He was sober. For now. The heavy male had been in search of a new fungus for a project he was putting together for the market that Valkyrie was masterminding; it would certainly appeal to some... adventurous types. Harvesting the mushroom required his full, unaltered attention. Dutch had told him of the thing, and it had piqued his curiosity. Some of the caves were cracked open to the sky above, and over time trees and vegetation had grown in the small, rock-faced clearings. She had told him of a strange 'shroom that had glowed in the night, but after having some difficulty tracking it himself, he had decided to request her company on another spelunking adventure. The small, sturdy girl had a knack for making him laugh, and she was more comfortable in enclosed spaces than he could ever be. Dutch would make a handy guide, he was certain. "Are we nearly there?" He asked quietly, the question resounding in the small cave. Dag folded his ears and tried to remain focused on the task at hand - this place gave him the creeps. "dagfinn bellows!"

Dutch was just glad he didn't ask about her condition. it would get harder to conceal it when she blew up with the pups unborn bodies, but for now she was just content to have everything normal. she was pretty sure they could smell a chance, all of the Hjarrandi, but maybe they didn't care to ask. falling into the old routine of finding stuff to craft with, she wondered if she should ask Dagfinn to teach her to brew. hell, she liked drinking anything he made so why not? "almost" she replied, realizing now she couldn't drink anything recreational because of the kids. what a shame. she rounded a corner, allowing her tail to brush against his legs to guide him further in. before long, the cave opened to reveal the luminescent fungi. turning on the spot, she'd gesture with her muzzle to the glowin' shrooms. it was a good thing she had been here before, else they really would have gotten lost. "what're ya gonna brew up this time, eh?" she asked him with a tilt of her head. ""

Of course he had smelled that she was with child, but ever the gentleman, Dag didn't think it was polite to ask unless she offered. It wasn't the sort of thing you assumed about a lady unless you wanted to get bitten, and Dutch had already beaten him once in a spar. Trying not to think too sorely on it, he followed dutifully after the smaller female. It seemed like it took forever to make progress in the dark caves. Without light to help him tell the passing of time, it felt like it could have been days down here, not hours. How the hell did the dwarf live like this? She was hardly a wolf at all, maybe more like a mole. But if he had followed her down here, Dag supposed that made him a mole too. He chuckled to himself, lost in thought. As they rounded a corner and Dutch stopped, Dag ran into her rear. "Oi, sorry, luv," he said, neatly stepping around her and squinting into the darkness. He spotted the shrooms and gave a soft woop of glee, which echoed loudly in the cavern. "Oooo-eeee, I don't know. Somethin' tells me these beauties are very special," He said, quieter this time. Dag approached the mushrooms carefully, wondering how he could go about safely transporting them. It would be necessarily to keep his wits about him if he was going to make it out of the caves. "How'd you find them?" "dagfinn bellows!"

"watch it" she replied casually. Dutch wasn't going to bite his head off for accidentally bumping into her, but she let him know to watch himself regardless. there were lots of twists and turns. it'd do no good for either of them if he twisted his paw or smacked into a wall. she didn't exactly know how to heal another body. she'd be utterly useless. walking next to him as he marveled at the cave, she closed her eyes. it was as if she could feel the vibrations in the ground, her people's breeding apparent in her underground skills. she didn't even need to open her eyes to see the shrooms. it was as if there was a picture in her mind that she never let go. "I traded some trinket for the location" Dutch said, recalling how she had passed a man on the road. opening her eyes at last, she'd see Dagfinn approach the foliage. "I brought some back last time, but someone snatched 'em up before I could tell you." though she didn't exactly know who did. maybe it was a critter or a companion who ate them. "excited for Market Day?" she asked him, wondering if he was going to brew up something 'special' for the band to sell. ""

"Well, good on ya, luv, you're quite the enterprising little thing," he said under his breath, still inspecting the mushrooms. They were growing abundantly here. This deep in the cave, it was very possible that they would last through winter. Nodding appreciatively to himself, he began to squint about through the darkness for something he could use to safely transport them. Dutch seemed completely at ease in the pitch dark; Dag was almost envious of her calm and collected behavior. To be this far inside close quarters made him quite uncomfortable. "Right, well, d'you see anything that I could use to wrap 'em up? Don't want to touch them with any exposed skin just yet," he said, all business now. Although he imbibed perhaps a bit too much, Dag didn't play around when it came down to brass tacks. This would be for the market, if it had enough time to brew and ferment. "Excited is one word for it..." The captives were beginning to irritate him. He'd be glad to be rid of them all - the extra mouths were a pain, even if Valkyrie wasn't exactly keeping them well fed. It was best that they'd be offloaded before winter. "D'you want a taste of this before it's sold...?" He inquired, giving her an opportunity to confess her current condition. Dag didn't want to be nosy, but he also very much did. If Dutch didn't offer, though, he wouldn't pry. He wondered if Valkyrie knew. How would she take to their little dwarf getting pregnant? "dagfinn bellows!"

