Noctisardor Bypass Tree trivia

Tagged folks are welcome! Forward-dated to the 13th, but they were born on the 12th. :)

Nestled against her were the two small creatures she had brought into the world the day prior. They were still a bit baffling to her, but at least the birthing itself had gone smoothly. @Mahler had been there for her, and she had been grateful for his presence. If she'd had to do it alone... well, she wouldn't have to think about that, now would she? He had cued her at all the right times, encouraged her when she felt like she wanted to give up, and he'd helped her bring these two little soft, squirming bodies into the world.

They looked much better on day two, Sequoia had to admit, although it wasn't as though she had disliked them yesterday. She felt a bit more settled now, especially after getting a good night of sleep. Sequoia hadn't named them yet, but she had spent much of the morning mulling it over.

I think you'll be @Witch, she said, nosing one of them. And you... you'll be @Druid. Her two tiny mages, ready to cast a spell on the world.

she slept contentedly, having already had her fill of milk— full, until she next would next herself via one end or the other to grow ravenous all over again. there was not much to be concerned with, and one night cycle in, the pale child was happy and not prone to squalling. her mother was warm, and the other at her side was comforting. just the two of them, there was little competition for space, attention, or nourishment.

she chirruped in her sleep as her mother nosed her, granting her a name: witch.

their birth had gone well. mahler, having arrived with his herbs and a soft word, spent the long hours of travail beside sequoia, and as with each birth, his throat had grown tight and high to see the first babes of rivenwood breathe. 
with a quick examination of sequoia for the fever that sometimes follows birth, for increased bleeding, or for lethargy, mahler eventually removed himself from the den carefully, telling her that he would return.
and so he did, 'round the proverbial clock. now was one such of those times. for her milk he brought the quintessential beaverfat, and nosed the thick whiteness toward her as he set his eyes on little witch, having just arrived to hear their names. "you have done very vell, sequoia," mahler said softly, favouring her with a gentle look before he looked at the children again.

Smell, taste and touch: these were the only pathways available to her at present. Her tiny nose twitched as she drew in odors too numerous to contemplate, though each one stored in a library at the back of her mind more neatly organized than the Dewey Decimal System. She tasted a little bit of everything she smelled too, though nothing quite as richly as the thick milk that flowed into her mouth. She tugged it from a nub, the mouthfeel just as comforting as the instinctive kneading of her small toes against her mother’s breast. Although the physical sensations the world offered were arguably more plentiful even than its aromas, all the newborn knew was some variation of soft and warm.

Oblivious to her limitations, the freshly christened Druid wanted for nothing—least of all the remaining two senses she didn’t yet know she possessed; they would come to her in their natural time—as she remained latched to Sequoia by her bosom now rather than the umbilicus; as she molded against her sister, the Witch, the two of them nestling perfectly together like Matryoshka dolls; as she happily fidgeted and whimpered beneath Mahler’s watchful gaze.

Let's do rounds (no posting order) to keep this rolling!

Mahler spoke, and Sequoia flicked an ear in his direction. He had been helpful, and he didn't disappoint even now, passing her a heap of lard. She scarfed it down readily, happy to have additional food to keep her going. Sequoia had known that pregnancy and birthing would be hard—and it had been—but already she was delighted to have gone through it all.

They seem pretty content, don't ya think? she asked, glancing toward the midwife. Is there anything I should be on the lookout for? I've been around puppies, but—well, this felt different.

she began to whimper in response to her sister, feeling the tiny vibrations against her own body— it was no conscious act, but one of instinct. she felt no sense of loss or discomfort, blissfully unaware of all that would come with being alive. everything now was as it should be; everything now would be forever, as far as the little witch knew.

he nodded. "at this age, they must eat and sleep many times in a day. if a child seems particularly lethargic, if they are not ah, eliminating," mahler muttered, "then these things can be cause for concern." his lilac stare met her own. "but i vill be close at hand. speedy is also here, a skilled healer, and duskfire is home to medics as vell. they are healthy," he assured, "and you must take care of yourself as vell."

As she continued suckling, Druid slowly became aware of a new sensation. It began as pleasantly as the rest, a feeling of fullness and satiation. Instinct commanded her to release her hold on Sequoia’s teat, after which she pressed her wrinkled face against the soft skin of her mother’s underside and let out a happy sigh. She might slip into sleep then, utterly content.

But then she hiccuped, the motion accompanied by a little squeak. Druid squirmed a bit as her newborn brain tried to process this new phenomenon. Before it could, another came, then a third. Soon, the little whelp was assailed by them at regular intervals.

She didn’t cry, though she let out sound somewhere between a grunt and a whimper as she flailed her tiny forelegs against Sequoia’s belly. The little judders made her increasingly aware of a mounting pressure beneath her tiny rib cage. Unbeknownst to her, her small intestines gurgled tellingly.

The advice he gave was solid and seemed common sense enough for her to take it. Speedy, huh? That's a funny name, she said, but she soon went back to staring at the little beans. Sequioa went silent then, happy to just be with them and bask in the afterglow of giving birth. It had been hard work, but she was happy to have them here with her. Surprisingly, not a single thought about Crow entered her mind.

She already felt herself starting to drift off again. Maybe tomorrow she'd be up for some walking around, but right now all she wanted was to ease into another nap. She settled her chin on the soft earthen floor of the den, her eyes beginning to flutter closed.

The hiccups coming from Druid did not seem to be concerning, so Seq let them go on for now.

"vell, she is very svift vith her craft," mahler jested, watching sequoia's tired young features. "i vill go now," the gargoyle said softly, casting a last glance over the little ones. 
and he would return. the sound of puppyish sounds filled his ears a moment longer before mahler turned away, flickering himself onward down trails that did not end.

The atmosphere changed in some indescribable way (as Mahler departed), startling the gray puppy into silent stillness. The hiccups ceased as abruptly as they had begun, though something altogether new escaped her mouth: a bubble of air moved from her belly to her throat, then burst out of her gummy maw in a squeaky burp.

Afterward, Druid felt both more comfortable and content. Smacking her tiny lips and cooing, she curled closer to Witch again. It wasn’t long before she drifted, entering the dozy state which might not have differed very much from wakefulness in this stage of sensory deprivation, although her dreams were wildly colorful and noisy.