Morningside Cuesta the british are coming! (they might be a while)

I'm just gonna turn this into the labor thread. @Grayday for now (and @Krypton maybe?)

It was becoming increasingly clear that the den would not be empty for much longer. The space between her legs was beginning to swell and ache as the pups moved closer to their exit, giving Khoe fair warning about what the next days would bring. Labor pains had yet to begin and she knew that it was impossible to tell just how long it would be before they did appear, but she hoped that they would be fast and powerful so that she might be able to make it through the process as quickly as possible.

Khoe knew that she would need to move her body in order to get things going, so she mustered up all of the energy she had and slowly began to make her way toward the lavender patch, singing out her prayers to Shakti along the way. It was a difficult trek, despite how effortless it had seemed not even a month ago. She licked her chops and settled along the rim of the patch, her song still making its way into the world.

Grayday charged through the territory, anxious and afraid of what he might find when he reached the densite. @Krypton had agreed to return with him to see Akuti, but he wondered, now, if it would be too little, too late. What if I've missed their birth? he thought to himself. And then, more darkly: And, what if I've missed their whole life?

But he didn't even have time to brace himself for the possibility of dead pups before he heard his mate's sweet song. Tension easing, he following the sound to the lavender patch, where a pretty smudge of black lingered among the blooms.

How are you? he wanted to ask, but it seemed wrong to interrupt. Instead, he hovered nearby, in sight and in easy reach of the woman.

ooc: 'scuse the late post

Krypton kept in sync with Day as the two thundered through the territory towards the den. She hadn't said anything, knowing how stressful it could be when pups were in the brink of being born. Instead, Krypon made note to grab some herbs along the way, within her set of jaws were lots of raspberry leaves, which were to be chewed upon during birth to ease the pain.

As the two came closer, Krypton kept silent as she heard Akuti talk to Day. She looked to Day for permission to enter without coming off as an intruder.

Deleted my second post once I remembered Krypton was joining in, lolol. Sorry about that!

Don't be so stubborn.

Khoe fell back onto her hindquarters and tilted her head upward to relieve herself of some of the pain surging through her spine. She knew that Grayday was near, and though the other scent with his was vague and distant, Khoe knew it like any other — Krypton! She drew in a deep breath of relief knowing that she wasn't alone; Grayday would be there to protect her, and Krypton would be there to help her every step of the way.

Rather than calling either wolf over just yet, she smiled and looked around, chirping a short greeting as if to tell them each, We're okay. Khoe made an effort to stand once again and stumbled for only a moment before regaining her balance.

Day gave a soft sigh as Akuti's response reached his ears. She was close - he did not know how the knowledge had come to him, but it was undeinable, now. Something in her scent had changed, and there was a new sort of tension in her small but heavy frame.

"I think it's about that time," he said to Krypton, a river of relief-excitment-fear coursing through him. He'd nearly missed it. "I thought we'd have a few more days," he admitted.

He looked back at his pretty mate, but she didn't seem to be distressed, so he settled onto his haunches right there. This wasn't her first litter, and he trusted her to call if she needed them.

"Thank you for coming, Kryp," he said to the woman beside him, glad that Akuti would not have to go through this without support. (Sunspot had been an option, but even she had expressed anxiety over the size of his mate's belly when compared to her tiny frame.)

It seemed she was welcome to enter, Krypton could only give Day and Akuti a smile with a mouth full of herbs. She would have grabbed more, but she knew raspberry leaves were pain reliever as well as a calming herb in some cases. She thought highly of this plant. As Day explained how time had seemed to go too fast, Krypton nodded her head quietly to him, understanding his stress and everything else. It was hard when his mate was so small and her belly as so big. Hopefully, she would be ready to pop out those pups and lift some weight off of her.

With a soft walk, she entered towards the entraance and took a few steps in, testing the waters a bit, though she was already given the vibe that Akuti wasn't going to chase her out, like how some soon-to-be-mothers would, such as fiery wolves like Zaria had been when she whelped her kids out. 

Krypton set the raspberry leaves near Akuti, close enough where she could reach them without moving. "It would be best if you rested, it might be more comfortable for you when you deliver" she said gently as she offered the girl a soft and warm smile. She then motioned to the leaves at her paws. "Those should be eaten when you start feeling like your about to deliver, they'll lessen the pain of delivering." Krypton then took a step to the side to check on Akuti's overall appearence.

She had quite the large belly with such a small frame, Krypton felt herself worry just a bit before remembering that the delivery day would most likely be today or tomorrow, Akuti was nearly ready to pop. Hopefully, she would only have a few pups that were just a bit bigger, they'd be more likely to survive then tiny little beans that came in large quantities. "Day told me some concerns about your small frame and your belly size with the new family members on their way" she said lightly while examining her closely, her head tilting side to side. Krypton didn't dare leave out any observations as she studied Akuti's form.

