Firefly wasn’t exactly sure what had happened, she had awoken to a hazy scene before her. She knew she was inside a building but she didn’t know where. All she could remember was what trouble she’d got herself into and brief glimpses of the fight that had broken out afterwards. She could remember Haven arrived just when she thought she was going to die and then everything after that had just been a blur. Everything was harder to do than it had ever been. She could feel a dull throbbing along her side every time she breathed. Nausia had set in when she’d tried to move and she’d had to fight to stay contouis. She felt a rippling effect break down her side as she yelped.
The scent of hay was all around her and she realized that she must be in the barn. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe again, the ragged sound frightening her slightly as she coughed. Her voice was just a raspy sound as she called out. ”Haven?” She couldn’t see him but she could smell him. She began to panic as she thought that her own folly had caused the boy to become wounded graver than she was. Her mind argued that that was impossible, someone had managed to get her to safety, and from the sound of the shifting and nickering horses she believed she was back home in Cour des Miracles lands. She felt a second ripple break over her body as she began to weep.
It had taken her a moment to realize that the sharp pain she felt was not from the wounds but from her body itself. She’d felt the contractions of labor before and she knew what would come next. Bitter tears spilled down her cheeks, mixing with blood as she whimpered. ”It’s too soon..” She had pleaded with the Dahlia de Mai wolves to let her go, they knew she was with pups but it didn’t matter now because she couldn’t stop what nature wouldn’t allow continuing. A bitter voice whispered that it was better this way, Jacquez had never wanted the puppies and war was not a time to be raising them anyways but in her heart she knew the voice was wrong, she’d wanted them and she wanted them still.
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Alaine can come in whenever. SoSuWriMo 471
The ride back to Cour des Miracles had been one of the longest he had ever made. His jaw had been clenched tight as he held Firefly's battered form in place, trying to keep her from jostling around too much. They needed to get back as quick as possible, and yet he couldn't urge Drogon into a full on gallop for it would have caused the woman additional damage and pain. The going had been slow and Haven feared that every second that ticked by brought her closer to the end. He wanted to kill the bastard that had done this to her, and the woman too. He would have if the damn cowards hadn't ran off. If Firefly hadn't been in such bad shape he would have gone after them, but she was bleeding all over the place and he knew that it hadn't been the time for revenge. If he ever saw either of those two again though they would meet a quick demise at the end of his sword. Anyone who would attack a pregnant woman deserved no less.
They had made it to the stable and he had carefully gotten off of Drogon with Firefly and laid her down in some hay on the ground. The Knight was afraid to move her any further than he already had. Her blood stained his front as well as the stallion's back and sides, the scent covering his nose like a noxious cloud. As he looked at her tears threatened his eyes, but he couldn't break down, she still needed his help. He vaguely remembered word of that one woman at the pack meeting being a healer and he ran out to the front of the stables and let a loud and urgent howl forth calling for anyone with healing knowledge. He could only do so much for her and all of his supplies were back at his house. He couldn't leave her alone to go fetch them, it would take too much time.
A yelp reached his ears and his call cut off abruptly as he rushed to her side, kneeling beside her. "I'm here Firefly, I'm right here." Worry filled him and it was all he could do to not break into a panic. The healer better get her soon, she needed help. If she died he would never forgive himself. It didn't matter that she had been far from home, it was his job to protect her and if he hadn't gotten her to help in time it would be an agony indescribable. She started to cry and said something about it being too soon. What was too soon? The male held back worried whine. "I called for the healer, she should be here soon, just hold on Firefly." Don't die, he pleaded silently. Please don't die.
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She felt the show ebb of her blood oozing from the wound that stretched from the back of her left arm down almost to her wrist. She closed her eyes, the tears hot against her cheeks as she heard the sound of Haven’s voice. She could have laughed, the relief to know that he was indeed fine but it hurt too much to laugh and she wasn’t in a state that she even wanted to think of the happy tone that laughter was suppose to be reserved for. She slowly opened her eyes again as she turned towards Haven, sniffling slightly as she whimpered. ”I want Jac..” she was quiet a moment before she admitted. ”I need Jac.” She didn’t care how angry the king was at her she didn’t want to be here right now in this pain and she wanted one of the few members that really understood her fully anymore. She could deal with whatever cruel things he might have to say if it came down to it, but she didn’t think it would.
