RP Areas for Hoofed Tribe - 11.

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Viper 9000

((I'm going to have another go at drawing Dawn. The first one was fun, but I wanted to try and get some of the more wonky areas fixed in the line art. I think I might have to draw her a bit bigger and then resize the pic 'cause when I was trying to do little details like her fingers and toes and the bees on her clothes, the lines came out really slowly for some reason and it was hard to direct them :/ not sure why. I did use reference pics also))

M'rala smiled at Morning, her tail swishing side to side "Well, I do have an idea who it might be. There's a lady called Floss who runs a local patchwork and sewing group with a bunch of the other village women here. But I wouldn't want to tell you the wrong name. Just let me ask around and I'll find out for you" she promised both Midnight and Morning.

Midnight must be getting worn out by now, though she still had one more triplet to bring into the world. M'rala was watching her closely to make sure things were going well and she wasn't getting too exhausted. She spoke to her aides and they soon brought a cup of cold water, which M'rala handed to Midnight to drink saying "Here, have a drink dear, you must keep your strength up".

Listening to Morning and Bess' comments, the buffalo woman's sturdy hooves clopped around the room and over to a shelf of boxes. "Oh, I have just the thing" she proclaimed. She rummaged and pulled something out of a box. She walked over to Morning and handed the handle of it to him. "Here, give him this; it is called a pacifier and it will help soothe him until he can eat" she instructed. The pacifier was made of carved, polished wood, with a natural rubber teat. "All the infants in our village use them"

***

Bess watched the father and his two children quietly, wondering if M'rala's pacifier would work. Dawn seemed content to sleep like a log for now, but she was probably going to be hungry too when she woke up. Bes idly wondered how in the world Midnight was going to feed all three and an image of her friend with 3 bosoms popped into her head, making her stifle a sudden giggle that turned into a snort.  

[Viper 9000]

Meyaira Firespring

((Its easier to draw big and size it down on the computer later, cant do it the other way around. 3nodding I look forward to seeing what she comes out looking like. heart ))

Hoofed Tribe - M'rala's Clinic

"If nothing else, just direct us to the patchwork group itself and we'll thank them all." Morning replies.

Accepting the cold cup of water, Midnight ran its cool surface across her forehead before gulping down the liquid within. "Thank you." Midnight says returning the now empty cup to one of M'rala's aides. Thankfully enough, the painkiller M'rala had given her earlier remained in effect and Midnight could barely feel anything from the waist down.

"Ah yes, the good ol' pacifier. Good to know some inventions are never lost, no matter where you are." Morning said, accepting three of the trinkets from M'rala before popping one of them in Dusk's mouth. With Dawn sound asleep, he would wait till she woke to give her one. "What's so funny?" He asked, hearing Bess giggle/snort beside him.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Viper 9000

Hoofed Tribe - M'rala's Clinic

M'rala nodded at Morning's comment "Oh well, up there for thinking. Goodness, why didn't I think of that? Here, let me draw you a map" she walked over to a notepad she kept on a small side table and scribbled on it with a quill pen, tearing off the page and giving it to Morning. "There, that's the map through the village to Floss' house. She holds patchwork and sewing group two times a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays" she explained, happy to be of help. Most of the village women had to make their own clothes, linens, cushions and other fabric items, so a lot of them were in the group.

M'rala kept an eye on Midnight's progress while Morning gave Dusk the pacifier. "Yes, they are wonderful little devices. We used to just tie different foods or sweets into a ball in a piece of cloth, but these are more effective and better for dental health" She raised her hand and signaled one of her aides. A deer fawn came up with a cool damp cloth and mopped the sweat from Midnight's brow and body, keeping her cool and clean, and tidying up a little around the birthing room to keep it clean as well.

M'rala meanwhile, took her place back at the end of the bed between Midnight's legs "All right, here comes the last one now. Take a deep breath and push right down into your bottom for me" she encouraged Midnight, coaching her through the process like she had with the other two. She didn't tell Midnight and Morning but she was actually worried about the last one. When it was triplets, a lot of times the youngest one got stressed by the end of the process, and sometimes they would die or be weaker than their siblings. They didn't have the same level of technology available as some of the other tribes so there was no real way for her to monitor the baby's heartbeat or anything else. She instead opted to get the child out as quickly as possible. They would use forceps, or operate if necessary. M'rala had done C-sections before. Luckily they did have a form of anesthetic, a very powerful one made from local plants, but difficult to make it exactly right. M'rala's clinic was the only place that stocked it.

