Ouroboros Spine you know you're on my mind

Hopin' for some babies @Lariat @Nantahala @Lightfoot — it doesn't have to be long!

With all the help they had, Valiant had very rarely found himself alone with his daughters. There was too much excitement about them, the new father swept up in it every bit as much as the rest. But things were slowly quieting down, and for perhaps the first time, Valiant found himself enjoying a lazy day in the den with only his three snuffling children for company.

"The world's gonna be all bees and sunshine by the time you three are ready to run around," he told them, already trying to picture it. But it was hard for him to superimpose anything over his current reality. Because everything was perfect — he'd checked. He'd counted all their toes several dozen times over. Two eyes each. Twelve strong legs, each set getting stronger by the day. Stronger and longer; they already seemed to be twice the size they had been at birth, just a few days before.

It was happening so fast. He'd hardly gotten used to the sight of them as they were, never mind imagining what they would soon be.

"I think you two are gonna be hellraisers," he said, pushing his nose against Nantahala's tiny paw pad. One, two, three, four — all her toes were still there. He prodded at Ikniqpalagaqï as well, reassuring himself that all three were still alive and well.

"You're gonna have to keep 'em in line," he whispered conspiratorially, this time to little Yuralria. "You're like your momma. These two..."

He smiled down at them, entirely besotted.

"I don't know where the hell they came from — must be the gold dust, huh?"

For both gold-dappled girls already seemed... energetic. And — not that he or Vairë were sedentary individuals or anything — he supposed he'd just expected all three of them to be as calm and sweet as the girl they'd called dancing one.