Hideaway Strath i don't live in california, i'll inform you,

ahhh im awful and this was supposed to be posted on the 8th. (So this is dated for 06/08/2021.) @Vein is probably the only person Aerin would let inside the den due to her history and such but @Kynareth and @Nyra would be welcome for cameos! Everyone else will have to risk the wrath of an angry Vein/Aerin lol (she still loves y'all tho! ) I'll be posting with Momo once I get her account activated.

The contractions had started well over a week ago, coming and going in spurting waves that worsened from being somewhat uncomfortable to downright unbearable. It was a pain she recognized well, having borne a litter of her own once before and having helped numerous women bring their own children into this world. At first, she didn't mention it to her husband. She didn't want him to fret over her, especially when the contractions weren't even regular yet. Plus, she was already confined to a close circumference surrounding their densite -- given that it was getting hard to move around and her nesting instincts were driving her to stay close to home and her mate -- and was already beginning to feel a little stir-crazy.

It was only when they settled into a regular routine that she clued Vein in, retiring to their den entirely shortly afterwards to wait out the seemingly endless hours of her early labor. It was easier to rest at this stage, the halfling alternating between curling against the pelts lining the floor of their dwelling or leaning on Vein tiredly when a contraction struck, only to hop up again and pace as she grew restless -- silently worrying despite the fact that her pregnancy had gone well and everything seemed indicative of a healthy delivery. Occasionally, she attempted to drink from the sodden moss her lover offered her or go and empty her bladder -- leaning on her mentor's broad shoulder for support as she waddled about, anxious even on those short trips to and from their den. She was grateful for Vein, for she didn't think she would have had the courage to go outside without him next to her -- her anxiety kicking into overdrive as her delivery loomed. For the most part though, her world had shrunken to the spasms wracking her body every few minutes.

She knew she had to be in active labor now, as the pains were growing closer together and more intense -- seeming to draw her muscles in of their own accord, the tension bunching in her muscles until it wrapped around her tiny frame and stole her breath, leaving her shivering with exhaustion whenever the pain faded away. The silver doe curved against the bloodletter's chest as another crested and climaxed, drawing a hoarse groan of a scream from her throat, as if he could physically shelter her from the pain -- her thin features burrowing into his thick pelt as she gulped his scent in, hoping it might comfort her even a little bit.

"I zink now.." the midwife panted, having to pause as she shuddered against him in an effort to remain on her feet -- the pain too much for her to bear sitting or lying down -- as the contraction dwindled. "..vould be a good time fer ze 'erbs." At this point, she would've taken anything he offered without hesitation -- her mind tunneling on the need to get the pup(s) out and stop the agony she was undergoing.