Firefly nodded quietly as Haven explained that he had called for the healer. Firefly could remember the woman’s face but it was a brief flash in her mind. She just shivered as she felt the rippling effect of another contraction pull across her form. Her tears flowed freely again as she let her head fall back to the hay, a gasp breaking her ragged breathing pattern as the pain from her wounds was pushed away as the contractions took force as the more powerful of the two in the fight for her attention. She didn’t want to push, she knew what would happen if she did. It was too soon, it was way too soon. The puppies would never survive, even if they lived still after the abuse that she’d taken at the hands of the cronies from Dahlia de Mai. She shuddered as she cried out, knowing that either way she wouldn’t see her children live beyond tonight.
She shifted her head slightly to where she could see Haven’s face, the worry in his eyes evident as she gasped. ”Jac has to be here, they’re his..” she closed her eyes again, tired from the events of the day and knowing still that there was more to come. Panic raised a whine in her throat as she realized that she didn’t think she had enough left in her to continue on. Her emerald eyes opened slightly as she gazed beyond where Haven stood as she drew her knees up to her chest as once more her mid-drift was gripped by the strong contracting muscles that tried to push her children into this world too early. She could scent the stronger odor of fluids mixed with her own blood, the process of labor as she wished that it was just over already.
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ooc: here i am! just wanting to check - are the pups going to live, or die?
It was quiet, the kind of silence that makes one jumpy, edgy. Sitting alone on the deck of the old hotel, the healer was all these things and more. Unable to remain still her slender hands fidgeted constantly, wearing a small channel into the rotten wood of the balcony fence. Beyond her lay the lands of the Cour des Miracles pack, stretched out like a lazy cold blanket of dank winter. Restless emerald eyes, purest jade with inverted optics, scanned the land. Waiting. Just waiting.
When the howl pierced that solemn silence, not an inch of surprise curled in her gut.
Muttering haphazardly to herself, the young lady dashed into the house, scooping up her bag of healing contents and hurriedly stuffing it with extra blankets and rags. Winter was often a sucker of souls, more so than the tepid Summer-fevers or Autumn colds; Worse, it's fatality was often spread via those who were previously injured. There was a telling knot of worry fixing clammy hands around her heart, and Alaine mentally pushed them away as she stumbled out the door, bounded down the steps. Content with the knowledge that her own young harem of children were safely tucked away into the fold of the looming building behind, the healer rapped the strap of her satchel thrice about her neck before shifting into Lupus form.
Four legs were much faster than two, and as she skidded beneath fences and low-lying bushes, the collie-lady was very grateful to her petite, light form. It made these mad sprints much easier than hefting around the larger bulk of a purebred wolf. Instinct and keen hearing informed the too-young mother of the direction of the howl, but it was not until she saw the stables up ahead that recognition truly set in. The wounded must be inside, and by the sound of that howl they already had company. Maybe it wouldn't be that serious, then - A crushed toe from anxious hoofs, or a fall from the rafters. Trying to settle her anxious mind on those more optimistic thoughts, the dog stopped before the doors, and hurriedly shifted back into Optime form.
She was just striding through the door, untangling the bag from about her slender throat, when the rusty smell of fresh blood hit like a stampede. Letting out a low bark to inform the occupants that she had arrived, all sorts of nervousness immediately fled from the young beauty's features, replaced instead by the calm but steely facade of a practiced healer.
The woman was slouched on the floor, folded into herself like a sodden piece of creamy silk. Her fur, a soft silver in the light of the stables, was stained glossy ruby in places, and a puddle of watery blood had began to ooze out from underneath her. The second smell, now stronger than the first, was of birthing fluid - The traumatic memories of her own pregnancy were pushed stubbornly aside as Alaine immediately rushed forth, the bag dumped unceremoniously at her side as the collie-lady knelt down beside the fallen. She was appealing to a man - Not just any man, for he smelt strongly of the pack too - But the healer merely gave him a cursory once-over for any wounds. He was surprisingly devoid of the signs of mauling that had marred the sunken beauty.
" Miss? Miss, I'm the healer, I'm going to help you. How long have you been having contractions for? I need you too look at me now, focus on my face. I'm going to get you through this. What is your name, and who is the father?"
