Sex: FemaleUnlike the year before, Nina's pregnancy was much less eventful, besides her obvious heartache over her lost love, Nina knew that things could have been much worse, say....wolves all over Relic Lore becoming ill and possibly wiping them all out. She was preparing herself for her birth better this year, remembering how the following year she had been out working when the constant pains had begun to hit her. Thankfully, as the pains in her abdomen got worse, she quickly began making her way towards where she would, in the end, give birth to her children. Luckily, he nerves were much calmer this time around. She knew what to expect and she wouldn't be surprised when everything finally hit her. Unfortunately, she was sourly reminded of how she didn't have her lover with her. Not here to protect her from the prying, curious eyes of her pack members. She would, of course, still have none of that. She knew who she would call for, it was as obvious as it should have been since he had remained there with her. Mirren. He was loyal and like a son to her, he always had been anyway.
It was when the pains were becoming more frequent that Nina happily made herself as comfortable as she could in her den for her children. Once again, it was time and now she would not resist instinct that would come over her body when the time came. As her contractions became much more frequent and painful and liquid made its way down onto the earthly floor, did Nina finally raise her head and call out for @Mirren , ready for him to come and protect her and the soon to be new members of his pack. It wasn't long after that, it seemed her body knew what to do. She started pushing finally, her breath coming in pants as she groaned when she pushed. Though she was sure that the pain was just as horrible as it had been the time before, the Hervok felt like she was in much more control than last time, even though the father of her children wasn't the one watching over her now. Many grunts and pushes later, a small bundle slid its way from out of her and Nina was quick to clip the cord connecting her and the child and making sure he was breathing before pushing him before her stomach and licking him. He was dark, much darker than her, but she didn't have much time to observe her son before contractions continued.
Grunting softly, Nina waited and pushed, use to the process which she was now going into. She panted, she groaned, and she pushed, and she knew in the end that it would all be worth it. Before she could really comprehend it herself, she repeated the process again, nudging another male towards her stomach, slightly lighter in color than his other brother. The Woodlands alpha would seem to be blessed with yet another child this year, because the contraptions did not stop and as Nina went through the painful process one final time, and pushed as hard as she could, the final life she had created that year slipped from out of her. Breathing a relieved sigh once again, she exhaled softly, her single eye taking in the sight of her children now. Two dark children and one brown one. Content to look at her children again, she glanced outside, not wanting to be the only one able to witness the naming of her children. Hesitantly, she called out to the Tainn, ”Mirren, come see.” She waited for the other boy, keeping her single eye on his form to make sure that even though he was invited, he wouldn't come too close.
It was time.
Mirren had rounded the borders this morning knowing full and well that Nina surely wasn't going to make it much longer. In the past weeks, the queen's belly had grown exponentially, the rounded curves of her pregnant form extruding more and more until, some days, the boy wondered if cubs were all that were in there.
There was no denying the strengthening bond that had been forged between the two of them, and with the birth of her children drawing near and the absence of Hollow sticking out in his mind like a sore thumb, he wouldn't have missed out on a chance to give his companion the support she desired. All the same, he couldn't help but to be concerned about the kids and the fact that, even though the Woodlands wolves were many, they wouldn't have their father there to raise them. His loyalty and respect to his own father ran deeper than most, and he couldn't even begin to imagine how his life would have turned out without Ruiko's guidance and the exemplary example he'd set for Mirren and his siblings. Now on the cusp of his second year and well into his transition into adulthood, he couldn't help but to feel as though the void left behind by their former leader's disappearance was one that he could fill to some extent, in Nina's life and in the children's. Sure, he hadn't really been around to help with the former litter, but hell, he'd just been a kid himself. Other than that, he had no relative experience, but he could draw from the lessons he'd learned from Aeylen and from his father, and even from Nina herself. It was a pull of responsibility that he felt, tugging at his heart and at his honor─a duty that he owed the woman who was like a mother to him, who deserved more than what she'd been dealt. Mirren was no father, but he would be a part of the lives of the heirs whose existence was going to breathe revival into the thicket, and he knew just how to proceed.
It was to that end that the Tainn had been deep in thought, just within ear shot of the den where Nina had settled. In the past, the sound of her pained cries and labored breathing might have unsettled him, even scared him off, but he knew such efforts were necessary as much as he knew Nina's strength to endure them. As the time went by, Mirren stood guard over the queen and her den, and it was not until minutes had turned to hours that her voice finally called his name. "Mirren, come see." Excitement and terror washed over him as he stared at the den mouth at a distance for a moment before making a move toward it.
As he slipped inside, his golden eyes peering through the dim light of the den, the scent of Nina's work was thick in the air. He wasn't sure what to expect, but as he carefully approached the sound of tiny whimperings made his heartstrings tremble. Mirren reached for Nina, tenderly nudging her chin before proceeding to lick the blood from her tired face, and he couldn't help but to be overcome with pride and joy in the moment and at the sight of her. His respect shone in his gaze, which widened as he stretched his neck to lay his eyes upon the children. His tail swung between his hocks. His breath caught in his throat. His heart swelled and pounded. Now this...this was a moment he would never forget.
Awestruck and though he dared not to touch them, he slid to his belly at Nina's side, unable to take his eyes off of their wriggling forms for a time. When he did, his gaze cast to Nina's emerald one, a light in his eyes and a smile on his face. "They're beautiful," he breathed.
She was so pleased to see the grown Tainn when he entered, and as exhausted as she was, she was happy that she was going to be able to share this moment with the other man. He was, after all, like a son to her, and Nina did not know what she would have done with him currently. He was the only adult she knew well enough to trust and she knew that he would never let harm befall her, just as she had not let harm befall his own litter back in Copper Rock Creek. Often she wondered how things might have been different if Ruiko and Aeylen had remained. It was always a passing thought in her mind, but now with her new family born and her friend with her, she knew there was no time like the present. Especially since she still had to name her children. The mother kept a close eye on Mirren as he entered the den and paid her respects to her. Returning her own motions of affection, Nina looked back down to her three sons, her ears flicking back towards Mirren when he spoke, an easy smile growing on Nina's black lips. Softly, she spoke, ”Thank you, Mirren. I have to the name them too..”
Her eyebrows creased in wonder, unsure of how she would have wanted to succeed. The last year had been easy, she had the pups father with her to help with her name picking. The woman let out a long sigh, her single-eyed gaze pinning down onto her dark children. Turning to her first born child and touched each child's forehead as she named them, ”He will be Unitas....and then Silentium....and then he will be Pacem.” She was silent for a few moments before turning her one-eyed gaze her body slightly tense as she spoke, ”And they will keep the Hervok title.” Huffing softly, the woman rested her head on her paws, her voice small as she spoke the next words, ”Mirren...can you make sure no one comes...and no one gets in. I need my rest.”