The days leading up to the.. extraction were agony. There was no comfort to be had. Not in standing, or sitting. Laying was it's own hell entirely, and Celandine had already blown past being ready to expel the invaders a moon ago. Or at least that's what she thought before the first contraction hit. 

It came with a flash of light, and the rumble of thunder. Instinct had kept her close to the den, meticulously lined with fur, and prepared by Skoll's youngest daughter, but nothing could have prepared her for the sheer terror that she felt in that moment. Wild eyes danced along the horizon, searching for something.. anything, anyone. She went to call out, to ask for him, or for Morg, or Macha, but the pale woman ate the words before they ever left her lips. Celandine would go quietly, and alone, because that's what she deserved.

The alpha made her way towards the cold, and rigid walls walls of her stony den. A crack between the rocks served as the only exit. How fitting. Another wave rippled through her core, and as if on queue, the heavens opened up. Huh. A private smile found it's way onto the delicate features of her face she spoke. "Satisfied?" No. She probably wasn't. "You were supposed to be here, you know." The wind seemed to answer, as it whistled past the entrance. "But you're not, and now it's just me. Now I'm all alone." Light poured into the opening just as another crack of thunder shook the Earth. 

As much as the woman hated it, as pathetic as it felt, she was terrified. It wasn't just the pain of giving birth. That would be over and done with in due time. What really scared her was whatever she held inside. It wasn't like Celandine to be afraid. It wasn't like her to cower, or tremble, but the chattering of her teeth reigned supreme as it bounced off of the walls. 

There was another contraction, followed by another, and another, until the ashen woman was sure that her body would fail, and then there was one. Small, and dark. Instinct drove her tongue over him, until he was clean, and his strong cries made an attempt at out-competing the storm raging outside. Bright eyes watched his desperation as he searched for her side, but Celandine made no motion to help. Sure, her natural compulsion to nudge him towards his goal was blaring in her head, but she forced it aside. Interesting. She might have contemplated it further, but another round of contractions had already began. 

The girl arrived lighter in shade, and smaller in size. Her hues, though mousy, spoke more to Celandine's lineage. She didn't cry quite so loud as the first had, and was quick to make her way to warmth. A third wave came shortly after the second, bringing with it a final pup. She was light as well. Her fur, though brown, seemed almost silvery in the moonlight. That one gave only a few short breaths, before she stilled, and returned to wherever it was that she came from. 

Celandine's smile might have seemed out of place, or mad considering the context it was set in, but her only response was to close her eyes, and whisper, "I was wondering if you'd keep one for yourself." The others would find her soon, but for now it was all she could do to lay there listening to the splatter of rain against the Earth outside, and the roaring of thunder overhead. For the first time in a long time, the woman didn't feel so alone.

Morganna's scent announced her presence long before her rain-splattered maw poked it's way into the den. Had anyone else, Skoll aside, attempted to do the same, they might have found themselves sporting a new scar, but as it was, Morg was always welcome. "I was more than a few hares lighter when I chose it." A light chuckle bounced of the stony walls as Celandine considered her predicament. "I didn't think I could possibly get any fatter, but here we are." Bright eyes followed Morg's peachy gaze toward the already-stiff cub, but not even the slightest hint of despair touched her features. It was payment. Fate, even.

The smaller alpha's words pulled her away, as a smile toyed at the corner of Celandine's lips. "Yeah. It's a good thing I opted for the den intead of a crack in the rocks last minute, huh?" She poked, though they both knew Morganna hadn't had the same choice.

When the dark woman pressed forward to rest her nose atop Celandine's head, the pale fae didn't move away. Instead, she let her companions warmth encompass her. They could do this. They had to.