Jupiter continued to visit her with predictable frequency after their first reunion here in the forest. His presence made Ballad quite hesitant to return to her wild wandering. Then, about the time that Jupiter paused in his visits, the Ademre woman realized she had been blessed by Tor a second time. With the coming of her suspended full moon night she would bring forth very special children. Ballad cared for herself and her growing brood alone, no family by her side and only Tor to rely on. To think that the galactic pelted man would be here through this anyway seemed atrocious to the woman. This was her burden to bear as the moon goddess saw fit.

So Ballad’s middle grew and the days passed until she reached her due date. Fenris and the sun had returned by now but as the night eased over the tender spring lands the first natural full moon returned to the sky. Tor looked down proudly at her daughter and bathed her in moonlight as labor began.

The forests were silent and it felt like the earth was holding its breath as Ballad gasped in deep breaths as her body rolled and coiled with contractions. She had almost forgotten how difficult birth was. She tried not to show the expression on her features but pain laced her expression as she shifted between laying in the spring grass and pacing through the trees.

In Ballad, Jupiter found escape. She was someone he could be with without fear of their expectations. It seemed like he was surrounded by unmeetable hopes and standards so of course he came back when he could. His visits over the last season had waned as Alfrun became increasingly frail. The birth had been nerve-wracking, but once it was over (and the shock of eight pups had worn off) Jupiter had thought things would get better. They had not. Instead of recovering Alfrun's weakened state had persisted. Jupiter found himself up to his eyeballs in parenthood. He had eight terrifying children to tend to and a wife who relied on him more and more as the days passed. He felt smothered, overwhelmed, and exhausted. There wasn't any time for Ballad and the forest to cross his mind.

Until there was. To anyone else it would have been a good day. The children were sleeping, the chores were done, Alfrun seemed well enough. But time to think was Jupiter's enemy. He found himself drowning in expectation and, choking on it, had excused himself from the family den to run for the forest. There he knew he'd find air. And he hadn't been wrong. Jupiter had stepped one foot over the border and found himself awash in relief.

With a smirk on his lips he made his way to the place he knew Ballad would be. He wouldn't stay gone for long because he didn't want to worry Alfrun, but a few hours here would do him some good. He could bring home a pig or something and everything would be fine.

The sight of a very round Ballad stretched out in the moonlight wiped the smirk off his face. He glanced around furtively hoping, what, that some dude would be hanging out in the shadows ready to help her and claim fatherhood? There was no one; it was just the two of them. "Ballad?" he asked uneasily.

She let out a deep breath as she let the moon’s light bathe her fire touched fur. She closed her eyes and grit her teeth as she gave herself to Tor’s will. The moon goddess had seen her worthy to bless with another litter of puppies and she would find herself grateful in every stage. However, being in the middle of labor was not how she expected to see Jupiter again.

He’d been so distant recently, she really hadn’t expected that she would see him again. Part of her wished he had waited another few days after she was more recovered. She took in a few deep breaths as her steely eyes lifted to his features. He looked confused mostly, but she also saw concern. Ballad tried to keep her own expression blank, but the distress of labor was difficult to hide even for her.

”Jupiter, I..” She gasped with the pain from within her own body. ”I don’t know if I’m in a fit state for guests.” Ballad spoke breathily, offering the rare expression as she grinned playfully despite her state. Then she doubled over again as her body went through another contraction. They would be here very soon.

Jupiter was having a hard time keeping his eyes off her belly and he desperately wanted to ask a very important question, but couldn't bring himself to for fear of the answer. She had accepted him quite willingly...perhaps he wasn't the only one. Hey, it was fair for him to wonder! Granted...he'd also been a lot less careful with her than he usually was...

He chuckled nervously at her joke before replying awkwardly, "So I see. Wow, Ballad-" What the fuck did one say in a situation like this? "-That's...that's, just wow. Puppies. That's great."

