No Rest for the Weary [Forte]

[RHIANNON !]

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[atrb=background,http://i930.photobucket.com/albums/ad144/FallArrow/RHIANNONbg4.png] That morning, just like every morning, or well, every morning in the past few months, Rhiannon awoke with her snout curled up under a big white paw. Her body was nestled against the owner of the paw, his bulky, white, furry body keeping her quite warm. Despite the spring weather, the cave was still cool, mostly due to the running water which fell from the top of the little inlet. She slid her muzzle out from under his paw, careful not to wake him, and rose silently. The past little while she had been waking up early, much to her dismay. Stretching out her cramped limbs, she turned, padding towards the pool of water. Rhiannon found herself staring blurry-eyed into her reflection, frowning a little bit. Her mouth and throat were dry, and that problem was quickly rectified by a few cold mouthfuls of water. But the bigger problem was her hunger. She had been voraciously eating the past few weeks, but as much as her stomach complained for food, she felt sick. It was a losing battle, trying to keep her hunger satiated, but also trying not to upset her stomach. Frankly, it was ridiculous. She dipped her white splotched face into the water, trying to make the general unease in her belly leave. Her face remained submerged for quite some time, blowing small air bubbles out of her nose. It was only once she had run out of air that she pulled her head up. Only her head now was wet, causing her to have quite a strange, almost, 'bald' look, but she didn't exactly care. Shaking her head briskly, she sent water droplets flying about the room. Once she was satisfied that she was mostly dried off, the female padded towards another side of the cave, letting her nose guide her to the carcass of at least three jackalopes. The animals had found themselves quick prey for Forte up on the top of the canyon, and he had brought them back to feed Rhiannon. They were supposed to last a few days. Within a few minutes, one of the jackalopes was all but skin and bone, and she had started into the next carcass before her. It was then, with her mouth full of meat, that she felt a few pangs in her belly, almost as if her stomach had kicked her. She blinked, pausing and looking around. There were no mice scurrying around her belly... she lifted her head and checked to make sure. Blinking she shrugged off the feeling, returning to her meal. ------------------------------------- OOC ;; Fail Rhia fail.

[Fortissimo]

Despite Rhia's carefulness to not wake Forte up, his eyes opened as she walked away. It wasn't because she had accidentally jostled him, or something. No, it was merely her absence that was able to pull him from deep sleep. The sudden absence of her body warmth, made him shiver.

Forte watched her for awhile, amazed that they had not bitten each others heads off yet. The last few months have been...great actually. Fortes perpetually black mood, is now a perpetually...content mood. He finally got up as Rhia moved on to here second jackalope.

"Wow, Rhia you're really putting it away. You have been getting steadily chunkier over the past weeks." He chuckled, as would any other insensitive male. And bent down took lick her on the cheek, before stretching past her to take some of the Jackalope.

The signs of Rhia's pregnancy had been growing steadily stronger over the past month. At first, Forte had been worried. But when Rhia didn't say anything about being pregnant, Forte assumed that he was just being paranoid, and she was just simply getting fat.

You're in denial. Morris would frequently tell Forte, but Forte just pretended not to hear him.

[RHIANNON !]

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[atrb=background,http://i930.photobucket.com/albums/ad144/FallArrow/RHIANNONbg4.png] Rhiannon hadn't exactly noticed that Forte had woken until he was standing. Her amber eyes moved from her food, looking up at him as he spoke. His words brought a growl to her throat, and she did little to hide it, twitching a little bit and narrowing her eyes. It wasn't her fault she was hungry. Was doing a lot now, sleeping, walking around, maintaining borders, sleeping... well, either way, Rhiannon was able to justify her increased appetite somehow. His comment about her getting chunky evoked a glare from her, and she stood, discarding her half devoured jackalope, and walked towards him. Her face was turned in a scowl, and as she got towards him she lifted a paw, aiming to bat him square across the nose. "You rude, insensitve jerk!" she said with a growl, barring her teeth slightly before snorting, pouting and then sitting down on her rump. She stared at him blankly for a few seconds, before letting out a loud wail. "I'M FAT." ------------------------------------- OOC ;; I HAD TO.

[Fortissimo]

Forte was used tot eh mood swings by now, and was able to keep his smile on, until Rhia sat down and let out a wail. The smile slipped from his face, and he rushed to her side, back pedaling widely.

