Deathbelle's pregnancy weighed heavily on her mind. There were only so many hours in a day to prepare, and with winter on the horizon (and the chill in the air to prove it), she was gathering near constantly. It hardly left her any time to sort her stocks or prepare new unctions. The only way she could soothe herself was if she had it on good faith that there were a handful of healers in Ashen who would also be prepared for the birth - and perhaps could be enlisted to gather on her behalf.

Pregnancies were often treated as some mystical event, and while they were certainly special and magnificent, Luce felt as if the mystery of it all made many wolves too anxious to think critically. There was a science behind it all, and today she would do her very best to share the knowledge that she had. The previous pregnancies and births she had overseen had all come at the very end of the Klein empire - thin, sickly puppies were whelped by mothers whose own bodies had already been ravaged by famine or plague. Those had been dark times, but no more!

Scrubbing the past from her mind, Lucretia paced restlessly before her den. She had brought out a few herbs - motherwort, valerian, gingseng, and chamomile. Red raspberry leaf was excellent for pregnancy, but its season had passed and she had not gathered any. Foolish. But how was she to know that such a blessing would come to her family? It had been so long since they had such cause to celebrate. Luce planned on explaining what the common useful herbs were for pregnancy, and perhaps someone would be willing to accompany her on a journey to see if there were any raspberry plants left in other areas. In addition to knowing about herbal remedies, it was important that as many wolves as possible learned how to comfort and situate a wolf going into labor. Lucretia planned to be at Belle's side constantly when it was near her time, but it never hurt to be over prepared.

With a long summoning howl, Lucretia called the birthing lesson to order. Any and all wolves with a knack for healing or a wish to know more about pregnancy were welcome to attend.

At the very least deathbelle could act as Lucretia’s model, at the most Belle would learn more about her current state. She knew the basics of pregnancy, how to achieve it, how to tell, basically what happened during birth, and that she would experience morning sickness for a while. Having Luce more formally explain what to expect would benefit the pregnant Empress, it would help shine a light on the unknown and keep her brave through the whole experience.

Her belly continued to grow, her bump was blazing more proudly now, she was roughly a third of the way through. If she continued on at this rate she was going to be gigantic by the time they arrived. The thought was incredibly daunting. She took a deep breath, shook the thought from her mind, and removed the rest of the distance between herself and her sister.

Belle didn’t hesitate to approach and nuzzle her Shaman as she came to sit beside her dear sister. Sirius was right behind her, and she hoped to see Zee appear as well. ”What a lovely lesson to have, Luce. I’m looking forward to it.”

Sirius was not a healer, but he intended to offer his services, he could help healers find materials outside of pack lands, acting as guard if they so needed it. Beyond this, he needed to have some idea of what to expect. On the very remote possibility he ended up alone with Deathbelle when she gave birth, he needed to know how not to panic. He arrived at the meeting beside Deathbelle, offering the medical a small nod of his head in greeting, eyes already moving across the clearing and the lake itself. He didn’t expect to encounter any dangers deep in Ashen territory, but old habits die hard. He took a stand to the side, to be unobtrusive and watchful as Deathbelle moved forward to embrace her sister and compliment her on the birthing lesson she was going to give. "Speech"

Zee got to the gathering as quickly as she could, but it appeared others had already beaten her there. Deathbelle and her devoted guard waited patiently for the lesson to begin and Zee offered them each a smile of hello. Padding up to her mistress, she gave her a deep bow. "This is so exciting." She couldn't help but shed enthusiasm for the upcoming lesson and birth. As Deathbelle's handmaiden she felt it was her duty to learn as much as she possibly could and be prepared for all possibilities. Deathbelle was sitting beside her sister - the Klein who'd Zee had such an awful interaction with - and Sirius sat away from them both but with watchful eyes upon his Empress. Zee had no interest in small talk with the healer who frightened her nor did she want to risk getting riled up and saying something she shouldn't. Instead of taking her place beside her mistress and risk getting pulled into conversation, she sat nearer to Sirius - though on the side closest to the women. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Lucretia leaned into her sister's touch and offered her a warm smile. Of course she was offering this lesson - there was nothing more paramount than the small, bright lives that she carried within her. It was important that as many wolves as possible would be prepared in the event of an emergency labor. And, of course, as Ashen grew, Luce hoped more litters would be brought forth; an entirely new generation of Kleins was on the rise, Deathbelle's puppies would only be the beginning. Crown princelings and princesses, yes, but heralding the dawn of a new era!

Zee and Sirius trickled in, to be expected. It was rare that the Empress was seen without one or the other - both was the most common occurrence. Vaguely, she wondered how Sirius and Zee were getting along since their physical exams. The slave's chosen spot next to him certainly piqued her interest. Luce shot Deathbelle a quick glance to see if the Empress showed any passing emotion at the sight. Sirus had long since been a pillar of solidarity - how would she feel if he was suddenly cozy with her very own handmaiden?

