Post by dunderhead on Jun 7, 2009 11:21:22 GMT -5
Characters:
Inali - female black-furred red fox adult
Harper - male red fox adult
Gabriel - female kingfisher adult
Fireheart - male red fox kit
Aria (spoofed) - female black-furred red fox kit
Cello (spoofed) - male brown-furred red fox kit
Molto - male red fox kit
Summary:
Inali's kits are born! Six total (five players, one NPC)
The wiry old oak tree stands against the burning glow of a sinking sun, the light slowly growing darker and more pale. Inali had been resting soundly. Inali's cramps have been worsening, and although neither Inali nor Harper know much about medicine, it seems like the birth is imminent. Harper, had stocked a little food earlier, and Inali is now refusing to let him leave, if he even wanted to. She's afraid of being alone right now, and so, he is trapped in the den with a very pregnant vixen. Still in mid-sleep, her eyes suddenly pop open and she clenches her teeth together. "Arg! Harper!"
"Ahh! Who! What!" Harper says, jumping up and looking around in a panic, his tail flaring up like a signal flag. "What is it?!" He looks to Inali with eyes as wide as walnuts. "Inali? Are you all right? Oh no..." He pales under his fur as he realizes what this could be. Is it finally time? He's not ready! He's had no training! Braxton never told him what to do! He stands gaping for a moment before shutting his eyes and shaking his head. "Ahh... what do you need?" he asks dutifully.
Inali shuts her eyes tight. "Aaaah!" she says, raising one paw up in the air and smacking it down into the ground shuttering. She opens one eye and looks at her paw for a few moments, lifting it. "Ooh... that was a really ugly spider, Harper!" she says, rolling herself onto her back. "You should be more quick on your feet to defend me from icky bugs!" She sticks her tongue out teasingly, and places a paw on his chest. "Don't be.. so nervous. It'll all be okay, hun. I promise you." She can't, though, wipe a little smirk off her muzzle.
Harper stares at Inali blandly, his eyes instantly drooping to a more mundane, dry expression. "My mate, the comedian," he says with a little shake of his head. "I almost had a heart attack. Do you feel it beating?" he asks with a twitch of his ear. "You know this could happen any day... any minute, even! I'm on a hair trigger here." He stands up and begins pacing, unable to sit still now that he's awake. "Are you feeling any cramps? Any pain at all? Any weird feelings in your stomach?" He even puts a paw to her forehead, just to make sure.
Inali frowns at him and leans into him a little, hoping she can steal a kiss. Just a little one. "Harper.." she sighs. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just.. I'm scared too. I don't want to admit it, but I am. I need you to be strong for me." She looks at him with a solid expression, her smile fully having depleted. She likes to put on a facade, but it's impressive how weak she looks right now.
Harper's expression softens at once, and allows her the kiss she wants, gently wrapping a paw around her back (which is quite a feat, given how much else is in the way). He puts his cheek against hers. "You won't have to worry about anything. Leave that to me," he says with a crooked smirk. "You'll be fine. Nothing will go wrong, Inali," he soothes, leaning back to look her in the eye, their noses barely brushing. "I forbid it," he declares in the most haughty tone he can summon at a moment's notice. "You know I love you, don't you?"
Inali blushes and looks away some, that little smile returning. "Oh, of course I do." She gives him a soft lick on the cheek, as if to return the devotion, and rolls back onto her side, closing her eyes again. And it's like she stays for another couple hours. It's already dark when she wakes again. The crickets chirp softly outside. Her body winces and she bites her lip softly. It is not nearly so dramatic as she had been before. She reaches blindly behind her for her mate. "Ooh.. Harper, I think this is it."
Harper is there without any kind of delay. "Is it?" he asks, and then is going into overdrive. "All right... all right, Inali. Oh, boy... start breathing, all right? Stay calm, I'm here for you." He pokes his head momentarily out the den. "GABE!" he says, long and loud. "Get down here!" He rushes back inside to look over his mate, giving her ear a small lick. "Are you comfortable, dear? Do you want anyone else to be here?" He wonders if they should get Gabriel to find Braxton or someone experienced with this... he knows he won't have a clue if something's going wrong.
A loud, surprised chirp echoes as Gabriel is startled to sleep. From her recently built nest the kingfisher shakes her head and feathers, standing as tall as she can to stretch herself. She wonders what could Harper be worried about, what could be wrong. Under normal circumstances, it is *she* who wakes Harper and Inali up, but not until atleast the first *hint* of sunrise. It was still very dark outside; blatently night time. It must be time! Inali! Gabriel quickly bounces to the rim of her nest and whistles as she flies (but it's looks closer to falling) to the den entrance. "What's going on, baby?" She asks Harper, watching Inali on the ground.
Inali smiles up at Harper and gives him a lick back. "I think the kits are coming, Gabe," she answers. "You can stay, if you'd like." Suddenly her body feels like a vice and stiffens, her face noticeably wincing again. "Ah, jeez," she paws at the ground a little. "I don't know, I don't think anything.. anything else is going to change anything. They're coming no matter who is here or isn't here!"
"Ohh, my..." Harper says with a deep breath. "All right... all right, just stay calm, and breathe. Don't try to tighten up." That'll help them come out, right? If she doesn't clench or anything? He grasps her paw (or at least lays his over hers) and wonders what kind of help he can be. "We'll get through this... I'm here. I'm strong."
