When Mars walked into the costume shop Orin had already draped an assortment of colorful fabric around her. It didn’t matter really what body part the piece was intended for, because she had it all resting over her shoulders, around her neck, and over the crook of her left arm. A long satin woman’s glove fell from her shoulder as she turned, but landed on the shelf of her belly and there it stayed.
Her eyes lit up when she saw the man and a wide smile brimmed across her muzzle. She waddled over to him, burdened by both the babies and the completely random collection of clothing she was pilfering. “Rest is for the old and dying,” she chimed. “We’re all too young for that.” Her tone was light and amused, and when she stepped up in front of Mars she leaned in to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Playfully, she draped an iridescent purple sash over Mars’s shoulders.
“They’re determined not to let me sleep,” she plucked the glove from her belly and slid it over her hand, wriggling her fingers into it. It was too small even for her petite hands, and the fabric was old, but still she looked dismayed when it ripped. “Whenever I start to doze off they decide it’s time to run laps, and they don’t seem to know that they’re not in an open field.” She talked to the glove, and then turned a giggle on Mars.
“Anyway, I’m just pregnant, I’m not an invalid. What do you think?” She held up a once-crimson silk scarf and wrapped it around her neck, then held it aloft in both hands and did a little turn, and all of the other garments she had collected fell to the floor. Her spin was much slower than her usually quick and fluid movements, but she somehow managed to make it look graceful all the same. Her long, fluffy tail caught the air and sprigs of white fluff floated lazily in the little breeze she created.
It didn’t occur to her that he might be tracking the days, nor that his concern was because the time was so near for the children to come. Orin had been lost in the strangeness of the world lately and had not tracked the time as meticulously as Mars tried to. The puppies would come when they wanted, so there was little reason for her to fret over it because there was no speeding it up or stopping it either way. That also meant that she hadn’t stopped to consider how useful knowing when to expect them would be. Denning and nesting hadn’t happened for the mother this time because of her recent change in packs. She was still trying to find a place to really settle in, and though she wanted the security of a den for her newborns, she had yet to pick one. Or… maybe that’s why she was here, in a place filled with soft fabrics, fantasy, and good memories.
“Do you remember the last time we were here? We danced… I got that gown… I still have it, you know.” She asked as she moved away from the racks and into the open floor. Murky mirrors stood against the walls and reflected back a handful of images behind dull eyes. Orin saw herself from a half dozen angles and she laughed at how preposterous she looked. “Oh my god! I really am fat!” She spun towards Mars. “Do you think I look fat?” It was a loaded question, but the bells in her voice and the laughter in her eyes made it clear it was a joke. She stood hipshot, hands resting on her currently nonexistent waist.
Table by Marie
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