Bess looked at Morning and tried to compose herself. "Oh, nothing, nothing! I was just...wondering how you two are going to feed them all" she said innocently, glancing at Midnight's boobs. "I imagine breastfeeding would be kind of difficult. Like, I have no idea how you're going to do it" she admitted, with a small giggle.  

[Viper 9000]

Meyaira Firespring

Hoofed Tribe - M'rala's Clinic

Pocketing the crudely drawn map, Morning nods his thanks. "We shall go visit them once Midnight has recovered from the birth and we get the children settled in."

Thankful for the medicine already pumping through her system, Midnight did as M'rala requested. While the labor itself was not extremely difficult it still had been a very long process and Midnight was feeling the strain of every minute even if she couldn't feel the pain that followed.

Catching Bess' glance towards Midnight's milk-filled breasts, Morning laughed in understanding. "I suppose you have a point, but it would be even more strange were she to grow a third during the middle of her pregnancy. And besides, the kids will have to learn to share one way or another, so why not start em early?"  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Viper 9000

Hoofed Tribe - M'rala's Clinic

M'rala nodded. "That is sensible. It should take several weeks to get settled, although the time such things take is different for everyone. Considering what you are, you might bounce back quicker than others. There is no rush, though. Floss and her group meet twice a week, every week" she chuckled, shaking her head. "Just like clockwork. I'd say she's taught nearly half the people in the village the basics of sewing and mending. Something I am also familiar with, although I sew and mend flesh, not clothes".

M'rala helped Midnight through the last of her labour and some time over the next hour, their third baby was born. As with the two babies before them, M'rala cut the cord and cleaned up the child, but this child was not immediately shown to nor placed on Midnight's chest. In fact, M'rala had left Midnight's side and was bending over the baby while some of her medical assistants checked the babe over, recording vital signs such as breathing and pulse, temperature, weight, size and so on. This seemed to be taking longer than it had for Dawn and Dusk, and there was a constant low murmuring amongst the buffalo midwife and her helpers.

One of the aides broke away from the group and came over to Midnight and Morning, smiling politely. "Hello, I'm one of the nurses here. Just letting you know that the midwife and the other nurses are helping your baby now and that there is nothing to worry about Sometimes they just need a little assistance, it is completely normal for triplets. This usually always happens with multiples, so don't worry, your baby is in good hands and we will hand her to you as soon as possible"

This was the medical staff's way of saying that there was something a bit off with the youngest baby and they were working to help her out but not to panic about it.

***

Bess chewed her lip to hide her grin as Morning understood what she meant, listening to him laugh. Midnight was too preoccupied with recovering from what was happening to her but she hoped she hadn't overheard their conversation. She didn't want Midnight to think they were making fun of her. She looked back at Morning and shrugged.

"Yeah, you're probably right. I mean, since there's three of them, there's going to be a lot of sharing in your family. And you're going to have to get three of everything. Three toys, three pacifiers, three...whatever else. Seems like you'll have your work cut out for you" she said honestly. "So, are you guys still going to stay here? In the village I mean. That house on the edge of the village that Midnight likes looks like it would be big enough for all of you if you still wanna stay here"  

[Viper 9000]

Meyaira Firespring

Hoofed Tribe - M'rala's Clinic

"Sadly, regeneration is not one of our abilities as Were-creatures." Morning says with a smile. "Let's just keep our fingers crossed that the kiddies don't learn to shift for a couple years..."

"Midnight will of course have the final say in such a decision, but I would think we'd stay here. We owe the village so much for their help and it would be rude to run off like that. Not to mention traveling with three newborns? No thanks." Morning continued, laying a comforting hand on Midnight's shoulder as she wriggled about to get a glimpse at their third child.

"Easy, easy..." the were-panda said, "You heard the nurse, he... or she is in good hands. I'm sure its nothing serious, maybe Dusk or Dawn just fought a little too hard to get out first."  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Viper 9000

Hoofed Tribe - M'rala's Clinic

M'rala nodded at Morning's comment. "Well, we can hope" she said. It would probably not be good to have shapeshifted, inexperienced bear cubs chasing the villagers around or eating the village livestock (chickens, sheep etc).

