Sunbeam Lair we will fake tsunamis together

@Asterr. I give in. Set a day or two before the Hisaya thread. *flips off timeline.*

Ukko never sleeps much anyway and with Asterr about to deliver, he finds himself going to bed later and waking up earlier if only to make sure everything is ready. He hasn’t really been around many pregnant women, and especially one that’s carrying his own children, and he knew he imagined these moments a lot different than they’ve turned out to be. He never expected an alternative to having a mate and children when he achieved both, he had thought there would… be more.

Getting up early, he leaves the den a little sluggishly and doesn’t return until he has a fresh kill between his teeth. She assures him that she is not yet ready for birth but he doesn’t know how much longer she can handle before she, quite literally, pops. Either way, she needs her energy up and ready for when the time does come and, the off chance it’s today, he wants her happy with a full belly of rabbit.

Thank youuuuuuu ^^

Asterr had reached a point in her life at which she was larger than she'd ever been before and, perhaps, ever would be. It was difficult, at times, to maneuver with the extra weight attached to her abdomen, but she'd made it work. Still did she spend at least a portion of her time each day walking through the territory, inspecting plants or simply enjoying the scenery. Quite some time had passed since her last visit to the cavern's entrance, however, and she'd not be ending the streak anytime soon. No, her focus was on ensuring that her unborn children were kept safe, and so she'd kept to the innermost sections of her home.

That morning, she'd gotten a late start to her day, having woken only moments prior to Ukko's return—the exhaustion so often felt was another part of her pregnancy that she'd had to get used to, knowing not that it'd only become worse once the hatchlings entered the world. She'd wanted to lay down for awhile longer, but had forced herself up in order to greet her mate anyways. She'd been made to move, too, by the shifting of the forms within her womb, their movements having made the position she'd previously been in uncomfortable. No matter, she'd smiled regardless, having left the rabbit alone for the time being in favour of another topic.

"They move more often with each day," the girl had noted, looking towards her midsection the best that she could, and then back to the man. "I am nervous about their arrival." Health-wise, everything seemed to be well, but that wasn't the part that made her hesitant. It was the fact that she didn't know if her time as Draco's vessel would be coming to an end. And, if it wasn't, then it was her lack of experience with children. "Do you believe that we will do well with them?" she'd asked, curious of how he might answer. Truthfully, Asterr didn't know if he'd ever reared children in the past; and, if so, whether they'd been his own or those of a family member.

Asterr does not take the kill right away and Ukko stares at it for a moment longer, wondering if there is something wrong with it. She’d had a smooth pregnancy thus far and hadn’t gotten sick as often as he’d seen some wolves but his limitations around pregnant females have been quite sporadic. Saena hadn’t been pregnant (to his knowledge) when he’d abandoned them and there hadn’t been any the last time he was home (just the thought of calling it home puts a bitter taste in his mouth). 

Ukko swallows the lump in his throat when she speaks and he lifts his dark gaze to search her face for signs of discomfort or pain or nausea. Nothing seems evident but she does mention how much they move that sets his heart into a flutter. 

“I think we will,” he tells her in a quiet tone and a swish of his tail.

It still baffles him how this can all be real for a random chance to come across the dark woman. He’d been lost within the mountains, unsure of where he was going, when she’d found him. A strange way to being their relationship but it has blossomed, to say the least. He learns more each day though he knows there is a lot and whether their mateship turns into something else is left to be unraveled but he wonders where she might want this to go, in the long run, when their family is just beginning.

“Can you feel them now?” he asks, looking down to her swollen belly and a hesitant step forward. In other words, can I feel them?

He settles his rump down on the ground nearby, urging her to rest too.

Briefly, she'd eyed the rabbit, but had found herself too busy to eat for the moment—not physically, of course, but mentally. There were so many things to think about and possibilities to consider, but she'd made a note to herself that the meal was there for her whenever she might be ready for it. The importance of maintaining a healthy diet whilst pregnant was not something that eluded her, after all, and so it was unlikely that it'd go untouched for much longer. Until then, she'd looked towards her mate, finding solace in his response. Surely they would both do well with the children, in caring for them and overlooking their growth. It was a silly thing to worry over given the stability of the two, but she hadn't been able to prevent the thoughts from invading her conscious.

