Swiftcurrent Creek Rolling through the garden

forward dated about a week, I'd say 23th of May? For @Akavir

Arlette realized that things were moving a little faster than her last pregnancies. As in, she expanded more than last time. She was pretty sure that she still had a few weeks to go but her sides were ready expanding already. She had been this size when she gave birth to her last litter, at least what she could remember. The one thing that made her believe she wasn't going to give birth soon was that her teats weren't nearly as large or ready. So she had the nagging feeling she might be pregnant with more pups, or... just larger ones considering Arric. Maybe it also had to do with the fact that she had never been so well cared for by a pack during a pregnancy.

It was clear skies and the sun was shining down on her pelt. Arlette was panting as she moved. Tongue hanging out of her mouth to cool herself down. She was at the garden. Plants were growing rapidly, even the ones she didn't want. The healer wanted to make herself useful and pulling out the plants that were unwelcome. She grabbed one weed at the stem and tossed it aside. She waddled onto the next patch. God, if this was a hint of what summer was going to be she would need to prepare herself. Well, by then she would have had the pups and she wouldn't have to carry her weight. Arlette plopped herself down in a sloppy sit, scowling at the garden. She didn't want to take a rest but perhaps she should sit down briefly just to relief her back a little. She couldn't even properly lie down. Perhaps if she sat upright her belly wouldn't touch the ground, but in the sagging way she was sitting now it definitely was resting on the ground.

He imagined the dark scowl from the pregnant lady should have been enough to make the weeds whither on the spot. Akavir wanted to—guilt instantly blanketing him when he realized he hadn’t upheld the garden as much as he had promised her she would.

It wasn’t as painful looking at it now—his days spent here with Eshe were more fondly remembered now—if not simply placed aside for what they were… Passing some time by, with some fun. Clearly, she hadn’t viewed him as anything else—so why dwell on it further?

He didn’t come bearing gifts this time, and so it was with a sheepish sweep of his eyes that he gave the Beta female as he neared her, his eyes razing over her.

He didn’t recall Jakoul or Ibis ever looking this large—thankfully, though, he withheld a slow whistle, lest her ire be redirected to him. “Want me to have him committed for you, Arlette? Should be illegal to do this to a lady…” He huffed a soft laugh—his muzzle swinging to the garden. “Let me. Tell me what to pull—you should be resting more, now.”

Arlette looked up as Akavir joined her in the garden. The pale woman tried to school her features a little. It was mostly the heat blazing down on them what had exhausted her already. Her spirits lifted to have some company though. A smile came upon her lips, her scowl vanishing. No, I think he is probably punishing himself already too, she chuckled softly. I see the way he looks at me and probably wonders the same thing, she added. It was always fun to watch him so conflicted. On the one paw he seemed to love her being pregnant, but on the other he seemed to feel rather guilty what she was put through.

I don't really want to rest, she sighed. Her red eyes glanced over the garden. But fine. I shall obey. She shot him a smile and stayed where she was. She was reminded of Arric's words and that Akavir had a soft spot for pregnant women. It hasn't been too bad. I might look a little ... large... but everyone in the pack has been helping me. It is rather a testament to the pack you've build, she complimented him. She wanted him to know that, because she had not experienced it before, such support.

Can you take off the browned leaves?, she asked him then. After all he offered to help so then she would put the man to work. Arric would be proud of her. She couldn't help but smile at that thought. She wished she could help though. She decided she couldn't sit completely still and pushed herself to her feet. She waddled to the closest brown leaves and gently pried it free from the stem. Then she sat down again to do her rest.

With her agreement, the dark Mayfair sidles closer, eyes grazing over the plants that he had once helped Eshe plant—something that seemed a lifetime ago. This could have been he and Eshe, in an alternate universe—and in that moment, he felt a shift of relief that it wasn’t, rather than guilt.

Clearly, neither had been what the other had thought or wanted—and puppies were always the ones to suffer from such a thing.

When he looked up, his eyes landed upon the rather large swell of her stomach—it wasn’t like he had meant to… but she was rather… big, in her pregnancy, and when she made a comment as such, he couldn’t help but choke on some saliva—as if she had been reading his mind.

Coughing roughly into his forearm, he tried to clear his throat, interrupting her for a moment and turning away. When he had finally gathered himself—he turned back to her—purposely not looking at her stomach. “I didn’t notice,” he offered in his best nonchalance voice—dutifully beginning to pluck away at the brown leaves as she had told him to do.

Arlette shot him a look when he choked and seemed to then hide it with a little cough. She had to huff out a laugh when he said that he hadn't noticed. Such a little liar. Luckily the pregnant lady wasn't offended and had to smile about it. Liar. I should check your eyesight then, she commented with a little grin. Because clearly there was no hiding that large belly of her. She decided that she would just rock the look. She couldn't really do anything about it.

Honestly, Arric is quite stressed. He thinks I might explode, which is just ridiculous, she chuckled. This was the heaviest she had been ever, and she was noticing it in her back and ankles. However she knew she would be rewarded later with little babies. She couldn't wait for it. Thanks for helping, she smiled. Sometimes I do need someone to tell me to stop.

A stormy look was cast his way and he quickly tried to swallow any further amusement—eyes cast down to the task—only an ear flicking to her own huff of a laugh before ruminating on having to check his eyesight. “I wish someone would,” he decided, turning a leaf over, trying to see if that was brown or brownish. “I’m not getting any younger.”

He continued to pull more of the brown leaves—refusing to think what life might have been if he had been here, assisting his own pregnant wife with this very garden—and tried to hide a smile once more. “In fairness, Arric worries about anything. Only makes sense he’d be consumed by this—your the most important part of his life.”

Arlette had to chuckle at Akavir's comment. Though, it was reality. She was feeling the same effect. She was not getting any younger either. Though, she was quite happy with how she came back from her pregnancy. She felt fit enough to move around and play, but it had taken longer than last time. Aren't we all getting older?, she chuckled.

She watched him make a decision on if he needed to take off the leave, she was always quite strict, any bit of brown she would take off. That is true, she chuckled and blushed a bit because it was always nice to hear that you were the most important thing to someone. Though soon I'm pretty sure he will have other little wolves that are even more important, she hummed. She figured at least.

Feel free to wrap this one up!

A non-committal grunt was offered at the comment of getting older—it was hard to explain to another how he felt both ancient like a rusted artifact, and yet too immature to hold the responsibilities he did.

Instead, he continued to pluck away the dead parts of plants—Arlette instructing the weeds be given no mercy. Fine by him—as annoying as it was to be tending to a garden his ex had planted, he knew this would not just benefit the pack, but he didn’t want Arlette doing the labor of it—plus, it also felt a bit like giving Eshe the middle finger while doing so.

The plants would thrive without her. The pack would thrive without her. He would thrive without her.

Well. At the very least, he would survive without her.

He chuckled as Arlette noted that Arric was likely to be even more smitten with some tiny beings in the near future. “If he doesn't, he’s doing it wrong,” he agreed.

When the garden was done, he ushered Arlette off to rest—with a drink and a meal—placing a sloppy kiss to her forehead primarily for good show to his best friend before he would seek his own solace for the night.

Arlette had actually enjoyed her time with Akavir a lot. It had been nice to oversee his work and spend some time with it. She proudly went back to Arric with the sloppy residue of his lick on her forehead. Honestly, she almost felt bad that Akavir had such poor luck in love. In her opinion he would make a lovely mate, but who knows maybe she was biased. He hoped that love was still in the cards for him one day, he seemed to have a lot of love to give.

- fin -