Secret Woodlands A Matter Uncertain

5-6-13
12:00AM
Ashanti gives birth to Bane

@Hollow MAYBE....

The den is a little ways off from the pack den, it was mentioned in Here

[Pack is welcome to lurk, I half expect Hollow to come into the den, but probably only him, Nina, Koda or Azariah could safely go in there without being snapped at to get out..... so pack lurkers welcome >:)]

Ashanti’s eyes closed as she howled out in pain, knowing she had no mate to comfort her during this process and that Nina herself was busy caring for her pups as was the rest of the pack. She had been forced into this and she was alone, shut out. The contractions and pains had been getting more constant as she had arrived from her little late pregnancy adventure. She had barely made it to the den she designated as hers for the birthing. She kept her eyes close, not ready to bear the horrors of the birth. She hadn’t known if Nina had delivered yet, but she knew that if she hadn’t, the leader would be due soon.

Another contraction hit her, and with it another wail, but it was the last as the little pup was born. She waited to see if another pup was coming, but there was only one. The motherly instinct that had overtaken her made her push the pup towards her stomach. She looked at it and gasped in horror. It was the one thing that she would always remember. Black fur, why was it always black fur? She thought to herself. She had barely eaten and so there was a lack of food for both of them. The pup suckled and she was exhausted. What would she do now? The pup was so cute that she wanted to give him all her love and affection; however she felt that tug on her heart that wanted her to hate it, to go and dispose of it right now. She couldn’t, she couldn’t let her son die, even if he was a sin.

Even if he was a curse to her, she couldn’t ever let him go. She wanted to break down, but she had to remain strong. She wanted her sister here, and she wanted her parents here. It ached her to know that neither her parents nor her sister would probably ever see her again. She had given up all hope of Isen returning. She was here, and so was the pup. “Welcome to Secret Woodlands, Bane Aranna.” She whispered, bitter in her voice as she gave him the name that would brand him as the bane to her, he was also her baby that she could never let go. It was a matter uncertain.

Silence. A sigh. The only two noises that traveled through the thicket. Hollow was curled in his den wide awake, though why he did not know, he had curled in his den at dusk and proceded to roll around in one thousand different directions unable to sleep. What the hell is wrong with me? Hollow turned himself in a circle once more and dug down a little further and lay back down. ten minutes, 20 minutes, still no sleep for the young male. A second heavy sigh escaped him as he made his way back out of his den. Cool night air hit him full in the face and made his breath catch in his chest. The yearling set off, if he was going to be up this late he may as well make a late night border run.

Hollow never made it to the border for on his way he found a beautiful spot, a break in the cloud offered him a beautiful moon. Hollow sat beneath the mood and smiled to himself, the wind gently rustled the leaves on the trees and soothed him. An awe inspiring feeling in the young male, he took in the serenity and peace of the moment almost as if the thickets had been blessed by mother nature this night with peace, calm and fair winds. In a moment however his peace was broken as a pained howl sounded from somewhere. Ashanti, the yearlings breath caught from fear, she was in trouble!

Hollow rushed through the thickets, thorns and vines tugging at his paws and pelt until he felt like it would surely be torn from him entirely. Still on he ran until at last he came upon the last place he had seen his pack mate. She hadn't been back long as the scent of the lands beyond lay thick in the air, coupled with the scent of something else. The pup! Hollow frantically turned in circles wondering whether or not to call for Azariah or Koda. Eventually he decided that there was no time and he must act immediately.

The dark yearling took a deep shuddering breath before sticking just his muzzle in the den. "Ashanti, are you okay, do you need anything, can I come in?." Questions flooded from his muzzle, he had never been at a birthing before and the thought scared him, what if something happened, what if there were problems? Would Azariah make it in time if he called, should he call now? Hollow's young mind shied away from every thought and his stomach turned at the thought of going in the den, this had been the precise reason he had stayed away from Nina's birthing.

