New Blood [Xena]

[Messoria]

It was the early hours of the morning when Messoria rose, along with several other of the mothers who called the dens their temporary home. The sound of an occasional whimper split the air, more than likely slipping from the tiny muzzle of a pup roused by their mother’s rising. Her own slept soundly in their bundle of fur and flesh, tiny snores occasionally emitted from the pile. As quietly as she could manage Messoria padded to the tiny stream that separated her den from Lichen’s, dipping her head to lap at the cool water until she was sated. Briefly she considered settling down once more to slumber for several more hours until her own young rose, but then thoughts of the female warrior she’d met not long before infiltrated her thoughts, and the Consort turned away from her comfortable bed of moss to weave through the winding tunnels. Xena had given birth to her own litter only several days before, and while Messoria had originally stayed away to give her space, she knew it was now time to visit the new mother, much like Xena had visited her own young not long ago.

The warrior had settled closer to the opening of the caverns, not far from where Datura had given birth many moons before, and it was this knowledge that had Messoria comfortable with leaving her brood behind. They were large enough now for her not to worry about the shallow line of water that snaked around the den, and should they plan any escape attempts, they would pass right by where Messoria had halted, the scent of Xena assaulting her nostrils as her amber eyes peered into the dimness of the cavern. The bulky shape of Xena was unmistakable, and as her eyes adjusted, they settled immediately on the two balls of fur that lay nestled against her side. Only two, and neither particularly large – but Messoria found that there was no judgement, only happiness to see Xena’s young doing well.

”Xena,” she said softly, not moving forward yet until invited. She could remember the thunderous snarls of the warrior echoing through the caverns during the birth, which had ultimately been the deciding factor against her being present for the event. Now, however, she’d decided that it was safe. Once more her gaze fell to the pups, her smile tugging at the corners of her muzzle as she craned her head to get a better glimpse. ”They’re beautiful. How are you? And how are they?”

WORDS: 418
TAG: @xena1
NOTES: Sorry it took a bit to get up <3

[Deleted]

They definitely resembled her, and each carried a unique mask on their face. The smaller of the two, a little female that she had named Wraith, was almost completely black, but with a white mask around her eyes. It almost made her appear mischievous like a raccoon, an amusing thought that had proved to find at least a tiny amount of affection from the unwilling mother. But the other, a much larger female, looked almost like a miniature copy of her mother. There were slight differences, of course, for her fur was darker and much more brown than Xena's, but her mask was undeniably from her mother. The large female had been sleeping frequently for the past couple days, recovering from the painful birth of her pups. This morning, however, she was wide awake while her pups slept against her side when Messoria appeared.

Her den was close to the entrance, less protected than those the other mothers had chosen, but it allowed her frequent access to water and she felt absolutely no anxiety about protecting her two pups. They would grow quickly, and she would defend them without hesitation should danger befall them. So far, her task had been easy. They squabbled every now and then, but for the most part they were interested in suckling. She would occasionally groom them, licking their bodies instinctively to encourage their bodily functions to grow accustomed to the world that she had brought them into. They were still too small to defecate on their own, so she would encourage the process with her tongue and then clean the den immediately in order to keep them healthy and clean. Her head lifted as the other female spoke, nodding to invite her inside of her little nook of the caverns.

"I am doing fine, thank you. The pups are both doing well." She said, obviously not proud of the litter she had produced. But, regardless of their size and the small number, she would follow through on the plans that had been laid out. One of them would go to Ultoris, and the other would remain with her. It was also likely that she would receive another pup from Ultoris to care for. Likely around the same age as her own, but probably smaller. Severus was not the largest male she had seen, for he had been even smaller than her when they had bred, but she had carried out her part of the deal. The pups were not as large as she would have wished, but she could only do so much. Her large size paired with his smaller one would not naturally produce giants for Kairos. She inhaled slowly, exhaling as one of the pups shifted and bumped into her belly as she leaned back against a semi-smooth rock behind her.