"OOOOHH!" Gabe squeals and enters the den. She's very curious about birthing, the bird version is more than a bit different. She flies and lands on Harper's back, watching Inali. "Relax, both of you." She calmly whispers, trying to keep the chirping and habitual singing to a minimum. Gabe's eyes are wide, she shakes and twitches, excited herself.
It is now your pose.
"Okay, okay," she says, and closes her eyes. Her breathing becomes more deep and more slow, and she gently lays her paw back down against his. It does help calm her. She tries to relax. Inhale, exhale. That is, until another contraction starts. It comes immediately out of nowhere, and her claws bear down on top of Harper's paw, digging into it a little as she clenches her teeth again. "Ooh! Harper!" Her eyes squint tight. She feels something deep inside of her burst.
"Ghkk!" Harper winces when Inali's claws dig into his fur and skin. He grits his teeth and demands that he stop shaking, that he stop hyperventilating, and that his tail stop making a mess! He stills himself. "Can you feel them coming? You need to help them out with a little push, Inali," he says as gently as he can. He doesn't know *when* they're supposed to start pushing, however! "Just keep breathing."
The bird is entranced with watching Inali. "Wow..." Though Gabe can't imagine what Inali is thinking or feeling. This is something she will never forget. She hops up further, to Harper's shoulders to avoid his overly excited tail.
"I know!" she growls, panting a little as her claws continue to dig into Harper's. The contractions are growing closer together. "I mean, okay." Her 'grip' on his paw loosens as she tries to steady her breathing. It's a very long ten minutes later when she actually does begin to feel like her very first child could be... could be coming. Finally. Any moment. She pushes, tensing voluntarily, helping him along. "H-Harper," she says, watery-eyed. "I think someone's coming.."
What was once wet, warm and comfortable became something more cold, dry, and entirely new and therefore frightening, a kit is now brought into the world. And after getting the reflex to breath after apparently being cut out from his mother's oxygen supply, immediately lets the world know he is *not* happy to be a part of it for the time being.
"Oh... oh gosh!" Harper says as Fireheart suddenly plops out into the world. What... what is *that?* Is that his child? He feels a sudden wash of relief, hysteria, and gut-wrenching concern fror the tiny, mewling thing. "Here... over here," he says, picking the kit up by the scruff and laying him against his mother. "First one... it's... that's our child..." he gasps, and feels his stomach do a flip in his gut when he realizes more are on the way. "Look at him... he's so *small*..." He suddenly remembers Inali and offers his paw again, wondering how long this could draw out.
Inali lays back, much relieved. She is almost so relieved that she forgets about the miracle that just had happened, until Harper kindly picks him up and places him on top of Inali's body. She looks very shocked as she sees the bright fiery red fur of this.. this little one, her little baby. Her eyes tear up again. "Hello there.." she says softly, and leans in to give him a lick, cleaning his matted fur. But it isn't long before she's distracted by another contraction. "They're... so determined to leave me, not even giving their mommy a break," she says weakly, with another jesting smile, staring up at Harper sweetly.
Fireheart realizes pretty quickly how hungry he is, and fumbles around to find the nearest food source. He can't explain how he knows what to do, he just does, and soon he latches onto his mother's teat and gets to work drawing the first food of his life.
Harper's eyes are all cloudy and distracted with... something. It's tears. He's actually starting to *cry* and he doesn't even know when he started, which is odd because generally Harper doesn't cry, as a rule. But this is worth getting worked up over. "This is amazing," he says breathlessly, his feelings on a roller coaster ride. Fear, rapture, love, all of it wrapped up into one big ball of uncontrollable emotion. He bends down to give Inali a quick nuzzle, on the lookout for another kit. He's actually becoming a father... they said he never would and he *is!* Ha! He's showed them all! Nobody can say he hasn't accomplished anything after this!
Gabe gasps as Harper takes the tiny fox kit. She watches from her vantage point of over-Harper's-shoulder with a smile and wide, amazed eyes. "It's smaller than me!" It's close, really. This is astounding on so many levels, Gabriel feels honored to be able to be apart of this. The emotion in this den is everywhere. She giggles, but in sympathy for Inali. "Keep it up, Inali!" She cheers.
Inali is surprised to find the newborn kit already weasel his way to her teat and start to drink a meal. Oh god. Breastfeeding too? Already? So that's what that feels like. Tingly! She wants to lay a paw against him, hug him to her body. But she is afraid that she will contract again, and her claws would.. she might not be able to help it.. honestly, he's not picked the best time to feed as her body is still going through labor. But she can't deny him his first meal. She tries, now, to relax even more, for this new fiery-red kit's sake, even as she feels another begin to make its way through her. She nuzzles Harper back, just before pushing and writhing a little more, trying to help it along quickly to grant her another short reprieve.
And where first the fiery-red kit came, another comes, this one black as her mother's own fur. She is, like her brother, a small, tiny, blind kit. Aria is helpless as she plops out onto the ground, and shivers cutely and without as much of the fuss as her brother gave. But she does let out a little squeak.
Fireheart continues to draw food from his mother. It is a new experience, but he feels three things that increase his feeling of security and comfort. The taste of the milk, the warmth of his mother's body and how he gets used to his feelings of touch.
