((Anyone in the Hollows/Hodari family are welcome! Anyone wanting medic/nursemaid exp is welcome to say they helped with the birth!))

She'd grown so big that she had been forced to step back from her duties entirely in favor of just... being in the den. She'd been aware that this was a possibility should she ever get pregnant, given her small frame, but that didn't mean she was happy about it. Not that she wasn't happy to be having children of her own. Because she absolutely was. She was ecstatic, in fact, and couldn't wait until they were born so she could see them all and love them.

Finally the day came, though she honestly wasn't sure it was day given where she was in their sprawling tunnel system. Her birthing den was rather off the beaten path on purpose. She'd collected herself a little stockpile of herbs to help her with the pain and contractions, but she wore through them rather quickly as her labor carried on. It was painful, she wouldn't lie, and she couldn't stop the low groans of pain and effort that escaped her. But, it was all worth it in the end when she was able to gather the four perfect little cubs to her and call out for the rest of the pride to come see what she and her mate had created.

+10 Attend or assist with a birth

As the days grew closer towards the birth of her brother's first litter, Roan had secretly put the strawberry lass on baby watch. Even if it was something that seemed to follow the women of the Tolkien line, to have difficulties during the birth of children, the king had wished not to leave anything to chance, and so, he had entrusted his sister to basically be on standby should the worse occur. As such, Avana had made certain to keep her herbs well stocked for the big day, making sure that everything was in order and plentiful should anything particular be needed. She made it a habit to nonchalantly walk by @Faelyn's den on multiple occasions throughout the day and would periodically check in on her sister-in-law just to be sure. Finally came the day, though, that the medic was to meet her newest little nieces and nephews!

Avana would call for her brother the moment it seemed that Faelyn was in labor. She knew he wouldn't want to miss the birth of his own children, nor would he likely be able to stay away anyway just in case anything happened to his wife. Though the masked man didn't seem as bad off as their father when it came to births, she still knew it was a thought in the back of his mind if what happened to his own mother and grandmother might happen to any woman he married as well.

Luckily, no such fate would befall the sweet Faelyn. The maned woman prepared and offered whatever herbs she had as the pale woman worked her way through her own supplies. One by one, the cubs emerged into their new world, perfect as could be. They looked so much like their parents with little pops here and there of Hodari and Tolkien traits as well. Avana just beamed as she sat back against the den wall to give her brother and sister-in-law space to be with their new brood. "They're beautiful, Fae," the adoring sister murmured behind a misty gaze. "That one even looks like Dad." With a socked paw, the strawberry lass pointed towards the black cub. The black, white, and mauve cubs all made sense, but then there was a deep purplish colored one among them. Considering her own pink pelt was a rather odd outcome between a bronze and black coupling, Avana didn't think anything less of the plum child. He was just different, especially with his nubby tail, but he was cute all the same. They all were, and she couldn't wait to see them grow up. And low-key, she couldn't wait to have cubs of her own someday.... if that day ever came.

Table & Reference by Amanda | Base by Drifty | Background from unsplash

The day had finally arrived! Like any expectant father, Roan had been impatiently awaiting the arrival of his youngest children. With so much to do with the pride and the mist already, the mauve man had feared that he wasn't taking care of his wife well enough on his own, so he enlisted the help of his sister as well. Still, Roan was likely just as annoying for @Faelyn to deal with even if he didn't have other responsibilities to take care of at the same time. Perhaps it was a good thing he had distractions or else the two might end up in a divorce before the cubs were even born!

Anyway, the moment he heard the call, the masked man raced towards the birthing den. Knowing what his own birth had done to his mother, Roan couldn't deny that fear in the back of his mind. It was just another reason that he wanted a healer to be at the ready should anything go wrong. Much to his relief, though, Avana was already present by the time the man arrived to the den. Roan aimed a nuzzling bump against Fae's head as he came near, eager and ready to see the birth of his children. "I'm here," he murmured gently, wanting to be with her through it all.

Considering his wife's size as she had neared the end of her pregnancy, Roan didn't know if they should be expecting a lot of cubs, or just large cubs. Either way, he worried that Fae's smaller size might pose complications. Luckily, their children arrived without a hitch. One after another, four little furballs made their entrance into their lives and Roan could not be happier. "They're perfect," the masked man purred, adding on after his sister's comment before aiming to plant a kiss on his wife's cheek. While Faelyn invited the rest of the pride to come and see their new additions, the king would call specifically for their son, @Jai, to come meet his new siblings. Like the fear of anything happening to Fae in the process of the birth, Roan also feared that their adopted son might feel like he was getting replaced with new biological siblings. While both parents knew that this was something neither would let happen to the boy, they needed to make sure that Jai understood that as well. The masked man had a plan that he hoped would help unite the family, as it had done for him when he got new younger siblings that were not his blood.

