Duskfire Glacier while centuries fall apart

Welcome to the world @Arius, @Makatza & @Ensio! Tzila's den is dug off the main chamber, on the opposite side of Lane's. Note that only @Wintersbane and @Rye will be allowed inside the den first. @Lane, @Imaq, @Iana

That day, Tzila awoke to bright, sunny skies and the warm air of summer. Thanks to the northern location of the glacier and the constant presence of the massive ice sheet itself, the heat was tolerable. Not nearly as oppressive or stuffy as it would have been deeper in the woodlands. She was in a pleasant mood, sunning herself on a warm slab of granite rock close to the mouth of the caverns. Her belly was huge these days. Knowing that the pups could come anytime now, she didn't dare stray far. Besides, she had other reasons for wanting to keep close to her personal denning space.

Last year, she sought out isolation at the very end. This time, it was different. With Lane having recently given birth, and being a first time mother, she instinctively was inclined to stay close by. She liked the younger female and almost felt a sense of older sister protectiveness over her. She wanted Lane to know without any doubt, that she was there for her. Wintersbane had sired her pups too, after all. She was more than willing offer her own assistance where she could. And then there was Imaq, who was also expecting. She wasn't certain if the cur would decide to claim a den within the walls of the communal one, but she was happy for her nonetheless. Another pack member she cared greatly for. Though less time had been spent with her one on one, regrettably, Iana was another figure whom Tzila always welcomed warmly as well. The Beta's skills in the medicinal field could go far when it came to expecting mothers, especially when the big day came.

That day, her body decided, was today. She had gotten up to relieve herself, stretch her legs and then try for the hundredth time to find a position in which agreed with her. No matter what she did, what she tried, she just could not get comfortable! And those pups! They were wriggling, kicking and squirming non-stop. Didn't they ever give it a rest?! She couldn't complain, couldn't bring herself to be grumpy. Active, lively pups meant healthy pups. Fine. Everything was fine. She breathed out, forcing her nerves to settle. Again.

On her way back to her spot in the sun, what felt like a pinch made her pause. She shook it off and began to move forwards again, only to be stopped by a more insistent cramping. A rush of emotions rose up in her chest. Deciding better to be safe than sorry, she made a beeline for the entrance of the caverns, moving quickly. By the time she had made it inside, the pain had soared. It was crippling, making her double over in agony. It hadn't been nearly this bad before! But didn't they say that no two pregnancy's were ever alike? Letting out pained cries and grunts, she hurriedly entered her personal den. It was deep, spacious enough for two large wolves to stretch out comfortably, with room to spare. She collapsed onto her side, silver optics flashing harshly to the light at the entrance in warning to anyone who came too close. Her labor had begun.

On throughout the day and into the twilight hours, Tzila endured labor. By the time the sun had dipped, kissing the sky purple and pink, @Arius had been welcomed into the world. Large for his size, squirming as she broke the sac free, cleaning him off in earnest. A boy! And so, so beautiful, painted dusky silver with obsidian just barely breaking through. She sobbed, tears streaking down her cheeks. Gently placing him at her belly, Tzila was afforded little time until another contraction hit and she pressed down again. The second newborn came easier than the first. Still wrapped in the sac, which she quickly opened, she could already this one was much darker in contrast to her firstborn. Tzila was overjoyed to see that it was a girl. A girl! She had a daughter! @Maktaza was cleaned off lovingly, nudged tenderly in place alongside her brother. She wondered how many more there were, or if she was done. An hour later, and she had her answer. She bore down, pushing again and again. Another large pup. Finally, @Ensio slipped free, screaming. She guided the pale child between her paws, marveling at the stark paleness of his dirty white coat. Again, she repeated the same process she had with the other two, and assisted him in finding his place at her stomach. Elated but exhausted, Tzila curled up around her newborns, fighting to keep blissful rest at bay.

The boy who would be Arius arrived with great haste to the world, although from his mother's perspective the time between her first cramp and the boy's arrival was more drawn out; he had no such sense of time or propriety. 

