[RO] Two of a kind, workin' on a full house
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PP approved by Honey. TL;DR: Grace goes into labour, Nier drags her to Saul and Lilin's house, Loch is born first, Teagan last. Nier is very happy. OMG!!! PUPPIES!!! :: 2,630 ::

Grace had been uncomfortable last night, she had tossed and turned on the ledge that made up their bed. She had changed ends, turned on her side, her back, sat up, moved the furs and blankets around. At one point she'd even kicked him out of his own bed. He had sat at his table with a blanket around his shoulders, watching as she turned circles on her hands and knees, trying to find a comfortable position, but she never had. She had snapped at him to stop being silly and come back to bed, so he had. He had settled next to her and pulled her into his arms. She had melted against him and put her head on his shoulder, whimpering that she didn't know what was wrong. Nier had had an idea, but he hadn't wanted to bring it up, sure that she had been thinking it herself and he hadn't wanted to scare her. Eventually she had fallen asleep in his arms, pregnant belly pressed against his side and muzzle tucked underneath his chin. While she had slept soundly, he had not.

The bright rays of morning sunlight broke through the windows on the front of his house, spilling across the pair of wolves cuddled up together. Niernan looked down at his mate, the light sparking on her golden fur. Her chest moved up and down rhythmically as she slept. He smiled fondly and placed his nose against her face, nuzzling into her, inhaling her familiar scent. She smelled of Vinatta, books and him, and that sent a thrill down his spine. He was ecstatic that they had found each other, that she was now wrapped in his embrace and bearing his pups. His cerulean eyes were starting to slide shut when Grace jolted awake. Her body flung away from him as she sat bolt upright, her azure eyes wide and her mouth open as a pained gasp escaped her lips. She doubled over, arms hugging her distended belly as she began pant, whining in the back of her throat. Nier put a handpaw on her shoulder blade and rubbed in small, comforting circles. She moaned and shuddered as a cramp took hold of her lower abdomen again, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. Niernan waited patiently, trying to squish the panic and nerves that were screaming in his mind.

He slid off the bed and stood beside his mate, still rubbing circles on her back. She managed to straighten up again, looking up at him, fear shining in her eyes. He nodded and took her by the handpaws, pulling her gently to her feet. He laid a gentle lick on the side of her muzzle, his voice quiet and calming, "We'll go to Saul. He'll know what to do. Hang in there sweetheart." She nodded at him, grimacing slightly as a minor cramp twinged in her gut. Nier busied himself with sorting out the animals, he mewled to the cats to stay put, both Ciaran and Leo nodding at him from their shared ledge. The quolls were still asleep in their hammock and the pheasants were beginning to stir, he quickly placed the pen he had constructed around the birds, enclosing them in the corner they had chosen to sleep in. He didn't want them running around the house while they were gone, knowing that he would come back to mayhem. He flicked his eyes to the cats again, Ciaran was now sat up and washing Leo's head, the younger cats green eyes were closed and he was purring. Nier purred in Low speech to his companion, asking him to watch the others. Ciaran merely flicked his tail to show Nier he was listening.

Once he was happy that their animals would look after each other he gathered up a blanket and wrapped it around Grace, herding her to the door. He hurried through Jordheim as much as he could, Grace having to stop every so often to clutch at her belly and pant as another contraction grasped her womb, one particularly strong one made her half collapse against an uninhabited hill house. The dark Stormbringer had waited with her, muttering sweet nothings to her as she struggled through it. She smiled up at him weakly as she began to straighten, showing just how glad she was that he was there with her. Nier had half expected her to be snappy and more sarcastic than usual, but the D'Angelo seemed to be too tired to keep up a stream of insults. This worried him and he started herding her again.

