It’ll be any day now, she knows. Though some things remain the same - this pregnancy is so different than the others have been for the simple fact that she isn’t alone for it - nor will she be for what follows. There are no life-or-death plans to make, no burning emptiness inside of her leaving her uncaring. Though there is still some uncertainty about Gale’s fate, whether or not they are truly free of the Curse, the peace that has returned to Hyaline helps soothe away those worries most days.
The arrival of spring has brought a heightened restlessness back to Mazikeen, a state she remembers from both times before. Only this time she is rarely wandering through the woods of her home by herself. Through the cold mountain winter, the warmth Firion’s presence provides goes deeper than the skin.
But still sometimes this life doesn’t feel quite real, sometimes she worries she does not deserve the happiness that warms her or that she’ll find a way to fracture it - and she remembers how close Gale had come to ending it all, the feelings that had flooded through her when she saw Malik and Myrna die. It is only when she is alone that these thoughts are able to take root, branching and festering through her mind, and they plague her this morning as she wanders. Hoping to come across any familiar face just to have something else to think about.
As though her thoughts had manifested her, Mazikeen spots Myrna and moves towards her daughter without hesitation. The shadow of Gale’s “visit” still hangs over them, though she does her best to push it aside and think of happier things.
Mazikeen reaches out with her muzzle to bump a soft greeting against her daughter’s pale skin. “I think you’re going to have two new siblings.” She grins, glancing back at herself. “Or one very big one.”
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Viszla