While her first birth had been full of unknowns and uncertainty, this time she felt far more confident since she felt like she better knew what to expect. Of course, as was their blessing and curse with always having such large litters, she was absolutely enormous with their pups-even more so than with their first. She didn't think there was any way that they could possibly have more pups than the first time after they welcomed five children into their family, but if Gwyn was right-and she usually was-there was a chance they would break that record. At the last couple of weeks of her pregnancy, Gwyn put her on bed rest since getting around had become more and more of a struggle and to make sure that she would definitely be in the castle when she went into labor. She had been even more stubborn with her insistence on continuing her work for as long as possible than she had been with the first litter so she hadn't agreed to it without a bit of a fight, but there was really no arguing with her sister-in-law when it came to these things-especially not when she had Artorias backing her up.

Those first notable contractions had come early in the morning, pulling her from her admittedly already fitful sleep. While it was certainly a very early morning for her, it wasn't for Artorias and her husband had already gone out for his morning patrol. Just as she had wanted to continue on with her usual duties and work, she had insisted that Artorias keep up with his as well. There would be many weeks ahead of them when they would need to rely on the pack to cover for them while they cared for their newborns so she didn't want to pull from that support too early. She didn't call for anyone right away, already knowing just how long labor could take. Instead, she carefully rolled to her paws, rising from the plush bed they had made in the floor by the fireplace and waddled over to the balcony. Nudging open the door, she whistled for Willow, the falcon appearing from wherever she had been perched very quickly. "Willow, go fetch Art for me, will you? And tell him to bring Gwyn with him." With the task given, her companion took off, wheeling off toward the border where Art was likely to be. With that done, she pulled the door closed to block out the chilled Auster winter air and then began her steady pacing around the room, doing what she could to hurry the process along a bit as the contractions began to come more steadily.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

The days drew closer and closer to Briar's expected due date, each one passing like grains of sand in an hourglass, ticking down to the moment where their little family would grow even larger. Briar's pregnancy had passed without much incident or concern, and given that neither of them were so new to the whole parenthood thing anymore, Artorias felt much more at ease as they finished their preparations to welcome their next litter of joyful bundles into the world. Gwynevere stayed on top of Briar, making sure she was tended to, taking her herbs and supplements, eating and getting what little exercise she could as she grew rounder by the day. It seemed like once again, the Carpathius and Fatalis genes of having large litters would be coming in strong for this bunch, given that Briar seemed even larger than she had with their first litter. Gwyn reassured them that everything seemed normal and fine though, so the Aegis was just mentally preparing himself for however many little wolf nuggets he'd need to keep his eyes on this time.

The day they arrived was a dreary, overcast winter morning, pale diffused sunlight filtering through a dense layer of gray cloud cover. As was his routine, Artorias had set out early before dawn for the morning patrol and his daily meditation. Fortunately, he hadn't gotten far from Hearthstone when Willow found him seated along the coast, listening to the ocean waves as he did his deep breathing exercises and cleared his mind. The excitable cries of Briar's falcon were gibberish to him, but a very alert Corbin translated for him; the puppies were coming! Artorias scrambled to his paws, snatching up Embershard from where it lay on the sand and sprinted back up to the castle. Giant paws thundered up the stairs to his bedchambers, paws scrabbling across the rugs in the hall as he wiped out and scurried back to his paws, darting into the room. "Briar, I'm here!" he called out as he rushed into their bedroom, amber eyes swiftly scouring the room to spot his mate pacing by the windows that overlooked the ocean. The brute hurried over to his fae's side, bumping his head into her shoulder with a gentle nuzzle as he asked, "How are you feeling? Do you want me to call for Gwyn?"

