Days passed surprisingly quickly after Siren's birth and the two pups were growing faster than she could have imagined. She had never spent dedicated time with pups like this before and being able to see how the changed from day to day was an interesting experience. Most of her day was spent fetching anything Siren might have needed and keeping her company, only really leaving to go get them more food or supplies. The only thing she really hadn't been able to do for Siren yet was help her with a bath since the birth had worn her out so throughly and had torn certain parts of her apart and Dalila didn't want to risk having her get up and move anywhere to do it. She had given Siren little touchups with damp cloths, but she knew it wasn't the same as the baths with fragrant soaps that they used to do. There was another room adjacent to the suite they occupied that had a large tub that occupied one corner of the room. Early in the morning while Siren was taking a nap after the pups ate, Dalila investigated it a bit and cleaned out some dust and dirt that had accumulated in it. After a bit of experimenting with how to plug up the hole that was in one side, she went to get a bucket and started carrying in water from a stream that ran near the building they lived in. It took quite a few trips to get enough water to fill the tub even half way, but luckily Siren was very small so even this amount wound probably come up nearly to her shoulders. Dalila collected a bar of soap and some rags from their supplies before she came to wake Siren, quietly rousing her with some gentle nuzzles to her cheek so she wouldn't disturb the sleeping pups. She smiled once Siren's beautiful eyes opened and looked at her, making her tail wag gently. "Would you like a bath?" she whispered, nodding toward the doorway that would lead them to the other room. "Speech"

Siren slept a lot more of the time than she expected in the days after the birth. Partially because her body needed to recover, partially because of the herbs she was being dosed, and a third because of how well behaved the puppies were. Fast growing and quiet they slept just as frequently if not more than their mother. It was a harmonious cycle of sleeping and eating. And still Siren wasn’t sure she could do it without Dalila’s assistance. She saw to her every need, and the Queen wasn’t sure she could ever convey her gratitude.

The tired, and dirty, Queen was asleep as usual, unable to really move much from where she lay. She was tied to the quickly growing puppies and knew she couldn’t visit a spring to clean herself until she was healed enough. Siren didn’t stir as Dalila worked, not loud enough to disturb the Queen or the little prince and princess at her side. Dalila approached and her gentle touch to Siren’s cheek brought her gracefully from slumber.

A soft smile played over her lips first and dual toned eyes blinked open to find Dal’s pretty features. She leaned into her affection as Dalren softly offered her a bath. Siren gasped in surprise and relief and adoration fell over her features all at once. "Yes, yes I do.” She wasn’t sure there were many other phrases that would have sounded so good. The puppies could be tucked into some furs and Dalila could help her to a stream. "I don’t… I don’t know if I can make it to the stream.”

"Speech"

Dalila couldn't help but grin and her tail wagged at the obvious joy that Siren showed at the idea of a bath. It had been far too long for the Queen considering how frequently her fur was groomed normally and puppies were a messy thing. She gave her sweet lady a little shake of her head when she mentioned how she didn't think she'd be able to make it to the stream and told her, "Don't you worry about that... I have a surprise for you." She was partially surprised Siren hadn't stirred at all in all the preparations she had done, but she was glad that she would get to see the true reactions as she revealed her surprise to Siren. She very carefully shifted Albion and Scylla away from Siren's side as to not wake them and tuck them into some of the furs to keep them warm and then helped Siren down from the bed, bringing her over to the room that she had been preparing for this very purpose. She pushed open the door and let Siren into the bathroom and showed her the large tub in question, peeking at her beautiful face to see her reaction curiously. "I knew getting to the stream would probably be difficult so I brought buckets of water in here for you," she explained, still keeping her voice down so they wouldn't wake up the sleeping pups in the next room. "I don't know if it'll be as refreshing as the stream, but hopefully it's better than nothing." She dipped her head to kiss Siren's cheek before she climbed into the tub herself and then reached over the edge to help Siren over the wall of the tub, gently lifting the delicate Queen and helping her into the cool water. A little smile lingered on her lips while she fell into the familiar rhythm of things, using a cloth and the fragrant soap to start washing everything from Siren's pale coat, suds slowly collecting in the water around them. Every once in a while she would sneak little kisses around Siren's face and ears, unable to resist the affections that they shared while she washed and combed through the long fur around Siren's face and undoing the braids that had been bundled up for far too long and had gotten frizzy in the mean time, letting down the long tendrels till they were floating on the surface of the water. She slowly worked through Siren's fur from the top of her head down to just past her shoulders, moving more slowly and savoringly than she might usually. There was more to clean from Siren's fur than there usually was and it was also the first time they had really been alone since the pups were born. She selfishly wanted to squeeze in as much time as she could with her, even if it was just to give her a bath. "Speech"

Siren could tell Dalila’s joy as she surprised her, not only with a trip to take a bath. The all clear to bathe herself, which meant her healing was progressing quickly. Siren slept a lot with the puppies, as they grew they slept a lot. Everyday their development progressed and she was certain to see their eyes soon. But for the first moment since they were born this was not about them. Siren would have her first moments really away from them. Dalila performed another miracle, further cementing herself as Siren’s angel. There was a surprise for her.

Watching Dal bundle and arrange the sleeping puppies away from her side was a milestone that she both yearned for and now regretted as she watched them while following Dalila away. To her astonishment, they were only walking the next room over. If the puppies woke they would be with them in a moment. Siren relaxed just as Dalila opened the door and she could smell the water in the room. The she wolf went on to explain, having painstakingly filled the basin with water carried here.

"Dalila, you shouldn’t have!” All of that work just so that she wouldn’t have to walk… Tears filled her eyes and she swallowed hard. She leaned into Dalila’s kiss, uncertain she could even bring to words how much this meant to her. Or how much her chest ached from filling with Dalila’s love. She was helped into the water after Dailla climbed in herself. Siren relaxed into the water, closing her eyes and blissfully enjoying the feeling of Dalila’s grooming again. She smiled at Dalila’s nuzzles and kisses, returning them when she could. These were the moments she adored.

Siren leaned into Dalila as she cleaned the filth from her, and Siren felt brand new as the soaps lathered her fur. Soft humms of pleasure left her pale lips, and she savored every minute. Cherished this rare moment she was given with the woman that she loved. She’d very nearly lost her, and that thought continued to haunt her. Siren was determined to do better because Dalila deserved it, but showing her gratitude was more difficult now with two puppies relying on her.

"Thank you, Dalila.” She whispered as tears spilled over her cheeks and the emotions ran over. "After everything…” She trailed off as her voice broke. "I love you. I love you so much.” She cried softly, her nose burying into Dal’s mottled fur.

"Speech"