Lost Creek Hollow To the project

Approach at your own risk. :P  Welcome to the world @Thief, @Jet and Warlock (who I will post as sometime when it is daylight out)!

Terance had left earlier in the day -- he couldn't hover around her forever, there were things to do.  The afternoon had turned somewhat gloomy, and she had sat there just waiting for something to happen.  For a while it was nothing, then finally it came.

It wasn't like she was unfamiliar with pain.  Pain was how you learned -- or at least that was the case when it came to fighting, but this was no fight.  It was a different sort of pain that demanded her attention, her response, and yet it was still a direction and a means to an end like every time it reared its head in lessons.  In moments of perceived weakness, Treason preferred to be on her own, and that would hold true here -- she didn't call for anyone.  She expected no problems and awakening instincts drove away any fear she might have.  This was not a time to delay with thought, but one to allow nature to lead.

The waves of pain got stronger and eventually dragged her from the den entry to the chamber, and it was there without fanfare on the bed of fluff Joss had provided that Treason would (unsurprisingly) give birth.  The first was a boy, dark albeit for a few paler smudges.  In the dim, indirect light of the den with nothing to compare to, he first looked black as she cleaned him, examined him, and finally with some awkwardness moved him to her belly as instinct commanded.  She didn't have any experience with pups, let alone ones this small (even if they certainly weren't the smallest out there, look at their parents), but the soldier's grip was delicate, even without practice.  She'd manage.

Treason had probably spent too long fussing because the next set of contractions had caught her by surprise.  The girl that came after she thought was perhaps a twin -- sure, she had a striking single white paw, but as coats finished drying it was obvious she was a far darker hue.  She was very obviously Terance's child, the same black pelt with a few paler marks.  Perhaps she'd reflect on this later as mothers were likely supposed to do, but for now she focused on making sure her daughter was clean and able to feed before the next came.

The last boy was significantly paler than either of his siblings, but squeaked and wailed with the best of them as she licked him and moved him to a spot alongside his older siblings.  He more resembled wolves of her family, but whether he'd be a fine example of the Dokuga name would be far in the future.

Minutes passed and eventually it was clear that it was over.  Three healthy pups.  That was good, wasn't it?  It was worth the couple months of discomfort, right?  The more time that passed, the more exhaustion started to creep in.  Or maybe that was just her awareness of it.  But she had to stay awake -- and every little noise or movement temporarily jolted her awake again.  She looked over the trio again -- her children, Terance's children -- her thoughts muddling in an unclear jumble.  This had been what she wanted, but none had gone as she'd imagined.  Maybe that was good.  Or was it?  She curled slightly tighter around them, mind wandering in a tired haze, both wanting Terance's shadow to block the entrance of the den and not.  She could wait.  But she was pretty sure this was good, she just needed to stay up to protect them.