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

Briar went through the familiar motions that quickly came back to her as the periodic contractions continued. Breathing, pacing, counting the seconds between the gripping squeeze of the contractions. None of it felt unfamiliar any more, but she did wonder just how long of a road she had ahead of her. This litter was certainly as big as the last–if not more so. Gwyn had an extremely difficult time nailing down just how many pups were waiting impatiently to be born, but Briar decided well in advance that she would simply roll with whatever came and whenever the pups had all been born was when she would be done. It kept her nerves at bay as she calmly moved around the room, making herself breathe through each contraction and waiting for her husband and sister-in-law to join her.

She didn't have to wait long for Artorias to arrive, at least, as only a handful of minutes later his black and blue form burst through the bedroom door in an absolute frenzy, making her smirk a bit through her light panting. Once a worried father, always a worried father. She quickly picked up on the fact that he likely hadn't waited long enough for Willow to convey her instruction for him to bring Gwyn with him considering Gwyn was nowhere to be seen and Art was asking if she wanted him to call for her. Chuckling softly, she leaned into his touch, nuzzling his cheek lightly as she replied, "I feel fine, darling. Stay here, Willow will get her." Her companion was smart enough to figure out what was needed, of that she had no doubt. "Just stay here with me, that's all I need right now."

She continued moving restlessly around the room for a bit longer, occasionally leaning into Art's side through a particularly strong contraction as she winced and breathed through the pain, until Gwyn arrived a few minutes later with her herbs and supplies just as before. She gave her sister-in-law a grateful smile as Gwyn pulled out the herbs she would need and began asking her a few questions about how she was feeling and how the contractions were going, Briar relaying everything that had happened up to that point–which honestly wasn't much. The contractions were coming fairly quickly now, but she knew from experience that there could still be some time to go. She stayed still while Gwyn examined her a bit while she chewed and swallowed the slightly bitter herbs that would help things move along, looking to Art with a little smile as he brought her some water to wash them down.

Briar kept up her slow, steady, waddling pacing around the room until the contractions were too strong for her to stay standing and she finally let Art help her down onto the bed they had put together by the fireplace, easing down onto her side with a sigh through her teeth. She leaned back into Artorias as he supported her, using his foreleg and chest as a pillow while Gwyn felt across her rounded belly once more. Briar could already feel that one of the pups was nearly ready to make their appearance before Gwyn declared it so she braced herself for the next wave of contractions, her paw curling around Art's as she readied herself to push. With Gwyn's help and the assistance of the medicines she had been given the first pup was born after a few hard pushes and contractions, gritting her teeth and whining for a moment as she squeezed Art's paw. Still, all things considered their first pup arrived without too much fuss and she sighed with relief as she let herself enjoy the brief break she would have before the contractions began again.

Blinking her eyes open, she lifted her head to see their first born just as Gwyn finished rubbing the pup down with some of the towels and furs she had brought, mostly drying the little pup and revealing the stunning colors of their fur. Gwyn told them it was a boy and Briar looked with awe at the borealis like coloring that ran down the boy's side. The markings were so unlike anything she had ever seen before, but he took perfectly after his father with the dark coloring underneath and her own turquoise showed through next to the purple hues that lingered in the Fatalis line. One little feature that caught her eye that made her glance up at Art with a little smirk was the distinctive marking that cut across the boy's left eye. "Looks like we have one that finally takes after their grandfather..." she joked, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of the squealing boy's head, gently nudging him into place at her belly so that he could get his first meal while she continued to bring his siblings into the world.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

Artorias did as Briar asked of him, sticking by her side as her labors began, pacing with her just to be next to her when she was walking and settling in to wrap protectively around her when she laid down. Willow returned soon with Gwynevere and Artorias greeted his sister with a grateful smile. Knowing they had Gwyn to handle all of their medical needs had long been one of Artorias' greatest sources of respite. The well seasoned healer set to her work, helping guide Briar through the familiar process of birth while Artorias offered physical and emotional support to his mate as she birthed their newest litter. Gwyn provided Briar with some medicine and the Aegis was already on his paws to fetch a dish of water for his Queen to wash them down with. He exchanged a smile with his love before she drank and he once more took his place at her side, offering his foreleg for her to hold onto or bite down on or whatever she needed to make herself comfortable. He was here for her 100%.

