Orc Nesting Behaviour

[DecoLamb 959]

[[Commissioned by Mogroka, awesomified by Deco ]]

Mirabelle sat there on her chair, leaning across the polished lapis-topped desk she had made so long ago. Her fingers tapped on her chin, azure eyes glancing about with annoyed disinterest. Why had she even come down here? She didn’t quite know herself...

Something, she didn’t know off, was missing, and it was driving her mad. She looked down at her swelling stomach with a frown, it was much larger than it should be, even when she had carried Krug, he hasn’t made her abdomen stretch this much. Mirabelle grimaced as her stomach jolted, a tiny hand visible against the taunt gray skin as it pressed outward. The cub was developing far to fast for her liking, something wasn’t right.

Mirabelle grumbled and stood, having to walk on her heels to balance the massive weight in her front. Slowly, she made her way upstairs to the bedroom, still growling and grumbling bitterly as she pushed back the vines covering the awning.

As she stared into the dark cavern of furs and pillows, a strange feeling coiled into her chest. A need she had felt once before, but never this strongly. When she had carried her second child, Caoi, she had been living in a cavern in the wilds, there she had made a bed of thick fur and hides, covering herself in a nest of warmth and darkness. Something about it made birth much easier, even though she had been alone and injured during the time.

It clicked suddenly, the redhead grabbing the sheets off the bed and tearing them away in a fervor. She tossed them into a pile on the floor, along with pillows and even clothing from the chests, but it was not enough.

Mirabelle turned then, to her kitchen, ripping the tapestries down from the walls and adding them to her collection. Carpets from the library, the cushions off the throne room chairs, she even went to the farms and fleeced the entire sheep herd with gusto. The pile of fabrics and furs quickly took over the bedroom, overflowing and covering more than half the floor.

She packed the hides down flat, layering them one after another until they were nearly a foot high, a thick plush surface that trapped the legs of those who attempted to wade through. Finally satisfied with her base, Mirabelle turned to the walls, rolling hides into bundles to layer across one another, adding small pillows to the mix as she covered the sandstone. Tapestries and blankets were lain over these, creating a smooth face to the fuzzy surface.

Mirabelle began to make smaller walls within the soft cavern, her obsessive rolling and packing blinding her to all but the deed at hand. She didn’t hear the cries of confusion and shock coming from below as her mate found his throne room shredded and bare of it’s colored fabrics, nor did she hear his thundering steps as he ran up the stairs, calling out for her in panic.

Mogroka called her name as he stood there in front of the massive pile of packed fabrics, looking her over worriedly as she darted about, hands moving in a feverish pace. He reached out, thick fingers running through her hair as she passed him, completely oblivious to his existence.

Quietly he watched, a slight smile appearing on his face as he watched the female he had chosen once again play into old ways that had once been forgotten. After many hours, Mirabelle finally started to slow, curling up within the deepest recess of the comforting abyss, twisting herself up into a blanket like a cocoon. Mogroka chuckled as he made his way in, looking down at his mate as she rested in her hollow.

He sat down beside her, smiling as she wriggled closer to add his warmth to her collection, his hand resting on her head. Mogroka laughed as she lifted her head, ears twitching as she listened to the sounds of those outside, a low growl coming from her throat. She curled around her stomach protectively, closing her eyes as she snarled quietly.

“Nobody better come in my nest, I’ll rip them apart..” Mirabelle grumbled, shoving herself closer to her mate. The warlord patted her shoulder, leaning back into the hides and closing his eye with a smirk.

“Nub wurry nubash be bodder lat, only when latz be ready.”

[DecoLamb 959]

Notes of Nesting

- Nesting is an old orc tradition that has been lost in the recent centuries, where pregnant females would seek out small dark areas to hide away until they were ready to give birth.

-Nesting is a maternal instinct in female orcs, they feel the need to keep there cubs warm and safe, that is why they build there nests from furs, hair, hides and wool.

- Some clans even have a nesting house or cavern, an open space filled with pillows, blankets, furs, and other soft warm materials that a female might want in order to make herself comfortable. It’s not uncommon for a female to bring in personal items to her nest, such as carved bones or a specific article of clothing, or even precious metals or gems.

- Each female is slightly different when it comes to nesting, some prefer to have their area lit, others want it as dark as possible, still others will nest in a high place where they can look down upon any threat that may arise.

- It is not recommended to interfere with a female if she develops a nesting behavior, as they can become obsessive and violent, even going as far as to kill those they consider a threat to the nest and cubs they are carrying.

Oftentimes only the female herself will be allowed into the nest, but there have been cases were the mate has been able to enter the nest, as well as other pregnant females or the nesting females cubs from previous matings.

- Females will sometimes make several smaller, random nests in addition to their main nest, these smaller nests can be found just about anywhere, from in the open field to just about any tight space the female feels comfortable enough in to make one.

- These smaller nests can usually be removed as soon as the female leaves it, as they are usually made when the female has a sudden need to.

- Destruction is to be expected when a female is exhibiting nesting behavior, especially if she is grouping with more than one pregnant female. They will often collect things from around their homes, everything from tearing down curtains to ripping the stuffing out of pillows, in order to find the materials they desire.

