Honeyed Pasture bol, radha, bol

he'd wandered off a ways, and secluded himself, afraid to run into any other women in heat.

but sumer was acumen in, according to a song aditya would never hear, and the weather swelled and boosted his spirits. perhaps there would be no more lustful eyes here.

except, as he stepped across the bounds of the honeyed pasture, he recognized a scent.

her scent.

and it had changed.

adi walked slowly, carefully, as if navigating a minefield. his ears swiveled nervously, and his fur stood on end. he wasn't sure if he could face her, if. . .

but she—they! were so old—

it wasn't possible, and so perhaps this could be merely a reunion with a wolf whose company he had enjoyed.

Her sides were not as round as some of the other pregnant wolves she'd seen in her time here on this earth, but the girth was there if you looked for it. She carried the excess weight well, despite her age. Whoever was taking up residence in her abdomen had been pleasant, to say the least. Her pregnancy had been uneventful. Easy, even. She'd still been able to hunt for herself, care for herself, and even dig out a little nest for the new lives that were surely on their way here.

Ty had to be prepared for the next few weeks if she planned to do this alone. And so far, that was looking like the most likely outcome. In fact, she was finishing up burying a cache of food nearby the den when she heard footsteps. She smelled him before she turned around to see him.

Ah, if it isn't Casanova, she said, a smile tugging at her cheeks. Her fur was smoother and softer than it had been last time they'd met, no doubt a symptom of her pregnancy, but by and by, she looked quite similar—save for her slightly ballooned belly.

dear god, he'd done it again.

(now sing that to the tune of britney spears.)

aditya stared at tytonidae with jaw slightly agape, a look of horror in his gaze that wouldn't help the awkwardness of the situation in the least. after all, she was the pregnant one; he'd just—

haaye, bhagwaan!

aditya, he corrected, voice hollow. since. . . he shook his head slowly, gesturing toward one of her distended sides with his muzzle. any. . .others? he croaked. 

this couldn't be happening. not now. not again.

Waxwing—as he would soon be known—kicked his sister in the goop that sustained them. He was getting impatient. He wanted out now, and she was in his way.

Ty grinned as the look of realization and horror washed over his face. Had he not known what was possible? Then again, she had not thought it was possible. Nature had a really funny way of handling these things. Real sense of humor, that one.

As soon as he spoke, one of the pups kicked, and Ty squirmed for a small moment, readjusting her stance.

Any other women pregnant? she asked with a wry grin. But she knew what he meant, and she wouldn't torture him any more than she already clearly was. Two others shared my comfort, she replied, Though I'm fairly certain one was too young. I haven't seen the other since then. You're the only one who came back 'round.

She felt a sensation then. Not a kick, but one that made her burst out laughing. Perhaps they'd heard his voice and decided to join the party.

She'd been sleeping when her brother kicked her awake. "How rude!" she thought. That is, if Silktail—her soon-to-be-moniker—was capable of such complex thought. All she knew now was that she was ready to get a move on.

she was a wily one, this tytonidae. part of what had attracted him to her in the first place. and part of why, despite his alarm, he couldn't take her eyes off her now.

two others. but he was the only one that came back. damned if he did, damned if he didn't.

aditya started a bit at her laugh, scrunching his brow in confusion. what's funny? he asked. he didn't feel much like chuckling along. not at all. 

in fact, he think he might be sick. he tasted bile at the back of his throat and prayed to every god he knew that he didn't vomit up his latest meal at her paws.

figure we can keep the ty/adi order and puppies can bounce in/out whenever. :)

Maybe it was because she'd watched others do it dozens of times before, but she felt at ease with the process. Casanova Aditya looked as though he was going to barf on her feet any second now. But not to worry, as Tytonidae had been more than prepared to do this on her own. If he fainted now, she was confident she could handle the rest just fine without him. She'd managed up to this point, hadn't she?

Her eyes met his, and she couldn't completely contain the bemused smile on her face. I believe that was a contraction, she said. The den isn't far, so I'm going to waddle my way there. You coming, or no? It was clear by the tone of her voice that she was fine with either.

a. contraction.

he hadn't expected to run into her, much less run into her in the midst of bloody labor.

i'll come, aditya said, licking dry lips and steeling himself for what came next. tytonidae seemed quite calm, like she'd done this many times before. really, it wouldn't be a surprise at her age if she had. 

he just hoped that she was a better mother than he was a father.

the agouti man remained near her flank as they walked, and asked, can i do anything for you? bring anything? when they were approaching what looked to be the whelping den she'd carved out. he'd rather be sent on an errand for her than witness the miracle of life, the entrance of children born to be abandoned by their deadbeat dad.

god. what had he done?!

