanted them to know before the rest of the pack. Nerves made her heart race a little, and she tried to focus on how the sun warmed her coat to calm herself as she waited.

He had already been pacing down stream, struggling with how to tell everyone that he wanted to leave. Mom's call made him freeze, and his heart beat against the walls of his chest. She wanted to speak to the family, and it seemed he would have to face this now since they were all going to be here together anyway. He would let mom tell them whatever she needed to tell them, and then before everyone dispersed, he would drop his announcement on them. He knew they wouldn't make him stay, but he still dreaded the thought of upsetting them in anyway. Part of him felt guilty for wanting this; he felt like he should stay here and help keep them safe, but he just really needed to do this. 

With a hard swallow and a deep inhale, he turned and headed towards where the call had come. It didn't take him long to get there, and when he arrived, it seemed he was the first to do so. He sat down by the rock and smiled nervously up at his mom. Hey, Mom he greeted, and then he fell silent and waited for the rest of the family to show up.

It seemed like mom was just full of surprises these days. What was she going to tell them now, that she wasn't their real mom? That she'd murdered Castor rather than him running away or getting lost or whatnot? Spica wasn't entirely sure, and she kinda didn't like that she wasn't anywhere near Syrma that moment so that she couldn't discuss with her twin. She definitely wanted to know what Syrm might speculate this meeting was about.

Upon her arrival Spica looked a little defensive because the last time her mother had dropped quite a bomb on them. Hi mom, hi nerd, she said and she grinned broadly at Acheron to try and alleviate some of the pressure that she was feeling from this meeting. What are you gonna tell us today, who our real mother is? She said it jokingly, though there was an edge of tension to her words that showed that she was feeling a little nervous not knowing what today's news might be. She waited impatiently for Syrma and Emrik, hoping they'd show up soon.

Syrma set off to answer the call, but wasn't very happy about it. She had abandoned her walk to go see what sort of stuff their mom was going to dump on them next, though didn't come with any haste--they could wait on her if they must, she didn't particularly care, and had been a little more withdrawn after.. all else. Scenting a fresh trail on Spica headed on in front of her did spark a bit of joy in her, but she was definitely afraid that this meeting was going to put a very quick stop to any of that, so she wasn't in a big hurry to meet that point.

Acheron was there already, typical of him, and Syrma immediately went on to glue herself to Spica's side. She didn't say anything but eyed their mom warily, her prickly countenance suggesting the ugh what next? she was definitely feeling about it, whatever it was going to be exactly.

He was last. Of course he was. As he approached he could already find the lingering scents of his step-children, and of course Speedy. Taking a quick deep breath, Emrik continued on ahead. "Hey guys." He smiled brightly at everyone, choosing to sit beside Acheron. He knew that all three of them were still uncomfortable with him, or at least that was his assumption. And of course he couldn't blame them. No, he figured eventually something would click, and their family would blend itself out.

Turning his dual coloured gaze on Speedy, he too wondered what she could have called them all out here for.

Acheron was the first to arrive, and she was also not surprised by that. She smiled at him and nodded a greeting in return. She gave Spica a chiding look when she arrived and offered her usual sass, but held off saying anything as she waited for Emrik. She was nervous about telling them, but she tried to keep the feeling from her face; she wasn't sure if she succeeded, though, since that wasn't something she normally tried to do. Syrma arrive shortly after that, but she offered no words, just eyed her warily, which made guilt swell in Speedy's chest. 

Luckily it wasn't too much longer before her mate arrived, and she smiled nervously at him (despite trying not to look nervous) as he took a seat next to their son. She didn't want to keep them waiting very long, so she immediately went into why she had called them there. Well, I wanted to inform everyone as a family, she began, her gaze drifting over each wolf in front of her. Her heart began to speed up in her chest as she felt a mixture of nerves and excitement. She looked specifically at this kids then and with smile, informed them that: You're going to have little brothers and sisters soon. She looked to Emrik then, her smile growing. I wanted to wait until I was sure, but I'm sure now that I'm pregnant. She recognized the symptoms from last year, and they had only grown in intensity since they first appeared. Soon, a round abdomen would offer visual proof as well. She fell silent then, looking at each of them as she waited for their responses.

The news was...he didn't know how to feel about it. He looked between his mom and Emrik a few times as he tried to process what she was telling them. Mom was pregnant, and he would have younger siblings soon. It definitely made leaving even harder, but he was positive he still wanted that, even with this new development. 

