Dragoncrest Cliffs edge of tonight

The setting sun warmed her face despite the chilly February air. Meerkat hummed quietly under her breath as she combed the beach, searching for something meaningful and pretty to give Njord. She would treasure her “engagement conch” until the end of time and she wanted to present him with a similar token of her love.

The sea pounded rhythmically in the background as she discovered everything from driftwood to sand dollars to a whole variety of seashells. None of it felt quite right. Her mouth twisted as she paused and gazed out over the surf, sending up a silent wish. Could the sea provide a worthy gift?

Meerkat turned and resumed her search. About ten minutes later, she glanced at a large piece of driftwood perched at the foot of a dune. She did a double take, mouth falling ajar at what she saw sitting neatly top the pitted wood:

Lorelai was heavily pregnant, near ready to pop; she'd been with the wolves of Sapphique for nearly a month now, but she'd not found herself brave enough to interact with any of them yet, save for Erzulie, who had taught her the basics of caring for pups and tending to the wounded. Today was different, though - she wandered the cliffs, staring out into the sea, when someone caught her eye. A young female, down on the shore. Lorelai didn't know what drew her to the other wolf, but soon enough, Lorelai was down on the sand. She approached the other slowly, ears tilted back, head lowered slightly, her timidness plain to see. 

She could see what the wolf was staring at, and Lorelai moved closer to see it, too. It was a neat pile of stacked rocks, semi-translucent and gleaming in the light. "They're so pretty..." she breathed, cerulean eyes wide. Then, she backed up a pace, stammering, "Er... s-sorry. I'm Lorelai... Erzulie's been teaching me."

She stared at the neatly stacked pile, wondering how it was possible for someone to arrange them like that. Meerkat kept waiting for them to fall, yet they remained perfectly still, glowing in the evening light.

Footsteps heralded the arrival of someone else. She finally tore her gaze from the pretty sea glass, eyes landing on a heavily pregnant stranger. Meerkat felt herself stiffen. Although she usually enjoyed meeting pack mates, she hadn’t realized there was another expecting she-wolf in their ranks.

With Erzulie in a similar state, Meerkat wondered and worried about the pack’s resources. Her jaw tightened, before she caught herself and forced herself to relax, letting out a breath through her nose. She didn’t say anything right away, instead looking at the pile of smooth, translucent stones again for a long beat.

When she trusted herself to speak, Meerkat said, Hello, Lorelai. I’m Meerkat. Her eyes wandered to the woman’s rounded flanks, then flicked back to her face. They were both expectant mothers, surely they could bond over this instead of Meerkat feeling mildly threatened by her presence… Erzulie’s teaching you? she repeated in silent invitation for elaboration.

Lorelai did not notice Meerkat stiffen, nor did she feel the tension or worry. She busied herself with staring at the stones, until she was questioned. She gave a little nod of her head, answering with a sort of nervous pride, "Yeah... I'm training to take care of my pack's puppies, and the sick and injured. And how to get through delivering my own pups..." She swallowed, thinking of Violante - she couldn't help but wonder just how many puppies there might be come spring. "I'm not here for long. I've got to go home before my pups arrive... It'll be any day now, I think." Already, she was pushing her luck. It would take at least a day to travel back to Sacrarium.

Golden brown eyes blinked several times when Lorelai mentioned her pack’s puppies. Quite a bit of tension leaked out of Meerkat at these words. She felt a little sheepish as the woman explained she wasn’t here on any sort of permanent basis. She just needed Erzulie’s guidance ahead of delivering her litter.

Well, you’re in the best possible hands, Meerkat said right away, face suddenly softening as she attempted to compensate for her knee-jerk reaction. Erzulie’s had more than a dozen kids of her own, plus probably helped many more into the world. Perhaps Lorelai already knew this, hence why she’d asked for the woman’s aid.

So, tell me about your pack, she requested in the next breath. What’s it called? Where’s it located? Meerkat was genuinely curious, wondering if perhaps Lorelai belonged with the wolves from the island—unlikely—or perhaps she ran with Avicus et al?

Before Lorelai could reply, the small stack of stones abruptly tumbled from its perch on the driftwood. They dropped into the sand and skidded in myriad directions. Magically, none of them broke or even cracked. The corner of Meerkat’s mouth twitched when the topmost stone, a pebble the color of sea foam, came to rest beside Sapphique’s guest.

And the flattest stone, the color of sunset itself, slowed to a stop just a few feet away from Meerkat. She stepped toward it, touching it gently with her toe. It was slightly warm to the touch. She could feel the imperfections in its otherwise burnished surface. It was perfect in its imperfection.

Meerkat asked of Sacrarium, and she opened her mouth to reply, when suddenly the stacked stones tumbled, scattering everywhere. The top - and smallest - stone came to a halt by Lorelai, and she gently turned it around and over with her paw, examining it. It was very pretty, and part of her wanted to keep it; she'd never seen stones like these before. She kept her cerulean gaze on the stone, toying with it with a claw, while she answered the other female's questions.

