and the reason is you

As her middle began to swell and her ripening became obvious Ballad retreated to the southern lands. Where her family had once resided, back when the Adem her whole and unfractured. She would raise her whelps here in seclusion and safety. After much work, which she finished blessedly before she became too encumbered to complete, her den was ready. All the animals she killed for sustenance lingered in the small cave as tanned pelts for comfort. She dried meat for the time she would be unable to hunt, and finally settled in for the long wait.

Her sleep was disturbed by the suddenness of labor, she welcomed the process. After a long morning of endurance and efforts Ballad would be blessed by Tor. Two beautiful little pups were birthed. Ballad wished that she could have Eris or Lament here to enjoy them with her, but their skills were required elsewhere. She had no doubt in her abilities to do this alone, and with exhaustion she nosed the tiny girls to her stomach and fell asleep to them nursing for the first time.