"Let's begin the lesson by assessing everyone's knowledge," She announced, hopping up on to a tired old tree stump so that she could better survey her students. "Have we learned anything so far about our Empress' intrepid journey towards motherhood?" Luce asked with a smile. She had received some reports some Sirius and the Empress herself, but she'd like to start off with everyone on the same page.

Sirius followed behind her, ever the silent protector. He took his place, she knew he would be listening in, but he would also keep watch as always. Belle looked to Zee as she appeared and offered a quick bow and her excitement. ”I am too!” She offered the handmaiden as the blue marked girl made herself comfortable closer to Sirius and his massive frame. Belle sat back onto decorated paws and curled her alabaster tail around them. She missed Lucretia’s look as she settled on a heightened stump to start their lesson.

”It’s much more pleasant to watch, than experience.” She chuckled amusedly, looking from her sister to her servant’s blue eyes. She wondered what they would say, what had they learned from her pregnancy so far?

He looked to Zee as she approached, flicking an attentive ear towards her, but otherwise scarcely acknowledging her presence. He was in guard mode, and he would not drop it easily. He listened to what the healer had to say, and placed a solid amount of his attention into the lesson, but he could not devote all of it to her. He continued to watch the territory around them, and Marshall winged lazily through the sky above them. The three girls seemed a great deal more enthusiastic about the meeting, and gave their happy comments, letting the sterner wolf fade into the woodwork. He was more then happy to do so, the less he had to deal with the idea of Deathbelle exploding puppies in front of them, the better. "Speech"

Sirius did not react to Zee's chosen place, and that didn't bother her any. She let the two women have their small talk, looking out over the horizon and daydreaming until the lesson began. Suddenly the Klein healer piped up louder; addressing them all. "I have learned that being pregnant sucks, makes you puke, and occasionally waddle." She shot a playful smile to her Empress, blue eyes soft and fond. "I've also learned that it can make even the most beautiful woman glow in such a glorious way that other women could only dream of being as graceful as that waddle." Hopefully her compliment would dull the sting of the playful poke. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

O

f course Banshee decided to show up fashionably late. The call brought forth some excitement but most of it dissipated as her eyes fell upon the gathering of adults. The babe sauntered in with a low head and twitching lips as she listened to the disgustingly chipper words of the slave. Banshee didn't understand why Belle allowed her servants to be so.. brash. Eulogy was hardly allowed to speak. Nevertheless, the Klein gal moved in to sit off to the side. She had caught the Luc's question which brought forth a twinge of annoyance. Had Ban even spent time with her aunt since she made Ashen? The girl was working at her skills but never encountered Belle. Perhaps the Empress was too busy sharing her den with that worshiping fool they called Archon. "I wouldn't know much about Death's glorious pregnancy.. haven't seen her since she dug up a crown." The babe was in a particularly bad mood and had spent moons of one on one time with her aunt. She felt comfortable being rotten to her aunt and maybe she needed a stern talkin' to? "Seems like you just get fat." Her eyes stared directly into Belles with a rather dismal sneer.

Speech

Luce welcomed Banshee to the reception with a smile, which quickly turned sour as the petulant girl opened her mouth. Her lips lifted in a snarl, baring her teeth threateningly. "Don't make me call your father, Banshee. Sit and listen. You are no longer permitted to speak at this gathering until Deathbelle permits it." Recovering her composure quickly, Lucretia shook off the rude interruption with a polite little cough.

"Now, all of your points are correct, if a little humorous. It's perfectly natural to find some of these changes amusing - but they are also frustrating, and can sometimes be debilitating for the mother-to-be. I'd like to start with ways to address morning sickness," She said, turning and revealing some piles of herbs she had stashed beneath a large, overhanging leaf. "Agrimony will calm nausea, but it's important to follow it with some alfalfa in order to maintain your appetite. If you lose a full meal, it's important to recover those nutrients for the developing puppies." Luce gave Zee a knowing look, followed by a smile. They had already discussed some of this material in private.

"Besides sickness, the body of a pregnant female goes through many changes. As the puppies grow, your internal organs will shift to accommodate them. Additionally, you will find yourself lethargic - your body is now not only supplying you with the energy needed to complete your daily tasks, it is providing the means for your litter to grow in size and develop all of their own necessary internal parts. It's a lot of work!" Luce said, casting Deathbelle a pointed look. "So it's important to eat enough and maintain a somewhat modified level of physical activity."

