No stranger to what nature would dictate of her here, the gravid alpha had receded away to her own secrecy when restlessness drove her madly to it. A scarce few family could chance her company when she was feeling vaguely up to it earlier on, then eventually this waned away until she was happier seeing no one beyond her other half that rest with @Charon. Even him, after a point, she preferred out on guard anyway. Knowing what she did about the proceedings, having been through it before, she knew how she wanted it to be.. and if she could not demand the weather to cooperate with her whims and stop snowing before the moon went full and her time to whelp came, then this would just have to do. Thankfully no one argued with her on this, and largely let her be to do what needed done in the final days that ticked down to mere hours.

She didn't particularly want to, feeling tired and annoyed already, but her speckled mate was no longer welcome tonight and she warned him away again to go back to watch or out of her sight. It just seemed soon to her, a fact she chose to deflect to the nature of the season itself, but she'd see to the motions all the same—without a choice as her body tensed, desperate to prepare for what was to come. Her litters never came this early and winter was taking its time on the way out, a fact she would rather see change; yet there was no time left to wait, nor reason. The curious beast in her was certainly keen enough to see them by now, and knew their family waited anxiously for their arrival as well. She paced away the eve, resting periodically, until well later.. and maybe a little while after, she finally quieted down in earnest and saw this go forward.

Amekaze settled in first over a brand new black blot of a son, and a matching duo of girls—dark browns for now, but perhaps not as dark as him. Here in the depths of the den, only beneath the subtlest hints of moonlight, it was not easy to tell. No matter, tucking them all against her belly to nurse, she was just happy to see them thrive. Alongside this lull, she enjoyed the relative peace within herself.. until it was no more, and she was drove up and to her feet to pace it off more. This, with a little work, heralded two tiny pale ones—a male and female apiece. Instantly, she was wary of them.. and although nothing was obviously misplaced on either of them, they were small.. especially compared to the others, practically two halves to one whole between them. She situated them at her side still, as away from the other trio as she could, and tried to relax while they wiggled about their earliest moments.

This would suit her as everything she needed to do, honestly, but the night was not yet through and the picture of her fatigue became a little clearer. Tiredly, she mustered her strength and welcomed another son.. one more like the others in size and bearing, so as soon as he made it clear he was surviving, she nudged the newest boy next to the paired sisters and cleaned him there. Now, this, had to be where she would have this end. She could imagine no more, and heaved a mighty, exhausted sigh, and groomed the newest brood of Ostregas as attentively as the fatigue of a long eve would have out of her.

Now, able to refocus, the tension in her was changing and shifting downward away from the rush of their very first seconds. Slowly, she was settling down into observing them take in the rest now that she had them situated almost nicely. With a slow, practiced motion, she groomed over their tiny shapes (and herself) until she could be content enough to simply curl in tight around them. Her back was to the den's exit and tired eyes on them all the while. Amekaze was only left to wonder who they may become, and begin to think of them as now finally separate from her for the first time since the blood moon had come.

In time, just like twice before, she would adjust and they would grow no doubt mighty as the sons and daughters of this spire's lead—as the further security of their blood. There did remain that trepidation about the smallest palest pair, and after last year with everything since spiking her standards higher, she was not feeling very generous towards the weak when she had four healthy, solid others who were not rankling that instinctive uneasiness in her.. But, this could come to pass after their sire had seen them all at least once. She would give them a moment to settle in and prove her otherwise in the meantime because she did not have the energy to do more than this right here.

The alpha moved gingerly to scoot them all closer still, then set her head down to try to doze with an ear ever-canted towards the outside's darkness.

When she finally stopped shifting around between the litter and herself, the lull in it all let her realize the truest depths of her fatigue. Even it, painfully fresh like this, was some measure of relief though. Exhaustion such as this one may have came at a price, although was all for a good enough reason, if any—one worthwhile.. and one that she was infinitely glad to be through with once again.

Hearing Charon's chuff, she raised her hackles well before her head. An instinctive spark helped as she flashed a look to the squirming bodies lined at her belly where they remained as she had left them. Of those wandering this great wide earth, Charon was the one and only who had the rightful place beside her; his investment in her, and by extension, them, had left no room for doubt yet again. The matriarch was still wary.. as any creature ought to be lording over young so small, so her acceptance was slow to come, even slower to make its way to his ear.

After long pause and tired sigh, she chuffed back over her shoulder; he could come in, and he could see. It was best that he take them in for himself.. even if they were not much to see yet, besides squirmy, vaguely-wolf shaped droplets. Nevertheless, they were the fruits of their efforts and the outcome of the last two moons of work, among so many other things.

Other years she might have risen to meet him, or moved aside better than this, but she didn't have the energy to at present and neither did she seek to disturb the whole litter, or herself, so soon. Plus, she trusted he could make do.. and would understand why as well as he was able. She looked carefully upon the pups again, and listened for his inevitable approach with her ears turned back. Still, she was quiet, but this was rarely a bad thing for the dark mother.

