Call it mother's intuition, but Asla knew. Her stomach was slowly rounding. She'd had a few days of nausea. She wanted to eat everything in sight. She just knew. What she didn't know was whether or not the pups belonged to Naiche or Mojito. That brought up another problem. Mo was the packs lead healer. She couldn't let him be her physician during her pregnancy. It wouldn't be fair to him. She couldn't let him attend the birth of children that may or may not be his. Other plans would have to be made. Maybe she would go and have her children in The Hallows. Hmm... Asla made her way towards the cottage that had once belonged to her aunt. She knew that Mo had been staying there, tending to the once pristine gardens and utilizing the structures storage space. It would be much more difficult to share this news with Mojito. The mixed breed man... he had a piece of her. She felt so much for him, and yet she could never be what he needed or deserved. "Mojito?" She called out softly for the man. If he wasn't here, she would pull up a patch of sunlight and wait. The woman was thoroughly enjoying the warmth of summer that had finally decided to arrive and stay. It wouldn't be horrible to soak up a bit of that warmth after the long winter. "Speech"

The turning of the season finally saw him moving into the cottage and trying to bring the garden space back to life. It had taken some time to clear out the usable space and sort through what had been left, which admittedly wasn't a lot so mostly it had been cleaning. With that out of the way he was focusing mostly on make the land usable for a garden again, no easy feat considering the harsh spring had all but totally solidified the ground. He was doing his best to scrape the ice from the dirt and remove the unusable layer of topsoil but it wasn't really working. Hoa had been sent out to see about finding some herbs to help replant but Mojito had to admit he kind of wished that he had the sheep's hard hooved to help scrape away the dirt and ice. Grimacing the man headed into the cottage to see if anything had been left behind that might be a useful tool. That was when he heard Asla's call, half-buried under half his possessions. It took a little bit to untangle himself, bowls clattering noisily as he finally extricated himself. He pushed his way outside to see the woman lounging in the summer sun. He was suddenly very aware his paws were covered in muck, the icy dirt having melted into mud as his body heat had melted the ice. He tried to wipe them clean on the grass as he approached. "What brings the Reaper to my humble abode today?" He asked, casting a quick glance over her, expecting to see some fresh blood or something it would not have been the first time he patched her up from some misadventure... she seemed to love marring that pretty face of hers with scars... despite his best efforts to discourage her. Speech

Holy Heck, thanks Kat!

Asla had closed her eyes against the light of the sun, but opened them again when Mo came out of the cottage that he was apparently fixing up. His words brought a soft huff from the woman and she turned her attention fully to him. "No injuries today, fortunately. Most likely no injuries for quite a while, actually." A foreboding statement? Probably. It had been easier telling Naiche, but Mojito deserved to know. He meant a lot to her even though she wasn't worth his time. This would probably be the breaking point between them, she knew. Was it worth it? No. Most likely not. He deserved to know though and so she had no choice but to tell him. They were about to cross a line that could never be uncrossed, just like they had the night that they'd been together. "Mojito, I'm pregnant." She looked away, not able to keep her eyes on his while she told him the truth. "They're either yours or Naiche's. You deserved to know." Now that that part was out in the open... "I don't expect you to help me through this. I don't expect anything from you. From either of you. I just needed you to know." Now to find out if he was going to hate her for it or not. If he was the father, they would forever be tied together. If he wasn't, he would have dodged a bullet and he could choose to be free of her forever. "Speech"

If truth be told Mojito wasn't totally sure where he stood with the Reaper. Not since that night, they'd shared on the beach but he was doing his best not to let his own feelings get in the way of his duty to her. In the end, he knew at least they were friends and that he could perform. There was something unsettling about her response, while by all rights he had no desire to see the woman hurt further the tone of her voice made him frown slightly. Her next sentence probably would have knocked him off his paws if he'd been only a little younger, and while his brows shot up in a clear indication of his shock he managed to remain calm, and not just externally. He chewed on her words for some time. His gaze moving along her abdomen, the slightest of swells suddenly standing out to him. Without saying anything else he moved towards the woman. The next words he spoke were a soft question: "May I?" He gestured towards her abdomen, asking if he could check her. He had heard her earlier statement but with her in front of him now he still wanted to do his duty if she'd allow it. "I won't administer to you or them if that's what you prefer but may I ask where else to intend to go if not?" Mojito was vaguely aware there were other healers in the pack but with so much happening he hadn't had much time to meet them or know exactly how prepared any of them were to handle the pregnancy of the warlord's daughter... not that he himself was particularly well equipped but this early on at least he could gear his guardian towards building up stores of pregnancy herbs. He supposed she worried it could be a conflict of interest? But Mojito did not consider it that way. Though there had been initial shock at the idea of his potential paternity the young man was already convincing himself the children this woman, the woman he loved with his entire heart, was carrying were not his. Mojito knew well enough what bringing partial dog-blooded children into the world would mean for a prominent family and while the Fatalis were not his cousins he had no doubt her family would struggle to accept any dog-blooded children as his had. It wasn't that Mojito did not want his own children, or even that he hadn't dreamed of having a family with Asla, in particular, it was simply that the possibility the children's were Naiche's gave him a way to feel he wouldn't be bringing more children into the world who would face the same struggles he had. If nature or the gods were merciful these children would not be his. And so he chose to believe they weren't. Speech

Holy Heck, thanks Kat!

