[ P ] Windswept seagulls

"Mummy!" Hyacinth's voice was hushed yet not even a whisper could compress her excitement. It was not for anything in particular—it very rarely was—yet that seemed not to matter. Hyacinth had a love of the sunshine, of the seagulls and the sea. She loved how motes of dust drifted in and out of rays and the sound of her mother sleeping. Waking was one of the best parts of Hyacinth's day and she greeted this one just as she did with most others by going to pounce on her mother.

But she wasn't small enough to fully wrestle her mum with all her might anymore. And there was a new complication too. More pups were coming—and while she'd been informed that she couldn't wrestle them right away, she had been assured that she could later at least. That much had made her excited at the prospect of siblings even if Dahli didn't seem as thrilled. Granted, little had brightened Dahlia's mood as of late. She was a raincloud, gray and distant, whilst Hyacinth was the sun. Try as Hyacinth might to evaporate her sister's sorrows, her pervasive cheerfulness only seemed to make things worse. So Hya gave her sister space when it was needed and badgered the other members of her family instead.

Poking her head into her mother's room, Hya noted that Apa Anteros was not there. As she bounded into the room, her hushed cry joining the sound of the gulls outside, Hya pressed her paws against her mom's cheek and shoulders. She made sure to keep most of her weight in her hind paws so as to not hurt the new babies (or her mum).

Tail wagging, Hyacinth slipped back onto her haunches. "Do you wanna play today?" Tilting her head, she allowed her ears to flop to one side.

Since moving to Aberdeen, Hyacinth's bond with her mom had solidifed quickly. She'd always wanted a mom for one. To her surprise, her mom was also willing to wrestle with her and play which was something that Papa had never done. This had earned Nora a big piece of Hyacinth's heart.

Of course, her mother couldn't always play. She'd gone off and returned a hero in "the war" and she had Apa Anteros to go on dates with too. That had led Hyacinth to befriending many of the neighborhood children. Which begged her early morning questions: "Mum, what are cousins? What are grandparents?" A pause. "How do I get some?"

manip + code: clae

It was her daughter calling her at first that had her slowly rousing from slumber. Still half-asleep, she laid there and contemplated getting up or not. These days she was quite tired, likely thanks to the new life that grew within her. She could still not believe it somedays but her gently rounded belly proved otherwise. There was no escaping it, not that she wanted to anyway, but she was absolutely pregnant. The idea of having another litter send her into a bit of a spiral if she thought about it too hard. Nora had always wanted her family but had never really expected to have children. And the first time had been horrific for her. The second time would be better, she had to tell herself that. Nobody would die and nobody would be stolen from her. It would be perfect and wonderful... and...

She was knocked out of her thoughts by little paws on her cheek and shoulder. A small laugh left her as her eyes fluttered open to find Hyacinth staring back. Her smallest daughter was a bundle of joy compared to her larger daughter but she supposed Dahlia had plenty of reason to be sad as of late. She had told them both about Leoric passing and since then she'd been much more subdued. But that news hadn't brought little Hya down in the long run. Slowly she sat up, realizing that Anteros was gone likely for the work that kept them all living in comfort.

"Of course!" she chirped as Hya asked her if she wanted to play. She loved to play with her daughters, she was just getting a little slower at the games they played lately. And she couldn't wrestle as much anymore, despite that being Hya's favorite game. She had promised the girl that once her little brothers and sisters were here they could resume wrestling and she'd even had more challengers when they got old enough. The thought warmed her heart as she slipped out of bed and ran her tongue across Hya's ears as the girl began to ask her questions about family.

She thought for a moment and then smiled. "Well cousins are what you would call any pups my siblings have. So if Auntie Black or Uncle Caspian, or even Cory had them they would be your cousins." she explained. They had met both Black and Cory but not Caspian. She didn't know where he had been all this time but with his track record, he might've been in jail once again. She made a mental note to try and find him, if only to get peace of mind that he was okay. "And grandparents would have been my mom and dad or your fathers mom and dad but they've all passed so sadly you don't have any living grandparents." she added. Her mother would have adored Hya, she was sure of it. Dahlia, too. A soft sight left her as she left the room and headed into the living room.

"Shall we go down to the beach or stay here? What kind of game did you want to play, sweetie?" she asked, her gaze shifting to Hya.

art + code: clae