Zee found herself tippy-tapping outside the den with anticipation. She'd heard the news late the prior night - Belle had given birth!! She came to her daily post much too early, but frankly there was nowhere else she wanted to be. Sleep was near impossible in her excitement, so why not just show up? She tapped politely upon the den wall before poking her nose past the hide door. "Deathbelle?" She called out, unable to keep her voice from being way-too excited. "Can I come in?" Oh man, this was going to be the best day ever. How many pups were there? Were they adorable? Oh man. "Speech"

Belle barely left the den to relieve herself, and even that was an ordeal and a half that took three wolves including her. Thankfully Hannibal and Archon were never far away, and would switch off with Luce watching the babies or helping her. It was kind of terrible, but the rest of the time she got to lay beside her tiny new babies. Five of them had somehow fit inside her, and their birth had been one of her least favorite experiences. Now that they were here though, everything was completely worth it. They were moved to the more private den behind the second curtain, mostly for warmth but also so that there might be a buffer between the babes and whoever decided to walk in. She toldLuce, or whoever was in the main chamber, to allow Zee through. Sirius had been there for the birth, she didn’t want Zee feeling too left out. The rest of the pack was slowly coming by, but she was tired and hadn’t called anything official yet. Once she had recovered over the next few days she would invite the family to meet their new nieces and nephew. "Zee?" She asked while making herself sit up and be presentable. The pups were sleeping heavily, having just nursed themselves to sleep. They curled loosely at her belly, more a puppy pile than anything. However much Plague didn’t want to snuggle. She shook her head and nosed him to the space between her paws so she might hold him. "speak."

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Well... Deathbelle never exactly gave her permission to enter, but she responded when she called and that was enough, right? The small slave stepped past the entrance with steps that were much slower then she'd like, trying to contain her exuberance in the face of her Empress. There were thick smells lingering in the palace - Archon, Hannibal, Sirius, Luce, everyone had been here and often. The pups had such an army behind them already and Zee felt herself frown as she realized she was one of the last of her Empress' close group to see them. She forced the smile back on her face rather quickly however, as this was a joyous occasion even if she felt a little left out. She moved past the main area of the den, sniffing hard to find the room that the newborns and mother were being kept. It didn't take long, and soon Zee was poking her head around the corner to see her mistress and new tiny masters. "Oh my!" She squeaked, soft blue gaze falling upon the small bundles of absolute adorableness. All attempts at hiding her excitement ceased to exist, and the small slave bounded in on light feet until she was mere steps from the family. Quivering with anticipation, she forced herself to lay upon the dirt as close as she could without touching them. Her nose poked towards the bundles, and she coo'd to them softly. "Hello little ones, welcome to the world." Barely able to take her eyes off their perfection, her gaze managed to flit up to Deathbelle long enough to offer her a wide smile. "Look at how well you've done, mistress. They're absolutely amazing, congratulations!" Back to the pups, her nose worked over-time to take in their scents. The new generation of Kleins were large, sure to be powerful and proud just like their mother. Zee was thrilled. "Speech"

Zee could hardly contain herself as she appeared in the Empress’s private den. All four girls slept quietly at her side, and her one son between her paws. She beamed as her handmaiden ooh’d and awe’d at her new little brood, it was all she had been able to do besides sleep since they arrived. She was still sore and tired, but they really were perfect, and she would heal and recuperate soon. She allowed Zee to admire them as Belle groomed her mostly white colored boy, they really were perfect. Everything had been smooth despite how uncomfortable she had been through the process. "Thank you, Zee." There was equal parts pride and exhaustion in her voice. Luce had been ready to allow her to stay ungroomed until Zee arrived this morning. She had seen to the cleaning of the birthing room herself. "I’m so pleased." They were a lot of effort, but they were here now. Before long their eyes would open and they would learn how to walk. For now Belle wanted to enjoy their little bean selves. "This is Venom," she pointed to a large dark pup, her white socks, muzzle, and tail tip clearly visible not even 24 hours after birth. "Toxicity, Pestilence, Calamity.. my daughters." She told Zee proudly as she pointed to each one. "And Plague, my only son." She shifted slightly so that Zee might see the pup curled against her chest. "speak."

