Ouroboros Spine Carrying your love with me

A month had passed, and, as time moved on, Raindrop was no doubt pregnant. Her appetite had grown significantly, and her belly had begun to swell with life. Like all mothers, there was a bright glow to her features. 

She emerged from the den that morning to grab some breakfast to feed herself, and her growing pups.  The crisp autumn wind sent a chill through her body, all thanks to the thinning fur on her belly. 

After retrieving breakfast, she went back to the den, and settled just outside of it. She laid there, soaking in the last of the warm sun, before it faded for the winter. She looked back at her mid-section, a motherly smile on her face. Even though it had only been four weeks, her pregnancy was clear. She wondered about this litter. Would they be girls, or would she and Valiant be blessed with sons? This pregnancy felt different, somehow. 

She was excited to show @Valiant how she’d grown, and called out to him.

Valiant and Ludo had come back with the pelt of the white elk some weeks back. He'd done his best to prepare it himself, but in the end, had asked Ajei for some advice and supervision during the trickier parts. Thus, it would not be the finest pelt ever prepared — but it would be ready in plenty of time to keep his newborn children warm, and before that, for he and Raindrop to wed beneath.

She'd not been allowed to see it yet, so when he heard her voice, he was quick to move away from the task. He didn't want her to come and find him and see the surprise.

"Good morning, darlin'," he said as he approached, head slung low in deference and tail swishing gladly at his hocks. He touched noses with her and stretched out across from her, their paws touching between them. "How're those kids treatin' ya?" he asked.

As Valiant approached, her tail thumped against the ground. They touched noses and he stretched out in front of her. She gave his paws a gentle squeeze.

Under her fur, she was surely blushing. “Good morning Val.” “Just fine. They’re growing stronger each day.”

She looked warmly back at her mid-section, then back to Valiant's golden eyes. She held her gaze there, "To be honest, I didn't think I'd have another litter." With Sumac's disappearance, and no love interest at the time, more children was something she'd would've liked, but didn't see it possible. "I must say, I've missed the feeling. But, I can't wait for us to meet them."

Valiant's smile turned just a little wan, though it was no less full of warmth for that fact.

"Neither did I," he replied, though surely, that would come as no surprise to Raindrop. They'd both been devastated by the loss of their partners. This second chance had come as an incredible surprise.

He rolled to his side and laid his head across her paws, looking up at her with a glimmer of emotion in his eyes.

"What will we call them?" he asked, his own tail thumping idly against the dirt.

Names! The same thought had crossed her mind, but Valiant's question brought her focus to the topic.

"I haven't really thought about it." She admitted with a chuckle, "Does your family have any naming traditions or specific themes?" She asked curiously, then said "When Sumac and I welcomed our first litter, our inspiration were trees. Taking after he and his family."

She began to think in the moments of between words. Valiant was a word for courage. Perhaps they could go off of that.

"What about their genders? I know we're both hoping for boys; but, anything could happen." Heck, she didn't even know how many she was carrying. If she based it off of her size alone, she would guess there were more than two. That, or they were large pups; or maybe both. That thought was a little scary.

Valiant laughed — boys would be nice, but, "I don't mind if they're boys or girls," he assured her, his tail thumping again. The weak sunlight warmed him, made him feel sleepy and safe. "As for names — we got a few different traditions."

He had to think on it a moment, but when he was ready to speak, it was with a long explanation:

"First there's names like mine: I got cousins named Brave, Dauntless, Journey, Easy, Steadfast, Dreamgirl — the like. Then there's the nature and weather names, kinna like yours. Sunny, Grayday, Lavender, Meadow, Blackbear, Lilyflower..."

The last name made his throat tight. He went on.

"And then place-names. Like Dutch and Persia, and like Nantahala."

He missed his baby girls. He wished they would call come back home to him.

"I like Skyfall," he told her, forcing his tail to wag again. "Kinda like Raindrop."

She patiently waited for what he had to say, eager to learn more about the Morningside family. 

When he finally found the words, he spoke of many names. Brave, lavender, dauntless, journey, among others. There were relatives with nature names, and some named after the weather. “Wow.” She was amazed at how extensive the Morningside’s were.

When he mentioned Dutch, and his daughter, her face momentarily became solemn. 

Then, Valiat told her of a name he was fond of: Skyfall. It was perfect!

“It’s perfect.” She breathed. Inspired by all of the names he told her of, she shared her thoughts: “How about Valor?” She asked with soft eyes.

Valiant ducked his head, feeling bashful. Whether Skyfall was a boy or a girl, he felt attached to them already. Though the pup remained faceless in his mind, he could picture himself in the future, pressing his nose to soft baby fur. It felt very real, all of the sudden, that he was doing this again. That they were, and that their children would be here in another month or so.

"I like that one, too," he said, glad that he could close his eyes against the misty feeling and pretend that he was only resting them. He was quiet while the tightness in his throat abated, and then once it was gone, he felt as though he were floating.

"What kinda names do they have in your family?" he asked her, starting to drowse now with his head still laid over her paws.

She grinned at his words. He laid his head on her legs, and was quiet for a time, before asking about the names on her side of the family.

She had to really think: “Well….” She began, “In my pack, some of us were named after the land. Others were named after the weather. If I remember right, I think there was Hailstorm and Snowdrift and River and Boulder.” 

“My mother and father were Rainier and Everest.” She thought fondly of them. It’d been quite some time since she’d last dwelled on her natal family.

His tail thumped the ground even harder, at this. He was pleased by the commonality they found, and in his heart, something he hadn't wanted to acknowledge clicked into place. Perhaps he and Raindrop were more suited to each other than he had been with Vaïre. Certainly, their families seemed to have much more in common.

"We've got a River in our family, too," he told her. More than one, if he was remembering right. "Seems like the names are all real similar, too."

He lifted his head off of her paws to kiss her cheek.

"Raindrop," he said, his chest squeezing around his heart. He searched her eyes for doubts or hesitation. "...I love you."

It was soon — but then again, it wasn't. He'd loved her for close to two years, by now. Not as a wife, at first, but that love had shifted so easily into this.

Raindrop was just as surprised to find so much common ground with Valiant. Their families were both very similar, especially with names. It was exciting, too, to hear that Valiant had a relative named river.

“What a small world!” She exclaimed. When he reached up to place a warm kiss on her cheek, it was as if she was a giddy girl again. 

And his words, they were sweeter than honey. When he said, I love you, she knew that there was truth to them. She felt so much when she was with him: safe, cherished, valid, and so much more. And most of all, she felt at home with him. 

“I love you more.” She replied, meaning it with all her heart. She then reached to place a kiss on his cheek in return, then lay her head down beside his.