The Calm Before

Lying with Briar in his arms, their unborn children nestled safely between them in his wife's belly, it was this moment that made Artorias realize he'd made it. When he'd been a pup, all he could think of was being a knight like his parents. A mighty warrior fighting for righteousness and justice, defending his pack and his family. That had been the pinnacle of his life at the time, the moment when he could say he'd accomplished his dreams. Oh, but how life had changed him from that naive little pup to what he was today! Now, all he needed to be content and happy was this. A peaceful interlude with the fae he loved more than life itself, on the precipice of welcoming their children into the world. This... this was perfection. Artorias savored every second of it that he could. The way things sounded, smelled, felt. He wanted to remember this moment for the rest of his life and carry the memory with him into whatever afterlife followed. This was the beginning of the rest of his forever with his Briar and his family.

Artorias giggled again like an amused puppy when he felt another strong kick against his paw, rubbing over the spot on Briar's swollen belly. Knowing that they were his pups he was feeling brought a swell of pride and love to his heart the likes of which he couldn't describe or explain. Both of them had been dreaming of the moment when they'd get to start their own family together one day, and now that time was finally here! From the moment he knew he was in love with Briar, being her mate and having a family with her had been all he could think about. Seeing the love and joy on his wife's face just made this reality all the more sweet to him. Perhaps he was getting ahead of himself, but Artorias was already thinking of how many times they'd get to enjoy this type of love together. They'd never have the same specialness as they did now with their first litter, but each litter would be special and unique in its own way, and Art wanted that moment as often as they could. He chuckled softly as he realized that he and Briar were likely going to have a very large family by the time they decided they were done having kids if they both enjoyed this moment so much!

After some time, the pups seemed to settle again, and so too did their parents, Artorias relaxing back into the furs while holding Briar close to him. He glanced down at her smiling face, meeting her lips halfway with a gentle kiss of his own. "So am I," he replied in soft, hushed tones, nuzzling just behind Briar's closest ear. Briar added on how she was going to miss having him alone whenever she wanted, and punctuated her statement with a sly grin and a suggestive press of her hips back into his. The motion caught Artorias by surprise, drawing a shaky gasp from the brute, meeting Briar's knowing glance with a dumbstruck grin. Neither of them had been intimate since the start of Briar's pregnancy, partially due to her earlier symptoms and partially due to how busy he'd been getting things prepared while she rested, but it also hadn't been a priority on his mind. Briar, however, was clearly feeling libidinous as her sex drive was returning to her.

The soft silken brush of her flowing tail over his more sensitive parts forced the dire brute to bite his lip to stifle a groan, his hind legs quivering from the teasing touch of his mate. "Oh is that so...?" Artorias replied to his mate's purring temptations with a half grin, slowly rubbing a paw up and down along her belly to her hip. He slowly brought his muzzle down to brush along the side of her own, lifting his snout to nip and kiss behind her ear while he asked in a whisper, "What else could your alpha do for you besides cuddle, my beautiful Queen?" He was teasing her, playing along with her just to work her up more. It was one of Artorias' favorite parts of their relationship, the playful teasing and banter they shared that led up to their steamy, heated moments together.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian"