Welcome to Gaia! ::

Shar nods sadly. "Which is why I refuse to use it, even though ye have offered it to me for use in several treatments. It is simply too risky in my book... too many variables... weight, age, health... ye name it... anyway..." Suddenly she stops and turns to Fortuny who has grown awfully quiet.

"Want to walk it off or sit it out?" she asks placing a hand on the lioness' abdomen.

"Move iffin ye can." says Estelle wisely. "Walking and moving about shortens things considerably. As I always tell my mothers... a little discomfort now makes up for far less discomfort later... Kero, you get on one side of her and Shar you get on the other... but first clear the area, push the furniture back to the walls, make her some room."

Clearly used to being in control. Estelle quickly assumes a leadership role with a calm authority that keeps everyone at ease.

Soon there is plenty of room and Fortuny is able to pace about with the help of Shar and Kero, pausing between contractions to drink some tea and rest.

Estelle nods, eying her closely. "How is she doing, Dawnmistress... are the babes moving into position?"

Shar does a quick check and nods. "Everything is right on schedule. An hour or two more, m'lady and you be done with this. Things go faster with subsequent birthings. I bet you were expecting things to drag out all night, weren't ye? Kero, ye might want to call Hopian in... and let him take yer place... though who's going to keep Salunia out of mischief.. wait... weren't you supposed to wake up Tam for this?"

At the bottom of the stairs Tam gives an enormous yawn, then sifts, startling Estelle, but only in it's suddenness. She's already been warned of his true shape, so seeing him slip into the shape of a lioness is only disconcerting in it's completeness.

Ai stretches once more and pads over to Fortuny's side. "Here, walk with us... don't worry about falling, between the two of us... yer safe." she says supporting the tan lioness with her broad shoulder.

"Seeing as yer half the reason I'm in this condition... ye better be." Fortuny growls with a soft laugh, leaning hard on him for a bit. Then she eases back and groans.

Ai laughs at her statement. "He's only half the reason?" she asks chuckling low in her throat.

"Well, it takes two to achieve what we did..." says Fortuny, breathing heavily around another contraction.

"And ye were just as eager to be that second party as I was to be the first..." quips Hopian with a smile.

"And look what it got us this time?" sighs the lioness giving herself a shake.

"Twins? Are ye absolutely sure?" asks Hopian still a bit overwhelmed by the thought.

"Well," Shar from her place by the fire. "We know for certain there's more than one... of course there could always be three..." she prompts with a twinkle in her eye.

"Three!" exclaims Hopian with a moan, causing Fortuny to lean against Ai this time, to avoid knocking him over as she laughs so hard she can barely stand, but he looks so stunned a feather could knock him down.

Both Ai and Fortuny laugh at him, while Estelle chuckles softly from her chair.

"M'lady, you should drink some more tea." urges Shar, coming over with the bowl. "And rest... "

"Fortuny nods slowly and does as instructed, though her idea of resting is to simply drop down to the floor between contractions and lie wherever she happens to be.

"We don't have feather beds in the desert." she remarks lightly when Shar tries to get her to come to the cushions.

And so it goes, for the better part of two and a half hours, being it is a rather uneventful birthing, until it is time. SOmehow the room has gotten rather crowded as well, as Bez has awakened and come down, bringing Salunia and Kero with him. As Salunia has refused the cushion, he has plopped down there himself, curling his great dark form about the cub's, keeping her somewhat contained and out of the way, distracting her whenever Fortuny seems unduly uncomfortable.

"It's time..." says Ai softly as Fortuny suddenly growls at them and chases her away. She goes to sit by Bez, leaving Hopian to deal with his testy, glazed eyed mate, nuzzling Salunia as she plops down.

"Why Mama twy to scawch you?" asks Salunia worriedly.

"Because she needs to concentrate on what she's doing, little one... now shhh... watch... here comes one of yer baby brothers." says Ai with a gentle laugh.

Ai chuckles softly and noses Kero. "Ye could go fer a walk, ye know... ye don't have to stay."

Her remarks send Bez into a stifled fit of laughter. He tries to contain it, but he can't. The image is just too vivid for him.

Ai shakes her head and sighs. "Men.... " she grumbles with a small smile. "No dear, Kero is not having a salamander... but he does feel what yer momma feels and ... oh look... here comes one now..." she says eagerly, not only to distract the cub from Kero's uneasiness, but also to keep her from missing the event. Salunia would never forgive her if she did.




**ye get to describe them.... **