Ashanti stayed calm as Hollow arrived outside her den asking about her. She knew he was probably only here because of the fact she didn’t want a pup and he would make sure she kept it. “You C-Come in, Hollow.” She said feebly, the pup still suckling at her stomach. She wondered why it was anyone bothered to be there, however with someone else there is didn’t feel alone or disconnected. She just wanted to sleep. Bane was just a little dark ball of fur, not too big but big enough. “He looks exactly like him, Hollow. He also reminds me of an old friend of mine, one of my former packmates from my birth pack. I named him after my friend whose name was Bane.” She said calmly, trying to forget about her history was hard enough for her so she rolled with it and kept it in her mind. She was a mother and it scared her.

Her eyes held the anxiety and showed how tired she really was, but she had to stay up. For all she knew, which was hardly anything, others might come. The paranoia of her birthing from the nightmare was back, though she knew her thoughts to be faint and distilled, she knew they weren’t true, it didn’t mean she couldn’t still be worried sick it would happen. “Has Nina delivered yet?” She asked, knowing that she had been off the territory until earlier the day before, which was a day after Nina gave birth.

She was hungry above all else, but would not ask the man for food, no, she refused to be like that. She saw that as a sole right of Nina to ask for food when in the birthing den. She had slowly recuperated from her horrors whenever she saw a packmate, so there was still hope yet.

Hollow entered at Ashanti's approval, anxiety plain on his face until he saw little Bane. So helpless and feeble, for a few moments the male couldn't take his away. Is that what I looked like?, he asked himself. The dark male's eyes flickered over to Ashanti trying to gauge her feelings, for the moment it would seem she was nothing more than anxious and afraid, yet somewhere in Ashanti's blue gaze was a softness Hollow had only recognized from few places, it was the same look Azariah gave him from time to time, and the same look he recalled his parents wearing when they would praise him, or his brother and sister for a particularly high leap, or a howl that almost sounded grown up.

The young male knew that Ashanti needed to eat if the pup was to survive. Without a word he shook the soft thoughts from his mind and the hopes that one day he could see Azariah curled around a pup, his pup. He set off into the thickets until he found one of his few small prey caches that he would usually clear out every so often and take to the den site, A small hare was left in one, it was fairly fresh, he had caught it just before dusk. Hollow carefully removed the morsel and carried it back to Ashanti. "Here, don't worry it's not from Nina's cache, I caught this earlier, you need your strength so eat it." Though his words were soft they left no room for argument.

The dark yearling pressed himself to the side of the den giving Ashanti a chance to start eating before he spoke again. "Remember Ashanti, he may look like him, but he doesn't have to be him. He's yours more than anything. Nina, yes Nina delivered three healthy pups, I haven't seen them yet but I think their names are, Ashton, Tacoma, and Danica, though I haven't seen them yet I have heard they are all very healthy, Koda hardly leaves Nina's side!." Hollow spoke lightly with a light laughter in his voice as he mentioned the pups, hopefully the news that Nina had delivered and all was well would make the ghostly she wolf feel a little better about the bundle squirming at her belly.

Then almost in a trance Hollow extended a fore paw and placed it gently next to the pup. "He's tiny!." Hollow gasp as he compared the size of the little ball of fuzz to his large paw. Suddenly embarrassed at being so taken by the thing Hollow backed further into the side of the den and turned his head away shuffling his paws awkwardly. Though deep down he was glad his friend had come back, and even more so that the child seemed healthy.

Ashanti took the food gratefully, the hare was a bit small, but food was food and she knew Hollow was right. “This are never gonna be the same. I keep thinking back to my birth pack, how my friend Bane was so kind and nice, I know I have to raise him right, but it hurts to see him Hollow.” She admitted, her sorrows laced in elegantly to her voice. She finished the hare and watched the pup suckle, he was tiny and it worried her, what if the other pups were mean to him? Her tail curled around her and the pup, at least as far as they could before the tip of the white tail. It was a protective curl.