"Come on dearie, that's it, we'll get you breathing but you have to take a nice, big breath for us" M'rala was talking to the baby. She had a small rubber bulb in her hand and was squeezing it to suck out liquid from the baby's mouth and nose.

The baby in question was having trouble breathing. Some of the amniotic fluids had gotten into her nose and lungs. The child was pale and weaker than her siblings. She had silver-white hair and glacier blue eyes. She was much tinier and seemed more frail than her healthier, more robust siblings. A tiny series of coughs was heard as M'rala finally cleared her airways and then a thin wailing cry that rose and fell. When testing her reflexes, they had been weak and she seemed underweight, somewhat malnutritioned as though Dawn and Dusk had taken all the nutrients.

M'rala picked the skinny, small baby up and rubbed her all over with a fluffy towel, trying to warm her up. She laid her back on the table and massaged her tiny arms and legs to help her weak circulation. She motioned to one of her aides and they fetched some items for her. M'rala prepared a shot of vitamins and other boosters for the tiny babe and jabbed her with it. The baby's cries sharpened and became a little stronger as M'rala cooed at her and rubbed over the sore area. "I know, I know darling. Shots are no fun at all" she soothed, her warm mellow voice sounding tender and comforting.

***

Bess smiled at Morning's admission. "Great! I was gonna miss you guys if you moved away. I think we'll be the only hoofed tribe with carnivores living amongst us but I don't think that'll be a bad thing. You guys can help us protect our village and the borders, and show other tribes that it is possible for tribes to get along despite our differences. Besides I don't want to miss watching these cuties grow up" she said, looking at Dusk and Dawn.

She looked across the room when she heard thin, wavering cries and frowned. That baby sounded weak. But at least she was crying and alive. She hoped it was nothing too serious. "Sounds like number three is awake" she smiled encouragingly at Morning and Midnight, trying to keep things calm.

***

M'rala and her aides worked a little more with the baby and monitored her carefully before dressing her in a white cloth diaper and a white onesie that had a honeypot on the front with the words 'Little Honey' that looked like dripping honey across the front of the honeypot. They wrapped the babe in an extra layer of a soft white baby blanket with light blue hearts on it, also adding a soft beanie to her head.

M'rala carried the wrapped, tiny bundle over to Midnight and placed her in her arms. "Here is your little girl" she smiled. "Now I don't mean to worry you, but we are going to have to keep this little one at the clinic to keep an eye on her. She is very weak, so she needs a bit of extra support and attention so she can catch up to her big sister and brother" M'rala explained, writing things down on her clipboard such as the baby's statistics and details.

"What we are going to do is just monitor her breathing, circulation, reflexes, weight gain, and also you will need to mix a special powdered nutrients formula in with her milk, so you may need to bottle feed her. I think we might also get her on a drip, just to give her a head start" she said kindly. "She is very tiny, actually very much more like a premature baby than a full term one. But not to worry. I believe we have available everything we need here to keep her happy and healthy. She will have to stay at the clinic for maybe a few weeks to a couple of months but you can visit her every day, change, bathe, cuddle and feed her." she said. "Now, do you have a name picked out for this little bear cub?"  

[Viper 9000]

Meyaira Firespring

Hoofed Tribe - M'rala's Clinic

Despite his outward calmness, like Midnight, Morning was worried about their third child. The crying signaled life but from its pitch, their second daughter was clearly not happy. From his standing position, he caught glimpses of small flailing limbs. Thankfully Bess remained by their side to help distract him from his thoughts.

"Good thing bears like fish." Morning said with smile, despite his dislike of fish. Poor fish tribe.

Tickling her chin with a finger while Midnight snuggled the tiny newborn against her chest, Morning nodded in understanding. Just glancing at her, even with his limited medical knowledge, Morning knew this child would need extra help to survive. "Guess that solves the problem of needing three breasts..." Morning comments, despite Bess being the only one to get the joke.

"Her name shall be Noon." Midnight declared, handing Noon back to one of the aides.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Viper 9000

Hoofed Tribe - M'rala's Clinic

“I heard bears; black bears at least, are omnivores. They eat honey, roots, berries, meat, fish, insects, larvae, grass and some succulent plants” Bess said, listing them off on her fingers. “We have plenty of plant matter and fish and fruit, and honey as well, so you guys won’t starve” she said reassuringly to Morning and Midnight. “The chef at the local inn makes some pretty nice meals too. Midnight ate there with me once. We kind of scared the other villagers though” she laughed, looking a bit sheepish. “I owe the innkeeper a favour or two since then”.

