Ouroboros Spine every day it's getting higher

@Vairë — let me know if I should change anything!

He'd recognized the voice of Ariadne, and he'd frozen in time with his wife as they settled the girls down for a nap. The wordless meeting of their eyes conveyed nothing but shock, but somehow, Valiant knew to stay where he was. He kept his mouth firmly shut while she departed, fussing over the girls who were in turn fussing over the absence of their mother.

He had them all asleep when she returned. Valiant watched her, feeling, for once, as calm as the woods. He would be as steady a rock and as safe a harbor in this storm as he possibly could.

Valiant pushed himself to his paws, carefully extracting himself from the puppy pile, and stepped outside of the whelping den to stand with her.