Redtail Rise bon-bon

it's cool and rainy when the contractions start, which perfectly suits her dour mood. she had found an old whelping den in the foothills of the mountains, in a copse of sturdy conifers, and she'd cleaned it up as best she could. for the past several days, she's been moping there, gravid and cranky and ravenously tearing at whatever food given to her.

and now, it begins.

Avicus stretches out with a low moan, toes curling with the pain. it comes and goes and is unlike any agony she's felt before. and instead of getting better, it gets worse.

she calls out for @Ashlar to come in haste—it's time.

if she can survive this, that is. but she's survived a lot worse, she thinks, and so she grits her teeth and presses on, thinking not of the coming hours but of the future. of strong warriors and a big pack. of a legacy, of Nyra's throat in their collective grasp, and of the raven avenged.

It was time.

It was time!!

He had struggled in the past days, wondering if and when Ratio would return and if his departure was something Ashlar had caused. The unknown, and the knowing that it was Avicus he followed, meant going to seek Chacal was useless. Nothing had changed. He'd sought to keep both and ended with neither.

Now he had a job to do, though, and his pelt prickled with both expectant happiness and deep-set worry as he rushed to the call. He wasn't sure what he would need so he brought a variety. Pain relief, herbs for illness, treatments for fever. He tried to remember what Baba had said.

Breathe.

As Ashlar entered the den, his eyes caught hers, then immediately dropped deferentially. It didn't matter that this was his role - a birthing was different. If she gave him a direction he would follow it, and until then he would do his best to help. He hated the pain in her expression and the way it drew moans from her, natural as it may be.

He drew up alongside and sat, leaving space that she was welcome to fill if she chose. Try and breathe with me. he said quietly, beginning a pattern that they could keep to hopefully have her calm and more relaxed. If the pain got to be too much he would have her stand and walk, to see if this could help - or at least accelerate the pups in their arrival.

It was going to be a long day. He couldn't bear to think of anything going wrong, so he didn't. He thought only of the now and the things he could offer.

Avicus had never taken a deep breath in her life. as Ashlar arrives, she is panting with each wave of pain, still coming and going. . .

but she tries, at least, trying to match her inhales and exhales with his (some of the latter accompanied by groans or gurgling growls).

the two of them are at it for some time, but the rain is still falling when the whole thing crescendos.

out slips @Relic, then after a few moments and some more straining, @Masquerade, as if they were meant to be joined at the hip but got separated along the way.

she turns at the smell of them, of blood and new flesh. two tiny blobs of meat. she stares, unmoving; her mouth waters suddenly, and she's gripped by a sudden urge to devour them both whole.

then the boy's sac breaks upon some movement from her or him or the girl and he begins to wail and Avicus is brought back into the reality that these

things

are her children and she mustn't eat them and

oh, more contractions come, and she wonders how many—if it will ever end for her.

one more pup to come, but y'all can post now if you want!

He's tempted to whine in sympathy while she struggles but Ashlar knows that isn't what she needs. So he continues to encourage her with breathing and with his presence, ready to step in if things go wrong when the first of the pups slip forth.

He wasn't expecting them to be so small. He watches Avicus stare at them, hesitant, but when the two are born she doesn't move to help them. Instead she is drawn into more contractions.

Ashlar's ears tip sideways but he moves forward, belly as low and unthreatening as he can make it, to begin grooming warmth and life into the two already here. His attention was split between that job and her soft groans. If something shifted he would immediately be ready to either step away or close in on Avicus instead.

They were beautiful. Ashlar couldn't help staring despite his distraction, eyes full of wonder at what she had created here.

Awareness and cognizance would develop in the days to come. Presently, there were only instincts to guide the wolf cub as her mother pushed her from womb to wilderness.

The midwife clipped the birth sac and quickly dried and warmed her. The newborn grunted and squirmed a bit at all the new and strange sensations, her tiny legs kicking out of pure reflex.

As she breathed air for the first time, scents flooded her nose. Only one triggered her in any particular way, prompting the pup’s mouth to form an “o” as she sought something to suckle, to sustain.

What was once serenity turned to turmoil. Harmony to chaos. Warmth to cold. Jostled from the only world he ever knew and thrust into an entirely new realm, he would have stated his protest. A wet, shivering and wriggling mass of fur, his stubby legs kicked out. He was active, healthy and robust. Something slippery gave way slightly around him and he felt the sharp nip of cold air.

