Stone Circle Cry Me A River

Amber didn't know how she knew to stay close to their den in the birch forest that morning, but even when she went to take her morning pee, she only squatted awkwardly a couple yards away to release one of her many hormone-laced marks around the whelping den. The mouth of said den was always in sight, and though she paced an uncertain, confusing, irratic gaited path all around the area, the Ciel stayed close. Hell, she didn't even want to leave in search of a cache to feed herself from -- she was easy to wake her silver-furred mate in soft, strained demand of a meal at the rumblings of her stomach. He trotted groggily off to help his fairly confused mate -- likely lost himself at her odd behavior and early rising, as Amber was one to sleep in -- and Amber continued to pace about her whelping site, whining softly every few minutes out of the pure energy that coursed her veins. When he'd returned, the ebony girl thanked him with a soft, uncharacteristly pathetic whine and a bump of muzzles as she took it, slinking yards away before she ripped into the belly and frantically ate where she stood.

After the carcass was stripped -- honestly, she didn't know what it had been or what it'd tasted like, only somehow that she would need the nourishment for the day ahead -- the Ciel again paced. The faintest of contractions were started now, and any attempts of touch from her mate and anything else were warded of with a show of fangs and a viscious growl. It was abundantly clear what was going on right now, hopefully to those around her too, but it wasn't until an hour or two of her erratic behavior later that Amber slipped into the den.

Sprawling in the furthest corner of the den, Amber panted -- she stayed like that, straining and pushing and whining for a very long time. Part of her wanted to beg Day to her side, to press into his warmth and pretend that she wasn't in emmence pain. Was this all right? This was supposed to happen? By now she'd realized that the pups were coming, of course, but the first time mother suddenly very much wished @Spring was here to offer her wisdom. Should she call Belle and ask, perhaps request herbs to make this easier? A particularly violent contraction shut that idea down, as if lashing out for even consitering such a thing. Her younger sister, she'd have asked this of, but the strange woman she didn't like? Never. She might have been teaching Amber about herbs and healing, but it hadn't changed the fact that she didn't want the newcomer so much as in sight of her bundles of love and dreams. It was this other part of her that refused contact, refused words from even her mate. The raven-feather colored Ciel was a feral being this day, struggling and bleeding and willing to die for the most base instinct she had: reproduction. Even if she didn't already love the beings shed grown within her with every bit of her soul, her wiring as a wolf told her that this was what had to happen. 

Two hours had passed before the first lump finally fell free of her bleeding, stretched, and what Amber would call abused rump. A moan of both relief and pain echoed through the den, but Amber was swift to lean down and snatch the ivory blob gently, sending her wild sapphire eyes around the den for the millionth time that minute to ensure they were alone. Joy overtook her as the boy's face was revealed, but when he didn't cry worry set in. It wasn't until the chubby boy was between her paws and licked completely free of the filmy sac -- which the new mother instinctually swallowed for nutrients and cleanliness -- that she realized the warmth her body had provided was fading, and his chest did not rise and fall with life. Though large, he had been dead even before birth. A sob caught in her chest as she stared wistfully down at him, and for a numb moment the boy just lay there.

It was a contraction that finally drove Amber to push the snow-coated boy away from her almost another hour later, keeping him away from her but still within reach as she strained some more. This one didn't take nearly as long, maybe half an hour, but this time Amber paused to touch the bundle with her nose before even looking at the color.... This one was breathing! Whimpering softly in hope, she grabbed the little brown girl and cleaned her feverishly, working her gentle tongue against the fur to warm her up further, stimulate her -- but as much as she worked, this little one didn't cry either. Even ignoring contractions a half an hour later to nudge and bump the newborn into action, risking the safety of another pup, Amber ever so softly begged the little girl to move. Eventually, she had to make the decision to leave the girl be -- this one was nudged to a teat in hopes of survival, but Amber didn't get her wishes too high nor did the babe latch.

The next one slipped free effortlessly despite his size -- dully, Amber reached over and grabbed the dark boy. She cleaned him with less fervor than her first two, already fearing the worse, but when his face was free of the sac and a strong howl came from @Sunny Dagfinn Ansbjørn-Ciel, her heart soared. His breaths were strong, and he wiggled fiercely unlike his siblings. Cleaning him with gentle, passionate strokes, she nudged her eldest son to her belly to nurse. If all else failed, she had a beautiful baby boy.

In a longer hour of rest for the birthing mother, the brown female stopped breathing altogether -- she'd never latched on to nurse, barely moved, and didn't make a noise, but Amber felt the feeble breath leave her daughter and moved her to be next to her unnamed and also dead brother.

Reaching out to the snowy boy, Amber quickly -- with her sapphire eyes shut and chest tighening with grief -- stripped him of meat. Bones and all went down her throat without barely chewing. The only thing left of him in the next couple minutes was a skull she refused to look at until it no longer looked like her firstborn. Even then, she nudged it carefully behind her -- what she would do with it in the future, she didn't know, but any survivors would need every but of food she could give them. Each second that ticked by, Amber waited for her only strong pup to give up.

Before she could grab the cooling brown girl, more contractions gripped her. Too weak and tired to fight them at all, Amber pushed hard a few times before two final pups plopped out behind her -- identical smoke-furred twins. Two more girls. Gulping, she pulled them closer and set to cleaning them at the same time. Only one had a heartbeat, and once she realized the other didn't Amber set to cleaning the wiggling, squeaking potato that was Dawn Spring Ansbjørn-Ciel. After moving her daughter to suckle next to Sunny, Amber ate the remaining two stillborns. As with their brother, she made all but the skulls feed her living children, and even those had been stripped down to, well, the bone. Stretching out a single paw to dig at the earth in front of her, she stashed the three skulls in a safe place until a purpose could be found, covering them back over with the dirt and packing it down -- she would tell Day how many there had been, but not what she'd done with the dead.... He could think of that on his own, she was sure. She didn't really want to talk about it, but if pushed she'd never hide another thing from her mate.

Laying there panting for a good hour or two, Amber kept her sapphire gaze on Sunny and Dawn. Her two beautiful, perfect, wonderful gifts. Forgetting momentarily about the ones buried beside her (or in her), the new mother chuffed softly, eventually, to @Grayday, calling him into the den he was no doubt stalking and protecting. Like her, he likely ran on instinct right now. Her voice was soft as she called out, strained and cracked with sorrow but brimming with pride and happiness.

                                         "Day.... Come meet Sunny and Dawn. Our two wonderful, perfect children."

Slight PP of the pups, lemme know if anything isn't okay -- I did ask for permission to use Grayday how I did! This stretches from early morning (Of November 20th) into probably a little past noon, for reference of time and surroundings (and the fact that both parents are basically void from all other parts of the territory for the day). To Day: Feel free to notice the freshly-turned earth by her elbow and call her out on being a little bit of a freak ;)

No post order, since I assume it will only be the four of us, but anyone is welcome to try their luck and congratulate the new parents as well!