Walk | Talk | Think Even during the night the heat of summer was strong. The further her pregnancy progressed the easier it became for the banished she-wolf to complain and voice fault with everything, this horrid weather included. But even that no longer suited her, and she had grown accustomed to harboring her moody opinions to herself lest she test the patience of not only her husband but her children as well. As it was they had moved out of the family den into one of their own, which was all the better for the consistent tossing and turning she seemed to be doing to find a comfortable position in which to sleep. It was miracle enough that Bane had not abandoned her to her restlessness and joined them. After plenty of restless moving about and being irritated by the heat and her own pregnancy, Tahlia had finally succumbed to slumber. She was upon her side, stomach wide with the lives carried within. It was late but still hours before daylight would rise when the first twist of pain made itself known. It was no more than a twinge at first, a cramp and nothing more, and it only made the expectant mother shift a little in her sleep. But another followed the first, and another, each stronger and more severe than the last. Not even sleep could hide her from the beginnings of the contractins as they progressed. Tahlia woke with a soft groan, expression pinching painfully as her dark golden eyes opened to the darkness of the nighttime den, shifting to sit up though still on her side. Already? But no, had she not been thinking to herself that she was ready for it to be over? No, already was not the correct thought. Right now? In the middle of the night, and just when she had actually been sleeping soundly? Wincing again, she breathed carefully and methodically until it had passed before she turned to her husband and nudged his side. "Bane," she spoke just above a whisper, "Bane! It's time."

Bane shifted on his side, his paw adjusting from where it lay over Tahlia's bumped stomach. The warm breeze blowing into the den from the entrance being guarded by his sleeping form. Their pups, Anais, Jakart, and Nako were far back from the shores of the river, but not worryingly so. And so the banished family made their home here along the river. The pale wolf couldn't be happier. Their family was together again.?Even the fact that Tahlia's brown pelt had bristled out with the young she carried within her womb.

His mate had experience some mood swings of the sort which were becoming more frequent as well as her irritability... restless nights... snappiness... meat eaten, the elder still loved her and knew this would all come to pass when she gave birth. Bane stirred at Tahlia's nudging. More restlessness? No, his mates words reach his ears and they pinned back. A certain calm overcame the elder at Tahlia's nudges and whispering. "Do you think you'll need a healer? Shall I howl for one or do you think you can manage this by yourself?" Bane whispered as he scooted away from his mate to give her room as well as preparing to dash outside to howl for a healer. He didn't know if one would here him at this ungodly hour. If worse came to worse he could make a run for Seracia's borders.

Walk | Talk | Think She was grateful Bane woke so quickly. Though she had been through the birthing process once already, had gotten through it gratefully without any complications, it was still nerve wracking. Any number of things could go wrong, and considering they were on their own this time, without anyone to call on, having him close and aware of what was happening made at least some of her worries lessen. But even so, her heart still raced as she paced her breathing, waiting expectantly until the next contraction struck. Closer and closer they came, warning that there would be little time before her second litter of pups would greet the world and share their den. Her husband spoke quietly in answer to her, surprisingly and gratefully calm. Healer? Yes, that did sound helpful. At least then she would have someone who-- But no. If Bane howled, then anyone nearby enough to hear might answer, anyone. Including someone from Seracia. "No," she answered briskly, rising slightly onto her paws and shifting a little where she lay. As much help as it might have been, Tahlia was too prideful to consider turning to them, not after they had banished her and her family to live like this when they had once been part of their pack. "No, I'll be fine." At least she hoped she would be. She continued to wince and shift, doing as well as she could to ignore the pain and remember how she had done things during her first birth. No matter which way she moved nothing felt comfortable. But that was a good sign. She simply needed to get her pups out and that would be over. "Bane." Her voice was practically nothing more than a breathless whine as she finally settled, feeling and sensing that the wait was over and wanting her husband close. With the next contractions, she strained along with them. Had time dulled her memory or was this more painful than she remembered? But she was eventually rewarded after a short time, birthing another brother-sister pair that immediately brought tears to her eyes and a smile to her face. Two more healthy pups. What a beautiful family we have! OOC: Kind of jumped right into things, woo! Also, didn't know if a birthing order had been figured out so I left it ambiguous. o3o

Her world was moving. The blind and deaf whelp could feel things moving, tremors moving through her home as it tightened around her and the other form that was inside. Her little form would start flailing as well, moving, protesting at the change in her home. She didn't like it. This wasn't the normal movement of the world... it was too violent for her. But things as the pup knew it were changing, and there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop them or alter what was happening.

