OOC. Liquid timing so that the thread happens before the birthing thread.

She knew she was being irrational but she couldn?t help it, the fear had been festering inside her since her mother?s first sickness. Her brother had been there to support Song not to mention Novel, and it had left the girl feeling less than useless. She had wanted to learn healing and yet even then she had missed her mother?s lesson, not on purpose of course. She blamed it on her recent restlessness. Often she found herself becoming board and turning to napping as a way to pass the time. Now that her mother was pregnant again she was filled with mixed feelings. She was a year old, independent, nearly an adult and yet? she certainly didn?t feel like it. The quiet girl had found herself missing being young as of late, especially missing the connection with her parents. She was a pup no longer, they did not to be there all the time to watch and certainly she didn?t expect them too but still? she had not had a conversation with either in a while, mostly her own fault to be certain, she was not one for much talk but she was still afraid that she was drifting away from them. She was happy for her parents, they would soon be bringing new life into the world for the second time, and her family would continue to grow, but it didn?t stop the pang in her chest. Replaced, it was a word that kept bouncing around her head despite doing her best to dispel it. She could not know the feelings of jealousy were normal, that her own brother had struggled with the same thing, knew only that she wasn?t sure how much she really wanted her parents to have more kids. "Speech"

Dhiren was still distraught over the new babies coming. He had already revealed his feelings to Song, but the confession hadn't changed how he felt about it all. There would be new puppies who needed attention from the parents he had rarely seen in the past anyway. He knew that love existed for him and his sisters, but it still hurt to see them have babies. With those thoughts in mind, he wandered endlessly. His three black and one white set of paws carried him away from the den where his mother currently rested. He wanted to be far from the former place he slept in as a pup with the thoughts he had on his mind. Even though he loved Song, he needed to keep the negativity away. Eyelids draped heavily over gold and silver eyes as he kept his head hung with each step feeling like lead. Depression had swept over the boy and he let it stay like a raincloud. He felt completely alone. As he continued to pad alongside the stream that flowed throughout the packlands, a familiar scent met his nose. Slowly, through the rain that mentally fell over him, Dhiren saw light. The scent became stronger and it triggered in his mind that Canta was nearby. His eyelids rose like a stage curtain and he looked around for the ebony girl. It didn't take long for him to seek her out in the woods and he abandoned his trail of sadness and jealousy to approach her. "Canta!" he called out, despair and eagerness rolled into one evident in his voice. To see someone who hadn't been around recently was a godsend and he silently thanked the gods above for his sister's presence right then. After a few seconds of walking around the stream to reach the other bank, he reached her side and nuzzled her neck with a tender movement. "Canta...I've missed you." It was a true fact, despite living in the same area as she did. When he pulled back to meet her gaze, he saw the sadness that surrounded her irises. "What's the matter?" he softly asked, for he feared that if he asked in a regular tone, he would scare her away. Speech,

She hadn?t been sure if he would approach her. Canta had heard the footsteps and then a moment later had caught the scent of her brother. A part of her wanted to continue to sit alone and wallow, but a much louder part of her wanted to reach out for her brother. Still she forced herself to remain where she was, listening, hoping. Relief flooded her as he called out, her head snapping in that direction, forest gaze seeking him out. There was so much emotion in his voice and for a moment she was surprised but as she got a clear view of him a small smile spread across solemn features. As much as the girl reveled in her alone time it was good to see a face she knew, especially his, they hadn?t been any closer than any of her other siblings but her only brother had a special place in her heart? or at least he did right now, she might have more brother?s soon. She forced that thought from her mind. He arrived at her side and gently nuzzled her, she returned the gesture. ?Canta? I?ve missed you.? Those words cut sharper than any knife and it was all she could do to stop from crying right then and there. "I?ve missed you too." She managed, then they were pulling away and for a moment she looked him in the eye before quickly darting her gaze away. He questioned her and for a moment she remained silent, head turned away from him as she gathered herself. When she finally spoke it was softly, barely more than a whisper. "I don?t want them to have more kids?" Still she didn?t look at him. Guilt flooded her as she admitted it, what kind of daughter was she to feel this way? A horrible one she was sure. "Speech"

He saw the way Canta acted and his heart broke. Dhiren had no idea his sister felt this way. Despite having his other littermates nearby, Canta was the one aside from Novel he had grown close to. It was a stretched kind of closeness, but he preferred it all the same. Then, it occurred to him that she wasn't alone in how she felt...he had the same point of view. Slowly, he took a few steps towards Canta and wrapped his head around her neck. He let it rest against her right shoulder before pulling back to meet her gaze. "You are not alone in this, Canta." His words were firm and the truth was evident. "I don't want them to be born, either. I feel...like they will replace us, take away the time our mother spends with us and forget that we even exist!" A weight seemed to rise from his shoulder with each word he spoke. "I was happy at first, to know that Mama and Dad were happy with the news. Now...I don't like the idea at all....It sucks." Gold and silver eyes sadly looked at the green grass that bent to their combined weight. "I don't know what to think about it at all anymore. Mama doesn't seem to understand and I can't make her realize how it affects me." Speech, Awesome pic by Seren <3

Canta accepted her brother?s embrace graciously, drawing comfort from the form of her brother, already taller than the dark boy she knew she should be able to look after herself but when it came to her emotions sometimes she felt like a lost puppy, confused and in need of guidance. The words her spoke next lifted a great weight from her as if he was now helping to shoulder this burden. She wasn?t alone in this! That knowledge by itself was a great relief for the girl. She nodded pulling away some so as to speak with him. " I know, and I also know how irrational it all is but no matter what I tell myself I cannot stop myself from what I am feeling." Forest gaze meeting his mix-matched one, to look at them it was obvious they were Cherokee?s children, Dhiren even more so than she. At the thought of her father she glanced away, he had been absent as of late and she knew her absence from her mother would not help the situation any, but she simply wasn?t sure she could face her right now. "If she couldn?t understand you then there is no hope of me being able to explain it?" She left the rest unsaid, it was no secret that the girl preferred quiet, even from herself. "Speech"

Dhiren wished there was something he could do for his sister. At the moment, he was drawing a blank and it wasn't doing him any good. The only way he could show any sign of wanting to help her was by simply wrapping a paw around her back and resting his head against her shoulder. A soft sigh escaped his lips and he nuzzled her shoulder blade before pulling back to meet her gaze. "Mama would want you to tell her, Canta. Even if she may not be able to understand why you feel this way, then she will at least be aware of how we think about the situation." After all, it would be better to have her know than keep her in the dark, right? Speech,

Her brother slung a paw around her and drew her into him, a faint laugh bubbling up with in her. She was not sure where it came from but for a moment it had brought something to her that she had not felt in some time. She looked him in the eyes as he pulled away and spoke. Of course what he said made sense, but that didn?t make them any easier to hear. The idea of having to burden her mother with this was a tough pill to swallow. She was overworked right now as it was. She sighed. "I know? doesn?t mean it?ll be easy?" "Speech"