Over time, Briar's contractions became more frequent until she was forced down to her birthing bed beside the fireplace when her body could take no more. Briar leaned into him and rested on him like a giant body pillow, which Artorias was of course all too happy to be for her. Some time, a few strong pushes and some labored breathing later, and Briar was pushing out the first of their pups. Art held Briar's paw while she squeezed his arm, speaking soft words of encouragement to her all the while she strained and pushed, nuzzling and licking at her neck and forehead with nothing short of pure love. Then with a sigh of relief from her and a squeal of life, their first pup was born. There was no way to tell how many they had conceived this time, but judging by how round Briar had become this pregnancy and the size of their firstborn child, it seemed they had quite a few more to go. The first pup born was a boy, dark as night with bands of aurora colors rippling down his coat. He was stunning in every way, and as Gwyn placed the pup at Briar's belly, Art couldn't help but marveling at their son's beauty.

Craning his neck over Briar's swollen belly so he could better inspect his son, Artorias beamed from ear to ear like a proud father should, his bushy tail wagging a mile a minute from his hind end. Briar pointed out the distinctive Fatalis slash marks over his left eye, and while they were small now, they would grow more pronounced as the boy aged. Art chuckled and shot Briar a grin. "We'll have to watch your father around this one. Seer might want to take him home as his own," he teased her. No doubt Sirius would be ecstatic to see some of his notable Fatalis genes continued on in future generations. As the boy began to feed, the couple once more began their preparations for the next pup to make their appearance, Artorias quietly wondering how much their family would be growing by today.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

Briar chuckled softly at the thought of her father trying to run off with one of their pups. Even without those distinctive Fatalis markings across the boy's eye she still felt like they had to pat down her father to make sure he wasn't trying to escape with one of the pups every time he came to visit. If there was one thing that he had always obsessed over and loved more than anything else it was tiny pups. With one of those tiny pups now peacefully resting at her belly, it was high time to bring one of his brothers or sisters into the world to join him. She reclined back into Artorias once more as the contractions began to make themselves known again, making the muscles across her side squeeze and ripple with gradual, building strength. She let out long breaths through her teeth as each contraction passed, panting lightly and continuing to hold tight to Artorias' foreleg as time went on.

Gwynevere still prompted her to push once the next pup was ready for it, but she hardly even needed her sister-in-law's prompting any more. She knew well what feeling she was waiting for now. With whines and grunts of effort, she did as she was told and began to push through each of the strong contractions as her body continued to work the next pup free. It took a bit more effort than the first now that her initial energy was beginning to be sapped away, but luckily these first two were far from the largest pups she had ever delivered and after a few more strong, straining pushes she finally had that momentary relief she was working toward. With a heavy sigh she relaxed back into Art again to catch her breath a bit while Gwyn immediately went to work cleaning up their newest pup. Only a few moments later she heard the cries she was waiting with bated breath to hear and she grinned as they were told it was another boy. She lifted her head with a bit of effort to see their boy and was happy to see that some more of her tan coloring had made its way to their children. It seemed to be a less dominate trait than Art's blue and black so she'd take any little hint of it she could–even if the tans on this boy were capped by black on his head and limbs. She noticed that he was nearly the exact same size as his brother as she got them nestled in together at her belly, but she knew that the size they were as pups could be deceptive so only time would tell if that remained true.