- Nesting behavior doesn't always occur, some females don't feel a need to nest, or they have a space that is already comfortable enough that they don't desire to build a nest. Sometimes a female will exhibit nesting behavior that is subtle, such as preferring to stay in bed with an extra hide or two, or staying very close to their mate.

[DecoLamb 959]

Playing a Nesting Female

Playing a nesting female is pretty easy, one only has to follow these basic guidelines. Do feel free to branch out so it fits your character as well, or quirks you think your female would have during pregnancy. Trust me, ladies are crazy when they are pregnant, so the various changes in their temper is amazingly diverse.

- Obsess over soft things; wool blocks, leather, sheep, tall grass, your mates favorite loincloth, wolves. You need a soft place to relax while your belly swells up with big strong cubs.

- Be attracted to warm things; blaze rods, blaze powder, lava, torches, sometimes redstone. You need to stay warm, as do the cubs for the first hour or so of birth.

- Be AGGRESSIVE!! More so than usual, an orc is aggressive already, but a female that is pregnant or with small cubs? Don't even think about it, she will pop you open so fast it ain't even funny.

- Be Territorial! That is YOUR nest, for YOUR comfort and pleasure while you carry YOUR cubs. The only people allowed in should be yourself, and anyone you deem fit. Anyone else should be swiftly removed by force.

- Be temperamental. Sure you just sent your mate to go find you some fresh halfling, but you don't want it anymore, make him go get some broiled elf ears instead. yeah, you wanted him to sit with you a moment ago, but now you're sick of him, snarl and bite him and kick him out of the nest until you want him near again.

- Desire Clean Spaces The smell of blood and sweat will attract predators seeking an easy meal. There will be a point where your stomach may to cumbersome to fight, and you might not have the strength to fight several beasts right after birth, when the time to drop cubs is close, you should start getting fretful about any lingering scents that might cause wild animals to start sniffing around, you might even bathe in water instead of mud for once, as bizarre as that is for an orc!

[DecoLamb 959]

Nest Examples

Nests can range from complicated to simple, depending on the female who is resting inside. Here are a few examples of nests, sketched while the female was away or asleep inside.

An internal nest, made by the Warmistress Mirabelle within the palace bedroom. The bed has been ripped apart and used as braces to hold up the fabric, and there are several smaller nests within the main body.

An extremely unusual hanging nest found in the forest, it is uncommon, but some nests have been found in high places like this, or even in underwater caverns

A nest hidden near a lake, the female that owns the nest seems to have many wolves that swiftly chased off the artist shortly after sketching.

[Coaster 2086]

Interesting...

[Arbrek the Ancient 140]

((I'm stunned at just how interesting this is, and it made go and make a Nest in creative!))

[Arkelos 1027]

Syrila stared at Mirabelle, tilting her head as she looked on, Mirabelle was ripping the curtains of the Rex Palace down. She scurried for her shears, orcish instinct, and maternal instict kicking in, she too, like Mirabelle was pregnant.

A few days of ripping the palace curtains and the other nests into pieces, Syrila and Mirabelle looked at each other with a grin, their work complete, they went into the deserts of Krugmar to make a new nest.

They passed the Warlord Mogroka along the way, Mogroka quirking an eyebrow as he went to his palace, he stopped there. Stared. Rubbed his eyes and looked again.

"WUB DA SAKAH?!" Mogroka cried out, his curtains, the throne room, all of the comfortable cushions, pillows, hides and curtains were gone from his palace. A tear falling onto the ground.

Meanwhile...

Syrila and Mirabelle began building a giant nest, the curtains taken from the palace now melded into walls as they both looked at each other with a grin. Their pregnant bellies close to popping.

"Sister. Latz be guud buildur." Syrila grins, looking at Rogash as she drew her throwing axe. "OI! latz skah off befur me klomp latz flat!"

Their building done, they snuggled together in quiet, giggling contently.

[Acornlad 206]

*Sighs and shakes his head*

Females...

[everblue2er101 906]

((LOTC needs more cool behaviours like this))

[Pnoynoy 108]

((+1 and for a awesome story!))

[DecoLamb 959]

((The best part was when mogroka was HOWLING on TS, ' NOOOO MY CURTAINS!!!! DECO WHY?!?!' And me and vardak are kust like 'feckin RU!'))

[Ned Lud 1260]

((Awesome, I love it. Also, some male orcs may experience a sympathetic pregnancy and begin to lash out on others violently and irrationally during their mate's term. This is likely due to a lack of mating and the fact that they've been sleeping on the couch while they're curtains are torn down.))

[DecoLamb 959]

(( Im actually working on an addition or two, I have to iron them out in my head first is all, I might even do a post from the male perspective to flavor this.

Behavioral and lifestyle 'studies' like this are fun for me, I think Im going to start putting more of my things down for people to use, especially the creatures.))

[Austin 697]

(No more nests in my shop please. and Blaw if you read this... Be carefull when entering the cactus.)

[DecoLamb 959]

((I already have a mini nest under your house you still havnt found... heheheee))