Still, he just stared at them. He didn't necessarily dislike Emrik, he actually thought he was a nice enough guy, but it was hard to be okay with how fast things had moved between him and his mom. They were mates, and how they were having kids? He kind of wondered if she might forget about them once she had her new kids, but he quickly brushed that thought away; he knew better than that, right? Plus, he was starting to feel really bad about not being here when they were born, because he knew he would be gone long before then. He felt bad denying them of their older brother, but he tried to soothe his guilt with the promise that he would still visit. 

He drew in a deep breath and settled his dark blue gaze on his mom. When will they be born? he asked. How long did this all take? He had never had a reason to talk about this stuff before.

Spica's eyes widened when the news was shared. Shit. Shiiiiiiiit. What? She didn't even have an answer ready other than an audible gasp when Speedy first shared the news. For a few seconds it felt like time was standing still while her brain went at a hundred kilometers per hour. Then she said, But mom!!! Why didn't you ask us first?? How could she! It was just a slap in the face and a confirmation that she was maybe trying to replace her children. Was she trying to replace her children? Nah, they were way too cool for that.

.. But what if?

She exchanged a quick glance with her twin just to make sure the same indignation was mirrored in her sibling's eyes. It's totally unfair to just dump this on us! You should've asked us first! Do we mean nothing to you?! What if we -- Aren't ready to be replaced -- don't want little brothers and sisters?! Maybe if she had been asked before everything happened, Spica would've actually been pretty psyched about becoming a big sister and commanding around her baby brothers and sisters. But now that she wasn't asked at all, wasn't even informed until they were already in the womb she found a gross distaste for her siblings-to-be already, and they weren't even born yet. She hated them, hurt and annoyed that her opinion hadn't even been taken into consideration.

As Emrik joined them to complete the image of a family of some sort, Syrma readily gave him a suspicious glance but said nothing else about it. He was awfully cheery as he took to a spot next to her brother. Did he know what their mom had poured onto their heads last time she summoned them all together like this? She was quick to doubt it, if he could even grasp the magnitude of that anyway. Then, looking at their mom before she really got to the meat of the explanation, she looked awfully pleased with herself too. Alarms were going off in the almost-yearling's head already. She didn't like the looks of this, or the tone.. or..

Yeahhhh as suspected, more news she didn't really want to have to deal with. Her ears folded back and her scowl hardened, her golden eyes wide as she tried to take this in, not really sure who she needed to blame more for this. Brothers and sisters? More of them? No thanks. Spica was all the sister she needed (who was going to top her own mirror image?!), Acheron was enough to put up with some days and sure, they had never found Castor, and even she had a pretty easy time forgetting about him most of the time, but this was just uncalled for. She shot Emrik an accusatory look before landing back on her mother, frowning hard, while her brother had his logical question and her sister gave her a much more detailed spiel that made Syrma nod--agreeing with her every word and very thankful for her twin's vehemence on the delivery. Much appreciated, above all the rest. So are we not enough or what? she asked quickly, trying not to dwell on what she had learned last time--did that have something to do with this now too??

If he had known what she was about to announce her would have perhaps taken a different approach. He wasn't blind, he knew that the twins weren't his biggest fan. He couldn't blame them, and he never took it to heart. It was his own fault for leaving when he did. He had been there when they were born, and he was amazed by the individuals they had grown into. They were almost adults now, ready to take on the world.

So Emrik wasn't completely surprised by the outbursts from Syrma and Spica. He winced at their words, and stood, taking a step toward Speedy to hopefully offer some support. He knew this wasn't going to be easy, and she would most likely be hurt by the end. Regardless he knew it was coming. "Please don't disrespect your mother like that. You all know how much she loves each of you." He spoke calmly, without malice, only with empathy.

Okay, so Acheron seemed a little quiet, but that was kind of his normal when he was processing things. She could tell he was surprised, and maybe a little upset, but when he finally spoke, it was only to ask when they would be here. She smiled and answered: Oh, not for another month and a half. Plenty of time for them to get used to the idea. 

She would have offered him more information, but the twins' response had the smile falling from her face. If only she had realized what Emrik had realized, but she didn't. She knew things had been difficult lately with what she told them about their father, but she genuinely believed they would be excited like she was. So to hear Syrma ask if they weren't enough and to be met with Spica's anger because she didn't ask their permission to have more children—It was ridiculous behavior, really, but in the moment, Speedy wasn't thinking about scolding them; she could only think about how much their anger hurt. Perhaps it was hormones, or the subject, or everything that had happened lately between her and the children—maybe it was all three, it didn't really matter, the tears welled in her eyes regardless of the actual reason. They fell quickly down her cheeks before she could stop them. She didn't want to cry like this right now, not with the twins so angry and Acheron so...however he was feeling about it. He wasn't exactly happy, she knew that. It was all so disappointing. She just wanted them all to be happy, and it seemed impossible. 