"It's called Sacrarium, we're to the west, in the ravensblood forest." Basic enough information, and then she added, "Violante is our leader - she's expecting puppies of her own, too." Lorelai would have her work cut out for her. Then, she smiled a little, meeting Meerkat's gaze. "I'm sure you could come visit, if you wanted." Violante spoke highly of Erzulie, and the young woman saw why - she was a kind and patient leader, as well as a mentor. She nodded to the stone by her paw, asking, "Can I take this? I know you saw them first..."

She knew of the forest, west along the coastline and tucked a little inland. It was actually further than she’d expected. Lorelai invited Meerkat to visit sometime and she nodded. She wasn’t sure when that could happen, especially with her own litter on the horizon, but of course she appreciated the sentiment.

Of course, Meerkat said when Lorelai asked if she could keep the piece of sea glass. It can be a token of our packs’ friendship. I’m going to take this one to Njord, she added, gently tapping a toe on the piece nearest her. He’s my husband-to-be. We’re actually expecting a litter too, although it’s very early days.

I'm loving this thread so far! <3

Friendships - that was exactly what Lorelai (and Sacrarium) needed. The young mother-to-be grinned broadly, and happily brought the stone closer to herself, leaning down to examine it even closer. "So pretty..." she breathed. Then, she shook out her pelt, and Meerkat mentioned Njord, and their own litter. Lorelai grinned even broader, her tail wagging swiftly. "That's wonderful! I'm happy for you." And she truly was, even though they had just met. Nervously, she giggled, "My - my Luka's gonna be a daddy... I'm so happy..." Cerulean eyes turned to meet Meerkat's, and the Mystic said, "Tell me about Njord, what's he like?"

Me too! :)

Meerkat smiled as Lorelai offered her felicitations. She thought about mentioning the wedding, though she knew Njord only intended for it to be a small ceremony with their pack mates. Perhaps it went against etiquette to talk about it without extending an invitation.

Before she could ponder that further, Lorelai mentioned someone by the name of Luka. It sounded like that must be her own mate’s name. Meerkat’s tail twitched, her own eyes sparkling. She knew the joy her new friend felt, marveling about the prospect of parenthood.

Is Luka your…? Meerkat asked before saying, Njord is fantastic, in a word. We were friends first, then became more when things clicked between us one night when we ran into one another… literally. She chuckled. He’s handsome, sweet… and you should hear his accent. She playfully fanned herself. A total catch. What about Luka?

Mature Content Warning

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The participants have indicated the following reason(s) for this warning: reference to non-con conception

Super sorry for the wait! I've been fronting much less frequently lately

Meerkat was more than happy to gush, and Lorelai was happy to listen; she sat comfortably, one paw toying with the stone, the other playing with the sand. It felt so funny in between her toes - she was sad that Sacrarium was some distance from the beach, as it meant she couldn't walk there as easily. In truth, she feared leaving the forest, and had only left to come here with Noir escorting her. Lorelai took in a quiet, deep breath, then refocused, grinning, as Meerkat asked about Luka.

Then, her smile faltered. What to say? That he was her brother, or that he was her mate? And then past that, that her pups weren't his - was that better, or worse, given the situation? That she'd been set upon by Violante's half-brother in some twisted family game? Another deep breath.

"He's my mate, yes. He's... well, we grew up together. We've been together practically since we were kids." Her tail thumped the ground fondly. There, that wasn't so bad, right? It was... technically true, which meant it wasn't a lie. A third breath. Did it show, her nerves? The piece of her - multiple pieces, by now - that was broken?

"We weren't planning this litter, but Violante says the more the merrier, and... well, I think this will be good for me." Another smile. "For all of us." If she could focus, she could keep the nightmares away. Her puppies would give her what she needed.

Physical Health (100/100)

Lorelai is healthy.

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Mental Health (60/100)

Lorelai is current dealing with the loss of her family.

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Lorelai hears and sees things others cannot. She is beginning to believe that she can commune with the dead.

"Regular speech." | "Voice of the dead." | Visions of the dead.

No worries! I’ll push this toward a wrap, if you wanna post once more or just archive it. :)

It must be so idyllic, meeting someone as a child, growing up and falling in love with them. At least, Meerkat thought it sounded incredibly sweet. It made her strangely envious in a way, though of course she would not trade her romance with Njord for anything in the world.

She licked her lips thoughtfully when Lorelai shared that the litter hadn’t been planned. Meerkat didn’t quite understand how that could happen, though she sensed that she shouldn’t probe. That seemed like something very private, none of her business whatsoever.

It sounds like you’re making the best of the situation, Meerkat said a little tentatively. Hey, why don’t you grab your stone and we’ll find someplace safe for it? Then you can tell me more about your Luka… and maybe a little bit about what pregnancy is like, if you don’t mind sharing? She smiled and gathered up her own selected bit of sea glass, then motioned toward the breadth of the beach in the direction of the nearby tunnel.