She gasped softly as another, sudden contraction caught her off guard in the middle of her fawning over their first borns. It seemed that her labor was running in full force now as the rest of their pups eagerly wanted to make their debut. Wincing, Briar settled back into Art and grit her teeth through the initial contraction and only once it passed was she able to breathe a bit and brace herself for another pup. With her paw wrapped around Art's foreleg, she squeezed his limb through each contraction and the pain that came with them, her panting becoming more labored as time went on. It was always hard to tell just how much time passed between each pup as she got lost in a haze of labor and focused instead on the steady breathing and pushing that she was coached through by Gwyn, but eventually that pain reached its peak as their third pup entered the world. There was hardly any time at all before loud, squealing cries filled the bedroom the moment that Gwyn got the little pup's face and mouth cleaned off. Briar gave a tired chuckle at that, glad to hear such a spirited entrance from what she expected to be their middle child–and their first girl as her sister-in-law soon told them. She adored all of her children, but of course she had a little bit of a soft spot for her girls so she was eager to turn her head to look at their newest girl as she was put beside her brothers. A perfect blending of the two of them with her dark, blue-black coat and markings that mimicked her own in the turquoise-hue that was faded out across her form, she was absolutely beautiful and immediately captured her heart.

"How many more do you think there are, Gwyn?" she questioned breathlessly as she rested her head back down again. She already knew that they were likely expecting as many as they had in their first litter, but she wasn't sure if Gwyn would be able to get a better read on it now that a few were here with them. "At least two more... perhaps three," was Gwyn's response after gently feeling across her lower belly for a brief moment. Briar made a soft chuckle with a glance up at Art, giving him a mostly teasing glare for filling her with so many pups yet again. "I think another dose of herbs would be nice if that's okay," she added, turning her gaze back to her healer in the brief moments between their pups being born.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

Familiar with this song and dance by now, once Gwynevere had placed the firstborn of their second litter at Briar's stomach to nurse Artorias settled in with Briar to await the arrivals of the rest of their new children. As if on cue, her contractions resumed, and with some strain and pushing, Briar birthed another boy into the world. Artorias lifted his head up over his mate's side to spy the black and brown boy as he was placed beside his brother to feed, a perfect blending of his sire and dam's colorations. Art gave a loving smile to Briar, knowing she'd be pleased to see her coat coming out in more of their children. The darker fur genes he possessed seemed to be the dominant of the two when it came to passing on their genetics to the next generation, as evidenced by their slew of dark coated children. He was still glad to see more of Briar's family traits being represented in this litter so far.

The proud parents barely had any time to fawn over their second son before Briar was gasping and wincing and the third round of contractions began without warning. Art blinked in surprise, but quickly reassumed his position of comforting and support for his Queen. It seemed like the pups weren't willing to wait any longer and they wanted out now. Holding onto Briar's paws as she squeezed his forelegs, this pup arrived with much greater expedition and racket, their third child announcing her presence loudly to the world as soon as Gwyn had her cleaned and prepared. Their first daughter in the litter. Artorias gazed upon the smaller girl of midnight blues and blacks accented with Briar's turquoise markings. She was beautiful. A softie for his daughters in particular, the Aegis' heart melted immediately.

Briar asked Gwynevere how many more she suspected there would be, and after a quick examination, his sister forecasted another two or three at minimum. Artorias cast Briar a bashful grin of apology, complete with ears folded shyly back when she gave him a teasing glare. Hey, it wasn't entirely his fault he and Briar were so productive! Briar asked for another dose of medicine to help her get through her labors and immediately Art was back to comforting his wife, nuzzling her neck and scruff while he held her close. "Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked neither Briar nor Gwyn in particular, just polling the room to see if he could be of any use to either of the ladies. He could see the exhaustion growing in Briar's expression and wanted to do all he could for her. There was nothing the Aegis hated more than feeling useless or sidelined, even when he realistically knew this was Briar's trial to face.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

Gwynevere of course nodded easily to Briar's request for more medication at the half way point of her labors and when Artorias offered his help she was quick to accept it. "Yes, will you refill her water while I prep the herbs? And these cloths can be moved out of the way for now," her sister-in-law instructed him, pointing out the pitcher of water that was on a shelf off to the side and nudging the towels that had been made a mess with her cleaning off their pups. That did mean that Artorias had to leave her side for a moment, but she was still grateful that he was so willing to help where he could. They both knew there was only so much he could do, but just having him here was all she could really ask for. While Artorias went to work with the quick tasks he was given, she watched Gwyn pull out another dose of the herbs she had combined into a medicine before hand, accepting the dose that was offered to her readily. Even with the bit of honey that Gwyn had mixed into it both for sweetness and to make it easier to scoop it still filled her mouth with that familiar bitterness of herbs so she was grateful for the water that Artorias brought her.

