Broken Antler Fen Thistle of Lorraine

@Ibis 

One day Wraen realized that she truly felt at home in Brecheliant. Yes, she had liked the place a lot from the first time she had set her foot here, but for an attachment to form - whether it was a place or a person - you needed time and effort. Now, after having spent for, what seemed like a lifetime, but was - in fact - almost five months she could say, wholeheartedly that she loved it here and secretly wished that these feelings would never change. Of course, having left many packs behind her in the course of her life, she knew that she could not fight the stream that brought changes with it. Only float along. But in comparison to her younger self, who wanted to swim faster to see, what was behind the next riverbend, she now could close her eyes and enjoy the moment, not caring much, where it would take her next. 

Wraen had noticed the scent of spring in the air that had wafted through the forest and sung alluringly to many eligible men in the vicinity, but at the time she had kept her respectful distance. Now, however, suitable amount of time had passed for her to seek out the reigning Queen of the Enchanted forest to inquire about her well-being and how she was doing. They had not spoken much, since the heavenly fire that had finished Moonspear, and with daughter lost and faithful mate gone without a trace, she had not wanted to intrude someone's privacy. With enough time having passed between events, it seemed appropriate to have a friendly chat and to see, where things were going in this first spring of the Brecheliant.

Sequestering herself in various places across the fen would only work part of the time, but Ibis still needed to eat, to hunt, to see her daughter, and to perform as the auspex in whatever capacity she could. Her belly grew; the aches and pains of pregnancy set in to her again, to the point that she was familiar, and could not mistake it. She wanted to keep her secret hidden longer - but that was not to be.

It wasn't much of a secret regardless. Eljay knew of it, which meant Maia too. Lilitu might have taken notice of how much weight her mother was putting on. One by one the corvum would become aware of her situation; then what? Unwilling to worry herself over the eventuality until she had to, Ibis kept herself busy.

Until the fateful moment she spotted Wraen's scent. Wreathed upon the wind was the scent of springtime blossoms, the fragrant herbal notes of the fen water. Ibis followed the scent without really meaning to and stopped when she saw the distant figure of the raven, her aunt.

Funny, how different perspectives on the same event people can have. Here was Wraen believing that she had been giving space for Ibis. There was Ibis, who had thought that she had been hiding from everyone. Today they met - one intent to find the other, the other thinking that she is going to face an inevitable fate. Wraen turned, when she heard someone walk behind her and remained standing, ears up, near-sighted eyes focussing at the figure in the distance, trying to make out, if that was the person she was looking for or not. All wolves looked like one another from afar - except for black ones. 

"Ibis?" she called clear and loud, then began walking towards her packmate, until the blurred image of her niece cleared and she could see her face in detail. "Just were looking for you. How are you doing?" she asked.

Ibis? Wraen called through the trees. From the sounds of it she had been seeking the Auspex and that hastened the woman in to the open.

Ar first she was postured lowly the way a thief might slink when caught red-handed; she had not done anything to warrant it, she thought, except give in to distraction in lieu of grief.

Still, it would be impossible to ignore the swell of Ibis' sides or the shift in her scent. Chief reasons for her social avoidance. Crossing in to the light now, Ibis settled against the yellowed grass to rest her swollen feet.

Wraen, Ibis murmured as a means of greeting, and smiled shyly. I am... good, hungry, sore, fat, ...I think I'm pregnant.

On the second, more in-depth look at Ibis, Wraen came to the right conclusion around the same time she was informed about the great news. "Why is that a huge secret?" she leaned towards her niece and whispered, teasing the younger she-wolf about her muted excitement for the new family members to be. She retreated then, thinking that it was good Auspex had had her share of fun (and ensuing consequences) in light of losing both her daughter and her husband to winter. It told that, though these people were not forgotten, their disappearance had not hindered the girl to move on with her life.

"So, who is the lucky guy? Are you official or... you chose the no-strings attached route?" she asked curiously.

Expecting to be chastised by her aunt, Ibis is shocked by how easily she accepted the news. There is a thrilling glow to Wraen after, as if she is excited rather than dismayed. Ibis feels a flood of relief.

Until Wraen asks after the father - and Ibis thinks of the two men, one practically a boy, she had taken to bed. Then she is thinking of her lost husband and her hormones kick in; Ibis' eyes collect a sheen of unwashed tears.

I don't know. It all kind of... happened. The father, who ever they are, is not going to be part of their life. Ibis struggles through the words and sucks in a breath. My children will never know a father. I don't think Akavir is ever coming back. W-what do I do?

"Okay, no-strings attached then," Wraen nodded, feeling glad that she had had this whole experience with Towhee last year that had made her more liberal on, how families should be made. Meerkat had had the most amazing dad and aunt, and other packmates to take care of her, never to feel loss for a father. "Did you make sure that they were of no royal origin, returning later to claim first-borns?" she joked lightly. "There's plenty of those guys in the stories and I would not want to hand over any princesses or princes to whatever cause," she smiled.

"Well... we have a number of quite capable men here to fill that role. What will be more important - your kids will be able to choose, which uncle/dad will be their favourite. Not everyone's that lucky," she told her. "And don't forget that there are two witchy aunts to take care of the little rascals, as well as the rest of the female population here," so - in a nutshell - she did not see the problem. "Throw in a couple of helpful ghosts too,"  she smiled.

