I just placed Cwmfen in her den - I hope that's all right? I'll change it if not  Word Count: 370
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So rarely was she in this form, that she still stopped to study her own shadow from time to time. Obvious, now, was the bulk around her stomach. It held many promises, though their nature was hardly something she longed to touch. She could not shift now, she knew that, and she missed being able to play her instruments. They would perhaps have proven a comfort to her while she waited for the inevitable. But, she could not risk shifting, not with the pains that shook her every so often. It came mostly at night, when she had nothing to occupy her mind with except waiting for sleep to come. One day, a final sleep would envelope her, and perhaps, then, it would be a comfort. She had no memory of her last birth, having fallen unconscious and in the care of her aunt. But the pressure of death looming over her - that, she could remember.
The sun sat high in the sky and her shadow was short and chubby. She had always been slim, almost thin, even. Not built for anything but moving fast, but stealthily. She had been an excellent fighter, once. Agile, swift. She had not kept those abilities alive, hadn't nurtured them. And now, she sought the one in this pack that truly was a fighter. Except, she was also a leader, and now a mother, too. Mew did not really know the female well, but in every encounter she had appeared courteously and pleasantly towards her. The ivory woman did not expect Cwmfen to turn her away, and she certainly came at a decent hour. There was a purse around her neck, one she had sown herself when she was younger: she usually kept her musical treasures in it. Now, it held meat. A gift was only timely, after all Mew had yet to congratulate the femme on her litter. That was the cover under which she approached the dark leader today. Her olfactory sense led her to the warrior's den, and she stopped at a distance, calling out. She would give the female the opportunity to turn her away if she was not available. "Cwmfen? It's me, Mew. Do you have a moment?"
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Oh yeah! That’s fine with me, ^=^ And Sorry about the wait!
700+
Early that morning, the warrior had gone out to hunt. Where she had once been able to eat only occasionally—perhaps every other day or, at worst times, ever week—she now hunted and fed every day. It was apparent within her mind that such frequent feeding was necessary for her pups, for it was the nourishment of her every meal that gave nourishment to her growing pups. That need to hunt, however, did not trouble the black fae. While she trained now near her den with hard and vigorous sessions to harden her body and instincts and resolve once more, hunting was simply another necessary and enjoyable exercise. The warrior practiced speed and agility, and she practiced silence and stealth. While the latter was most naturally within that ethereal movement of her muscles, her speed and agility had grown dull in the months of her pregnancy. Now she sought to hone them as she did with all the skills that she once had and the techniques that she sought to have.
The hunt had gone successfully, and the warrior felt that there was now little to be regained. She would be able to focus upon that which must be learned so that defeat as it had occurred nearly three moons ago would not happen again. Cwmfen fed swiftly and thoroughly upon the small rabbit, leaving only the pelt and some bones, for she found that the marrow of bones was a small treat, as nourishing as was the liver. And so, with the hunt successful and the meal complete, the black she-wolf moved with fluidity, returning to her den with the celerity of a wild and free hunter.
The pups were waiting for her within the den, obedient and remaining within lest danger should pass by. The wolf moved into the tunnel and into the open den within that was from above guarded by the great oak. It was cool within her earthen abode, for without the sky was bright despite clouds and the day had grown comfortably hot. The pups greeted her with their peculiar silence, and yet their silence was not peculiar to her. Both she and Onus were wordless creatures, and so it was not unusual that the pups were silent also. They had learned ‘mother’ and ‘father’ among other things, but soundlessness was dominating. But, as with Onus, their silence spoke more loudly than broken sentences ever could for the woman was well versed in the language of Silence. Occasionally they would speak. Those black and white eyes of Honor, and those black and white eyes of Chastity, looked to her, and she knew that they were hungry. With a soft smile within the white orbs, the woad marked fae lowered herself to the cool earth and the twins instantly came to suckle at her belly. They had grown much since the time of their birth, but still they were small. The new mother marveled at their small size, and she marveled at her love for them also.
The pups had long since fed and had gone to nap. Soon they would rise, the warrior knew, and they would play in the brighter world above. The voice that called from above caused the woad-bound ears to lift forward. She recognized that voice although it had been many moons since she had heard it. The pied boy had heard it too, and his sleepy head lifted to find his mother rising and leaving the den. Honor nudged his sister who wore a pelt in the likeness of her father and yawned before rising with her brother. Cwmfen rose from the den, standing at its mouth as if she were some long-faded visage of a warrior’s shade. A soft smile was upon the quiet lips, and the tranquility of her features was ever impassive. The scrutiny of the warrior missed very little, and she did not miss the pregnant belly. And she did not miss, too, the dark colours within her packmate. But the warrior now could understand such a thing, for she had grown to understand the nature of love. Lubomir had departed from Dahlia, and Mew had loved him. "I have much time," the soft alto sang. "Do you need something?"