Emrik stepped forward then, gently scolding the girls for how they were acting. She appreciated it so much, but she didn't want him further driving a wedge between himself and the twins. She sniffled and drew in a deep breath. It's okay, Emrik, she told him softly, gratitude in her bleary gaze as she met his. Then she turned to Spica and Syrma. I know you're angry with me. I should have been more open with you about everything, and I promise I will be in the future, she paused, drawing in another breath to steady herself. But you know better than to think you're not enough. That is ridiculous, she said gently. I love you more than anything, and I honestly thought you would be excited. She shook her head, sniffling a little as she recovered from her tears. She didn't know what else to tell them. She knew they would be angry regardless of what she said. It was partially her fault anyway; she just hoped they would come around by the time the puppies were born. She had been looking forward to seeing them with their little brothers and sisters.

So not very long from now, he would have little siblings, and he would definitely be gone by then. But he would visit. No need to feel so guilty. That's what he kept telling himself. 

He had more questions, of course, but then things kind of went to shit. Spica threw a huge baby fit, and her points were mostly valid, but they way she delivered them was kind of harsh. Syrma basically said what he had initially been thinking, which made him feel kind of bad because he knew that wasn't the case. He looked at them both with apprehension because he honestly wasn't sure where this would go.

He looked back to mom then and—was she crying? This was just too much. He couldn't stand seeing his mom cry. He shot the twins a dirty look. Good job, he spat at them. You made mom cry. Despite his uncertainty about the whole thing, he got up and sat on his mom's other side just as Emrik drew closer to her. He asked the twins not to disrespect her, and Acheron had a feeling that wouldn't go over very well with his sisters. He pressed against his mom to offer support because, more than anything, he really wanted her to stop crying. 

When mom turned to address the twins, he kept quiet. And when she was done, he braced himself for the aftermath.

At least Syrma was at her side. She didn't vocalise it as colourfully as Spica, perhaps, but to hear her echo Spica's very thoughts was enough to make her feel stronger. She might've just run off if it hadn't been for Syrma being there when everything blew up following her words -- Emrik talking to her like he had any kind of authority over her, mom bursting into tears and Acheron scolding her like usually because he thought he was sooo much better than her. All those dynamics that had amused and challenged Spica in the past so she could grow into a stronger person, everything that held their family together, it all felt like it was tearing at the seams now. And Spica couldn't handle all of these emotions flying around. She didn't know which one to even address first.

Before the bomb truly burst loose Spica spat at Emrik -- Shut up, you're not even my father! This is your fault! Perhaps it aided in Speedy's tears or perhaps they would've come anyway, Spica didn't know. What she did know was that she blamed the tears fully on Emrik. He was the one who got her pregnant, he was the one who was being unreasonable, he was the one who was just in the way around every corner! Gone were the days when she had actually enjoyed hanging out with Emrik, when she had tried to steal his food because there wasn't anything real to hunt. Now, she just saw someone who was taking her mother from her, step by step.

Acheron's words were met with a sharp -- That's not my fault, -- while she glowered at Emrik to prove her point. Emrik, Emrik, Emrik -- if he hadn't been there, then they would still be mom's number one. Was it because they were supposed to be dead? Was it because they were mistakes? Was that why she needed new, 'real' children with Emrik?

As Acheron and Emrik made a front around Speedy, Spica found herself instinctively staying close to Syrma, feeling the soft brush of her fur besides Spica's so that she knew she wasn't alone.

Spica's mind was just a haze when their mother spoke to her. Time seemed to slow down considerably and at the same time it just seemed to have completely exploded to a pace where Spica could barely even respond to what was happening or hear what her mother was saying because it all went so fast. She felt so much anger and so much pain and the more pain she felt the more anger she shoved in front of it because it just wasn't fair.

If you thought we'd be excited, why didn't you tell us before getting knocked up so we had a chance to decide ourselves whether to be excited or not? Spica said, the words spat with an angry frown still on her face. She felt like crying as well, but she bit back the tears because not only did she not want Emrik and Acheron to see that she was feeling weak, she wasn't ready to admit just how much this hurt to herself, either.

Watching this unfold made it clear to her. Spica was at her side, and she stayed steadfastly there as first Emrik moved to scold them, like their very fair doubts were meant to be disrespect. He earned a glowering glare for that one with an exaggerated eye-roll to show she didn't buy it, and soon she realized their mother's tears with a gasp of disbelief. As Acheron moved to her side like the little butt-kisser he was with his remarks, the scene that was becoming of this made it all too obvious to her how it was... and it didn't feel good.