Ah, here's the next one! Harper's ready this time! He seems a little shocked to see her colored the same as her mother, not that it was a bad thing. Just another surprise in an evening full of them. He snatches her up and drops her down next to her brother, giving her a few quick licks to clean her off. Bleh. But now it's on to the next one soon after, they can think up names when this time of stress and birthing is over and done with! "Look at this one," he says quickly. "They're taking after you already..."
Gabriel giggles as the second one is born. "It looks like you, cutie!" She informs Inali with a content sigh. She pats Harper's head once with a fully extended wing, trying to comfort him, too.
Inali can't resist any more. She takes her forearm and lays it down against them gently, hugging them into her body. She gives both of them soft little licks, cleaning them up further. She will just be very careful with them. Her tail flicks, and she looks at Harper again. "I love you," she says, as the two breastfeed for their first time. She looks over toward Gabe as well. "Thank you.. I'm so glad both of you are here." Her next few contractions are spaced apart and rather weak ones; she wonders if it is over? But she still feels so engorged. It's another 15 minutes until she has another deep pulse inside of her, and even then, the next kit takes his sweet time. The night grows later.
Fireheart adds the feeling of his mother's arm to the list of things that make him happy. Maybe this is what life is about? He doesn't care. He's feeling more nourished and warm by the moment.
( Aria joins him, nuzzling against her brother as she tries to share the teat beside him. She feels warm and wiggly, happy and together with both her mother and her brother beside her. )
Harper is still wide awake even as the night encroaches on their den, waiting for the next kit to come and dutifully depositing it next to the others. It feels as though an eternity has already gone by to him, but he has to stay vigilant. Who knows what'll happen next tonight? "How many more do you think there are?" he wonders idly as he cleans the third kit to be brought into the world of the living.
Inali shakes her head and whines a little, panting as she holds her babies. "I don't know.. one, two more?" she says. She tries to relax, but the next kit does not go easy on her. Her paw pads are sweaty. It feels stuffy in the den. Her relief is in the family she can have so close. Finally, at last, the next kit begins worming its way out as she paws at the ground some. Was this it?
Where Fireheart had a burning orange chest of matted fur and his sister was nearly completely black beside a white-tipped tail and her white paws, this next kit looked like a dark shade of brown, tail tipped white as well. Even right after he comes out he seems more active than the wait may have foretold, flopping around a little bit until he hits his daddy's paw. This Cello is born.
Fireheart had fallen asleep after drinking his fill. This is *after* taking considerable measures to get comfortable and get right into the right parts for it. He is on his back, and looks very happy.
( Aria snuggles under Fireheart, weaseling her nose between her mother and her brother, and quickly falls asleep as well. )
Three of them. There's three of them. Three little versions of Harper and Inali, all mewling and wanting milk and wanting to get clean, which Harper obligates with slow, tender strokes of his tongue over their backs. And still others to come! Harper is almost overwhelmed, but he's so drawn out just from the stress of the occasion that he can't even express his shock anymore. He's just smiling. Idly, contentedly, watching each and every little miracle with as much appreciation as any one of them. "Asleep already," he whispers. "They look adorable."
Gabriel slides off of Harper, standing close next to his leg. She smiles and nods. "They *are* adorable!" Her excitement is hardly contained.
"Yes, they are, so adorable. And they're all ours..." Inali says with a shiver and a blush, looking down at the two sleeping kits, and the brown one, which takes its turn at the meal. All three of them have found her teats by instinct alone. It isn't long before Cello, too, finds his place to sleep after his long journey out of her womb. The next few hours go by as slow as the previous had gone. If three weren't enough, there's a fourth! And then a fifth, even! Five precious little miracles.
( Cello is not so quick to fall asleep like his two siblings. After he has his fill of delicious milk he wanders up and down her belly, nuzzling against her and sniffing her and pawing at her. The curious little kit only settles down after a while, nosing against his mommy's belly and using a paw like a blanket. )
The other two kits also feed, as its become routine. Inali even helps them to her breast, and helps them find it with an amused and loving smile on her face. They're as quick to get sleep as well.
Harper watches as the last few come out of their mother and picks them up oh so gently. He lays them out next to their siblings, glad some of them are asleep so they don't have to scrabble and squabble for the teat. He knows that that would just make things even more stressful than they already were. "Five," he gasps, looking at Inali, somehow weary even though he's mostly just stood watch and provided moral support. "Are they any more left in there?" he asks wearily, but his smile is huge.
Inali winces as she feels another contraction, even with all of those kits she's already given birth to. "I don't know, but I still feel.. yes.. I think," she pants deeply. It's been a long night. Soon, it becomes apparent that dawn is nearly breaking. The light begins to seep back into the world. And she groans, shivering, holding back from disturbing her children. "He..here it comes," she says, and pushes, feeling so sore and so need of rest after all of this.
Inside Inali, the next kit was almost ready to come out. Roughly awaken, he could feel his body being pushed by his mother's soft and warm insides... He had not realized how warm they were until the first hint of fresh air hit the small kit's head. Being the very last one of the pack, he was a little smaller than the rest and his barely furred up tail seemed to be a tad longer than the rest of his siblings. His small paws pushed gently past the warmth his mother offered, shivering and letting out a small cry... a couple of them... The kit cried out with all the might his small lungs and barely developed vocal chords offered him, feeling the rest of his body being expelled from the warmth he had experience during his whole short life. Finally, as his small body flopped out on the ground, rolling a bit since his head had hit the ground first; the light brown-red-ish kit went on with his cries for nearly a minute, until his chords fainted from the excessive use and only strong cried out pants could be heard; seeming to have a tad more energy than the rest of his siblings, at least for now. Just as Molto tries to roll his small body while still crying, the first light streak of sunlight announces the beginning of a new day.