Words: 469
Tags: Messoria
Notes: n/a

[Messoria]

”I am doing fine, thank you. The pups are both doing well.”

Messoria nodded, a genuine smile pulling at her maw. She’d found that after her first encounter with Xena, she’d truly been worried about the new mother when the sounds of her labor had echoed through the caverns, and yet it seemed as if Xena had done well. Messoria knew little about the alpha of Ultoris save for the whispers she’d heard after Xena’s dutiful mating upon Goliath’s orders. Judging by the size of Xena’s young, Messoria thought it was safe to assume that Severus was no massive brute, and it had inevitably made the birthing process easier on the female warrior. For a brief moment Messoria allowed herself to reflect upon her own birth, the agonizing pain and the pools of blood that had surrounded her afterwards, stanched only by Datura’s knowledge of herbs. It had been a horrifying experience, and one Messoria would not have wished upon even her enemies.

The dark femme stepped deeper within the den before settling on her haunches, wrapping her thick tail around her delicate paws as she dipped her head to observe Xena’s young. One of them was as dark as Messoria herself, save for a ring of ivory around the face. The other…Messoria glanced upwards at Xena as she gestured to the pup with her muzzle. ”She looks remarkably like you,” she commented softly, not wishing to disturb the diminutive young. The dark-masked pup was considerably larger than her sister despite not being a giant, reminding Messoria of Croix when he’d first clawed his way into the world. She was not quite as tiny as Messoria had originally thought, a pang of pride ringing in her chest for Xena. ”Do you know which will be staying with us on Ina’mos?”

She could not imagine how it must feel to be giving one’s young away, and yet as Messoria reflected on it, she wondered if Xena was even bothered by the exchange. It was a great service for Kairos to be forging an alliance through pups, one that Xena would inevitably be held in high regard for. Messoria herself did not deny that it was for the greater good, and yet she knew if she were ever asked to give one of her own daughters away she would do so willingly – but she would miss them terribly. She hadn’t been prepared for the sheer amount of love that had bloomed within her chest for her young, but as she patiently waited for Xena’s response, she found herself remembering the words that Xena had spoken on their initial meeting: I’m not a mother.


Words: 441
TAG: @xena1
Notes: ~

[Deleted]

She knew the question would be coming, though she had not expected it right away. She was growing more comfortable around Messoria, mostly because of the meeting that she really had not meant to happen, but she would rather see the dark female here than any male from the pack. The males, although she was sure they would be grateful for the alliance she had created, would not see her in the same warrior light if they saw her here with pups. She knew that her pups would need her, but she also knew that she would never hold the same love for them that Messoria held for her own pups. She would take care of them, of course, but she had not been lying before when she had said she was not a mother. Their lives would be guaranteed, but they would not be easy ones.

They would have to prove themselves, ensure that Xena had not made a mistake by bringing them into the world. And one, one of them would not be staying with her. One would leave and go to Ultoris and would be required to hold her head high and prove that Kairos was a strong pack, even though her size would be much smaller than most. "Wraith will be going to Ultoris, when she is large enough to make the journey." She said, inwardly doubting that the time would be anywhere near. The pup had a lot of growing to do, and she had no doubt that Banshee would quickly grow much larger than her. There was no pain in her voice, no worry, but there was a small amount of displeasure and a hint of disappointment. Regardless of the Ultoris alpha's size, she would have preferred to birth larger pups, for both Ultoris and Kairos. With a sigh, she looked down at her pups, though she found herself surprisingly unbothered by the fact that Messoria had moved so close.