When his father's howl hit the winds, he perked and turned from his lookout point to dart up a path for the den. While he had been staying away and only helping to guard the general vicinity lately once Amekaze had narrowed her list of visitors considerably, he had still tried to keep as close as he could without testing her wrath's reach. Too curious about what preceded the arrival of his new siblings for his own good, he was trying to glean what he could anyway, very carefully, until it all turned to a weird anticipation when she was no longer giving him any clues and all that was left to do was wait. Apparently.

Such a song carried a note that made his heart soar with relief, and excitement.. because finally!! A piece of him had begun to worry since he knew so very little of what was right and was not. Without any idea, he simply guessed.

He arrived in a rush and when he could see the den, he was nervous all over again but for different reasons. Thankfully Vela was there to make for a good buffer between him and what may await... but only Vela, not Charon, or any others yet. Not about to stick his own snout anywhere near that entrance, he hung back behind his pale sister with a questioning look on, though his nose was wiggling nonstop towards the source of the scents that were so familiar and new at once.

Feeling her own vulnerabilities through an exhaustion so heavy, sight and scent of him had become synonymous with her security.. especially here in these moments when she was at much less than her entire self. In the way that it was, it was a fatigue so different from everything else she had run upon. She hated the toll it could take--and it did, and she hated how devastating a blow it could deal in exchange for these new lives, all fresh and full of promise.

But she was fine enough. Tired, pretty sore, but she would survive.. and she hadn't seen any of the six blots die yet, despite the deep-seated wariness of the two tiny ones. She was remembering Ran all too well, just before Galaxy's unlucky follow-up, and even Korei's inability to fit in and vibe among them were all considerations she would not ignore by now. Just not.. right now. This soon, in this very instant, she had nothing to do with it. "Thank you," she rumbled quietly, fondly to Charon with a slow nod before he could leave her sights entirely. For the food, for keeping watch, for letting her have it as she needed, and for seconds like these, simple between them, with their newest brood here.

Nonetheless, a good meal to help restore her strength and help further get her mind away from the birth would do good. Saying nothing more, she listened to his announcement of their news and settled patiently back down now that she was alone with them again.

Later, sensing he was long gone to the cache at least by then, her ears pricked up. Awareness widened so quickly the second she thought she heard paws. Vela's voice followed not long after, though her hackles were still stiffening along her back and she arced tiredly around the newest litter. "Vela.." she returned, voice low and gruff--fatigued, while she worked her nose harder to scent Jarilo too but he was suspiciously silent; she wasn't going to get up to go to them any, but her tranquility was a tentative one for the time being and one that was viciously protective of her youngest litter, even this drained.

Shifting subtly, she was not one to roll out the invitations but turned well enough to crane her head towards the den's entrance. Her almost-yearlings warranted that much from her--the last two of them, at the very least, and the ones she had finally grown more fond of as they grew into themselves. "The pups are fine.. need rest," she said over a few soft mewls of complaint from her motion. There was little else to share so soon. They lived. Mustering a stern look, she went on: "Both of you, help your father keep strict watch here." she grated, direly serious in the message because she wanted nothing disruptive to find its way to her while she revolved entirely around herself and these newborns. Anything questionable, and she would have them enforce no mercy now.

As seconds ticked and no reprimanding came, he came creeping steadily closer to his speckled sister's side but with a good measure of hesitation still keeping him on guard. Then, when their mother spoke, his lurking stance jolted upright with a little start and he was at attention. A certain sense of relief followed when he could barely make out of the gist of it.. and he had to bite back asking for more; against what he felt like, he kept quiet and nodded, although let Vela do the talking for now.

While listening, he squinted into the dark of the den, but couldn't see anything except maybe the waves of Amekaze's furs. He didn't find himself all too disappointed, though.. because what mattered was that they were all okay without him laying his eyes upon them right this second--no matter how excited about meeting new siblings he was. So, again he nodded more deeply at Vela and grew keen to follow her lead as she began to assume her guard, now determined to not be outshone. The gravity of the situation wasn't lost on him, and now with a new sort of relief, he wanted to look forward to whatever was next now.

Before he could pick up a post of his own, Charon returned and the boy wagged his tail quite merrily. Noticing his evident tiredness kept his reaction mild though, especially since had already been walking on eggshells over one half of his parental pair.. Still, he chuffed a happy note at his father, and trotted off a short distance (after one last long look at the den's doorway) to start the very important watch.

She dipped her snout for an appreciative nod although Vela was likely not to see it. With that said, and now hearing the speckled daughter relaying the message to her brother, the dark alpha then settled in comfortably beneath the faith that her near-yearlings could maintain the watch she needed; she had helped teach them how to, after all. With them, their older sisters, and their father all at her call to keep her undisturbed and safe, she had far more than ever before--and such, few reasons to be concerns, from the outside world at least. Which was precisely as it needed to be and almost, she could relax far more finally.

Eventually Charon returned, earning a few slow beats of her tail as she made for the squirrel he brought. While she let him handle any matters outside the den now that he was back, she set to short work of the meal's juiciest bits. Once done, she re-situated when she was satisfied and made sure the newborns seemed comfortable enough afterward. Soon content with that, and this, she swiped her tongue over her lips and curled tightly around the brood before she settled her head down too--determined to rest properly now that all was going well enough.