Kalliope was glad her pregnancy was nearing the end. She had put herself on bed rest for most of it simply because she was too terrified of something going wrong to do anything else. No matter how many assurances she got from her mate that everything was going to be fine, she still worried. Between the worries around the birthing and her concerns that they might inherit her blindness her mind was always full of concerns. Castiel was more than she could have asked for. His excitement and support was more than enough to remind her that at the end of the day they were going to be parents and that was something to be excited about. She had never pictured herself as a mother, but being with Castiel made her want this. She was resting in their den with her head on her paws when the first contraction caught her off guard. She knew it was going to be any day now, but it was still surprising in a way. She edged toward the entrance of the den and let out a howl for Castiel. He was sure to be near by, or at least she hoped he was. Her heart was pounding as she made herself settle onto her side near the back of the den, feeling the contractions getting stronger by the second. She knew the motions, knew what was supposed to happen, but experiencing it was totally different. Kalli gritted her teeth against the pain as another contraction gripped her. Once Castiel was there she could relax just a bit. His scent calmed her down enough that the panic went away, leaving just a normal bit of nerves. "Will you help me make sure they get cleaned off well? I don't want to miss something because I can't see them," she asked him softly. Perhaps between the two of them they could bring these pups into the world. Kalliope rested her head down as another contraction pulled at her, each one stronger than the last. She tried to take her own advice that she had told Faite and just let her body tell her what to do. Luckily her instincts kicked in when it was time to push out the first pup. At least that advice had been sound. The first pup came fairly easily and she was relieved as she lifted her head to clean him, finding the little pup with her nose and gently licking over him. Once their first son was settled at her stomach she let her head lay back on the den floor while she panted and the contractions picked back up in full force. It didn't leave her much time to celebrate the little life beside her, but there would be plenty of time for that later. The second pup didn't give her such an easy time. She pushed and pushed, but she still had no pup to show for it. The pain kept building though and between that and the effort going into her contractions and pushing her head started to feel dizzy. She whined softly and her ears flicked back against her head, making her shove that worried panic back down. She had come too far to panic now. Finally, after what felt like ages, the pup slipped free and she sighed with relief. When she tiredly pulled herself pup to clean him, she realized why he had been such a struggle to push out. From what she could feel with her nose and tongue he was huge! She chuckled breathlessly and gently nudged the pup to her stomach as well. All she could hope now was that she was close to being finished and that the last pups wouldn't be as big as their brother. Her hopes were answered at least as the last pup came into the word. The small pup came with no problems whatsoever and Kalli was greatful as she turned to clean her up. So they did have a little girl! She was excited about that. While she was cleaning the smallest pup she noticed something that made her ears fall back against her head again. She had to have been wrong, right? How could a pup just be missing a leg? Her protective nature went into hyper drive as she pulled the little pup in to her stomach next to her brothers. At least she would have two brothers to look after her. "I want to name her Etain... After the woman that adopted me. She needs some of my adoptive mother's strength..." her tired voice trailed off as she nuzzled her daughter gently before bringing her muzzle over to nuzzle her sons as well. "Will you help me name our sons?" "Talk" "You" Think

The man was a bit nervous, but excited too. Kalliope had gone on bed rest to prepare for the birth of their little ones. He was doing his best to reassure Kalliope that all was going to be fine. They were both older, yes, but Cas didn’t believe for a second that there would be anything wrong during this delivery. Not with his mate, nor with their children. Still the man kept close by, preparing for when their little ones were to come. His mind blocked out anything and everything else… it was time to be selfish for a change. Castiel bolted like a ball out of a cannon the moment he heard Kalliope’s call. He’d been getting a drink when she called for him, and he wouldn’t keep her waiting. Their children were to come any day… and the man suspected that day was today. When he arrived he found Kalliope going into labor, his breath caught in his throat for just a moment before he found himself again, giving her a gentle nuzzle. “Deep breaths. You’re going to be fine.” The brute assured her. When Kalli asked if he’d help clean them he gave a nod, a light chuckle leaving him. “I’ll make sure they’re all right as rain, my love.” Castiel promised, giving her lick upon the head. “I’ll be right here to watch over all of you… Things will be okay.” But waiting was something hard to do, especially knowing his beloved was in pain. Yet neither had to wait long before the first child was born, and Castiel felt his heart swell with pride. The young boy looked more like him, though some parts were a little darker, marked with a bit of silver. Castiel felt his heart go out to the young one almost immediately. He aided Kalliope with the cleaning, helping make sure their firstborn was at her side and settled before the next child started to come into the world. But something seemed wrong. Castiel blinked, giving a soft whine of his own before nuzzling Kalliope under the chin. “Come on Kalli, you can do this…” He urged her. It seemed to take a while longer, but when Castiel saw the child he understood why. He dwarfed his brother practically, a much larger form brought into he world. He looked more like his sibling too, bearing more silver upon his coat. Would none of their children resemble Kalli? He wondered, his heart aching at the thought for a brief moment. But then, Cas thought, what did it matter? They were still their children, to be loved no matter what. With their second son cleaned and moved to Kalliope’s side the pale man waited for the rest of their litter to be born, and, to his delight, their daughter was next. But he noticed the flaw too, something that would give their daughter trouble as she aged. She was missing a leg… but Castiel felt confident that she’d grow up safely. Especially with two big brothers to look after her. Cas settled, figuring out as Kalli named their daughter that there were no more children to come. A beautiful litter of three… they had truly been blessed. “Etain sounds like a wonderful name.” The man said softly, gazing over to the two boys. “I’d be happy to. Now lets see…” He closed his eyes, considering potential names. Should he name them after someone in his family or…? “The larger one could be Viho… if you agree.” He glanced at the smaller male, seeing him wiggle next to his siblings. “…and the firstborn strikes me as a Ron... or Ronen…” Castiel tilted his head to the side, continuing to speak. “You must be worn out after all that… do you need water? Food perhaps?” "Speak"

Kalliope leaned into Castiel while he brainstormed some names, letting herself relax into his form for a moment. She was exhausted, but she couldn't sleep yet. She was too happy, too excited. They had all come into the world without a problem, save for the extra work their middle child had caused. She was okay with that though. If that was their only problem in this whole birth she was certainly not going to complain. Three children. They had three children. She still couldn't believe it even though she could feel all of them nestled against her stomach, having their first meal. She smiled when Castiel offered his ideas for the names for their sons. "Viho and Ronen. I love those names. Etain, Viho, and Ronen." She was still worried for Etain, but with two brothers, Castiel, and herself looking out for her she felt better about having her little girl out in the world. Her little girl. Just that thought alone made her smile widen. She turned her head a bit toward Castiel when he offered her food and water. "Honestly, I just want to sleep," she replied with a soft chuckle. "You won't leave, right?" she asked hesitantly, a little embarrassed over how much she needed him here. She had always been so independent, but now that she had these three little lives so dependant on her she was afraid she would do something wrong. She'd die if anything happened to them. "Talk" "You" Think