Zee was, in so many ways, the heart of this pack. She was the kindness that filled in the cracks, and the friendly ear that any in his pack could turn to. He was the blood, but she was, without a doubt, the heart. He knew he could never have built this pack without her, and if she had not guided him, it would have been a darker place. A place filled more with slaves then members, and ones that were not treated well. He would not have gotten to experience the joy of realising these wolves wanted to be here, and would do much to contribute to the wellbeing of the pack. Wolves he could protect, and teach.

She was not just the heart of the pack, she was the heart of the Warlord, as well. With this in mind, and remembering how she had reacted when he had brought up the mention of flowers, he had worked hard to do something for her the very early hours of the morning. He had dug to each side of the pack, filled it with compost and soil, and picked the prettiest flowers that he could find. Sunflowers grew tall closest to the entrance of the den, their yellow tone reflecting off the den entrance. Smaller, more delicate flowers blossomed beside them. The Warlord, paws filled with dirt, and a nose that looked on the verge of sneezing, with petals across their black, took a step back and surveyed his handiwork.

Zee stepped out of the den from her nap, blinking back the sleep from her eyes with a yawn. Even before her focus was fully there it was hard to miss the brightly colored flowers planted all around. She stood for a moment to watch the titan, a smile playing on her lips. Once he'd stepped back to admire his work she spoke. "It's called nesting." Zee's voice was filled with amusement, and she leaned against the den's entrance to admire her hard-working husband. "Y'know, like birds. Except generally it's the women who feel compelled to perfect the home before the children arrive." She was enjoying teasing him, though her expression was warm with love and gratitude. The horned queen stepped forward as she finished speaking to offer Sirius a nuzzle. "Thank you, I love it."

His pregnant wife wasn’t long for sleep, as she emerged from the entrance he had newly decorated. He turned to her at the sound of her voice, a sheepish smile on his maw as she described the emotions he was feeling. She knew how badly he had wanted children, to have pupils to raise and teach of his own blood, heirs for the future they had built together. The legacy of his one true love, would live on the lives within her womb.

She nuzzled against him then, and he was distracted by the warm scent of her, she smelled like milk and their den, and everything familiar to him. She was well versed at nuzzling the larger wolf and not skewering him with her gently curved Kudu horns.

“Anything for you.” he returned, meaning every word as he rubbed his cheek against hers, and planted a kiss against her brow.

Zee smiled at him, feeling his gentle kiss upon her brow. She leaned against the titan, and then pulled away to gesture with her head back towards the den. "Lets go lay down, we need to discuss some things before the pups come." Her smile broadened slightly if only just to reassure him that there were no scary or negative talks in store for him.

She padded back into the den that Sirius had so carefully built to house their coming family. She lay carefully upon the thick furs, shifting onto her side so that her swollen stomach wasn't pressed against the dirt. Patiently, she waited for the titan to take his place beside her so they could discuss and name their children.

"As you wish" he agreed, returning her warm smile, before following after her with none of usual, playful pushing. He treated her like spun glass during her pregnancy, a fact that had put them at odds a few times. Especially over the move to these lands. They pushed past the entrance and into the larger space beyond, and then into their shared room in the large den.

Zee lay down, and Sirius moved on beside her, shuffling down so his head was near her stomach, face a grave expression, but eyes dancing, as he leaned his ear gently against her swollen stomach, cocking his other ear and pointing it at her. It was clear he was saying he was listening to both her and the children.

The rest of his body was spread out at an angle away from her, so as not to overcrowd her or push against the tender flesh if her belly. As he lay there, waiting for her to speak, He felt he heard the sounds of them moving within. A delighted, wonderous smile began to over take his lips without him realizing.

Zee gave a soft chuckle at her husband, watching him listen to the pups movements within. "Soon." She sighed, lifting a paw to ruffle affectionately the fur between his ears. The pups seemed to always be moving now, kicking and squirming inside her. She knew it couldn't be too much longer. "We'll need to name them. And they'll do better with a family name, as well. I don't have one, I don't think you do either, right? But I'd take one on for them and you." Her lips pulled back in a smile to mirror his own, realizing what it meant for them to be joined together not only by children but also name. She wondered what his opinion would be on it all, whether he'd offer up his own thoughts on a name or try to leave the burden to her alone. Had he ever thought growing up that one day he'd be naming his children? She doubted it.

“Your right, we’ve made a name and a family for ourselves, taking on this pack, and growing our lives here. We need a name, something else to pass on to our children.” He agreed. There was a time in his life he would never have even considered having so much to pass on to his children, or even the knowledge of having children would have seemed forign to him. He had so much now, that he felt a stirring of fear at the thought that he could lose any of it.