"All you have to do now is to carry to term, give birth and take care of them for the first two moons. And I am confident that I do not have to teach you this job," she told. "Do you fear, what will Akavir say, if he returns?" 

Wraen was right, of course. Somehow her aunt knew just what to say at every moment. When Ibis stressed over the loss of her daughter or her husband, it was Wraen that calmed her and offered help so readily; and now with her fears bubbling up again, it was Wraen who eased them.

I'm so glad that you found us when you did, Ibis mentions with a sigh. Back at the plateau, I mean. We had nowhere to go and... I can't imagine being anywhere else, now. Ibis refused to think about how her life might be different. She put aside thoughts of Arielle, guiltily, because thinking of their transit from the plateau to the fen hurt so much. If they hadn't moved, would Arielle still be here? Would Akavir? Stop; she can't let herself think of this now.

It won't be long now, that's true... She said with a small nod, which froze when Wraen mentioned,
—what will Akavir say, if he returns?

Out of her mouth tumbled the truth before she could catch it: I don't think he's coming back.

"I am glad to have found you too. The time we spent together, while you were a kid and young adult was so short, that I would not want to miss a second on the glorious present we have now," Wraen told her with a kind smile. Being here for Ibis, helping her - was a way to find some reconciliation with Terance. He was dead and no longer cared, but she slept better at night, knowing that she was making up for the time they had lost.

"Is that so..." she sighed, but did not press further on, what made Ibis so convinced that her mate was never coming back. On the bright side - it solved a lot of potential problems. All children born to Ibis would be theirs to keep and raise. "Well, then there is only one way for us left and that is forward. Have you decided on a birthing den and rendezvous site?" was the first thing that came to her mind and she quickly went through all the good spots in Brecheliant that she had discovered up until now.

There was sorrow so deeply rooted inside of Ibis that she thought she would never recover. It choked at her heart, sometimes. A net of depressing weeds snaring her heart, threatening to crack through the rest of her like nature through concrete. Having a support network such as the corvum would be of great use to her now - but she missed her husband, she missed having someone close to confide in, to find comfort with. Wraen could be many things for her; aunt, confidante, adviser, friend... But Ibis would need someone, eventually. Even if everyone, inevitably, left.

She was lost for a few minutes in her thoughts. That tumult beneath her calm surface. As an answer to the question Ibis sighed, giving a puny shrug at first, before really thinking and then explaining, I have found a small den. It's pretty secluded from everyone - I haven't even shown Lilitu where it is. She'd barely spoken to her surviving daughter since discovering her condition; did that make her a bad mother? And I guess when the time is right, I can find a place to show off the children. Somewhere for them to play.

Already the fen seemed like a safe place to raise children. Compared to the Empire, or the Witch's Marsh, or even the Emberwood; it was wet here most days but bright and open, with enough forest to lend cover where needed, and many bodies to spare in case of danger. I'm more worried... I don't know, just, worried. Overall. About everything. Nervous that something is going to go wrong for the sake of it.

She'd lost her husband and one daughter already, so why not more? Why not all of it? Some days it felt like she was destined for such a fate.

"Worrying about things is natural, but I find it more useful to spend that energy by defining, what exactly worries you and how to tackle, prevent it or have a plan B, C, D and all the way to Z, if needed," Wraen shared, remembering vividly, how difficult it had been during those first months of Ibis's life and how much worry had eaten away her happiness and excitement for being part of a brand new pack. 

"And while there are many ways of how things may go wrong, there are just as many opportunities of them turning out for the better," she said. "Either of those are out of our reach and we can't do much about them other than live one day at a time and do not think too far off in the future."

"Just know, that no matter what happens, we will be there to help you through," she promised.

For the time being her fears were contained, thanks to Wraen. Ibis wasn't fully relaxed or able to put down the ideas that sifted through her mind in their entirety, but she was relieved, and knew that she could trust Brecheliant's population of lovely wolves to help her. The entire conversation left Ibis feeling a little lighter. She was also very, very tired.

I think I will go lay down, she mentions after a beat. I always forget how big and roli-poli I get when pregnant. It had only happened the one time previous, and she had been much bigger during her first go of it, but still. Thank you for being you, Wraen. I'm glad you're here with us.

Then Ibis leaned in close, booping her aunt softly on the cheek as a thank-you nudge, before trying to waddle back the way she had come; her den was hidden somewhere around here, and would need some fixing before the kids arrived.

Funny, how your life can run for weeks with nothing extraordinary or mention-worthy happening, and than in a matter of few days you happen to collect quite a few of very beautiful moments - like a handful of shiny gems to play with and reminisce later. Usually Wraen would have replied with something witty to the "thank you for being you", but for some reason it felt as if silence was the most appropriate response. Anything else would spoil the moment. She dwelled on it a little while longer, then leaned over to give a heartfelt nuzzle on Ibis's cheek too and with a promise of stopping by and bringing something tasty to her, she watched her niece waddle away. 

It occurred to her now that Terance had never got a chance to meet his grandchildren. In fact, his life had been so intense and short, he had never got a chance to grow old. Not like Wraen. And she often wondered, whether he had the easy way out not having to experience the gradual decline that came with every passing year. But then... every arthritic wolf needs a hobby to keep their mind of such sad thoughts and this particular one decided that, if it was meant to be, it would be truly spectacular to live another year. Just to see new life come forth and grow.