Seasnail Tribe

Quelana, the pretty, slender fungi, was still sitting in her shallow  pool, blinking in disbelieve at what had just happened. She has heard  the voice of a foreign jill in her head, but she was still by herself in  her own territory and definitely not asleep. The priestess had warned  her about Kraata, how dangerous he was and that he might be coming back for her. But even though that was no surprise to the tabby, it made her nervous to hear that from someone else. She loved her territory, the soft sand in which she left her paw prints while patrolling, the waves licking at her heels and the salty breeze running through her fur. But  she wasn't tired of life and in her current condition, she wouldn't be able to defend herself from the red hob even for a minute. She had to leave while she still had time, Quelana was sure of that. As she got up  and stepped out of the pool, the water dripping down from her bloated belly, she shook herself to get dry quickly and departed on her way without another look back, leaving this peaceful paradise that used to be her home, but had become a place in hell, behind.  

It had been dark out when she had left, the moon guiding her along the seashore, and she had been moving for so long that she saw three sunrises, walking almost non stop, though in a moderate speed, only taking a break to hunt and rest for a few moments at a time. Finally, as she reached a dead tree that was a clear landmark, she noticed the scents of other Salikos. Quelana was noticeably getting wary as she tried to take in the mark properly to  figure out if it had been a male or a female who had left this sign behind. She was considering making a huge detour into the heart of the  jungle if necessary, should it be a hob, but all she could smell was a female. The fungi didn't want to stray too far from the beach, preferring to stay out here even if there was nowhere to hide, as Mayurs  usually avoided being out in the open so there'd be a smaller chance of  meeting anyone else. And this way she'd be able to keep track of where  she was if she kept following the sea too. So she took a deep breath and  stepped over the border marking, hoping she wouldn't have to explain herself to anyone. But with every step she took she felt more and more  strange. She had a bad feeling in her stomach, which quickly developed  into nausea and eventually serious pain. At first Quelana thought she  was just imagining this, getting too worked up about nothing, but sooner or later she had to come to terms with the fact that these aches were  real and they came in waves. It was still too early for the whelps to be born, but the nervousness and stress must've resulted in her body  reacting like that. Even though she didn't want to admit it, the signs were clear: she was going to give birth in a foreign territory!

Now the maneless was getting uncomfortable and sped up, hoping she'd be  able to leave the territory behind before she'd have to lay down. But she walked and walked and just couldn't get to the scents which showed the edge of the area. A loner would not be able to keep track of such a  big territory, so the jill had to accept that she had made a mistake and  walked right through a pack or even a tribe. Suddenly, as another contraction made her flinch in pain, she tripped and fell into the soft  sand, but couldn't get back up right away. Breathing heavily, the jill  was fighting against the urge to just stay down right here, being too  vulnerable to predators and strangers out here. But she didn't have the time to think of a plan on what to do, as suddenly, she heard paw steps  coming closer from behind her. The sounds of multiple Salikos no less. Quelana  stumbled back to her legs and tried to hide her panic as she sat up and looked at the Salikos running up to her, her head raised proudly and  confidently to intimidate them. It was a group of five, three jills and two hobs, a small pack of a variety of different faces. One of them, a bright green hob with many spots and a dark mane that hung over his  face, who was radiating a kind and welcoming aura which, despite all, did not come through to comfort the fungi, stepped forward, curious and intent on just sniffing her as a friendly gesture and trying to get to know the stranger. But Quelana hissed loudly and slashed her claws, forcing him to move back in surprise, the fur on his neck standing up, yet his white tail was tucked between his legs. He definitely didn't seem threatening and he obviously didn't want to challenge the already angry, pregnant jill. Even though the  tabby knew she was larger and stronger than him and most other hobs,  simply because of her physical nature as a female, she had been too scarred by the event that had brought her in this situation, that this  fact eluded her whenever she saw a male, the anxiety gripping her to the marrow. The hob had calmed down after quickly licking his chest a couple times to hide his insecurity, and spoke with a soft, calm voice  to the maneless, but she was still cautious and kept showing her teeth in defense.

«Sorry, I didn't mean to be too obtrusive. My name is Caspek and you're in our packs territory. Who are you if I may ask?»

Just  like her mother, Quelana had always been just too friendly and peaceful  to turn aggressive towards anyone, even now that she was scared and stressed so much. Still, even though her paws twitched to run, not only  wouldn't she be able to get far, but it would also be impossible to avoid all males for the rest of her life, that was clear, so in this very moment, she had to make a decision on how to react towards hobs in the future. Lana made up her mind to distance herself from any male, distrusting them and avoiding any contact, not even talking to them if it wasn't necessary. It would be for her own protection and the best for her sanity, that was clear to her. And with that she turned  away from him, not answering his question, and instead faced one of the females next to him, a vibrantly green colored jill with curly rex fur.

«I was just moving through, I don't mean to bother anyone. I'm on my way.»

The female she had addressed stepped forward and raised a brow, looking a bit concerned, but even more confused as to why she was the one in charge now, yet she just ignored that for now.

