❥❥ Star lay asleep in the den she shared with her mate, resting after a day of mild cramps had affected her. Tonight, the gripping pressure of her pup-heavy abdomen was enough to bring her whimpering out of her sleep. She tried to catch her breath between these awful tearing contractions, knowing that this was the real time, no more false alarms. Panting heavily from the pain, Star turned to Frost and nudged him to wake, trying to talk as her body began to relax for a moment. "My love...my love? Wake up...it's time to welcome our little ones...into the world." A few rippling ligament cramps broke through and took her breath as she tried to speak, making her words breathy and strained. How many would there be? What would they look like? What would they be like? Star could only imagine, though a new wave of contractions had her whimpering and panting again, making the daydreams short lived. She would relax and simply breathe as they came and went, the time between shortening each time and making her restless. Frost would be awake enough soon, she knew, she was making enough racket she was sure of it.

"Soothing voice." Quiet paws. Whispering mind. "Spoken to."

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He was peacefully dreaming beside Star his dreams filled with the thoughts of thier children. To say he was excited had been a big understatement. He was over the moon and feeling his life was more complete then he could ever imagine. He knew the time was near, but it had come a lot sooner then he had expected. Her nudging drew him from his dreams of having a family and raising kids with her. Drawing him into reality with panting and shuffleing. Lifting his head his brain registered her words and suddenly he was wide awake. He hadn’t been prepared and internally the thought of them comming right now scared him. Though he tried his best to hide his building anxiety. Standing from his spot he moved towards the entrance.

“I’ll be right back I’m going to howl for healers in case we need the help,” he said with a wag of his tail.

He turned away and moved out of the den trying to calm his nerves, worried with both of them being older that something may go wrong. Shaking out his fur he lifted his head and gave a call for Bealfire, the newest healer, and Ara, the most experienced healer, to give extra aid. He then gave himself a moment or too to compose himself before slipping back in the den to curl around Star.

“Anything you need right now,” he asked hoping to assist in any way he could.

Despite the time of day, Ara was quick to react to a cry for assistance. The call from Frostbite didn't sound entirely panicked, but certainly rushed, though Ara didn't delay in rushing to action. She roused from sleep quite quickly, adrenaline making an easy job out of shaking off her fatigue. Hurriedly she gathered up her bag of herbs and whatever useful plants she'd gathered recently and was attempting to rearrange in her den the previous night. Feeling confident she had what she needed for whatever scenario she might be faced with, the elder slipped from her den and made her way to where Frostbite had summoned her. As soon as she drew closer, she knew what was happening. She'd seen the pregnant woman and, if her scent was any indicator, she was due to give birth any day... and, judging by the slightly pained panting that was coming from the den nearby, probably right now. Ara was calm, offering a quiet smile and dip of her muzzle to Frostbite as she peered briefly into the den. She wouldn't intrude unless necessary, and found no need to stifle a woman who was probably quite overwhelmed to begin with. Briefly, she dug in her satchel before retrieving a few cannabis leaves and setting them near the den's entrance. "Have her chew on these," Ara suggested, her voice soft, nearly a whisper. "They should help calm her, if she needs them."

❥❥ Stardust looked to the den entrance as she heard Frost howl for a healer. He was so thoughtful that he had foresight enough to call for aid in case she needed it. It was a smart move and one she would have eventually thought of, though her mind was clouded with pain at the moment. Luckily her mate cared enough for her that he would do such a thing, and the thought warmed her heart. Her bright jade eyes gleamed as she looked up, hearing his question brought a smile to her face. "I would like...some water...if you can..." Shortly after she heard a new voice, one that was unfamiliar and yet, the scent that blew into the den had the pack all over it. The stranger looked into the den for a brief moment, and Star had to fight a surge of panic. The woman was darkly pelted except her face and throat, a fact that helped Star tremedously in not assuming this was the same wolf who had kidnapped and drugged her.

❥❥ Star heard the woman speak, offering something to help her calm down. With the way her chest clenched she felt as though she would need them, but she would hold off until absolutely necessary. Her anxiety had been soothed for the moment, with the face of her kidnapper having been completely dark, she knew this wolf wouldn't hurt her. Another contraction demanded her focus, and Star turned her eyes to stare down at her belly with a small pained whimper. There was so much pressure! After a while of this, her contractions became so close that instinct demanded she begins to push. Panting, she waited a moment before pushing and feeling her body stretch with the first of their children, and Star had to force herself not to wave her tail before she pushed again. The first pup came into the world, though it was a rather large puppy, a male, one whose face she absolutely adored. He was covered in white, black and brown fur, with a black patch over his left eye. She began to clean him off and herself, then began to push once more as the pup found her belly. As he fed, he induced contractions which helped bring his siblings into the world.

