Light piercing the dark

The wide smile that grew on Briar's face as she delighted in and marveled at her new sword brought Artorias all the joy he needed to know his work was appreciated. Forging Carpathian steel brand new was still a practice he was honing and refining, but he was getting better and better at it with every piece made, and he wanted Briar's sword to be a perfect match to his own—that beautiful yet wild chaotic pattern of crucible-forged Damascus steel was incredibly hard to smelt and create, but he hadn't given up until he'd accomplished what he set out to do. Briar thanked him and complimented the steel, making the dopey lovestruck dire brute's bushy tail wag all the faster behind him. Briar's enjoyment of her new sword was all the reward he needed for his hard work. As Briar proclaimed her love for him and draped her silky tail over his hip and thigh, Art felt his heart skip a beat, knowing exactly what would be coming next at the promise of Briar's suggestive touches. A little grin played on his lips, his paw sliding down around Briar's waist to pull her closer into his body...

And then Briar gasped and winced and Artorias was immediately alert and looking at her with concern. Was something wrong? A sudden strong muscular contraction in her belly beneath his paw tipped him off to what was going on, and a moment later Briar made a comment about their pups interrupting them. Art's eyes went wide, excitement welling up in his racing heart. The pups were coming! "Part of the joys of being parents," he quipped back with a playful smile as he got up to help Briar to her paws as well. As soon as she was up her water broke and Art realized their children were coming a lot quicker than they were ready for. "Oooookay, we're going by their timetable now!" he said with a laugh as he offered Briar his side to escort her over to the whelping bed.

Once he'd gotten her over and settled in, Artorias went back to gather up Briar's sword and sheath it, placing it with care on his desk and out of the way while he set about gathering up clean cloths, the medicines Gwyn had brewed for them, and a dish to fill with water. This was no new rodeo to either Carpathian, so Artorias moved mostly on memory and practice, returning to Briar with their essential supplies. No medic would be needed this time. While he settled in behind Briar to give her comfort and offering his body for her to grip and bite onto if she needed, Artorias found the bottle of motherwort and trillium extract and uncorked it to offer Briar, remembering the basic order of which medicines needed to be taken at which stages of birth. "Ready to be parents again, love?" asked the bright-eyed and beaming Artorias, tail awag with excitement. "We've got this, but you tell me if you want me to call for Gwyn at any point, okay?"

"Artorias & Briar" | "Carpathian"