Northstar Vale for even the roots were harvested

@Reiko (reference, there's also a bit of pp just let me know if I need to edit anything!) backstage babysitting thread for @Haruki @Hotaru and @Sumi :D @Collision (if you'd like to go ahead and stand guard, etc) :)

Already her milk had begun to flow again, the telltale sign of a midwife who'd reared dozens of children, and would likely only continue to fill her heavy teats as the whelping season progressed. 

It made instances like these, where her Empress needed a break from the confines of the den, an easier transition. Awenfen was capable of nursing the young princesses and prince should they become hungry before their dam's return - though, of course, Reiko was a diligent mother and almost always fed them before departing. 

With Collision protectively keeping watch a respectable distance away, the druid slipped into the cozy den shortly after the new mother had departed - offering her Empress a nod of loyal subservience and a few polite words as she padded away wearily. 

A gentle smile of loving adoration curled over the broken mother's lips as she wound herself around the babes cherishingly. Her tongue rasped over them sweetly, cooing soft nothings and chuckling at their antics as she observed with bright eyes - for once utterly full of life and in her element.

minor pp. tell me to change if need be <'3 #guard thread. Collision will be oblivious to anything going on unless he is directly spoken to or mentioned <'3

 Awenfen had found him and told him she would be with Reiko's whelps. Collision had not strayed too far from the vale of late. especially with the changes. Though, at news of Takeshi he had created a little more distance between himself and Reiko. For no other reason than he felt the Emperor would likely prefer the prospect of keeping his own family safe and happy. Collision, of course, was always only a call away. 
 
 Today, however, he would make sure to keep his proximity much more direct. The den would be occupied by the three children and the midwife. Reiko was seen leaving and Collision had done nothing more than offer her a bow of sorts. Surely she had business that she needed to tend to and he did not want to get in the way. 

 The place that he chose was decently shaded and the boy walked a large circle every so often around the den. His main stake being a respectful distance from the opening of the Empress's domain. In between his rounds he would lay and leave his eyes staring. His life may seem dull from an onlooker's point of view, but honestly, knowing there was depth to what he did....He wouldn't change a thing.

Her mother had left and the girl made her protest known. Everything was still so new, she just wanted answers not to accept whatever these changes were. The smell of the stranger who watched them was unfamiliar, though the milk she carried was not. The little girl was hesitant, sniffing along the woman's side in hopes for her mother. She was sure it was a different white blob to sit with them and given that she was too cold on her own, she'd simply stay close enough for warmth even if she was displeased. Her stomach protested her stubbornness and when time passed with no mother, Hotaru would let out a cry of hunger.