Bess took the opportunity to have a closer look at the third baby when M’rala brought her over. “Ooh, she’s so small” she said, eyes wide as she looked over the baby. “But she’s pretty. Where would she have got the light hair from?” she looked to Midnight’s black hair, and Morning’s black hair with one white streak in it. She noticed Morning had one ice blue eye, and the baby’s were the same colour. “She sure is going to stand out with those colours” Bright silver white hair and light eyes. They seemed more suited to a colder climate, where she could camouflage in snow and ice. Here, in the forest, they would only stand out and make her an easy target.

Noon weakly turned her head and tried to suckle Morning’s finger but she couldn’t quite reach it. She whined quietly and kicked her legs that were wrapped in the blanket, frustrated and really hungry.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with that” Bess said quickly, laughing nervously at Morning’s comment. “We get all kinds here in Purri, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was someone with even more than three boobs” she stomped Morning’s toe and glared at him to get her point across; don’t upset the new mother.

“Noon. That fits nicely with the others” Bess commented, quickly changing subjects. She watched M’rala’s aides take the baby and put her in a similar crib to Dusk and Dawn’s with clear sides. The medical staff attached an IV to Noon’s arm, and more of her cries filled the room but she eventually settled down when one of the nurses brought her a bottle of special formula and fed it to her.

M’rala helped Midnight clean up while her aides changed the sheets and bedding and tidied up the birthing room, taking instruments away to be cleaned and sterilised and generally making the room clean and tidy. Once mother and infants were all settled, M’rala turned the lights down and made the room quiet. “You should get some rest now if you can” she said to Midnight “Congratulations and well done to you. You did extremely well for your first time, and with triplets no less. You’re an example to all mothers” she smiled, trying to tiptoe out of the room quietly with her heavy hooves clopping on the floor. “I’ll just be out here tending to my other patients but I’ll be in and out to check on you. If you need me, there’s a small bell beside the bed. Just ring it and someone will come running”  

[Viper 9000]

Meyaira Firespring

Hoofed Tribe - M'rala's Clinic

Morning arcs an eyebrow at Bess' comment about scaring people. Midnight smiles, remembering their meal there. "I can always blame the pregnancy hormones for the way I acted last time... Think they'll ever let me back there?" The female were-bear asked with grin. "Anyway, yes us black bears eat a wider variety of things but meat remains the main focus of most our meals. Berries and such tend to be more of a trail-mix kind of snack."

"The babies won't be able to eat any real meat till their teeth come in anyway." Morning adds. "And apparently Dusk and Dawn blocked more then just nutrition. Although the white could be a dormant gene from my side of things... I was born a towhead (bleach white/blond basically) so she might grow out of it."

Having already received an elbow in the ribs as well as other minor bruises, Morning was well used to the playful abuse and understood the stomp to the toes perfectly. "And of course not, the more the better." He said with a grin. Midnight rolled her eyes, understanding there to be a joke in play she'd missed.

Kissing his mate's forehead, Morning nudged Bess towards the door. "We'll let you get some rest while Bess shows me around town a little bit." He explained. Nodding in agreement, Midnight quickly drifted off to sleep as the door closed.

Once outside the clinic, Morning couldn't contain himself. He hoisted Bess up by her underarms and declared. "I'm a DADDY!"  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Viper 9000

Hoofed Tribe – Large Forest Village

Bess nodded at Midnight “I’m sure they will, since you’re going to be living here from now on. They’d better get used to seeing werebears around because now there’s five of you guys” she laughed. “I’m sure your cute babies will win over the hearts of some people at least”.

“Hm. In that case, you might have to leave the village to go hunting and bring back meat to your house. Maybe wrap up your kills so it doesn’t upset people though. There are people here who relate strongly to some animals for obvious reasons and seeing their animal kin hurt or killed really upsets them” she explained.

She nodded at Morning’s comments as well. “Never mind. Even if she doesn’t grow out of it, she has two powerful parents to protect her. Everyone here at the clinic will be watching her closely too”.

Bess tried to hide her smile at Morning’s add-on to the toe stomping, grinning when Midnight rolled her eyes. She didn’t miss much, apparently.