There was thankfully a bit of a lull in her contractions as they all collectively reset and prepared for the last few of this litter to make their appearance. At the very least there was enough time for those herbs to settle in her stomach and for Artorias to take his place behind her again before she started to feel that now very familiar pressure and pain. Holding on to Artorias' foreleg once more, she fell back into the same pattern of contractions and breathing. Their fourth child gave her a bit of reprieve in the sense that their second girl was so far the smallest of the bunch and because of that a bit easier to bring into the world. While not quite as loud or boisterous as the midnight girl now situated at her stomach, the second girl of the litter still upheld the tradition set by her siblings of crying with adorable puppy squeals as soon as Gwynevere cleared her mouth and gave her a few good rubs with the soft fur. Once she had joined her siblings, evening out the number of boys and girls, Briar leaned over to see the beautiful little girl that surprised her with the lovely slate and cream coloring she had been given. She knew that half of Artorias' bloodline was a bit of a mystery so there was truely no telling what traits might peek through so she didn't know if this lighter blue shade was simply a diluted form of Art's own coloring or some hidden gene from someone in his unknown family. Regardless, Briar absolutely couldn't get over how stunning their children were.

The reprieve she was given was short lived as her contractions that were helped along by the herbs she had been given picked up yet again and she very quickly picked up on the fact that this was going to be another large pup to add to their list of children that took after their father in the height department. She was glad for her decision to ask for more medicine now as she gritted her teeth through the strain and effort she put into her labor, whining through each push and panting hard in-between. With Gwynevere's encouragement and a bit of help from her sister-in-law to pull the large pup free, she finally made the last push to free their third son of the litter. She gave a heavy sigh of relief and panted to catch her breath a bit while Gwyn tended to their newest pup. She kept an ear perked and listening for those distinctive cries, but they didn't seem to come and immediately she was on alert, lifting her head tiredly to see what was going on. Noticing her concern, Gwyn immediately gave her a reassuring smile and brought the boy closer to her and Art. "He's breathing fine, just a bit on the quiet side it seems." Sure enough, once he was closer to them Briar could hear the subdued squeaks and grunts from the large pup and she chuckled breathlessly, relaxing into Art again in response. The boy was such an interesting mix of them both with a pale coat acting as a background for blue and tan markings that were split down the middle perfectly. He had those Fatalis stripes along his back though so she felt like maybe she won out a bit on this one.

With five healthy pups snuggled into the bedding at her belly she thought that perhaps that would be the end of it. They had matched the number of pups from their last litter, after all, and even that had felt like more pups than she should have been able to carry. However, if seemed like they were forever bound to outdo themselves and just as she had begun to relax she felt that shift and movement as her body prepared for another pup to be born. After a quick examination, Gwyn assured her this was the last of them and Briar nodded a bit before settling into Artorias again. She had already gotten through five, what was one more? Of course their surprise sixth pup wouldn't make this any easier on her, turning out to be just as big as his previous brother. She was truly feeling the exhaustion of the whole process by now and every push took considerable effort. Gwyn kept encouraging her on, telling her to just keep it up long enough to get the pup to a point where she could help pull the pup free. Even that felt like a big ask, but she would do quite literally anything for her children and somehow she managed push this last pup free. Once she felt the pup come free she immediately collapsed back into Art with a heavy, relieved sigh, letting her eyes close for a long moment while she caught her breath and recovered for a moment. Gwyn proudly announced that this was another boy and Briar couldn't help but give a tired chuckle. Of course it was. It was always the boys that gave her the hardest time.