Spica rebuked them, and against Acheron she could at least fling her own words back. She didn't feel bad about making her cry, not when her own emotions stung too--made worse by how this was escalating, fingers pointing at the twins as wrong because they just didn't roll over and accept the news merrily now of all times; that made it worse, really, and made her defensive. The expectation to just suddenly be happy about this without any prefacing or preparation--even after their recent reveal of parentage with baggage included--smarted badly.

So what!! It's really all her own fault anyway--maybe she should think about it when her actions have consequences!!! she barked at her brother, gold eyes angry and big, remorseless, as she kept glued to her sister. Without the pillar of her, she might not have the gusto for the next hateful snipe she had ready: Why do we just have to suddenly accept it out of nowhere and suck it up and be excited just because Mom thought we should be?! she fumed. And after what we just found out about that was hidden from us, anyway! THAT'S ridiculous to me, she snapped, bringing up that other festering wound she had been stewing over since they had found out, her anger prickling up her furs in a show that wasn't all that herself--but it came out to be here and now quite earnestly.

Hotly she looked back to the adults, ready to be reprimanded and have to shut that down too, but she was tired of it all--not at all interested in hearing any of it when they were just going to disappoint her or twist it up to make her and Spica wrong, she felt.

He couldn't say that he was particularly surprised by the outburst from the two young women stood before them. Emrik knew they were strong willed, and he admired them for it, but seeing Speedy cry because of her own daughters? That nearly broke his heart. He was immensely grateful that Acheron came to his mothers aide, because he knew that Speedy needed the yearling now more than ever. He wanted to say something, wanted to help to try and make things better. Despite the venom in the girls words, Emrik wasn't angry. He gave a defeated sigh, worry in his heterochromatic eyes.

This was going to be hard on all of them. Despite what Speedy had said to him earlier, he couldn't simply sit by. "Please girls..." Emrik pleaded, trying to get them to understand how much this would hurt their mother. Before they said something or did something that they would regret. There was sadness in his eyes, and his tone had been gentle. Emrik knew there was nothing he could say to make this better. He could take their pain and anger, but Speedy didn't deserve it. "We can both understand why you're angry. This is going to be hard, for everyone. Hey?" He had a feeling his words would be thrown back at him, but he wasn't really one to get angry. Especially not at his family. And regardless of what Spica or Syrma thought, they were his family. He would treat them as his daughters until the day he died.

Things only seemed to go from bad to worse. Acheron was at her side the instant the tears started, which she appreciated. She could tell he wasn't super thrilled to have more change dumped on him, but at least he was trying to be understanding. That, or he just didn't want to see her cry. She was too emotionally raw to really think much on it; she just took whatever comfort he offered. 

As expected, the girls did not take anything that happened well. They only seemed to be getting more riled up, which only made Speedy's tears threaten to flow from her eyes again. Her face twisted in pain and her eyes glistened as Spica spat back at Acheron and looked to Emrik as if he was to blame instead of her. 

She winced when Spica addressed her and referred to her as being knocked up—like she was some irresponsible child who got pregnant on accident instead of by choice with her mate that she loved. She really had no answer for her daughter; she just wanted them to be a happy family, and it seemed like all she kept doing was making things worse. Her mistakes made in Moonspear seemed to be continuously spreading poison in her life no matter how hard she tried to move on—but maybe that was the problem? She didn't deserve to move on did she? 

Her thoughts seemed to be mirrored in Syrma's words, and the tears she had tried so hard to control spilled over her cheeks again. It was her fault that they were so upset; she had ruined their ignorant happiness by dumping her past on them, and not only that, they had to deal with the fact that they now had to live their lives with the knowledge that someone they didn't even know wanted them to pay for her mistakes. She knew it was a lot, and she should have known that this would just make them feel even worse about everything. But some dumb, naive part of her thought that the lives growing inside her might bring everyone closer together. She saw now how wrong she had been to think that. She only wished she could do something to soothe the hurt she knew she had caused her children. 

Emrik's words only seemed to make her tears come faster. She loved that he was trying to help despite how awful the girls were being, and it only upset her further that they would only shove his kind words back at him. She hated that he, too, was having to pay for what she had done. 

She was done trying to reason with the twins; it seemed an impossible task, and she knew they would need to process their anger in their own ways. She drew in a shaky breath and looked from one daughter to the other. You can be angry with me for as long as you want; I totally understand, but your younger siblings will need you in their lives, she began. Can you at least find it in your hearts to treat them like your family? she pleaded.

