Sex: FemaleIt didn't come all of a sudden like she might have expected. Rather, she found herself waiting impatiently, even taking small jogs around the center of the territory to try and speed up the process. As much as her bulging belly would allow movement. For the past couple of days she'd been feeling ready, like her insides had been extended to their utmost capacity, pressing against everything, threatening to burst at any minute. Yet contractions hadn't begun until this morning, and even once they started, it had taken a while before she was truly sure what was happening – the pains faint and far between. So she'd tried to relax, knowing that it would be some time yet before the pups were ready to arrive. Resting in the sun near the communal den, now and then getting up to walk around for a bit. She tried to be patient, as @Nina had reminded her, these things took time and there was not much she could do to hurry them along. Finally, around midday, the sensations began to change, everything moving around within. Resolutely, the, currently-not-so, petite shewolf got to her feet, with a lot more effort than she was used to; Not for much longer..! If everything went smoothly. She trotted through the thickets at a decent pace, stopping a few times to wait for a contraction to pass, before continuing undeterred. Her destination was some ways away from the main den, closer to the borders that she might have ideally liked. But she'd searched throughout the thicket to find the right spot, trampling paths through the underbrush in her hunt for one, specific plant. And she had found it, a lone, but large bush, having managed to sneak its way in from the fields. Her own mother had gone through the same search, to find the dark bramble in the high north, but she had wanted to bring her pups into the world beneath the sweet smelling flowers, just as she herself had been, and Aideen felt the same. Among the roots of the blackberry bush, was where the mother to be had dug out her birthing den, a long, narrow tunnel with a sharp turn at the end, where it opened into a small chamber. Instinct had lead her to keep the burrow as small as possible, to protect the den and its precious contents from intruders. Even the small amount she'd grown since the construction made her decent a difficult squeeze; @Miccah would have to widen the tunnel to gain access to his brood. But better safe… Just before she crept under the dark branches, the Woodland leader raised her voice in a beckoning howl, telling her mate, and the rest of the pack, that the time had come. Her voice was level and without urgency, not wanting to frighten the expectant father into thinking something was wrong. She simply wanted him to come be with her. Then she made her way into the burrow, curling up tightly as another contraction shook through her. Word count: 506 "Speech" Thoughts |
It was now a waiting game. Nina had informed him that it could happen any day now. He knew this, but was nevertheless surprised at his wife's call. His first instinct was to run to her, but he forced himself to read the emotion in her voice. There was no urgency and no worry in her tone. For now, everything was fine. Still, the father-to-be made haste in leaving his border patrol to search out his wife. Heading to where she had decided to dig out her birthing den, Miccah's steps slowed as he neared it. His heart was beating faster than normal. His breaths were becoming harder to take in. The dark king was the most anxious he had ever been in his life and he didn't know how to deal yet with this fact. Forcing himself to simply breathe, Miccah calmly walked closer to the small burrow. He needed to be strong for Aideen. He needed to push these feelings down and go comfort his wife. But there was a problem - the den was too small for the large male to enter. He knew Aideen's feelings behind this, so he wasn't frustrated. With barely enough room to stick his head in, he craned his neck as far as it could go. A soft growl rumbled from his chest. He was here. Miccah wasn't going anywhere. Just being in her proximity made him feel better, and he let this peace soothe his worries. After a moment, the man stepped back and began to silently dig to make more room for @Nina. "speech" |
Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief |
She'd started to think labor wasn't so bad, though the pains had increased throughout the day, it had been bearable. This particular contraction though, made her shudder lightly; Ow. Still, she heard his footsteps from far away, ears twitching at the sound. For a second, panic threatened to grip her tiny, vulnerable form, her protective instinct running stronger than ever, in this ultimate hour. But her sense won out as she recognized the fall of his heavy, yet agile paws, knew it as intimately as her own, and relief washed over her. He was with her. While his head did not come within her limited field of vision, the scent of his warm breath reached her easily as well as his call. Letting out a sigh, Aideen answered her husband softly, her affectionate rumble much lighter, but equally heartfelt. A sharp intake of air followed as another contraction shook through her body, teeth clenching against the pain; Okay it hurts, I get it..! Outside, she could hear Miccah starting to dig and a small part of her mind suddenly feared he would rip through the roots and kill the bush she had searched so hard to find. As the pain wore off, she shook her head, pushing aside the silly thought in favor of something more constructive. In the clearest voice she could muster, she called to reassure her mate: "Don't worry love. It's… A while off yet." The slightest bit of strain showed in her otherwise calm, soft