Aw! though keep in mind she really would only trust
@Istoira and
@Tundra as well as Maegi. Pups will be tagged as they are born.
It was dark and breezy in the forest and the dark female was getting restless. It seemed her little ones were vigorous lately. Keeping her up at night or waking her up in the middle of it. Moonshadow began her walk back to her den hoping the walk would smooth them enough to let her sleep.
However that was not the case, a few minutes after appearing at the den, she felt the first pains of child birth in her abdomen. The young female tried to breath as she laid down. Though the pain was horrible and caused her to let out a whine.
Her heavy breathing seemed to slow as she felt the pains begin to slowly subside and a pup cane into the world. She opened its encasement and began to nudge and lick the newborn until it showed signs of life. In doing so she noticed it gender. A male with various hues of brown. As the pup squealed she smiled. “
@Rowan”
Though her painless bliss was short lived as she felt the pain once more and another coming into the world. The den was now filled with the scents of birth as the second one came and she completed the process once more. This one was a female whom looked similar to her brother. “
@Moonshine.”
She felt the pains slowly creep up once more and she wondered how many more were there. She hoped not many as her body began to grow more tired and with a swift push her next pup was born. He was different from the rest. His shade was white which was complimented by the black of his muzzle and front paw. He seemed to take over her mother’s coloring. With a smile she began to name him. “
@Falling Star”
As soon as she thought it was over she began to get an immense pain. Something was wrong, she felt as though she was dying and from the smell of the blood she almost believed it. The dark female whimpered as she pushed and that’s when it happened another pup. She quickly began to take it out and lick the little thing trying desperately to get her to breath but nothing. Moonshadow wars slicked back and she whimpered as she nudged her small child. She was so small but otherwise perfect. Though this one simply did not make it.
The she wolf let out a howl announcing her pups birth but she could not hide the pain and heartache as she did so.
It was warm and wet. Cosy amongst his siblings. A memory he would never recall.
It all happened so quickly - the coldness that hit him; the warm but rough touch that animated his body. He opened his mouth, emitting a piercing noise and thrusting his forepaws forward to find nourishment.
This world would be nice and cruel to him. A world where he would learn quickly and grow to find power and cast influence amongst his peers.
Rowan was pushed to his mother's belly, quickly latching on and pushing to suckle his fill. It was all he knew for now, and for some time. It was good. Soon, he'd feel the bodies of his siblings pressed against him too and be oblivious that there was one who didn't make it.
The dark female whimpered as her gaze fell once again on her fallen little one. She was a beautiful pure white almost a spitting image of her mother. Moonshadow made one last attempt to nudge her little one but it was no use she was long gone.
Then she was approached by Istoira. Moonshadow gazed upon the woman with sad eyes and nodded her head. “Please.”
Sad eyes watched as Istoira picked up the deceased pup. Ever so gently she removed her and a whimper escaped her muzzle. She would be in the stars.
The female gazed upon her little trio and smiled. She was exhausted, however the thought of Nikan and others potentially being nearby made her struggling to keep her eyes open.
Moonshadow curled around her newborns. I won’t let anyone harm you. Her eyes began to grow heavy as she began to slowly drift off to sleep.
Her gaze lifted to lock upon whichever packmate had arrived on the scene, though she withstrained herself from displaying any sort of defensive body language - despite her feelings for Moonshadow and the flickering warmth of a connection she was developing to the younglings at her belly, she was at the bottom of the food chain here and it would not bode well for her to be stepping on any toes.
A moment of concern reached her, detecting the odd glint within Tundra's eyes from afar as the woman weaved through the trees, half-rising to her paws from her sentry beside the den's entrance.
Istoira found herself falling back on sooty haunches, thinking she must have imagined it, when the tundrian's cool gaze found her and a slight nod of appreciation was offered.
Her dark crown titled instinctively, hellish gaze watching the woman go. Her tail wagged once, glad that she could add another to the list of newfound packmates who didn't seem to hate her.
Her attention was drawn to the shadow within as the tang of anxiety clouded the mother's scent and subsequently that of the pups. Istoira felt her features crumble in concern, thinking perhaps her close proximity was upsetting the new mother.
"Moon?" She whispered softly, muzzle quavering inquisitively much like a rabbit's as she poked her head into the whelping nest cautiously.
She was met with a sight that melted her poorly-concealed heart, the sight of the raven curled protectively around her babes. An intense desire to clamber into the dwelling and curl around them all washed over her but the Storm-bringer withheld.
She stretched her dark length before the entrance, head propped upon her paws as her gaze swept over their surroundings.
Soft whimpers and incoherent mumbles escaped her lips as slept, nearly drowned out by the mewls of the children, but Moonshadow slept on fitfully.
"You can rest," Istoira whispered to the slumbering lot of them, unaware that she may have inadverdently become part of the little family Tundra had looked upon fondly, "I won't let anything harm you."