The days following Azariah telling him that they were expecting had been a whirlwind. He had been keeping himself busy around the pack lands as it was with helping with the den building and getting into the habit of doing patrols and slowly getting to know the other wolves that lived here - but now with this news he had doubled down on all of this to make sure everything was in place before they were born. He'd set to work redoing the den he had nearly completed for him and Azariah to create more space for the pups that were to come and trying to think of things that would help to keep the little ones safe. If occurred to him that perhaps he was just keeping himself busy to keep himself from overthinking the fact that he was about to be a father and all of the overwhelming emotions that came with that new fact, but he didn't dwell on that thought for very long - preferring to push that off instead of address it. As he finished his patrol for the morning and made sure that Azariah had eaten and was cared for, he went across to the other side of the area that the pack had slowly turned into their living spaces to go to the den that Resin had been working on for herself and Tamsyn. He'd been by a few times, helping her with moving in some larger pieces and helping her to get things in place. Seeing how she had built hers certainly influenced how his was shaping up, but he wasn't sure that his would ever be quite as grand. He did like the rocks that she had placed around the entrance to act a bit like a fence for puppies... perhaps he'd have to implement something like that eventually. The scarred leader wasn't hard to find and he walked over to her with a slight grin. He knew that if anyone else in the pack needed to know about his upcoming children then it was going to be Resin. Of course it was important to let the leader of the pack know what was going on with their members and give her a heads up for any major changes in how many mouths there were going to be to feed, but he was mostly just excited to share with someone he saw as a friend. "I have some news for you," he told her as he walked up beside her and lightly bumped her shoulder with his head. He knew she liked to get right to the point with most things so he wouldn't beat around the bush too much. "Talk"

The work never ended. Especially with the pups so close to being born. She needed the den to be complete. Not only complete, but she needed it to be perfect. Once it was done, she would be able to breath a sigh of relief. Until then, it was all work. The bracers had been put into place and secured. She had lined the floor and about a foot up the walls with clay which she'd then fired to harden it. Not liking the unfinished look, Resin had then pressed saplings into the walls above the clay, providing a visual barrier between the clay and dirt walls. She had lined inset shelving with clay as well. There was still so very much to do, but she was getting rather tired. When Ulric found her, she was sitting outside of the den, a gentle breeze blowing into her face. Her eye had been closed, but it opened the moment she heard his approach. The big man smiled and she returned the smile. After he bumped her shoulder, the earthen brute told her that he had some news to share. The scarred brow above her missing eye arched curiously. "Oh?" She left her inquiry short. Her gaze locked on him, waiting to see what he'd have to say. "Speech"

As expected, it was pretty easy to get Resin's attention, but she didn't bother too much with pleasantries. He settled onto his haunches beside her with a grin and similarly got right to the point. He knew how busy they both were, and as much as he wanted to celebrate, he also knew life had to keep rolling as well. "Azariah is expecting," he told her, the excitement clear in his expression, though the nervous butterflies still hadn't quite settled. He was sure all new parents had the same apprehensions, but it had just all come so suddenly and unexpectedly that he hadn't really had a chance to fully accept it as fact yet. He wondered if it would ever feel real until he saw their little pups in real life. "They certainly weren't planned, but we're excited," he added with his tail brushing against the ground behind him. "There's going to be so many pups around here between her and Tamsyn... We're going to have our paws full for sure." He chuckled softly at the thought, imagining a whole herd of pups bouncing around and getting into all kinds of trouble. He glanced toward the den Resin had been working on so diligently, asking, "How's the building going? Are you and Tamsyn just about ready for yours to arrive?" "Talk"

Dark ears perked as Ulric began to speak. It seemed that his mate was expecting a litter of pups. It was a good thing that it was summer and there was a lot of time to fill their stores full of food or else the woman may not have been happy to receive such news. As it hadn't been planned, she couldn't hold it against him too much. Let it be a lesson though. "I am happy for you and Azariah."Resin continued. Her voice wasn't unkind, it was simply fact that she spoke. "As an alpha, often times there are hard decisions to make when it comes to pups. Your litter will be allowed. I know we can provide for them. We will not allow another, however. Not until we bolster our numbers and supplies and allow our current litters to grow some." It wasn't wise to stretch resources. She would have to make it known that pups were now off limits to those of The Hallows. Forelegs slid outward, depositing the woman on her stomach as she settled in to rest and chat with her underling. The woman chuckled at Ulric's assessment as to their future situation. "We will indeed have our paws full." She directed his attention to the large, fenced in grassy area behind them. "Preparations have already begun to keep the little whirlwinds contained." Pups had an insane amount of energy and were always go go go. The playpen would provide the mothers with a much needed break. Having been asked about her den, the dame nodded. "Almost finished. Just in time, too. Tamsyn looks as though she'll be ready to burst any day." It was cute to see her little woman all round and wobbly. She couldn't wait for Tam to get back into shape though. She missed the dark fae's lean, warriors frame. She missed what she was able to do with it even more. They hadn't made love in quite a while, thanks to the pups. Resin was ready for that to change. "And you?" she asked. "How are your den preparations coming? Surely there's a lot to change with your numbers increasing." She wasn't sure if he'd clay fired his den. If he hadn't, expanding it would be a lot easier. "Speech"

Ulric grew a bit more serious as Resin delivered her warning and he gave a nod of understanding. It was absolutely sound logic and he certainly wouldn't have chosen to have a litter so close together with Tamsyn's, but given the fact that Azariah hadn't thought she was able of carrying pups this had been a surprise to all of them. Of course he would have figured out a different plan or place to live if Resin hadn't felt comfortable with them housing another litter so soon, but he was happy to hear that she would allow them all to be here. "Of course, I completely understand. I'll help to make sure we have plenty of food stored away for everyone as well. Hopefully I'll be able to get my pack up and running soon enough so I can help relieve a bit of the strain." He wasn't sure yet how his new family would effect his time line and plans, but knowing that he was part of the problem when it came to crowding their numbers with tiny mouths to feed was enough of a motivation to place that as a priority in his mind. He nodded and his smile returned when she pointed out the containment she had prepared for the soon to be pups. It clearly wasn't her first go around with the little things and it made him all the more curious about her past. He'd never really asked about how she had gotten to this point and he wasn't sure if she'd appreciate him poking around in her personal life. It was kind of nice to not be bogged down in the dark and sorted past when they spoke. They had just picked from from their first meeting and got to work. When the questions turned to his own preparations he chuckled and gave an exaggerated sigh as he grinned with a bit of humor. "It was just about done before this news... I've had to take down a good portion of it so I could build it out some more and create some more space. It's under way though and I'm pretty certain it will be done before the little ones arrive." He didn't mind doing the work. It would all be worth it end the end and he was excited to see them all enjoy the space he had created for them once they were here. "Talk"