Other than the cold it hadn't taken Neith very long to settle in, she'd taken to getting know the entirety of the territory and to her surprised delight the giant that was Laufey as well. While she hadn't been too certain about her place within the pack to begin with her job was growing on her. While the more pleasurable side was enjoyable she was appreciating the work as well. She had purpose for the first time in her life, she hunted and helped to feed her pack. It was a life that she would easily grow accustomed to. The simple times quickly changed. Not so very long after she'd joined the woman would realize her pregnancy. Deep down she had half expected it, but the shock was still very real. After taking a little time to herself to accept her new role she'd realize how much she missed her sister. Neith would make up her mind to seek out Kalliope somehow. The midnight she wolf would keep her almost sister in her mind as she continued her duties and grew slightly more round. She'd never seen a pregnant she wolf before, and even as her due date approached she wouldn't grow very large. This fact would keep her working up until the moment she went into labor. Neith's limbs were coiled beneath her as she stalked a stray pheasant. At least she thoughts it was a peasant, it was white instead of the regular color. The snow up here turned more than the ground white it seemed. The Moria woman might have struck only moments later, but the first contraction decided then to show itself. While the ones she'd experienced the previous few days had been rather mild, this was a whole new animal. As soon as she felt it she knew they were on their way. Abandoning her feathery meal the she wolf would head back to her den, which she'd moved closer to the forest not long after she'd joined. The gorge was nice enough, but it was too windy for her liking. The giant forest was much quieter, she didn't have the constant howl of the wind in her ears. The air was still, and she just felt warmer here. She'd found a little hollow in the crook of one of the smaller redwoods, it was much bigger on the inside than the kind of small hole on the outside might lead you to believe. In Neith's mind it was perfect. She'd push back the ferns to reveal the entrance, and slipped inside as another contraction rocked her form. Time seemed to slow down for the she wolf, she'd struggle for what seemed like a life time before one tiny pup was produced. After all of the effort she'd expected so much more. The babe was tiny and covered in pale silvery fur. There was a dark tint to her limbs, a promise of markings to come. Neith was convinced of her beauty the moment her eyes touched the tiny form. Wasting no time the new mother would clean her tiny child and lay her at her stomach to suckle. With a heavy sigh Neith would put her head to the floor of the cave to rest. ""

Upon learning that Neith was pregnant Laufey had been filled to the brim with excitement. He loved being a father and the opportunity to raise more children both excited and terrified him. The brute's childhood had been lacking. He'd never known his father and neither of his mothers had ever been around. Both him and Esti had raised themselves. They'd had no guidance, no family and no love in their lives. His children would be different. They would know family, they would know love and they would know tradition. He would raise up true Vikings. With some confusion he followed Neith's scent from the Gorge where she'd been told to den to the Forest. Disobeying Katja was a dangerous thing and he was sure Neith understood that, so he was sure she had a compelling reason for moving somewhere else. Perhaps she's grown uncomfortable in the final stages of her pregnancy? That was a thing, right? Finding the most secure, most comfortable place to give birth. Finding Neith's den, Laufey hunkered down and slipped into the entrance. "Neith?" She'd given birth; that much he could tell. He had half a mind to call Katja now; from Stori's birth he knew there were certain traditions he needed to follow.

Not long after her little child was brought into the world the solitude would be broken again as Laufey found his way into the den. Had she told him she'd moved here? Probably not, she'd been pretty forgetful the last couple of weeks. She'd hear him enter but wouldn't open her eyes until he called out her name gently. A small smile would appear on her features as she looked up at him, proudly showing off what they'd made together as she brushed her tail away from the baby. Just because it was slightly warmer here didn't mean the tiny being was any less cold. "Sorry I didn't call for you, I was just a little preoccupied." She'd try to reach out and nuzzle him slightly, "Meet your daughter," surely he didn't feel too bad about missing the less than glamourous entrance their child had made into the world. She also hadn't been named yet, rest was first on Neith's list, and she was sure there would be some kind of tradition about naming their young. Or welcoming them into the world or something, there were a lot of customs that she was still trying to learn. ""

His eyes were slow to adjust to the gloom of them den and Laufey had to blink rapidly and squint in the hopes of speeding the process up. The first thing he saw was the dark outline of Neith. His gaze trailed down the outline and into the darkness at her side. "Daughter?" he murmured as his eyes caught the barely discernible movement of Neith's tail as she nuzzled his chin. Slowly a small white blob began to stand out against the black of Neith's fur. Laufey dropped down to his belly beside Neith and reached out to gently brush his nose along the tiny pup at her side. My, was she cute. And tiny. "She's perfect," he said approvingly. Had Stori been this small? It was hard to reconcile the image of the big, exuberant boy with the newborn he once was. "Tradition is that we wait to name her," he stated simply.

Neith would watch in the darkened light as Laufey sunk to the ground and found the tiny child they had made together. Her bright lavender eyes would watch as he brushed her affectionately, he seemed just as enamored as she was becoming. The pale little child had a bright future ahead of her, Neith realized then what an incredible decision she'd made for her daughter, to have the opportunity to grow up in such a pack. "She's perfect," There was approval in his voice, Neith had done well in her endeavor. He'd go on and mention the tradition of naming, and Neith would nod. She hadn't thought of any good names anyway. Neith's dark nose would also brush the newborn, partially to make sure she was still there and all of this was real. "How long?" 'My little pup' would have to do as a name for now, hopefully it wouldn't be too long before she had a title. There were a lot of follow up questions it seemed. "Will I need to take her somewhere? Will we name her? Is there a big ceremony?" She was still very much curious about this new culture she'd stumbled upon. Their ways were different, but she was fascinated by them. ""

Already names were coming to mind. He knew now that the wait period between birth and the naming and claiming of children was to first see if the child was able to withstand the rigors of life. With the blood of the Finnvi coursing through her veins Laufey had no doubt that his daughter would grow up strong. She would not only survive the "trial" period, but thrive. He was sure of it. "Eight days, I believe." After rising carefully Laufey moved around behind Neith. He lay down once more and curled around her; the huge size difference allowing him to almost completely envelope Neith in a way that was very similar to how she lay curled around their baby. He waited until he was comfortable to answer the rest of her questions. "We needs witnesses. It can be as simple as Katja or my uncle Kaprasius or as extravagant as the whole pack. I suppose where it is and how big it is depends on who all we want present." While the decision was ultimately his Laufey wasn't about to exclude Neith from this decision. "And yes, we will get to name her."

Her eyes would stare at the new little life at her belly, only occasionally moving to Laufey as he spoke. He'd answer her question, there were eight days they would need to wait. Her eyes would follow him as he shifted to a more comfortable place behind her. She would settle back into him as he grew comfortable, managing not to disturb the tiny pup. Neith would nuzzle his silvery fur absently as he stilled and answered the rest of her questions. She'd sigh softly into his form, feeling the exertion of the days events hitting her hard. "I don't think its necessary for the whole pack to be present." She'd say almost absentmindedly, their child would only be eight days old, that seemed like it could be a lot of wolves for one child. She'd curl tighter around her newborn, finding herself quite content to be between her and Laufey. Her gaze would stray back to the itty bitty pup, "She's just so cute." ""