"Beautiful," Harper murmurs as he bends down and licks away at the mess covering the final kit, trying to give him a bit of comfort and warmth after the shock of being born. He picks him up and nudges him into the little space left in Inali's fur. "Come on... eat up. You'll need energy," he whispers as quietly as he can, *feeling* rather than seeing the light beginning to come into their den. "It's a brand new day... for all of us." He looks up at Inali with a triumphant, giddy smile. "You did it," he whispers, and nuzzles her cheek. "You *did* it. We're... we're parents now, Inali. Can you believe it?"
Inali smiles weakly at Harper. The contractions are dying down now. She feels some relief, finally, but she is so sore and tired. "Yes, we did do it, didn't we..." Inali says softly, weakly. She looks at her six kits, and finishes licking the last one where Harper had left off. It finally happened. It's over now. They're... *parents*, of all things. And Harper seems absolutely thrilled about it, too. He seems almost completely over his nervousness. Wow, six kits; double Braxton's litter. She feels so happy and proud, but is too weak even to cry. She curls her body around her kits as she lays herself on her side. "They're beautiful, Harper."
"Awww...!!!!" Gabriel bounces forward and leans over the last-born kit, petting it with gentle downs. "Shhhh..." She coos, and chirps in a low tone, singing to the kit. "I love them! Congratulations, guys!" Gabe smiles at Inali, then Harper. "I'd--uh-- get some sleep if I were you." They both looked tired and fatigued, Gabe will stand sentry, keeping everyone else outside, quiet. She again brushes the crying kit with her fluffy wing feathers. "Shhhh..."
Inali smiles weakly at Harper. The contractions are dying down now. She feels some relief, finally, but she is so sore and tired. "Yes, we did do it, didn't we..." Inali says softly, weakly. She looks at her six kits, and finishes licking the last one where Harper had left off. It finally happened. It's over now. They're... *parents*, of all things. And Harper seems absolutely thrilled about it, too. Obviously Gabe is pretty excited as well. "Thanks, Gabriel. You still get to name one, you know!" she says happily. "But I think sleep.. is a good idea." Wow, six kits; double Braxton's litter. She feels so happy and proud, but is too weak even to cry. She curls her body around her kits as she lays herself on her side, entrapping Molto against her body. "They're beautiful, Harper.."
Molto tried to roll away from his father's licks as he was been cleaned. His small body still crying in what came out as long desperate pants. It looked like the kit's crying would last forever, but as soon as the soft feather's of that beautiful bird caressed his body it al came to a stop. The small paw reached softly towards the feathers, gently pawing them as his breathing slowed down to a normal rate, a small yipp escaping the kitt's throat as if it were a giggle.
Harper lays down in front of Inali and shields the kits and his mate from the incoming light with his own body, curling himself around them all, using his tail as a bit of insulation for the new arrivals. "I know, sweetheart," he says to Inali, shushing her quietly. "They're beautiful, you're beautiful... everything's beautiful right now. You're radiant. I *love* you." He licks the side of her snout gently. "Now rest. You deserve it, hmm?" He's going to have a lot of thinking to do about this... what comes now, now that they're all nice and born? He can't even imagine what watching them grow will be like. Ah well... one step at a time. He turns to Gabe and nudges her with his snout. "Thank you," he says with deep sincerity. She just stood by and admired, but she's his friend, and Harper could just shout "thank you!" to the world right now.
The wonderful thing about having a mate #164 is that you get to lean against him when you are weak or tired. And Inali leans her body against his as he curls around her, letting them both support each other in a tight sleepy embrace. She returns his affectionate licks, and his outburst of happiness just warms her nearly as much as the kits do. Everything seems to have fallen in place. "Harper.. " she nuzzles against him passionately. "You make everything feel perfect." She lays her head underneath his chin. And soon, before she can even adequately express her feelings, her exhausted body is out. It relaxes, unwinds, and falls hopelessly asleep.
Molto's small body gives in after the bird calmed him down, he rolled his head a little bit once his father lowered his body near Inali's breasts, tugging in a nipple with his maw as soon as his nose guided him instinctively. But he wasn't able to drink his first meal for too long, since the crying had tired him up; he fell asleep with his mom's teat in his maw after a minute or two, a small stain of Inali's milk leaking down the side of his muzzle. Thankfully his head was leaning to once side, which allowed him not to drown while he slept.
Harper stays up for some time, resting protectively over his new family and his mate, wondering about how he came to be here. So loved and admired, and soon to be a role model and example to a litter of fox kits. The thought is incredible. Today is truly the first day of the rest of his life. He's got a lot to do, and a lot riding on his shoulders. He glances down at the kits, slumbering against their mother, and then their mother herself. Ever since he had come into this world he had been convinced that he wasn't going anywhere and that being left alone would make him very happy indeed. But she proved all that wrong. Granted... with incessant, annoying arrivals and departures and a very odd way of showing friendship, but it had led to this, hadn't it? She had changed him in ways unimaginable. And now his kits... what will they think of him? Will he be good for them like Inali believes he is for her? Well. If she can have that kind of faith in him, so can he. He coils around his family. "You *are* perfect," he whispers, and closes his eyes at last.
