Stavanger Bay told you not to worry

as walls crumbled around her, dalia looked forwards to the one light at the end of the tunnel. though she thought it would be best to go with @Dacio, she worried that the travel might be too much stress for her pregnancy. instead, she stayed behind with @Velen at stormrift, thinking that — if anything — she could have her pups here and then go find her brother. but she didn’t find the safety she thought she’d have on the cliffs. no, instead she found herself watching more and more wolves leave every day. caches became empty and dalia became more useless as her pregnancy came closer to term. she relied on her mate for sustenance, something he delivered without question or complaint, but it wasn’t always enough. 

she watched the downfall of the pack, until it felt like it was just her and velen. if @Rannveig was still around, she hadn’t seen much of him… but she knew that with ford missing there were still other priorities. the stress she felt that her newly found family was falling apart weighed heavily upon her — especially with velen worried so deeply about his brother. And without the protection of a full pack and unable to recall fend for herself, dalia was losing weight. she wasn’t starving, but her already petite frame was growing thinner by the day. not that wolves had set due dates, but all this taken in account for… it was no surprise that she went into labor about a week before she was supposed to.

she was at their den, at least, and had access to all her stores. velen was there too — thank god. a few hours of contractions and panting and pacing, and dalia finally gave birth to the first pup. it was a pale thing, a boy, white in color with little splots if grey. he reminded her of portia.  she licked the sac from him furiously, but was mortified to find he didn’t wail or whimper or wiggle like the pups she’d helped her mother birth. in fact, he was entirely still. a sob emitted from the young mother as she realized that none of her cache or knowledge of medicine could change the fate of the still-born pup that she nudged so furiously towards her stomach. she looked to velen, desperate. he’s not moving, she cried, as if her husband could do anything about it, he’s — he’s not… she began to repeat herself in a hushed tone, ears flat to her head as another wave of contractions rushed through her abdomen.

first the scarred man, then akira — stormrift began to flake and fall around the young couple that clung tenaciously to the bay. he had not seen rannveig in some time; perhaps his brother had gone off to seek the titan once more. all velen knew was that he and dalia were bitterly, poignantly alone when her labour began.
the isolation was made worse by his ignorance of what to do for her, and paced a furrow in the grass as her helpless cries echoed from the den. tears stung his eyes; what if she died? what if she died because he had no idea of how to help? but the ceto steeled himself and peered from time to time into the semi-darkness.
he had expected to eventually hear the whimpering of puppies, but none came, and when dalia called to him, her weak voice was fractured with pain and fear. thrusting himself into the now-fragrant aura of the den, velen's throat constricted with a whine as he looked at the tiny pale body, unmoving, and began to nose over the boy, glancing to dalia who seemed taken off by another wave of pain.

where her fears before were malleable -- as in they could change their children's fate -- now, a much more terrifying reality was taking hold. if they were all born like this... then there was nothing she could do. it would all be for nothing. she didn't know what to do -- she couldn't change this. she didn't have a midwife as good as portia here to help... and while she was good enough on her own, it didn't even seem to matter. maybe portia would've been able to save the little white pup at her breast. 

she cried as the wave hit, thankful velen was at least here. this time, however, when the pup came, and she moved to lick the sac from its body... it cried. he! he cried! (@Fletcher) dalia let out a sob as she looked at the healthy, if not a bit small, tan pup before her -- a little boy with a little patch of russet on his face. she looked from him to velen, her tail tapping against the floor as she felt a wave of relief rush over here. they had one. he was alive. he looked healthy. he was moving. 

but the momentary happiness was just that -- momentary. as another wave of contractions hit, dalia was forced to abandoned her expression to focus on pushing out another pup. she had hope now. the first pup was a tragedy but... the second a miracle. and the third was too. a little girl, russet like her father with white stockings on her hind legs! dalia could cry, she was almost too small to be real. and as she licked the sack from her the pup wiggled and squirmed, wailing like any healthy pup should. 

and so no more contractions came. dalia huddled the three pups to her breast, somewhere in her hoping that the first would suddenly spring to life. she stared at them, mesmerized, before looking up to velen with a wide grin (though she looked exhausted). ours, she purred gently, her tail waving. but, her expression faltered, and she took a staggered breath. we can't... stay here, velen. we can't support them on our own.

despite his father's ministrations, the little ivory child remained limp and breathless, and velen felt his heart breaking, a more painful thing than he had ever experienced. dalia writhed nearby, but it was not until the squeaking wail of a child suddenly pierced the dour atmosphere that velen looked toward her, his surprise muted by grief.
in the next moment, however, he had left the lifeless child and crossed over to her side, trembling somewhat as he looked upon the healthy movements of the newest babe. in succession, dalia birthed two more children, all living, and velen let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
"god," he whispered hoarsely, reaching to touch each on their tiny heads. even to his unpracticed eye, they were smaller than he had expected, and at her words he rocked back on his haunches with a frown. "you're right." 
where to go?
"the ... pack ... rusalka," he mused. "i know someone there. she might let us stay." there was a deep rift between drageda and the coastal pack, but dacio's war was not velen's own. they had a pressing need to move, and whatever dalia's brother might have thought of it, the former ceto's focus was on ensuring safety for his mate and children.
he left her to think about it then, kissing her cheek before silently slipping from the den, the white pup held carefully in his jaws.

to his comment, dalia nodded solemnly. she did not need to think about it. dacio won't like it, she murmured gently, but if it's our best bet, then we have to try. she meant it. 

her gaze fell back on the children as they suckled and whimpered quietly. the first pup still did not move. she gasped hoarsely as velen took it from her, forcing herself to remain where she was as he moved to leave the den. as he left, a sob choked her, salty tears staining the pale, freckled fur around her eyes. but she did not follow after him... there were live pups to focus on... ones that needed her. but still, she cried all the same.