Duskfire Glacier who told ancient faerie stories to each other.

The nightmares had found her again.

In the pitch, the kind of smothering total blackness that could only be achieved by sleeping within caves at night, the she-dog hauled herself to her feet without much trouble -- taking care not to whack her small bump on any stone walls as she followed the pale light of the moon trickling in from the mouth of the Caverns. She left the dreams behind as she padded out onto the shale terraces, cracked gaze flickering up briefly to the onyx depths overhead which were littered with wisps of grey cloud and scattered with the twinkling freckles of stars.

Imaq choose a spot in the shadows, curling against a huge boulder hidden off to the side of the cave's entrance. She wanted the comfort of having her packmates nearby, thinking she might feel less alone, but did not want to bother any of them with her insomnia. Or her loneliness. A strange desire sparked in her then, maybe a leftover reaction from her heat, to seek out @Rye (reference). Would he welcome her into his bed as readily now, she wondered, before banishing the wild thought altogether. 

Shaking her head, the merle stretched out comfortably upon the ground -- twisting onto her side and pillowing her head against the stone to avoid putting pressure on her distended abdomen as she watched the wind move through the black silhouettes of the pines. After a moment, a heavy breath sighed contentedly through her and her eyelids drooped tiredly as she continued to listen to the sound of the air dancing across the Glacier.

phone post, wanted to jump into this before bed <3

She did not sleep much.

Her own mind was occupied with the words of @Mahler and the thought of a wound feline stalking their territories. Not that she had seen sight of such yet. It was merely a feverish nightmare, one that kept her awake as long as she could manage.

Long enough that she heard the departure of Imaq.

A few silent moments before she slipped out to follow.

The state of her fellow healer was obvious. Hard to miss, even in the dimly lit night, even when her nose sought the scents of war and not love.

It was hard, she realized, to be faced with another expecting mother. Harder than she wished for it to be. Yet she could not be mad at Imaq. It was not right, it was not earned.

She adored the northern woman.

May I? Asked softly, as she gestured at free space by the northerner. She wished to bed out here for the night if that was where Imaq wished to be.

The merle straightened as the willow-curve wren seemingly materialized in the shadows of the cave’s dark maw — the gaping jaws of some horrific monster, the tale a wet nurse might regale wide-eyed pups with. Surprisingly, Imaq did not startle but sat bolt upright — swallowing back a lump in her throat when she found no judgement in the jade gems of Iana’s gaze. 

“Please,” was all she said in answer. Selkie could not even find it in herself to be ashamed that the wisp cracked on the end, tinged with the faintest hint of unspoken despair — as if the years of only her own company had left her starved of touch and begging for relief. 

The wolfdog scooted to make room for her…for whatever word it was that encompassed what Iana meant to her. Her gaze flickered down to the tiny swell as she shifted with care, wondering if the other healer would bring it up.

She would seek to curl against the haunches of the northern woman. Drape a foreleg over her hips, careful of the slight curve to the expecting's side. If she rested her head along the dip of the thigh, it was easier to not look at it. Instead she could look out to the glacier's lands.

Although it was hard to ignore in her mind's eye. How she still could feel the slight raise on Imaq's figure and how she knew.

There was no way around it.

How many do you hope for, Imaq?

Hushed and tinted with the softest bit of longing shame.

Imaq allowed her own broken graze to trail out to the darkened plateaus of ice and permafrost, to the distant shadowed patches of vegetation and the outlines of the evergreens. The slight flicker of her ears was the only sign that she heard the Beta, as if she too wanted to ignore it and avoid looking directly at the distended swell -- if only just for this moment. Just to be Imaq, medicine woman and hunter of Duskfire again and not someone who might be carrying tiny future members of the pack.

"Imaq...just want them to be okay." She answered at last. She truly didn't have any hopes for a big litter or small litter, boys or girls. She just wanted them to be safe. Alive, she thought, with a heavy swallow. 

"Iana?" she asked, somewhat timidly, after a heartbeat had passed. "Why sad about pups?" It was clear that Selkie didn't just mean her own, that she was referring to how the entire whelping season seemed to have the wren down.