The den was nestled in a gently sloping hillside. It was an unassuming hole in the ground, which was what Ty had been going for in the first place. The last thing she needed was some rando waltzing up and poking their head in while she was out here alone. Despite being prepared to do it all on her own, she was glad that Aditya was here, even if he didn't plan on sticking around for long. She wouldn't ask it of him, and Ty certainly didn't expect it of him. It wasn't as though they were betrothed to one another.

I don't think so, she replied. Have you, ah, done this before? Because I'll be honest—I haven't. Actually didn't think I was capable of getting pregnant. I've tried before, and it never worked. She stood outside the den a moment longer, hoping to hear some words of reassurance that he had seen this process before.

i. . . yes, he replied. he'd been there for dawn, when their pair had been born, and then for easy after that. and things had gone fairly smoothly. you'll be all right. i also didn't think i could anymore. father children, i mean.

aditya sat down at the den's entrance, watching her with hawkish golden eyes. should anything go wrong. . . who could he summon? he supposed moonglow was not far away, and he could call out for someone there in a pinch.

he began silently praying to hari, hoping that it all went smoothly for tytonidae.

i'm here, he said, for lack of better words. i'll be here.

Luckily for them both, there would be no need for calling. When all was said and done, the two little ones who showed up didn’t make much of a fuss. Drinking calmly at her side, Ty called for… well, could she really call him their father? It was hard to know for certain, but it was he who was here.

Aditya? You can come in. They’re here. Ty gazed down at them, still not quite believing that they were real. Not quite believing she was capable of making them.

I’ve been thinking about names the past few weeks. What do you think of Waxwing for the boy and Silktail for the girl?

it took less time than he expected. before long, he was being summoned, and staring down at two little ones at tytonidae's breast, mouth slightly agape.

yes, he responded, taking stock of the names. those are. . .good. i've never been talented with names.

he chuckled, then, adding, but i may find names of my own tongue, when they grow and gain personalities. 

aditya stepped outside the den and laid down, nose just across the threshold. it was silent for a long moment before he spoke again, voice sincere.

tytonidae—i have fathered several children, and have not done right by them, he admitted. i cannot promise i'll be here for all of you, for the long run. . .but damn it, i want to try.

penance. to right his wrongs. two beautiful children, and a gorgeous, mature mother.

a second—third—bloody hell, he must be on his eighth or ninth chance by now.

The impatience paid off, and it was a lesson in getting what he wanted. Don't wait around for others when you can kick them around to get them to do what you want.

Now, safe at his mother's side, listening and feeling her voice, he felt at peace. Drunk on milk and quickly dozing off into his first sleep in the real world.

She came into the world screaming—likely the same way she would go out of it. Even as she slept snuggled close to her brother, Silktail wore a brow furrowed and whimpered in her sleep. She would not be the quiet type.

Waxwing appeared to drift off almost immediately, though Silktail continued to fuss as she slept. Ty tried to soothe her with a tongue across her back, but even that didn't appear to deter the squirming girl.

She looked back to Aditya as he approved of the names. Oh, I like that, she said when he mentioned that he may give them a second name when they began to exhibit more distinct personalities. Tytonidae felt that wouldn't take too terribly long.

When he settled at the mouth of the den, she listened as he promised said he would try to be here for the long run. Tytonidae measured the words and nodded.

It's not as though we... planned for this. I was prepared to go at it alone, but I welcome you to be as involved or as uninvolved as you feel comfortable with. As for Ty, she knew she'd have to be involved. It wasn't as though Aditya could feed them. At least not yet.

birth. fuck.

they came quickly enough, one then two.

his heart grew many sizes, even as his mind reasoned—why? why should you be present for children you'll abandon?

i'll stay around, aditya promised, and poked his muzzle into the den, which smelled of blood and fluids. saw the two little grubs and felt relieved, happy, guilty—

he cleared his throat. i will hunt for you, now, he announced, and took off.

he'd return, with food. but there would be a reckoning.