She was not a fan of the other females in Kairos, though she and Datura had been close from the beginning. Messoria was a new acquaintance, but she knew that she would bring no harm to the Kairos pups. No mother of the pack would. Unless they had lost their mind somehow. But she also knew that no males would bring harm to her pups, at least not on purpose. Her desire to stay away from the pack males was purely to keep her warrior status intact for the time that she was laying here uselessly nursing pups. The main issue she was having at the moment, however, was the hunger. She had tried to hunt for herself as far into her pregnancy as she could manage, but her enormous size had only gotten larger as the pups had grown inside of her. Her stomach growled in frustration as she laid there looking up at Messoria, but she knew that she could not exactly just get up and leave the pups for the time it would take to bring down prey large enough to fully satisfy her.

Words: 513
Tags: Messoria
Notes: n/a

[Messoria]

"Wraith will be going to Ultoris, when she is large enough to make the journey."

Messoria nodded, her eyes moving towards the smaller pup who laid near to Xena, fur dark and mask stunning. It was only natural that it would be the daintier pup sent away; as far as Messoria knew, Ultoris had no true preference for its members such as Kairos did. Her eyes move to the other pup then, the one who was the very image of Xena, and who would be staying upon Ina’mos. Messoria could only wonder if she would grow to be like her mother in all regards – large, fierce, and a tad bit intimidating. It was something she often reflected upon with her own pups, what they would become and who they would take after more – her, or Goliath, if either of them at all. Perhaps one day her sons would fight alongside Xena or even her daughter; the thought was pleasing to Messoria, who’d long ago found that she did not care in regards to the gender of Kairos’ warriors, as long as they were competent and skilled at what they did.

The sound of Xena’s stomach drew Messoria’s gaze, a small smile pulling at her maw. She could remember the days when she’d been too pregnant to hunt on her own, or otherwise occupied caring for her pups. She’d never realized just how much she took being able to stalk her own prey for granted until she was cooped up inside of the dens, relying on others to bring her food and nourishment. ”Would you like me to go find you something to eat?” She asked, gesturing with her muzzle towards the opening of the caverns. ”Lichen will watch my young, so I have time to find you anything that you’d like – short of cougars and gator, of course. I’m far too small to hunt those on my own,” she said with a wry smile. While her title was no longer officially that of a huntress, she wouldn’t mind stretching her legs for a bit. She missed the smell of the outside, the thrill of the hunt, and while she certainly wasn’t eager for her young to grow, she would be glad when she’d be able to explore Ina’mos with them. She waited patiently for the warrior’s answer as she curled her tail around her haunches, her gaze occasionally moving from Xena to her squirming young.

WORDS: 405
TAGS: @xena1
NOTES: M/A

[Deleted]

Her stomach growled once more, and though she knew that the other female could clearly hear it, she tried to ignore the hunger. She was sure some hunter from the pack would come around with food for the mothers eventually. It was part of their duty to Kairos, after all. But, the black wolf in front of her offered to bring her food, and Xena could not bring herself to say no. ”Lichen will watch my young, so I have time to find you anything that you’d like – short of cougars and gator, of course. I’m far too small to hunt those on my own." She lifted her head slightly and sighed softly as she looked up at the sitting wolf. "Yes please." She said softly, hating the feeling of needing to rely on another wolf in order to do something as simple as eating food. But, she had pups to care for, and she knew it. They were the future of Kairos, and though she knew that Wraith would be leaving them eventually, she still needed to take care of them both properly.

"Anything is better than nothing. I did not know how much even just two of these things would take out of me." She said, unable to refrain from referring to her offspring as things instead of pups. Sure, they were her babies, but like she had told Messoria before, she was not a mother. Nor did she ever intend to be. She would ensure they survived, but they would have to make their own way in the world. Coddling them and holding their hands through life would not help them at all. In fact, in Kairos, such behavior would hurt them in the long run. She sighed heavily, stretching out slightly and laying out on her side as the pups snored beside her. But, of course, the movement woke Banshee, and though the pup could have probably moved to suckle without waking Wraith, she of course rolled over her sister and decided to lay right on top of the smaller pup in order to suckle from her mother. This caused Wraith to scream, making Xena growl softly under her breath and push herself back up so that she could shove Banshee over and onto the floor of the cave.