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Waiting-time fail by Marit. Sorry  (
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Cwmfen appeared in the den's mouth, and Mew smiled at her as she spoke. Her voice had rarely reached Mew's ears, not because Cwmfen was shy or because they were not on good terms; the warrior simply seemed to choose her words carefully. There had been a time when Mew, Cwmfen and Firefly had shared the duties of the Council, and Mew could very well remember her fascination. Where Firefly spoke without limit or thought, Cwmfen was silent. Mew had simply been there for... well nothing, she never felt like she contributed much in that position, although she had thought she would do so. Still, she had a deep respect for the dark femme she met now, for her silence and well-chosen words.
Mew shook her head at Cwmfen's question, causing the bag around her neck to dance with the motion. She did indeed need many things, but she had not come here to gain anything. At least, not as far as she knew. The smile remained as she spoke with a soft and low, proclaiming her mission. "I came to congratulate you on the children." She was late, but better late than never. Cwmfen had a sharp mind; she probably knew more than Mew expected her to already, about the reasons of her self-exclusion from anything social during the past month. Her white tail hung calmly behind her as she awaited a response from the warrior, and her stance was everything calm and friendly.
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No, I fail more >n<
500+
A faint smile moved across her quiet lips. "Thank you, Mew," the soft melody offered in response. The pups moved up against her hind legs, pausing as they watched the stranger from afar. Cwmfen stepped down from the mouth of her den, landing silently, lithely, upon the grass beneath her. The earth was cool for the shade, and the golden sun warmed their fingers. The woad-bound maw curiously extended briefly, and she scented the air about the bag that hung from the other’s neck. It seemed an uncomfortable accessory, but the black fae could not tolerate clothing constricting her movements. Mew was more adept than she at maneuvering with such things. The black she-wolf smelled the meat and knew of the greater hunger that moved a pregnant body.
Turning, the woad warrior gave her attention momentarily to the pups that wished to see also. The twins stepped forth, lingering at the lip of the tunnel in silence. They watched the other female, the stranger, with their silence, their dichotomous, heterochromian eyes, watching the other with a strange intensity. Like the venom within the young of snakes, their gaze was held with an openness much greater than their parents who knew how to lessens and intensify their own silence. Honor and Chastity both took a step forward but they did not descend. The pied boy and the coy-like girl did not growl and were polite with this stranger, and the black she-wolf approved of such a thing. The woad-marked fae gave them each a simple touch upon their nose with her own before she returned to the green-eyed female. The Dahlian Adonis could not help but feel that joy, mild and gentle within her soul, at the caring of her young. It was something unexpected and yet expected all at once.
The diluted and yet warm mirth faded in the tranquil river of her soul. The impassivity was held lightly once more, a light of elegance within her ever erected pose. While the presence of another pregnant wolf set a danger upon her pups, the warrior did not fear for her young. Mew would not attack them; often such archaic wolven traditions did not persist within these societies. Nevertheless, the warrior was alert as she was always. "You bear your own," the soft alto offered. The tranquil voice was impassive. She did not know how Mew would approach the situation. Cwmfen herself had lingered in silence and solitude, for she had believed that the seed that had grown within her had belonged to the crow wolf. And still, she had known the feeling of being fettered, for, regardless of who had planted the seed within her, the burden of bearing life had not permitted her to fulfill her duties to the pack. She wished still to hear the song of war, but she knew that she must wait but a little longer, and she was patient. This experience...it was a different thing, but it was not unpleasant. She cherished the life that she and Onus had created regardless of the fetters that now bound her.
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Word Count: 386
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The dark warrior stepped forward and Mew smiled a small smile. She watched her packmate as she gave her attention to the children for a moment, fascinated by this side of her. For all their moments spent together, Mew hardly knew Cwmfen, but she had always seen her as the strong, silent and perhaps cold, female. Now, she was different, and Mew could see that she knew, too. She knew, and she was happy. It was more than Mew could ask for, for the weight around her waist was nothing but a curse, now. It had come at the wrong time and in the wrong way, and she wished she had never prayed for such a thing.
Bending her neck, Mew let the satchel drop to the ground, and its top fell off to reveal the contents. "I brought you some meals - no doubt it is hard to find enough to supply their growing bodies." She only had two, and Mew knew that it was not uncommon to have twice as many, if not more than that. In that sense, Cwmfen was lucky, perhaps. Mew's little smile lingered as she glanced at the den mouth, as if wanting to steal a glimpse of the small. To be truthful, she did want to see them. She wondered what children of this mysterious figure would look like.