As expected, his sisters weren't interested in hearing anything Emrik had to say, nor did they seem to get any less angrier with anything mom had to say either. His words earned him bratty remarks from them both, which he met with a roll of his eyes—his usual response to their dramatics. Everything was always such a big event with them; it was exhausting sometimes. He totally understood where they were coming from and honestly, he felt similarly in many ways. But was this the way to go about expressing how they felt about everything? He was more likely to internalize everything, so maybe he just didn't understand. Regardless, this was all becoming very overwhelming for him. 

Emrik tried to reason with his sisters again. Acheron wished he would just leave it alone, but he supposed he felt obligated being that he was to blame for some of this. And mom cried some more and pleaded with the twins, which he knew would be to no avail, but he kept quiet about it all. His dark blue gaze just flicked between each family member as they spoke. He found himself wincing a lot, but didn't really offer much else; he needed to be alone to think this all over before he felt ready to voice his opinion. He did stay close to mom, though, hoping it would help her stop crying even though it hadn't before. 

Finally, when his anxiety had reached a level he could no longer handle, he stomped into the middle of everyone, his temper flaring. In a very un-Acheron moment, he shouted: would you all just shut up?! He couldn't listen to it anymore. He turned then and stomped away; it was all just too much and he wanted to be alone.

Acheron just rolled his eyes and Syrma shot more fire-fueled words at Emrik and Speedy after she had, Spica nodding beside her, making sure to keep her twin near because it was the only one that she trusted to really have her back in this gathering. Mom cried some more, but honestly, it wasn't like Syrma was saying anything bad -- it was just the truth, and it wasn't their fault that their mom just cried really easily. All of this was so unfair. Emrik did mellow out a bit as he 'please'd' the twins and both he and mom said that they understood why they were angry.

If they understood, then why were they trying sooo hard to tone them down? This was just more bullshit to try and get them to be quiet. If you understand why we're angry, then why are you acting like we're -- but midway through her sentence Acheron suddenly dashed to the middle and dramatically proclaimed that everyone should shut up. Spica was about this close to just storming off because she had had it with everyone but Syrma right now, but she waited for a moment, just to see if he'd say anything.

But he didn't. He just stomped away, leaving them be. If you think we deserve to be angry, you should reconsider how you've been treating us just now, Spica said with an angry flick of her tail and she turned away too. Before leaving in a different direction than Acheron she nudged Syrma's shoulder to suggest she join her. Yeah, mom was upset, but they were angry, and both feelings were valid and Spica was sick of being emotionally manipulated into being made to care about her mom's feelings right now. Like usually, she masked most of her over-stimulation with sass or anger or other dramatics, but she wanted so desperately to just get the fuck out of here and be alone with Syrma somewhere so she could let out all of the built up pressure.

None of this seemed to get them anywhere. Acheron had nothing to say for himself, and Emrik tried to talk them down claiming they understood, to all of which Syrma just glared--even as their mom brought up the siblings that needed them, apparently. She didn't buy it, or want to hear it when to her, it only felt like an afterthought now that they had blown it up on them, or at least not rolled over and accepted it like they were supposed to. Empty words, in her opinion. Along Spica's rebuttal to it, she stood firmly in place.

And, when her brother's temper rose to a fever-pitch, her lips curled back into an angry grimace at him and his shout. Once he stormed off, she was relieved, though it hardly showed in all of her tension that had built on top of itself here. It was Spica's final remarks that felt best, honestly, and with that, she knew that was all that was going to have to be said.

When her sister made the move to go, she was right there with her. She said nothing more, just an ugly scowl over her shoulder at her parents before she turned away in full--very ready to be rid of this entire situation.

His heart aches for the two young women as they walked away. It was never a dull moment in their family that was for sure. As their children walked in opposite directions, Emrik turned to Speedy and offered her a sad and pained smile. ”Well... that went well.” She was crying, and he hated when she did, but there wasn’t much he could do other then comfort her and try to talk their eldest around. ”They’ll come ‘round dear, I know they will.” It was never more obvious than now, that they both had a lot to learn when it came to parenting.

Acheron's outburst surprised her, and she watched him miserably as he hurried off. This was all such a mess. 

She had no answer for Spica's questions, none that would make her daughter feel any better anyway. They both left soon after, and she watched them leave too, wishing there was some way she could fix all of this. 

She shook her head at her husband's words. I'm not sure they will, she told him. What if they all leave? Tears formed again just at the thought, and she pressed her face into Emrik's chest. How could this all be so messed up? She was inconsolable at this point, and she wasn't sure anything her mate could say would make her feel any better. At least he was here, though, that much she was incredibly thankful for.