Ballad lay curled on her fresh fur, her paw was elevated slightly on a rock and she was slowly recovering. She was napping now, unable to do much else after getting put on bed rest. Doing her daily rituals were easy enough, as long as she kept weight off her wounded limb. She just hated that she couldn’t contribute more to the family group. The girl was slowly pulling herself out of her slumber, Eris would be around soon to check on her.

She spent quite a bit of time with the rust colored boy that had helped to free her from the slave market. Not that she blamed her sister, he was easy on the eyes. She did wonder what her relationship was with him, and that of the smaller male who’d appeared once they’d reunited here. Her thoughts lingered on her sister’s experiences as she lifted her head from the warmth of the fur and looked up to the sound of approaching pawsteps.

Eris hummed quietly to herself as she went. A number of days had passed since the group had been reunited on Auster and she was thoroughly enjoying being part of the Ademre collective once more. They were keeping to nearby lands which allowed to navigate almost entirely independently. Her vision had been stable for some time now and she was grateful that it wasn't worsening. Every night she sent a silent prayer to Tor that this would be her new normal, although she'd gladly sacrifice her sight for all of her family to remain close by.

But it wouldn't come to that, she hoped. "Ballad," she announced herself, pausing for a moment as the shadows revealed themselves. There she was! The petite wolf approached her sister and brushed her cheek along Ballad's resting flank. It was svelte but in good form. Eris frowned slightly - her own slight roundness hadn't escaped her. There seemed to be... something... taking shape within her. Perhaps it was just bloat from the stress. "Is your ankle feeling okay? Let's see if you can put a bit of weight on it today."

Eris appeared before her with little to no sign of the strife she suffered only a season previously. Ballad felt a warmth blossom within her knowing that her sister was mending fast. Oxide was an obvious cause, but she had no doubt being around her own kind and family helped as well. Love. Affection. Family. She tapped out onto her sister’s paw as she greeted her and settled in close. ”Eris,” she greeted back, offering up a sweet nuzzle as her sister explained her expectations for the day.

Ballad was an observer, there wasn’t much to get past her. The girl was very much aware of the changes in her sister’s body, she had experienced her own first heat a season earlier. Now her scent had changed again, and Eris was starting to look more round. Their supplies were not so abundant that she would be eating more. ”It’s not as sore. Not walking all over Boreas seems to have helped.” Also her sister’s care and keeping the limb elevated. ”What about you though?” She asked curiously as she shyly placed a paw on her sister’s belly. ”You seem close to that boy, Oxide. It was incredible of him to offer himself in your stead.” She was more than grateful for his actions and she also wanted to get Eris talking about him.

Eris felt her face grow hot and uncomfortable beneath her fur. It was one thing for her alone to enjoy her relationship with Oxide, but having someone observe it from the outside seemed strange at first. They had spent so long being tangled up in each other alone. "He is my soul mate," she said simply, with the same innocence she always had. "We are twin flames. He has saved my life more than once when I was adventuring away from you," she averted her eyes, embarrassed to admit it aloud. They would worry for her safety.

"I'm glad you're feeling better." Her body had been exhibiting some unique changes - her healer's instincts had told her exactly what was going on, even if she wasn't ready to admit it yet. She was ripening with child. Amidst all of this disaster, life prevailed. But Ballad, her dearest sister... she deserved to hear Eris' inner thoughts. They had always been each other's confidant. "Sister, I am ripening with child," she said. Excitement and worry in equal measure could be heard in her voice. "It seems like such an awful time to bring new life into this world... ash in the air, tremors beneath the ground," her brows furrowed. "But we are together again. Any extension of myself will be raised within our enclave knowing love," Eris tapped the emotion fervently on her sister's paw. "That is all that matters, yes?"