[PRP] Babies! (Gerda, Jozo & Eppie)

[troll toll]

The dark lioness had been feeling weaker than usual for the past few days. Her belly was swollen larger than ever. She dragged herself around, struggling to keep to her routine despite the seemingly massive weight. Gerda was glad that she had taken up walking for exercise before the pregnancy. She did think it had strengthened her ... a little bit at least.

Tonight she had taken only a little walk before turning and staggering towards her den. Pain had come and gone for hours, but she hadn't told Jozo. Partly because he didn't seem interested in her or their unborn cubs, and partly because she was terrified of what it might mean. What if she wasn't birthing the cubs but losing them?

"Jozo?" Gerda called weakly as she tripped into their den. She half-expected him not to be there at all.  

[bipolar bee]

Jozo was tired, as usual. Spreading himself too thin between Gerda and Eppie, and then there were his duties to attend to, as well. He'd not been spending much time with Gerda OR Eppie as of late; the pregnant lionesses were constant reminders that he was a terrible lion. What had he been thinking? The only thing he knew was that either lioness suspected him of being with the other at any given time.

At Gerda's weak voice, Jozo raised his head from his paws and glanced toward the entrance of their den. She looked weak, tired, sick... and in pain. Alarmed, Jozo rose to his feet and went to her side, softly nuzzling her cheek as he tried to support her weight.

"Gerda?? What's going on, is everything okay?" This was all too familiar, too raw, and his heart was in his throat. Was she losing the cubs? He didn't want to see the lifeless bodies of cubs -- his cubs -- again. He couldn't survive that.  

[troll toll]

Jozo's attention, his affection, eased some of the worry in Gerda's heart. Even if she lost the cubs, she had her mate ... for now, for just this moment. It would have to be enough. She returned his nuzzle, leaning heavily against him.

What was going on? Gerda kept quiet for a moment, trying to think of her symptoms logically, as a Healer. She had never specialized in birthing. Almost all of her time was eaten up with caring for those ill from the plague. But she knew some of it. "I feel ... pain," Gerda said slowly. Pain in her belly, similar to the pain she'd felt when she lost their cubs the first time.

Maybe it was natural this time, though. Weren't the cubs big enough to come out now? "I can't tell if it's good pain or bad," she said bleakly. "Maybe it's their time to come." There was a little hope in her voice at that. "They are big enough, if..." If they still live, she thought unhappily.  

[bipolar bee]

Jozo couldn't ignore the jump his pulse took, the thick feeling of laughter? tears? in his throat. He was scared, as scared as he had been the last time they'd gone through this, if not more scared this time. He'd gone into fatherhood for the wrong reasons; much soul-searching had been done, and with Eppie's words echoing in his mind, he knew that these little ones deserved all the love he could give.

And Gerda... braving pregnancy and birth again; that was something worth admiring. How terribly she wanted a family, how terribly she wanted his love... now was not the time for these feeble thoughts. Gods willing tonight he would be a father to live cubs, and that's what mattered. Nothing else.

"Let me help you get comfortable, Gerda. Do we need help yet? Should I go get ...help?" He didn't want to say 'go get Eppie' even if that's who they were going to turn to. Eppie and Njeve would guide them through this.

Jozo would not panic.  

[troll toll]

Gerda sensed Jozo's fear, and for some reason it soothed her nerves. Knowing that Jozo cared as she did, that he was as frightened as her ... that was something, something to cling to. The pain subsided slightly. Forcing herself to relax, she slowly eased herself down onto the ground of their den.

The last person Gerda wanted to see right now, in her own home, was Eppie. Still, she knew that she needed the pale lioness's expertise. She nodded unwillingly, not meeting Jozo's eyes.

"Yes. Go get her," Gerda said softly, unable to say the hated lioness's name in her moment of crisis. For an irrational second she wanted to urge Jozo to go down to the river to look for her friend the crocodile goddess, but that was a thought quickly squashed. She raised her head, gazing at Jozo beseechingly. "Come back quickly, please. I want you here. I'll be stronger if you're here."  

[bipolar bee]

Jozo took a small moment to pause and softly nuzzle Gerda's ear. Inhale, exhale. She was going to be a mother to his children; though she wasn't the lioness he loved deeply and irrevocably... she was going to give birth to his cubs. Gerda would always have a place in his heart because of that. There was no question in his mind that these cubs would live and flourish as best they could; he couldn't even think to comprehend that these cubs would be born lifeless.