Inali - female black-furred red fox adult
Harper - male red fox adult
Gabriel - female kingfisher adult
Fireheart - male red fox kit
Aria (spoofed) - female black-furred red fox kit
Cello (spoofed) - male brown-furred red fox kit
Molto - male red fox kit
Summary:
Inali's kits are born! Six total (five players, one NPC)
The wiry old oak tree stands against the burning glow of a sinking sun, the light slowly growing darker and more pale. Inali had been resting soundly. Inali's cramps have been worsening, and although neither Inali nor Harper know much about medicine, it seems like the birth is imminent. Harper, had stocked a little food earlier, and Inali is now refusing to let him leave, if he even wanted to. She's afraid of being alone right now, and so, he is trapped in the den with a very pregnant vixen. Still in mid-sleep, her eyes suddenly pop open and she clenches her teeth together. "Arg! Harper!"
"Ahh! Who! What!" Harper says, jumping up and looking around in a panic, his tail flaring up like a signal flag. "What is it?!" He looks to Inali with eyes as wide as walnuts. "Inali? Are you all right? Oh no..." He pales under his fur as he realizes what this could be. Is it finally time? He's not ready! He's had no training! Braxton never told him what to do! He stands gaping for a moment before shutting his eyes and shaking his head. "Ahh... what do you need?" he asks dutifully.
Inali shuts her eyes tight. "Aaaah!" she says, raising one paw up in the air and smacking it down into the ground shuttering. She opens one eye and looks at her paw for a few moments, lifting it. "Ooh... that was a really ugly spider, Harper!" she says, rolling herself onto her back. "You should be more quick on your feet to defend me from icky bugs!" She sticks her tongue out teasingly, and places a paw on his chest. "Don't be.. so nervous. It'll all be okay, hun. I promise you." She can't, though, wipe a little smirk off her muzzle.
Harper stares at Inali blandly, his eyes instantly drooping to a more mundane, dry expression. "My mate, the comedian," he says with a little shake of his head. "I almost had a heart attack. Do you feel it beating?" he asks with a twitch of his ear. "You know this could happen any day... any minute, even! I'm on a hair trigger here." He stands up and begins pacing, unable to sit still now that he's awake. "Are you feeling any cramps? Any pain at all? Any weird feelings in your stomach?" He even puts a paw to her forehead, just to make sure.
Inali frowns at him and leans into him a little, hoping she can steal a kiss. Just a little one. "Harper.." she sighs. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just.. I'm scared too. I don't want to admit it, but I am. I need you to be strong for me." She looks at him with a solid expression, her smile fully having depleted. She likes to put on a facade, but it's impressive how weak she looks right now.
Harper's expression softens at once, and allows her the kiss she wants, gently wrapping a paw around her back (which is quite a feat, given how much else is in the way). He puts his cheek against hers. "You won't have to worry about anything. Leave that to me," he says with a crooked smirk. "You'll be fine. Nothing will go wrong, Inali," he soothes, leaning back to look her in the eye, their noses barely brushing. "I forbid it," he declares in the most haughty tone he can summon at a moment's notice. "You know I love you, don't you?"
Inali blushes and looks away some, that little smile returning. "Oh, of course I do." She gives him a soft lick on the cheek, as if to return the devotion, and rolls back onto her side, closing her eyes again. And it's like she stays for another couple hours. It's already dark when she wakes again. The crickets chirp softly outside. Her body winces and she bites her lip softly. It is not nearly so dramatic as she had been before. She reaches blindly behind her for her mate. "Ooh.. Harper, I think this is it."
Harper is there without any kind of delay. "Is it?" he asks, and then is going into overdrive. "All right... all right, Inali. Oh, boy... start breathing, all right? Stay calm, I'm here for you." He pokes his head momentarily out the den. "GABE!" he says, long and loud. "Get down here!" He rushes back inside to look over his mate, giving her ear a small lick. "Are you comfortable, dear? Do you want anyone else to be here?" He wonders if they should get Gabriel to find Braxton or someone experienced with this... he knows he won't have a clue if something's going wrong.
A loud, surprised chirp echoes as Gabriel is startled to sleep. From her recently built nest the kingfisher shakes her head and feathers, standing as tall as she can to stretch herself. She wonders what could Harper be worried about, what could be wrong. Under normal circumstances, it is *she* who wakes Harper and Inali up, but not until atleast the first *hint* of sunrise. It was still very dark outside; blatently night time. It must be time! Inali! Gabriel quickly bounces to the rim of her nest and whistles as she flies (but it's looks closer to falling) to the den entrance. "What's going on, baby?" She asks Harper, watching Inali on the ground.
Inali smiles up at Harper and gives him a lick back. "I think the kits are coming, Gabe," she answers. "You can stay, if you'd like." Suddenly her body feels like a vice and stiffens, her face noticeably wincing again. "Ah, jeez," she paws at the ground a little. "I don't know, I don't think anything.. anything else is going to change anything. They're coming no matter who is here or isn't here!"
"Ohh, my..." Harper says with a deep breath. "All right... all right, just stay calm, and breathe. Don't try to tighten up." That'll help them come out, right? If she doesn't clench or anything? He grasps her paw (or at least lays his over hers) and wonders what kind of help he can be. "We'll get through this... I'm here. I'm strong."