"No, no, no!" Fortissimo said frantically. "You are simply just....fluffy. Yes, fluffy!" He nodded, and gave a tentative smile. But then the idea of pregnancy again crossed his mind, and his smile vanished again. But, no! That couldn't be the reason! Rhia would have noticed if there were puppies bumping around in her stomach....right?

You are just fooling yourself, bud Morris came in again. She has some buns in the oven. Your buns.

Forte kinda liked what Morris said. What is she was pregnant? They would have pups together...He had never stuck around to raise his pups with his baby mama before. Well, Rhia was more then a baby mama to him. So...would he be a father?

"It doesn't matter to me if you Fa-FLUFFY!" Forte caught himself. "You'll always be my cute itty-bitty." And he rubbed his head on hers. "You haven't felt anything moving around in your stomach have you?" He asked, as an after thought, he didn't even realize what he had asked, until he had asked it.

[RHIANNON !]

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[atrb=background,http://i930.photobucket.com/albums/ad144/FallArrow/RHIANNONbg4.png] Wailing was not a sound Rhiannon normally made, and she sat there, splayed on the ground, wailing loudly and obnoxiously until Forte ran to her side and began to speak. She closed her mouth, whimpering and pouting extravagantly as he spoke. Fluffy? Well, fluffy did sound a lot better than fat. She looked down at her body, seeing the rather large buldge at her stomach, but also the copious amounts of fluffy fur. She had always been fluffy, right? Maybe she was just fluffier than normal. Either way, the thought of being pregnant never crossed Rhiannon's mind. The fact was that she had just recently discovered she was a female, and really, was still in denial. What more, was the whole 'babies come from mating' thing... well, as much as it was instinct, she hadn't put two and two together. And that day was so far out of her mind now, or at least, the act of mating, that she didn't remember. She was pouting still, her bottom lip sticking out. "But why am I so much fluffier?!" she whined, raising her brows in the middle and staring up at him. His next words made her smile a little bit and she returned the nuzzle. She quite enjoyed his nickname for her, as much as she wouldn't admit it, and Rhiannon was quite positive he loved being called Moe. Even if he didn't, he would learn to love it. "Really?" she murred, scooching closer to her and burrying her face in his neck fur. His next words though made her almost fly back, and she recoiled her head, staring at him with wide eyes. "What?!" she blinked, staring at him with a surprised expression. "What the hell kinda question is that?" she hissed, the mood swings quite clearly back. "Moving around in my stomach?! Of course I have. Food moves around all the times. And then it gurgles, and squishes, and well, this morning it kicked me. Doesn't your stomach move?" she continued, ears flicking a little bit as the initial shock of his question wore off. ------------------------------------- OOC ;; n/a

[Fortissimo]

Forte was annoyed this .time, by her sudden mood swing. A guy can only take so much. He rolled his yellow eyes up to the cavern ceiling, and tried to restrain from yelling right back at her. But his eyes snapped back to here face as she finished her speech.

"Your stomach kicked you?" Forte practically yelled. "Tell me, Rhiannon does that sound normal to you?!" He shook his head. He had never called her by her full name before. "My stomach certainly never kicked me!" He groaned. "Oh God!" He turned toward the wall of the cave, and hit his head on it, his horns making loud echoing clacks! as they struck the hard surface.

"Your morning sickness." clack. "Your weird appetite." clack. "Your sudden move swings." clack. "And your growing belly." clack. "How could I have been so stupid. I've seen it enough in the past!" He was resting his head against the wall, his back on Rhia. He turned back to Rhia. "How could you not have know you're pregnant?!"

Forte was a jumble of emotions. Rhia had confirmed his speculations. He was elated, and depressed at the same time. But most of all he was scared as hell.

[RHIANNON !]