Hollow was the only one who had bothered to care other than Azariah, and she saw the way he looked at her, even after brining her home after such a long time. It seemed as if there was more than met the eye with him. He appeared to be a stone cold brute, but he was a softy at heart. He was there for the entire pack, and it reminded her of her father. Her father had always been there for the pack, even during the crucial stages of war that had waged with another pack he kept everyone safe. She couldn’t comprehend why her aunt would kind such a noble warrior.

Then there was Isen, she knew that she could not and would not turn her sister out if and when she returned. She would hope to see a bright side to everything, she would make good out of the bad that was presented. Isen had always known how to cheer her up, even when her heart was crushed.

Iopah's igonna lurk, feel free to skip her if not addressed
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Iopah was in her den when the first cry drifted to her. Her ears pinned back in sympathy. Many months ago a pained cry had also pulled her from a makeshift den. Then she had nothing to her name but a promise. Alone, in every sense of the word. In that twilight Ashanti had come to her aid. Together they had put a mangled animal out of it's pain. It was that night that Iopah thought of as she slipped through the darkness. That was the night she had met Ashanti.

The second knew what must be happening now. She did not know what happened to Ashanti. It didn't matter. Nina had accepted her back. Nina had forgiven Ashanti for whatever had occurred. Iopah had not reason to hold it against the younger female. She was simply doing what Ashanti had done for her those months ago: offering whatever aid the young mother was willing to accept.

There was one more cry and the night fell still again. In the silence her nose lead the way. Ashanti and the scent of something she could not describe nor name. It meant something to the she-wolf, her heart beat hard in her chest. It was the instincts of generations of Barberi mothers crashing down on her. That smell was something she needed to keep safe at all costs. Her steps were reverent, solemn as she come within sight of the den. Hollow had arrived first; she could see the tip of his tail. There was the faint sound of voices. She listened with that strange, ancient drum-beat of her heart echoing in her ears.

In case anything was needed, she would wait. Her careful, soft feet lead her to a point away from the den. With a content sigh she laid down with her back to them. Sharp, quick eyes watched the forest, protecting something she did not wholly understand. She would fly in the face of whatever dared disturb them.

Before Ashanti spoke, the young wolf was lost while staring at the pup. This is what the future looks like. It appeared small and weak, but Hollow knew that this pup would would grow, Bane would be a strong warrior, or so he hoped. Even though Hollow made a vow to care for everyone including this pup, that did not mean others shared the same vow. Bane may be shunned as he grew, or he may be accepted and nurtured. So many factors circled around the child's life it was almost as if he had no choice. But in the end, Hollow knew that Bane would be a product of his childhood, he could either turn out as Hollow had, fighting every hardship to come out of the dark standing tall and proud. On the other side, he may be beaten down by life and turned into a nasty, mean spirited wolf. Every wolf that interacted with the child from this point into eternity could very well dictate who he would be.

The voice of Ashanti finally brought him out of his thoughts. He could certainly see how it would scare her to see a mirror image of the male who had done this to her. For a split, terrifying moment, Hollow wondered if he ever did anything as terrible as that, would he cause the same pain? Could he even do that? The black fur that lay on the pup made the thought all the worse and Hollow decided no. No he could never cause this sort of thing. "I think you are strong enough Ashanti, it may hurt now but I think eventually he will make you proud as long as you let him. As long as you raise him right there will be no part of his father in him, not really anyways." Hollow truly believed it. Bane could be saved from the evil that seemingly consumed his father, as long as Ashanti was good to him.

Ashanti shook a little bit, almost like a shudder. The pup still curled at her stomach, she was still curled protectively around him. “I may keep my distance at some point, but I shall never stop being a mother who loves him.” She admitted, she had never intended to be like this, but she was and she had to make the best of it. She calmed herself as she watched for Hollow’s reaction. The scents of a pack mate outside the den caught her nose. Iopah, he was the only one still in the pack who didn’t know about what had happened to her. She was probably curious as to why Ashanti was having a pup. “Hollow, I-I smell Iopah out there? I’m not being delusional am I?” She asked with a whisper.

