Golden Glade Forgive and.... Raise My Babies?

The pale woman didn't seem happy at first, but he pushed through and she did indeed let him close to touch her. She shivered, though, and he pulled back a fraction to aim his eyes up at her, but with her forgiveness, he smiled again. Her question threw him off guard, and he pressed his cheek flat against her belly in thought before answering:
                   "I dunno.... For halfway through, you are pretty small, so maybe two or three?"
Aspen's wide belly seemed much bigger compared to Heartha's so he suspected that she had more like three or four. So many puppies! 
Alder wouldn't change a thing, either. Every pup, no matter the mother, would be treated the same, for they were all Princes or Princesses of the Royal Fire Court, all of his blood.