Nimbus Summit Home At Last?

For @Lane when you have the time, I know things have been rough <3 Keeping things vague about Calida's pregnancy as I'm trying to get multiple sires, but that might not pan out! She is two weeks pregnant at the time of this, forward dated one day so it's set on 4/7 <3

Calida was not versed in pregnancy - she didn't know it had symptoms, but she did know that something just wasn't quite right. She'd become food-averse, though she attributed that to her recent and sudden change in diet - travelling along the coast, she'd been eating a lot more fish than normal. Just the thought of eating fish made her want to vomit, and as it was, nausea was creeping up in her stomach. It just had to be nerves, for what was to come. She had mated during her heat. She had been foolish, and she'd given in to baser instincts. What would Lane think of her? Calida gave a very heavy sigh; she was here now. She may as well get this over with.

She called for Lane, and Lane alone. She had not spoken much, if at all, with Issorartuyok, and she couldn't bring herself to face someone she didn't know. Lane had been the one to take her in - Lane had treated her wounds. It was Lane's opinion that mattered, and no one else's. Calida had told @Iota to stay behind; whatever was to come from this meeting, she needed to do it in private. If she were to be accepted back, then she would bring him back, but until then...

Lane answered Calida's call quickly; she was the last of the pack to make it to the Summit, and Lane had been worried about her. 

Lane recognized an unusual heaviness in Calida's bearing. Noticing that the woman came alone, she wondered if Calida's spirits were low because she had been unable to locate Iota . 

"Welcome to the Summit, Calida. I'm so glad you're finally here. Tuuluuwaq and I were starting to get concerned." Lane smiled, and some sympathy showed on her expression. It was clear that she had picked up on Calida's unhappy affect, but she did not yet speak to press her friend for details.

At first, Calida had debated simply not returning at all. The shame caused by her actions burned deeper even than her pride at being a part of something like Atautsikut. When Lane arrived, Calida could not quite meet her gaze. They'd been concerned for her absence - she'd been gone longer than she'd anticipated, having had to find Iota and then figure out which way they were going. Lane had let her stay behind to find a stranger to the pack, and she'd repaid her by mating during her season. How could she have done that?

Calida swallowed rough, and forced herself to meet Lane's eyes. "Thank you, it was - uh... quite the journey." That was definitely an understatement. Her nerves had her on edge, and she wasn't quite sure how to admit what she'd done. After a moment of awkward silence, she decided to just spill the beans. She sighed, then admitted quietly, "Lane, I... I did something stupid on the way here. I - I might be pregnant."

There it was, laid out bare. She dropped her head, her ears tilting back against her skull. She would await Lane's words, and her judgement, all the while cursing herself. Her accident had made her a burden to the pack, and she'd barely begun to make up for it now, only to be a potential burden once more. She hoped she wouldn't be kicked out, but she realized she'd messed up.

Calida's bearing was anxious and unsure; very much as it had been when she first joined Duskfire Glacier several moons ago. What could have happened?

Lane would not have to wonder long. Calida admitted her mistake with what appeared to be a lot of shame, and Lane's heart squeezed. She remembered that feeling vividly; after all, just one short year ago she'd been standing in Calida's pawprints. 

"Oh, Calida," Lane murmured sympathetically. "What are you going to do? Can I help?" Lane stepped forward, ready to offer a nudge of reassurance if her friend was receptive. Lane completely missed the fact that Calida was waiting for some kind of judgement from her; all she saw was a friend in need, and she responded accordingly.

Lane's response had Calida speechless for a few short moments; she just stared at her alpha, wide-eyed in shock. "I - what do you mean?" she stammered, accepting Lane's friendly touch but still not quite certain what was happening. "Am I not getting kicked out?" she asked, her heart daring to skip a beat in excitement. She stared at her alpha - no, her friend - and said weakly, "I... I thought you'd be mad. You're not angry with me?" She, of course, had no knowledge of Lane's transgression, so, so similar to her own - so she didn't understand why Lane was being so... well, understanding.

"Kicked out?" Lane echoed, clearly just as confused as Calida. "Atautsikut is a family, and family doesn't turn away from you in your hour of need." Lane couldn't believe that Calida had returned at all, if that was the kind of reception she was expecting. She was a brave woman to show up here, willing to look Lane in the eye and own up to her mistake. 

"No, you're not kicked out," Lane reassured her, "..and I'm not mad, I'm just.." Disappointed? No that wasn't it either. "..worried. Unplanned pregnancy is a hard path to walk. I know that firsthand." Single motherhood was also very difficult, as Lane had learned after Wintersbane's passing. Lane hoped for Calida's sake that the father was going to step up and take some responsibility.

At Lane's words, relief washed visible over Calida; she gave a huge sigh and her shoulders slumped considerably - she felt them quaking ever so slightly, as the tension they'd been holding was released. Her emerald eyes were overbright as she told Lane, "I... oh, Gods - thank you, Lane, thank you. I was so worried that I'd have to find a new home, and..." she trailed off, shaking her head as she realized that her future still remained within Atautsikut.

Sighing again, she admitted, "Iota... we discussed him, um... co-raising the litter. We aren't mates, but..." She met Lane's eyes determinedly, "I want my potential children to have a better upbringing than I did, and that starts with a father, I think."

Calida visibly shook with relief as her burden lifted, and Lane touched her muzzle gently to the guardian's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. 

Lane shook her head, dismissing Calida's words of gratitude. "There's no need to thank me. You are a boon to Atautsikut, and your children will be too, in time." Last year's pups had grown into fine wolves who were assets to the pack, and Lane's hopes were high for the litters to come. 

Iota's name was on Calida's breath once more. He never seemed to be far from her thoughts. It seemed he would be stepping up to father the pups. Lane nodded approvingly. "I'm glad to hear that. Iota is welcome here." 

Lane tossed her muzzle over her shoulder in a generally southward direction. "Come, let's get you settled. We've been constructing a fortified area for mothers and pups in the southern clearing. It's called the arlathan. I'll show you to it," she offered. She would lead Calida away when she was ready. 

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