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[atrb=background,http://i930.photobucket.com/albums/ad144/FallArrow/RHIANNONbg4.png] As much as she tried she couldn't hide her emotions, especially anger. She was bewildered, and in truth, rather worried about what all this meant. Denial only went so far. But right after she finished talking, something seemed to snap inside him. Rhia was trying to figure out if she had ever seen Forte quite so angry. She almost backed up from him, but held her ground, growling a little bit as he carried on with his yelling. "WELL," she began, interupting him but was quickly silenced by his next onslaught of yelling. She was about to speak again when he turned towards the wall and began to smack his horns against the cave wall. She winced at the noise, closing her opened mouth. She had forgotten what she was going to say, as he groaned in between smackings. He finally stopped. Stupid? How had he been stupid? Rhiannon was confused, and clearly not putting the puzzle pieces together. She had never been present when any of the wolves in her old pack were pregnant, so besides the growing belly, all the other symptoms were unknown to her. He seemed to be ignoring her as he mentally berated himself, but then swung around on her and Rhiannon almost jumped with the suddenness of it. She stared at him with a flicked eyebrow and cool amber eyes. But she was not ready for what came next. "WHAT?!" her voice echoed in the cave, reverberating off the walls. It was silent for a moment after before she opened her mouth again. "No. There is no way I could be pregnant. I mean, I'm a ma-" she paused and then growled, giving her head a brisk shake. "No, no, no, no, no. You're wrong. This is wrong. This isn't happening," she hissed, her body shaking for a moment, before letting out a feral snarl. "WHAT THE HELL FORTE. How could you let this happen?!" she growled, turning towards him and crouching a bit, her eyes narrowing. Her anger was swelling along with her belly, and she was completely overwhelmed and stunned. Right now though, this was all his fault. "I HATE YOU," she snarled, crouching down further and then lunging her small, now buldging body at Forte, aiming for his throat. ------------------------------------- OOC ;; I would prefer if you had Forte just stand there. xD Or... not hurt Rhia. She'll back off in the next post.

[Fortissimo]

Forte's eyes narrowed into slits, as he exposed his fangs. He growled deep in his throat as Rhia raged at him. "WRONG? How is this wrong?! What is wrong about a male and a female, who love each other having puppies together. Never call our pups, WRONG!" He bellowed the last word.

"Guess what Rhiannon? This is happening. You will be a mother, and I will be a father and we will be happy!" He wasn't prepared for her sudden attack, and he certainly wasn't prepared for what she screamed as she leapt for his throat.

He leapt back with a snarl, and instinct took over. He dropped his chin, and thrust forward with his horns, not hitting Rhia but a warning to stay away. He lifted his head, and was surprised both by her actions, and his reaction. "Is this how we will be Rhiannon?" He said, his voice a harsh whisper, made even quieter in comparison to the recent yelling.

[RHIANNON !]

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[atrb=background,http://i930.photobucket.com/albums/ad144/FallArrow/RHIANNONbg4.png] Rhiannon was soaring through the air at him, and as she did, his head came down, thrusting his horns out at her. She snarled loudly, swerving her body to the side and landing awkwardly on her paws, falling to the side and hitting her body hard on the rock wall. She slumped down, her body splaying on the ground below her. As her body hit the ground she buried her face in her paws, hiding herself from him as tears filled her amber eyes. She made no sound except the occasional sniffle as she lay there. She didn't want to be like this. She didn't want to be angry at Forte. She didn't want to attack him. She didn't want to have p... the last part she couldn't even think. Her heart hurt when she thought it, and she knew, that at least part of her did want pups. Rhia did want to be a mother, and she did want to be happy with Forte. But her mind wasn't allowing that to process right now. It was so completely opposite of what she had always wanted. Pups and a mate had never been in her plan. But then again, none of this really had been in her plan at all. She pulled her sprawled legs up closer to her body, her stripped tail curling around her haunches as she lay there with her face buried. It became increasingly more evident from the sounds that she made that she was crying, curled up on the floor, away from Forte. She didn't know what to do, and right now, all she wanted was to curl up away from everything. And yet, there was no way she could press the pause button on her life; no rewind button either. Forte was only angry because she was angry, and she knew it. From his words alone, Rhia could tell that he wanted the pups, and part of her did too. Was that a responsibility she could handle? She had the pack already to worry about, and Kai too. She had taken the little female under her wing and was acting almost like a mother, or big sister to her. Was she even ready to be a mother? Rhiannon closed her eyes tightly, inhaling sharply. At that moment she felt another little kick in her stomach, and she twitched at the feeling, holding her breath for a moment, and then smiling slightly, despite the tears streaming from her eyes. ------------------------------------- OOC ;; n/a

[Fortissimo]

Forte stood, bewildered by Rhia's sudden depression. He stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. He watched her shaking form, listening to her occasional sobs. He felt guilty for doing this for her. He was so unsure of what to do with himself. Go to her? Or would she rather he would just leave?

