Birthing 101
all Ashen healers welcome for birthing lesson!
Pregnancies were often treated as some mystical event, and while they were certainly special and magnificent, Luce felt as if the mystery of it all made many wolves too anxious to think critically. There was a science behind it all, and today she would do her very best to share the knowledge that she had. The previous pregnancies and births she had overseen had all come at the very end of the Klein empire - thin, sickly puppies were whelped by mothers whose own bodies had already been ravaged by famine or plague. Those had been dark times, but no more!
Scrubbing the past from her mind, Lucretia paced restlessly before her den. She had brought out a few herbs - motherwort, valerian, gingseng, and chamomile. Red raspberry leaf was excellent for pregnancy, but its season had passed and she had not gathered any. Foolish. But how was she to know that such a blessing would come to her family? It had been so long since they had such cause to celebrate. Luce planned on explaining what the common useful herbs were for pregnancy, and perhaps someone would be willing to accompany her on a journey to see if there were any raspberry plants left in other areas. In addition to knowing about herbal remedies, it was important that as many wolves as possible learned how to comfort and situate a wolf going into labor. Lucretia planned to be at Belle's side constantly when it was near her time, but it never hurt to be over prepared.
With a long summoning howl, Lucretia called the birthing lesson to order. Any and all wolves with a knack for healing or a wish to know more about pregnancy were welcome to attend.
Her belly continued to grow, her bump was blazing more proudly now, she was roughly a third of the way through. If she continued on at this rate she was going to be gigantic by the time they arrived. The thought was incredibly daunting. She took a deep breath, shook the thought from her mind, and removed the rest of the distance between herself and her sister.
Belle didn’t hesitate to approach and nuzzle her Shaman as she came to sit beside her dear sister. Sirius was right behind her, and she hoped to see Zee appear as well. ”What a lovely lesson to have, Luce. I’m looking forward to it.”
Deathbelle wears a rosebud tiara that is not shown in her art.
Sirius
High Councilor
Master Fighter (240)
Master Hunter (275)
Bloodletter
11 Years
Male
51
Seadragoness
|
Zee got to the gathering as quickly as she could, but it appeared others had already beaten her there. Deathbelle and her devoted guard waited patiently for the lesson to begin and Zee offered them each a smile of hello. Padding up to her mistress, she gave her a deep bow. "This is so exciting." She couldn't help but shed enthusiasm for the upcoming lesson and birth. As Deathbelle's handmaiden she felt it was her duty to learn as much as she possibly could and be prepared for all possibilities. Deathbelle was sitting beside her sister - the Klein who'd Zee had such an awful interaction with - and Sirius sat away from them both but with watchful eyes upon his Empress. Zee had no interest in small talk with the healer who frightened her nor did she want to risk getting riled up and saying something she shouldn't. Instead of taking her place beside her mistress and risk getting pulled into conversation, she sat nearer to Sirius - though on the side closest to the women. "Speech" "Thinking" "You." |
Zee and Sirius trickled in, to be expected. It was rare that the Empress was seen without one or the other - both was the most common occurrence. Vaguely, she wondered how Sirius and Zee were getting along since their physical exams. The slave's chosen spot next to him certainly piqued her interest. Luce shot Deathbelle a quick glance to see if the Empress showed any passing emotion at the sight. Sirus had long since been a pillar of solidarity - how would she feel if he was suddenly cozy with her very own handmaiden?
"Let's begin the lesson by assessing everyone's knowledge," She announced, hopping up on to a tired old tree stump so that she could better survey her students. "Have we learned anything so far about our Empress' intrepid journey towards motherhood?" Luce asked with a smile. She had received some reports some Sirius and the Empress herself, but she'd like to start off with everyone on the same page.
”It’s much more pleasant to watch, than experience.” She chuckled amusedly, looking from her sister to her servant’s blue eyes. She wondered what they would say, what had they learned from her pregnancy so far?
Deathbelle wears a rosebud tiara that is not shown in her art.