voice. But so much she could tell at least, even if the pains were getting worse and more frequent. Over the past month, once she'd become sure of the new life she carried, Aideen had spend many hours with her old mentor, going over everything there was to know about pregnancy and childbirth. As a medic, the younger wolfess had studied the care of infants and mothers among other things, and when Nina was pregnant herself, her student had aided her with medicine and whatever else she needed. But the then-queen was an experienced healer and mother, and when it came to actually bringing her pups into the world, she'd needed no help from her newly adorned medic. In other words, Aideen was coming to the end of her knowledge now, at least as far as she'd seen in practice, and even with a head full of advice and Nina on the way, she was starting to feel a stitch of fear. The last thing she wanted was to show this to her mate though, who was surely nervous enough on his own, so she kept her tone light, forcing out another reassuring coo, even as yet another contraction gripped her. Word count: 451 "Speech" Thoughts |
He stopped digging as he heard her voice calling to him, reassuring him. Even in her obvious pain, she still seeked to bring him comfort. His heart warmed. However, the dark king knew his queen. Listening closely, Miccah could hear the strain in her tone. Yes, she was in pain. Of that, he had no doubt. He wished, somehow, that he could make it better - lessen the pain. But he couldn't. He could only try to ease her discomfort and fears with his presence. As she continued to call to him, to try and lessen his own worries, he couldn't help but move closer to the den and send a soft rumble of his own. Yes, he wasn't going anywhere. Nina would come soon and everything would be fine. The father to be only hoped he was right. He didnt want to think of any possible complications, but he couldn't disregard it either. As he went back to digging, and worked on finishing the wider entrance for Nina, the dark king steeled his heart for the worst. His life was becoming like the fairy tales his mother had adored telling her children, and which his father had scorned at. Life wasn't meant to be so good. Nothing in life, especially in his, ever went smoothly. "speech" |
Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief |
Had it really been two years? Motherhood had transformed her life permanently, and it had all started just like this, just like what Aideen was going through now. While Bella had her own experience to draw on and offer, nobody in the pack could possibly compete with the accumulated wisdoms of Nina, and as such Bella had happily relegated herself to a purely behind-the-scenes supportive role. Making sure that the expectant parents had nothing to worry about was her priority; the wolves who had done the same for her, who she had once considered close friends, had helped to make her childbirth so much easier. The times which followed may not have been so smooth, but she could not complain about how smooth the labour itself had gone.
Four beautiful newborns. She both did and did not envy Aideen for what was to come.
Walking quietly through the thicket with a still-warm waterfowl in her mouth, the howl came from the soon-to-be mother, and Bella felt her heartbeat quicken as she realised it was happening, it was happening right now! Aware that Nina would be who Aideen wanted, the chocolate woman turned her paws towards the call anyway, wanting to offer any help at all.
It seemed she was closest when the call was made, for she spotted the forms of Aideen and Miccah through the thicket, the large dark man busy with his paws and head in the earth. Keeping herself low, she placed the dead bird on the ground and took a careful step towards Aideen, the excitement and concern worn plainly on her face. Bella knew that during her whole labour the idea of food had made her nausous - but moments after, she'd been ravenous. Her catch was best left here. "I saw Nina not long ago by the stream - I'll get her. You'll do great, Aideen, just keep breathing."
Casting a glance to Miccah, Bella turned on her heels and ran to where she had last seen the Hervok matriarch, intending on making sure she was on her way and knew exactly where to go.
![[Image: sw_by_euphoriclies-d8zep8c.png]](http://orig03.deviantart.net/ab83/f/2015/181/1/b/sw_by_euphoriclies-d8zep8c.png)
She knew that it would only be a matter of time before Aideen delivered her pups. When the mother to-be finally chose a birthing location, Nina had made sure to stash useful herbs nearby, just in case of an emergency. Luckily, both of Nina's delivers had gone smoothly but she was aware that giving birth could definitely go south and if it were to happen to the woman, the old Healer wanted to be prepared. So when the call rang out, there was no hesitation from Nina to make her way towards her small, dried stash, making sure not to crush any of the delicate herbs as she picked them up.
The Hervok woman took her time in getting to the birthing den, knowing that it would be some time until the delivery and if anything was amiss, Miccah would surely call for her. It wasn't long before Belladonna came upon the scene and, for a moment, Nina's heart increased in speed, anxious that something had, indeed, occurred. The other woman came with no panic and Nina nodded at the other woman, both of them heading in the direction of Aideen's birthing den. It did not take long and the graying woman took care to lay down the herbs at her feet gently. She did not peer in but simply rose her voice so that Aideen could hear, "How is it going in there?" At the moment, everything seemed to be calm and she felt no need to worry.
