The song and dance of pregnancy and labor were well known steps to her by now. Her first pregnancy with Avacyn and Saracyn had been filled with unknown and uncertainty and Fiametta's birth had been easier still. This time, as she paced their family den with the now familiar feeling of discomfort and restlessness, Manea felt even more at ease and simply ready to see these pups she and Alastor had created. This pregnancy felt like it had flown by in the blink of an eye and for the most part she was grateful for that. Carrying Fia had been difficult and draining on her body, but it had allowed her the time to rest and really enjoy the process of bringing life into the world. This time the symptoms had been so few and so mild that it almost felt like she hadn't really thought about the fact that she was about to give birth until the few days immediately leading up to this moment.

It was late at night when her water finally broke and the first real contractions began to grip at her sides and knock the air from her lungs. She stopped in the middle of the main chamber, gritting her teeth a bit to let the pain pass before she sighed and turned her gaze up to look to Alastor with a hint of a smile. "Will you call for Ikigai, darling?" she asked before she continued her steady pacing until the young princess arrived, knowing from experience that there was still some time to go before they would actually meet these pups and it wouldn't do her any good to go lay down right this moment. Occasionally her steps would pause as a particularly strong contraction squeezed at her sides, sending a lance of pain through her, but eventually she'd continue while she waited out the few minutes it would take for Ikigai to arrive.

"Manea & Alastor Mendacium"

Caring for a pregnant mate had become a task Alastor was intimately familiar with and highly knowledgeable in after having gone through two back to back years of siring children. Manea's pregnancies seemed to come easier and easier as both parents became more experienced in the course of the natural cycle, so when his rather round mate awoke one night with a pained gasp, the giant dire wolf knew exactly what was happening. Their babies were arriving! Alastor awoke with a grumble, peering around the den with bleary eyes and confusion until Manea finished rousing him with the news, and then he was up and at her side while she went to pace the main chamber. Alastor sat nearby with a yawn, watching Manea pace circles around the cave while her body prepared for its annual ordeal.

Manea turned an excited smile to him and asked for him to call for Ikigai, to which Alastor returned her smile. He was glad she had asked him to call for the sweet Abraxas lass and not the blonde bitch she usually turned to. "But of course, my darling!" he replied, stepping past her to the mouth of the cave. Into the evening he released a summoning call, his richly toned voice carrying across Alias in the clear autumnal night. While they waited for Ikigai to arrive, Alastor returned to Manea, staying out of the way of her pacing while he watched her go through her routine. "Can I fetch you something in the meantime, my love? Some water or something?"

"Manea & Alastor Mendacium"

Iki had checked on Manea here and there during her pregnancy, making sure that everything was going well. She knew that Manea had a healer that was closer to her, but it was a learning experience for the young woman. She'd never followed fully along with a pregnancy, having never had the opportunity to do so. Manea was kind enough to indulge her and for that, Ikigai was thankful. As the time drew ever closer, Iki had begun to prepare her things, collecting what herbs and supplies she would need. When the call came, she would be ready.

It was night when Alastor called for her. Ikigai extracted herself from the tangle of limbs that was Deimos, tucking the furs back around him before sliding from bed and eventually from the den. With her pack around her neck, Iki moved swiftly towards Manea and Alastor's den.

Marbled eyes instantly fell upon the pacing form of Manea as she entered and Ikigai gave the woman a nod before flashing a smile towards the massive, midnight man. Sliding the strap for the pack over her head, she placed it near the furs where Manea would no doubt be giving birth. Just as Alastor did, Ikigai stayed out of Manea's way, but she watched the woman as she walked back and forth, noting the undulations in the fae's rounded belly. The pups within were anxious to get out. "How are you feeling?" Iki looked at Alastor as well. "Excited?"

"Iki"

Manea's aqua gaze followed Alastor while she continued to move back and forth across the main chamber of the cave, the movement always feeling as though it moved things along faster than if she simply laid still. With the howl summoning their Emissary to them let out into the night air, Alastor returned to her and asked if there was anything he could get her. He was always so attentive and caring when it came to their children and her pregnancy and birth were no exception to that fact. She gave him a small smile and nodded, only slightly breathless as she replied, "Some water would be great, love." As he went to prepare a bowl of water for her, she had to pause again for another contraction to pass, her ears flicking a bit at the familiar pressure and pain that quickly had begun to build. It seemed that these pups were wasting no time in making their appearance and she for one was grateful for that.

It wasn't long before Ikigai appeared in the entrance of their den and Manea returned her nod with a small smile. "I'm feeling as well as I can be," she replied with a soft chuckle, moving past Ikigai and Alastor as she moved from one side of the den to the other, turning back to follow her path again as she added with a grin, "And always excited." Bringing more Mendacium souls into this world was one of the biggest responsibilities she had as a female in their family and every time she had the opportunity to do so she was always excited for it. Growing their family and knowing that she and her soulmate were furthering the Mendacium legacy brought her more joy than anything else she had created in her lifetime.

