Dragoncrest Cliffs You Silly Git

Sundown cast a crimson glow over the beach as Chacal returned to her homeland, and drifted through the budding sea lavender down toward the beach where she sighed happily, and flopped down in the sand. 

She laughed; she felt light-headed and breezy. With thoughts she made her own stomach leap, and with a giggle she rolled over onto her back, tucking her paws against her chest. She lifted one paw and let it hover over her belly. Gazing past the fur of her chest, she eyed the empty space beneath her paw, imagining how her belly would grow and swell to close the gap. She laughed and rolled over onto her side, gazing out over the ocean where the waves met the sky.

Laughter from tunnel leading to the sea made Sobo prick up his ears and pause at the entrance. The sea breeze groaned inside the limestone cavern, carrying the scent of brine to his nostrils. Sobo hesitated only a moment before ducking into the dark and padding down the smooth corridor to the beach below.

The setting sun warmed the sand into glittering shards of topaz and ruby. The golden highlights of Chacal's fur practically glowed. When Sobo's paws met sand, he stooped to place the fresh new sprigs of mint he was carrying down beside a rock where they might be safe, then made for his sister. It had been some time since he'd spoken to her. A little part of him worried that she would chastise him for his distance from the pack and for his feelings toward Njord and Meerkat, but it wasn't enough of a concern for him to avoid her, too.

You sure be happy 'bout somet'ing, he observed, sliding his forepaws forward in the sand until they were buried and his belly touched the ground.

She didn’t even care that she’d been caught, bathed in sand and the shimmer of sunset light, grinning like a fool. She turned her sunny gaze toward him and smiled like a cat, satisfied with its spot of sunshine. She soaked in his words and loved the fact that her glee was that visible. She could revel in this feeling forever, she thought. 

”I am,” She confessed, in a voice she thought sounded somewhat more knowing. Did she look different, or sound different? She had to wonder. It was too early yet to even know if she was pregnant, too enthralled still to even worry about whether she’d conceived. And the ignorance was, indeed, bliss.

She hadn’t noticed the plants he’d placed on the ground before coming toward her, but she could smell a hint of it on him. ”You smell nice. You must have been gat’ering herbs, oui?”

It was a leading statement, but Chacal expertly thwarted him by answering succinctly and vaguely. It served to make Sobo feel, once again, like he was alienated from Sapphique; like he was not good enough to know what made her happy. Not good enough to be included in the wedding. Not good enough for Njord to introduce Meerkat to him, or for Meerkat to try to get to know him instead of using him to impress Njord with a gift.

It put a lump in his throat that he did his level best to swallow down. Maybe he had spent too much time away and had mistakenly severed his connections with his family, or maybe this was the lot of a man in Sapphique, to be excluded into walking away. Was that why none of his older brothers stayed?

He smiled, but it was frayed at the edges. Oui, he said, new sprigs of mint be growin’ in de forest. I t’ought it might be useful for some’ting. He thought to ask again what she was happy about, but felt his concerns weighing his tongue down, so he did not.

Part of her had hoped that he might fish for more information, and pull her good news out of her, but instead he seemed to be somewhat uncomfortable. Mildly ruffled, if at all, but she tried not to show that she’d noticed. 

”I love de smell of it, so fresh and new.
What can you tell me of its use?” She asked, hoping she might perk him up by asking him about what seemed to be a special interest for him.

Me too, said Sobo with a more genuine smile. It be a clean smell, like de sea in a way. Others might argue that the sea smelled anything but clean, but to Sobo, it was as refreshing as a cold drink of water.

It be used for nausea, he said at once. Mint was abundant and mild; it was one of the few herbs he was absolutely confident about. An’ it can be used to clean bad tastes out of de mout’. Anyt’ing else?

Her ears perked. Perhaps this might be the best way to casually mention her little secret to Sobo. If mint could be used for nausea, then perhaps it might be something she would need, in the coming days. 

”It be safe for pregnant wolves den as well?” She asked, trying to keep her features as mild as possible though she struggled to keep one corner of her lip steady, and the glint in her eyes could not be dimmed.

Her ears perked. Perhaps this might be the best way to casually mention her little secret to Sobo. If mint could be used for nausea, then perhaps it might be something she would need, in the coming days. 

”It be safe for pregnant wolves den as well?” She asked, trying to keep her features as mild as possible though she struggled to keep one corner of her lip steady, and the glint in her eyes could not be dimmed.

