Redhawk Caldera I'll always keep you with me

tried to keep it vague, feel free to make assumptions.  All welcome!

When it came down to it, the actual thing of it wasn't as big of a deal as Fennec originally worried.  Sure, it hurt like hell, but when the ordeal was over she had a... well.  They'd... made this.

She was immensely grateful it was only the one because how the fuck had her mom managed four!?  It took a while for the actual delivery to set in and at one point Fennec had the horribly (hilariously) morbid thought that they might just grow up in there.  Erupt from her fully grown like some kind of mythological monstrosity.

And then, suddenly, it was done.

One pup.  Fennec cleaned him almost automatically, but even after she'd settled him next to her, she couldn't seem to stop reaching out to explore the shape of him with her muzzle.  He was so tiny. Soft fur, itty bitty ears, a tail.  They hadn't discussed names yet (I'm gonna assume, kick me if I'm wrong) but @Killdeer had entered the chat. 

Fennec had chased @Bronco out at the onset (or whenever he might have shown up), mostly in a panicked rush to get some space.  If anyone had snuck in later in the process to help, she likely wouldn't have noticed straight away, or had much wherewithall to argue.  And now she was both too tired and too absorbed in this new thing she'd managed to make to care.

What are little boys made of?
Snips & snails & puppy-dog tails,
That's what little boys are made of.

Mmkay. If that's true (seems biologically dubious), then whoever was in charge of doling out these various ingredients gave way too much to Fennec's womb. Because when the time came for Mama to push, out came one pup:

One big, fat baby boy.

He was looking for food almost as soon as the sac broke, barely sparing a moment to cry. He latched on strong—thank God he didn't have teeth yet, because whew. Soon, he was suckling greedily at his mother's belly. With no competition for milk, he could monopolize the teats and grow up strong.

Good start. Round of applause for the proud parents. They might well regret their decision in time, but for now, their little cherub was here. Even without the sheep and shit, it was a pretty damn good Nativity scene.

only post for me here!

Bronco wasn't surprised to be ushered swiftly from the den when Fennec went into labour, but his own anticipation and anxiety would take him no further than the threshold which he blocked with his body. One ear was turned back so he could listen in case Fennec cried out, and there were a number of moments when he wondered if he should call for help...Sometimes, it was almost too quiet. Sometimes, he heard the strained sound of her voice- and it unsettled him. But he reminded himself that birth was a natural process- and that Fennec was a medic. Things would be alright, he told himself. 

It'd begun to rain, just a pleasant warm drizzle, by the time he heard her breathing change, and with the soft, mewling sounds of breath and suckling, he could tell that a puppy had been born. He remained where he was, but after some time he shifted, turning slightly and laying down so that he was partially inside the entrance of the den, his shoulder and hip turned to the rain. He couldn't see Fennec, stowed away in the darkness out of sight, but he could hear her breathing, and he could swear that he heard something else too. 

Still, he didn't barge back in. He waited, until he could be patient no longer- and uttered a soft, questioning whine. His tail thumped eagerly against the ground behind him, hoping she might have some good news for him.

Fennec would give birth any day now, so Towhee made a point to swing by the den once or twice daily to check on her. She headed there now, mildly distracted by the fact Meerkat hadn’t come home last night. She usually bedded down with them at the rendezvous site now that the whole family had migrated from the Hobbit Hole. But she was an adult, so Towhee figured she’d simply spent the night elsewhere for whatever reason and there was nothing more to it.

She arrived to find Bronco wedged in the den’s entrance and she immediately forgot all about Meerkat. Is she?...! Towhee called out inarticulately, moving nearer and wishing Bronco wasn’t blocking the view so completely.

It took Bronco whining for Fennec to remember that he was outside, and that any outside at all existed. All of her senses had been honed in on the pup, and the bone-deep tiredness that was a staple of new motherhood didn't help. She flicked an ear, and rudely considered, for a moment, making him wait. But then she smiled and let out a small, inviting sound. Her mom was out there too, she thought, and she focused in over the sound of the drizzle outside.

Hopefully the group would be small; she wasn't really up to fielding a whole lot of visitors right now, but these two she could handle. Softly she nudged the nursing Killdeer into a better position against her, then prepared to show him off to his dad and grandma.

He didn't want to have to beg, but he would if necessary. Sure, he supposed that Fennec maybe wanted some time to herself even after giving birth. And there was no way for him to tell, presently, if she was done or not. Maybe she wouldn't invite him back in for hours yet, if she carried on giving birth to puppies with a fair amount of time in between them, but that was her business. She'd booted him from the den, and now he simply had to put up with the excruciating helplessness of having to wait for her to let him back in. 