“What would you name a child?” he started, looking to Zee for support. He didn’t have any names in his reservoir, he hadn’t even considered this moment, despite conceiving children with his Wife. It was a good thing his Wife was sensible enough to consider these necessities. He looked playfully up at her, head still by her stomach, and well he wait for her to speak, he began to hum softly, pushing his muzzle up against the fur of her producing skin, letting the hum of the song building in him vibrate through her.

A soft hum built in the queen's throat as she considered his question. Truthfully she'd never thought on names, it made everything seem so much more real. For so long she'd denied the idea of children, first they were to be enslaved then in danger by their father's terrors. Now the time had come and she had nothing in reserve. "I'm not the best person to ask, I wasn't saddled with a great name." She scratched at her face with a paw, still thinking. "I don't know. I've always been partial to blues." A smile. "Indigo, Azure, both could be for a male or a female. Though of course that's assuming they don't all pop out as black as you. Wouldn't be fitting, then." It sounded silly to say aloud, and Zee realized suddenly that naming a child was much more difficult than she anticipated. It'd be something they'd carry with them for life.

Zee’s hum echoed his own, and she seemed almost unaware that she was doing it. He left his voice fall into harmony with hers, just a hum, no words, as he held himself to her stomach. He could not get over the wonder of what was growing inside of ehr, and felt the gravity of their pull at him. He wanted to hold them, to see them, or, at least for the moment, to hear them. He couldn’t be certain, but he thought he felt a small push against her stomach, like one of the pups reaching out at the sound of his soft, hummed song.

“I like Indigo and Azure.” He agreed. “If the first born is a son he will need a strong name for the burdons ahead of him. Mortis… perhaps, or Mortalis if he is instead a she.” he didn’t believe that a firstborn would automatically inherit, the strongest deserved that, but he still held perhaps just a little bit of something there. Maybe it was a remnant from being raised in the Klein family.

“As for our family name… something that would deter others, make them think twice about messing with us, and ours. Fatalis perhaps… it means deadly. “

Zee squinted down at her husband suspiciously as he spoke of first-borns and burdens, and she reached out to nudge him with a paw gently. She'd felt the kick within her, and spoke playfully to him. "That was probably one of the others, telling you not to discount them so early." Of course she knew Sirius could be reasonable, but wanted to ensure that their children would each get a fair share. "The first-born may be the strongest, but they may not be. It takes more than brute strength to be a leader. He or she will need to be soft when it's necessary, as well." That said, she still smiled at his choice of name. "Mortis or Mortalis. Indigo, and Azure. Iolaire thinks there may only be three, but perhaps we should think of a fourth or fifth to be sure."

He offered his opinion on a family name and Zee's ears perked to catch it's sound. "It's perfect." She agreed softly. "Sirius Fatalis. Does this mean I finally need to accept our marriage?" Her grin widened playfully, and a soft laugh rolled out from her lips.

He looked up at his wife, placing a paw against her stomach, and rubbed her fur in a gentle, repetitive motion. “I’m not discounting any of them. They will each of them be loved, and trained, and find a place in our home. They are ours, and we are there's. ‘ he said softly. He knew having these children would be a responsibility, but it would never be a burden.

Zee spoke of the need to be soft, and he reached over to boop her nose gently with his other paw. “Perhaps we will each pick an heir in the end, one soft, one strong, a balance, as we are.” he was not opposed to the idea, but they definitely needed the primary heir to be strong, to fend off intruders, and face down challenges. Someone that could make the hard decision if one needed to be made.

“Another name…” a playful lilt entered his tone, her only warning. “Alight. How about… Zerius?”

“And I thought you already accepted our marriage..” he wiggled a brow at her, perhaps she was already rethinking it.

His boop upon the nose made Zee narrow her eyes in a playful glare, and she reached out with her jaws to snap lightly at the paw as it was retreating. "Uh-huh." She agreed, though she didn't seem too convinced. Zee hardly believed that Sirius would allow her a say in heir, but she also was determined to insist it not be given to a wolf whos brawn towered over his heart. Balance - as he said - was important, and Zee only hoped a pup might be balanced enough for the title.

He offered up another name and she couldn't contain the laugh. The pups squirmed within her, and she lifted a paw to swipe at her eyes. "OK, no more naming for you. You're obviously tapped, Deathbelle can have the honors." Zeerius. What a moron! "I may have already accepted, but be careful it's not too late for me to take it back." Her words of course were in jest, and she leaned over to place a kiss upon his muzzle.

The idea was growing in him, now that he had ventured it forth, and he would not take it back. Zee was in this with him, and her opinion meant the world to him. Yes, they would each pick a heir once the pups were old enough to fall into that rank, but they didn’t have to know that. A bit of competition would grow their wits. He was curious to see how many of their children would show ambition, and the strength needed to rule.

He gave her an impish grin, knowing the name would bring out an eyeroll, and had said it only to needle her. She would kiss him, and he kissed her back, hard. ”Fair” he agreed. If they had any more past the expected three, he would be honoured if their Empress was to name them.