Sure, she’d been a little aggressive, lately, and snapped a few times at Mortis when she didn’t mean to, but everyone had their bad days, right? So her birthday had been around the corner, fine, but it didn’t mean that her coming of age was. Some wolves got it later, after all. As it was, Mal was perfectly average in that department.

The unfortunate truth was that Malalia was still young enough for that “not like other girls” phase to rear its ugly head. She’d felt mildly confused, growing up and seeing the older females suddenly close in on themselves when they started to smell a certain way. Couple that with her mother’s matter-of-fact approach concerning the birds and the bees, and you got a young woman, wholly unprepared for the raging freight train that was her first season. She'd thought it would be a simple, natural bodily function, as easy as breathing, but... well.

Her eyes opened in the darkness of her den, squinting at the entirely new pain in her gut. Friggin' ouch. And the smell of her... gods, was it really that strong? The poor girl could only curl in on herself as yet another cramp rippled through, and silently begged forgiveness for the sin of ever thinking that this shit “wasn’t that bad”.

Mother Nature was probably laughing her ass off at her idea of a birthday present....

Malalia flopped over onto her belly, scrambled to her feet and emerged from her den, grateful for the breeze that ruffled her fur. Without even a cursory stretch, she bolted across the plains. It was slow going, but once she passed the border, a sense of relief took hold of her. No one had to see her like this, not until she could... get a hold of herself. The night wore on, the sky growing lighter as dawn approached, and she eventually found herself at the south bank. She paced the riverside, contemplating sinking down between the slippery stones to lower herself into the sluggish current... Mala really didn't want an ice bath, though. Plopping her rear on the shore, her eyes looked forlornly over the waters. Maybe she could just hide until it was over...

Aurielle Adravendi

It had taken some convincing, and an awkward compromise (apparently lemur and monkey hands could milk wolves… but… at least the pups would be well fed in the few days she would be gone) for Paladin to let Aurielle head eastward. Her strength had returned, and while her pups were not yet weaned, they were less dependent than they had been. Over her back was a set of saddle bags, stuffed with western herbs and supplies that their ally, Abaven, would likely not have in ready amounts. Ayodele was with her, happy that Spring had sprung and the weather would be warming up, and Loshir… well, had vanished. She wasn’t certain where the mountain cat had gone off to, but neither of his parents, Regulus’ companions since she’d been a pup, were worried. If anything, they looked expectant. Maybe this was part of the training. Her steps paused as she reached the river, a scent wafting into her nostrils. It was Malalia, but matured. Ahhh… The first heat. She snorted softly in amusement at the memory of her first. She glanced back at her saddlebags, a smile quirking her lips before she followed her nose to find the newly-minted woman. She found Lia staring at the water with a sort of lost, very discomforted look, and she had to wonder if the girl had managed to get “the talk”. Her own parents had drummed it all into her head at a very young age, Regulus not wanting her to be as oblivious as he had been. It had still taken Red laying it out in front of her to realize he loved her. Aurielle called out gently, “Hello, Lia. Is everything alright? You look upset.” It would be better to ease into the conversation, she decided. Padding forward she took a seat nearby, leaving it up to the young woman to decide if she wanted to close the distance. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Lost as she was in her own thoughts, she barely detected the Spirit until just before the woman called out to her. And honestly? Aurielle was probably her best bet -- a woman, firstly, and one who'd been around the block a few times; a person she knew and liked, but... well. Try telling that to the embarrassment that welled beneath her fur. Her ears flickered up at the call, though she didn't answer right away. If it was feasible to remove herself from the world, even temporarily, she might've done it. Hell, she had half a mind to fling herself into the river there and then. She didn't want anyone to see her like this. Alas. That ship had sailed. 'Lucky, lucky me.' She at least made a weak and utterly terrible attempt at normalcy, glancing again at Aurielle with a painful little half smile. "Hey, Aurielle. Hi, Ayodele. I'm fi..." She closed her eyes, the lie dying in her throat another cramp shuddered through her. Yep. Yep. She was officially an idiot. The woman had a nose, for gods' sakes, so it's not like she wouldn't see right through her. And why was she trying to hide it, anyway? The woman had the grace to not address her problem directly. So, the least she could do was be honest about it, right? "I'm. Um. I'm pretty not fine, actually, but I'm guessing it's not hard to tell." With a sigh, she padded closer, taking a seat next to Aurielle, though her eyes never left the water for several long moments. Mala was usually pretty candid about... everything, actually. So why should this be any different? She cleared her throat, though it didn't stop her from mumbling. "I'm... I started my heat." She closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, a wrinkle forming on her brow. "Obviously. And it's just... everything feels so wrong, and weird, and-and I..." She faltered, then, at a loss for words. Where could she start when there were a million things going awry? "Speech"