He was eager to stretch out those little arms and legs of his, to crow with the dawn, to taste the flavorful pine air for the first time. Arius was tucked neatly against his mother's side and sat there, as if stunned, for a breath - but soon he began to wriggle and writhe, full and bursting with life, amorphous in his shape until a teat found it's way near his nose. 

A gluttonous chomp of his gummy face, and he began to drink heartily of mother's fat-filled ichor.

Makatza felt the warmth around her break. She made a tiny little gasp as she breath in the air for the first time, warm and clean she sucked in on that air like she couldn't get enough. She wriggled eagerly her body already attempting to find something to drink and was then cleaned by her mother.

Supposedly a beautiful moment between daughter and mother, but the connection was missing for Makatza. She was getting cleaned up, but it did not bring her comfort or safety like it should have. She tried to let out a loud cry, as loud as her tiny lungs could muster. She was displeased with this situation, and she was letting everyone know about it.

Then her mother had the audacity to lift her up and move her. She tried once again to cry aloud as much as the tiny pup could and wriggle to be let down. Which surely came. She was placed next to someone, someone she almost recognized. But not entirely. The warmth was familiar. She sniffed with her little nose toward the warmth and found it.

Out of my way She wriggled and kicked with her tiny paws to get the warm thing away from her and take his place at the teat to suckle on. This entire space belonged to her now and she grunted pleasingly if she got the other one out of her way. This was her rightful place. On top. Above the others. Damn if she was going to let anyone get in her way.

His entrance into the world was a hurried one. Ensio waited his turn in line impatiently, kicking and thrashing, insistent on his debut. He didn't have all day! He had places to be, things to do. Yes, as young as he was, he was already a man on a mission.

Cold air engulfed him, sapping away the warmth he thought was destined to be eternal. And he didn't like this, no not one bit. Gurgling a feeble attempt at a protest, a new heat and softness of a velvet tongue cleaned him, drying him off. Flailing, he soon felt a rush of air into his tiny lungs. His first breath. And with it he released what was his idea of the mightiest of roars. It was truly but a wail, falling upon the deaf ears of his brother and sister. Placed close by the vaguely familiar shape and heat of their bodies, he jostled for an open spot to drink his fill.

knowing that tzila, his wife — he thinks proudly and with soft marvel — is due to give birth any day now wintersbane stays as close as he can while not wishing to totally shrug off his duties as leader. he keeps his patrols in smaller sections, always alert. it had started with the birth of his and lane's children and he feels the familiar budding of anxiety with his wife's due date looming ever nearer.

unlike lane, tzila does not call when she goes into labor. wintersbane only realizes that her time has come and she is laboring to bring cubs into the world when he returns to greyfall with two plump hares clutched betwixt his jaws. he deposits one for lane and drops the other casually along the side of tzila's birthing cavern ( den? ), ignoring it in lieu of seeing his newborn children whom he hears squeaking and suckling.

he ducks into the den, using the bulk of his body to block the entrance ...because tzila is his wife and these children — all three of them — are his. true or not, he can see bits of himself — and his father, arturo — in them all. they are beautiful tzi, wintersbane croons with warbling affection in the smoky timber of his voice.

one girl and two boys; perfect just like their half siblings.

like with lane and his children, the love he feels for them blossoms rapidly beneath his breast, warming him and knocking him breathless all at once.

Rye felt a hair overwhelmed, between Imaq, Lane and Tzila, he felt strung out. He wanted to keep an eye on them all, do his best to keep the ladies as comfortable as possible. Far easier said than done but not at fault from the woman but only Ryes incessant worrying. Then, the sharp scent of fresh afterbirth enveloped his nose, his nostrils flared in the growing realizations excitement. Tzila and Ryes talk never left his mind and although he was scared shitless, Rye also knew that no matter what children would always be a gift. Gently he peaked around the corner to Tzilas den, hesitation to find out the truth clear in his jittery steps, but the big tundran was there already. His large frame blocking the entrance. Rye bit back a commanding snarl, he wanted to see his possible children! Did any have his colors? Were they all okay? How many girls and how many boys? The more thoughts that raced through his mind the faster his tail thumped against the ground.

