Rain had fallen steadily through the past days, though in the Woodlands it didn't matter much, the ground still mostly dry beneath the dense canopy. Instead the patter of droplets against leaves formed a calming backdrop, creating a feeling of shelter and peace for the wolves below. Once again Aideen had freed herself from the puppy-pile to sneak out of the den and enjoy the fresh air. At this point everything was so squashed down there she almost felt unable to breath; We can't keep this up… Perhaps it was time for a change, personally she would enjoy some more room, as well as the chance to once again cuddle with her mate rather than having him sleep outside the den.

She couldn't keep their children sheltered forever, certainly not from the rest of the pack, and neither did she want to, they were family; And it's time they get to know them! Nodding to herself, the mother turned her head, peering into the darkness of her narrow birthing den. Before she had time to lose her resolve, she gave a soft yip to call for her children, getting to her feet and shaking out her fur, sighing lightly as she cast a quick glance down along her flank. She sorely needed a good grooming, her normally immaculate fur looking rather shaggy after three week of motherhood. Oh well… She shrugged her shoulders, hopefully her subordinates would be understanding, and maybe, once the puppies were well installed in the communal den, she'd have a chance to steal a few moments to herself.

There was a grin on her face when she crooned at her emerging children: "Come on my dear ones, it's about time we introduce you!" Once they were all out and ready, she would start moving, leading them through the Woodlands to the small clearing in front of the main den, where they would meet the rest of their family.

Word count: 322

She'd wiggled herself to the warmest spot of the sleeping pile – half hidden under her siblings and pressed against the mother's belly – this was something she had mastered over the first weeks of her life. Here she could lie cuddled up nicely, never fearing the touch of midnight cold on her fur. It was so cozy, she didn't even notice when Aideen got up, simply shifting slightly to pull her tail in underneath her brother's warm body instead. Of course, then he moved. Tiny brows knitted in frustration, Flair rolled over, stretching out to find her brother and burry underneath him once more, but he wasn't lying down anymore. Instead she felt him stirring near her feet and kicked out, a demand for him to stop wiggling and lie back down. But there was no result.

Growling lowly in annoyance, the fiery girl opened her eyes, glancing around the dimness for signs of movement. To her surprise she found, not only Cináed, but her mother gone too. She'd just located her brother at the opening of the den, when the familiar, soft voice reached them, ending their sleep for good. Flair whined loudly to announce her dismay, but then got to her feet, knowing better than to cross their mother. Besides, she was excited at the prospect of an outing, having long since grown bored of the den and the small clearing in front of it. So she bounded after Cin's charcoal rear, not bothering to wait for Nia, but instead lounging a surprise attack on the wagging, black tail once she was clear of the darkness. Cin's tail was the best to chew!

Word count: 274

 The man had woken early to head to the borders. Chuffing a soft goodbye to his family, the dark king had gone to do what he did best. More and more he was leaving his border responsibilities to his subordinates below him to spend time with his family and he felt like he was starting to neglect his leader duties. Yes, his wife and children were important, but so was his pack and his responsibility as their alpha to keep them safe. The dark king would have to find a balance, and soon.

After a long morning, Miccah had decided to briefly check in on his wife and children. The stoic guardian and his mate had touched upon the subject of moving the pups to the communal den before, yet had not decided concretely on when to do so. When he arrived to Aideen's birthing den, he found an unusual sight. A few of his pack mates were present although like usual the children were happily surrounding Aideen. A low rumble was his only source of greeting to his pack as he headed towards his children, his eyes warming as he looked them over. With Miccah there was never a need for preamble, so he looked at his pack mates and spoke, introducing his children with a nod in their individual direction. "These are our children - Cinaèd, our firstborn, Flair, and our youngest, Enia." He then turned to his attention fully onto his children.  The dark king knew his children couldn't yet quite understand every word that fell from his maw, so he stated the rest of the pack's presence with a simple word they probably long since understood. "Family."
"speech"

Her children, as always, where quick to respond, Cináed this time the first out of the den. Her beautiful, brave boy running to meet her with a wide grin. Smiling back at him, the mother lowered her head to offer her muzzle for a quick cuddle before his sisters joined them. It was not a long wait either, a flash of red soon springing from the den's darkness, a loud shriek of warning following behind her. Aideen had no time to react beyond widening her eyes as Flair flew towards her brother, clearly intent on connecting with her bared teeth. This was no unusual sight though, the fiery lass seemed to have quite an affinity for fighting, and her dark counterpart was usually more than ready to engage her; Even if Flair was mostly the instigator. Aideen was starting to learn that she couldn't keep her pups from brawling, her duty was simply to observe, and only interfere if things got out of paw. So for now she just shook her head, keeping an ear perked for sounds of distress as her attention turned to her last daughter, trailing behind her sister in a more leisurely manner, coming to a halt at her dam's side and eagerly begging for attention. Enia was much quieter than her siblings in manner and as such often went unnoticed beside them, but Aideen did her best to give the more reticent pup equal attention, and she had a special love for her youngest daughter with the black and silver fur. Nia in turn was good at spotting the opportunity to steal time with her parents when they weren't preoccupied with her more demanding siblings, and her mother dutifully gave what was asked, touching her nose to the tiny black one and humming lovingly.

In all the commotion she hadn't noticed their company and was rather surprised to look back up and see Bane only a few steps away, giving a silent greeting. She returned a sheepish smile, nodding back as the boy lowered himself to the ground in a reassuring gesture towards the pups. No sooner had her settled before an equally surprising visitor appeared, Nios emerging out of the thicket like a shadow. The older, but equally dark wolf kept some distance from both Bane and the family, clearly seeking permission before venturing even closer. Aideen turned her smile to the Tainn, thankful for his courtesy even though she knew he wouldn't hurt the pups. She would have beckoned him closer, but had no time for words before Nina too joined their little group; Looks like the introduction has come to us..! The petite woman chuckled to herself, meeting matriarch's glowing gaze with a cheerful shrug. Nina looked mounts better than she had a few months ago, even with the steady graying of her golden fur, and growing wrinkles on her face. It seemed retiring had suited her well, and Aideen was happy that the former queen seemed  content in her new position. Already she was building a relationship with the pups, and the role as granny was one that suited the aging lady well

Looking out at the little gathering, Aideen grinned widely; "You've come at a great time!" She announced it merrily, glancing down to the children bumbling at her feet; "You play nice now." Then a low call announced the arrival of yet another, and the mother looked up at her mate with a smile. His dark eyes were full of love as he looked over his children, and it made her own heart swell to see him so happy, as happy as she was. They both turned back to the pack as Miccah took the opportunity to formally introduce the pups. Aideen continued to smile, looking down at each child as their names were mentioned, an approving nod given to them when their father said the word family. There was no need for names at this point, they would learn them once they were old enough to properly understand. For now all they needed to know was that the pack was as close as their biological family; "They'll help look after you, and if you're nice they might play with you too." Turning her attention back to the adults, she said: "I thought it was time we moved the puppies to the main den, let them get used to everyone." It seemed as a good a time as any, with Bane and Nios already here the pups would have a chance to get to know them a bit, and they might run into Bella and Duckweed, or the Hervoks on their way to the center of the thicket. A paw puffed lightly at the little tails; "Come on, say hello. We're going on a little walk."

Word count: 797