Emerald eyes dropped to the ground as Cwmfen stated the obvious. She did not want to talk about it, but she was a visitor, now, and Cwmfen was a leader of this pack as well. The white female didn't believe that Cwmfen would be angry or disappointed in her if she did not speak of it, but the need to follow those in command had always been strong in her. She was ashamed, but she would reply. Waiting a moment, she lifted her gaze again and met the peculiar eyes of the Adonis. "Yes." Pausing, she considered to stop there, in hopes that the subject would be avoided. But no; she did not have the privilege of hiding from the world any longer. These pups were a concern of all the members of the pack, and God knew she needed someone to take care of them when she was gone. For she believed she would die. "Honestly... I'm terrified."
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500+
The warrior’s white orbs watched the white fae curiously as the bag was dropped. She watched the movement of the human thing and found it strange and unfamiliar—and yet, she supposed that the movement could have been similar to the coat that Onus donned. The meat was scented strongly by the woad-banded maw, but she did not lower her head to explore the smell and withheld herself, watching from a distance. The pups gradually leapt down from the lip of the cave, walking slowly to their mother’s feet. Their dichotomous gazes looked up at the white strange they now knew to be ‘Mew’, and they dipped their maw as they had seen their mother do to greet others. A brief nod of approval and encouragement was spared for the pups, and their faces seemed somehow to brighten (Honor did not seem to smile, but Chastity’s maw brightened imperceptibly). Content with themselves, the twins turned, trotting over to the nest before commencing with their wrestling. It seemed to be their most cherished pastime, and it was a useful and logical thing within the Woad Warrior’s mind.
There was surprise within the female at Mew’s offerings, but only a slight flicker of the woad-banded ears indicated as much. The white orbs that had held the green gaze lowered to the meat that was now visible from the satchel. "I thank you, Mew," the soft tones sang, gratitude held openly upon the that melody. She took a step forward, gently touching the meet with her maw as she sniffed at it in great detail. It was simply a habit. Once the warrior was satisfied, she lifted her head. "You must feed yourself as well." The warrior did not want to return the gift, for such a thing was unbecoming of the receiver. But it was important as well for the pregnant female to nourish the lives yet unborn.
"Do not be terrified," the soft alto responded, and she moved a little closer to the other female, a comfortable distance and yet not touching. Aside from making love—and now, she supposed, in the care of her children—it was only in war that Cwmfen tended to make contact with another’s body. There was a brief moment of silence as the fluid body ceased to move, and the white orbs met the gaze of the Vitis without challenge, although that wild ferocity lingered there still. As when she had found Conor terrified, the warrior raised a query. "What makes you feel in such a way, Mew?" The black spoke in quiet tones, her voice almost a susurrus. She thought that she could smell the other’s terror now, and the warrior wondered at it. Indeed, even when she had believed that it had been Corvus’ seed that grew within her, there had not been terror. She knew that such a thing had been preordained, and so she had accepted the shackles of the pregnancy with quiet contentment, her only regret being that her body betrayed Onus by the bearing of evil. But only the seed that had grown within her had changed. She did not think that she would have grown less fond of her pups had they been spawned from that black seed, but she knew also that she would have killed them had they grown with blackness in their hearts.
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This wait I give everyone lately is embarrassing. I'm veryveryvery sorry :/
Word Count: 453
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Her emeralds followed the two children as they overcame their shyness and came to greet her. Or perhaps they simply mimicked their mother. That was more likely. One smiled - the girl - after both gave a little nod very similar to their mother's usual greeting. Mew smiled at them; they were cute and well-behaved, and she did not have trouble looking at the young as much as she did before. There was the tiniest of flames within her, a small hope, that she might live. And that little part of her, however outnumbered in comparison to the darkness that stained her thoughts, rejoiced and looked forward to the time when she, too, would be a mother.
Cwmfen accepted her gift, and to her 'thank you' and her comment about feeding herself, Mew nodded wordlessly. She did try to make sure she ate enough, but dulled pains returned with every meal, stronger than ever. A secret part of her wished to rid her body of the litter, as if not feeding them would help. It certainly would not, the only thing achieved would be the death of the mother, and the littler with it, she was certain of this. Perhaps she also wished to have herself perish before the litter was due, not wanting to die in terrible agony, and to bring orphaned children into this world.