They would be fine. The words were repeated several times within her mind before she'd been convinced. The hatchlings would be born into a peaceful environment, and then the pair would raise them together. It would work out, she'd assured herself, and so her mind was temporarily put at ease. For how long it might last, that could not be predicted, but it mattered little for, presently, she was fine. They both—no, all—were.

Ukko had taken a step towards her with a question on his tongue, towards which she'd not given an immediate answer. Rather, Asterr had waited until he'd settled down, and then took the time to sit herself down near to him. Her movements had been somewhat awkward, the weight of children being something that she'd most likely never grow accustomed to. When he'd inquired about the movements of the fetuses, they'd been stilled, but the relocation of her mass had prompted one—or perhaps it was several—to begin squirming around within her. "Someone is moving now," she'd voiced, turning her head the best she could to look upon herself. Offered to him had been a silent invitation to feel for them, the experience being something that she'd wished to share.

She doesn't answer right away and Ukko sits there in silence, uncertain if he'll get an answer. She moves around a little, assuming to make herself comfortable, and he moves in a similar fashion to rest all the way on the ground. He evens himself out like a sphinx, lifting his gaze to watch her when she finally speaks. He's frozen once her answer has been presented and ultimately his gaze drops to her swollen belly. Ukko finds himself frozen, unable to do anything but stare as if he might see a hint of movement beneath her dark fur. 

Eventually he leans forward, gently pressing his nose to her skin and moves his snout along the curve of her abdomen. Uncertain where he's supposed to touch to best feel, he inches the rest of his body closer until there's a different in touch. A roll of something could be felt, but not seen. He rests there, occasionally feeling something if one is strong enough, before he closes his eyes and rests near to her, to them.

As he’d grown still, she’d watched with a hint of curiosity in her eyes. She’d considered guiding him, of instructing where he should touch to better feel their movements. Yet, by the time she’d chosen to do so, he’d already leaned towards her. And so she kept a close eye on him, waiting for any sign of a reaction. Had he felt them? She’d felt a shift in her midsection, but hadn’t been able to tell for sure whether or not it was strong enough for Ukko to feel, too. As far as she could tell, his expression hadn’t shifted at all, and so she was left to wonder; even more so after he’d decided to rest against her.

In spite of her interest, her want to know, she’d not asked any questions. Rather, the chieftess said, “They will be strong, I can feel it,” and left it at that. With how often they moved, and the fact that Draco had grown surprisingly quiet, she knew that they would each possess their own special gifts. She only hoped that she would be able to live through their birth and see them grow.

Ukko doens't know what to expect as he rests there, feeling the rolling movement beneath the barrier that separates them. His silence prompts her to speak again and he slowly nods his head, too afraid to break contact in case he were to miss something. "They are strong," he murmurs into her belly before he closes his eyes and scoots closer. He breaks away long enough so that he is nearer to her, protectively putting himself between her and the world. The moment is quiet and he keeps his vision blocked out as he repeats, over and over, the dynamics of his little family he'd managed to tumble into.

All the while that he stayed in contact with her side, the girl was still and her breathing steady. She could feel whenever the small lives moved inside of her, and she knew that he, too, could feel them. They were strong, protected by both the dragons and their parents. They would grow to be wise and beautiful creatures, capable of leading with peace and honouring the dragons that would always watch over them. It made her smile through her worries, and tell herself that everything would be just fine. They would enter the world with two parents there to guide them, for the mother-to-be would not perish. Her children were strong—so strong that, surely, their bodies had already been entered by the souls that they would always hold dear, and so her own would not be carried into any of them. It was a belief that, in that moment, she could not find a way to counter with all of the unknown possibilities. She’d simply laid her head down and closed her eyes, then drifted off to sleep knowing that she was safe—that they were all safe.