Fuck. Well, now he was committed, wasn't he? Jupiter crouched down beside her as she braced for another contraction. "Can I get you anything? Doesn't seem right for you to be here alone, you know."

He didn’t need to be here. If Ballad weren’t so fond of his presence she might have tried to send him away. Men had no business interfering in a bird, but despite his awkward words he seemed determined to remain. The cobalt warrior swayed closer, committing himself to her side as he offered half hearted congratulations. ”Tor has blessed me, and it was great until this point.” She kept up her light attitude to hide the fear that suddenly raced through her. Everything to this point had been exactly the same as her last birth. Smooth, if not difficult and painful.

Something didn’t feel right as she shifted and Jupiter lowered himself beside her, offering assistance and his presence.”There isn’t much to do now but wait.” She bit back the emotions filling her and found herself focusing on his features. ”Maybe, but all I need is her.” Ballad motioned towards the bright light of the full moon as Tor smiled down at her. ”You may stay if you wish.” Ballad felt a knot form in her throat. Perhaps the goddess sent this man to her for a reason. ”I have grown quite fond of you.”

As Ballad was sent into another contraction she swore she saw another figure approaching. Pale as the moon herself. By the time she blinked open her eyes as it subsided there was no one there. Her labor progressed swiftly after that, she had little room for words as she worked to exhaustion birthing three tiny children. Each one took more and more of her strength, but each tiny child squealed with their first breath and proved their own strength. As the birth progressed with each pup born more blood was released with each subsequent puppy, draining Ballad of any energy she had left. Despite not being able to do more than just be there, Ballad found herself seeking Jupiter’s natural strength.

She would have to exchange her life for that of these perfect puppies. Each one suckled at her belly, and despite the dimming of her sight she could hear their exuberant appetites. Part of her knew these moments with them would be swift, and she realized why Jupiter was here. Ballad gasped lightly for breath, she blinked back her bleary eyes to focus on his features. She was dying. Quietly she whispered each pup’s name, uncertain if they would be remembered as she gave them or not as her vision tunneled and her limbs began to go cold.

”Jupiter..” There was so much she wanted to say. The Ademre woman sucked in her breath again, tears pricked at her eyes as she felt the finality of it all overwhelm her. ”You’ve already done so much for me..” Ballad didn’t want to do this to him, these were her babies. Tor had other ideas. ”Please.” She couldn’t put her last request to words as she curled slightly against her puppies and put her head onto once dancing fire paws. With her steel gray gaze lingering on the perfect puppies she left to the world, Ballad breathed her last breath for them.

For the second time this season Jupiter rode a roller coaster of ick as he watched Ballad give birth. Aside from being nauseated by the whole thing there wasn't much else for him to do so for the bulk of it he was reduced to the roles of spectator and cheerleader. An observation he kept to himself was that there was way more blood than he remembered there being for Alfrun even though there were a lot less pups this go around.

By the end of it when it was clear help was needed, he was stained with blood and at a complete loss over what to do. It was happening so fast! She said he name and he leaned in to brush her cheek with a bloody paw. "Don't talk like that, it's going to be okay." He knew that was a lie and said it anyway. The growing pool of blood was expanding faster than he could clean it up and she was already very weak.

"Look at these guys," he gestured to the litter. "They're beautiful." They were also blue and swirly enough to seal his fate, but that was far from his mind at the moment. "Ballad?" Jupiter blinked and got to his paws, alarm spreading over his features as he realized she'd gone still. He gently shook her shoulder. "Hey, Ballad, come on now." Holy fuck she was gone! Panic seized him. He'd thought she would have more time. How could she go so quickly? She couldn't be gone!

Using two paws now he shook her aggressively enough to cause the puppies to squeal angrily at the disruption. When Jupiter got no response he recoiled and began to pace. This was bad, this was so bad! What the fuck was he supposed to do? Valentine. His grandfather would know!

Jupiter leaned in and pressed his lips hard against Ballad's forehead. That was all he had to give her. He then turned and ran for Fireside. At this time of night he knew right where Valentine would be.