Damn pups. How could you possibly be so annoying? But she already knew the answer. They were pups, it was part of what they were. They really could not help but annoy her, and they were not even able to talk or see yet. She dreaded when their blue eyes would open and they would begin to question her, and the world around them. She would be forced to endure it, forced to answer their questions, forced to deal with them every day until they were old enough to take care of themselves. Things would not be easy for Banshee, she knew it. But she knew nothing about the life that Wraith might lead in Ultoris. Banshee would be smaller than the warriors of Kairos, smaller than her mother, but larger than the other females of the pack. At least most of them. She would be bigger than the hunters, but smaller than the warriors. It would likely be her personality that would make or break her life. But, so far, Xena could not confirm either personality. It was all tumble, squeal, defecate, urinate, eat, and sleep.

Words: 570
Tags: Messoria
Notes: n/a

[Messoria]

Confirmation from Xena was all that Messoria needed, and the moment that the warrior accepted her offer, the mottled she-wolf was slipping from the dens with a promise to return swiftly thrown over her shoulder. She was eager to stretch her legs at last, for as much as Messoria adored her young, she sorely missed the smell of the earth outside of the dens. The rays of sunlight were warm upon her back as she exited from the shadows of the caverns, pausing long enough to inhale the scent of grass before she was off, small paws carrying her diminutive form away from the dens. Xena was larger than most other females upon Kairos, and her appetite would not be sated with small stoats, so it was towards the ocean that Messoria trotted. It was not long before the unmistakable scent of salt tinged the air, and the gentle sound of sloshing waves in the distance greeted her velvety ears as the trees began to gradually thin. When the grass faded and gave way to sand beneath her feet, Messoria darted towards the shore, a small smile gracing her lips as the waves lapped at her toes.

Fishing, she’d long ago learned, was an art. She’d been horrible at it in her youth, splashing about and snapping at water until her irritation drove her from whatever lake or pond she’d found. When she’d become a loner, it had been essential to survival. There had been times when there was nothing else to eat, and so Messoria had spent many long evenings languishing in the sun, honing her skills to perfection. Even now it came back to her, after months of being fed whatever the hunters brought. She waded into the water, stopping only once it nearly lapped at her shoulders, and there she was still. Her amber gaze was trained upon the waves, her body still and gracefully awaiting even the slightest movement. It was the dark speckled hide of something just beneath the surface that finally caught her eye, and quick as a whip she lunged, teeth closing over water and salt and flesh. She reared back abruptly, snorting water and shaking it from her eyes as she danced back onto shallower footing, biting down upon the wriggling form of the Horn Shark between her teeth. It was small and virtually harmless, but Messoria wasted no time in killing it; it had teeth much like any other shark, and while it was too small to do heavy damage, she didn’t wish to endure a bite of any sort.

Backing away onto dry land, she dropped the shark to investigate it, pleased with what she found. Only a few feet in length, its brown body was speckled with black and suggested a generous supply of meat. Scooping the creature back into her jaws, Messoria swished it in the water to clean the sand from its body before turning, moving swiftly back towards the den.

She ducked inside quietly, not surprised to find Xena righting the two squalling pups when she re-entered the darkness of the caverns. Chuckling softly, she placed the Horn Shark at Xena’s feet, backing away to lower herself to her rump. The dampness of her fur was a welcome respite from the heat of the summer, which occasionally found its way into the dens, although they were certainly much cooler than the rest of Ina’mos. ”I hope you don’t mind shark,” Messoria murmured softly, before gesturing toward the pups with her muzzle. ”For the first month after mine were born, they all argued over space. Hyperion was constantly demanding more room, much to his sibling’s vexation.” A soft chuckle slipped from her lips as she dwelled over the memories. Even as they grew, not much had changed – Hyperion was still the largest of them, although his sisters certainly were not tiny.

