Sun Mote Copse Maybe we can make a deal, maybe together we can get somewhere

Set both today and tomorrow, April 4.
 @Alyx @Quetzal

It started in the gleaming light of morning, when it came to creep slowly into the warmth of the den she was sharing with @Phox. Oddly enough, Bronco had chosen to spend the night with them, which put Niamh's heart at ease. He'd been transformed, seemingly, after he'd gone to the log that @Towhee called her temporary home, and had seen Meerkat and had had his first experience with a puppy. She woke up with pain in her side, which very much alarmed Bronco who sat up quick enough to slam his head off the ceiling before he scuttled outside, staggering slightly. Niamh laughed and then cringed as she felt pressure against her belly, and with a hoarse voice, she sent Phox out into the open as well. 

She began to fret then, knowing what was coming- and began to muss the den up, moving the fluff and fur around to make a good bed before she set into getting picky, and started pulling whatever twigs and other imperfections had been carried into the den and introduced to the bedding. Distastefully, she began to carry them out and spat them on the ground near her two sentries before she wordlessly went back inside. She scuffled and shuffled, and investigated the walls, being mindful of the fact that Bronco had nearly cracked the ceiling when he'd sat up too fast, but it was all, structurally, sound. 

"Don't get @Eljay," She called out, a bit of frustration in her voice. Eljay had been fretting over her and apparently everyone else, almost obsessively since Elwood and Finley had passed away. Maybe he was just trying to distract himself- and she had been easy enough about tolerating his well-meaning questions, but now was not the time. While she was in the preparation period- and who knew how long she'd be anxious for- she preferred to be left alone, and she didn't have the patience to answer questions. She knew she would be going into labour soon, and right now, as far as she knew, nothing was wrong. She just did not want questions. 

Hours later, she would brush past the males, walking straight out of her den with her head up. "Just goin' to get a drink." She said, as she could feel their eyes on her. Whatever it was that Bronco whispered, then, to Phox, made her stare over her shoulder at him, silencing him mid-whisper. She plodded away until she reached the brook, had a drink, and then returned, quietly slipping back into the den where she would restlessly lay for the rest of the day, until the shadows grew long and stole the sunlight from the entrance to her den. Alone, she spent the night tossing and turning and fretting. For one small, two hour period of time, she eventually passed out simply because she needed sleep- but it would be the last respite she would get before she would be awakened again by the hosts of her own body turning against her. 

"Ahright ya sons of a bitch," She said, and found no reason to take offense given that she was talking to herself and the term was politically correct in this case, "Time to git out," She hissed. Bronco stuck his head in the den's mouth but was greeted with a loud growl. He saw the glimmer of his mother's teeth in the dark and backed away. Niamh preferred to be alone, and would pace in small circles, pausing to lay down and pant and brace herself against contractions when they came. They became more and more frequent, and she found herself finally ready to give birth. 

It would take her the next hour and a half to give birth to all three puppies. The first one was a pale creature, and in the darkness of her den, knowing there would be hours to come before the sun rose, she couldn't tell exactly what colour it was, but she knew it was a baby boy. She called out, "Baby number one's here, it's a boy," She said, but still did not invite company. She fussed about him, clearing his little face off and licking his belly, and though he seemed a bit slow to warm up and begin to move and bawl, he came around to nurse in a brief period of calm before she began to experience contractions again. 

The next two took some time before they came, but when one did, the other followed soon thereafter, which kept her busy. She had to make sure that both were breathing, and had clear mouths and empty noses so that they could breathe. "Two girls," She called out, to let Bronco and Phox (and whoever else had gathered outside) know. Fortunately, they were the tough sort- and came into the world full of zest. Once she had them cleaned up and sorted out- two little girls to go next to her nursing boy, she settled back to wait...But nothing happened, and something inside her told her that she was done. She cleaned up the necessary mess, and had the three pups cleaned to the point where they were soft and fluffy. She cleared her throat, then, and glanced toward the den's mouth. The sun had just started seeping in the entrance, so she smiled, and called out with a soft chuff, to entice her mate back into the den, so he could meet the newest members of their family.