Aurielle Adravendi

Ahhh. Aurielle tactfully masked the grin in her eyes with a look of concern as Malalia looked up at her with a tremulous smile that said she’d have been thoroughly glad for the ground to open up and swallow her whole at being found. Ayodele waved gently, having witnessed Aurielle’s heats the past few years. Aurielle let Lia work her way through opening, up and listened with a genuinely sympathetic wince as the young woman let it all out. “My first heat I got told off by a pup that I was going to catch my death of cold from soaking in the stream in autumn.” Her lips twitched at the memory of little Viviane and her stick and mud doll-wolf. “It feels like standing still is hell, like there’s so much energy bouncing around inside that I’ll explode if I’m in one spot for too long. It’s frustration, restlessness… up until this last Autumn, I’ve spent most of my seasons running myself ragged so I could sleep, soaking in the stream, running some more, and planning obsessively over future ideas for the pack, festivals… anything for a distraction. Including fighting bears.” A soft chuckle escaped her as she cast a glance to Lia, asking, “Is it something like that?” Her tone was genuine, kind and sympathetic, reminiscent of her own experiences. It was a rough time for a newly-minted woman, and while Malalia wasn’t part of Valhalla, she was more than willing to help her get a handle on her new developments. If anything, it was practice for teaching her own three new daughters about that time when they were old enough. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Her lips tugged into a smirk in spite of herself, imagining a younger Aurielle looking abashed as some smaller, whiny cub chastised her. And then she listened closely. It wasn’t hard to nod along as the Spirit spoke of her own experiences. It was exactly what she was feeling. All that pent up energy... In its earliest stages, it’d made her fairly irritable. And why shouldn’t she feel that way, with everything bubbling under the surface? Something inside of her wanted to peel off her skin, to run endlessly, to explore and howl at the moon and... She pulled back her ears, flooded once again with embarrassment. Oh, it wasn't all bad... but it was a lot to process all at once. Couldn't she ask for a semblance of familiarity in a body full of surprises? Mal hardly felt like herself. “Pretty much,” she sighed. “I can barely sleep. I ran all the way here and I still feel like I could go another hundred miles...” She pursed her lips. “I learned the... the mechanics of everything.” Meaning her mother had explained her how babies were made and had warned her against early pregnancy, with a heavy emphasis on the latter subject. “But no one ever told me how I would feel. Or just how intense it all is.” She frowned, glancing up at the glowing she-wolf. “It’s not... it’s not like that the whole time, is it?” "Speech"