Again Cwmfen's words were answered in silence, and Mew's gaze dropped to the ground as she spoke. Cwmfen did not understand, or know of the great danger the expectant mother was in, and Mew dared not explain. Her encounter with Hanna was fresh in her memory - how her self-composition had broken down to nothing, and she had cried like a child in front of her aunt. She had felt like a child, but without being able to let go and simply accept the comforting presence of her relative. Instead, she had been embarrassed and tense, feeling stupid and adolescent. She refused to repeat that scene, especially not in front of one of the highest respected members of her pack. Instead, her eyes studied Cwmfen's calm features, and changed the subject, though it was relevant to her situation. "Tell me, Cwmfen, how is Haku with children? Is he a good father?" There was a reason why Conor and Emwe had stayed with Alexey, but Mew had never asked. Her brother was so distant to her, and Alexey might be offended. After all, was it not good enough for them, to stay with her? And, she did not know her nephews well enough to ask them. They might not want to speak about it, either. Mew's face was blank and composed as she waited for an answer.
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No, no. I made you wait too ><
500+
The silent nod of the other was not strange to the quiet warrior, and a soft yet golden smile was given in return. The woad-bound maw lowered to take some of the meat, placing it to the side. Perhaps, once the formalities of conversation were complete, the white female would dine with her. But briefly, her attention was turned elsewhere. At the nest, soft growls was lifted upon the air, and it seemed to the woad-marked fae that the voices of her children belonged within the world. The relief that had been felt when she realized that the pups belonged to Onus lingered ever in her soul. While she had been prepared to still the lives should they have darkened souls, the warrior preferred this persistence of life. And she found the love that she felt for these small twins to be strange and yet expected. A small smile danced upon her maw as she beheld those small forms that would inevitably grow into fuller, stronger forms.
The Vitis did not answer the Adonis’ query and was silent; such silence did not sit well with the warrior who believed that such questions must be confronted, but she did not push the other female. The question that was raised upon the air caused the woad-banded ears to press forward. The white orbs turned from the twins at her feet to the pregnant fae. How was Haku with children? The warrior did not know. She herself had not often engaged within children for her disapproval of their disrespect. Now, with her own, she had taken care to raise them with care and with the discipline of warriors. But Haku had not taken up the role of father, and Alexey had been the caretaker of the Soul children. The thoughts flitted through her mind with such celerity that the silence was not lasting. "I don’t know," the quiet melody replied at length. Perhaps once she would have believed him to respond decently, but recently she had felt much darkness within him. Perhaps, with the unborn lives belonging to Mew, to whom Haku was related, the pups would be well protected. But then the warrior paused. Was that what the white fae wished? Mew would know Haku more acutely than she. "What would you want in a father?" There was a brief pause before the warrior continued, her posture lowering as she sat those sinewy haunches upon the earth.
A specific thought rose up upon the air, provoked by the mood that seemed so unfamiliar of the green-eyed fae. Mild concern rose up within the emotionally dilute palette of the Adonis. "Will you not raise them?" Cwmfen herself primarily raised the twins, for Onus was not always welcome within the packs. But she understood that and knew the responsibilities that Nature and the Wild had placed upon the female. And the pups seemed to understand that as well, for their love of their father was very strong. But Mew’s mate had left.... The warrior did not find such a thing to be a complication, but she knew what was expected within these societies. She wondered briefly if that was what kept Onus nearby, but then she knew that he, too, had grown to love these small creatures that together they had wrought.
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Sorry again. Seriously, life is after my hobbies this fall.
Word Count: 337
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Her strange question did not go unnoticed, and Mew struggled with her calm while the silence quivered between the two. She was not used to conflict, potential conflict, or confrontation - and now she had potentially placed herself in all of it. And yet, she did not find strength within herself to leave the subject altogether; something in her wished to share these feelings, needed to share them. When Cwmfen finally replied, Mew was ready to sigh of relief, but no sign of such an emotion was given. Before she could say anything, the dark femme spoke again, and now Mew glanced to the ground before looking back at the Adonis and replying. "Reliability. Responsibility." She paused a moment, thinking. Finally, hesitantly, she said; "Safety". Truthfully, the last thing she had mentioned was perhaps the first item on a list of preference, and perhaps it was this word that caused her to ask. For would she know her brother best? He was nothing but charming around her, but others had warned her. Others had expressed a fear of his darker sides, sides Mew had never seen. But if she died, he would be their logical caretaker, as their uncle. Did she want that? And, more importantly, could she trust him with it?
Her hint had not gone unnoticed, and now she felt silly. She should not have approached the matter in this way, but felt unable not to do so. Her gaze was directed downwards and stayed there a moment. Green eyes studied the grass - grass which would soon wither and die in the cold of winter, but not sooner than she was dead herself. Her thoughts danced from one reply to the next - which to choose? Finally she settled for honesty, if a somewhat toned down version. "I do not know. I hope so." Her face laid in sombre folds, but her eyes did not quiver as they had with Hanna. For that, she was thankful. She did not wish to break down again.
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