Halo knew that they were coming. The days were getting harder, she was getting wider, and sleep was becoming restless and unreachable. Asking for help was something that she’d never been good at, and she was grateful that Mortis was attentive and so incredibly sweet. A real whirlwind, rush of getting everything together. Childproofing a healer’s den was maybe not the easiest thing in the world, and she’d moved so many things into storage, but they’d gotten here in the end. Even her big, rough-hewn table that had come up from the original site of the Armada, was tucked away until they had room for it again.

With a drop in her body temperature and an unmistakable ache in her sides, Halo knew that the waiting game was over. It had been a quiet morning for her, but it was going to be a whole lot less quiet real fast. Halo beckoned to her companion. “Can you go get Sedna, Fuji, and Mortis please?” The words are quiet, her breathing labored. Still, a moment later she makes another consideration. “Will you let Gossamer know what’s going on, just in case? And maybe get Crux, so there’s someone to tend to Mortis.” It’s a consideration she makes with a soft nod. Just in case. Halo hoped that it wouldn’t be necessary.

She’d lied to Mort, yes. The healer had done it for his own good, and would stand by that decision. There was no good in him worrying. Still, now that the day was here, Halo didn’t know exactly how it would turn out. If she needed Sedna and Fuji both, then it would be best that there be someone to tend to Mort as well. Her mind is on her husband-to-be as she sets about pouring a basin of clean water, getting various herbs laid out, doing what she could before– oh.

Whimpering, Halo moved to the spot they’d laid out. Her sides hurt. Her insides hurt. The world around her began to swim. Pain unlike any she’s felt before, blinding, and then… and then there he was. A little boy, more perfect than she’s ever seen, and in a rush to come into the world. There are tears in her eyes, both from the pain and from sheer, overwhelming emotion. Her son. Her boy. For a moment it is just the two of them in this world, and all Halo wants to do is weep. A little boy with little wings, a wonder of anatomy. A wonder that something so perfect could be… here. With her.

But that wasn’t an option. The next pup was coming, not quite as quickly as the other. Not quite as quickly, echoes of pain coursing through Halo’s body. She’s strong, she can handle this. She can handle this, gritting her teeth and pushing. She can barely handle this, shaking, quivering as she tries to handle the sensations, the emotions of it all. A little girl, smaller than her brother, just as enchanting. Halo knows she’s in for a long, long day, but the puppies… they’re perfect. She loves them more than she’s loved anything, and she hasn’t even met them all yet.


"Halo" & "Mortis"

Can you go get Sedna, Fuji, and Mortis please? “I’m here” Mortis said, pushing gently into the den. He was never far from home these days. Between Sirius, Basilisk, and Hazel, he had pretty much given up all of his responsibilities in the pack until the babies were born. In this, Sirius’ understanding was boundless. He put down the things he had grabbed for tea, and rushed to Halo’s side. “Is it time?” He asked softly, and it quite clearly was. The first born son brought him to absolute silence. He knelt beside Halo, and gently touched the boy. Why was it suddenly so hard to see? He blinked repeatedly, and brushed a paw across the back of his eyes. “He has wings.” He said, Halo could already see this for herself, but he had to speak it. It had to be said. It was too incredible not to. He hadn't been sure, but then quite suddenly... there was so much of his father in him too. Would there be many like Halo? He couldn't wait to meet them. to meet all of them. "He looks like a Wylan to me" He whispered, looking over at Halo for approval. Then a girl was born, and he was already feeling antsy. Where was Sedna? Sure, her companion hadn’t been gone long, but this was important! “I’ve got you, Halo” he said, brushing a kiss to her brow. "The girl, will you name her?"

It had been a long journey from the bamboo of Tojo to Armada, only compounded by the small army of children that followed in her wake. She had barely settled into the den that Fuji had directed her to in the guest area before a racoon came running in chattering madly. It's sudden appearance had Otis hissing and children squealing, but Sedna and Fuji didn't need to be told twice. The opossum clambered up onto her shoulder and she could barely manage a "Bahave yerselves," knowing full well that they probably would not, before she was making her way through the tunnel systems to the den that Halo had claimed as her own.

Mortis was first on the scene and things seemed to be progressing just swimmingly without her, so she managed as reassuring a smile as she could seeing that Mortis was crying as she moved to give Halo the once over. Mother and the two pups born so far seemed to be doing ok, aside from the obvious. "Do yer wan'ter try some crampbark? It might not help if they take after their da', but it might jus' take th' edge off too..." She would leave the option up to the mother, after all, Halo probably knew just as much about herbs as Sedna did.

"speech"

Fuji had been scrutinising Morganna's latest sprouting of mushrooms when Mr Racoon came in chattering away. Her mother was on the move, leaving the bag of medicines she had bought with her behind in her haste, perhaps mistaking the weight of her cantankerous opossum for her supplies. The horned girl rolled her eyes and gave the raccoon a reassuring pat on the head, even fishing out a beetle she had found earlier in the garden and offering it as a token to show that he had done well. Surely they weren't the only ones he needed to track down on his rounds.