"OOOOHH!" Gabe squeals and enters the den. She's very curious about birthing, the bird version is more than a bit different. She flies and lands on Harper's back, watching Inali. "Relax, both of you." She calmly whispers, trying to keep the chirping and habitual singing to a minimum. Gabe's eyes are wide, she shakes and twitches, excited herself.
It is now your pose.
"Okay, okay," she says, and closes her eyes. Her breathing becomes more deep and more slow, and she gently lays her paw back down against his. It does help calm her. She tries to relax. Inhale, exhale. That is, until another contraction starts. It comes immediately out of nowhere, and her claws bear down on top of Harper's paw, digging into it a little as she clenches her teeth again. "Ooh! Harper!" Her eyes squint tight. She feels something deep inside of her burst.
"Ghkk!" Harper winces when Inali's claws dig into his fur and skin. He grits his teeth and demands that he stop shaking, that he stop hyperventilating, and that his tail stop making a mess! He stills himself. "Can you feel them coming? You need to help them out with a little push, Inali," he says as gently as he can. He doesn't know *when* they're supposed to start pushing, however! "Just keep breathing."
The bird is entranced with watching Inali. "Wow..." Though Gabe can't imagine what Inali is thinking or feeling. This is something she will never forget. She hops up further, to Harper's shoulders to avoid his overly excited tail.
"I know!" she growls, panting a little as her claws continue to dig into Harper's. The contractions are growing closer together. "I mean, okay." Her 'grip' on his paw loosens as she tries to steady her breathing. It's a very long ten minutes later when she actually does begin to feel like her very first child could be... could be coming. Finally. Any moment. She pushes, tensing voluntarily, helping him along. "H-Harper," she says, watery-eyed. "I think someone's coming.."
What was once wet, warm and comfortable became something more cold, dry, and entirely new and therefore frightening, a kit is now brought into the world. And after getting the reflex to breath after apparently being cut out from his mother's oxygen supply, immediately lets the world know he is *not* happy to be a part of it for the time being.
"Oh... oh gosh!" Harper says as Fireheart suddenly plops out into the world. What... what is *that?* Is that his child? He feels a sudden wash of relief, hysteria, and gut-wrenching concern fror the tiny, mewling thing. "Here... over here," he says, picking the kit up by the scruff and laying him against his mother. "First one... it's... that's our child..." he gasps, and feels his stomach do a flip in his gut when he realizes more are on the way. "Look at him... he's so *small*..." He suddenly remembers Inali and offers his paw again, wondering how long this could draw out.
Inali lays back, much relieved. She is almost so relieved that she forgets about the miracle that just had happened, until Harper kindly picks him up and places him on top of Inali's body. She looks very shocked as she sees the bright fiery red fur of this.. this little one, her little baby. Her eyes tear up again. "Hello there.." she says softly, and leans in to give him a lick, cleaning his matted fur. But it isn't long before she's distracted by another contraction. "They're... so determined to leave me, not even giving their mommy a break," she says weakly, with another jesting smile, staring up at Harper sweetly.
Fireheart realizes pretty quickly how hungry he is, and fumbles around to find the nearest food source. He can't explain how he knows what to do, he just does, and soon he latches onto his mother's teat and gets to work drawing the first food of his life.
Harper's eyes are all cloudy and distracted with... something. It's tears. He's actually starting to *cry* and he doesn't even know when he started, which is odd because generally Harper doesn't cry, as a rule. But this is worth getting worked up over. "This is amazing," he says breathlessly, his feelings on a roller coaster ride. Fear, rapture, love, all of it wrapped up into one big ball of uncontrollable emotion. He bends down to give Inali a quick nuzzle, on the lookout for another kit. He's actually becoming a father... they said he never would and he *is!* Ha! He's showed them all! Nobody can say he hasn't accomplished anything after this!
Gabe gasps as Harper takes the tiny fox kit. She watches from her vantage point of over-Harper's-shoulder with a smile and wide, amazed eyes. "It's smaller than me!" It's close, really. This is astounding on so many levels, Gabriel feels honored to be able to be apart of this. The emotion in this den is everywhere. She giggles, but in sympathy for Inali. "Keep it up, Inali!" She cheers.
Inali is surprised to find the newborn kit already weasel his way to her teat and start to drink a meal. Oh god. Breastfeeding too? Already? So that's what that feels like. Tingly! She wants to lay a paw against him, hug him to her body. But she is afraid that she will contract again, and her claws would.. she might not be able to help it.. honestly, he's not picked the best time to feed as her body is still going through labor. But she can't deny him his first meal. She tries, now, to relax even more, for this new fiery-red kit's sake, even as she feels another begin to make its way through her. She nuzzles Harper back, just before pushing and writhing a little more, trying to help it along quickly to grant her another short reprieve.
And where first the fiery-red kit came, another comes, this one black as her mother's own fur. She is, like her brother, a small, tiny, blind kit. Aria is helpless as she plops out onto the ground, and shivers cutely and without as much of the fuss as her brother gave. But she does let out a little squeak.
Fireheart continues to draw food from his mother. It is a new experience, but he feels three things that increase his feeling of security and comfort. The taste of the milk, the warmth of his mother's body and how he gets used to his feelings of touch.
Ah, here's the next one! Harper's ready this time! He seems a little shocked to see her colored the same as her mother, not that it was a bad thing. Just another surprise in an evening full of them. He snatches her up and drops her down next to her brother, giving her a few quick licks to clean her off. Bleh. But now it's on to the next one soon after, they can think up names when this time of stress and birthing is over and done with! "Look at this one," he says quickly. "They're taking after you already..."