Thankfully, Towhee showed up, and she'd be a welcome distraction that might help the time pass more quickly. He smiled brightly and nodded his head. -"She's in labour"- He said, though clearly he had no idea that Fennec had already been through the labour, and was now resting with their one child. "-I think everything's OK so f-" 

He cut himself off when he heard a soft sound from inside the den. A quiet, pleading note that to him sounded close enough to an invitation for him to wriggle excitedly. She'd said he could come in- did she know that Towhee was there too? He didn't want to be as hostile about allowing visitors as his mother had been- she hadn't allowed anyone but her mate near the children for a few days after birth and it had been so incredibly frustrating to have to wait to see them. Bronco wanted Towhee to see the kids, and he knew that his children would always be safe with their grandmother...Still- he'd leave the decision-making up to Fennec, in terms of how many visitors were allowed to come in. 

-"She's invited us in,"- He said, his gestures a little bit shaky and rushed. Well, he wasn't sure she'd invited them both in- but he figured that if Fennec got too crowded, one of them could always back out. Given the fact that he was already halfway inside the entrance, he lowered his head and snuck inside, giving himself a moment to allow his eyes to adjust so that he could see properly in the dark. The last thing he wanted to do was step somewhere he shouldn't. 

And in the darkness he saw the pale fur of his beloved Fennec, who looked tired, but hopeful too. For a moment, he didn't see the pup nestled at her side, and he cast his glance around nervously as though dreading to see the little ones scattered here and there. He had no reason for it, but he'd been assuming that they'd have three or four pups- so he was a bit surprised to see that only one was tucked in at Fennec's side. While this did mean that his expectations of having a large litter had been foiled, he did not feel disappointed whatsoever. Especially not when he saw just how big his child was. 

He uttered a soft, crooning note as he drew a bit closer, hesitantly nearing Fennec, aware that she might choose at any point to push him away from her child. His mother had been all snaps and snarls, so he chose to respect Fennec's boundaries until he knew exactly how comfortable she felt having him close. 

The sight of the dark pup snuggled at Fennec's side made something in his heart twinge, almost painfully. His eyes burned, and with a knot fixing itself squarely in his throat just at the base of his tongue, he more or less lost whatever composure he'd ever been blessed with, and started to choke softly on a sob that begged to escape. "Oh Fennec," He breathed shakily. "What a beautiful baby." He trembled as he reached out to touch her cheek, and even in the darkness of the den he thought that she glowed a bit. Perhaps it was just the tears in his eyes, or perhaps it was because he was so completely overwhelmed- but he couldn't have ever imagined a more perfect moment.

He shifted to sign something, Towhee as ever appreciative of the effort he always made to communicate effectively with her. She acknowledged his words with a nod, ears pricking when Bronco cut off abruptly. He must've heard something from within the den, going by his body language. A moment later, he let her know that Fennec was inviting them inside.

Her heart leaped as Bronco moved further inside the whelping den, clearing the threshold to enter. Towhee stuck her head inside but didn't go very far, assuming the same position Bronco had before and blocking the entrance. Her eyes found Fen's face and then dropped lower, to her flank, where a single puppy curled against his pale mother.

Towhee stared at him, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dim to make out details. He was dark and so, so pudgy. He looked perfect, an assessment Bronco articulated but which Towhee missed. Nonetheless, she found herself unwittingly concurring with him as she breathed, "He's perfect, Fen." She was officially a mother and that meant Towhee was officially a grandmother.

Her orange gaze drifted back to Fennec's blind face. "Do you know what you'll call him?" Towhee wondered, glancing over at Bronco to include him in the question. "He looks a bit like me, so if you wanna call him Towhee Jr, I just want you to know I'm cool with that," she was unable to resist jesting, breaking into a happy chortle.

Fennec laid her head down as they both came in, deciding to take advantage of the fact that she didn't need to track them in order to fully relax now. The puppy seemed content for the moment and she imagined they'd both be preoccupied for a while.

She listened for Bronco's reaction, though, with distinct attention. Her ears twitched when he crooned at, what she would imagine, the baby. She was glad he was happy, but the pride she felt had a little bit of a tinge of something else. This had been what he wanted, and now she'd given him it. The tone he used when he talked about it made her chest constrict, but not necessarily in a good way.

I'll have to take your word for it, she replied without lifting her head, but she did smile. Towhee was hot on Bronco's heels and quick to ask about names, something she hadn't even bothered to consider. Shit, kids needed names. I don't think I could handle accidentally calling my kid mom, she retorted with a soft snicker. But... maybe a bird? For that she'd need to rely on Bronco, because Fennec had no recollection of what her mom even looked like anymore. Not really.