"we can use the moss in the cave to wrap it up" Dutch responded, nodding her snout at a wall covered in the stuff. the moss she pointed out was less glowy and more normal looking compared to the ones near the mushroom. in fact, it didn't seem to glow much at all. she'd walk over and begin peeling some from the wall as Dagfinn studied the mushrooms. he must feel like she did then; apprehensive of Market Day and wondering how it'd all go. but he was so carefree that she had a hard time reading him. whatever she was going to say next died on her lips at his question. her neck twisted around, eyes narrowing at the Viking in the dark. only Thoren knew so far, her brother's appearance was a blessing for her troubled mind. but did Dagfinn? could he smell it on her? relenting, she'd relax her tense shoulders. "stop beatin' round the bush, ya lug" she'd snap at him "just say it. Dutch is pregnant. I ain't gonna bite your face off." she added with a snort as she twisted her neck back to the moss. ""

Pregnant, pregnant, pregnant... It echoed in the cave. If Dag could have, he would have blushed. He wasn't very good at things of the womanly persuasion, and it was one of the reasons why he tended to prefer males; but it would be a lie to say that he wasn't still ferociously attracted to most females. Ah, well. Life was tough when you wanted to sleep with everything. He cleared his throat nervously, an emotion that looked out of place on his usually jovial face. "Well, does Valkyrie know? Who's the, uh..." Father? Donor? Lucky man behind door number 3? "y'know, the guy," he said lamely. Whew. If it couldn't get any more awkward. Dag mumbled a thanks to Dutch as he went to collect the moss from her, bumping into her again in the close quarters of the cave. Cursing himself internally, he accepted the moss and turned back to the shrooms. Their bioluminescence reflected back in his eyes. If he could just focus on gathering these carefully, perhaps the situation might diffuse. He doubted it. Oi, women, going and gettin' pregnant... The band wasn't suited for children. He'd never given a family much thought before, but he was overcome with the sense that, if Dutch's litter were his own, he would want to drop anchor somewhere for a while. But he wasn't the family type. Right? "dagfinn bellows!"

Dagfinn seemed to be at a loss for words. Dutch couldn't blame him. some men were squeamish when it came to pregnant ladies. she chuckled, her back to him, as he tried to keep the conversation going. poor, sweet and simple Dagfinn. one of these days he was going to have an oopsie litter himself if a girl didn't tie him down first. the thought of that made her chuckle even more. "just some guy" the dwarf didn't have to tell anyone anything. the mother had the right not to name the guy who 'donated'. besides, the Viking sounded so miserable trying to seem interested. "Valkyrie is busy with Market Day; I didn't want to interrupt or distract her" Dutch added in, uncharacteristically thoughtful in her meaning. she also didn't want to see the disapproval on the band leader's face when she told her. at least not yet. she respected the Viking woman, and she had come here to help the Hjarrandi. that never would change. finally clawing a bunch of moss that was acceptable to her, she'd paw it to Dagfinn for his use. "but I'll have to talk to her soon, yeah." ""

Just some guy? Huh. How 'bout that. He hadn't taken Dutch for the cheeky one-night stand type, but he lived for being pleasantly surprised. "Well then..." he murmured, brows knitted together. How would the responsibilities of rearing her little ones shake out? Something told him that Valkyrie wasn't too fond of the dead weight that puppies added to a band. Although the feast and Market Day took precedence, Dutch's little secret wouldn't stay little for long. "Probably best to tell her during the feast, y'know, luv? So we can all, uh, accommodate you." Duties would need to be shifted. Dutch would still be able to peddle her wares, surely, but they'd be down a fighter and a crafter as her pregnancy progressed. They would have to shuffle around. By the time the pups arrived, he guessed they'd have figured out some sort of nanny situation. Dutch didn't seem the type to stay down for the count for too long. It never even occurred to him that she'd leave the band for a while. Carefully, he harvested the bio-luminescent mushrooms. As he cut them down, their glow seemed to fade slightly until it disappeared altogether once it was firmly wrapped in the moss. He wasn't quite sure what he'd do with these ones yet, but he had a few fair ideas. Dutch pushed the balls of moss around awkwardly with his nose, occasionally peeking at Dutch. What were her plans, exactly? "dagfinn bellows!"

he seemed to accept the answer, and Dutch felt it wasn't fair not to let him know how she felt. he had been nothing but accepting and inclusive. she valued their friendship. if anything, it'd be good practice when talking to Valkyrie about this. she turned back to him as he focused on the moss, frowning. "listen, Dag. I -" she hesitated, shaking her head roughy before continuing on. "I was never one of you guys. I know it, and you know it too. I came to learn and hone my skills. I was just using you guys..." she wanted to see what was beyond a world she had known, and she had done that. Hannibal had been the first person in Boreas to make her feel like she wasn't a burden. he didn't look down at her, didn't wonder how she kept up with her short legs. he didn't snort in disbelief when she talked. Dutch had no idea where this would go, but she had told him and he accepted their children. in Valkyrie's band, they would be known as bastards. she wanted a better life for them. "I can't keep wandering. that isn't the life I want for these kids. I want them in a safe place. I've accepted the father's offer to join his pack. I'll be here for the festival, but I won't come back to you guys. I'm not sure I'll even come back to our homeland." she looked away from Dagfinn, frowning. "I just... wanted to let you know. you've been kind, Dagfinn. I value our companionship." ""