Gabriel giggles as the second one is born. "It looks like you, cutie!" She informs Inali with a content sigh. She pats Harper's head once with a fully extended wing, trying to comfort him, too.
Inali can't resist any more. She takes her forearm and lays it down against them gently, hugging them into her body. She gives both of them soft little licks, cleaning them up further. She will just be very careful with them. Her tail flicks, and she looks at Harper again. "I love you," she says, as the two breastfeed for their first time. She looks over toward Gabe as well. "Thank you.. I'm so glad both of you are here." Her next few contractions are spaced apart and rather weak ones; she wonders if it is over? But she still feels so engorged. It's another 15 minutes until she has another deep pulse inside of her, and even then, the next kit takes his sweet time. The night grows later.
Fireheart adds the feeling of his mother's arm to the list of things that make him happy. Maybe this is what life is about? He doesn't care. He's feeling more nourished and warm by the moment.
( Aria joins him, nuzzling against her brother as she tries to share the teat beside him. She feels warm and wiggly, happy and together with both her mother and her brother beside her. )
Harper is still wide awake even as the night encroaches on their den, waiting for the next kit to come and dutifully depositing it next to the others. It feels as though an eternity has already gone by to him, but he has to stay vigilant. Who knows what'll happen next tonight? "How many more do you think there are?" he wonders idly as he cleans the third kit to be brought into the world of the living.
Inali shakes her head and whines a little, panting as she holds her babies. "I don't know.. one, two more?" she says. She tries to relax, but the next kit does not go easy on her. Her paw pads are sweaty. It feels stuffy in the den. Her relief is in the family she can have so close. Finally, at last, the next kit begins worming its way out as she paws at the ground some. Was this it?
Where Fireheart had a burning orange chest of matted fur and his sister was nearly completely black beside a white-tipped tail and her white paws, this next kit looked like a dark shade of brown, tail tipped white as well. Even right after he comes out he seems more active than the wait may have foretold, flopping around a little bit until he hits his daddy's paw. This Cello is born.
Fireheart had fallen asleep after drinking his fill. This is *after* taking considerable measures to get comfortable and get right into the right parts for it. He is on his back, and looks very happy.
( Aria snuggles under Fireheart, weaseling her nose between her mother and her brother, and quickly falls asleep as well. )
Three of them. There's three of them. Three little versions of Harper and Inali, all mewling and wanting milk and wanting to get clean, which Harper obligates with slow, tender strokes of his tongue over their backs. And still others to come! Harper is almost overwhelmed, but he's so drawn out just from the stress of the occasion that he can't even express his shock anymore. He's just smiling. Idly, contentedly, watching each and every little miracle with as much appreciation as any one of them. "Asleep already," he whispers. "They look adorable."
Gabriel slides off of Harper, standing close next to his leg. She smiles and nods. "They *are* adorable!" Her excitement is hardly contained.
"Yes, they are, so adorable. And they're all ours..." Inali says with a shiver and a blush, looking down at the two sleeping kits, and the brown one, which takes its turn at the meal. All three of them have found her teats by instinct alone. It isn't long before Cello, too, finds his place to sleep after his long journey out of her womb. The next few hours go by as slow as the previous had gone. If three weren't enough, there's a fourth! And then a fifth, even! Five precious little miracles.
( Cello is not so quick to fall asleep like his two siblings. After he has his fill of delicious milk he wanders up and down her belly, nuzzling against her and sniffing her and pawing at her. The curious little kit only settles down after a while, nosing against his mommy's belly and using a paw like a blanket. )
The other two kits also feed, as its become routine. Inali even helps them to her breast, and helps them find it with an amused and loving smile on her face. They're as quick to get sleep as well.
Harper watches as the last few come out of their mother and picks them up oh so gently. He lays them out next to their siblings, glad some of them are asleep so they don't have to scrabble and squabble for the teat. He knows that that would just make things even more stressful than they already were. "Five," he gasps, looking at Inali, somehow weary even though he's mostly just stood watch and provided moral support. "Are they any more left in there?" he asks wearily, but his smile is huge.
Inali winces as she feels another contraction, even with all of those kits she's already given birth to. "I don't know, but I still feel.. yes.. I think," she pants deeply. It's been a long night. Soon, it becomes apparent that dawn is nearly breaking. The light begins to seep back into the world. And she groans, shivering, holding back from disturbing her children. "He..here it comes," she says, and pushes, feeling so sore and so need of rest after all of this.
Inside Inali, the next kit was almost ready to come out. Roughly awaken, he could feel his body being pushed by his mother's soft and warm insides... He had not realized how warm they were until the first hint of fresh air hit the small kit's head. Being the very last one of the pack, he was a little smaller than the rest and his barely furred up tail seemed to be a tad longer than the rest of his siblings. His small paws pushed gently past the warmth his mother offered, shivering and letting out a small cry... a couple of them... The kit cried out with all the might his small lungs and barely developed vocal chords offered him, feeling the rest of his body being expelled from the warmth he had experience during his whole short life. Finally, as his small body flopped out on the ground, rolling a bit since his head had hit the ground first; the light brown-red-ish kit went on with his cries for nearly a minute, until his chords fainted from the excessive use and only strong cried out pants could be heard; seeming to have a tad more energy than the rest of his siblings, at least for now. Just as Molto tries to roll his small body while still crying, the first light streak of sunlight announces the beginning of a new day.
