I'll Keep You Safe

It was a good idea to get out of the den before the children came, and from what Iolaire and the other healers told her it wouldn't be too much longer now. Thankfully the nausea had nearly completely subsided and all that was left was sore paws and a bit of a waddle in her walk. Regardless of her condition her sister-in-law was not the type to force her into her den, not like Sirius who would hide her in a hole if he could out of sheer overbearing protectiveness. The weeping woods were not a long walk at all, and she often admired the trees from the Armada's territory. The way they sprawled and hung was beautiful, and as they walked she found herself spending much of the time looking up at the canopy.

Iolaire's voice broke the serene silence, and the Queen's ears swiveled to catch her words. Was there concern in her tone? As Io mentioned the brewing storm her gaze began to focus out past the trees and into the sky behind. The darkness in the distance was unnerving, and Zee felt the children stir within her in response to her anxiety. "Yes, lets go." She responded hurriedly. Iolaire seemed to be doing her best to impart her calm onto the horned woman, but Zee was unable to soak any of it up. She was too far from home, but had no desire to be caught in the storm. She trotted forward, her gait rushed and not quite comfortable with her swollen stomach.

The rain came on quickly, and Zee knew from experience that the thunder would not be far behind. The ground soaked up the extra moisture greedily, and she felt her paws begin to sink in the mud. She could barely tell if Iolaire was in fact still with her, driven only by her desperation to make it home. It took only one misstep, perhaps a paw that caught on a root, and the she-wolf was sliding. Ironically her first reaction to her body dragging through the mud down into a gaping hole was her beloved coat, and for a moment she forgot the rain entirely. "Oh shit." She swore, turning her head back to inspect her tarnished fur. The second thought was her unborn pups, though from their still-regular movements within her she knew there was no trouble with them. Her head hung in defeat - imagining how many hours she'd need to spend to fix her wrecked coat - when suddenly a soft boom of thunder in the distance brought her back to her priorities. "Io?!" She called out frantically, lifting a paw to wipe the mud from her eyes so she could better see their predicament.