❥❥ The second born was a big female puppy, this one was colored like her brother, but her white covered her face and the brown and black seemed to mingle on her back, her tones more chestnut than tan. She was perfect and healthy, Star could tell as she cleaned the girl up, the baby squealing out in protest at the touch. Once she was cleaned up, the puppy began to root for Star's belly, helping her brother to bring on more contractions and help Star with the birth of another pup. The third pup was almost completely white, with tan, ginger, and black markings. The ones on the girl's face almost looked like tiger stripes, as did the white markings on her legs. Star cleaned off this shining pup, and then let her go to find her place with her siblings. A fourth pup came rather quickly into the world, resulting in a small tear in Star's hind region, making her yelp out and whimper. This would be the second tear aside from when the first big pup was born, though this fourth pup was a bit smaller than her siblings. The little girl was covered in brown fur with white spots on it that made her look like a deer fawn, bringing a smile to Star's face. Despite the pain, as soon as the littlest pup latched on, another wave of contractions stole her breath. "We have...four, so far...one coming!" She called out to Frost.

❥❥ The fifth and final pup took its time entering the world, making Star exhausted by the time he was born. She could hardly keep her eyes open and clean him off. His pelt was a myraid of different browns, from sandy brown to a muted grey-brown color. There was white over his face and sides, and Star thought he was rather fetching. All of her children were beautiful, perfect, and beyond imagining. She couldn't believe she was a mother! Feeling the tug and pull of the newest pup at her belly, Star lay on her side and waited, caught her breath for a second. "We have five, Frost! And, for the healer with you, I am bleeding rather badly, but nothing too horrible. I would like something for pain, and maybe to help heal up the tearing..." Stardust blushed softly, not used to discussing such personal things with a wolf she didn't know. Was this what patients often felt like? Soon the pups were full and sleeping and Star was also on her way toward sleep, whether the healer worked on her or not, she just simply couldn't keep her eyes open. "You can name them, Frost...I am so tired..." She said softly through a yawn, she knew Frost would come up with beautiful names for their babies!

"Soothing voice." Quiet paws. Whispering mind. "Spoken to."

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She was quick to reply, wanting some water and he nodded to her before getting himself back onto his feet and trudging out of the den again. Ara just showed up dropping some herbs that she instructed him to give for Star to chew on. He nodded his head, gently taking them into his mouth and going back into the den to bring them to Star. Once dropping them he headed back out of the den like a man on a mission, to get her some water. There was a small stream that ran right by there tree and that's where he was headed. By the water was an old half a coconut that had the hairy fibers torn off of it on the outside and the meaty inside cleaned out. He took this and dipped it into the water to have a small bowl of it. Carefully he carried it back into the den and set it within reaching distance of her before taking up a position nearby, but giving her the space she needed. He stayed by her head wanting to give her room to do what she needed to, unsure of how else to help. Everything then seemed to happen so fast for him. He watched her reach around and begin to clean the first pup, a large male that was mostly white, but had the black and brown that came from him. He could feel his chest swelling with pride when the pup showed that he was alive and well. A second, a third, and a fourth made him oh so happy! He was still nervous, but each pup seemed to show that it was healthy and vary much alive. She then spoke up claiming their was another one coming making him wonder what their end result would be. It was a pure blessing to have as many as they currently had. The last one seemed to take it's time a little bit, but it was finally born, alive, and seemed healthy. Five puppies! Five children! They were truly blessed and Frost felt like he was flying on cloud nine. She spoke saying she has some bleeding and Frost walked to the entrance giving a light calling bark to Ara, in case she hadn't been close enough to hear Star's words. Then going back to her Frost laid in front of her, facing her. She claimed she was tired and his eyes turned slightly concerned, but birthing five puppies was no easy task. He gently tried to clean her cheek and nibble just under her ear. "You did fantastic Star, Ara will be in with the herbs, for now you must focus on rest, I'll keep an eye on the puppies and make sure they don't fight over their food," he said softly. "Frost Talk", & 'Frost Think'

There were few things in life more beautiful than bringing life into the world, and despite not knowing these two well she could quite easily share in their joy. The miracle of birth brought a certain kind of contagious joy, even to those uninvolved, for what was more beautiful than children? Ara couldn't think of much.  She was quiet and calm, not wanting to interfere with the birth unless she absolutely had to. She was reminded briefly of when she had helped Novel give birth to their boys, when she'd played a much more intimate role. Her nerves had been wound up much more tightly then, and she'd felt an almost crippling sense of self-doubt about her ability to truly help. But now? She felt no such fear. Ara was certain of her abilities, and she doubted much could rattle her now. She listened carefully to what was happening within the den, watching for any signs that this birth would be a difficult one, in case she was needed - but everything seemed to go relatively smoothly. Only when Stardust's cries grew soft was she certain that all was well, and before long Frostbite was calling for her. Quietly she drew near to the den's entrance, nosing the cannabis leaf toward Frostbite and then shifting around, lowering herself slightly to let her satchel lie on the ground. She spent a few seconds nosing through it, before grabbing a single trillium flower and adding it to the collection. "These will both help with the pain. Only consume the petals on these white flowers, but this can be consumed entirely." Ara nosed the green plant, speaking softly and maintaining her distance. She knew that there were few things in the world as unpredictable as new mothers, and she had no intent on startling the woman. She barely knew her, after all. "And congratulations to you both." The elder's smile was warm and deeply genuine, and she offered a slight nod before turning and slipping away, leaving the two young parents to bask in their joy together. -exit Ara-