Silver Creek They say love is pain, well darling, let's hurt tonight [BIRTH]

While he'd attempted to be subtle about it, he'd tried to keep his eye on Skylaris a little closer after the meeting with the male on the borders. His children demanded much of his time, and he was happy to give it. It had surprised him to see her so large, for it seemed barely any time at all had passed since the birth of his own children. But once he saw her size, and the hang of her stomach, he had made sure to watch her closer. 

His eyes had trailed Spring's beautiful pregnant form many a time, jealously taking in her shape with the knowledge that she was his, and so were the things within her belly. Between the times of crippling panic, he had quite enjoyed her pregnancy. Because of his devoted and hungry attentions to his mate he could recognize that Skylaris' time was not far.

So he had begun to silently and carefully watch her. He didn't follow her around, not like he'd done Spring. Instead he made his rounds include the areas he had scented her in often, checking for her presence. It hadn't taken him long to figure out where her intended den was, and occasionally he'd walk by the place itself. Today he had not noticed her scent overly strong anywhere, so he had finished his border patrol and turned himself to easily, breezily, pass by her den.

Even from his distance he could hear her panting, the small grunts of displeasure. He had turned on his heel and headed off, not wanting to linger outside. Something about hearing a woman that wasn't his mate birth her young seemed...too intimate. Instead he went to hunt, managing to catch two hares during his procrastination. He didn't want to show back up too early, after all. One he buried for later, intending it for Spring. The other he carried with him to Skylaris' den.

He stood outside, ears perked, the hare dangling from his jaws. He heard no more panting, no more grunting. Not as it had been before. He moved closer, slowly, and inhaled the scents on the air. He could smell the blood and the fluid that heralded life, but was confused that there weren't more screams of children in the air. Perhaps his own were simply specifically loud?

He moved closer, slowly, so that he stood a couple of body lengths from the den. He dropped the hare, and with a calm, and what he hoped was soothing, voice he called out to the woman. "Skylaris? It's Heston. I heard...I could tell your labor had started earlier, so I went to hunt for you. You'll be starving after that, I'm sure." He stumbled over his words, but was trying. "How...how is everything? Are you alright? Are...are your children?" He couldn't hear much, but then again he wasn't right up at the entrance either. He wanted to respect her space, in the hopes that she would respectfully allow his nose to remain on his face.