Sobo was raised among women, by women, and could pick up on nuance better than the average man. That did not cure him of the density men were known for, however; Chacal's clever meaning sailed right between his ears without so much as tickling his noggin on the way by.

I t'ink so, he said, wracking his brain for any contraindications. Manman is past dat point, and... Meerkat as well. The latter was said reluctantly; he didn't have to like it, but if she needed it, he would provide care. Luckily, she had not. So I guess I will not be able to try it out. I t'ought it might be good for de little ones. Dey have sensitive stomachs sometimes. You know dese t'ings better dan I do, oui?

Just seeing Sobo's avatar now, as I typically write on my phone but HOLY SMOKES. That is beautiful!!!

Her excitement grew as she realized that Sobo did not leap to any assumptions following her line of questions. Her gaze simmered as she struggled to keep herself calm, poised, as per usual. He would be the first she might tell of her escapades. While her mothers had given her permission, and would understood the giddiness in her step when she saw them next, she had yet to cross their paths. Sobo was the first to find her in such bliss. 

She did catch the way his tone fell slightly flat when he mentioned Meerkat's name, but she felt the corners of her lips twitch. Such luck- he seemed to want to try using mint for patients who were pregnant, though he clearly had no idea that he might be given the chance. "Oui," She responded. After all, this was the second year her mothers had brought children into the world after her. 

She traced a couple lines in the sand with one of her paws, idly, and shrugged her shoulder. "You know, though, dere is one more who could be 'aving children dis year," She said, and gave him a side-eye. "It is too soon- far too soon- for me to know, but...I am 'oping dat I might soon fin' myself wid child as well." She confessed, turning now to gauge his reaction.

Thank you! It turned out amazing!

The realization was slow to dawn, but Sobo did come to it from the hint in Chacal's tone mere seconds before she said it out loud. His seafoam eyes widened and his jaw dropped open. His tail thumped the sand in a quickening wag. You?! I did not know dat you had dese plans!

Belatedly, he recalled that women did not need such things. For Sobo to have children, he would need a woman who was not only willing to carry them, but to stick around and allow him to be a father. This, too, was a privilege that extended only to the women. Suppose he ever found a woman to have pups, and she wished to take the babes from him? Would Sapphique stand behind him as a son of their line, or would they stand behind her as a woman? That was not something he wanted to ever think about, and was a large part of why he felt he would never have a family of his own, even though he had strong opinions on what a father should be.

Will you... Introduce de man to us? Properly? Or are you t'inkin' like maman an' not be havin' a fat'er for dem? He licked his lips, tasting the salt and sand and the warm emotions rolling off Chacal to complement the glittering waves. Dat might be de better way, oui?

She read the surprise on his features and welcomed it with a guilty, yet warm smile as she nodded. ”Yes, I admit, I did not spend much time making de plans, but I knew it was time, an’ our Mama an’ Maman gave me deir blessin’ as well,” She said. ”I will be ‘appt to be raisin’ children alongside deir family” She admitted. While the other packborn pups would be older than her own brood, she knew they’d catch up developmentally to be rowdy yearlings alongside one another. Sapphique would have a solid foundation for it’s future. 

Sobo seemed to carry the same preferences forward that her mother had hinted at; and she was not surprised. This was the way things tended to be in their pack, and Chacal was expected, likely, to uphold those traditions. 

But every thought of Ashlar brought a tune to her heart, and she found it difficult to push affection for him away. If she could have convinced him to join Sapphique alongside her when they’d last been together, she might have tried. For now, she would respect his obligations, though in truth she secretly pined to have more from him.

”I be t’inkin’ about dat still. De fadder is no stranger to me, an’ dat is how I prefer it. I can be assured de fadder of dese children is of a kind spirit, sound in body an’ mind. But dese children will be mine, first. An’ dey will be children of Sapphique, raised an’ loved by family first.” She said. She kept her adoration for Ashlar hidden as much as she could, for now. Her duty was to her pack, and potentially as a mother of future generations. She gave Sobo a coy smile. ”I be countin’ on you to be a fun uncle, ouais?” She teased.

Sobo was simultaneously surprised and not to learn that Chacal differed from their mothers. She spent time out in the world, apart from the insular society of Sapphique, and held something of the unfamiliar about her. Sobo's lips turned downward not because she bucked tradition, but because he was worried.