His voice did help calm her, a reassurance that he would watch over her while she focused on bringing their children into the world. Her body shuddered as the pain waned, the contraction easing up, and she gasped for air. The pressure was building though, it wouldn't be much longer before she needed to push. Outside she could hear stirring, the soft, friendly voice of Belladonna reaching her through the narrow tunnel to the outside. She would have smiled, even called back a thank you to the experienced mother, but a new contraction stopped her, and it was all she could do to follow the woman's advice. Breathing in deep bursts, the petite wolfess pushed along with the contraction, feeling the movement within. She could do this, it was moving along nicely. Still, she was filled with relief when she heard Nina's voice calling. Once the contraction was through, Aideen shifted slightly, turning towards the opening to call up to her mentor and friend. He voice was a bit hoarse, and strained from the effort, but generally calm as she replied: "Nina. It's good, I think the first one will be along shortly." She just barely finished before a new cramp demanded her attention, a small gasp escaping her as she curled up and pushed as hard as she could. Again she felt the movement, her first puppy reaching towards the world. And then it stopped. She was still pressing, the contraction still in progress, but there was no movement, instead she felt a new kind of pain, radiating from her hips as the pup pressed against them. It was stuck. The expectant mother's face twisted in fear, a small whimper escaping her. She fought against the contraction now, instinct telling her to push, but the pressure sending stabbing pains back up through her insides. She'd known this might happen, perhaps they should have thought it over more, with her mate so much larger than herself, it was hardly surprising that the pups might prove to be too big for her. But she wanted this so badly, they both did, a family of their own, a legacy to keep upholding their Woodlands. Gasping with exhaustion, Aideen tried to gather her thoughts, fighting to keep her voice from shaking when she called for Nina; "Do you… Got something to help me relax? I… Think I need… A little help." Though she did her very best, she couldn't quite keep the tinge of panic out of her voice. Another contraction was starting, and the pain was already pulsing in her hips; Come on, come on we can do this..! This was not gonna go wrong, she wouldn't let it! Word count: 447 "Speech" Thoughts |
As he finished digging, he heard paw steps coming toward their little haven and Miccah turned to see which of his pack mates had arrived. His tense shoulders relaxed a little at the sight of Belladona. She was a trusted pack mate, like most in his pack, and maybe even a friend. He enjoyed her company, and she certainly wasn't a stranger to the couple. As she spoke to Aideen, offering her soft words of encouragement, the dark king nodded his head in gratitude. He watched as she left to go and find Nina, and he turned back towards the birthing den to place his full attention on his wife. It took some time, but finally Nina emerged through the dense thickets of their home with Belladonna trailing behind her. The man wondered where Duckweed was, for he had always been Bella's constant shadow, but as of late, maybe that wasn't so anymore. His thoughts once again centered on his wife as Nina spoke to her. Her voice was strained with her efforts, but at least everything was going smoothly. For now. Miccah didn't have to wait long. The fates apparently enjoyed always screwing him over. His body tensed immediately as he heard her soft whimpers, and his jaw clenched as panic swiftly began to set in with her question towards Nina. Something was wrong. His steel-like control on his emotions was slipping, and as his large paws clenched with his effort to not implode, the man took a quiet breath to steady himself. His wife was in pain, something was wrong, and this wasn't the time to have a fucking anxiety attack. Stepping a little closer to the den, the dark king spoke up in his rumbling baritone. "Aideen, what's wrong?," he questioned his mate. He was glad his voice came out as steady as it usually did, not betraying the anxiety that continued to flow within him. Of course, he had had years of practice. Aideen needed him to be strong, to be her rock, and so it would be. "speech" |
Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief |
He had been keen on seeking a place of solace to enjoy the grouse that remained firmly within his jaws -- yet the distinct scent of birth and nervousness filtered his senses and caused him to pause along his path. His bright gold eyes drifted to the direction the wind told him the birthing den would be, and hesitating fr only a moment, the swarthy wolf knew what he would do -- a changed man, he was hoping to aide the pack as best he could during his time here.. and that meant feeding the new young of the pack.
Briefly, he wondered if Morganna would give birth soon, too and what they would look like -- did they have Tainn blood? It was a secret he held close to him, for he did not know what Nina's reaction would be, much less the reaction of the two leaders he did not know. Nearing the den, he could not determine fully if the pups had been birthed or not. He kept a respectful distance, dropping the grouse and keeping keen watch upon the den entrance. Settling to his haunches, the man determined he would offer the grouse to whomever poked their muzzle out first, and until then, would keep careful watch to ensure they were not disrupted otherwise.
'cause its home, but it's gone
