She knew all the steps, she knew how it was all supposed to go. She had studied it all, gathered her herbs, made her den, reviewed everything she had learned about birthing in her head. When that first contraction hit though it took her a moment to get her bearings and remember all of that. That initial contraction certainly caught her off guard, making her stop in her tracks. Luckily she was close to her den so after that initial shock wore off she made herself take a breath and make her way toward her den. Everything was fine, it was going to be fine. She could do this. She settled down in her den just as the next contraction came and she paused again, letting it pass before she licked up the small bundle of herbs she had prepared for herself. The thought to call Faite crossed her mind as she was chewing the bitter leaves, but the thought of having anyone here, even her sister, just didn't feel right. She wanted had gotten into this mess on her own, she would sort it out on her own. At least that's what she told herself. Zuriel rested down on her side and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. All she could hope for was for this all to go smoothly. A short while later she began to push, following all the steps she had been told like she would have if she was assisting someone else with this. The difference was thought that she wasn't helping someone else. She was the one feeling all of this pain and putting in all this effort. The herbs helped some, but there was only so much they could do. After what felt like ages her first child finally came out into the world. When she turned around to clean up the pup it hit her all of the sudden that this was real. She saw that black pup and the realization that she was now a mother. She gave a little shake of her head to clear it. Internal debates and musing could wait till it was all over. She cleaned up the pup, her first son, and gently moved the dark pup to her stomach so he could get settled before she focused on pushing again. The next pup took a bit more time, but she made herself stay calm and keep pushing. Her ears flicked back and she gritted her teeth as she gave one last push to finish birthing her second born. She took just a second to get a lungful of air before she lifted herself up to clean the pup. Another boy, this one appearing to take more after her father than her or Elias. She smiled a little at that, her ears flicking a bit at the unexpected wave of emotions. The third pup came more easily than the second and when she went to clean it she saw that the gray pup was the smallest of the bunch. A daughter. So she did have at least one girl, she was glad about that. Once the girl was nestled at her side she was finally able to lean back against the wall of the den with a heavy sigh. It seemed that was all of them. Three children. Three seemingly healthy, beautiful children. Zuriel looked down at the pups while they had their first meal and she couldn't quite decipher her own feelings. She was in awe that something so small and pure could come from all of this. She leaned down and nuzzled each of them gently, her ears falling back against her head as a lump formed in her throat. These were her children. Zuriel had been racking her brain for names the last couple of weeks, but now as she looked at them none of them seemed to fit. "What do you guys think, hm?" she asked softly, knowing full well that they would all be deaf still and her words would be heard by no one. "What should your names be? How about... Daelos for you, little one?" she said as she gently brushed her nose against the top of the only girl's head. "You won't mind taking my middle name, would you? Daelos... Azure. Daelos Azure Adravendi. That has a nice ring to it." She looked to the darkest pup, her first born with a thoughtful hum. "I think Aindréas suits you. Aindréas... Aindréas Kane. That's it. Aindréas Kane Adravendi. Maybe you can go by Kane though, hm? That's a little less of a mouth full." She smiled a little and gave the boy a small kiss on the head. Then she looked to her middle child, the one that reminded her so much of her father. "I really like the name Miach. What do you think? How about... Miach Animosus Adravendi?" She sighed softly and sat back a bit to look at them again. "Kane, Miach, and Daelos... What a beautiful bunch of pups you are." "Talk" "You" Think

Faite still felt bound to one particular land (in this case two) ever since she'd found out she was pregnant. First she'd stayed in Celestial because she was reluctant to cause any accidental harm to her kids, then it'd been the Estuary so she could be by Zell, and now she was reluctant to leave Lirim. Her kids were growing fast, faster than weeds really, and she knew they'd be safe. She'd accomplished building a pack for them to be safe in. Someone would babysit them if she needed to leave, but everything was so new. It wasn't in her nature to not be off on some adventure, but she realized her habits needed to change. With the arrival of spring the snow had started to melt and the weather showed signs of warming up. It wouldn't be long before green shoots of growth would appear and all the healers could start gathering them. Her mind also drifted to Ivory Ridge and the promise of some sort of group activity between the two packs. She hadn't had the chance to find Karabela to inform her of Lirim's creation, but she knew she had to get to it soon before it got too late. The last thing she needed was for Raba to show up at her old home lands and not be there. But first she had other things to take care of. Between needing to lay down a solid foundation of trust with her new pack mates, she was also staying because of Zuriel. Her sister looked like she was about ready to pop and she wanted to be there for her when she did. Despite the fact that they were Elias' kids too, she was excited by the prospect of being an aunt. She had no doubt Zuriel would make a fine mother and raise them to be far better than their father ever could be. At least that's how she saw it. She'd just about reached Zuriel's den when she heard her talking. Ears flicked forward as she came to a halt and listened quietly as her sibling listed off some names. Did she have them already?! It took all her willpower not to rush into the den. She wasn't entirely sure if Zuriel would appreciate the intrusion so she padded towards the entrance and paused at the mouth with a grin on her face. Inside she could see three tiny bundles: one fully black, a gray one that resembled Zuriel, and lastly a brown one that reminder her of Falk. Her tail waved softly behind her at the thought as she stared at them. They were beautiful. "How are you feeling?" Walk, "Talk" Think

Zuriel watched as the little pups started falling asleep one by one as they got full and cuddled up against her. A soft smile lingered on her lips. She had firmly expected to look at them and see Elias, see how they came to be replaying over and over in her head. But she didn't see or feel any of that. She just saw little balls of fluffy, slowly drying puppy fur. They were precious and perfect. How they came into her life might have been far from that, but they were here and they were hers. She surprised herself with how much she loved them. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed Faite coming up to the den. She jumped a little at her sister's voice, but once she realized it was just Faite and her eyes focused on her form just outside the den entrance she smiled and her tail thumped lightly against the ground. "Good. Tired, but good." She glanced down at her children again for a moment before looking back up at her sister. "You can come in and see them if you want. They're just sleeping now." She smiled lovingly as she looked down at them again. "This is Miach, Kane, and Daelos," she said as she pointed to each pup with her nose. "I can't believe how much Miach looks like dad." A little pang of sadness hit her then, her ears flicking. "I wish he could meet them. I wish mom had been able to meet them." "Talk" "You" Think