Shouldering the pack, she left Kenta to supervise the children, and made her way to Halo's den. It looked much different than the other times she had been here, everything potentially dangerous well out of reach and even her heavy work table shifted out of the way. They couldn't know how many kids she had in there but if her bulging sides had been anything to go off, Fuji's gems would have been on more than 3.

The place was already crowded with Mortis and Sedna taking up so much space with their hefty backsides and Mort's wings. The girl scowled as she angled her head to collect some ankles on her way through to Halo's side. Her “May I?” as she reached for the first child was perfunctory, they could have said no and she would have replied with a look that conveyed she meant business. Each limb was examined with her dexterous paws, the wings weren't something she'd seen on a newborn before but it was to be expected, right? His mouth was sound, and there were no holes in his belly so she placed him near his mother's chest and moved onto the yet to be named daughter. “Skullcap an' catnip would probably taste better, but whatever yer prefer, I'll get a pot going. Yer doin' really well” She offered, mood only souring when she realised just how much of her mother's way of speaking she had picked up.

“Speech”

Mortis was here. Thank goodness he was here. Halo is grateful, but also worried. What if things went south? What if things went from okay to… not okay? Sedna and Fuji were here, and she’d hopefully have Crux to handle Mort’s anxiety and hopefully keep him outside. In her mind, she’d planned for everything… but what if there were things they hadn’t planned for? A million things could go wrong. So many things. So incredibly many things could go wrong, and Halo was worried about all of them.

By the same token, it was hard to be worried and anxious with the pain that coursed through her system. Pain. How could it hurt this badly? How could all of this hurt so badly? Mort was crying too, as awestruck by the wings as Halo herself. Wylan, that sounded nice. Halo nodded softly, trying to see through the fog and the pain of the third pup trying to get in position to fight his way into the world. Trying to keep her head from swimming too badly, she perked up as Sedna and Fuji entered her den.

“Thank you for coming… both of you.” She lifted her head weakly. Nodding as Fuji scooped little Wylan up, inspecting to make sure that he was all in one piece. Grateful that he was, she moved onto the small girl. “Please, anything for the pain, whatever is easiest,” the words are a whimper, slipped from the usually-elegant creature’s lips. Thinking about the little girl, the pain subsiding long enough to get a clear moment, Halo was able to bestow a name. “Wynter?” She looked to Mortis, her muzzle gently tracing the shadowy blue markings on little girl’s coat. Like the evening skies up here, in winter.

It was only a momentary respite. Halo yelped, feeling her muscles cramp and squeeze. She trembles. An immense burning sensation, one that she’s certain she can’t cope with at the moment. It’s enough to take the breath from her lungs. Was she going to throw up? Halo was dizzy, the room around her spinning, trying to cope with it all. The boy twas fighting his way into the world, and she was trying to help him. Trying.

The metallic scent of blood, combined with the sheer amount of pain, had Halo’s pulse climbing. Climbing uncomfortably, the prickle of anxiety running coldly down her back. That was… a lot of blood. In tears, whimpering, shaking with the effort of it all, Halo is still trying. Wide eyed, her gaze searches for Sedna’s.

"Halo" & "Mortis"

Mortis was careful to keep out of the way of the healers. He watched in silence with large, worried eyes as Fuji looked over his little winged boy. When she placed him back by Halo without a word, he let out a soft breath, only to hold it again as she grabbed for the little girl next. Was it going to be this way for each pup? That momentary spark of worry. How had Sirius felt, when the healers had found the deformities on their children? Anything for the pain His eyes went to Halo’s, another stab of worry in his chest. This time for the wolf he was to marry. He looked to Fuji, mouthing quietly “Is that normal?” Halo was in pain, and there was nothing he could do about it. He brushed a paw gently down the back of her neck. Trying to keep out of the way, but conveying to her that he was there. “Wynter, I love it. It’s perfect” He agreed. “Perfect, just like she is.” he said, and then something seemed to happen. The scent of blood growing stronger. “Halo, Halo?” He said, his voice rising a few octaves. “Are you okay, is she okay?”

Fuji was like a small wrecking ball, round and small and full of seething fury at her lot in life, and Sedna merely gritted her teeth and moved her leg as ram like horns collided with her limbs. Of course, the scullcap and catnip would taste better, but in her experience, the crampbark was a better option. She wouldn't get into debating the merits of either right now, a third child had slipped free and she trusted Fuji enough to make sure everything was well with the child, another girl, as her friend grew tense with the pain of her next wave of contractions.

As the scent of blood filled the small room, Sedna moved to place herself bodily between Halo and Mortis, muttering to Fuji about Raspberry leaf and crampbark. She forced a reassuring smile onto her face for her friend, using her bulk to try and herd the man towards the door. "Hey Mort, we need room ter move in 'ere. Yer should go let yer dad know yeah?" She wasn't going to lie to him and say she was okay, things were getting precarious and it would be easier to do what they needed to without having to reassure him every step of the way. Wasn't there supposed to be someone here to look after him? "I promise I'll look after 'er, but I need yer ter at least step outside so we can work. Don't make me focus on two patients at once, eh?" It was as close to 'not okay', as she was willing to voice. She loved the man like a brother but she wasn't above getting Fuji to brew up something to knock him on his ass if he split her attention right now.

