Once again a strange series of events was occurring around them and unfortunately she felt like it probably wouldn't be the last. The only difference this time was that she was heavily pregnant as the odd quakes and red-hued light took over their lands. Normally she would be right at Artorias' side investigating everything that was going on and figuring out what was causing it, but for the sake of their children she kept to the castle. They were due any day now and after going through this twice before she knew well all the signs to look for and how to best be prepared. Luckily it seemed like they were looking forward to a more moderately sized litter this time–at least according to Gwyn–so she wasn't as large as she had been in the past and was able to get around a bit easier this time. That made her moving around the castle to keep herself from going stir crazy less tiresome.

Even though there was plenty of things to keep Artorias occupied right now she knew that once she mentioned how close they were to welcoming their pups he wouldn't stray far. Normally she would keep him close by through nearly all of her pregnancy, but these odd, otherworldly occurrences had other ideas. Still, she thought she could squeeze in one more night together before their room was overtaken by puppies once again so she pulled together a little dinner for the two of them to enjoy to officially celebrate their anniversary–minus the wine, unfortunately. She brought the simple meal up to their room so they could have some privacy and laid it out in front of the fireplace before settling down on the plush rug with a contented sigh. The pups had been active and moving quite a bit today and even now they were giving her a run for her money. Chuckling, she curled to press her nose to her rounded belly, cooing softly, "Calm down, little ones. Your dad will be here soon."

"Artorias & Briar"

No matter what calamity befell the world around them, nothing could have kept Artorias from his wife's side. Briar was the most important thing in his life, bar only their children, and despite the innate urges to rush out to investigate the strange goings-on and try to keep his pack safe, he did not venture far from home. With a pregnant mate filled with his children ready to burst any day now, he knew he would be needed here more than anywhere else in the world. So after his initial investigation of the stone spires in the mysterious Prominence, Artorias promptly returned back to the Hallows to secure Hearthstone against any threats, real or paranormal. The last thing he wanted was for their home to fall under attack during the end of Briar's pregnancy.

After ensuring the walls were bolstered and the gates were ready to be sealed at a moment's notice, the Lord of Cinder retired from the castle walls just before dusk. His Lady had bid he join her for dinner for their anniversary up in their chambers, so that's where he headed, going straight from his rotation on patrol to meet his wife upstairs. The great dire brute walked at an almost march down the corridors, concern weighing heavily on his mind and his heart. He worried about the safety of his family and his wolves during this time, but he had to trust that they would all be safe, just like the years that came before. But all of those thoughts were slowly falling from the Carpathian brute's mind as he neared the doors to their bedchambers, focusing entirely on enjoying his evening with his wife no matter what.

Pushing into the room, Artorias was met with the warmth from the fireplace crackling away and casting the room in bright light. He shut the door gently and greeted Briar with a loving smile, shining amber eyes roving over her round belly where their children grew. His heart swelled, full of love for the beautiful fae laid out in front of the fire, bathed in golden orange light, growing their next litter. "Bună seara, iubirea mea. Aniversare fericită," he greeted Briar in low tones, coming closer to plant a loving kiss on her lips before craning his neck down to nuzzle at her swollen belly. Less round than years prior, but still round all the same. "How are they treating you tonight?" Artorias stepped aside briefly to strip off his armor, setting it onto the mannequin beside the fireplace and stowing Embershard above the mantle. Once fully disarmed and disrobed, he came back to join Briar on the soft furs, curling his body around hers to snuggle her close while they shared their anniversary night together.

"Artorias & Briar"

Even though the pups certainly didn't seem to listen to her instruction to settle, Briar still tried to relax with a little smile all the same. She enjoyed the warmth of the fire while she waited for Artorias to finish his work and soon enough she heard the slight creak of the door and glanced over to see her armored husband stepping into the space. She grinned up at him and tipped her muzzle up to meet his, returning his kiss. "Aniversare fericită," she said in return with a little chuckle, her long, flowing tail brushing against the fur behind her as he leaned down to nuzzle her belly. Seeing Art as a father was one of her favorite things. As much as she loved being a mother in its own right she knew that seeing how amazing he was with their pups certainly encouraged her to keep growing their family.

