they had decided to move her and the pups further in the border. it had been a few days since she had given birth and she was both mentally and physically exhausted. Dutch learned that she'd be near Hannibal's daughter's den, and it was a relief. the girl had helped at the birth and didn't bitch at her like the whispered looks she had gotten from the others. the dwarf didn't expect to be welcomed and she didn't care if she was. all that mattered were the pups suckling now at her side. she was busy grooming them by the time she heard movement at the entrance of her den. looking up, she'd see Hannibal's body hovering outside. finishing grooming the last of the mostly brown pups, she'd call out to him. "come on in" before she turned back to their kids. three kids, all a blend of various colorations. they were all perfect and beautiful. she couldn't bring herself to weep if something had complicated the birth. if she had lost even one of them, or miscarried because of Valkyrie, she would be a raging ball of fury. now that Dutch and Hannibal were relatively alone, away from his family and prying eyes, she relaxed on her side so to give him a better view of the kids. "speech"

Balancing business and family was difficult. Finding Circe was a top priority but right along side that was cherishing the first milestones of his new pups. Dutch was turning out to be a great mother and was a lot of support for Hannibal's mental struggles. He had been staying in her den ever since the arrival of the fast growing lumps of joy. But, he was also sure to give an ample amount of attention to both Recluse and Banshee so they wouldn't feel any more put out then they already did by the new comers. Hannibal slipped into the den with a beaming smile. Those radiant ivory fangs in view as his mistress' voice could be heard. The alpha leaned down to nudge Dutch's forehead with his nose, a quick endearing gesture, before settling his attention on the freshly groomed pups. He couldn't stop smiling as pale eyes flicked between the Klein offspring. "We do good work." Hannibal flicked a sly look to his companion before moving to sit at her side. Close enough to touch but not enough to be too invasive when it came to her own personal space. "How is everyone feeling?" He put emphasis on everyone to include Dutch. Speech

she tried not to let it show how exhausted and upset she was. Dutch always viewed herself a strong woman, but the past few events of the last couple of weeks caused her to second guess her strength. she hadn't fought Valkyrie for her freedom, and Hannibal was forced to bargain for her. she could never repay the debt she owed him now, even if he didn't see it as a debt needing to be owed. "I..." she fumbled, lowering her eyes to not meet his proud gaze. I don't matter she wanted to scream at him. throw shit at him. to let him know how badly shaken she had been but expecting no comfort from him. her gaze found their children instead. "Godbrand and Gimli snore. loudly" but he knew that, from the time Hannibal was spending in the den. she grasped at straws trying to cover up her feelings. "Beryl was fussy earlier but calmed down enough" her only daughter was given a fond look through her weary eyes. "and I'm fine" liar her mind hissed at her. her tone even suggested she wasn't. "nobody's come to visit us but you." she'd add in, giving Hannibal the News of The Day. the Ashen folk were keeping a wide berth of the den so far. she didn't know whether that was a good or bad sign. "speech"

Hannibal was overwhelmed with emotions as he sat next to Dutch. The male entered the den joyous but easily picked up on her rather sorrowful mood. A simple frown tainted his once smiling lips as his attention turned fully upon the viking below. In no way did the albino think down on Dutch or did he think anyone else did. He figured she felt odd being in a strange pack full of his own family members. Especially when Lucerita reacted the way she did. Nevertheless, anyone he trusted was to be trusted and cherished by his family. Hannibal would need to do something to fix this.. but how? The male was silent for a few long moments before he shook his head, "You are not fine. I can see it each time I visit." Hannibal leaned down to press his nose against her scruff before retreating slightly in order to speak clearly. "Such a fine femme shouldn't be burdened with such sorrow." Perhaps his wording of her emotions wasn't exactly correct but his unhappiness was clear. "I may have a solution, Dutch. If you are willing to hear me out?" Perhaps a change of pace would help everyone a bit. Speech

she bit back a sharp retort of Hannibal not needing to ask her permission to talk. technically, as far as the Hjarrandi were concerned, he 'owned' her now. but she knew that wasn't fair; he had done what he had to do to ensure their children's safety. but again, Dutch had no illusions. she was just the mother of three kids and in no way special like she longed to be with another wolf. she merely responded by resting her chin on her front paws, looking as depressed as ever. "no, I'm not fine" she agreed quietly. part of her mind scared her. part of it blamed the kids for this course of action. if she had been less impulsive, maybe things wouldn't be like this. but that also wasn't fair. she didn't know where these feelings came from. she wanted them gone. she wanted to go back to normal. but Dutch refused to bitch to Hannibal about her problems. he may show her affection, but they were not mates. and after the Hjarrandi, she was finding it difficult to talk openly and laugh. "this 'fine femme' doesn't know what's wrong with her, Hannibal" she admitted softly, closing her eyes. she wasn't going to get into it with him. old her would have made a snarky comment or two but now she just felt dead inside. "but if you have a solution so I don't feel this fucking useless anymore, I'm all ears." an ear would pique forward, but she still laid there and listened to the sound of his voice. hoping to focus on his confidence and inhale some of it herself. "speech"

Honestly Hannibal could completely understand where the sprite was coming from. Not but moons ago he was in a grave awaiting his own demise. Failure after failure beat the beast down enough to where he didn't want to show his face. It wasn't until someone came forth with some tough love and instilled the much needed confidence back into him that he raised back up to his former glory. Perhaps he wasn't the same.. He would never be the same. But, he was alive and motivated. Maybe Dutch just needed some time and attention. Hannibal was willing to give her whatever she needed. Hannibal moved his gaze over to the pups once again. Observing the tiny blobs of pure joy. He gazed over the fiery markings of Godbrand, the earthy tones of Gimli, and little Beryl with the same look of both Recluse and himself. He couldn't help but to feel pride before looking back towards Dutch. "There is discussion about splitting Ashen into two allied packs. We are beginning to get over populated as well as lacking resources that are native to these lands." A pause. "We will be hosting a meeting soon to discuss our options but Deathbelle and I both agree that another pack may be in our best interest. One of which I will lead. If this happens you and our pups will have their own home to thrive and grow within. You can be a crafter and perhaps even work your way up to a higher rank. Something that may have been impossible in such a crammed pack." The prospects were looking up and hopefully the gal could see it. Speech

"rank doesn't matter to me" Dutch replied easily, shaking her head slightly against her paws. for someone who had never been in a pack, she did not care about ranks and titles. as long as she was who she was, allowed to be who she was... that's all that mattered to her. at least, when it came to herself. she only wanted her children to be somewhat important. they deserved that at least. "I have no idea how packs work and I don't care; all I want is for our kids to be treated equally." it was true, Ashen was fit to be tied with the many children in the pack. and she believed her children would get lost somewhere along the line. with the piebald man as an alpha, his bastard kids wouldn't be so frowned upon. Godbrand, Gimli and Beryl... they'd be the kids of a leader. "I'd rather not stay in Ashen, so I'll come with you obviously. we all will" her eyes looked to the suckling babies fondly before back at Hannibal. she hadn't almost risked their kids so they couldn't know their father. she had left the Hjarrandi to join Ashen, but now that the pack was splitting up... and Hannibal was going somewhere else to lead. well, it made sense for Dutch to go with him. "place me where you need me, but my first priority is to these kids." she hadn't given up completely. "speech"