With their last boy nestled in beside his siblings, she was finally done birthing their second litter. She was too tired to lift her head to see their youngest child right away so she asked Art quietly with a bit of humor, "Does he at least look like me?" She chuckled and nuzzled into Art's foreleg as she used his limb as a pillow and waited while Gwyn cleaned her up and made sure that everything had passed as it should. It took a bit before her sister-in-law was done with her work and Briar tiredly opened her eyes to see Gwyn leaving a small jar beside her bowl of water. "Make sure she takes a spoon full of this in a few hours to help with any lingering pain and help with milk production," she quietly whispered to Artorias before she started to slip out of the room. "Thank you again, Gwyn. I couldn't do it without you," she called after her, giving their lead healer a weak smile before she let her eyes close again. "And just like that we're parents again," she told Art with another chuckle, a smile permanently on her lips.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

Ever the dutiful and caring husband, as soon as he was given a task, Artorias was immediately upon it, scooping up all the soiled cloths and moving them out of the way for Gwynevere to work, grabbing a couple fresh ones from the armoire to give to her and replenish her supply. Then he scooped up the bowl of water Briar had drained and returned over to the sink, filling it swiftly with cool water before carrying it back over to his in-labor wife, careful not to spill too much as he went. He set the bowl back down at her paws and then returned to his position cradling and supporting her body while she continued through her labors, birthing their second litter into the world. Briar clung onto the foreleg he offered her as her contractions resumed, and after more pushing and straining, the smallest pup of all had been born. Artorias marveled at the tiny girl, awestruck by his beautiful cream-furred daughter as Gwyn placed her at Briar's belly. Gods above, he would need to protect her with all his might!

The next pup proved to be another challenge, and Artorias held onto Briar, whispering sweet encouragements to her as she and Gwyn brought another large boy into the world. It seemed like Art was forever cursed to produce big baby boys and dire-sized sons for as long as he should live. There was a bit of a panic when the boy was born silent, alerting both Briar and Artorias until Gwynevere assured them that he was breathing and fine, he was just quiet. Art breathed a sigh of relief, his hammering heart slowly calming down. He didn't know if he'd be able to handle the trauma of losing one of their children in childbirth. There was a momentary lull as Gwyn checked to see if that was the last of them, another set of five to add to their family of ten children—except it wasn't the end. Briar's contractions started one last time with Gwyn declaring this was the last of them. Artorias couldn't help but laugh incredulously at their fortune. Of course they would outdo themselves by one pup!

Artorias held Briar and supported her through her final sets of labors, holding her upright until their final child, another large son, was born. He cradled Briar's exhausted body against his own, wrapping a strong foreleg around her side to cuddle her close while their newborn pups fed at her belly, covering her face and neck in affectionate licks and kisses. "You did amazing, Briar!" he whispered to his mate while she rested against him, barely even able to keep her eyes open. With the births now finished, Gwynevere collected her supplies and gave Art some medicine for Briar to take when she could. Art nodded to his sister, looking up at Gwyn with nothing short of grateful love in his eyes. "I will. Thank you, Gwyn. We never could have managed this without you."

Once the new parents were left alone with their new children, Artorias simply held Briar in his arms, petting her sore sides and nuzzling and grooming her neck and forehead where he could reach. Briar asked if the last boy at least looked like her and Art peeked over her swollen side to spy the pup in question down at her belly. He was an almost perfect half-and-half split of their fur colors, with Briar's tawny tans on his underside and his dark blues across his back. "Actually, he kinda does!" Art reassured Briar with an amused chuckle. "He's like a perfect split of us." A happy murr rumbled deep within the dire wolf's chest as he held his wife and marveled at his family around him. Truly no wolf had ever been as blessed as he was. "And just like that, we're parents again," he echoed Briar's words with a chuckle, planting a slow, tender kiss on his queen's crown. "All thanks to you. You're amazing Briar. I love you so, so much."

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"