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Zee wormed her way closer, glancing up at Belle to make sure it was okay. Bright eyes scanned along each pup as their mother gave their names, simply enthralled by the small miracles. She spent a few moments enjoying the girls, and then crawled her body over to the tiny male between Belle's paws. "Such strong names, they'll surely grow to become such fierce individuals." She murmured, making sure to keep her voice low and soft for how close she was to the small pups. It had been quite the journey - watching Belle grow and glow with pregnancy onto the delivery of such perfect little bundles. Zee found herself thinking back on their earlier conversation, the fact that not only would she be allowed to experience this one day with Sirius at her side, but also for how closely her own pups would be with Belle's own. She could not wait to watch them grow, to help nurture them and serve them as she did her Empress. A soft sigh of relaxation and pleasure, and Zee rolled her head to look up at Death. "May... may I hold him?" She asked, voice unsure. Surely Belle would know by now that Zee would never harm her children, right?   "Speech"

She could almost call her daughters quadruplets they were all so similar in their base coat. They each had varying degrees of white marked over their tiny body, and they would all grow up to remind Boreas of their mother. Plague stood out amongst them though, with his mostly white coat and colors more similar to Archon. "My little conqorers." She whispered proudly as her tired lilac gaze swept over their tiny forms. She raised her brows as Zee shifted and asked her question. Belle looked back to the tiny boy between her legs and back to her handmaid. In all honesty she couldn’t feel any animosity towards her beloved servant. She trusted her and loved her, and with the birth of Belle’s perfect litter her heart felt renewed. She could be happy to see Zee and Sirius happy. "Of course," The Empress said softly. Zee had been given to her to help with the babies in the first place. "He’s been fussy with everyone but me though." He was pretty tuckered out though. Carefully she shifted the tiny pup towards Zee’s awaiting arm. There were a few thick pelts covering the floor, so there really was no chance of injury. "If he’s too much, Pestilence loved Luce, but was not as open to Hannibal. I think she prefers her aunties." She giggled softly before leaning down to nuzzle the little girl as she left Plague to Zee. "speak."

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Zee stared intently at the little ones as Belle spoke, murmuring a hushed 'tsk' as the Empress explained the pup's fussiness. Then she said a word that interested the small slave, and her head lifted abruptly to acknowledge it. Aunties? Could Zee be considered one as well, she wondered? And then her mistress was moving a pup into her arms, and Zee settled her head back down beside him to allow her nose to touch his. The pups were truly gorgeous, just like their mother. She moved to gently place a kiss upon his head, cooing in delight at the wiggly being in her arms. "This is truly heaven." She marveled. "Is it worth it? I know pregnancy isn't easy, but it must be just an awful dream once they're in your arms, right?" There were duties to be done that Zee was painfully aware of, but she was determined to stay and bask in the newness of these little ones as long as she could before returning to her cleaning. Besides, Luce kept the area near-spotless regardless. "Speech"

She lifted her lilac gaze from Pestilence and back to Plague and Zee, who had obviously fallen in love. Deathbelle felt her heart melt further as the sleepy pup blinked up sleepily from the handmaiden’s arms and touched his nose to hers. Mismatched ears fell to her skull and whined happily. It was probably just the hormones but a tear welled up in her eye. "They really are," she answered without hesitation. Pregnancy had been difficult, but it was fleeting in comparison to the reward. Every one of her five children were beautiful, and promised to grow into great examples of their family names. "I don’t think I really knew what love was, until I met them." She sighed contentedly over the heads of her daughters as the squeaked softly in their milk drunk sleep. They would be unstoppable before she knew it. She knew Zee had chores to attend to, but she didn’t begrudge her the excuse. The pups were now Belle’s world. "speak."

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Zee curled tighter around the small bundle as he touched his nose to hers, ears perking in unbelievable excitement. She enjoyed the tender moment before planting a kiss upon the top of his tiny muzzle, and then turned her head to face the Empress. "Did you see!?" She asked, breathless. "I think he likes me." The handmaiden giggled softly, turning back to the pup with a warm smile. It was truly going to be impossible to stay away for the conceivable future, and Zee suddenly felt very very jealous of all the wolves sharing Belle's den who could see the infants every day. The thought triggered something in her, and her attention drew back to Deathbelle. "How is Archon with them? Is he treating you well? Was he supportive during delivery? Tell me everything!" She nuzzled her head against the pup's back, an ear flicking towards her mistress so she might hear the answer. "Speech"

Belle didn’t have to guess to know that Zee was completely smitten. The Empress watched as the blue marked she wolf and her son interacted sweetly. She couldn’t help but feel her lips pull back into a warm smile, Belle knew she wasn’t the only one in love with them. ”Better than his sisters,” she chuckled softly. If he could help it Plague tried not to even touch his sisters. Zee was suddenly a flurry of questions about Archon, the Empress felt her smile move to include her lilac eyes. He had been perfect with them and during the birth.

”I don’t think he could be a better father. If he could, I’m sure he’d offer to nurse them for me.” She giggled softly at the thought. ”He was right beside me the whole time, and even for a long while after I’d fallen asleep.” There was no guess that he watched them the whole time, he was as mesmerized as she was. Dea was to give birth soon as well, one reason he was not at her side at that very moment. ”He gave me encouraging words and distracted me through the pain with sweet kisses.” The event had been more painful than she expected, but having Archong beside her to lean on and whimper to had made the experience so much easier. He had been calm, supportive, and everything she needed in the moment.