A mere three days after Wayfarer and Veteran were delivered, there came the obvious signs that their siblings were on the way. Lane liked that they would be so close in age; it would aid in their socialization. It was Lane's intention to raise her own to know Tzila's cubs as true brothers and sisters, no "halfs" or other such caveats. 

When the sounds echoing from the main chamber seemed to indicate that Tzila's delivery was complete, Lane stirred from her position of repose. She tucked the warmest fur in her possession (one that had been a gift from @Imaq, she recalled) around their sleeping bodies, but even so she knew she only had a few moments before they would be awake, demanding her return. 

Lane shuffled into the main chamber, and there she found an anxious-looking Rye. Lane had never been a great reader of emotion, and she struggled especially in the half-light of the caverns. Why was Rye so keyed-up? Was Tzila okay? Lane had no way of knowing Rye's stake in the litter that had just been delivered. To her knowledge, Tzila had only been with her fellow alpha this season. 

Lane brushed up softly against Rye, hoping to lend him some comfort as they waited to receive news about the litter and Tzila's recovery.

Moving this along for the second round. No posting order. The next round will begin on the 8th. 

Tired from the strain forced upon her body of delivery, Tzila so badly wanted to succumb to sleep. But she just as fiercely yearned to keep her eyes open, never taking them off the newborn trio for a second. Just so she could admire them all day (or night) and bask in the love that radiated up, enveloping them all. 

A shuffling at the mouth of her den made her ears prick. Made her muscles coil in brief tension. Upon seeing that it was only her mate, her husband, Wintersbane, she relaxed visibly. Her tail even tapped excitedly against the ground, a quiet whine escaping her throat. Beckoning him closer. She could see the love he had for them blossoming in his eyes, awestruck at the lives they had created together. 

Reaching out, she stroked her muzzle alongside his, murmuring happily, thickly. "They are. Your sons and daughter are perfect..." She drew back, bestowing each of them with the lightest of touches, to soothe them if they stirred at the unfamiliar presence of their father. She smiled sweetly. "They look like us..." The boys, most definitely strongly resembled their sire. The girl, with her blacks, copper and white hints on the other hand, could have just as easily belonged to either he or Rye. She doubted she'd ever know, but that was fine with her. Looking up, her attention was pulled away momentarily, towards the main chamber beyond. Others were out there, lurking. Lane and Rye, by the sound of it. She shifted uneasily. Rye had a right to see the children too. And Lane, as a trusted friend and a medic would be welcomed, if only to assure her the children had a clean bill of health. Though in this very moment, she could think of nothing but wanting to be close with her husband, curled up with the newborns.

Nestled snugly among the nesting material of her own family's chamber, Wayfarer was not to know of another litter's arrival. Still relying primarily on the sense of touch and smell, she failed to hear the cries of newborns from the cavern opposite, and carried on sleeping soundly against her brother.

Only when their dam rose from around them did she stir, whining softly at the disturbance, though she was asleep again as swiftly as she woke. Tucked up in furs and sharing warmth with Veteran, little Wayfarer was content to return to her slumber.

Wedged out of place by both of his siblings rivals, Arius was not going to just let this happen! 

As soon as he was knocked away from the teat that he had been trying to chew on he began to cry out. Something else smacked him from the other side and began to steamroll over his plump little body, and that made him stop crying; it was warm and kind of nice, except when he couldn't move. The boy didn't know where his limbs were or how to properly use them, but he thrust them out in every direction he could. 

He would push and shove as best he could manage with his limited faculties until food was offered to him again, and this time he'd hold tightly to it (unfortunately for Tzila).

Tucked up with his sister in chamber opposite all the activity, Veteran still existed in a dark, silent world. He had no way of knowing the significance of the event, but the birth of his half-siblings had the potential to change the course of the rest of his life. Veteran would never know what it was like to grow up lonely, now that he had two brothers and two sisters to accompany him throughout the ins and outs of childhood.

@Lane you are a godsend! completely forgot that I included that in one of Imaq's old threads and meant to expand on this custom by posting cute lil pregnancy threads for Imaq, Lane, and Tzila where she would give them individualized gifts but then i got all post-partumy and havent posted anything in a while. (sorry yall!)