The words were a calm stream of consciousness, all her self-taught skills bubbling to the fore as Alaine tilted the woman's head in her direction, her palms cool on the heated, flushed flesh. The wounded had lost a lot of blood, and seemed to be suffering from severe shock - Her pupils were barely visible, just blurs of pinpoint darkness in their orbs of pained green. Alaine took a deep breath, her gut churning at the scents that had infiltrated the room. Now she turned towards the male with a surprising amount of authority, her hands already rifling through the bag to pull out various bits of equipment.
" You need to keep her awake, conscious, while I examine her. If she passes out before the labor is over, the pups will die in the womb. Lie her down, and try and find something soft to support her head."
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Sorry for the wait guys, and I guess Jac can join in whenever? 500+
Haven was surprised that Firefly wanted Jac to be there, even more than that, that she needed him to be here. He had seen the unkind glances thrown between the two at the meeting and had known that something sour had happened between them, but he had been too wise to inquire what it was. Still, at the moment he was in no position to deny any request that she might have. Anything he could do for her, he would. Still, though, he was frozen in place by her side and he couldn't find the will to get up and leave her, even for a second. A war was briefly fought inside him as Firefly combated with her pain and injuries and finally he rose his voice again in a call for their King without moving from his current position. Hopefully Jacquez would hear the howl, even if it was coming from the depths of the stables. The Knight simply couldn't leave her side though. If he took his eyes off of her for a moment something would go horrible wrong, he was convinced of this.
Firefly looked to him again as her voice rasped out and a shock shot through him. It was not only the news that Jac was the father of Firefly's litter, but the realization of what was happening too soon. It felt as if ice water had just been splashed on his back and at the same time the fire of his rage flared up again against the two that had done this to her. Even if the woman hadn't actively participated in the assault she was just as much to blame as the male by standing there and watching it happen. Up until this moment he had only been concerned with her well being, but he now realized that her pups were in the most danger. Those lives that had barely had a chance to form inside of her at all. Jade eyes shot around, searching fervently for the appearance of the healer. Where was she dammit! Hadn't she been able to tell from his call that this was an emergency of the gravest kind?
The male looked worriedly back down to Firefly and then a bark hit his ears and immediately he looked up again. There she was, thank god. Haven watched breathlessly as she came over to Firefly and looked her over, his body rigid with the tension of the situation. The hybrid woman spoke calmly yet strongly to Firefly. Haven wished that he could give all the answers, but he only knew the last two that the healer wanted. Before he found his voice though he was addressed next with a task to perform and without hestitation he nodded his head and ran to where the horse blankets were kept. He grabbed the nearest one and folded it up to make a makeshift pillow. Carefully he lifted her head up and placed the blanket underneath. His head hovered over her own and he extended his hand for her to hold if she wanted to. "Firefly, focus on my voice, okay? Focus on my face. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere. Just hold on and stay awake. We're going to help you, and Jac will be here soon. I promise he will." If the King didn't show up soon the Knight would give him a severe tongue lashing for more than just his absence.
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Ooc- they aren’t going to live but a few moments.
The waves that washed over her were not soothing and calming like the gentle call of the tides but rather like the wounds when they had been freshly rented upon her flesh. She shuddered as tears seeped from her eyes. She knew that she had screwed up but she hadn’t expected it to come down to this, she had expected to die after she’d fallen, knowing that she had been no match for the male in her current state and with the wounds he’d inflicted. How in the world Haven had found her and driven of the bastard and Haku’s new bitch were beyond her but she was grateful for him for saving her, even if she’d been prepared to face death.
She let her eyes open slowly, the shifting light of the barn playing with the motes in the air before her as she listened for the call that Haven let fall from his lips. She smiled drowsily as she let her head fall back into the aromatic hay. She had begun to close her eyes again as another contraction swamped her form. She cried out, the tears a mixture of her weeping and the pain as she shook her head. She didn’t want them to come now, it was too soon, they weren’t needed in the world yet and she was afraid to think what would happen if they did come. Her cries were broken by the sharp alert of another having found them. She wasn’t sure who it was, knowing that Haven had called a healer and the king. She didn’t even stop to think that it could just be another pack member passing by, didn’t Heath stay here often. Her mind couldn’t even focus on the thoughts as the sound of another voice filled the space.
