Little fuzz balls

Walk | "Talk" | think

She couldn’t express how grateful she was to have Resin and Iolaire there with her through this whole process. Just having her lover’s steady assuredness and Io’s kind, reassuring comments did wonders to keep her worry at bay and help keep that excitement for these pups at the forefront of her mind. Tamsyn glanced back at Resin at her quiet reminder that she was with her and she managed a small smile despite how she was feeling. She then looked back to Iolaire and gave a small nod of acknowledgment to the healer’s instructions to push when her body told her to. Even though she didn’t really know what that meant, she trusted the advice all the same. She just hoped that maybe these pups had kept them waiting long enough and would finally stop putting her through all of this soon. Another quick smile touched her lips at Io expressing that she was excited to meet them and she gave a slightly breathless chuckle before replying, “Me too.”

Only a few moments later she began to realize what Iolaire meant as her instincts took over and she began to push with the strong, painful contractions. She gritted her teeth with an occasional strained whine escaping her as she squeezed her eyes closed with each push, panting hard between them and fully reclining into Resin’s side. It was hard and exhausting and one of the most painful things she had ever experienced, but as soon as their first pup was born it all felt worth it. There was a momentary rush of relief and as much as she wanted to lay there and catch her breath, she wanted to see their child more. Quickly lifting the upper half of her body enough to twist around to reach him, she carefully licked away the mess to reveal a boy that was almost just as much black as he was blue. He seemed awfully big in her eyes, but her frame of reference for pups was pretty limited and it was so hard to tell what he really looked like right now with all of his little puppy furs wet and wrinkled. A moment later those first little squealing cries filled the den and her heart swelled, making her glance back at Resin again with a huge grin and a renewed energy.

Of course she wouldn’t get to celebrate this little victory for too long since just shortly after getting their little boy nestled into place those pesky contractions picked back up again and she slipped back into the painful rhythm of them. At least she knew now what it was supposed to feel like and what to more or less expect from it as she went into the birth of their second pup. The second pup seemed to go a bit faster than the first and it didn’t take long for her to feel that momentary relief again as their second pup slipped out into the open. Even though she knew she had help there, she still felt the need to quickly get to the pup herself just to make sure it was okay and see what the little slippery thing looked like. This time she was surprised by a much smaller pup than the first, this time a little girl colored with white and patches of brown. Somehow the blue had seemed less surprising than the brown, but she absolutely loved the warm hues of her daughter’s coat. She couldn’t wait to see what she looked like once she was fully dry and all those fuzzy little puppy furs could really show off their beauty. Once the loud, squealing pup had been placed at her side next to her brother, Tamsyn settled back against Resin, looking up at her lover with excitement and love - though there was certainly a fair bit of exhaustion mixed in there as well.

There was a brief pause in the contractions which Tam happily took advantage of, but she knew she wasn’t done. That proved itself to be true when her contractions kicked back into high gear and she started working the third pup out into the world. This one felt considerably more difficult than the second and she was actually a bit surprised to realize that each pup could go a little differently. It was honestly hard to tell if this was the same or harder than the first since now she had the added difficulty of being tired to deal with, but it did feel like this one was taking longer than the others. Eventually though, with a pained growl, she finally delivered another boy, this time covered with patches and speckles of various shades of gray. She was amazed by how different they all were so far with none of them sharing similar patterns or colors. The only slight connection was the gray and white tones in his marbled coat, but he was very unique in his lack of distinct patterns.

With three pups tucked against her stomach feeding happily, she flopped back down into Resin’s side with a heavy sigh. Their fourth pup thankfully come uneventfully soon after, unveiling yet another different set of patterns with a mix of darker and lighter grays. This time the patterns were far more regular and angled than the one before it. The den was filled with the sound of squeaks and grunts from their four little fuzz balls as they nestled themselves in together, one occasionally climbing over another and just adding to how unbearably adorable they were. Her heart was so incredibly full and just seeing them together like this made every moment of this beyond worth it.

Even though this already felt like a big family for her and Resin, she wasn’t done yet - she could tell. She wasn’t sure how she knew, but her body and instincts hadn’t steered her wrong yet. Sure enough, she fell into another steady rhythm of pushing and contractions after a few blessed moments of rest. By now, every push felt like a chore and a strain. Even though she was certain she had to be in the home stretch, she had gotten to the point where she didn’t know how she’d get to the end. Of course she knew she would because she had to even though she was very ready to be done. After what felt like ages she finally brought their fifth and final pup into the world and she breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Tiredly she sat up to help clean up the little pup, a dark nearly solid black little girl with just some silvery ticking and angled markings across her little face. She expected to hear those squeaky little whines after a few good licks like her siblings had done, but that wasn’t the case. Her exhaustion fell away for a moment as worry took its place, looking to Iolaire with concern as she continued to clean and nudge the silent pup. It felt like her heart stopped when she watched the healer take the pup for a moment, her eyes wide and worried.

After a heavy, lengthy moment of silence, their last daughter finally spoke up and assured her that their last born was okay. She sighed again and smiled a little once their little girl was placed among her siblings to get her first meal. “Thank you,” she breathed to Iolaire before looking up to Resin with a relieved smile. Their family was finally here and she couldn’t be happier.