Horizon Ridge Nothing can stop us, even the night that falls all around us

Immediately upon rousing, Pied leaped from the den, barely making it outside before last night's supper came rushing up her throat to splash on the grass. She heaved a few more times before her belly emptied completely. Although the experience was far from pleasant, the Gamma smiled grimly over her puddle of sick. It's really happening! she thought. She'd been positive they'd conceived, yet here was the first tangible sign of her pregnancy.

After washing out her mouth in a nearby pool, Pied picked her way down to the beach, feeling a little lightheaded but none the worse for wear after her bout of morning sickness. She paused when she reached the foot of the ridge, a frown slowly creeping over her face as she wondered where her mate was this morning. The mere thought of him made her stomach pinch again, though it wasn't nausea. Something hadn't been quite right ever since that night on the beach, as had become increasingly clear to her in the last two weeks.

Because she couldn't bear the thought of their children's lives starting in anything but a perfectly happy relationship, Pied pushed these niggling worries to the back of her mind and plodded forward onto the soft, pale sands. She gave the surf a wide berth but otherwise enjoyed the waterfront, her two-toned eyes scanning the horizon even as ugly clouds began to gather there.

I steal dis yes!

Thistle Cloud woke from her dreams with a hazy gaze. She was tired and was restless. She had not yet seen many of the wolves that Pied had spoken of and she was starting to feel increasingly lonely and sad. She was a social wolf by nature, though she was quiet and she longed for some companionship to pass a little of the day.

Feeling that perhaps the sandy beaches were her best bet she slowly worked her way down towards her new home. Her birthday was fast approaching and she was beginning to wonder if she would go into season right after it or if her body would wait a little bit. She was hoping it would wait a little bit.

Thistle looked towards the horizon and saw the clouds gathering there and wondered when the heavens would let loose it's torrent of tears onto her. AS she was debating whether or not to head back to her den she saw a familiar figure and with a small yip she ran towards the Gamma and the one friend she had in the pack as of yet. "Hello Pied!

She eventually seated herself upon a dune, the wind tugging at her pale, dappled fur as she squinted out over the sea. Pied thought she saw black find out there and it sent a shudder down her spine. She'd grown up near the sea and had always loved the seashore, yet now it was forever marred by that fateful attack. She wondered if she'd ever be able to walk near the water again without anxiety twisting her guts. Her lips pinched together.

Someone shouted her name, mildly startling her. The Gamma turned, ears pricking as her eyes clapped upon a familiar, sandy figure. "Oh, hey, Thistle," she said, thumping her tail on the sand. "I was just musing over whether I'll ever be able to go near the water again. I'm glad you arrived when you did; my mood was about to spiral..." Her lips twitched. "How're you doing?" she asked in the next breath.

Thistle arrived finally to the side of her Gamma and sat down. She looked at the water and then back again at Pied. "Why wouldn't you go near the water? It is certainly dangerous with it's waves and such, but if revered with caution it shouldn't be soo bad. Thistle Cloud was confused, but she did not know that Pied had been attacked by a large sea creature. She did not even know that large creatures like that lived in the ocean. She had been near the coast as a pup, but her parents kept her away from it and only in the shallow when they were near.

Thistle smiled "I am doing well though i met a most interesting wolf in the woods the other day from this pack. She was a gangly little black think and not very kind. But that is over and done with, How are you? Did you find out if you are having pups yet? I hope you are.

Pied couldn't remember if she'd told Thistle about her attack and, if she had, Thistle didn't remember, so she said, "Oh, I'm not worried about the water. I love the water. I was attacked by a killer whale about a month ago. It threw itself up onto the beach and nearly squashed me to death." She frowned lightly at the terrible memory.

Thistle regaled her with a few tidbits about her personal goings-on, then asked the Gamma if she was pregnant yet. "Well, I just got my first bout of morning sickness, so I think we're go," she answered with a smile. "I'm a couple weeks along now. I think I'll deliver near the middle of April."

Thistle's eyes got very very wide, "My father always told me that the big fish would let you alone if you let them alone and that they didn't come into shallow water. I am sorry you had to go through that. Thistle felt bad for her new friend, she had known that Pied had been hurt but not how and the thought that a sea creature would attack you on your own home turf, well it was enough to make her hackles rise.

Thistle's tail wagged furiously and she wanted to bark and yip for her new friend. Instead she just smiled and said "That's wonderful. I'm so happy for you Pied. I hope you are happy too. Though I hear morning sickness is not fun, but it only lasts a little while.

Pied nodded to acknowledge Thistle's condolences, then said, "I never would've thought it was possible, though I saw it happen to a sea lion a few weeks before my own attack. In any case, it's enough to put you off seaside walks for life..." she mused with a touch of regret and sadness.

Fortunately, they moved onto lighter things and the Gamma was a little surprised and delighted by Thistle's enthusiasm. "Yes, puking aside, I'm very happy," she reported with a smile. "I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself and start guessing how many there are and whether they're boys or girls. I do have a few names picked out, though," she admitted.

Thistle Cloud listened and nodded in agreement. "Yes i would definetly not want to go near the water again. Granted I've never been super close to the water. My parents were very careful about that, we were taught to swim and fish, but we were not to go deeply without a parent or sibling and we were to stay away from the life in the water just in case. Thistle smiled at one of the times her one brother had gone out to far, she thought for sure her mother was going to have a heart attack and beat him, but when he got out she just licked him and smother him. So much like SpottedFawn.

Thistle Cloud listened and chuckled, "I would be far to excited i'd probably start planning things for them already. Oh what are some of the names you have picked out? Does your mate help with names?

Thistle asked the obvious question and Pied answered, "I—we—plan to call one Saēna. I've toyed with the idea of calling one Brooklyn, after my father—Brook Lynn if it's a girl," she continued. "And Kisu's tossed a few of his own ideas into the pot. I believe he wants to name his first son Pura." Pied smiled as she spoke each of the names, as it made the whole thing feel more real.

The Gamma was about to say something else when a wave of nausea washed over her. As her stomach gurgled, a grimace suddenly twisted her mouth and she shot Thistle an apologetic glance. "Sorry, I'm feeling a little sick again..." she murmured, her mouth filling with saliva. She didn't want to throw up in front of her companion, so she preemptively rose and moved off a few feet, facing away from Thistle.

Her stomach settled a little and the imminent need to vomit passed. Still, her insides felt sour and all Pied wanted to do was head back to her dean and lie down. She and Thistle had only just begun talking and she felt bad for having to excuse herself so abruptly but, even as another wave of sickness began to crest, she knew she simply couldn't linger here.

"I'm sorry, Thistle, but I need to go lie down," Pied said, frowning lightly at her pale pack mate. "I'll see you later. Sorry," she repeated before turning and slowly picking her way back toward the lair, unaware that, if she saw Thistle again in the future, it would not be in the capacity of pack mates.

Before Thistle Cloud could even get words out, her new friend had to excuse herself from the proximity and be sick. Thistle felt bad for her and she was not offended in the least that Pied had to leave so abruptly. She knew she would see her again or so she thought, not realizing that her life was about to change in different ways and she would be losing the only friend she had made as of yet.

" Feel Better. She called as she watched her friend walk back towards her den. She kept a weather eye on her until she could not see her anymore, making sure that pied was alright.