Firefly could feel another’s hands on her face, but the words were hard to focus on. She opened her eyes again and thought she recognized the healer woman through the fog that seemed to have settled about her. Her words were almost lost on the woman though as she tried to form sentences to answer. Her head shook softly as she gasped. ”I don’t know..” she admitted, she had fainted upon the back of Haven’s horse and she hadn’t known when the contractions had started, tears crept down her cheeks slowly as she whined. ”It’s too soon, they can’t come now..” her voice was harsh as she ranted on, forgetting what the woman had even wanted to know already. It didn’t seem to matter, the lady had moved on to talk to Haven, Firefly’s eyes following the sound of her voice as she heard the movement of the Aatte boy.
It didn’t take long though for her to figure out where he was when he lifted her head gently and rearranged everything about her. She could see his face now as he spoke, her bloodied fingers curling around his as she tried to watch his face, her voice a low murmur as she pleased. ”You promise?” She wasn’t even certain if her question was towards him saying he wasn’t leaving or the promised arrival of the king. She could feel the rippling contractions again as she felt her muscles begin to slid the pup on towards the real world. She couldn’t even force her body not to accept what came naturally, she couldn’t stop things now. It really didn’t matter anymore to her; she knew it was all too soon.
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ooc: this ain't gonna be pretty. sorry for any pp.
To her tone, the young man responded immediately. A wave of relief washed through the collie-woman's tense frame - If he had been in a state of shock, she had no idea how she would have been able to help the wounded lady. When Firefly spoke, her voice was faint, her eyes already sliding back into her head in a mixture of shock, exhaustion and utter hopelessness. Her words did nothing but to confirm the icy pit of dread that fisted about Alaine's heart - It was too soon. The pups were coming too soon.
Her mind whizzed with healer's intuition. She could either attempt to save the pups, or the mother; one of the two would not survive past this night.
As the coral-orange and white man returned, the healer pursed her mouth in a grim line, her emerald eyes still firm on the woman's features as her head was lowered reverently onto a pile of horse-blankets. With her body now laying down, the bulge of her stomach extended, and quivered with each wave of contractions. Alaine knew of the pain, of the fierce burning, of the terror. But this, this was more than she'd had - Ivory hands skimmed over the woman's rounded womb, feeling for shifting bodies, counting in her head. In her birth, there had only been Caillen and another - The other, born still as midnight, never even felt the butterfly breath of life to swell it's weak lungs.
As she'd instructed, the boy took over with the woman's head, and their voices melted over her ears to meddle with the rush of blood in her head, the faint whispers of instructions and healing practices that rifled through the collie-woman's calm determination. Her eyes quickly lifted to the woman's busied head, before she reshuffled her own crouching frame between her legs. The insides of the pregnant wolf's thighs were laced with pungent fluid, dribbling red with blood. The scent was almost overwhelming, but Alaine was in her healer's mind now, and saw it all as a document, as a reel of consciousness and transmission of information.
Lacerated wounds, torn inner vulva. Pregnancy likely spurned by a hefty blow to the stomach or side. Patient too weak for healthy delivery, whelps too young for assisted Caesar. Water broken, labor induced... Roughly an hour ago. Contractions lasting for between 5-10 beats, only a minute or so apart; both mother and unborns in peril of immediate fatality.
They wont all survive, Alaine. You have to choose.
And whether it was the right thing to do or not, whether the mother wished it, the father, the pups themselves, Alaine chose the desperately sobbing woman. Because she was still alive, and because her voice, though laced with what would likely become severe depression upon conscious re-cognition of the death of her children, was strong enough to give her the will of life. The decision made, Alaine burst into another erratic spur of action - Grasping at a stray blanket that hadn't been bunched beneath the wolf's head, she quickly elevated it beneath her hips, widening them and offering perhaps a slight ease to the pain.
From her leather pouch, she grabbed some small strangely-scented leaves, laced with little purple veins that traveled suspiciously up their stems. Midnight bloomer, a poison and a tranquilizer; When given a minor amount, it would dull the vicious pain that made her writhe so. She thrust them at the young man, her other hand still rummaging through the satchel for other tools.
" Get her to swallow these whole, all of them. She may try to spit them out, because they taste horrid, but she has to have them before the pups come."
She would still try everything in her power to keep the woman's children with them, earthbound and separate from their already tangible connection with death. But deep within, she knew that they couldn't survive, not now. If they did, it would be only for the briefest of moments - a candle burnt right down to the wick, flickering fitfully in the darkness before it extinguished and plunged the world into darkness.