As Artorias moved away to put away his armor, asking about how their growing pups were doing, Briar settled back into the furs and pillows with a little smirk. "As rambunctious and energetic as ever," she replied, wincing a bit and chuckling as one of them landed a particularly strong kick to one of her ribs. "I think there being fewer of them this time is giving them more room to move around and they're taking full advantage of it. That or they're just very ready to be out," she half joked. She knew that they could make their appearance minutes, hours, or days from now and it was just a waiting game at this point to see when it might be. Turning her gaze from her belly up to look at Artorias as he came to snuggle up against her in front of the fire, she gave him a little smile and asked, "Everything looking alright outside?" She didn't want to talk work during their date night, but with everything going on she still wanted to be in the loop with what was going on around them.

"Artorias & Briar"

Artorias couldn't help a rumbling chuckle when Briar called their pups rambunctious and energetic, grateful to know that despite the strangeness going on outside their unborn children were still healthy and active as ever. Leaning his head over to rest his muzzle against Briar's belly, Artorias spoke softly directly against his wife's skin to their pups. "Settle down in there, you lot. Your mother would like some rest now." Knowing that puppies were gonna puppy and do whatever they wanted regardless, Art just gave a soft breathy huff of amusement and sat up to help himself to some food, scooping some meat into his mouth while his free paw rested gently on Briar's side, giant digits stroking soothingly along her taut skin to offer her some relief.

Briar asked if everything was looking all right outside and Art just gave a drawn out sigh. "As good as a sudden unexpected and uncertain change in the world can, I suppose," he remarked, the Lord of Cinder giving a look up to his raven companions who swooped down to draw the curtains and block out the red night. He didn't want anything disturbing their peaceful evening together. "It's quiet right now. Nothing has really happened much beyond the appearance of that strange land. The kids are out investigating some things down on the Shore, but that's all." There was really not much to report, which came as both a blessing and a curse. The stillness brought peace, but it also brought with it uncertainty, like the world was hanging on the edge of cataclysm. Determined to keep their minds off of the things they had no control over, Artorias gave Briar an affectionate smile and planted a slow lick to her cheek. "Don't worry, my Deer Girl. We'll all be safe in here, even if we have to ride out whatever this is behind closed doors."

Art's eyes lit up with excitement then as he slowly untangled himself from Briar's side. "In fact, I have just the thing to keep ourselves entertained if we do go into lockdown." With a playful grin, Artorias crossed the room to his chest and nudged the lid open, pulling out something from within. When he returned to Briar, Art laid down the sheathed short sword at her paws, beaming lovingly while he wrapped himself around her once more. Letting Briar unsheath the sword from its navy blue leather sheath, Artorias took in all of his wife's reactions to her new blade. The short sword was forged from beautiful Carpathian steel, similar in style to Artorias' own sword in its natural organic ripples and bands. Both sharpened edges of the sword shone with a lustrous mirror-like finish from tip to hilt. The blade was long, elegant, lightweight, and deadly. The grip was wrapped in matching navy leather, and both the pommel and metal accents on the scabbard were made from the same wild Carpathian steel pattern. The metal around the top of the scabbard had a fire sapphire and turquoise stone set into either side, mimicking the eyes of the pair of lovers.

"You caught me working on this for you when we made these," he spoke playfully, gently patting her pregnant belly with his forepaw for emphasis. "Now it's yours, and once the pups are born, we'll be able to start your training with it. That'll be a good way to kill time indoors." Bushy tail wagging behind him on the fur rug, Artorias nuzzled Briar's neck and spoke softly against her ear. "Happy anniversary, Briar. My life is complete and perfect because of you and I love you so much."

"Artorias & Briar" | "Carpathian"

Briar nodded with understanding as Art insisted that it was as good as it could be given the unexpected and strange circumstances they were in. Just like any other time that strange, potentially paranormal occurrences surfaced around them it was always hard to tell what was going to happen until it did so the best they could do was just be prepared for the worst. It was comforting to hear that it was all fairly quiet from what he could tell and what their children had been able to find thus far. She just had to hope that it stayed that way. The last thing she wanted was for their new pups to come into the world amid some sort of catastrophe. Briar smiled at the kiss Art left on her cheek, easily comforted by his confidence that they would all be find here behind closed doors. "I know we will, my Blue Boy," she replied as she tipped her cheek up to nuzzle into his.