When her crying became more pronounced, he took a step closer to her. "Rhia..." He trailed of, his voice very soft. But he just sighed and turned away from her, walking to the mouth of the cave and out. He took one last look at his mate's collapsed form, before leaping up on a rock shelf, and up to the top of the canyon.

"I knew I should have never stayed." He said, his voice breaking.
Don't say that. You don't mean that. You love Rhia. You can't leave her, she can't fend for herself right now. Morris said desperately. He had grown to like the little female.
"You're right, she can't fend for herself." Forte sighed, and began his hunt. Gathering up Jackalopes with his usually method of flushing them out using his illusions.

He gathered up the 4 kills in his mouth and made his way back down to the cave. He left them on a rock shelf just outside the cave, not wanting to go back in. Rhia would find the kills soon enough. With that he turned back up, and climbed to the top of the canyon. He just needed time to clear his head.


ooc: soooooooo i think you should post, then we can fast forward for however long, and forte can come back.

[RHIANNON !]

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[atrb=background,http://i930.photobucket.com/albums/ad144/FallArrow/RHIANNONbg4.png] Rhiannon was hardly aware that Forte was still in the cave with her. She knew he was there, but she had forgotten at the same time. But she heard his voice say her name quietly at one point, but she made no move to turn to him. She stayed curled up in her little section of the wall, her body pressed into itself. The pups inside her belly were wriggling a little bit, causing her to wince slightly. It was only after her crying had subsided to a small whimper did she lift her head. She had expected to see Forte there, and yet when she searched the cave with her yellow eyes she found nothing. There was nothing around her save the scent of fresh meat. She blinked a little bit, rubbing her face on her leg to wipe off the remnants of tears before standing up. Her legs wobbled a little bit as she stood, but in a few moments she was securely on her own four legs. Taking in a staggering breath she wandered towards the mouth of the cave, fully expecting for Forte to be there with whatever he had killed. And yet, when she got there, the only thing there were four jackalopes, lying at the mouth of the cave. She blinked for a moment, her brow furrowing as she tried to figure out where he had gone. She ignored the jackalopes, decidedly not hungry, and peered out of the cave. "Forte...?" she called out tentatively, her eyes glancing around. She couldn't see his white and brown shape though, and her heart pounded in her chest. "Forte?" she yelled a bit louder this time, fully exiting the cave. "Forte?!" Her yells increased in volume and desperity. She had been calling his name for a good ten minutes when something unexpected happened. One of the pups had kicked out hard with its little paws, sending a wave of pain through her body. She let out a startled, pained scream, before falling back to the ground and curling up in a ball. ------------------------------------- OOC ;; Sad Rhia is sad.

[Fortissimo]

One Week Later

Forte was going to come back that night...but he was afraid to go back, and Rhia turn him away. He was going to return the next day, but he kept thinking Rhia would still be mad at him...And these thoughts continued for a week.

He walked the edge of his territory, and slept very little. It pelt was matted with red mud, and tangled with died twigs. Where had it all gone wrong? Him and Rhia had been happy, when did that change? Morris left Forte to spiral down into depression. Morris was livid at Forte. Calling him a terrible mate and father on the first night he was away. He knew he was a bad person, and that just made him more depressed.

He thought back on all the other females in his life, none had come close to what Rhia made him feel. But they had been real wolves...and he had left them with pups to raise on their own. Why stop now? What was stopping from crossing the territory line and leave forever. His love for Rhia was stopping him. But did she even love him? She had never said it before, and she had screamed 'I hate you' as she tried to rip out his throat. But those were words of passion, not meant, right?

He didn't know, and he didn't want to find out. That's why he was still loitering around the pack's edge.

Forte, this ends now. Go back. Quit stalling. She could die. Morris yelled in his head, so loud, it left his ears ringing. Which was weird because Forte wasnt actually hearing Morris.
"You're talking to me now?" Forte said, his voice a monotone. He was laying in a mud puddle, with his head on his paws, wallowing.
Shut the fuck up, you are a grown ass man. Act like it. Morris spat, his tone oozed disgust. Go back, take back your mate and take care of her and her pups.

Forte sighed, and stood up. Morris was right of course. It was time to go.

The walk to his den was a long one. The sun dried the mud that dripped fro his coat, cracking it on. It was itchy and uncomfortable, but Forte didn't even try to get it off. He was soon standing at the mouth of the cave. Next to him, the jackalopes corpses sat untouched and rotting. Maggots wriggled between open wounds, and flies buzzed busily around. Forte stood staring at them, his heart frozen in fear. Why weren't they eaten? Did something happen to Rhia?!

