Redsand Canyon ploratus

his thoughts bounded between his wife's recovery and the words of the shadow.

germanicus held the pups between his hardmuscled forelegs.

their bodies were small. he marveled at their perfection. ruenna lay beside him. 

carefully and shyly the imperator bent his head to brush each of the four downy backs in turn.

-swipes up Germ thread if that's okay-

Relief had come after the initial bleeding had halted, but the fever that had settled into the Matrona after it had been stopped had been enough for the medicus to check in frequently and diligently in the days following the birth. There was no exception, bringing with her a rabbit she’d had her husband catch in her jaws to leave in the palazzo for the Matrona along with a small bundle of plants for her to consume.
 
It was another reason she hesitated with her leave of Mereo… there was another who would be giving birth besides Aquene still, and she worried about something befalling Towhee despite her vast experience with motherhood. When she arrived she found the scent of the Imperator mingling and she knew his presence, offering a soft woof to alert him that she was there before she simply stepped inside. “Sorry to intrude, I was just going to leave these for the Matrona.”

totally good!

"you are no intrusion, lady aquene."

germanicus did not rise as he did not wish to disturb the four slumbering pups. "she is asleep for now," he told the medicus.

the eagle shifted so that she might spot the rest of her patients in his embrace.

Lady Aquene. It seemed so formal, and strange to hear someone say. She offered a soft smile at his words and nodded. “I will not wake her. Rest is what she needs right now, and she’ll need to eat and take these once she awakens.” She explained the instructions to those who would be around for her.
 
He shifted to reveal the newborns, and she approached, her head ducking down as she looked over each one. She listened carefully to their breathing and noted the way they moved. “They are all in good health. I was worried, with such a difficult delivery.” She admitted, speaking candidly however soft her tone as to avoid awaking any of the brood or their mother.

"i was worried for lady ruenna and for alivia." he had not felt the same of the others, assured as he was of their health upon entry into the world. "but i did not doubt your skills. you saved the matrona. it is not something that will ever be forgotten."

germanicus cleared his throat and looked down at the children twitching gently in their sleep, reaching a gentle paw to pull the bundle closer.

it was a strange and wonderful thing to be a father. "kallik will enjoy this, i think," he said with the same directness, lifting his head to look at the equestrian.

Aquene hummed and offered a solemn nod. “I was as well.” She had less fear admitting that now, especially now that she was on her mend. Even now, she felt a pang of guilt in her stomach as he spoke of not doubting her skills. Though, in this moment, it was not crippling. She had saved the Matrona. Regardless of how she doubted herself before, she had not failed a second time. “I lost my mother to childbirth. I was not prepared to lose Ruenna like I lost her.” She admitted softly.
 
Her smile grew at the mention of her own husband. “I hope he will.” She stated, a small hint of apprehension in her eyes as her own children quickened in her belly. “He is nervous. He is worried he will not be a good father but I see the man he is, and I know he will be.” She admitted again, her eyes rising from the children to him, as pointed back as he was to begin with.

germanicus blinked, for he had not known this. aquene had suffered two great traumas now since her tenure in mereo: first in the form of the accursed man who had attacked, and secondly in her aid of ruenna through the bleeding time.

"kallik is loyal and devoted to what is in his heart. that is you. and that will be your children." germanicus did not know why he resisted another kiss to the children while he was not alone, only that it seemed proper to be so withstrained. "the man, mahler. what knowledge did he have to give?"

Aquene did not view it as a trauma, so much as a remembrance that birthing was not easy. She tried to take Mahler’s words to heart. He had insisted she could not be blamed for such things, that no one could… and Kallik had more or less told her the same thing once she had finally returned to the den.
 
Her eyes softened more when he spoke of her husband. She knew it was true. She loved him and he loved her. He’d give anything for them, for their children. “He is… I know he is. I just wish I could ease his worries. He worries about losing me the same way I lost my mother.” She spoke a little more, still keeping the subject tight lipped for the moment.
 
“Mahler told me much of what I already knew, but had a few tips to help with the labor process, herbs that did not grow in my homeland that I could use to help her with her birth. We went over different ways to manually position the pups for an easier delivery. Valiria came as a breech puppy, meaning she wasn’t positioned properly to be born safely. We’d gone over how to help pull her out safely… I’d learned it, but never had to do it before Ruenna’s delivery.” She admitted once more, relieved that it went well. “We discussed setting up herbal trades between Mereo and his family. He grows in a field of poppies, which are powerful painkillers… I presume it will still hold even after Arsenio and Kallik set up the new outpost… and I will have to find someone to train or find a way to split my time between there and Mereo until it happens.” She worried about it, especially with Towhee expecting. She knew the mother was experienced but it would make her feel better to have a healer there just in case.

germanicus related to the fear that kallik possessed, especially now that he had witnessed such firsthand. the eagle had not panicked in the moment but thereafter had been transfixed by a terrible horror which ate away his relief. and now his dutifulness to ruenna had adopted a worried edge, one he was not sure would fade.

he was innately uncomfortable as aquene leaned into an explanation of valiria's birth. but he filed such away.

there were not currently any plebians he might consider as an apt replacement for herself, especially if tamar was leaving as well. "you may need to consider one of the soldiers," he murmured quietly.

cornelius yawned. aquilius squeaked.

