Time draws near

[carabadgermum]

Thunder had started fussing again and Lightning was squirming inside the makeshift sling she had put together for them. Kolia took them both back out of it carefully and laid them on the pallet beside her. She ran a finger down the lightning mark on the older twin's cheek and he did as his brother had done earlier turning his head and trying to suck her finger. They were hungry and Kolia was too. She forced herself to stop crying and spoke, "I need something to eat. It's been over a day since I've had anything." It was as if she was letting the blind vixen know in her own way that she would stay and allow these beasts take care of her and the twins for a little longer. As long as they would feed her, that is.
Kolia had also realized that she was going to have to try to feed her sons soon. She hadn't thought about what that would mean up until this point and wasn't keen on having an audience when she had her first go at it. She picked up Thunder and tried to think of how this was supposed to work. The little whelp obviously knew more about it than she did. As soon as she lifted him and held him close to her he turned his little head toward her chest and started opening his mouth like a baby bird waiting for it's mother to drop in a worm. "Just hold on little Redak," she spoke softly to him. Then she looked up quickly. "Could someone please take him," she gestured at Sergei with a free hand. "out of here? I'd like a little privacy."

[Wolfie]

Taure nodded understandingly. I'll escort him out and see if I can find you something to eat. Is there anything special that you're hungry for?

[carabadgermum]

Kolia looked at the two vixens and the weasel who were present. They were all carnivores like herself, so she had no reason to pretend otherwise. "Meat," she said decisively, "Bird preferably, not cooked so much that it damages the taste." She looked down at Thunder. He was kneading at her chest now with his little paws and whining pitifully. Lightning also was squirming fit to burst. If he could make a sound he would have been making an awful din.

[Wolfie]

Taure smiled and nodded approvingly. Goood choice. I'll have that in for you as soon as possible. She turned to the weasel and grabbed his shoulders, pushing him out in front of her. Out with ye now, Sir. Let the lady have a little peace. As soon as she exited the tent, she grabbed a bird off the back of the cart and started fixing it for the weaselmaid.

[Silas]

Sergei made sort of a "Hm." Sound, and a curt nod as he exited the tent, glancing back at Kolia. It felt weird to help the weaselmaid when he barely knew her, and this was probably the last time he would see her. Of course, he could hunt down Roask, but he was sure he had other plans. It was best not to get too involved, anyways. He had done what he could, which didn't feel like much in the logical outlook, but from some other point of view, it was worth it.

((Again, the secret thingummy shows itself in the last sentence...))

[carabadgermum]

"Wait a second," Kolia said to the weasel as he was exiting the tent. Thunder fussed again but she told him to hush. She looked up studying Sergei. "Why did you do it, act like you were Roask?" Then she looked down again at her sons. "I don't think I could of got through it if I didn't believe he was here." Once again it was a close as she would actually get to saying thank you.

[Silas]

"Why I did it..." Sergei repeated, blinking, as if he could see something standing in Kolia's place. "Can you, uh, keep a secret, marm?" he asked. If the beasts at the Tavern heard of this, he wouldn't hear the end of it. Ultimately, it could lead to his death. The weasel readied himself, the faraway look gone now as he was looking towards Kolia and the twins she carried.

[carabadgermum]

At first Kolia smirked but seeing that he was serious she wiped the look from her face. It had been just a whim to ask him but now she was really intrigued. "I won't tell a soul. Take it with me to hellsgates." A touch of her smile returned but in a kinder fashion. She hushed Thunder again so she could hear what Sergei had to say and offered the little whelp her finger to suck until she could give him what he really wanted.

[Silas]

Sergei, now not in any doubt, clears his throat and begins to tell his tale.

Every townsbeast has a story to tell...

"Now, uh, the reason I helped ye is... Well... Y'see, I myself grew up... without a father... And my mother wasn't particularly kind t' me either. It was..." he realized he was now looking at the floor, his claws knotted together. He forced himself to look back up. "It was because my 'father', er.... raped my mother."

