Perfection from Nose to Tail

The days drew closer and closer to Briar's expected due date, each one passing like grains of sand in an hourglass, ticking down to the moment where their little family would grow even larger. Briar's pregnancy had passed without much incident or concern, and given that neither of them were so new to the whole parenthood thing anymore, Artorias felt much more at ease as they finished their preparations to welcome their next litter of joyful bundles into the world. Gwynevere stayed on top of Briar, making sure she was tended to, taking her herbs and supplements, eating and getting what little exercise she could as she grew rounder by the day. It seemed like once again, the Carpathius and Fatalis genes of having large litters would be coming in strong for this bunch, given that Briar seemed even larger than she had with their first litter. Gwyn reassured them that everything seemed normal and fine though, so the Aegis was just mentally preparing himself for however many little wolf nuggets he'd need to keep his eyes on this time.

The day they arrived was a dreary, overcast winter morning, pale diffused sunlight filtering through a dense layer of gray cloud cover. As was his routine, Artorias had set out early before dawn for the morning patrol and his daily meditation. Fortunately, he hadn't gotten far from Hearthstone when Willow found him seated along the coast, listening to the ocean waves as he did his deep breathing exercises and cleared his mind. The excitable cries of Briar's falcon were gibberish to him, but a very alert Corbin translated for him; the puppies were coming! Artorias scrambled to his paws, snatching up Embershard from where it lay on the sand and sprinted back up to the castle. Giant paws thundered up the stairs to his bedchambers, paws scrabbling across the rugs in the hall as he wiped out and scurried back to his paws, darting into the room. "Briar, I'm here!" he called out as he rushed into their bedroom, amber eyes swiftly scouring the room to spot his mate pacing by the windows that overlooked the ocean. The brute hurried over to his fae's side, bumping his head into her shoulder with a gentle nuzzle as he asked, "How are you feeling? Do you want me to call for Gwyn?"

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"