He spoke little of Njord, preferring to keep it to himself most of the time, if only to avoid the chiding he would receive from others. The last thing Sobo needed was for his siblings to downplay his feelings or for his mothers to treat him like he was the problem. Chacal was different. He felt he could speak to her and not be met with resistance and judgment for the things he felt.

I t'ought de same of Njord, admitted Sobo, an' den he forgot dat I exist de secon' he found a new family and he has not remembered. Even de most well meaning of men be a risk. I would not want dat for your children. At least they would have a competent and devoted mother, and caring aunts and uncles to dote on them, to say nothing of Erzulie and Rosalyn. They would be loved ten times over and would have no need of a father who might disappoint them one day. It was up to Chacal, though. He would not judge either way.

He meant only to let her know what it was like and what might face them should their father prove unequal to the task.

While she’d hoped to prattle b, swept up in the excitement and anticipation of being a mother, she sensed the levity of the conversation sink when Sobo mentioned Njord. 

Sobo clearly felt hurt, left behind…Unwanted. Chacal thought well of the man who had given her siblings whom she adored, but to see that he had hurt Sobo’s feelings made her upset. She shifted a bit closer to him, and could feel the hurt radiating from him. ”Sobo,” She murmured softly. ”Dis be how you feel about Njord an’ Meerkat den, yes?” She asked. She could empathize, then, with what seemed to be a plea. Currently, she was still enamoured with Ashlar. She wanted him to be a part of her family…But she could see how that could complicate things- and she didn’t want her children to hurt the way Sobo did. 

”Sobo…I promise you…You are wanted, an’ you are loved. You ‘ave not been forgotten by de ones who love you most,” She said. ”’Ave you told him ‘ow you feel?” She asked.

Yes, he admitted. It wasn't much of a secret, but he hadn't had much of an opportunity to talk about it at length with anyone. He had spoken a little to Rosalyn, but that was it. Chacal asked if he had told Njord how he felt. He gave his head a shake.

On some level, he knew it was immature to harbor these feelings against his father when he did not use his words to express them. Surely he would feel better if he just talked to Njord, but he had already shut the door on that relationship, in a sense. He felt Njord wanted as little to do with him as Sobo did with the seafarer, these days. He justified this belief with the wedding, and the forgotten scouting trip.

It does not matter, he said with a shrug. I do not need a fat'er. I have two mot'ers an' siblings who love me, to which he gave her a grateful smile, an' if no one else needed a fat'er den I do not eit'er. I do not care about Njord any longer. I only wish to let you know what havin' a fat'er can be like so dat you may know, if you involve him, what de children might face if dey look up to him and he proves unsuitable.

Sobo spoke from his own experience of having had a father, something Chacal had never known. Her mothers had more than sufficed as parents, and she couldn’t really grasp the concept of ever having needed a male role model in her life. Perhaps she would be a different wolf if she’d had one- but in Sobo’s case, it seemed to have only caused him strife. 

She, still smitten with Ashlar, had her perspective rattled. Perhaps Sobo was right, to counsel her against involving the father. He might have been best had he simply had Erzulie and Rosalyn as parents, as Chacal had. She had never wanted for more…But her children, if she conceived, would be raised primarily by her, so she was torn. If she’d had a partner, it might be different. But with having so many beloved family members so close, to take up that role…Perhaps Sobo was right. 

She would have to think on it, but she could not doubt the sagacity of his words. ”I appreciate your insight, brot’er,” She chimed warmly. There was no “but,” to follow. There was no reason to doubt the validity of words that came from the heart, as Sobo’s had. She moved closer and pressed her temple against his shoulder, appreciatively.
 ”I am lucky to ‘ave you. 
An’ my children will be, too. 
I be countin’ on you,
 bot’ to be a fun uncle, an’ to give dem advice like dis, too.”

Wrapping this one to reset my threadlog, I'm so sorry for holding this up for so long and hope we can have a newer, much quicker one soon. <3

Sobo felt warmth spread from the tip of his nose to the tips of his ears. He hoped he would be the uncle Chacal hoped he would be to her children, and that they would turn out like the other stalwart members of Sapphique rather than like him. Sometimes he wished he could be more like his siblings when it came to letting things go.

But they had not been conspicuously left out of their father's wedding.

Not wishing to dwell any longer on Njord or the impact a bad father might have on her litter, Sobo asked after name ideas and her hopes for the future, whiling away the afternoon in the warm sun of Sapphique and the equally warm company of his older sister.