«What are you talking  about? You're obviously in pain and need help, you can't give birth  while you're walking, much less in a foreign land. You can stay with us to give birth to your whelps, we don't mind you here so don't worry.»

«No really, it's fine. I didn't mean to intrude on you, I was just hoping for a shortcu–»

Suddenly  she flinched in torment again and the pack members looked at each other  knowingly and nodded. The two strongest females helped Quelana by supporting her on either side, bringing her to a narrow cave on the side of a low rock formation. The pack must've widened the tunnel to the inside a while ago by digging into the earth, the ground already trodden  in by many paws, and so the jill was able to crawl inside and  eventually reached a bigger, empty hole.

She lay down on the cold, hard dirt, nothing there to cushion her body, but at least those  new pains on her bones distracted her a bit from the pressure. Breathing  heavily and with paw pads sweating profusely, she lay on her side and focused on the task at paw, pressing when it was time, to get the birth  over as quickly as possible. The pain was almost unbearable now and her hatred towards Kraata and especially the whelps grew. Even in his absence he tortured her and the litter brought her nothing but suffering. Why would these whelps do this to her?? They were the ones to blame for all of this! Being among these strangers, scared to the core, howling in agony and possibly even in risk of death because of the early birth. But she wouldn't let them finish what the vampire had started. She would not give her life for those bastards. One of the jills that brought her in had left, but when Quelana noticed the green hob coming into the cave, she sat up again, despite the remaining female trying to push her back to the ground. The fungi crawled backwards and snarled like mad, spittle shooting out of  her muzzle as she did.

«GET. OUT.»

«I can help you, I recently expected a litter too so I ca–»

«I SAID GET OUT!!!!!»

The  angry jill shot forward, her mouth with the sharp teeth closing only a whiskers length before the hob, who had reacted fast and flinched back just in time before getting bit. Surprised and disappointed, he nodded, and for a moment Quelana thought she saw a tear roll down his cheek before he turned around and ran back outside, but she told herself she was just imagening things. All hobs were heartless and manipulative to her and could never be hurt by her words alone, they needed teeth and claws to learn she wasn't that easy to play with anymore.

«You gotta lay back down again, this is not good for you.»

Quelana  followed the advice of the concerned stranger and relaxed a bit more, trying to talk through her teeth, clenched in pain.

«Are you the alpha around here?»

The rex shook her head.

«No, we don't have an alpha. We were all just loners not too long ago, who didn't know each other and just happened to stumble upon this land, deciding to stay. This territory is still more of a work in progress, and so is our pack. But everyone is really nice, especially Caspek. I  promise you can trust him.»

«NO.»

Quelana raised her head, her pupils tiny as she stared at the jill, seeming almost out of her mind as  she whispered into her ear.

«Do not trust them. They will slit your  throat in your sleep. You won't see it coming. They act all heroic and brave and when you least expect it, they...»

Her lunatic craze was  interrupted by a strong contraction and Quelana noticed the first whelp  was about to reach the light of day. ~

When everything was over, the other jill instinctively wanted to help the fledgling mother clean and incite the whelps by licking them to make sure they were alright, but Quelana didn't dare touch the whelps once and turned towards the stranger who had been by her side in this difficult time.

«Please...could I have a moment? I need to be alone for a bit.»

The  jill felt something was off. The way the tabby was acting and talking did not bode well and she knew it could be dangerous to leave her here on her own, but it was not her call to make. After all, the jill could've ended up anywhere on Ibea to birth the whelps, with no one  there to keep her from making any mistakes either. She got up and left  with a sad nod, hoping the feeling in her guts would be wrong.

Quelana  had recovered quickly from the exertions and got to her feet, moving  away from the whelps to take a proper look at them and think about what she was supposed to do.  These whelps…she studied them closely and saw them stretching their little black paws, curring and whimpering, crying for milk and warmth that she could not provide them with, but hardly strong enough to even raise their  heads, unaware of the cruel world they have been put into and the horrible fate they had put their mother in either. They would need a  hob. SHE would need a hob by her side to take care of them. But she couldn’t stand being close to any male, her skin was crawling just at the thought of it. She would never be able to fall asleep, always on edge when a hob was close by. And those bastards before her paws, whelps of a rapist, not the result of love. Did they deserve to live?  Would it possibly be even merciful to release them now, when they didn't  know any better? What if they would be just like him? Monsters. In any case, their sight would remind Quelana constantly about what had  happened...the fight for her life. Seeing them made her heart bleed with every waking moment and would follow her even to her dreams. They were still so tiny and innocent, but they should’ve never lived at  all. The jill walked towards the litter, the little pups not knowing  what was about to happen, their eyes still closed and small ears folded  over. She sat down and pulled one of the whelps heads back softly. It was still too weak to resist. The fungi put her paw softly on the throat  of one of the dark newborn, who could do nothing but cry, as it surely was uncomfortable and felt the tension in the air, but it didn’t know its still so short life could end at any moment. Quelana closed her eyes, ready to press down with her whole body weight, and braced herself  for the squishy feeling of flesh and bones under her paw giving way and  being pressed to the ground...the air escaping…a feeling that would haunt her to the end of her days…until her own dying breath, she wouldn’t be able to wash herself clean from this deed, the feeling of  guilt being her constant companion until she would finally die. CALLOUS MOTHER MURDERER WHELPKILLER ~