TAG: @xena1
WORDS: 644
NOTES: N/A

[Deleted]

It took a surprisingly small amount of time for the other female to return, though Xena was grateful that she had not been forced to endure her hunger for a greater time than what was given to her. Instead of arguing, or speaking, when Messoria returned, she instead turned her teeth from her pups and to the shark instead, shaking her head in silence as the other female apologized about the fish. Anything was better than nothing at this point, and it was clear from the way she eagerly devoured the majority of the creature that her enormous body demanded an enormous amount of food to be satisfied. The flesh was harsh at first, difficult at the first bite to tear, but after she opened up the creature, the meal became a soft and simple one.

Just as she finished eating, lifting her head and licking her chops slowly and almost lazily, the two pups finished their own meals and began to squabble with one another once more. She could not help but sigh at the sound. They were growing fast, and though their cries had been annoying when they had first arrived, they were somehow getting louder and more annoying as they grew bigger. Her ears pinned backwards, tail flicking in irritation as she nipped at Banshee's hindquarters and rolled Wraith onto her back with a sharp nudge from her nose. She was harsh with them, like more so than another other mothers in the pack, but she was careful not to physically harm them. She at least knew better than that. With a heavy sigh, though, she shook her head.

She could not wait for the time when she could finally leave the den with them and travel at least the island. Getting up and leaving the entrance just to get water and relieve herself was not enough for her. She always traveled, always patrolled, and she needed to be moving. "Thank you, Messoria." She said, finally looking up at the other female. "Perhaps when these two are big enough you could accompany me to show them the island." She added, knowing that she would easily become irritated with the constant string of questions about everything they saw. Perhaps Messoria would have more patience. She would ask Datura, but she was sure the Matriarch had many other litters to keep tabs on. Though, the thought of walking with her friend while watching her pups play and get their energy out was definitely a pleasant one. Plus, Datura's pups would likely be leaving for the Agoge soon.

Words: 428
Tags: Messoria
Notes: n/a

[Messoria]

Messoria sat patiently while Xena ate, pleased to see that the femme was finally able to fill her belly. Nothing had been more difficult than the first few days of motherhood while her body recovered from the agonizing birth, her stomach constantly torn between emptiness and bloated soreness. At the same time, it had also been the most mesmerizing time of her life. She’d been so enthralled by the sight of her young, entirely love-struck by every perfect aspect of them. They’d been defenseless and helpless then, unable to see or do much more than whimper and suckle, and in an odd way, she missed it. She’d enjoyed watching them grow with each passing day, their own individual personalities forming, and yet she could not forget the tender moments when she’d been able to coddle them like she was unable to do now.

It was becoming clear to Messoria that Xena was not experiencing the same feelings. She was gruff with her young, and exasperated by them, and yet Messoria would not judge the warrior. Her place was on the battlefield, not nursing suckling pups, and while Messoria did not quite understand what it was like to be a warrior – she was far too dainty and small for that – she knew that it was not easy for Xena to remain cooped up in the dens with pups she had not originally wanted. It was a difficult position to be in, and while it was for the good of Kairos, Messoria knew that it likely did little to lessen the sting of the blow.

“Thank you, Messoria. Perhaps when these two are big enough you could accompany me to show them the island.”

”I would love that,” Messoria agreed quietly, pleased by the friendship blooming between she and Xena. As she mulled over the idea, a sharp squeal that sounded suspiciously like a very indignant Fawn rang from the back of the caverns, shortly followed by the sharp but faint scolding of Morrigan, who – along with Nimue – had taken up the task of ensuring that her brothers did not bully the smallest sibling. Chuckling softly, Messoria stood and glanced towards Xena. ”That sounds like my queue,” she said with a slight shake of her head. ”If you need anything else, anything at all, please let me know. I’ll drop by again later to give you a bit of company.” With a respectful dip of her head, Messoria slipped from the den, weaving back towards where her own pups lay waiting.

TAG: @xena1
WORDS: 419
NOTES: End thread ^.^ I'll work on the next one for these two now!