Asla could almost feel the man's shock reverberate through her. The sound of motion made the woman swing her gaze back to Mojito and she watched as he drew near, asking for her permission to touch her stomach. Asla simply gave a nod and, since she was already laying down, sprawled on her side instead so that he could inspect as much as he needed. Mojito was one of the very few wolves that she was able to let her guard down around and so having him poke, prod and touch didn't bother her. It wasn't her feelings that she was worried about anyway. His feelings and his position were paramount in her mind. The pale mans next words brought a soft sigh from the prone fae. "It's not that I don't want your help, Mo. I just don't want to torture you more than you're already being tortured. This time is going to be difficult for everyone involved. If you aren't comfortable being my healer, I can find another. It's up to you." If he would feel more at ease being the one to tend to her, she wouldn't turn him down. If he would rather distance himself just in case, so be it. "I'm sorry, Mo. Not because of the time we shared together, but because I know this isn't what you want." Though she had been intending to get pregnant at some point, she hadn't intended to rope Mojito into it. Emotions had been running high the night that he'd found her near the sea and he'd given her what she needed. Their time together had been passionate and she would not have gone back on the moment had she been given the option. Aslatiel closed her eyes and placed her cheek against the ground beneath her. "I had Naiche leave my den. I didn't feel that it was fair." Asla needed Mo to know that he and Naiche were on even ground. Neither was receiving favoritism of any kind. Who knew if things would change after the pups were born. Maybe being alone would be better after all. Sadness surged through the sandy coated fae and she sighed once more. Emotions were bullshit. "Speech"

Mojito couldn't help but feel a little irritated by Asla's response... he wasn't some shrinking violet unable to handle a little bit of difficulty and an emotional pregnancy. "Alsa I would hope you'd consider me stronger than that." He turned to gaze at her for a moment, seeking to hold her gaze. "I am more than capable of putting duty before my personal feelings, I feel I've proven that already." He would turn his attention back towards her abdomen, gently laying his forepaws on her stomach and pushing ever so slightly, searching for the tiny feelings of growing lives. She was still pretty early on though and without anything concerning coming up he would quickly stop the slight message of his paws, something that was no doubt just a little uncomfortable. Despite himself Mojito couldn't help but scoff at her next words, a laugh dropping from his lips. "I can't count the number of times I dreamed of having a family with you." He said softly, settling before the woman, his voice earnest. "But my mother... she paid the price for her litter, I don't know where a single one of my siblings of my parents are... because they were no longer welcome with my cousins. All because she chose to lay with my father... with a dog. That's the last thing I wanted, for you!" He said, blinking at her, surprised by the conviction in his own voice. He watched her closely, he was making it clear he put what he saw was good for her above his own foolish, boyish dream. Asla spoke of kicking Naiche out of the den and the half-dog shook his head, ears flopping as he moved. "Is that what you wanted?" He prodded slightly. "Naiche seems a good man to me, he deserves to be there for them irrespective of me, if you don't want him there then that's different but please do not make any sacrifices for my sake. You have them to think about now. My position will likely keep me busy and if you want someone to lean on he seems a dependable sort." Not to mention they're his kids. He added silently in his head, unable to voice his conviction the pups Asla carried were not his... could not be his. Speech

Holy Heck, thanks Kat!

The woman sighed and dropped her head to the ground as she prepared to have Mojito touch her abdomen. "I don't think you're weak, Mo. Not at all." He wasn't weak, but she wanted to protect him. He'd wanted to distance himself and she'd fucked that all up. Yes, he'd done his part, but if she hadn't been weak and prompted their encounter... She didn't regret it though. Asla had wanted the half dog. She still wanted him. Mo would always have a place beside her if he wanted. That was the problem though. He didn't want. She had to respect that, which was why this admission of her pregnancy was so difficult. When Mo settled before her, Asla didn't move from her sprawl upon the cool ground. She simply turned her head so that she could fix him with both swirling purple eyes. His words brought a slight smile to her maw. In a different world maybe they could have had that family, but not in this one. She would never be what Mojito needed or deserved. Mo's tone became serious and he spoke of the hardships that his mother had gone through for having half breed children. Asla's brow furrowed and she eventually rolled up to lay on her stomach, head raised. She fixed the man with a hard stare, not hiding her feelings for him in the slightest. "I don't feel the same. If anyone says anything negative about you in my presence, I'll destroy them. The same goes for..." she gestured to the children growing within her. One negative word against her children and Asla would remove a wolfs face without a second thought. Reaching out with one paw, she placed it upon one of Mojito's soft sets of toes. "You are no different from me and you'll never convince me otherwise." The conversation shifted to her kicking Naiche out of the den. "It's what I feel is fair. To me, it's what had to be done. He wasn't very happy about it, but he'll be fine." She wasn't surprised to hear Mojito praising Naiche. He was a good man. Much too good for her. On a scale of dark to light, Mojito shone brightly. Asla was darkened. Though she felt more affection for the man than she would admit, he would always be beyond her. "Speech"