She pulled herself up again, bloodied fingers tipping the woman's semi-listless head towards her, peeling up her drooping eyelids to take stock of the glazed eyes beneath. There wasn't much time left - Her body would forcefully remove the pups in just a moment, expel them from the womb in an effort to protect itself. There was nothing she could do about that, or about the blood-loss that would follow; Alaine could only do her best for this woman. Do her best to ensure that she, atleast, survived.
For the pups, their barely dawned lives would shortly be thrust into twilight.
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Jacquez Trouillefou was no stranger to death. He had killed before, in the passion of the fight - felt the sickening crunch as his opponent's skull shattered beneath his knuckles, watched the dark blood bubble from each orifice as the corpse crumpled at his feet. It did not faze him. He was a violent man when the situation called for it; it had been a harsh life in the south, and one needed physical prowess and ruthless cunning to rule anything for long. Things were more civilized here in the north, boundaries were rarely crossed, respect was grudgingly offered even before it was earned. Sometimes he missed the simplicity of solving a conflict with his fist, even missed the copper scent of blood.
This was not one of those times.
The king heard the strained howl from his knight, had reluctantly trudged his way through the snow, cursing the bitter cold and the emergency that drew him all the way out to the stables. And then the overwhelming scent of blood assaulted his senses, drowning out everything else around him. He was still snowblind, his dark eyes struggling to focus in the dim light of the barn, but he could make out Haven, huddled with the forms of two others. It dawned on him then that the blood was Firefly's.
A sickening wave of nausea rippled through him, realizing exactly what was unfolding before him. His children were killing Firefly. He had refused to be present when Susquehanna or Finn had brought his offspring into the world, and he had already told the proud Sadira woman that she was on her own with this litter. But... he knew she could handle it. The woman had pined for the sons she left behind in Dahlia de Mai, had adopted Jontae and that damn cat to have something to coddle, it was obvious she wanted to be a mother again. This... this was not what he expected. Not what he wanted. He never expected her litter to... die. For her to die...
Standing rigidly in the open doorway of the barn, Jacquez's hand was grasping the timber doorframe, claws sinking deeper and deeper into the splintering wood. Alaine was her medic; Haven was her support. Jacquez was not needed at all. There was a strange coldness seeping into his chest, one that the drafty weather had nothing to do with. Was this... regret? Fear? Helplessness? Guilt? "What's... going to happen?" he asked gruffly, flat black gaze watching the horrific scene unfold. And why did this happen at all?
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As Firefly's fingers held onto his extended hand he felt both hope and dread. As long as she held onto him he would keep her awake, he could gauge her strength through the strength she used to hold onto his hand. Still, it was so unlike her to accept such help and comfort. She was a strong, fiery, independent woman and to see her in such a weakened and terrified state struck at the very core of him. This wasn't how things were supposed to be. None of this should have happened. As she spoke his fingers squeezed her's in a reassuring manner. "I promise." He would promise whatever she needed him to promise. With those words though he also promised vengeance. Someday he would make those Dahlians pay for what they had done to her and he would show no mercy. They had shown none to her. He would bring a quick end to their wicked lives with his blade, even though they deserved to suffer and linger. This crime would not go unpunished, this he sworn to her as well as himself.
Haven's whole attention was focused on Firefly, letting the healer do whatever it was that she needed to do. The quick action of the other woman's hands being jerked in front of him made him jump, but then his bi-colored ears tuned into her instructions and quickly took the herbs with his free hand. He mused for a moment on how best to get Firefly to take them and carefully rolled them up so they were as compact as he could make them. He moved the hand with the herbs to her mouth, gently placing them in. "This won't taste good, but you have to eat these Firefly. These will help." He didn't know how they would help, the healer hadn't told him, but he wasn't about to waste time by asking unnecessary questions. He only hoped that Firefly still had the wherewithal to take the medicine offered without trouble.
The Knight watched nervously as Alaine administered to his aunt, but his attention was soon diverted to the entrance of the King. For once, there were no bawdy jokes or boisterous pronouncements coming from their exuberant monarch. Thankfully, for once, he realized the gravity of the situation that was unfolding before him. Haven stared hard at Jac for a moment, and when he stayed in the doorway and made no move to come forward he spoke. "Come here. She needs you." His voice brooked no argument. Firefly had said that she needed him and he would do well to finish the short walk to her side. Haven's fingers rubbed comfortingly over her's, his gaze returning to look down on her face.
