You've got that heart of gold

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With each day, Reiko found herself able to venture further from his chamber. When he returned from a round of patrol along the Western border, the druid was not surprised to find his hollow empty. He didn't like it when she roamed too far, not without his presence to reassure any pack-mates who might not appreciate the free roaming of one who was not of their own. Quicksilver turned toward the direction he suspected the pallid Empress to have ventured, and picked his way along the trail.

He found her, busied with flora, and he pricked his ears forward with curiosity as he eased his stride and moved in alongside her. “Nettle,” the silverwhite hummed, pale eyes fixated on his snowflower's careful dissection of the plant. “For Ira?”


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The snowflower confirmed his assumption, and he canted his muzzle to regard the stripped plant she'd laid out in the sun to dry. She shared that it was meant to be a postpartum gift, meaning it was unsafe for pregnancy, and he wondered how t might benefit the High Queen and her newborns. “Any day now,” Quicksilver answered her question with an excited lash of his feathered tail; the royal cubs would bring great joy to their pack.

He wondered how soon they would arrive, and if Reiko might be around to celebrate with them. A guard had not yet come from Shiroshika to escort her home and Quicksilver was afraid to be hopeful, but as time passed he would continue to wish her one more day to stay.

“You should go see her, if you're feeling up to it,” the druid suggested, with a hint of a smile. He was sure the High Queen would appreciate her company while she squirrelled herself away to await her whelping, and that Reiko herself might like to see a different, friendlier face.


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Ira and Hieronymous' relationship had progressed swiftly, while Quicksilver's own experiences had not gone so smoothly. Reiko's initial rejection of him had been due to her attempt at building something with someone else, someone who'd conjured enough feeling in her to take a chance. The druid, though disappointed, did not hold it against her. All too well he understood the desire for companionship, for stability - to want and be wanted in return. The snowflower's samurai had left her, ultimately, and her heart had opened to make room for him just as his had tentatively reached for Izumi.

The royal cubs were to be his priority, now. It was for them he would make effort to root himself again, to be a presence in their innocent lives as guardian, doctor and teacher. Each wolf in the pack would play a role to help shape them, and Quicksilver wanted to be prepared for his.

“You are her ally,” he reminded gently, “a friend to Vanderfell. Please do not ever think yourself a burden here, Reiko.”


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“Yes,” he confirmed, when Reiko asked if this was to be Ira's first brood. The Queen was heavy with child and she was tired - very soon, their chambers would welcome the mewling of several newborn babes. Quicksilver was worried, naturally, though he kept his thoughts to himself. What if the royal litter did not survive? What if their Alphess perished? What if he, their medic, could not save them? The druid, despite the vast knowledge he held, was still inexperienced in his field.

The silverwhite was quiet for a long pause as he considered these very sad, very real, possibilities.

Conversation carried on on Reiko's part, and Quicksilver lifted his gaze to regard her as she spoke - this time, of her own offspring. The snowflower had recovered one, a daughter, he recalled, while her son remained missing. How long had it been? The chances of her ever finding him again were slim, but the hope remained. He hoped Reiko would hold that close to her heart, always.

“Would you... would -” he blinked, shuffled a paw awkwardly, and drew in a breath, “would it be odd if I were to ask about...?”

Why was this so difficult? The ashen wolf fumbled with his words, tripping over each attempt to ask a simple question: what happened to the father of your cubs?

Tobias had not sired the Empress' brood, he understood, considering the timing. She'd declared that she barely knew him, after all. So there had to be someone else involved, someone who was long gone.

And whoever he was, Quicksilver hoped he'd made her happy.


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She could not read his mind, unfortunately, and the discomfort of it made him refrain from pressing further. Despite his awkwardness, Reiko did not avoid communication with him. She, entirely unaware of the turmoil that'd presented in his mind over her past partners, instead assumed the reason for his uncertainty to be that Ira's litter would be the first that he would whelp.

A procedure that did frighten him, but not that which bothered him right then.

“Oh,” he emitted a breath of laughter, amused and suddenly glad for the chance to veer away from what was sure to be a stressful topic, “I, uh... I would appreciate that.” Who better than to give advice about childbirth than a mother? Quicksilver felt each delivery would be different, each presented with their own challenges, but having some knowledge of what he might expect would beneficial.

If he was not meant to father pups of his own, then he would simply play uncle to all. “What was it like, for... for you?”


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Stressful, she said. What did that even mean? How? In what way? Quicksilver, with literally zero equipment to ever experience childbirth himself, struggled to understand. If it was really that bad, why did other she-wolves continue to reproduce? The druid's automatic response was to turn away from anything unpleasant, so -

Oh.

The way she'd gotten pregnant had been what brought her stress, not the... actual pregnancy? The silverwhite listened quietly, not at all considering that the snowflower might've been forced by someone or that there'd been two suitors involved.

Quicksilver did not press for more information on her past. He'd tried to ask if it was okay to try learn a little more about who Reiko was and where she'd come from, but his attempt had been shockingly bad. No, it was safer to let her say anything that needed to be said at her own pace.

“I'm sorry you had a hard time with that,” he said gently, stepping in closer with the hope of bumping his snout reassuringly to the dove's shoulder, “I... if you don't want to talk about it, it... it's okay?”


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Reiko accepted his presence as he drew closer, and reached to butt her brow to the side of his crown. The druid mustered a watery smile in response, his feathered tail giving a contented sway at his hocks. "It is all in the past now," was her soft assurance, though his concern remained.

What had happened to the man who'd sired her children?

What had happened to her?

He wanted to know, but didn't want to press - as though his decision to withdraw himself romantically from both Reiko and Izumi meant he was expected to shut himself off from them. It was simply none of his business. Quicksilver let silence hang between them for a few moments before he turned attention once more to the dove's work: “so, does the stinging nettle do anything else for new mothers?”


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Quicksilver did not dwell on his curiosities of the life Reiko led before she'd woke in this strange place, and far from his mind did he push the wolf he believed might've held her heart then. He imagined he would be tall and strong, powerful, with a proud head and kind eyes - willing and able to lay down his life for her.

Someone he could never compare to.

The druid twitched a whisker, snapping back into reality at the contact that Reiko made. She pressed a kiss to the pallid underside of his chin then stole her gaze away, focus returning swiftly to her task as though the gesture never happened. Quicksilver blinked at her, unsure what it was supposed to mean or if she'd simply wished to regain his attention - either way, his gaze did not drift from her again.

“It is a danger to unborn pups, then?” Quicksilver asked.


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“Ah, I... I see,” he said gently, interest in his eyes as he observed how the dove picked carefully at the herb she prepared. He imagined Ira or any mother he might aid in future would not be impressed to consume medication that might cause her harm. His goal as midwife was to make them as comfortable as possible before and after delivery, so an assault on his own mouth and paws by stinging nettle was a price he was willing to pay.

Reiko made mention of her hot springs, and he thought of those he'd located with Izumi among the North-Western ranges. The water there had been warm and the steam soothing - he figured it would be beneficial to those afflicted by flu or even stress, though Quicksilver was not aware of any within Vanderfell's claim. He appreciated her offer, even though the distance between his home and hers meant making use of her fairy pools awkward.

She seemed uncomfortable, and he noticed. He moved in carefully to hover nearby, concern in his tone, “can I... is there anything I can do to help? You are welcome to use our medicine cache.”


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