Table & Ref by Amanda | Background | Lines by Sixbane

The former sovereign had to have been near to bursting recently, Tobin thought. As such, he wasn't surprised when the calls began to ring out. It would seem the time had finally come.

He knew well enough from his own experience with his wife so long ago that only the closest would likely be welcome, and so he lingered down the passage from the birthing den until he heard voices and deemed it safe enough to approach. He peeped into the den and caught sight of the mother with her newborns, as well as Avana and Roan. If any of them looked towards him he'd nod politely, but his gaze was mostly on the little ones. Such precious little things. He smiled softly and backed away from the entrance, lying down against the wall so that his blind eye was facing it to keep watch. Let the new family get acquainted without having to worry about watching for intruders.

He had taken noticed of his Mama's stomach getting bigger. Jai didn't understand that it meant he would have siblings, not at first anyways, but it had been explained to him and it caused the albino to feel out of place. Since his return from the mist, Jai had been especially attached to his parents and terrified to leave the Hollow's but with upcoming siblings the child just didn't feel like he was wanted anymore. It was a terrible thing to think about when it came to the Hodari family but he had been replaced once before so what would stop this family from doing the same?

Ears twisted on top of his head as he heard his Papa calling for him. Stopping, at first he was hesitant because he knew that Mama was having the babies though he didn't understand how and had stayed away to give them space. Even at his age he understood that grown ups didn't like children in their business. But since Papa called for him he would show and soon would spot the group. Moving towards @Roan and settling beside him to glance at @Faelyn and his new siblings silently. Taking note of everyone else in the den and how he was getting uncomfortable.Speech.

Table & Ref by Amanda | Background | Lineart

Hanneth had been building bundles for the lionesses that were near to their time to give birth. She didn't want things to go wrong and when she heard the call she grabbed a few and headed out. She had been excited for Fae and Roan's cubs to come and only wished that Dero could have been here as well but they hadn't been able to find him yet. Hanneth arrived, giving Tobin a quick smile before joining the small family and her trained eyes quickly took everything in before moving around Roan to drop the herbs near Fae's head before giving her a gentle head rub. Are you feeling ok? She asked her as she looked toward Roan for a moment. Her mismatched eyes studied him closely. There was always a lot of emotion that came with birthing and Roan had every reason to be worried. Dero always was, no matter who it was she could always see his concern written in his features. She didn't want to weigh down the day to much as she looked to @Jai and gave him a big smile. You are a big brother now. It will be your job to help keep them safe and teach them everything you know. She didn't know the boy well yet but she knew from past experiences that new cubs could cause tension. It was why Roan had named his brother, to give him a connection to the litter and to know that none of them were there to replace him. It was only adding to his family. She looked back to Fae and Roan, I am so proud of you both. Dero would be as well. She smiled at them before looking to her daughter. Her life had been nothing like she had wished for her when she was as young as these cubs are now. Nothing that Hanneth had planned in her mind had happened but Ava was here and seemed to be trying to find her way and Hanneth didn't know what else she could ask of her. She gave her a soft smile before looking toward the cubs again.

CODE BY TWESH - IMAGE BY MINXY

+5 10 Attend a birth (Double Exp)
+5 10 Gather herbs for nursing or birthing (Double Exp)
+5 10 Bring a mother or cub some food (Double Exp)

Quill had been exploring and learning the area when the smell hit him. He knew that smell. It wasn't one he had experienced too often but it was one he knew regardless. This had him racing to go and find certain plants that would help in this instance. Along with the plants he went on a quick hunt as well. Pain and hunger were likely to be chief among what the lioness was feeling. But more than that he expected tiredness as well.

When he got there a small gathering had already formed. The palomino coated lion eased his way closer towards the den. He kept his already small frame held low to the ground.

"These might help." He offered up the plants that meant to help with pain management and the small catch of a rock hyrax. It wasn't much but it was the least he could do on a last minute scavenger hunt. With his items deposited he backed away from the mother and her surrounding family but lingered nearby still.

@Faelyn

She felt fortunate to have Avana there at her side to help with the labor, especially as it dragged on. She'd had a feeling that she either carried many cubs, or large cubs, and as it turned out the answer was both. Thankfully, Roan was there with her as well every step of the way, and she was grateful for his presence. She purred as he kissed her cheek once it was all over. "I love them already," she said.