She came quietly, as she always went about -- as if still unsure that her child or children would be received with as much warmth. It wasn't as if they were planned, nor had she gotten the permission of any of her higher-ups. But her reservation on this occasion had less to do with any nerves regarding how Wintersbane might react to seeing her swollen sides and more to do with propriety. The northron hoped to be quiet and respectful so as not to make Tzila agitated or disturb any of the newborns in the vicinity. Besides, their Chief was surely more preoccupied with his offspring than her own.

Seeing Lane and Rye ahead (and a bit of the navy tundrian himself where he leaned into Tzila's hearth, presumably meeting his new cubs for the first time), and hearing the soft stirrings of Veteran and Wayfarer, the she-dog paused for a moment on her path, cocking a listening ear towards the medic's whelping den out of habit. She had helped to raise many litters of siblings and nieces and nephews. Her affection for Lane's children stemmed from the same place, regardless of whether she shared any blood with their mother. It was second nature to wait until the pups had fallen quiet again before continuing on towards the agouti pair outside their Alphas' dwelling.

Imaq only let out a muffled chuff around the pelt she carried, the soft fox skin wrapped around a cut of meat and a few other small trinkets that Tzila's pups might find enjoyable once they were old enough to play. She set the gift at her paws, settling on her fluffy haunches a few paces from the entrance of the den where the other wolves lingered. Like any other proud parent of Duskfire, she had been taking lengths to make sure all the pack's children were well provided for. Perhaps she should have been working less, given how very pregnant she was getting, but some part of her couldn't help but feel guilty when she thought of how hard Rye and the others were working to make sure their pack could support all the various litters.

The healer hoped her presence wouldn't be minded too much; she had taken to guarding the Chambers with Lane's delivery and Tzila's impending birth. Being the least incapacitated, she was more capable of keeping a vigilant watch over the Glacier's nursery while the other she-wolves cared for their young and readied to whelp. It made her feel better on some level to have one of the mothers in their trio guarding over the dens and the little ones, knowing that they all shared the same maternal drive to protect the pups. Maybe it would make Tzila feel a little safer too, she reasoned, to know that she had the rest of them nearby -- if and when she needed them.

Permission to slightly powerplay Winter

The tundran reluctantly moved aside to let Rye get a better view of the litter, the first two he saw were not of his colors but the last. The last, fiery, feisty and loud. That one shared his colors, the sight was rather scary. The fence Rye sat on suddenly skyrocketed into the sky, many questions and counter answers flooded his mind. The coulds and could nots fought as ferociously as the little girl before him but either way, Rye would forever question the true blood link between the pair. However, did it truly matter? Yes and no, until her colors grew firmer, Rye would let Wintersbane take over for the most part but always help where he could.  

Rye was caught up in whatever was happening in Tzila's room, and he did not appear to even notice Lane's touch. That was confusing to Lane, and more than a little hurtful. Rye was ushered into Tzila's chamber not long after Wintersbane, which confused Lane all the more. Why was Rye in the room with Tzila and Wintersbane? The new mother clearly wasn't letting anyone else inside, at least not yet. 

Her heart began to hammer. Lane was not the most perceptive of wolves, but given her feelings for Rye, she was a little more sensitive to situations involving the object of her affection. Was Rye more, ah, involved with this litter than Lane had thought? It was in the realm of possibility, given that Tzila and Wintersbane had become official only after Tzila's heat. 

No. No, it couldn't be true. Lane already struggled with the knowledge that Imaq was carrying Rye's children. Was Lane the only woman in the Glacier that Rye hadn't slept with? 

Lane tried to comfort herself, reasoning that Rye was probably just attending to the pups in a midwife capacity. But then, why wouldn't Tzila have chosen one of the more experienced, female caregivers to attend her? This just didn't make sense. Lane backed away from Tzila's chamber, emotions churning. She couldn't deal with this here. She couldn't stay. 

She disappeared back into the depths of her own chamber to tuck herself around her children. They were still blind and deaf, but no doubt they would feel the dampness on their backs as a few hot tears fell from above. 

Lane's exit