A building pressure in her stomach woke her, though she mistook the feeling for something else. The discomfort wasn't going away and was actually bringing nausea with it. Even in her discomfort, she tried very hard not to wake her soon-to-be husband and moved out of the den. Only a few paces away, she emptied her stomach and groaned softly. It soon lessened, though it didn't fade entirely. This was when she began to worry, her ears locked to her skull and her tail tucked firmly between her legs. It seemed to be a long walk back than it had been out here, and half of her steps were taken in a pain-induced fog that took her breath away. Azariah entered the den, and whined softly, not wanting to alarm Ulric but needing him to go and find one of the healers in the pack. She preferred Tamsyn, but the ebony woman was busy with her own brood, so it was understandable if she couldn't make it. The monochrome witch preferred any help she could get. Gently, she roused her mate, trying to smile even though another bout of pain. "My love...mmmm...I think...I think it's time!" She tried to speak through a particularly intense round of pressure.

Panting through the worst of it, the anxious mother-to-be lay back down on her bed. She made sure to breathe, as that was the key to surviving pain. While her body felt as though it was condensing down onto itself, Aza tried to remain calm. With or without the help of a healer, Azariah's body wasn't going to wait. It felt like it took forever, and her that body was slow to react to the signals her body gave her. In truth, it was only a single hour before the most intense urge to push began. When she could hold off the instinct no longer, the monochrome woman let her body do its work. Mere minutes dragged into years it seemed as she pushed when she felt the need and rested in between. The first pup was the worst, and left her with a few tears, but nothing that would scar the woman for life. After that, it was relatively easier. Each pup took about an hour to an hour and a half to make its debut, totaling nearly eight hours from start to finish. All night she worked to bring her children into the world. Engulfed in each tiny, splendid cry as she cleaned them and drew them close to her. All of them beautiful in their own right. Beaming up at Ulric once she was done, and the fifth and final pup screamed to life in their den, Azariah burst into the happiest sob-fest she had ever had the pleasure of crying over. "They're so beautiful!" She didn't feel the pain anymore, forgotten in the rush of happiness and elation at finally having her babies in the world!

Walk. "Talk." Think. "Umbra."

Art by SHELBY

Ulric was sleeping soundly beside his precious fiancé, physically exhausted from all of the work he had been putting in on their den and around the pack. The den was finally done or at least done enough for their pups. Perhaps he'd work on it some more as they got bigger, but for now it was plenty finished for their current needs. It was large, safely reenforced, and had more furs than he could even count. He'd also taken a note from something he had noticed about Resin's den and had hung a fur across the door way and that offered a nice protection from the wind and would help to make sure little tiny pups wouldn't be able to wiggle their way out without them noticing. His mind was still working a mile a minute with all of the things that still needed to be done, but his body had made the final decision in sending him into a deep, dreamless sleep. He stirred just a bit when Azariah rose and left the den, but didn't fully wake up until she purposefully woke him and after a moment of sleepy confusion at her words he snapped to attention. It was time! His eyes flew open and he scrambled to his paws, ignoring the creaking protest of his muscles. "Okay! It's time, okay!" he said as he tried to reorient himself and desperately tried not to panic or get too worked up. Either didn't seem helpful, but he was excited and nervous and scared all at once and he didn't really know how to respond. He helped his mate back down onto the bed and suddenly finally clicked in his head. "A healer! I'll go get a healer!" He kissed the top of her head, saying, "I'll be right back, love!" before scrambling out of the den and running down to where he knew one of the healers kept their den. He didn't really consider the fact that he was waking them up in the middle of the night - all he was worried about was getting Azariah the help she would need. Once they were alerted and he was certain they were up and moving he darted back to the den, moving much faster than his large form should allow. He slipped back inside and was immediately at Azariah's side, settling in behind her and giving her ears and cheeks comforting licks. "They're on their way, beautiful. I'm here with you." Sure enough, the healer came in behind him a few moments later, bringing several herbs with them and setting them off to the side before checking Azariah. Time seemed to crawl by, but he never moved from where he was behind her. He would occasionally nuzzle her neck or lick behind her ears with quiet encouragement, letting her and the healer to their work to bring their children into the world. One after another pups appeared and were settled at her stomach and he looked at each of them with absolute awe and a love he didn't realize was possible. They all looked a bit different, but he could pick out bits and pieces of each of them and their families in them. A boy that reminded him of what he had heard his great grandfather had looked like, a girl with white and tan markings, a girl with the monochromatic hues of her mother with the speckled patterns from himself, another boy with a marking across his little face that reminded him so much of his mother, and one last girl to round out their litter of five that looked the most like Azariah with the dark markings around her eyes. His heart was completely melted and once the healer had made sure everyone was healthy and happy and had excused themselves to let them rest he looked down with the most overwhelming joy at his family. His eyes met Azariah's as she looked up at him with a similar happiness. He laughed a soft, giddy laugh as she began to cry, but the tears that pooled in his silver gaze and marked his cheeks showed that he wasn't past joining her in this joyful sobbing. These were their miracle pups and even though he was shocked that there were so many of them, he was the happiest, proudest father he could be. "They're absolutely gorgeous, my love," he agreed before nuzzling into her neck again and wrapping his forelegs around her. He shifted so that she was nestled against his stomach and one of his forelegs was available to be her pillow while his other leg carefully draped around her shoulder. With their size difference it was easy to protectively wrap her up and shield his little family from the world. He looked down at their children and smiled as he let his oversized paw delicately gaze their backs, feeling them breathe and wriggle under his touch. "They're so small!" he said softly as he compared how little they were compared to his paw, an amazed grin pulling at his lips. He thought he could pick out which ones were going to take after him in the size department just from looking at how their sizes varied now, but he was excited to see how they grew and developed and how their personalities would eventually begin to shine. "Talk"