"Beautiful," Harper murmurs as he bends down and licks away at the mess covering the final kit, trying to give him a bit of comfort and warmth after the shock of being born. He picks him up and nudges him into the little space left in Inali's fur. "Come on... eat up. You'll need energy," he whispers as quietly as he can, *feeling* rather than seeing the light beginning to come into their den. "It's a brand new day... for all of us." He looks up at Inali with a triumphant, giddy smile. "You did it," he whispers, and nuzzles her cheek. "You *did* it. We're... we're parents now, Inali. Can you believe it?"
Inali smiles weakly at Harper. The contractions are dying down now. She feels some relief, finally, but she is so sore and tired. "Yes, we did do it, didn't we..." Inali says softly, weakly. She looks at her six kits, and finishes licking the last one where Harper had left off. It finally happened. It's over now. They're... *parents*, of all things. And Harper seems absolutely thrilled about it, too. He seems almost completely over his nervousness. Wow, six kits; double Braxton's litter. She feels so happy and proud, but is too weak even to cry. She curls her body around her kits as she lays herself on her side. "They're beautiful, Harper."
"Awww...!!!!" Gabriel bounces forward and leans over the last-born kit, petting it with gentle downs. "Shhhh..." She coos, and chirps in a low tone, singing to the kit. "I love them! Congratulations, guys!" Gabe smiles at Inali, then Harper. "I'd--uh-- get some sleep if I were you." They both looked tired and fatigued, Gabe will stand sentry, keeping everyone else outside, quiet. She again brushes the crying kit with her fluffy wing feathers. "Shhhh..."
Inali smiles weakly at Harper. The contractions are dying down now. She feels some relief, finally, but she is so sore and tired. "Yes, we did do it, didn't we..." Inali says softly, weakly. She looks at her six kits, and finishes licking the last one where Harper had left off. It finally happened. It's over now. They're... *parents*, of all things. And Harper seems absolutely thrilled about it, too. Obviously Gabe is pretty excited as well. "Thanks, Gabriel. You still get to name one, you know!" she says happily. "But I think sleep.. is a good idea." Wow, six kits; double Braxton's litter. She feels so happy and proud, but is too weak even to cry. She curls her body around her kits as she lays herself on her side, entrapping Molto against her body. "They're beautiful, Harper.."
Molto tried to roll away from his father's licks as he was been cleaned. His small body still crying in what came out as long desperate pants. It looked like the kit's crying would last forever, but as soon as the soft feather's of that beautiful bird caressed his body it al came to a stop. The small paw reached softly towards the feathers, gently pawing them as his breathing slowed down to a normal rate, a small yipp escaping the kitt's throat as if it were a giggle.
Harper lays down in front of Inali and shields the kits and his mate from the incoming light with his own body, curling himself around them all, using his tail as a bit of insulation for the new arrivals. "I know, sweetheart," he says to Inali, shushing her quietly. "They're beautiful, you're beautiful... everything's beautiful right now. You're radiant. I *love* you." He licks the side of her snout gently. "Now rest. You deserve it, hmm?" He's going to have a lot of thinking to do about this... what comes now, now that they're all nice and born? He can't even imagine what watching them grow will be like. Ah well... one step at a time. He turns to Gabe and nudges her with his snout. "Thank you," he says with deep sincerity. She just stood by and admired, but she's his friend, and Harper could just shout "thank you!" to the world right now.
The wonderful thing about having a mate #164 is that you get to lean against him when you are weak or tired. And Inali leans her body against his as he curls around her, letting them both support each other in a tight sleepy embrace. She returns his affectionate licks, and his outburst of happiness just warms her nearly as much as the kits do. Everything seems to have fallen in place. "Harper.. " she nuzzles against him passionately. "You make everything feel perfect." She lays her head underneath his chin. And soon, before she can even adequately express her feelings, her exhausted body is out. It relaxes, unwinds, and falls hopelessly asleep.
Molto's small body gives in after the bird calmed him down, he rolled his head a little bit once his father lowered his body near Inali's breasts, tugging in a nipple with his maw as soon as his nose guided him instinctively. But he wasn't able to drink his first meal for too long, since the crying had tired him up; he fell asleep with his mom's teat in his maw after a minute or two, a small stain of Inali's milk leaking down the side of his muzzle. Thankfully his head was leaning to once side, which allowed him not to drown while he slept.
Harper stays up for some time, resting protectively over his new family and his mate, wondering about how he came to be here. So loved and admired, and soon to be a role model and example to a litter of fox kits. The thought is incredible. Today is truly the first day of the rest of his life. He's got a lot to do, and a lot riding on his shoulders. He glances down at the kits, slumbering against their mother, and then their mother herself. Ever since he had come into this world he had been convinced that he wasn't going anywhere and that being left alone would make him very happy indeed. But she proved all that wrong. Granted... with incessant, annoying arrivals and departures and a very odd way of showing friendship, but it had led to this, hadn't it? She had changed him in ways unimaginable. And now his kits... what will they think of him? Will he be good for them like Inali believes he is for her? Well. If she can have that kind of faith in him, so can he. He coils around his family. "You *are* perfect," he whispers, and closes his eyes at last.