She had left the pack in the capable paws of her advisor and now all that was to be done was to try her best to get comfortable in the confines of the den she had chosen. She found herself a short distance from the stream and cache, but far enough that it would be out of the way for the pack to intrude, with enough distance between herself and the water to minimise the chances of flooding. The incident at Swift River still stuck out clearly in her mind - a reminder of the power even the calmest stream could hold. She would respect it, and keep the children that were to be as safe as possible were the stony banks to break. Although with the light snow falling outside and showing no signs of letting up, she hardly felt flooding was a risk this far up the Pass.
Another contraction wracked her body as she pulled herself upright again, taking several paces before turning and lowering herself back down to lay on her other side. Inside she could feel the little lives that would be stirring, fighting and strong - finally ready to be met by the one who had carried them these last months. Her heart fluttered for a moment to think what this litter may look like - would they have eyes like Rhysis? Would their coats be dashed with hues of gold like Datura? Would there be a pale one like last year? Her breathing became more rapid and she knew it was time.
The first to appear was a dark child, as large as Datura had been when he was born. A proud smile crossed her face as she bent around to clean the surprisingly quiet squirming bundle. Her heart caught in her throat as she spied the dash of white against the tiny girls chest. A coincidence, surely?
Another ripple of pain shot down her flanks as she prepared for the next, quickly moving the first to suckle at her breast. This one was much noisier than the first. Her peeps and squeaks demanding to be heard. A relieved chuckle passed the mother's lips as she turned, this one was as small as Lily but showed a lot more fight. Dark as her sister, she was quickly cleaned and nudged beside her sister, who she promptly pushed aside. A small whine was heard from the larger before she moved to accommodate her smaller sibling, already taking the path of least resistance.
Patiently she waited for the next ripple to come. But it didn't - and she couldn't help but to release a small sigh of relief. While a small part of her was saddened that this year she would raise no sons, she was also filled with an immense feeling of relief. She had two daughters to raise, shape and mould - both strong and dark, as most of her line were. There was no frustration at Rhysis's absence, no anxiety or anger for now.
Already it was clear, the Pass would never be the same again.