"I'll be back soon. As fast as we can. I promise." He didn't know if the two lionesses had seen one another lately; Eppie was currently heavy with his cubs, as well. What had he done? He was a disgrace. A failure!

Inhale, exhale. He had to keep reminding himself to breathe. It was getting hard to keep focused; the fear and anguish in his chest thudded out of control. He locked eyes with Gerda and backed out of the den before turning tail and running as fast as he could to Eppie's den. He hoped Njeve was nearby, as well. There was no time to lose, no time to spare, no time, no time...

"Eppie!!" His roar was loud, frantic. She had to be here! "Eppie?!"  

[hibi-tea]

Eppie was taking a rest inside her den peacefully when Jozo came looking for her. She was told by the other Nanny to take a rest considering her heavily pregnant state and she had taken him up on the offer. When she wasn't feeling tired or nauseous Eppie would go visit the children of the pride and give Njeve her instructions. It actually ended up being a rather perfect predicament for Eppie at the moment. She was giving going to be having her and Jozo's children and at the same time she could instruct Njeve about childbirth and how to care for a mother by using herself as the teaching tool.

Eppie lifted her head to Jozo's calls and quirked it at his frantic sounding voice. Had something happened? Getting up from her place on the ground she waddled her way to the entrance of her den, a little song going 'badump da dump, badump da dump' playing in her head as she walked. Peeking her head out a little, she became a tad nervous, "Is everything ok, Jozo?"  

[bipolar bee]

"I'm not sure," he replied, his voice holding a tinge of panic. "I think Gerda is going into labor. Or.. something might be wrong." He shifted from paw to paw nervously, "You need to come. Where is Njeve?" He eyed her rotund belly and groaned inwardly. He'd gotten himself into a fine, fine mess, hadn't he? Gritting his teeth, he moved closer to Eppie so that he could nuzzle her cheek and admitted, "I'm afraid. I'm afraid she'll lose the cubs."

He was almost frantic with worry. It was evident in the dilated pupils, his shaky movements. "We have to hurry."  

[hibi-tea]

"Njeve is on her way back from fetching me some water," Eppie replied, noting the panic in Jozo's voice as he spoke to her. She had hoped she would not be needed at Gerda's birthing and that the children would be alright. If anyone really knew of the situation at hand, they would probably wonder why she didn't just curse the children's existence and not go, but it wasn't who Eppie was. Sure, she hated Gerda with every fiber of her being for doing what she did, but those children weren't to be faulted for it, and every lioness, including the sickly Gerda, should have at least one live litter to help the population of their pride.

"I will go on ahead to your den," Eppie said. Feeling it odd to refer to it as his den, when really it was Gerda's. Jozo had no den, no real place described as home. He went back and forth between the two so frequently, that he seemed more of a nomad than a settled mate. "Please go get Njeve, she should almost be back. Have her bring the water with her."

Eppie was very firm in her words and actions as she set out to go over to Gerda's den. It faintly crossed her mind what Gerda's reaction would be to the fact that Eppie herself was pregnant, but she erased the thought immediately. She couldn't think about gloating at a time like this. Gerda was a heavily sickly lioness and the potential of another still birth was far too high to involve such pettiness at the moment.

-----

Njeve had been on her way back when she started to approach from a distance. She saw Jozo and Eppie, than Eppie making her way elsewhere and wondered what exactly was going on. She did not call out though, incase something personal had transpired that she shouldn't stick her nose in.  

[bipolar bee]

Jozo nodded at Eppie and paused to watch her move towards his den. After she was gone from view Jozo immediately turned and went in search of Njeve. If she was going to get Eppie water, shat narrowed down her whereabouts considerably. He hoped he wouldn't have to go far in order to find the young hyena.

He didn't. After a mere few hundred feet he saw the hyena apprentice and he immediately approached her. "Njeve," he gasped, winded, "Eppie needs you in my den. Gerda is having the babies. Eppie says bring the water." Since he wasn't sure if Njeve knew where his den was, he decided to wait for her. "We have to hurry!"  