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She barely noticed the work of the healer woman about her as Haven spoke. Her whole world was foggy and she hadn't really noticed what was going on except the sickening panic over knowing that the puppies were coming too soon. The touch of his hand on her own made her smile slightly as his words greeted her ears. "You were always such a good boy.." she said, the scent of her own blood making her light headed as she felt the weakness of her own body about her. The contractions that rippled through her frame were a reminded of what foolish places she'd put herself in and what was at a loss now.
She'd closed her eyes to rest briefly, the steady words of the healer floating by before she felt the brush of Haven's fingers against her lips and the small bitter leaves passing her teeth and onto her tongue. She didn't want to chew them or even swallow them but she knew it was better to listen to the healer than to act bullheaded now. She opened her eyes a little as she obeyed, the bitterness of the juices making her wince as she tried to swallow the herbs. She broke out in a shuddering cough as she finally finished them. She didn't want to think on the events that were taking place as tears rolled down her face. She knew that they wouldn't survive, she didn't even think she wanted to either.
She hadn't even noticed Jac's presence until Haven spoke up, her eyes turning towards him, fear having made them bright as she wondered why she'd even asked for him. She knew he didn't want the children she carried and he'd thrown her from his house but she'd wanted him still. Her eyes boiled over with tears as she whined. "I'm sorry.." Thought to what she was sorry about it never was said as another contraction broke over her frame, the first child sliding closer to the world it would never come to know.
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ooc: :[ sorry for the powerplay, Shannon. I just don't see much of a way around it.
Once again, she was grateful for the willingness of the young man - He assisted her without question nor interference, and when the pregnant woman had swallowed the leaves Alaine allowed herself a quick moment of rest, rocking back on her heels and panting in quick shallow breaths to try and ease the racing of her heart. There was very little she could do until the time for birthing arrived, but wait and pray that Firefly was strong enough to do what had to be done.
Emerald eyes continued to assess the situation, how far into labor the creamy Fae was, the width of her birth-gates, the startled, fearful glaze of her eyes. Soon the herbs would kick in, once her stomach had dissolved them into the bloodstream, and the intense pain would begin to melt away. It was a cruel irony that the poisonous leaves would be what likely saved the once proud wolfess, whilst also taking away her last connections to what was happening inside her own body. The healer prayed to some unknown deity for patience and mercy as another hard contraction came, and set about to massaging the pregnant woman's thighs and lower abdomen to try and hurry the process along.
A cold drought of wintry air made her look up. Standing in the doorway, his shrouded figure cloaked by some unnameable emotion, stood their king. All the pieces seemed to slot into place - Of course, Jacquez was the father. Of course, it had been him to impregnate this suffering beauty. His ebony eyes, usually filled with haughty arrogance, swept the dirty trio with what Alaine could best describe as a hollowness. When he spoke, the healer left the discussion to the two men, once more centering her attention on the wounded soon-to-be-mother, soon-to-be-ex-mother.
There was a short dialog which Alaine refused to enter. Even if the king's frozen question had been directed at her, the young collie-woman refused to answer it, for she simply did not know. It was too close to estimate anything, and the balance of life and death was held precariously in the tension-thick air. When Firefly's own voice lifted, Alaine looked up at her sharply, ready to command that she concentrate on breathing, that she worry about the contraction, when-
The pup slid out into her waiting hands, slathered in blood, looking as grotesque as a being from another world. It wasn't breathing, and it's pulse was shallow. In the second that Alaine held it, it died, and that little beating heart fell still. A soft cry of mourning bubbled in her throat as the too-young mother cleaned it's face with quick swipes of her tongue, breathed into the little closed nostrils, praying for the flame of existence to flicker up in her palms again. The pup's body was beautiful, healthy-looking, but far too small to have been out in the world. There was nothing the healer could do for it.
She turned to Jacquez then, and wordlessly held the small creature out to him in a gesture that demanded he take it, that somebody, ANYBODY except for Firefly took the little corpse. There was no telling what the mother would do if her little dead baby was handed to her now, not when there was still more left to come, and so she held it just out of her view. Her eyes were cold and professionally still on the father's features, but darted quickly to Haven's to make sure that he had seen, that he knew the little bundle was lifeless.
