You Are Loved

*Anais* · 01-02-2016, 03:34 PM

Walk | Talk | Think

She tried not to let her nervousness become impatience. It was not her usual thing to wake up her mate in the very early hours of the morning, not if it could be helped, and he did not stir right away. But as his drowsy mind finally caught up with the situation, Anais saw the exact moment that recognition dawned. And caught Glacier within a long moment of frozen surprise. It would have been comical if not for the contractions that had started to come again, forcing her to take up her careful breathing, and when at last her mate moved she was not altogether sure what he intended to do first. He nearly knocked himself unconscious as he got to his paws, hesitated between the entryway, and finally stepped outside to call for backup. Anais shook her head slightly with his back turned and managed a painful smile. Maybe they would both need something to get through this ordeal.

With him moved, she took her opportunity to reclaim the central portion of the den, wanting the space and the warmth from where they had been sleeping. He returned to kiss her cheek, looking out of place and a whole lot out of his league, but she was grateful for his presence and offered him a quick nuzzle before the first of their night's guests would arrive. Her eyes lifted to the opening into the den, expecting Terrae but finding Voltage there instead. He knew how this went, so even if he did not have the herbs that his brother would there was still valuable knowledge and experience that could be taken from him. And he knew it. She smiled at him as he entered the den to offer her a quick kiss and a breathing suggestion that she immediately followed with a nod, closing her eyes to focus on her task. Breathe. Just breathe.

Vaguely aware of the questions that Voltage was asking of Glacier, Anais kept her focus on her breathing until she heard another voice within the small space. Eyes opening, she looked up to see Terrae there, along with a little hedgehog who traveled beside his feet. More instructions were given for her breathing, and she altered her breaths to accommodate, willing to do anything that would help things along and make it more bearable. The hedgehog nudged forward a small, flowery plant and as Terrae described its purpose Anais reached out and scooped it up with her tongue, chewing and swallowing it as she hoped it would work quickly. She did the same with the poppy seeds, sighing a quiet thanks once she was done. It was all up to her now.

It hardly even crossed her mind that she had three onlookers watching and making sure that everything went smoothly - or another standing back and out of the way. The effects of the plants that Terrae had given her began to work their effects, but the process became all she could think about. She squirmed, turned, leaned slightly against Glacier as she found her comfort and began the process of birthing the first of her litter. It took considerable effort, more than she had thought it would, but as she practically crumpled against her mate the puppy was free. Instinct more than anything kicked in, drawing her attention to it to clean and care for the newborn. It was no tiny thing, but it still struck her as fragile, delicate, precious.

She smiled, amazed, and was overtaken again by further pains. Another, her cloudy thoughts supplied, and tensing she took up her careful breathing again, shifting against her mate and straining a second time until another, smaller puppy was birthed, quicker than the last. Once more she tried to care for the child herself, tiredly curling herself around to clean it. It was smaller than the first, considerably so even for a newborn, but appeared no less healthy and active after its cleaning. Or at least it looked that way to her eyes. Exhausted, Anais turned her head and glanced through half lidded eyes at Voltage and Terrae before settling her gaze on her mate with a weak little smile.

Art by Arin

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