[hibi-tea]

Njeve slunk back slightly where she sat when Jozo came up to her in his panic and worry. She didn't know him, and though she had met him in passing once or twice, couldn't recall his name. Also, who was Gerda again?

"Uhm, I... Uh... Y-Yes!" Njeve stated, following along after Jozo, attempting her best to be as quick as possible without dropping the water all over the place. She wondered what Eppie was going to need the water for as she could not recall needing water previously for a birthing procedure. Unless... Was she making her bring the water the whole way to someone else's den incase she hurled?!

Eppie... Njeve whined internally to herself.

-----

While Jozo tracked down Njeve and brought her along for the crazy ride, Eppie had mad her way to Gerda's den. Eppie had a few moments before Jozo and Njeve would end up getting to the den, and instead of sitting outside and waiting for them, she decided to stand in the door way and look in on Gerda incase something happened in the meantime. She also wanted to discreetly show Gerda that she was also pregnant and take a small petty reprieve to make herself feel better with Gerda's irrational reaction to this fact.

If she was going to be asked, yet again, to assist in birthing the dark whore's children, she wanted some satisfaction out of the situation, and it would be Gerda's reaction to her showing off her own pregnancy.  

[troll toll]

Gerda was not having a very good time. The pain kept coming. She regretted asking Jozo to go at all, wishing that he had just stayed with her. If the cubs would be still-born, she didn't want to face it by herself. Almost more than that, she didn't want the other lioness here, not at all.

When someone finally came to the den she turned, thinking it was Jozo. The hopeful smile faded from her face.

Eppie. Pregnant.

Of course.

She understood everything, she understood why Jozo hadn't spent as much time with her as he should. He was off visiting with this slutty lioness, pampering her. The weariness that Gerda had been holding at bay for weeks overwhelmed her then, and she slumped to the floor, listless. Let the pain come, let the babies be stillborn. She had been used and abused by the lion she depended on, and there seemed no point in even trying. If the babies were sickly, who would she turn to? A mate that was hardly ever there, busy caring for the children of a whore?  

[bipolar bee]

Jozo hurried ahead of Njeve, not going out of sight of the hyena but not wanting to slow his pace. His cubs were coming, his cubs! His heart thumped with frightened excitement. He hoped that Gerda was doing well, he hoped that she'd reacted alright to seeing Eppie's pregnant middle. He would have to smear the truth a bit to Gerda, explain that he was only trying to help the pride. He hoped she would believe him.

Jozo shook his head to clear it as he grew closer to the mouth of the den. Now was not the time to let his mind wander. Now was the time to ensure that Gerda would successfully birth live cubs.

He entered the den apprehensively, afraid to see dead cubs that had been born in his absence.  

[hibi-tea]

Eppie looked back when she heard footsteps come close to the den. It was Jozo, with Njeve trailing close behind. He was obviously struggling with the fact that both women he managed to sire cubs to were in the same room with each other. The poor man looked like he'd either faint or bolt and never return, though the latter was less likely than the former. Eppie turned to Jozo quietly and shifted off to the side to let him through.

"The illness is causing her to tire and weaken, but there is no blood on her, so this is not a miscarriage. She is in labour," Eppie said calmly.

Njeve peaked her head into the den apprehensively before Eppie motioned her in. She was nervous because she could feel the tension rising between the three in the den, which was beginning to affect her nerves. She was supposed to be the one helping Gerda through the birth, since Eppie was too fat with babies to do it proficiently herself.

"What... Do I do with the water?" Njeve asked, setting the little canister down on the floor quietly.

"Take it to Gerda. She'll need it," Eppie instructed, making sure Njeve took it over to her quickly.  

[troll toll]

Gerda's mind was a whirl. A dull, miserable whirl. Jozo, Eppie ... she wasn't sure if she wanted to bring her cubs into the world with that pair hovering over them. What kind of life would they have? What kind of love would they know?

If she hadn't been trapped in the pride by her illness and by her own treacherous body's pregnancy, she would have fled. Let her have her cubs far from this unhappy place.

But the cubs had their own ideas about that, and all of a sudden Gerda had to push, grinding her teeth and letting out a roar that was startling after her earlier silence. And then there was a cub, a live one. Wheezing, Gerda reached for the water the hyena offered. "Thank you," she breathed. She would not look at the other lions, would not even acknowledge them.