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Haven was the first to answer him, his vivid green gaze almost accusatory, glaring hard at his king. Perhaps it was paranoia, that his first assumption was that he was to blame... But the air was so hostile, so tense! He could hear the horses nickering nervously and stamping their hooves, disliking the overwhelming scent of wolf blood permeating the stables. Jacquez clenched his jaw, forcing his hand to release the splinters of wood he had been wrenching silently from the doorframe. Pinpricks of his own blood welled to the surface of his pawpads, but he felt nothing, nothing at all. He pulled the door shut, absent-mindedly noting the change in temperature.
The tall Optime moved stiffly into the dim barn then, his fathomless stare suddenly met by Firefly's wild gaze. Her pupils were dilated, her eyes welling with tears of pain and confusion and regret. He tried not to visibly flinch, shocked by how hard it was to recognize the proud woman. This whole scene was so far out of his comfort zone, he did not know how to handle himself at all. He could not be warm and caring, but he could hardly be dignified or regal either, and there was not much he could be angry about since he didn't want the whelps anyway! Or... was that true? Even in their passionate fighting, he had never told her to abort the little worms in her belly. They were hers to do with as she wished.
"S'not your fault," he acknowledged gruffly, just as uncertain to what he meant as she was. Deeming it appropriate to squat on his haunches and join their level, the king flattened his ears against his skull at the dreadful noises he was hearing. A healthy childbirth was a repulsive act that made him nauseous, which made this the most horrifying event he had ever experienced. It made him glad that he had not been born in the traditional way, but rather came into existence as an adult, missing only his arm. No one could achieve greatness when their first breath was drawn as a bloody gasp in a slithering pool of placenta.
He was not watching Alaine and her quick professional movements, but he could feel her eyes on him after a moment and turned to see why she had diverted her attention. Gone was the timid southern belle that had greeted him in the hallways of the hotel; this woman was fierce and dutiful, master of her craft and dominant in this crisis. Her eyes were flecks of ice as she stared him down, wordlessly pushing something towards him.
Jacquez glanced down at it, and felt the blood drain from his face, felt his stomach heave violently. She was handing him a slimy little corpse, its bug-eyes sealed shut forever, its disproportionately large head lolling in her delicate fingers. The king turned to one side and retched, colorless vomit spattering the hay below him. It was the most vile thing he had ever seen, still slathered in its mother's lifeblood. Screwing his eyes shut, the mongrel quickly scooped a handful of straw, then grabbed the premature infant, dropping it behind him as swiftly as he could. It was going cold already. This was utterly sick, how much longer could it go on? Firefly... It would probably be a mercy if she died now, rather than having to suffer through this any longer.
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At her weak but kind words Haven couldn't help but to let a small smile grace his features for a moment. Firefly was a hard woman, and not prone to giving many compliments. Even in this situation where her emotions were running high and she was frightened and hurt, he knew that she meant what she said. It meant more to him than he even expected to hear that she thought that he was good. The first time she had seen him he had been quite far from anything good. An inebriated, pathetic, depressed, little worm of a wolf, flinching from every hurtful word that was thrown his way. With the help of Cour des Miracles though he had turned himself around and he was eternally grateful for that. It felt good, to know that he held some value in her eyes.
Once Jacquez entered the barn, it seemed that everything happened at once. The tension became even more palpable and he could tell that the King and the healer of their pack were not on good terms. He wished that he could say that surprised him, but it really did not. While he did not know much, if anything at all, about the woman attending to Firefly it was clear that she was a nurturing soul to take up the profession she held and Jac was nearly anything but nurturing. He had taken care of Ruri, but it seemed that she was the only one he let into his rare kind graces. He didn't doubt that the King cared for his subjects, but it was far from a parental type of care.
His fingers continued to massage Firefly's hand that he held and then what he had been dreading happened. The healer lifted a small, bloody body and shoved it towards Jac. Their emerald eyes met and he knew that the poor pup had not lived. Bi-colored ears plastered against his head and he felt his gut and chest fill with sorrow. With effort though he kept his composure, for Firefly's sake. That was more than could be said for the King though, who promptly emptied his stomach on the stable floor. Haven couldn't help but glare at the monarch, his eyes piercing, telling the man to control himself. His free hand stroked the Sadira's fiery hair, hoping to distract from everything that was going on.
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