After a few more moments of pacing and bearing the contractions that came, she was eventually forced to stop again with a soft gasp as a particularly strong contraction gripped her, making her grit her teeth for a few moments until it passed and she was able to breathe again. With a breathless chuckle she began to move over to the bed of furs beside where Ikigai had sat down her things and where Alastor had left the water for her. "I suppose they're getting impatient," she mused with a bit of humor before taking a quick drink of water and settling down onto the furs. Reclining onto her side, she looked to her husband to join her and then turned her attention to Ikigai to let the healer do her work while she continued to breathe through the quickening contractions and preparing herself to begin pushing.

"Manea & Alastor Mendacium"

Manea spoke and Iki nodded with a small smile. Of course the woman would be uncomfortable. That was why she was here. As Al went to fetch water, the pale woman sifted through her bag, pulling out a bundle of herbs. Ikigai had these bundles prepackaged in the infirmary as she did many other types of mixtures. Taking a small mortar and pestle out of her pack, Iki placed the herbs within and added a healthy dollop of strawberry flavored honey. No one said that medicine had to taste horrible. Once the herbs were sufficiently mixed in, Ikigai scooped the honey onto a wooden spoon and handed it to the pregnant woman. "To help ease your body and reduce pain," she informed her.

Once that was finished, Iki prepped a few soft, clean furs and then went to gently touch Manea's stomach. Within she could feel the pups kicking and rolling, preparing to enter the world. "They seem like little fighters," the snowy fae spoke with a soft laugh. As Al went to lay behind Manea, Iki shot him another grin. The majority of the process would be up to Manea of course. "We're here with you," she assured the dire fae. Then Iki sat back and all they could do was wait.

"Iki"

Just as she got settled into the furs, Ikigai presented her with a concoction of herbs and honey with the simple explanation of them being for pain and to ease what her body was going through. She nodded and took them without fuss, appreciating that the bitterness of the leaves was at least masked by the sweetness of the honey. She had forgone the herbs when she gave birth to Avacyn and Saracyn, but after that she very quickly learned there was nothing wrong with accepting a bit of help from those that knew what they were doing. Fia's birth had been far easier because of them so she knew better now than to refuse them when Ikigai offered them now. She leaned back into Alastor as her husband came to lay behind her, glancing back at him with a little grin before she settled in with a sigh to go through the now familiar motions of bringing these pups into the world.

Luckily, neither of the two pups caused much issue or complications. The first pup was a boy, mostly cloaked in swirling shades of purple like herself, with a splash of his father's red right around one eye. He wasn't quite as big as his siblings had been when they were born, but still a sizable pup with squeaking cries that filled the den as he came into the world. Panting from the exertion, Manea lifted her head to see the boy as Ikigai cleaned him up and brought him to her stomach after declaring that the pup was in fact male, and a proud smile pulled at Manea's lips, nuzzling the little boy and sharing a small moment with Alastor over their newest child before the contractions interrupted their celebrations and signaled that the second wasn't far behind.

The second and last pup of their third litter came even more easily, noticeably smaller than any of their other children. Oh, but she was beautiful with deep colors of black and red with delicate hints of light gray accenting her eyes and paws. Her natural instincts as a mother flared a bit as the tiny girl was placed next to her brother and she saw the noticeable lack of the usual puppy fat and squish that she was used to seeing, but her cries were just as strong and she immediately began to eat just like her brother so that eased some of her initial concerns. She kissed each of their heads as she began to catch her breath, giving Ikigai plenty of room to do her work or examinations that she felt were necessary before she left them to rest.

"Manea & Alastor Mendacium"

Once Manea consumed the herbal concoction and Alastor settled behind her, they all simply fell into a comfortable silence, waiting for the inevitable. Iki assumed that Manea would tell her if something felt off of wrong, so she didn't ask, preferring instead to observe the signs and make her own conclusions as to the expectant mothers condition. Over time, the healer could see the undulations in the purple fae's abdomen and knew that they were about to welcome two new souls into the world.

The birth went smoothly and Ikigai cleaned first one pup, a boy, then a second, a female. The little girl was very small, especially compared to her littermate and her older siblings. It brought a bit of worry to the woman, but the pup cried as loudly as her brother so she obviously had enough strength. The girl would need constant observation as a precaution, however.

Once Iki made sure that the bleeding had stopped and the afterbirth was cared for, she rose, collected her things and smiled at the new parents. "Congratulations," she told them both. "If you need anything... any time, night or day, just call." With that, she allowed the quartet their privacy for rest and bonding.

"Iki"