When he mentioned that he had just the thing to keep them entertained if they did have to be locked in, she gave him a curious look and watched as he went to fetch something from his chest across the room. Her gaze lit up with realization as he turned back toward her holding a sword sheathed in navy leather and she grinned as he placed it at her paws. With Art wrapped around her once more, she dipped her head to pull the sword free, revealing the rippling, intricate, wild nature of the Carpathian steel she had become very familiar with since becoming a part of this family. It was stunningly beautiful–as was all of the pieces Artorias made–and she laid it down next to its sheath so she could admire it in the firelight.

She glanced over at Art as he mentioned how she had caught him working on this when they made the pups she was growing and she grinned slyly at the memory. She had been eagerly waiting to see how the sword came out since then and now that it was in front of her it was even more detailed and thoughtful than she could have ever imagined. "It's beautiful, my mate. Thank you for making this for me." As he nuzzled into her neck, Briar hummed happily with a wide smile, leaning back into him happily while her tail curled over his hip, the long fur trailing along his thigh. "Happy anniversary, Art. I love you more and more every day we're together," she replied back quietly, her paw slipping over to curl around his as her eyes closed contently to enjoy this quiet moment they shared together.

Just as she was opening her eyes to look at her sword again and ask him a question, her words were cut off by a sudden and familiar cramp along her belly. She paused for a moment, waiting to see if it was just a one off as would sometimes happen this late in the pregnancy or if there would be more. Another, this was stronger, followed quickly and she winced, riding the contraction out before glancing at Art with a bit of a chuckle. "Leave it to our pups to interrupt our date night," she said sarcastically, shifting a bit to get to her paws before another contraction could stop her. No sooner than she had begun to move toward the walled off bed of soft furs that they had put together for their pups her water broke, signaling that this was no drill and these mischievous pups were coming now whether they were ready or not.

"Artorias & Briar"

The wide smile that grew on Briar's face as she delighted in and marveled at her new sword brought Artorias all the joy he needed to know his work was appreciated. Forging Carpathian steel brand new was still a practice he was honing and refining, but he was getting better and better at it with every piece made, and he wanted Briar's sword to be a perfect match to his own—that beautiful yet wild chaotic pattern of crucible-forged Damascus steel was incredibly hard to smelt and create, but he hadn't given up until he'd accomplished what he set out to do. Briar thanked him and complimented the steel, making the dopey lovestruck dire brute's bushy tail wag all the faster behind him. Briar's enjoyment of her new sword was all the reward he needed for his hard work. As Briar proclaimed her love for him and draped her silky tail over his hip and thigh, Art felt his heart skip a beat, knowing exactly what would be coming next at the promise of Briar's suggestive touches. A little grin played on his lips, his paw sliding down around Briar's waist to pull her closer into his body...

And then Briar gasped and winced and Artorias was immediately alert and looking at her with concern. Was something wrong? A sudden strong muscular contraction in her belly beneath his paw tipped him off to what was going on, and a moment later Briar made a comment about their pups interrupting them. Art's eyes went wide, excitement welling up in his racing heart. The pups were coming! "Part of the joys of being parents," he quipped back with a playful smile as he got up to help Briar to her paws as well. As soon as she was up her water broke and Art realized their children were coming a lot quicker than they were ready for. "Oooookay, we're going by their timetable now!" he said with a laugh as he offered Briar his side to escort her over to the whelping bed.

Once he'd gotten her over and settled in, Artorias went back to gather up Briar's sword and sheath it, placing it with care on his desk and out of the way while he set about gathering up clean cloths, the medicines Gwyn had brewed for them, and a dish to fill with water. This was no new rodeo to either Carpathian, so Artorias moved mostly on memory and practice, returning to Briar with their essential supplies. No medic would be needed this time. While he settled in behind Briar to give her comfort and offering his body for her to grip and bite onto if she needed, Artorias found the bottle of motherwort and trillium extract and uncorked it to offer Briar, remembering the basic order of which medicines needed to be taken at which stages of birth. "Ready to be parents again, love?" asked the bright-eyed and beaming Artorias, tail awag with excitement. "We've got this, but you tell me if you want me to call for Gwyn at any point, okay?"

"Artorias & Briar" | "Carpathian"