Khoe watched from the side as Krypton took careful steps near the den. She smiled and made an effort to rise back to her feet; it was no easy task, but doable, nonetheless. As she slowly walked toward the midwife and, in turn, her mate, she released a slow whine and lowered her nose to sniff at the presented herbs. I appreciate that, Khoe began with a soft nudge of greeting to Kryp's shoulder, but I'd rather walk for as long as I can. Lying down has become pretty uncomfortable, as I'm sure you can imagine. She chuckled and nodded for Grayday to come a bit closer and slowly close the space between them. 

Khoe began to nibble at the leaves, finding hope in thoughts of comfort; it had been so long since she'd felt anything but the redundant aches that she'd forgotten what it was like to be...less pregnant. Although she understood Grayday's own fatherly concerns and his need to share these with those brought to help, she didn't like that his worries were begin played off as some of her own. I, she began in her typical, know-it-all tone, am not too concerned. But I can only wonder just how strange I must look with all of this extra weight hanging. I wouldn't have gotten myself into this if I was afraid of a little pain. She smiled and winked at Grayday from where she stood before folding in on herself with the first wave of contractions.

Oh boy.

Day bit his tongue so that he wouldn't try to tell her to just listen to Krypton, damnit. That wouldn't get them anywhere, and besides - she looked fine. She looked healthy and awake and alert, and maybe a little tired, but that was to be expected, wasn't it?

After a deep breath, the male allowed some of his tension to slip away. She was fine. Krypton knew how to help her. She was fine. Nothing bad would happen.

All that went out the window at her wince of pain. The male half-stood, a wary growl ticking in his throat. What's going on? he wanted to ask, but common sense saved him from possibly being snapped at. She was going into labor. This was expected; this was good. Slowly, Grayday padded forward, offering his shoulder to lean against as he bent his neck to nibble at the base of hers.

"I gotchya," he muttered, not really aware of what he was saying, but figuring he ought to say something as he watched her shift uncomfortably through the contraction.

Krypton decided to not force Akuti to lay down, perhaps it felt better with less folds on her body when she was standing, it prbably put less stress on her body and all. Listening to the younger female, Krypton merely nodded her head as she went along, noting how the leaves were eaten up. Good, those should kick in anytime now to help with some pain soon to come. 

It appeared a change came over the girl as what appeared to be her first contractions. Krypton concealed her chuckle, she had a feeling that would happen sooner or later. Day managed to come in time to catch her. Krypton took a step back before deciding to speak up. "First contractions are always fun, just breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth calmly," she said in a calm, silvery voice as she stood in front of the couple, "if you'd like to keep standing, at least let me come to your other side" she chuckled lightly before coming to Akuti's other side and holding her up with her own shoulder.

With a deep exhale through her mouth, Khoe couldn't help but release a sputtering chuckle herself. It started off small, and slowly grew until it was all that she could hear. The mixture of joy and excitement, but anxiety and fear, had left her with nothing left to expel but a heart filled with laughter. And besides, she figured keeping the humor alive in the situation was all she could do to keep herself from falling beneath the weight of her own terror. Thank you. This isn't how I remember it being the last time I was in this situation.

In fact, her first birth had been nothing like this. 

Khoe was Akuti then, surrounded by her sisters in a small patch of marsh bells with a running creek near enough to her ears that she could hear the current whispering to her with each rush. One of the women sang hymns and preened the fur on her neck while her mate paced impatiently some yards away. She remembered feeling a pain so strong that she thought she might've split in half at least twice. And then they were there in front of her, and just as quickly, they were gone.

I just can't wait to see them.

Day gave a dry chuckle at her laughter. He was a bit less exhilarated than she, having been plagued by terrible nightmares about this day for weeks, by then. "Okay, troublemaker - you gotta breath," he reminded her.

Not knowing what else to do, he simply continued to groom his mate. He hoped it provided her some kind of comfort, of course, but for the most part, the male simply didn't know what to do with himself. He'd wait and see if one of them gave some orders.

The song she'd been singing earlier had been meaningless, to him. He hadn't heard (or perhaps, had not understood) any of the words, but the tune was still ringing in his ears. He began to hum it to himself, low at first, but then a little bit louder when it came time for another contraction - anything to take his mind off his mate being in pain.

She's in good spirits, though, he reminded himself. We're gonna be okay.

