Stavanger Bay told you not to worry

despite his father's ministrations, the little ivory child remained limp and breathless, and velen felt his heart breaking, a more painful thing than he had ever experienced. dalia writhed nearby, but it was not until the squeaking wail of a child suddenly pierced the dour atmosphere that velen looked toward her, his surprise muted by grief.
in the next moment, however, he had left the lifeless child and crossed over to her side, trembling somewhat as he looked upon the healthy movements of the newest babe. in succession, dalia birthed two more children, all living, and velen let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
"god," he whispered hoarsely, reaching to touch each on their tiny heads. even to his unpracticed eye, they were smaller than he had expected, and at her words he rocked back on his haunches with a frown. "you're right." 
where to go?
"the ... pack ... rusalka," he mused. "i know someone there. she might let us stay." there was a deep rift between drageda and the coastal pack, but dacio's war was not velen's own. they had a pressing need to move, and whatever dalia's brother might have thought of it, the former ceto's focus was on ensuring safety for his mate and children.
he left her to think about it then, kissing her cheek before silently slipping from the den, the white pup held carefully in his jaws.