She closed her eyes briefly, and opened them, still scenting the fae. Surely it was real right? She would find out soon enough, perhaps Nina had--. She cut off her own though, Nina wouldn’t send the huntress to hunt down the pup. It was ridiculous to just think about. She trusted Nina to do what was best for everyone in the pack. She was grateful that the pack did not take out a wrath on her when they found out. She was glad Hollow had brought her home and that Nina had allowed her to stay. Hollow had stopped her from killing herself too, later insulting her and sending her on a mission where Narimé comforted her with words of kindness and strength.

Her tail flicked from side to side briefly, she curled up ready to sleep, but she knew better than to sleep until her guests left. She would have two or three weeks to sleep until the pup was up and about. She was exhausted from her birthing, but she would wait.

The night was still and quiet. Several long minutes passed and Iopah could feel the razor sharp edge of her protectiveness fade. There was nothing to raise her alarm. The forest seem to have gone back to sleep. Iopah listened idly to the soft murmur of voices from behind her. She had been caught off-guard, and mildly alarmed, at how strongly she had reacted. While she had been around older pups, Iopah had never been exposed to newborns. Iopah had had no younger siblings when she turned one. The famine had eliminated any possibility of pups that year. Later when Kaya and Kavik accepted her their pups were nearly six month old. And while she had spent countless hours mourning the loss of Kele, she had not shed any tears over her lost opportunity at motherhood. She was old enough to know how those things went, but pups were only a privilege she had been denied. She had never considered the pups she would never have. She didn't fully comprehend what she had lost until now. Pups she would never hover over, would never nurse.

She looked over her shoulder toward the den. The voices had fallen silent and Iopah longed to creep closer. Uncertainty warred within her. What if something should come while her back was turned. Would Ashanti allow her any closer? One more minute passed in hesitation before she rose to her feet. She kept her gaze low, tail flat along her hind leg, cautiously approaching.

She was still the second, but she was wise enough to understand that Ashanti was calling the shots here. She needed to let Ashanti know that she meant no harm. If Iopah felt this strange and protective, she could only imagine how Ashanti felt. Reaching the lip of the den she dropped back down, letting her head rest just inside the entrance to gaze at the occupants. A soft, low whine came from her lips. Would she be permitted to stay?

A canine wail caught Koda's attention, a troubling yet fortunate sign as he was having difficulty locating Ashanti in the labyrinth of the thickets. The place she had chosen was more secluded and hard to find that he had expected, though it did not necessarily surprise him; He understood her need for privacy. He picked up to a run, rushing through the darkened forest, claws of brambles tugging at his pelt as he rushed through as if trying to hold him back. He knew he had to find Ashanti, not only for Nina's sake but to ensure the young mother was alright.

Ashanti's scent was draped across the area, the distinct scent of new birth an undertone to it and he hoped he was not too late. There was no telling what Ashanti's state of mind would be, or sadly, if she could even be trusted with her own offspring. Koda would only be assured upon seeing the mother herself. Koda's sharp eyes caught Iopah's tawny form poised just outside the entrance, and he held his breath wondering what he would find inside.

The leader moved in closer, his shoulders rolling in a steady gait that brought him just outside the den, his head reaching forward just enough to look inside the den. "Hollow," Koda greeted simply and gratefully before turning his attention to the mother, "Ashanti, is everything alright?" He asked in a soft tone, a gentleness in his deep voice, eyes gravitating towards the shockingly black cub nestled against her ivory fur. This poor child only new the present, the warmth that engulfed him and the sweetness of milk, and nothing of the tragedy that had lead to his birth.

(This post was last modified: May 12, 2013, 03:37 AM by Koda.)

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.