As  she stepped out of the cave, she saw multiple gazes resting on her. The  Salikos of the foreign pack had surrounded her curiously, eager to hear her speak. They weren’t sure if the birth had been successful or not…not yet at least. Apparently the female with the full, curly mane had remained silent and not told anyone the litter had been fine before she had left the burrow.  Quelana took a look at the hob who had offered his help before, exchanged a wordless but meaningful glance and he ran inside the hole, the others after him, excited to see the babies, while Quelana was staying outside. She needed fresh air to cool her head and clear her thoughts.  A tear ran down her cheek as she saw herself just a moment earlier, pulling back from the whelps but leaving them unscathed, shaking her head. The usually kind and merciful tabby just hadn't been able to do it, despite all she went through. SHE was not a monster and she would not let the red hob win by becoming one just like him. Yet even though she had spared their lives, that didn't mean she'd be willing to  sacrifice her own life and happiness raising these bastards and caring for them though. They were nothing to her. Even less than that. Her heart on one paw uncaring and cold as ice, on the other one a blazing fire of hate. And while she couldn't kill them herself, secretly she was hoping natural causes would make death claim them soon after all. Suddenly she noticed someone sitting down beside her. It was the green female from before again.

«You didn't do it.»

«...?»

Quelana looked at her in confusion. How did she know? As if the jill could read her mind, she continued.

«I could see it in your eyes, you know? I have seen it before, so I know what you were thinking about. But you didn't do it.»

«...no. I couldn't.»

«You see, I can't tell you if this was the right decision. I don't know what happened to you that pushed you to go this far and I could never even fathom. All I  know is that every life deserves a chance. And this was a moment...a choice you'd never be able to turn back.»

«Until recently I would've said that's true and I would've never hurt anyone else even if I had a reason, let alone an innocent pup. But those...those monsters...»

The brown Mayur wiped the tears off her cheek with her tail and looked at the Saliko beside  her. Lana was happy she had been there for her.

«What are you gonna  do now?», the female asked,

«Are you gonna go and leave them here? I  can't promise you anything, but I'm pretty sure Caspek would take care of the whelps, so you don't have to feel obliged to stay or take them with you. He recently had a litter in a foreign tribe, but the alpha found out and chased him away. He still has milk and I'm sure it would  help him get over the loss of his love if he could take care of them.»

«Why doesn't he fight for them if he wants them that bad?»

«Well...from  what I know, his love interest has a partner in that tribe and they weren't too happy when they found out a stranger was the father of the tribes litter. But he's a good one, a kindhearted soul. He never meant any harm, he was just...unlucky I guess.»

«You say that but you'll never know for sure.»

«No, you're right about that. We'll never know what's going on inside someone else's head, but that's the case for females too.»

As the jill spoke she glanced at the tabby, then looked out to the ocean once more.

«And where would we be if we wouldn't even try to trust each other? There would be no tribes or families, only war and suspicion. Don't you have anyone you love without doubt?»

«...my mother.»

«See? You trust her, blindly. And that even though you'll never really be sure what's going through her mind.»

«My mother would never betray me. She'd never try to kill me!»

«Oh, so that's it.»

The female nodded slowly, then lowered her head and looked at her paws for a moment, thinking or...remembering something.

«I understand. We've all gone through some bad times. If we had lived  happy lives, we wouldn't be here. I can feel your pain. And I for my part will try my best not to repeat these wrongdoings done to you. But I see why you'd prefer living on your own.»

For a moment Quelana  hesitated. She had been alone for so long. And the only reason she fell for Kraatas lies was simply because she had been lonely and excited to have someone by her side, too blind and naive to see what he truly was. Maybe in a pack there would be a chance for this not to repeat. And maybe, if the blood hob would return, she'd have a better chance at facing her fears as well...and him. But she swore to herself never to let her guard down again. Every Saliko around her, be it friend or foe, she'd keep a close eye on.

«I think...I think I'm gonna give it a try here. If you'll have me that is.»

The female nodded.

«I'm sure no one will have anything against that.»

But another thought went through Quelanas head which urged her to stay. A thought she would never share with anyone, not even the kind jill beside her. Should the whelps turn out to be just as rotten as their father,  she'd make sure personally they wouldn't get the chance to hurt anyone else. They had one chance to prove themselves. Otherwise she'd finish what she hadn't been strong enough to do before. It was her duty as their mother, she felt it in her bones. The other jill got up and, after excusing herself, walked into the burrow to check on the whelps and talk to the rest of her pack about Quelanas decision. The brown  Mayur in the meantime stayed outside, looking out into the vast open sea, the rushing of the waves filling her ears with white noise. Maybe this would be a good place for a new start. Maybe.