Deathbelle tried to ignore the painful comments as they were presented. She gave Seer a thankful look as he remained stoic and kept to himself. She loved Zee for trying to blunt her words but they still hurt, but Banshee didn’t hold back anything. She went full force sass. Belle’s mismatched ears fell to her skull as her brows knitted. Before she could react Lucretia was on her, reprimanding the child and giving Deathbelle power to allow her to speak again. ”You know where my den is, child.” Was all Belle would offer with a pointed look before she returned her attention to Lucretia.

She explained the herbs in front of her, and the Empress was glad to know the wolves closest to her had no excuse but to take excellent care of their mistress. She had high hoped for Zee, and knew her handmaiden would be sure to offer what she learned here today. She knew she was gaining a lot of weight, but it was mostly puppy. They were growing fast and big, and Belle was a little nervous about the day of birth. Her sister promised her a quick and as pain free as possible, but with such huge babies it wasnt going to be a comfortable experience. ”So many naps.” She commented, adding on to the tired and lethargic part.

Sirius moved closer to the smaller wolf as she spoke bitterly to her Empress. He didn’t do anything, other then place himself closer to her, eyes glittering, and fangs pulled back ever so slightly in a silent threat. He wouldn’t attack a Klein without permission, but if Deathbelle gave him any hint, he would make this pompous pup roll over. Lucretia after a quick warning, barely paid any mind to the girl, which Seer considered to be the right response. He stayed near the girl, and turned his attention to the healer, listening and trying to take in the flow of mostly useless information (useless to Seer, who had no plans on being anywhere near the birthing) "Speech"

Zee nodded frequently as Luce talked, willing herself to absorb all of the information given. She had been already told much of this, but the small slave still had little hopes that she'd be able to retain the information and use it under stress. If she had the skills to write, she'd be huddled on the floor and diligently scrawling notes about the lesson. She looked away from the healer as the pup interjected, her maw falling open in a silent gasp. Oh, oh man. Worried gaze looked from the pup to Deathbelle, to the healer then back to the pup. Movement beside her had Zee looking to Sirius last, and she noticed his intimidating form step closer to the young one. Her eyes narrowed - he wouldn't, would he? - but softened once more as she saw he did not move to punish the child. The interruption handled, she looked back to Luce to ask a question back towards the original topic. "How long do we think we have until we get to meet the little ones?" She asked softly. She was eager to meet them indeed, but she also wanted to know when she might expect the labor to begin. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

P

erhaps her angst had gotten a hold of her. The moons she spent wandering around as a rogue with her aunt had been formidable to her attitude. Being abandoned by her parents and siblings. Then to be shoved into a pack where she was pretty much useless.. It took a toll on the pup. - The response from Luce was warranted but called for a tiny growl to come from the babe. Banshee would listen to her aunt but she was still a ball of rage. The babe sat still but her blood was boiling. She really didn't know why she was always so easy to anger but it was hard to keep her jaws shut. The constant ramblings of the slave girl who seemed to literally suckle the teat of her fat aunt was enough to keep her pretty annoyed. But, she remained at the clearing and aimed all her attention at Luce who actually had some knowledge. Luce was the only one of the lot that held any true intelligence it seemed and that was all Banshee was there for. She would not offer any sweet nothings to her pregnant aunt. It seemed she got enough of that from everyone else.

Speech

With her reprimand well-received, Lucretia felt it was about time to wrap up the lesson. Although it had been relatively short, none of the wolves present - besides the Empress herself - would truly benefit from the lesson beyond some rudimentary knowledge. Banshee certainly would have learned plenty, but her attitude was not in the right place to be taught. Luce did note, however, that the pup managed to self-correct (apart from a small growl, which Luce allowed to slip without comment). Perhaps she would make an acceptable apprentice once her attitude had been checked.

Addressing Zee's question, Lucretia offered a smile before answering. "Most likely within the next few weeks, and most certainly within this moon's cycle. You can tell a female is about to go into true labor when her body temperature drops significantly. If that happens when you are with the Empress, you are to bring her as carefully and safely as possible to her den." She met each wolf's eyes in turn, trying to import the weight of her words. "With that excellent question, I am going to dismiss the lot of you. Feel free to come to my den with any lingering questions." She tidied up her herbs and shot Banshee another stern look before taking her leave.

Belle had a lot more questions for Lucretia but they could wait for their private meetings everyday. Eventually Luce was going to move in she knew, but until then there was much to learn. She nodded attentively as Luce gave her closing statements and asked if any questions be directed to her den. Belle gave her sister a quick look, knowing she would also see her later in the day. The information was invaluable, but the rest of the group wouldn’t have quite as much use. As long as she was within Ashen borders before going into labor, Luce would be right there with her. ”Thank you, Luce.” She mentioned as she lowered her head and turned to go on a patrol and then a much deserved nap. ”Want to patrol with me, Ban?” She invited her along, knowing Sirius would be right behind them.