WC: 554
Eclipse was quick to come over, and Coli felt the familiar flutter of recognition and wistful happiness to see Conor's daughter again. The glimmer of purple in her blue eyes always reminded her. "I... I didn't know either," she stammered quickly, glancing down at her paws in embarrassment. "When you visited us for the feast, and we spoke afterward at the garden... I didn't know wh-what made me feel so ill at the time, but I guess it was these three..." Pregnancy had been far from her mind that day, but now that she thought back on it, she supposed those early symptoms were obvious. It was just as obvious that she was raising them alone, and she quietly hoped Eclipse would not think too long on how they had been conceived. She was still so worried there would be something wrong with them.
"They were born just a few days before Lilin's litter. Did... did you just say you had children?" she asked in surprise, ears perking forward with interest. Not two months ago, Eclipse told her she had no intention of settling down, no desire to become a mother. Had that changed already? Up close, it was clear her niece did have other scents clinging to her fur, particularly one male scent Coli did not recognize intertwined with her Cercatori perfume. Her bobtail flicked in a happy pattern, excited by the prospect of even more little ones.
Coli watched curiously as Saul ushered Grace to a quiet corner. The bundles Niernan had left her with were moving, and Coli realized they must contain the companion animals Nier told her about. She squinted as she looked for the exotic one Nier had described as a cat crossed with a weasel, but then she saw Grace noticed her scrutiny and quickly turned aside, pretending to be watching Saul's approach instead. The Virding had such a warm smile on his face that Coli managed to smile in return, relieved that he approved of her name choices. She was so bad at making decisions, it had taken forever. And he called them family.
When she was sure Saul had the time, her voice lowered, speaking privately to the healer. "When I was carrying the basket, it... it tipped, the wind blew it, and, um... Florina fell out." She nudged the pale cream-furred pup to reaffirm which one she was referring to. Florina began crawling away, stubby legs carrying her across the sea of white blanket cloth toward the unfamiliar voices. "I... well, I don't think anything is wrong with her exactly, she... fell in a puddle and got all wet and cold, but she didn't seem to care at all. She still doesn't, see? Her sisters want to warm up..." Coli nestled more tightly around Fari and Fio, relieved to feel their small bodies pressing against her damp fur. Blue eyes watched with concern as Florina bumped fearlessly into Saul's toes, snuffling wetly at the obstacle in her path before attempting to clamber over it. Coli peered up at Saul's expression, waiting anxiously to hear the verdict. Was she overreacting? Not having a crying baby to deal with should certainly be a blessing, but it didn't sit quite right with her. There was so much else on her mind, perhaps she had missed something of importance.