Here he paused. There was no other way to explain it. Having said that, though, he tried to move on. "Now I'm not suggesting that I thought you were in that same situation, marm, it's just that I saw how much of a burden I was on my mother. She went through childbirth alone, nearly died then too. She didn't really... accept me. Refused to say that I was her son." He felt a lump growing in his own throat. "And because of that, I had some rough times durin' my childhood. I helped ye because I wanted to give these two..." He gestured towards the twins, " I wanted to give 'em at least a sorta 'protector', I guess, in the absence of their father. Tryin' to give 'em what I didn't have."

There was also logic to this, since Kolia would've refused to give birth until the actual Roask was there in that tent. The weasel was apparently sympathetic for the twins as well as herself. Of course, he didn't really want to point out that flaw to Kolia. It was said and done, anyway. His explanation concluded, he lowered his head and let out a long sigh, slumping as he did so.

[carabadgermum]

Kolia listened wide eyed to the weasel's story. She held Thunder a little closer to her when he spoke of his mother not accepting him, and looked down at Lightning who was clearly, abet silently, unhappy. She thought about what he had done and the reason he had done it. There was nothing else to say so she offered him a very rare spoken expression of gratitude, "Thank you. I'm sorry for what happened to you." Then her voice became a little indignant, "Of course Roask never. . ." Sure her mate had been rough in his attentions to her but he would have never tried anything without her consent.
Kolia thought of her own mother who she'd murdered for the part she played in the death of her father. She'd planned on being the best mother she could just so she wouldn't end up like her own. She didn't bare any lost love toward the beast that had born her but she heard the sadness in Sergei's voice. She almost wished she could help him in some way as he had helped her but she had no idea how. She saw the tenderness in is eyes as he looked at the twins.
"Would you hold one of them for me, while I feed the other? I never imagined how hard it would be to care for two at once."

[Silas]

Sergei swallowed the lump in his throat, looking back up at Kolia, a bit doubtful of himself for some reason. "Uh, sure." He went over to the weaselmaid, still a bit cautiously. She was trusting him with one of her children, after all, and they were definitely important to her.

[carabadgermum]

Kolia nodded. This was all new to her of course but she felt instinctively that she could trust the weasel just as he had trusted her with his story. "You hold Little Roasky, er Lightning and I'll feed this one since I'm already holding him. Er and could you turn your back for a moment, just till I get . . . settled.

[Silas]

"Uh, Sure." Sergei replies, gently picking up the mute weaselbabe, and carefully holding him as such that he was secure in his arms. "There we go, eh?" He said, halfway to himself and halfway to Lightning. It felt weird, to be sure. Not the physical feeling of holding the newborn, of course... He turned around to give Kolia some privacy, at first looking out of the tent flap to see Kate heading back towards Darkwood. He then glanced down again at the beast in his arms.

[carabadgermum]

Kolia watched the weasel pick up her son and turn. She wondered if Roask would be so gentle and caring with his own son. She didn't realize she was staring until Thunder became dissatisfied with her finger and let out a howl. She blinked and looked down at the tiny whelp, "Alright it's coming hold on." She glanced up once more to be sure Sergei's back was turned before she lifted her shirt and settled her infant to nurse. She was amazed again at how she knew what to do with no beast explaining it to her. She was acting completely on instinct. She was also amazed at the warm feeling of connection that she felt with her son, this little creature who had lived inside her.
She had never known that being a mother would be like this. It made her think of her own mother and Sergei's. She spoke aloud to him, "For me it was the other way 'round. My mother wronged my Da, betrayed him to his death while finding comfort in another beast's arms." She stopped short of telling this beast she hardly knew that she herself had exacted out revenge by killing her mother.
Kolia looked around, found a small blanket and draped it over her shoulder effectively covering herself and little Redak. "I'm decent, you can turn around if you wish."

[Silas]

"Uh-huh." Sergei replies, turning halfway around to slowly sit down cross-legged, holding the mute weaselbabe. To think he was fighting a one-sided brawl in the tavern just an hour ago... He still had his various knives, most hidden in the folds of his cloak. Of course there was no hazard to Lightning, as all of the blades had sheaths guarding their edges. He looked to see if he was still crying or not. He couldn't tell while he was mute. He also heard the small bit of Kolia's story, but made no attempt to pry at it furthur, for obvious reasons.