Aurielle Adravendi

Her lips twitched faintly at the flashes of embarrassment. She didn’t have to be a mind reader to know Lia’s struggles—after all, it was only natural for thoughts to wander in such a way. It was the call of nature to reproduce, to start the next generation, and it could be vicious. She remembered the times she’d crossed Amos’ scent during patrols during her season, the thrills it produced. If Amos had still been around to this day, and Red had not come into her life, it may well have been the Allentide man who had fathered her children. Those possibilities had long set sail, and would never return, even is Amos himself came back someday. She was a loyal woman, with monogamy strongly ingrained into her psyche. She’d given herself heart and soul and body to Red, and not even an old flame would challenge that devotion, not unless Red was dead, and it would still take a long time of convincing to change her mind. She barked out a soft laugh at the hesitant question Lia posed to her, grinning, “It comes in waves, or flares up when you smell a particularly acceptable male scent. It’s part of nature, and nothing to be ashamed of. Herbs help with the pain and restlessness though.” She twisted around and slipped the saddlebags from her back, digging through until she found the packets marked with the correct symbols. There were several of each herb, more than enough to spare one or two of each to help the young woman find what worked best. There were also corked vials of oil, scented. “These are a brew mixture of Motherwort, raspberry, peppermint, valerian, and cramp bark. Steep them into a strong tea and drink it a little at a time until the pains ease. The Valerian should relax you enough to work without issues, and the amount in the blend isn’t enough to over-soothe or leave you foggy-brained. It’ll just settle your frustrations as well as help with the pains. It’s one of the blends I use.” With the heat of the fires at home, making such teas had become much easier. “Warmed stones on the abdomen when resting helps as well. Heat soothes the cramps.” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

She flicked her ears, snorting softly at the “particularly acceptable” bit. Soon, she turned her eyes to study the blades of grass across the way. "I see." Nothing to be ashamed of? Easier said than done. The young woman couldn’t exactly disagree… in principle. But with her scent as stark as a single cloud in a clear sky, she couldn’t help but feel at least a little abashed. Malalia scarcely wanted to rejoin her packmates. Everyone would be able to tell, and really, how was that so different than reading her mind? Jeez… She shook her head, a long-suffering exhale slipping away. Get out of your head. She was far from the first female to go through her heat, and she seriously doubted her packmates would think of her differently. Working herself into a worry certainly wouldn’t help; if anything, it could make her more agitated. At least it wouldn’t be a constant feeling, as Aurielle had pointed out. And she could mitigate the pain, too. The Spirit soon dug into her saddle bag, bringing out several herbs that the tawny woman sniffed over, ears twitching as she explained their uses and how to brew them into a tea. The warmed stones method was interesting, drawing memories of sunning on the rocks of a beach. She blinked up gratefully. “Thank you. For all of this. Evidently, I am... pretty clueless." Not that Iolaire wouldn’t have helped the Reaper, had she asked, but the Valhallan happened to be the first to find Malalia, and was kind enough to lend her aid in more ways than one. She cocked her head. “Ah… you don’t have anything for the scent, do you?” For once, she spared a bit of a laugh: “I might’ve been swimming in the river if you’d found me a minute later than you did.” "Speech"

Aurielle Adravendi

She grinned slightly at the snort Lia gave. A chuckle left her as Lia remarked that she was apparently clueless. “It took my husband laying out his feelings in front of me to realize he loved me, and that I felt the same. Cluelessness comes in all of us, I think. My parents did all they could to make sure I wasn’t as oblivious as my Da.” She snickered, “It only worked to a point.” At Lia’s question, a mischievous grin flashed on her features as she remarked, “I thought you’d never ask.” Her paw nudged the vials of oil. “These are scented oils; perfumes. There are several scents to choose from. I personally find I like Peppermint and Vanilla. They’re soothing and not overpowering to the nose, but they mask the scent enough so the first thing someone might smell is the perfume and not you. The Nomads make them and we trade for them in turn.” Ayodele picked up each vial, opening it carefully and letting the young woman take a sniff of each scent. There were Vanilla, Lavender, Rosemary, Jasmine, Rose, Lilac, Peppermint, Applemint, and several woodsy scents that brought to mind the evergreen forests of cedar, juniper, fir, pine. “Are there any that stand out to you?” Her voice was curious, interested to see what drew Lia most. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