Forte's stomach rolled as he stepped closer to the mouth of the cave, his eyes searching the inky blackness, scared for what them might reveal. His eyes were not used to the darkness of the cave, and he stood there awhile to let them adjust.

He finally entered the cave, seeing the huddled figure of Rhia in almost the exact same place and posisiton she had been in when he had left. His heart literally stopped at the sight, not sure if she ws alive. "RHIA?" He yelled, rhia, rhia, rhia echoed back at him. He rushed to her side, and touched her with his muzzle, breathing a sigh of relief when he found that she was warm, and moving. "Rhia, Im so sorry...." He pleaded, his voice cracked on 'sorry' His ear were laid flat on his head, and his tail was between his legs.

[RHIANNON !]

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[atrb=background,http://i930.photobucket.com/albums/ad144/FallArrow/RHIANNONbg4.png] Forte's thoughts were right. Rhia was pissed, so angry and livid that she didn't know what to do. At first she thought he had just left for a little bit, but it was evident after one day that he had gone. Rhiannon wasn't sure if he was coming back either, and left with the prospect of being alone as well as having to raise pups by herself was overwhelming and she quickly sped into a pit of gloom. She had turned away any wolves who had come to see her, including the little white female, Kai. She had no desire to see anyone, and in truth, had moved little in the days since Forte had left. The carcasses of the jackalopes were left by the mouth of the cave, abandoned by the pregnant female as she lay, distant and broken hearted in the spot where she had for the past few months curled up beside her mate. There were a few times when she rose to drink from the spring, but that was only out of necessity. She felt no hunger, and the pups only moved occasionally. With her lack of food, she had grown little in size, her belly staying relatively the same size. With her head on her paws she stared out blankly, her expression void. Rhia... you need to eat. Please, Caedmon had been speaking with her occasionally but she had yet to respond once, or even comply to his wishes. It was times like thesse that he wished he could leave the safety of her mind and try to get her help. The pack wolves knew better than to disturb her when she was like this, and so not even the brave little Kai would defy her orders to keep away. Caedmon noticed the prescence of the male before Rhia did. She was lost in her nothingness, her eyes blank and hard. The red panda said nothing though, registering the smell as it came through Rhia's nose. She hadn't moved though, and even when he yelled, she barely moved. It wasn't until he was at her side, touching her, did she finally stir. Her head lifted from her paws, turning to stare up at him with the blank, dead stare she had had on her face for the past week. She did little to acknowledge him being there, except to murmur a weak, "Forte..." ------------------------------------- OOC ;; n/a

[Fortissimo]

Forte flinched when Rhia looked at him with those dead eyes, that had always been so alight with whatever emotion she was feeling. He whimpered, and hang his head low. His heart sped up to a frenzied pace.

"Rhia! Rhia, Rhia, Rhia!" He was saying her name, and licking her face, doing whatever he could to bring her back. "Come back to me, please, please, please. Im so sorry. I'll never leave you again. Rhia!" He was rubbing her with his head, not in a loving way, more a desperate then anything. "Please, come back to me." He repeated. Surprisingly, tears had sprung to his eyes.

How the fuck could he had been so stupid, and selfish? How could he leave her like that?!? WHAT THE FUCK. Forte hated himself, and planed to throw himself over a cliff later. "Rhia, I'm sorry. Come on, lets get you something to eat. Have you eaten? Please come back to me, I'm sorry!"

[RHIANNON !]

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[atrb=background,http://i930.photobucket.com/albums/ad144/FallArrow/RHIANNONbg4.png] Rhia. Forte's back. Hello. Wake up. The red panda was trying to rustle the female out of her own little world, helping the yagi male bring her back from her depressive state. Rhiannon just stared, feeling his tongue on her face and leaning into it slightly, but not reacting much more besides that. She felt his head moving against hers and she let out a small sigh. Perhaps it was his voice, or his prescence, but Forte's return suddenly made the pups inside her begin to twitch, kicking about and wriggling inside her stomach. The combination of his voice and the painful, yet comforting sensation, made her blink suddenly, both ears flicking forward a little bit. Her eyes stayed closed though and she reached out slightly with her muzzle, trying to pull him towards her with her nose, still quite out of it. ------------------------------------- OOC ;; n/a