He sighed in relief as Saul and Lilins house hove into view, the rays of the morning sun making the grass atop the hillock glow with a miasma of almost holy light. They shuffled forward, Grace now almost continuously whining under her breath as the pain started to intensify. The Irish male knocked frantically on his cousin and Virdings door, calling out for Saul to aid them. He hoped that the grey male would be awake, knowing that often his cousin would greet the morning with a run in his lupus form, or a dip in the lake, but it seemed he was lucky today. Saul answered the door quickly, looking puzzled as he peered around the worn wood of the door, his soft voice making Niernan automatically smile. "What's the problem Niernan?" He asked, green eyes flicking to the blanket clad Grace and instantly realising what was happening, he flung the door open and ushered the pair in. Nier thanked him as he dithered in the foyer of Saul's house, waiting for direction. Saul seemed to have taken charge, his medics mind overriding his normally worried demeanour. He directed the panting Grace into the spare room, installing her on the bed which was already lined with soft blankets and furs.

Nier was beginning to become nervous, dancing from footpaw to footpaw, the prospect of becoming a father now actually sinking in. He was young and he had no idea how to care for puppies. He knew how to play with them and then give them back, but he had never sat through the night caring for a pup, making sure it was fed and toileted and that came with pups. His dancing ceased immediately, the gravity of the situation smacking him full force, his tail tucking between his legs and his eyes now full of fear and panic. Saul gave Niernan a cursory look and beckoned him over, his verdant eyes stern. "You need to be with her, hold her hand and support her. Worry later." He said. Nier nodded and settled himself at the head of the bed, placing Grace's head and shoulder against his chest. Her body was propped against his and he smoothed her bangs out of her face, murmuring soothing words to her as she shivered with each contraction that ripped through her. Saul busied himself with preparing for the puppies, piling rabbit furs by his footpaws and fetching a pail of water. Nier was baffled as to what these things were for, but he trusted his cousin to know what he was doing, he had done this for Colibri and Lilin not long before.

Suddenly Grace was arching her back and crying out, he was aware that the noise may wake Lilin, Colibri and the pups, but he knew that he couldn't shush his mate. He had completely forgotten about his loud knocking on the door, all the drama of his mate giving birth erasing memories. She raised her handpaw up to his and took his paw, he immediately regretted his decision to allow her to have his paw to hold as she squeezed it in an iron grip. He felt the bones of his paw grinding together as she clasped it tightly. He gritted his teeth and refused to let a whine out, as he knew his pain was nothing compared to hers. "Saul!" She cried. Her azure eyes flying open to look at the grey wolf readying himself to aid her in the delivery, "I need to push." She half growled, half whined. Saul nodded and rushed over, preparing his skins and water.

The grip that Grace had on Nier's handpaw suddenly intensified and he let out an involuntary yelp as he felt a bone pinch a nerve. Grace only growled in response, a sardonic smile flickering about her lips before she screwed up her features as she pushed. Her whole body strained to expel the pup from it, shuddering with her effort. Nothing had come from her first effort and she gazed at Saul expectantly, she could tell, and so could Nier that something was supposed to be going on, but Saul only shook his head, "It takes time Grace, when you feel the urge to push, push." She nodded and gritted her teeth as another wave of rolling cramps assaulted her. She pushed with all she could, her groan evolving into a loud cry as she felt something yield. Nier was unaware of what she was feeling, but he could tell something was different this time, her body stiffened and she looked to Saul in panic. His cerulean eyes flicked to his cousins face, watching the smile that was beginning to form there. Saul nodded frantically and encouraged Grace, "That's brilliant Grace, I can see the head. One more big push and the head will be out." Nier felt a thrill of excitement shoot through him; his first pup was on the way.

