Sunbeam Lair It’s not so hard now, you’ve got it all

Ukko had not entered the den by himself, and she'd yet to extend a direct invitation. There was a brief moment in which she'd slipped into unconsciousness, but his whine had been quick to rouse her. Despite the exhaustion that she felt, she'd forced her head upwards and gazed at her children—three, all girls, and all as dark as the night itself. She wondered how they might grow, what they'd look like, and how they would be. A smile was directed towards them before she'd turned her attention towards the den's entrance, watching her mate for a moment before saying, "You may come closer, but be careful." Her voice was hardly above a whisper, the energy necessary to speak any louder being something that she'd yet to regain. Shifting, she'd curved her spine just enough to lay her head to the side of the small bodies, but not so much so that she'd be shielding the hatchlings from the onlooker.

They'd made noise at first, ever the lively sorts, but had quieted down quickly after having started to nurse. The feeling was an unusual one, something that no amount of lessons could have ever prepared her for, but she didn't dislike it. Peculiar, but welcomed, for it confirmed each and every second that her children still lived. That they'd not been born only to die, but had instead entered the world with the purpose of living their lives. For the time being, names remained at the back of her mind, having been pushed away so that she could spend more time fawning over her newborns. Alas, her gaze had been pulled away from them once again when she'd heard a sound from outside of her den, ears perking to try and better detect who—or what—was out there.

Unable to see out into the world beyond her private little space, she'd sought out Ukko, an unasked question in her eyes: was there something out there? The smell of birth clouded her senses, as did her fatigue, leaving her to simply wonder and nothing else. Perhaps it was a family member, or someone of the tribe coming to offer their blessings. Whatever it was, she entrusted the dark male with the task of assessing the situation and then proceeding from there.