Now that she finally got a chance to breathe, she studied the cubs along with Avana. "You're right, he does," she replied of the cub her sister-in-law had mentioned. "They're all so fluffy too!" Clearly her and Roan's genetics had come through strongly. "Do you think these two are okay? This one has a little tail and this one's ears are folded over," she commented, indicating the cubs with a paw somewhat worriedly. They all seemed to be talking and feeding well enough though, so she didn't know if she necessarily had to be too worried.

She heard movement at the mouth of the den and caught sight of their advisor peering in, but he didn't stay for long. She thought she heard him settle outside, but she was immediately more preoccupied with Jai when he appeared. "My son, your younger siblings are here," she said softly.

Hanneth approached and Faelyn again purred as their heads gently touched. She took spoke to Jai, and as she did a thought occurred to her. "Jai, my love, did you want to name one of them?" she asked, glancing at Roan with an encouraging smile. She knew they hadn't exactly discussed names yet, especially not for so many little ones, and she thought it might be a good way to help him feel closer to them.

A male she didn't know approached with a bundle of herbs, and she might have been concerned had he not in fact been smaller than her and carried himself in such a way as to be entirely nonthreatening. It took only a sniff of what he carried for her to know that he had bought her things that were entirely welcome.

"Oh, thank you," she breathed, pulling the gifts towards her and taking the herbs before beginning to gnaw on the meal, hoping no one would think her too rude for eating in front of them. She was hungry after her exertions though, and she needed to stay fed if she was going to be able to feed these little (well, not so little) ones.

@Avana @Roan @Jai @Hanneth @Quill

It wasn't long before he was brought to someone else's attention and his red jewels looked over towards @Hanneth as she spoke to him. These were his little siblings, it would be his job to help keep them safe and to teach them things he knew. But what did he know truly? He was still learning himself and he felt as if he might fail as a brother. To have a panic attack right now was an understatement but he couldn't focus on his inner panic as @Faelyn spoke to him and brought his attention towards her. Moving behind his mother, Jai would glance over her and down to his new siblings and it was then he realized he wasn't be replaced. His family was just growing and he would smile to himself as he would nod his head at his mama. Red jewels glancing over his siblings before they landed on one of the boys. That one.. He reminds me of an eagle. He would state, he had seen one once before. But it seemed to fit the cub. Did his parents approve as he glanced towards both?

@RoanSpeech.

Table & Ref by Amanda | Background | Lineart

+10 Attend or assist with a birth

Avana was content to just sit back and play midwife as needed. When her sister-in-law asked about the two anomalies among her children, though, the maned girl moved to take a better look. "Hm, they look healthy to me. Maybe they're just some old family traits popping up," the strawberry lass mused quietly with a light smile. She didn't want to worry @Faelyn over anything right now if cubs were otherwise healthy. When @Jai walked in, though, Avana would step back once more to give the family space. She'd give her nephew a bright smile as he made his way towards his parents. There was always that little threat of an idea that an older sibling would feel replaced by new siblings, especially if the first sibling was adopted. Avana had never had younger siblings herself, but if she knew anything about her family, it was that nothing would ever replace the ones that came first. It was just a means of the family getting bigger, more to love. She didn't expect Jai to know all about their family just yet, but maybe someday he would find comfort in knowing about the other adopted members of their family.

Luckily, the boy seemed to take it all in stride, even when @Hanneth showed up next and instructed the prince as his duties as a big brother now. Though Jai was still young himself, Avana had faith in him that he would shepherd his little siblings as they grew up in the Hollow. With the mention of her father, the maned girl wished he could have been here as well. Dero loved cubs, and would have surely fawned over his newest grandcubs. A touch of sadness found its way into the strawberry lass's smile, only wilting her features a smidge before she caught her mother's attention. Avana returned the smile given before her attention was taken by another figure entering the den. It was the small male she had seen at some recent pride hunts lately. The one called @Quill. In seeing him give Faelyn some herbs of his own, it was nice to know that they had more healers in Obsidian. Should their gazes meet, Avana would offer the palomino lion a quick grin before nodding her head to her side; a silent invitation to stay and watch for a bit.

Returning her attentions to her family, though, the huntress's ears pricked forward when Faelyn invited Jai to name one of the cubs. It wasn't a consistent Hodari tradition, but the practice of letting an older sibling name a child in a new litter had happened a time or two, especially when the older siblings was not fully related to the younger ones. Roan had named Aeneas, and Reti had named Avana. Ironically, Jai would pick a bird just as Reti had initially started with flamingo when choosing Avana's name. In the end, her Swahili name had been chosen, which meant 'beautiful flower.' With that thought, the maned girl had an idea. "How about Tai? It means eagle in Swahili," she'd suggest quietly from the sidelines. It was perfect, really. Jai and Tai.

Table & Reference by Amanda | Base by Drifty | Background from unsplash