Then a presence, the shape of someone pressed next to him. His sister, Masquerade. Cleansed of the birthing fluids that had enveloped him from Ashlar, his movements grew more lively. His airway cleared, he drew his first breath. A plethora of scents hit his nose. His lungs filled and he found his voice. A plaintive infants cry that would one day become a dragon's roar. Already, Relic tried to scoot his way towards nourishment. A thin glimpse of the fiery spirit within.

screams splay her ears backward as the third pup, @Redd, bursts her way into the world. Ashlar does what she ought to have done; she still stares upon the trio as if they are alien lifeforms—

and more? still more?

no. what she thinks is another baby is just her placenta, oozing out beneath her haunches in quiet completion.

three, then. three strong warriors for the Rise. she's done her job.

why isn't she happy?

she's tired. Avicus puts her head upon her forepaws, face devoid of feeling. she'll let Ashlar handle the rest, cleaning them up and guiding them to her teats and all that.

she couldn't care less.

The puppies were looking for their mother but Ashlar drew them to him at first to keep them warm. His worry turned to alarm as she screamed, but then it was done. Three puppies, all beautiful. He watched her until he knew that she was not going to tend to the third, then did it for her, nosing them to where they should be.

She wasn't happy. Ashlar didn't understand why and it made him worry more. Was something wrong, or did she feel sick? He didn't think that there was too much blood and the birth had seemed fine.

He wasn't sure what else to do so he fitted himself, as close as she would allow, to her other side and opposite of the puppies. They would nurse and he could keep an eye on them all, but for now, he began to groom her the way his mother had when he was small and didn't feel well. It was the only way he could think to perhaps help her feel better without knowing the cause.

Instincts—and perhaps a helpful nudge from the midwife—eventually guided her toward sustenance. She latched with vigor, tiny paws reaching forward to knead at her dam’s belly as her lips closed around the bud of flesh and gave it a tug. She hardly noticed her siblings’ movements on either side of her as she suckled, her world narrowed down to the warm milk flowing into her mouth, down her throat and into her belly.

It didn’t take long to achieve satiation. Instinctually, the whelp released her grasp on her mother’s teat. She then pressed her face into the warm, soft skin beside it, releasing a single satisfied grunt as she burrowed. Her tiny body curled into a mimicry of the fetal position despite the extra legroom now afforded her and she lapsed into a familiar state of consciousness: sleep.

He barely registered the arrival of Redd. With his ears and eyes shut and only his nose to guide him, he would not fully comprehend the existence of his sisters until later. Assisted by the midwife, he found his proper place at the belly of his mother. There a sweet scent compelled him. Made his tiny tummy rumble. With vigor he latched on and suckled.

He was messy in his feasting. While warmth and satisfaction settled in his gut, stray dribbles of milk spilled down his chin. On either side of him, pressed close, was the newly enhanced presence of his sisters. He grunted, contently. Full of milk and suddenly overwhelmed by the newness of his first few minutes of life, he fell back into a deep sleep.

there's a near constant rumble in her throat as they suckle, an irritated growl at the feel of them. at least they are being nourished, and will one day grow into something useful, but they feel nothing less than blind-deaf parasites now.

her eyes move to Ashlar, landing briefly on his gentle face. 'hhank you, Avicus says, tired but sincere. truly, the scene might look very different without his assistance, and she is more grateful to the healer than she could ever express in words.

then, the twin indigo orbs narrow to slits, and close entirely as she begins to drift off into sleep, her strength sapped. twinges at one nipple or another rouse her slightly from time to time, as the pups drink hungrily, but she's soon barely conscious, dozing dreamily.

it's an idyllic scene, madonna and children, if one isn't privy to her inner misgivings and disappointment.

Ashlar didn't know what to say. He was too caught by the moment, captivated by the pups, and the silence almost felt reverent. It didn't feel right for him to break it. Avicus was quick to fall asleep but he remained a while longer, keeping watch in the quiet over both all occupants and the world outside.

Eventually he would slip out and let any waiting nearby know. He wouldn't deliver the details - just that the pups were born and all were healthy. He knew that Augur and Prophet were both likely to be lurking nearby.

I didn't like not having this in my threadlog! So a quick post to fix that <3

Redd came into the world accompanied by screams and didn't feel the need to loose her own.  The puppy gasped and kicked like any should when air and the open world enveloped her for the first time.  She didn't cry for food or attention, though, as she was moved and tended to and placed alongside the others.  

There were too many scents and too many new sensations for immediate want.  If Avicus was not present, if her siblings shoved over her, she barely noticed or had cause to care.  She drank in the world while she fed and her paws kneaded the dirt and stone beneath her. Even it had more texture and interest than her tiny brain could comprehend.  She would be fascinated for hours.