"if you think that he is trustworthy, i will consider his offer of a trade."

Aquene did not often consider that such conversation might make others uncomfortable. It had been a normal conversation to arise since she had been born, so the details had not really been considered too gruesome in some way. She caught his murmur and responded only with a frown. The life of a soldier was fine – she had walked with a paw in it for some time, but it was glaringly apparent that the soldiers did not have the necessary bedside manner in order to act as a healer.
 
Arsenio was the only one she might consider… but he was leaving too. Glaukos was too jaded and stubborn, Towhee too inappropriate, Maxim to silent and intimidating… and the rest she did not know terribly well… perhaps @Phox though all she knew of him was that he cared for his sister, and that he was a fairly friendly individual who had indulged a pregnant woman in late night conversation. “I believe he is.” She stated with absolute certainty. “The Matrona seems to trust him and his wife as well.” She had jumped to the conclusion after the conversation she’d had with the man, and the way he’d been free to walk within the borders to even have such a conversation with her.

"i am told they have known each other a while."

there was nothing in his countenance to betray how he might feel upon that note. "poppyseed would be good to come by if any war does arrive in the canyon." he felt they were far less soldierly now, having grown more into married couples than anything truly battle-hardened.

but he did not want such conflict. he did not look for it as had so many of his peers.

one of the children squealed in their sleep. he looked down upon them, lost for a moment in their soft little details and how he could sort out the stamp in their details that were both himself and ruenna.

Aquene simply hummed, not reading into the statement more than just as knowledge that Ruenna had known them for a long time. There was another hum and a nod. “I’ve kept a small supply in the tablinum, but in the event of a war, a more steady supply would be useful. War injuries can take a brutal toll, and a stronger relief for pain will make recovery easier.” She confirmed his suspicions though she did not wish to see war.
 
She knew what she had signed up for in joining Mereo, that she would be a field medic and healer in wars should they arise… it did not mean that she fully desired to witness that destruction once more. Her eyes fell to the children he had safely tucked against him once more as their attention was drawn. "They're beautiful."

aquene was very skilled. germanicus understood that he must conquer within himself the notion that her words were unfit for his ears. he had after all been present.

"lady ruenna was very precise in how she created them," the imperator said with a loving reverence reserved only for his wife. he shifted one or the other as they curled in their sleep. "would you like to come closer?" he asked. she had watched over them since before their birth. it was only natural that the four learn her face and scent as well.

It was a weighted risk, offering poppy to those who were injured. She weighed it carefully when she considered whether or not the opiate had to be distributed… in war, she was a little more liberal with supplies but not by much. Though she knew the purpose of Mereo, for the sake of her children and the Matrona’s own, she did not wish for war to arrive at their doorstep.
 
She smiled softly at his words, a glance in his direction with a brow furrowed temporarily when he asked if she wanted to come closer. She did not respond verbally, only offering a nod as she crept forward, looking over the four little bundles. She had helped birth them, but in the moment she had been focused on Ruenna. Apart from ensuring they drew breathe, she had not paid them much attention until after the Matrona had been stabilized.
 
“Does it feel different? Being a parent?”

"yes. it feels as though i grew a new place in my h — in myself," the imperator murmured, not trusting his own sentiment. the babies opened their mouths like little birds. a son yawned. a daughter whimpered. they were beginning to stir and to search for ruenna.

"i find myself staring at them a lot," germanicus said with a quiet smile.

She listened with intrigue into what he said though she did not pry further. It did not feel like her place. They were starting to move around, wriggling forms seeking out sustenance. It was all they would really know at this point: warmth and care provided by their parents. She smiled softly, a glimmer in her eyes when she caught his smile. A smile from the Imperator was such a rare thing… she hoped his children earned the right to see it more than the soldiers who answered to him had.
 
“It’s easy to do… they’re cute, and small, and precious.” There was no denial that she loved children, even if she was not certain she could be a good mother to her own. It seemed to pull her from the conversation as she cleared her throat. “I should leave you… if Kallik catches me up and walking around, he will usher me back to our own den and guard the door until I fall asleep.” There was a hint of a tease, and perhaps some exasperation about how overbearing her husband could be about her own pregnancy mixed in there as well. “I am not far… should you or the Matrona need anything, please call.”

germanicus enjoyed hearing that kallik was protective of aquene. it was not that he had thought the younger man would be anything other than dutiful, it was that such actions came from clear love.

he had not forgotten that it was he who had all but ordered them together.

the imperator nodded. "be well, lady aquene." when she had left the den, he gathered his four closer, beginning to place them one at a time beside ruenna.