Pull The Pin: Save Your Grace

Fear, happiness, doubt, excitement, sorrow, utter joy...

A plethora of emotions had been washing through Ikigai since she suspected that she was pregnant once more. It was too soon to tell Deimos. What if something happened again? And so she waited. Waited and waited until her slender belly began to round with the children that grew within. Iki was a worrier and she hadn't wanted to say anything until she was completely sure. She wouldn't get her husbands hopes up just to send them crashing against the rocks once more. But now... now there was proof. It was as though Ikigai had reached a line in her mind and, passing that line, it was now okay to breathe. It was okay to accept that this was truly happening.

With the acceptance of her gravid state, Iki was ready to tell Deimos. She wouldn't spring it on him out of the blue. Instead, she decided to test his skills of observation. Before Deimos returned from his daily duties, the pale woman prepared their meal. She roasted some hunks of seasoned meat, stewed some carrots and potatoes and brought out a jar of honeyed strawberries for dessert. The jar of strawberries she sat in a rather large basket. A custom made whelping basket that Iki had ben working on in secret since their first pregnancy. It was large enough for the woman to have her pups within and to keep them safe during their first days of life when they would be most vulnerable. The basket was cushioned and heaped with soft furs. The very top layer was of soft, waterproof leather. It wouldn't do to ruin the whole creation with blood.

With the strawberries strategically placed, Iki waited for Deimos to return. As always, she fretted. Would he even know what the basket was for? When she sent him to fetch the strawberries... would he realize that he'd been set up? The obsidian marked fae was just about to scrap her plan when she heard the approaching paws of her husband. Too late now.

"Ikigai"