Northstar Vale If I ever were to lose you, I'd surely lose myself.

Nieces plz!?

Viinturuth, only vaguely aware of the conflict among the Empire's ranks, refused to stray too far from the Queen's whelping burrow. He was content to maintain the quiet, peaceful bubble that surrounded Ibis and her babes for as long as he could, and did not carry any intention of sniffing around for information. He did not wish for any involvement in pack politics and the less he knew, the less he would have to lie about.

This proximity to Ibis was enough to smoothe over any frustration he felt over uncertain feelings - at least for a little while. Akavir trusted him to be alone with her and the guilt of potentially over-stepping his brother's unspoken boundaries often kept him up at night, but Viinturuth grasped at every opportunity to be close.

He returned from a hunt just after dawn, with a plump bird firm between his teeth intended to serve as breakfast for @Ibis. Insisting that his sibling head out to stretch his legs for a time, burgundy gaze followed the raven wolf's gait until he strayed out if sight between the foliage before his attention turned to the Queen's den. He rumbled through his mouthful of feathers to alert her to his arrival as he carefully strode forward, then lowered his catch to place it near the hollow's mouth. He stepped back then, ears forward and eyes searching - hopeful to catch a long-awaited glimpse of @Arielle and @Lilitu.

Akavir carefully extracted himself from alongside Ibis, and as she hadn't been sleeping well in the beginning, the void where his body once occupied and warmed her was met with a frustrated squint and the reaching of paws. She forgot for a split second that the girls were wedged between them and nearly swiped Arielle's nose; but she remembered where she was in time and carefully adjusted herself back in to place. With a few sleepy blinks Ibis felt the fog of sleep lifting quickly - aided in no small part to the smell of fresh food drifting in to the den.

She could not leave her daughters. But when a shape swept across the den mouth, Ibis thought it must have been Akavir returning - perhaps she'd lost track of time, it happened often and easily enough. The huffing breaths drew her attention slowly, and as she blinked and fully awakened, she did not see her fiancee standing there, but his brother - the handsome Viinturuth. She felt her heart thump and face grow warm immediately, much as it had after the girls had been born.

With a low voice Ibis whispered, Is that for us? Best not to wake the babies, she reasoned. Better to blame her breathlessness on them.

@Arielle and @Lilitu are still free to hop in!   :D

Ibis shifted within her burrow, and the sight of her lovely face looking up into his was enough to prompt the stirring of his tail. Maroon irises glistened; at once he could see that the Queen appeared exhausted, but glowed in a way only new mothers could. 

In response to her question, the pale Frostfur-Mayfair nodded smoothly to accompany the encouraging smile that tugged at his maw. Her voice had come softly, hushed, in a way that he felt safe to assume would not rouse slumbering babies. "You all doing okay in there?" Viinturuth asked in his own whispered tones, dark gaze flitting from Ibis' features for a moment as he half expected a youngster to creep forward and investigate their latest disturbance. The development timeline of puppies was lost to him, as he did not consider the strong possibility of still-sealed eyes and ears.

He nodded and pressed the fresh kill towards her, sliding it in the dirt. She felt dizzy from the smell of it - or maybe it was his own musk, his presence, that addled her so very much. His kindness was welcomed with a tired smile.

Yes. I worry I might squish them accidentally, or miss an important moment. I don't know how long they'll be like this... So small, so soft, peaceful and quiet. Except for the occasional squeal from Lilitu, but Ibis had adjusted to her little voice already. She dreamily stared down at the bird as if she were looking at one of her girls, misty-eyed, full of love and the delirium common to new mothers.

How are you? She finally asked, blinking away the haze and focusing on him. I've been so distracted. Has Akavir shown you around, have you met everyone..? A part of Ibis was thrilled by the idea of introducing him to Reiko herself, but that wasn't possible while she was den-bound.

Still-sealed eyes, yes, but her ears were slowly developing—and all would rue the day Lilitu would be able to respond. She roused to the murmur of voices, the change in her mother's posture and demeanor that signified something was different. The girl lifted her head with a small squeak, coming sleepily out of a dream.

There was a presence nearby, and speech from its general direction. A visitor! She only faintly understood the concept of other wolves beyond her numbers One and Two, but she knew they existed. And this was definitely not either her mother nor her sister, for they were both curled up beside her.

Lilitu began to shimmy toward the den-guest, only stopping when she clunked somewhat painfully into one of their large paws and/or sturdy forelegs. (Neonate escapees are easy to catch.)

It wasn't a sound that had woken her, as she had yet to be blessed with the opening of her own ears; instead, it was the smell of someone different that pulled her from sleep. She was sprawled out on her back, pressed against her mother's side, her other side oddly colder than it had been before when her father had been pressed to her other side. But she had remained in a deep sleep, even when Ibis began to shift, that was until the scent mingled with her dream and then finally coaxed into the real world. 

Arielle woke with a yawn and with somewhat of a struggle, rolled over. The strange scent surrounded them, and she scooted against her mom towards it. She was not as bold as her sister, though, and she stopped once she had scaled over Ibis' leg and was settled against her chest—very much a mama's girl, which would only become more apparent as she grew. She couldn't deny her curiosity, though, so as she was tucked safely against her mother, she continued to sniff the air in the visitor's direction, attempting to learn more of them that way.