"speech"

Fuji offered Mortis a puzzled look when he asked if pain was normal, a small nod to confirm that, yeah, childbirth hurt? "Of course, especially if the father is..." She broadly gestured to all of him and then looked pointedly at the much smaller mother. "Here's hopin' th' rest take after 'er in size." Fuji decided then she would have to make sure (even though she had already promised no boys were getting near her in that way) that any father of her kids wouldn't be asking stupid questions in the delivery room. She had checked the third child over and was in the process of heating water when her mother muttered raspberry leaf, only offering a nod as she bit her tongue and added the leaf to the brew. Just for good measure, she fished out some shepherds purse for once this song and dance was over with.

As her mother moved to try and herd Mortis out of the den Fuji used her small size to slip closer and offer the tincture to Halo, putting on her best bedside smile to reassure the new mother that the blend would help, even if that was almost an alarming amount of blood... or it would have been if the girl hadn't literally witnessed her own mother give birth to a literal crystal just a few months prior.

"If he doesn't go, I'll make up somethin' ter at least take th' edge off, yeah?" She whispered to Halo with a conspiratorial grin. Her dosing for wolves that large was still a bit experimental if she was honest, it might take the edge off, or it might put him to sleep for a week, but would either really be that bad with newborns to contend with? "Deep breaths now," the girl looked on encouragingly, placing her paw on the new mother's flank to feel for the tell-tale tightening of muscles, "Now. Push with all yer can, I don't wanna go fishin' fer these kids." God that nose was massive, no wonder there was so much blood. "Great work, yer almost there!" God she hoped she was convincing. "Here we go again..."

“Speech”

Halo feels guilty about Mort needing to leave, feels guilty about having lied to him. Still, it was a healer's lie. It was a lie for his own good, and one that she'd stand by. They would talk about it later, Halo was pretty sure. Dizzy, lightheaded, but grateful for Fuji and Sedna and how much they were helping. The conspiring from Fuji, too, brings a pained smile to her face. Mort cares, and that's what matters. He cares, he would try to care for her, just sometimes... sometimes it's hard to navigate all of it.

The next pups come more quickly, though the bleeding was still immense. Three little girls, making their way into the world. Halo could barely hold her head up by the end of it. It seemed that they were all in one piece, by all accounts. Still, one was concerningly smaller than the rest. Her littermates had all taken up so much space, and this one seemed to have gotten the short end of the stick. Halo feels guilty, her small size having led to this. Led to all of this. She'd caused so much trouble for them, and for what?

And then there was the question of the bleeding. Halo had survived, but there was just... there was so much blood. Exhaustion weighed heavily on her, but at least the pups had all made it into the world.

"Halo" & "Mortis"

Mortis didn't want to leave, and she supposed she could understand that, but she wasn't going to have him getting in the way. She kept half an eye on Fuji, who was holding her own well enough, and moved wot brew a calming draught of chamomile and valerian with a decent dose of honey. As soon as the father was seen to, she moved back to Halo's side, the problematic child coming unstuck and the next to slide free as small as Fuji had been. Perhaps it was a problem with larger litters? One always seemed to miss out.

Sedna thought that the smallest child would be the last but another followed shortly after. She allowed Fuji to focus on checking each of the children over once more while she reassured Halo that everything would be ok, that what was happening was normal with larger pups, and they would be sure to take care of her. She gestured for Otis to change out the worst of the bedding and gathered up some dried grasses to place underneath the new mother to save as much of the bedding as they could while Fuji worked on preparing more medicine. As long as they could keep her awake, as exhausted as she must be, they would be ok.

"speech"

After checking over each of the children and seeing they were all healthy (even the tiny one, was she that small compared to her siblings when she had been born?), she moved back to her steeping shepherd purse and added some nettle and lady's mantle to the brew. While she waited for it to infuse, she made up small doses of each in preparation, wrapping each into a small package and setting them out on the table.

She was grateful that her mother hadn't completely incapacitated Mortis because it meant she could give him the direction instead of putting more on the mother's plate now that she was managing six tiny terrors. Fuji squared her shoulders and gestured for the father to come closer. It was difficult to make her golden eyes meet his blue, but she did her best to carry some sort of air of authority. “She'll need a brew o' this at least 3 times a day until th' bleeding eases up. If anythin' get's worse, send Mr Racoon, 'e'll know where ter find me.” She was almost certain that perhaps she would have been better off explaining the steps to Mr Racoon... But she was sure Otis would be checking in and grouching and hissing at them if they forgot anyway.

Fuji carried the cooling tea over to Halo and helped her drink before lowering her head down gently towards the floor. “She jus' needs some rest now. As I said, send fer us if anythin' changes.”

“Speech”