Ears pulled down and tail tucked tight against his underside, he was his most obedient before a very pregnant Portia ready to breath hellfire upon him should he not heed her. Dio got up and moving fast, no questions asked about that. He had a good idea this was coming since he'd had a lot of time to anticipate it lately. Nonetheless, he had never been allowed near a birth and didn't need there to be a first time for that. The wocha made himself scarce. Once the initial start of her shooing him out of his typical watchful lounging wore away, he centered himself a handful of meters away. Wildfire was her next request and while watching the bandrona slip by, her sides rounded out ridiculously too, he knew that this was about to move forward and their litter was very, very close. 

A deep breath and some pacing aside, he settled as a stone faced sentinel near his mate's birthing den and hoped, prayed, and willed for her to get through this okay in any way he could as he watched the wilds for any sign of disturbance. He was worried for all the reasons he could be but excitement trickled in through the cracks even with the uncharacteristic nervous knot in his stomach. Not his first time in a position like this one, but by far and wide, the one he had the most personally attachment to already as his and Portia's little family's first.

His ears were peeled for signs of distress and time ticked by painfully slow, moment by agonizing moment. None came, and all was quiet here in the outside world too. 

After so long, Dio perked up to Portia inviting him back. Without seeing the pups or knowing a thing about them, his tail was waving and he was reaching towards her muzzle for soft, happy licks — although there was a tender tentativeness to the gesture just in case he was still on thin ice for putting her through what she'd just endured. He was glad she was alright. Probably exhausted, although nothing about sight of her did anything besides warm his heart. She'd done it, and the relief was overwhelmingly evident in the murmurs of affection while he carefully adjusted himself in the den to be right next to Portia. He next balked at Wildfire's well wishes, suddenly remembering she'd been here to witness it all. "Thanks," he said, wide-eyed along a big breath in. His mate the deserved all the kudos, of course, and he didn't have words to encompass the full lengths of that yet.

It was sight of the puppies that stilled and quieted him entirely at once. Two shapes, soft, and with lighter shades about them besides a few faint speckles on the tinier of the pair — one male, one female, he realized soon enough. So, so very small yet seemingly solidly built as well as he could tell, having everything a tiny blot of a wolf could need. He had never seen little ones so young and fresh.

Dio moved to them each in turn with a featherlight touch of his snout and proud curve of his lips when his tail picked up a new rhythm.  Finally, they were very tangible, and very, remarkably real. He sniffed generously at the duo and marveled. "Hope they were good to you getting here," he warned gently, lifting himself enough to nose Portia again because without her, he would have none of this so making sure she was alright was priority. However it was hard to take his eyes off them, even if there was not too much to see at first glance; he was confident he would see more. This had only begun to sink in. "So glad they're finally here. They're.. so tiny. Precious little perfect things.." he said fondly, settling around the two to take them in more and decide what to come to know them as next.

He was loathe to disturb the peaceful, quiet moment unlike any other. Down to his measured breaths, it all felt to delicate yet at the same time, the most absolute fact of his life here and now. It was just so easy enough to simply watch, take them in, and greedily memorize every little piece of them he could. Love, and relief, seemed to reign.

Portia's voice perked his ears again and her thoughts served as a good focus to his, enough to make him zero in on the cream boy's diminutive shoulders. He'd seen sons of his before, his coat tended to stamp.. or so this lead him to really suspect. He'll look a lot like me. As he liked to think. "I like it," he agreed after a thoughtful pause spent peering downward in awe. And, in that case: "What about something with an -ia in it for her?" he suggested, plucking the end of her name and looking for one with a similar rhythm about it somehow. His mate had surely once gone through flowers and gemstones and whatever else there was out there in this great wide world she'd collected knowledge on and he couldn't even remember the half of them here and now on the spot. He tried best he could. "Hm. Something sweet, but distinct... her little grey is.." He made a fondly frustrated face at her as he thought out loud: too cute, and protect them forever.

Which.. nosing Portia again, he didn't want to distract but this was so overwhelming that a lot came to mind all at once. "Do you need anything..?" Goddamn.. he could only imagine, yet did not know where to begin when it came to her needs and wants fresh from two moons of pregnancy then birth. He'd hate to leave this spot in time, but if he could he'd do it for her. He only needed some guidance if that was true.

Everything settled so neatly into place, amazingly so and enough to leave him reeling quietly. "Dalia." he tested so-oh-gently, then nodded in the next second: yes. He liked it, no, loved it, and eyed the two little fuzzy bodies with a brand new appreciation, and something else to begin to know them by--as if sight, scent, and sensation weren't enough for him. He'd greedily take it all but his heart felt so full he thought it impossible. Sirio and Dalia, and indeed, looking at them, Portia was exactly right: two little yet very distinct bits of them both, all wrapped neatly together somehow. "Perfect," he said once more with a glad everything about him. This, everything right here and now, was everything he thought he could need. She'd done so well by him, he barely felt deserving of the two perfect little wolf-beans right there tucked sweetly at his mate's side, but he only hoped they could grow up well and healthy with him as their father.

He didn't have anything better to say except some fond murmurings of love and about how precious this moment was here as he curled happily around them all. Overcome, he beamed at them all for a while, and willed Portia to get some rest soon.