It was nice to have a rather light and airy atmosphere during the labor, it amde things a bit easier to handle considering the stress levels weren't too high. Krypton could only chuckle at the two, they were quiet enjoyable even during high stress moments like when the puppies' birthdays were right around the corner. When Akuti brough up memories of having her first littler, Krypton was a bit surprsied. So, this wasn't her first time then? Well, that made things a bit easier, perhaps that's why she was adamant about standing up, perhaps because she knew that it was usually uncomfortable. Or, you know, it was just because it was uncomfortable and nothing else to it.

"It's always different between different litters," she said to Khoe lightly, "you never know what you get until it happens." Krypton kept her body steady as she served as a balance beam to keep the woman upright and standing. She tossed a smile over to Day, wondering how he was handling everything.

Khoe listened to Grayday's poor interpretation of her hymns with a strong focus as another contraction tore through her small body. She sucked in a sharp inhale and squinted her eyes shut while she waited for it to end, then made the silent decision that it was time for her to make her way back to the den. Of course, things didn't seem to be going as quickly as she would have liked, but there was no rush as she knew just how quickly things could change. 

There was a small dip behind the entrance that led into the underground portion, made to be just the right size for her tiny family. Khoe turned and looked at Krypton and then to Day as she thought about which one she would rather have inside with her. We can't all fit, she whispered through another twinge. 

Just a a little while longer. 

Grayday shifted uncomfortably. He didn't know if he'd be able to keep his head if Khoe left his sight. The dreams had been too real, and there was a part of him that felt as though he could prevent all that from happening as long as he could see her.

But the larger, saner part of him recognized that Krypton could do more to help her. He didn't know a damn thing about birth or healing, and he wouldn't be able to see very well in the dark of the den.

"Whoever you need, Khoe. We can always switch," he assured her.

Krypton followed suit with Day in keeping Khoe steady and afloat, though when she noticed how small the lower part of the den was, the agouti was aware that the three of them wouldn't fit together. Khoe would fit in no problem, but two large wolves like Krypton and Grayday inside, it would be a tight squeeze to say the least. The last thing Khoe needed was a tight space to give birth to her litter.

"We can always switch, sure, but Day, I think maybe you should be there, emotional support and all," Krypton said to him with a small smile, "I can monitor her from outside." Krypton knew how important seeing his kids was going to be for Day considering the rough waters happening between his two older puppies now. Krypton didn't want to be the cause of him not seeing his kids after Khoe.

Though it seemed as though time was passing slowly, Khoe knew that it had to have been quite a while since Krypton and Grayday had shown up. Now her contractions came in a steady rhythm, rather than quickly and without calculation as they had during the early stages of labor. Through squinted eyes and against a low pounding in her temple, Khoe managed to look up to and nod at Day and Kryp, before stepping inside of the den and motioning for her mate to follow suit. 

After a few moments had passed, Khoe began to gently groom the fur between her legs, only then noticing a small tab from the head of the first birthing sac. She couldn't see much (or anything for that matter), and she didn't feel the need to push just yet, so she decided to ignore it. With her legs splayed open and the tiny mucus pouch beginning to slide into the world, Khoe knew that it wouldn't be long before the first pup arrived.

"Okay," he said dumbly, following Khoe into the den and settling uneasily beside her. He tried to take up as little space as possible, wanting her to be able to sprawl out completely, if she wanted. There was room enough for both of them, and she didn't seem too concerned with him, anyway.

Day watched with vague interest as she began to groom herself; he'd never seen someone give birth before, and this seemed like normal enough behavior that he didn't connect the action with her ongoing labor. To the male, it seemed as though nothing much was happening, though there was a faintly familiar scent that seemed to grow with each passing minute.

"You okay, Cutie?" he asked, hesitating a bit. He didn't want to bother her, though she seemed calm enough at the moment.

Krypton watched Khoe with curious eyes, though remained calm as Day looked a bit more distressed than normal. It was respectable, it was his new litter's birthday, who wouldn't be distressed and excited at the same time? A small smile was on Krypton's lips as she examined Khoe closely. It appeared no pushing was happening yet and something was beginning to move around. The due time was not far away.

"Whenever you feel ready, ease into pushing and remember to breathe." She didn't want to be seen as an overly-dictating midwife, Krypton wanted to make sure everything was set in pace to keep the mother comfortable.

Khoe lifted her head and peered around her leg to shoot Grayday a short, yet non-threatening glare and a reassuring smile. I'm okay, she told him, though there was something in her voice which delivered a simple message; Shut up, Grayday. Krypton's voice chimed in from outside of the den at the same time Khoe began a low rumble with another contraction. Then, looking up to her with harder eyes than she'd given Grayday, Khoe hoped to give her a similar message; Shut up, Krypton. 