Sirius
High Councilor
Master Fighter (240)
Master Hunter (275)
Bloodletter
11 Years
Male
51
Seadragoness
|
Sirius did not react to Zee's chosen place, and that didn't bother her any. She let the two women have their small talk, looking out over the horizon and daydreaming until the lesson began. Suddenly the Klein healer piped up louder; addressing them all. "I have learned that being pregnant sucks, makes you puke, and occasionally waddle." She shot a playful smile to her Empress, blue eyes soft and fond. "I've also learned that it can make even the most beautiful woman glow in such a glorious way that other women could only dream of being as graceful as that waddle." Hopefully her compliment would dull the sting of the playful poke. "Speech" "Thinking" "You." |
O
f course Banshee decided to show up fashionably late. The call brought forth some excitement but most of it dissipated as her eyes fell upon the gathering of adults. The babe sauntered in with a low head and twitching lips as she listened to the disgustingly chipper words of the slave. Banshee didn't understand why Belle allowed her servants to be so.. brash. Eulogy was hardly allowed to speak. Nevertheless, the Klein gal moved in to sit off to the side. She had caught the Luc's question which brought forth a twinge of annoyance. Had Ban even spent time with her aunt since she made Ashen? The girl was working at her skills but never encountered Belle. Perhaps the Empress was too busy sharing her den with that worshiping fool they called Archon. "I wouldn't know much about Death's glorious pregnancy.. haven't seen her since she dug up a crown." The babe was in a particularly bad mood and had spent moons of one on one time with her aunt. She felt comfortable being rotten to her aunt and maybe she needed a stern talkin' to? "Seems like you just get fat." Her eyes stared directly into Belles with a rather dismal sneer.
"Now, all of your points are correct, if a little humorous. It's perfectly natural to find some of these changes amusing - but they are also frustrating, and can sometimes be debilitating for the mother-to-be. I'd like to start with ways to address morning sickness," She said, turning and revealing some piles of herbs she had stashed beneath a large, overhanging leaf. "Agrimony will calm nausea, but it's important to follow it with some alfalfa in order to maintain your appetite. If you lose a full meal, it's important to recover those nutrients for the developing puppies." Luce gave Zee a knowing look, followed by a smile. They had already discussed some of this material in private.
"Besides sickness, the body of a pregnant female goes through many changes. As the puppies grow, your internal organs will shift to accommodate them. Additionally, you will find yourself lethargic - your body is now not only supplying you with the energy needed to complete your daily tasks, it is providing the means for your litter to grow in size and develop all of their own necessary internal parts. It's a lot of work!" Luce said, casting Deathbelle a pointed look. "So it's important to eat enough and maintain a somewhat modified level of physical activity."
She explained the herbs in front of her, and the Empress was glad to know the wolves closest to her had no excuse but to take excellent care of their mistress. She had high hoped for Zee, and knew her handmaiden would be sure to offer what she learned here today. She knew she was gaining a lot of weight, but it was mostly puppy. They were growing fast and big, and Belle was a little nervous about the day of birth. Her sister promised her a quick and as pain free as possible, but with such huge babies it wasnt going to be a comfortable experience. ”So many naps.” She commented, adding on to the tired and lethargic part.
Deathbelle wears a rosebud tiara that is not shown in her art.
Sirius
High Councilor
Master Fighter (240)
Master Hunter (275)
Bloodletter
11 Years
Male
51
Seadragoness
|
Zee nodded frequently as Luce talked, willing herself to absorb all of the information given. She had been already told much of this, but the small slave still had little hopes that she'd be able to retain the information and use it under stress. If she had the skills to write, she'd be huddled on the floor and diligently scrawling notes about the lesson. She looked away from the healer as the pup interjected, her maw falling open in a silent gasp. Oh, oh man. Worried gaze looked from the pup to Deathbelle, to the healer then back to the pup. Movement beside her had Zee looking to Sirius last, and she noticed his intimidating form step closer to the young one. Her eyes narrowed - he wouldn't, would he? - but softened once more as she saw he did not move to punish the child. The interruption handled, she looked back to Luce to ask a question back towards the original topic. "How long do we think we have until we get to meet the little ones?" She asked softly. She was eager to meet them indeed, but she also wanted to know when she might expect the labor to begin. "Speech" "Thinking" "You." |
P
erhaps her angst had gotten a hold of her. The moons she spent wandering around as a rogue with her aunt had been formidable to her attitude. Being abandoned by her parents and siblings. Then to be shoved into a pack where she was pretty much useless.. It took a toll on the pup. - The response from Luce was warranted but called for a tiny growl to come from the babe. Banshee would listen to her aunt but she was still a ball of rage. The babe sat still but her blood was boiling. She really didn't know why she was always so easy to anger but it was hard to keep her jaws shut. The constant ramblings of the slave girl who seemed to literally suckle the teat of her fat aunt was enough to keep her pretty annoyed. But, she remained at the clearing and aimed all her attention at Luce who actually had some knowledge. Luce was the only one of the lot that held any true intelligence it seemed and that was all Banshee was there for. She would not offer any sweet nothings to her pregnant aunt. It seemed she got enough of that from everyone else.