Nier nuzzled against his mates face, "You can do it sweety, I know you can. Our beautiful pups are coming." The excitement was evident in his voice and it elicited a smile from her, his happiness infectious. The smile slipped as another contraction took over her body. She pushed with all her might, her teeth clenched together and her handpaws clenching at what they had hold of; Nier's own handpaw and the blankets by her side. Saul seemed to become excited as she pushed, "Yes! Come on Grace, keep pushing, the pup's almost out!" Suddenly Grace was relaxed, her pants long and laboured. Saul was wrapping something in the rabbit furs and rubbing vigorously, splashing water on it to clean it up. Small cries came from the little black thing and Nier realised that it was his and Grace's first born. Saul smiled up at Niernan and Grace, passing the bundle of pup and rabbit fur to the new mother, "It's a boy." The mated pair gazed at the little pup, their son. Nier's eyes were misted with tears of joy, he brought a handpaw up to brush his fingers along the side of the pups black furred face, "Our son." He managed to choke out, his throat suddenly tight with emotion. Grace looked up at him, a smile on her lips, but the smile vanished quickly enough as a strange pain flashed through her abdomen. She looked utterly panicked and urged Niernan to take the pup in her arms, looking to Saul with fear in her eyes. He placed a comforting hand on her knee, "It's the placenta, you'll need to pass the placenta before the next pup." Grace nodded and felt the urge to push again, her muscles already tired from the exertion of expelling her son from her womb. Thankfully the sac of blood and fluid didn't pose any problems and slipped from her body easily, she did something then that made Nier wrinkle his nose in disgust. She shifted her body so that she was no longer propped against him and took the sac in her jaws, hastily gulping it down. Saul merely nodded and laid her back down after she had finished with the sac.

Nier shuddered but said nothing as she settled against him, he didn't want to ask but she seemed to know that and explained away her actions anyway, "I felt that I needed to, Niernan. I don't think I would have felt right about all of this if I hadn't have eaten it." Nier nodded in reply and put his arms around her again, settling the pup on her chest. The blind child struggled to find his way to a teat, his shaky, pudgy legs dragging him across his mothers pale fur. Grace gasped quietly as he latched on to a nipple, the feeling entirely foreign to her. The pup managed to suckle quietly, his parents watching in awe and wonder for a brief five minutes before the next set of contractions ripped through Grace.

Saul was ready for the next pup already, his rabbit furs and water waiting. He placed a comforting paw on Grace's leg and urged her to push. Her body shook with the exertion, but nothing came of the effort. She collapsed back against Niernan and he rubbed her shoulders comfortingly, remaining silent, his eyes on his son, a smile still hovering about his lips. She arched again and he felt her muscles strain through her back, her loud cry vibrating through his chest. Sauls voice rose above her cry, "Push! Push Grace." Yet she couldn't, her body falling back against Nier again, she panted heavily, the pup on her chest rising up and down with each breath, it didn't seem to bother him much, he was happily suckling away, oblivious to the world around him. Nier moved his tan paws down from her shoulders to massage her sides, feeling the muscles tense again as yet another contraction made its presence known. Grace only whined this time, a long and drawn out noise but Saul seemed to be getting excited, urging her on, "The head's out. One more push Grace and you'll have another pup." Grace nodded as she rested for a moment before the muscle contractions started again. This time the pup on her chest raised his head shakily and seemed to look around, despite being blind, his tiny tail stirring, as if he knew his sibling was entering the world and he would no longer be alone. The second pup spilled from Grace and immediately cried aloud, wailing louder as Saul took it into the soft pelts and rubbed at it, using the water to clean off the amniotic fluid. He passed the pup to Niernan this time, allowing the male to gaze fondly at the pale furred pup, one dark streak running down her spine marring the cream fur. Saul's voice was quiet and gentle, but with a hint of pride, "This one's a girl." The grey wolf moved back to the other end of Grace and prepared for the passing of the placenta, watching as Grace extricated the dark pup from her chest and passed him to Niernan, a soft smile touching her lips as she saw her two children together.

Her stomach rippled as the muscles moved the placenta from her womb, expelling the sac just as easily as the first one, and again the golden wolf snapped it up, swallowing it as quickly as possible and not even thinking of what she was eating. Her body sank back to the bed, her shoulders resting on Niernan's chest and she sighed in exhaustion, her eyes sliding shut. "Grace." Sauls voice was urgent and he placed a handpaw on her knee, giving it a brief shake, "Grace, wake up. We don't know if you have any pups left inside you." She simply shook her head, the movement merely a roll of her skull against Nier's chest, "No, none left. I can tell." And with that she fell into a slumber, leaving Nier and Saul with the puppies and the clean up. The black and tan wolf looked up from his children to grin broadly at Saul, tears streaming from his cyan eyes that were brimming with joy. "I'm a dad Saul. I'm a dad."


Word Count ~ 2,630

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