She wanted silence. She needed silence.

Khoe pushed for only a few seconds before the large, round bottom was out in the world. She gasped and with wide eyes looked from Grayday to Krypton, then back to Grayday, and finally back on the pup. She pushed once more, this time with much more force behind it. Ohmygodohmygodohmygod, she whispered as the fully encased infant slid out and onto the ground. For a moment, she was in complete shock. Then, thankfully without much delay, her instincts kicked in and she stood up to free the babe from the birthing sac and the tiny umbilical cord wrapped around its — her! — hind legs.

And yet still, there was silence. 

Confused and beginning to worry (read: freak the fuck out), Khoe flipped the tiny girl onto her back and began to push her nuzzle into her chest, licking at her side all the while. It took a moment, but weak breaths quickly turned into wails and anxiety faded to bliss. Khoe picked up the girl and continued to lick her clean before placing at her side to have a much needed laugh. Tatti, she breathed, looking to Grayday and then back to Krypton, Looks like we have a trickster on our hands.

Grayday sat very still, not wanting to do anything to disturb his laboring mate. He'd never been present for the birthing process, save for when his own mother had expelled his tiny body from her own, alongside brother Shale and sister Spot. To witness it now was... disgusting. But the male still sat at attention, ears pricked and eyes narrowed as he observed all that he could about the process.

And then - he had another child. Dark in color, and impossibly small.

Not knowing what to say, he simply met Khoe's gaze with a wide-eyed look, tail thumping on the ground in quiet approval.

The agouti stood still, staying quiet and instead just watching for anything that could possibly go wrong. Every couple of seconds that passed by, she'd lean forward a bit, sometimes she would even look over towards Day to see his reactions. But then, she started to observe movements going along. The first pup was about to get blessed into the world.

Staying quiet, it all happened with relative ease. The first puppy was cleaned and Kryp couldn't do much else besides just smile and nod her head at Akuti's words. Then she dared to wonder when the next one would be born.

Khoe let out a breathy laugh and gently adjusted both herself and the pup so that she could get her fill while being stared down by both Momma Khoe and Daddy Gray. Without moving much or making much noise, she flattened her ears and whined through the next big contraction. She used her paws to need anxiously at the ground in front of her while her stub beat against the ground behind her. Her teeth bit down hard on the inside of her cheek, and though she had managed to draw a steady stream of blood, Khoe had bigger things to worry about.

For example, the next pup.

Now rather than arriving head first as the one before, this pup chose a more unconventional route and began to appear bottom first. Again, Khoe began to groom herself and nose at the sac while pushing with all the might her little body had in it. The pup had slid out to its midsection before she decided she needed a break and laid back on the ground, panting and out of breath. Almost instantly, the den dynamic changed. This one was giving her a lot more grief than the last; she felt like she was being closed in and needed more space. 

Grayday, she whined, I need to move. In other words, Get out. 

Grayday nodded tightly, giving his newborn daughter one last lick before retreating from the den. He stood beside Krypton, his body filled with nervous energy. He wished this process could go a bit faster; he wanted to know how many there were, if they were all healthy, whether they'd be boys or girls.

Not wanting to disturb Khoe, he retreated several paces away and did a little dance. "I hope they're okay," he said in a low voice, so that only Krypton would hear him.

With Akuti's request, Day practically leapt out of the den to give his wife the much needed space for whelping. Being a mother in labor was quite stressful, the duo needed to do everything wolfly (normally I would say humanely here but obviously these are not humans) possible to meet Akuti's needs. Krypton drew a cvouple steps back, emphasizing the space needed, casting a gaze over to Day.

She heard his low rumble of a voice and gave him a reassuring smile. "They'll be fine, Akuti's in great shape" she said quietly back, making sure to keep her voice down in order to have this small talk with him.

Khoe sat there for a few moments before thinking that it might be time to start up again. The vague fear of suffocating her newest arrival was present, but not so much so that it hindered her functionality. She laughed and let out a soft Phew!, then lifted her leg and began to gently tug at the whelp. Now, one should note just how big this pup was in comparison to its mother, even as a newborn. Thus, it couldn't have been hard to imagine a bit of a struggle. It seemed as if she was in an ongoing battle with her son! and neither was too happy about it.

Still, in the middle of the chaos, she managed to call outside, A boy, Day. It must have been at least ten minutes before the forearms were revealed, and even then, they still had the issue of getting his head into the world. Khoe groaned and gave a powerful push, tugging on the pudgie bottom all the while. Then, just like that, he was born into the world, screaming his woes aloud.