She tilted her head, smiling fondly as the Spirit offered up her own cluelessness with her husband's affections. "Oh wow... that must have been a surprise, right? But, congratulations." Surely it had to be shocking, finding out that the love of your life had been right there all along, just waiting for you to realize it. Mala had been certain that she would know right away if she ever fell in love, but perhaps it wasn't always so. She was clueless, remember? But then, they all were, if Aurielle were to be believed. In any case, she was learning a lot, today. Like, just how many different oils she had in her saddle bag. Malalia blinked wide, shifting forward to sniff at the array of vials. "Ummmm..." Well, they all smelled pretty good, but -- "The lavender one is nice. And rosemary. How much are you supposed to put on?" She'd scented lavender in some of Io's concoctions, and it was common on the plains. A comforting scent. Suddenly, she groaned. "Oh, jeez, I've been so messed up lately..." Mal chuckled before beaming brightly at the Spirit, tail thrashing excitedly behind her. "Congrats again! How are you and the pups doing?" Cairo had mentioned that her children would be born in the spring. "Speech"

Aurielle Adravendi

Aurielle grinned at the young woman, nodding. “Oh yes. It was a beautiful surprise. And dear Luneil’s light, I wasn’t about to wait another year to try for a litter, not when I finally had someone I loved that felt the same way.” An almost saucy grin twinkled over her features with a chuckle. It had been a beautiful night of new discoveries, explorations, fumbles and laughter. Lia’s choices were pretty close to her own guesses. Rosemary suited the young woman’s sassy nature, and spoke strongly to her focused nature that Cairo had spoken fondly of. Lavender was soothing, which would be a great help for the emotional stress that pervaded a first heat. “Good choices. I usually apply them with Ayodele’s help. It’s daubed into the fur around the base of the tail, around the scent gland areas and at the throat. I believe Pachou might be able to help. Wolverines can be surprisingly deft with their paws. Failing that, cotton or rabbit’s fur can be dipped in the vials while you clamp them between your front paws or toes and you’ll be able to twist around to apply it. You’re most likely to get a snootful with that method.” She chuckled. At Lia’s groan her ears perked before Lia elaborated, and if she weren’t already glowing, she would have begun to then. “I’m doing well, and all five are healthy. I feel so deeply blessed every day I look upon them and realize I’m alive to see them grow up. Our firstborn was the largest and he very near killed me coming into the world. It was all I could manage to get the rest out before I blacked out. They are named Ardyn, Coran, Amorielle, Laoise, and Aoife. Two boys and three girls.” The new mother grinned with unadulterated love, eyes misting as she spoke of them. And two were so utterly unique. Time would prove just how unique, but their front paws were different, able to grasp things with unusually long toes and low dew claws that reminded her of the primates thumbs. She had a suspicion Ardyn would bear a mane and tail like her own, and both his and Aoife’s upper canine puppy teeth were longer than normal. The adult teeth would surely be sabers. Ardyn glowed like a low bed of coals and flickering tongues of flame, and shimmered like a living flame. Their perfections were innumerable in her eyes, each and every pup. “They’ll be rampant in the territories before we can blink.” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Hmm. She noted down the points, as well as the method described to apply it herself. It'd probably be easier with Pach's help, though truth be told, the protective urge to do everything alone right now was pretty strong. She pursed her lips, and then sighed out a rueful chuckle at her own silliness. You're gonna have to get over yourself at one point. This was all a part of life, nothing to be embarrassed about. And she knew that, in principle. Hopefully one day she'd be able to believe it. It was as if Aurielle had turned into the sun, for all the warmth that poured out of her as she spoke of her children. Even as she detailed the complications with the first -- drawing a sympathetic frown from the tawny young woman -- the joy and the gratitude and love were plainly apparent. She wondered, idly, if she could ever feel the same way. Could ever be a mother. Sure, before her heat she'd written off children. But would things change, now that she was able to have them? She wasn't sure they would; she wasn't exactly thinking about babies, after all. Still, it was easy to be happy for the glowing woman, and Malalia thumped her tail once more in congratulations. "I'm happy for you." "Speech"