This Little Bird

It seemed as though Ashur just left the cave when Indigo was entering. Asla's tail began to wag a bit, ears flattening for a moment as she saw him. This was all for him. They would be their children, but she knew that they would be his more than anything. It wasn't that she wouldn't love the pups, but they would be a part of Indigo's soul. The glue that would hold him together. The woman was honored to do this for the one that she loved.

Indigo moved forward, kissing her cheek then pressing his forehead against her own. His words brought a soft chuckle from her, despite the pain that cut through her belly. "Hello yourself," she responded playfully. He asked if she was ready and she nodded. There was no worry in the woman. She knew that this would go well. Mother's intuition or something like that. Aslatiel was calm and collected even as her maw dropped open to pant through the pain.

The massive purple man was there and she leaned into him as the contractions picked up in speed and severity. The barest whine cut through Asla's clenched teeth a she began to push. One thing followed another, the birth going as smoothly as she imagined it would. In the end, Asla gave birth to a single child. A small little puff of purple and black, smaller even than Satira had been at birth. The little girl mewled and squirmed as Asla cut the cord connecting them. Despite the child's small size, Asla was quite tired.

Asla handed the pup to Indigo to hold and clean while she finished the natural process of motherhood. Once the afterbirth was expelled, Asla moved just enough to wrap everything up in the oiled skin that she'd been laying upon and pushed it aside. She then lay down on a much softer skin, though she didn't move to sully their bed. The child needed to eat first before she could leave to clean up. She lay on her side, watching Indigo handle his daughter. "Aia Skye Indarra," she spoke their daughter's name for the first time, a tired smile stretching across her scarred features.

"Aslatiel Indarra"