Bess took the cue and walked towards the door out of the clinic, waving goodbye to her friend. She exited the healer’s hut with Morning and stretched her arms above her head with a long sigh, suddenly feeling exhausted. All the travelling of the past few days and broken sleep seemed to have caught up to her.

She went to turn to speak to Morning and had just opened her mouth to ask him if he wanted to visit the local baths/hot spring when he picked her clean up off the ground. “Ah..hahaha….easy there, Morning” she laughed nervously, wiggling a little. Several villagers that were passing by stopped and stared and a lot of them started laughing.

Bess felt her face grow warm. She patted Morning’s arm “You certainly are. Congrats and all that! But uh, would you mind putting me down? People are looking at us”  

[Viper 9000]

Meyaira Firespring

Hoofed Tribe – Large Forest Village

(Being the huntress type she is, Midnight is likely to do just that. =P Morning is too much of a loveable clutz to be any use hunting.)

"Yeah yeah." The werepanda replied, setting Bess back on the ground. "Sorry about that, I just had to do something with that and I didn't wanna do it inside where I might disturb anybody else."

Morning's stomach chose that time to loudly rumble. While his months on the run and searching for his wife had done wonders to cut down the body fat on his person, he remained a husky man at heart and loved to eat. "Perhaps we should get some grub. I'm sure Midnight would appreciate a bite to eat when she wakes up in an hour or two."  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Viper 9000

Hoofed Tribe – Large Forest Village - The Dancing Fawn Inn/Tavern

“It’s fine” Bess answered, rubbing at her eyes and covering a yawn. “I can understand. You should be excited”.

She heard the loud growl and was scared for a moment, looking around for monsters, until she realised it came from his stomach. Bess snorted and prodded his hungry belly. “Grub? It’s this way. Follow me. I’ll take you to the inn. They have a restaurant downstairs. We can order a plate for Midnight and you can deliver it to her while I go take a bath” she said.

Bess led the way through the forest paths and the village and soon arrived at the inn. Fortunately it hadn’t been damaged in the monster attack and the lamps were on inside. It was still open for business, but business was slow. Everyone was at home with the shutters closed, staying inside and safely away from anything dangerous that might be hunting them. The small river that ran past the inn was swirling with some kind of inky black substance. Bess shuddered at the sight. It was probably blood from one of the monsters.  

[Viper 9000]

Meyaira Firespring

Hoofed Tribe – Large Forest Village - The Dancing Fawn Inn/Tavern

At Bess' mention of a bath, Morning gave himself a quick sniff. While not quite as sensitive to such matters as females were Morning was sure he could use one as well. "I'm sure Midnight wouldn't object to joining you for a run to the bathhouse." But his stomach demanded food before such errands.

"Thank god the monsters didn't attack the tavern, what would we do without beer..." Morning said trying to lighten the mood as the pair of adventures walked through damaged spots of town.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Viper 9000

Hoofed Tribe – Large Forest Village - The Dancing Fawn Inn/Tavern

Bess laughed softly when she caught Morning doing the sniff-test. "I'm kind of glad I fell in the river back there, in a way. Yeah, if she's not too tired, I'll invite her along. We have separate bathing areas for men and women so feel free to join" she smiled. "It's a bit different than a traditional bath though. You wash yourself clean with soap and water before you get in the springs. It helps keep them clean and the minerals balanced"

Bess' nose wrinkled at the mention of beer. "Bluck. You can have as much of that stuff as you want. I've never liked the taste of beer. Fruit flavoured drinks are more my preference" she said as she led the way inside and to the serving counter. "Hi, can we have some menus please?" she asked casual, friendly.

"Oh! Bess. Hey, good to see you survived the monster attack" The waiter behind the counter took one look at Morning and took a step back, swallowing nervously. "M-menus? Oh, right, you have company. Here, take them" He hurried to grab two menus and handed them over, his hand shaking slightly. Most of the villagers had heard about Bess' new companions and what they were. "S-sorry, sir. We don't happen to have any meats except fish on the menu tonight, but if you'd like something specific I can put in a request to the chef" The fawn was obviously scared of ending up as Morning's next meal. Bess just let Morning speak for himself. If he wanted to have a little fun with the staff, she wasn't gonna stop him. Though she hoped he wouldn't scare them too badly, since everyone's nerves were still on edge from lab monster attack