Another sharp tremor and she was on the move, from the warmth, into a much colder, harder world. Once the gunk was cleaned from her face the small girl would give a shrill cry, voicing her displeasure at the changes. The feel of the warm thing that cleaned her though wasn't too bad... and as she took her first breath she noticed three smells that overpowered the others. The first was of her mother, the second was of her father, and the third was that of milk.

Even though she had just been born the girl seemed more of a male pup physique, though it was hardly something a pup her age would need to worry about. Her mother would gently try guiding her to her side, though the pup seemed to have ideas over her own, quieter squeaks of protest leaving her now as she wriggled around. Despite her mother trying to get her to her stomach the little whelp would instead continue wiggling blindly around, towards the scent of her father, rather than milk and her mother.

The male pup wriggled within the warm and enclosed confines of the being that he would come to know as mother. Then all of a sudden it was all choking. Convulsing. Change. Within mother there was a shift, a moment that was decided that now was the time for him and the one alongside him he'd call sister to leave. The deaf pup couldn't hear anything. The blind pup couldn't see anything. And a score of moments after his sister left him all alone he began to sense movement outside the birth sack he was encased in. The pup felt a firm impact followed by a chilly sensation overcoming him. He began to cough and a weak wail left him as he mother licked him clean and stimulated his breathing.

A deep rumble named him Kailos, but he couldn't hear that moment when it became so. It would be all he would know. All he would respond to. A rather ominous name. Kailos smelled milk and sensed warmth, and he wriggled towards the wispy fur along his mothers stomach. Warmth radiated to him and his tiny maw clamped on a teat to feed, milk filling his belly and the one called sister was placed next to him by father. Kailos drank till he was full, and maybe a little more, before curling up under the hind leg of mother where it was warm and safe before falling asleep.

Bane's gaze showed concern as his mate lay unmoving on her side, shakes and tremors raking through her body. The inquiry about if he should howling for a healer was shot down, and the elder couldn't help but feel slightly more worried at the birth. Tahlia's voiced reassurance to her mate that everything was going to be ok. Bane was anything but reassured. All it would take was for one pup, and they both didn't know how many there were, to come out the wrong way. Tahlia whispered his name and Bane hovered over his mate with a clenched jaw. "Yes Tahlia?" The elder's mate didn't speak, and so he kept quiet his curious prying of what she was going to say.

The two wolves occupied their den all by themselves, at the moment, no outside help coming or wanted as the she-wolf gave birth. Bane took to observing the lengthy process in silence. First a female, one who was grabbed up and cleaned by Tahlia. The little she-pup was placed close to the she's wolfs stomach to feed. Number two came out by that time, abnormally quick for some reason, and received the same process as his sister of having the blood cleaned off and dried to the state of a feathery puffball. "Kailos." Bane mumbled before picking up the female wiggling her way towards him and placed her at his mates side. The two pups were left to nurse, the elder wolf planning on let Tahlia name the female. The elder gave a yawn and planned to clean the den of as much blood as he could in morning. Bane lay down so that the pups were between his chest and Tahlia's, and closed his eye.

-Bane is asleep-

Walk | Talk | Think She watched them closely, her baby boy and girl, now cleaned and warm and situated at her stomach in the hopes they would feed and rest after their birth. Heaven knew Tahlia was ready for the rest despite the smile that remained firmly in place and the happy tears that had quietly begun to leak from her dark gold eyes. They were positively lovely! All the effort, all the trouble they had caused her, these unexpected miracles, was worth it. Her tired gaze shifted from her son, who nestled close beside her feeding, to her daughter who had begun to wander away as if drawn to her father's presence. He was patient, speaking a single word before he guided her back to her brother, and it took a moment for Tahlia to understand that he had been speaking a name, a name for their son. Kailos. Yes. That did have a nice, strong sound to it. And the girl? "Lior," she whispered through her exhaustion, reaching toward them to kiss each child gently as they began to rest. Bane was already curling up and drifting away to sleep, situated so that the pups were between them, but Tahlia resisted as long as she could. She could hardly believe with all their bad luck that they had been blessed in this manner with two more children, though she was secretly glad to have such young ones to care for again. Anais and Jakart were nearly a year now, so grown and independent, and Nako had been the same since he had come to live with them. Anais. Jakart. Nako. They would want to know of this. They should be told of their new siblings. But she was already having trouble keeping her eyes open, and watching the pups, now asleep, only made her more inclined to do the same. "They will love you too," she assured little Kailos and Lior, at last setting her head down to sleep herself. -Exit Tahlia and end thread-