order. “Okay, one last, long push now . . . Push, Ren! Push!” 

The laboring she-wolf groaned loudly almost in a scream, feeling the rest of her baby slip through her birth canal and into the waiting paws of her mate for life. The moment seemed to last for many minutes, but the sac landed on top of the male’s legs, still connected by the lean cord that bound mother and pup together since its conception over two months ago. A steady stream of uterine fluid and blood emerged from her cervix, causing the floor and Taylor’s forelegs to be covered in the liquid that once surrounded their pup. Seeing the thin umbilical cord in front of him, the Alpha leaned forward and bit it, causing Renee to collapse in exhaustion.

“And it’s done,” Luna quickly smiled at the Alpha, who was still surprised by what he had just accomplished. “Oh, you were great, Sir.” 

“So was she,” Taylor added as he let Luna remove the birth sac from his paws so that he could clean his soiled legs. After taking a moment to groom himself, he approached his tired mate, giving her a nuzzle of congratulations. “You were wonderful, Ren. Now, you should rest for a bit. You must be completely drained after all that labor, and you need your strength.”

“No, not yet,” Renee told him. “Luna’s preparing our child for its presentation to us. We must witness this together. You did help bring our pup into the world; it’s only natural to those that helped with the birth to see the final result.” She nuzzled him back with a soft smile as they both saw the midwife carrying the tiny fruit of their labors in her jaws. 

“Here, my Alphas,” Luna murmured with joy in her heart and tears in her eyes as she approached the new parents and placed the newborn in between the forelegs of the mother. “You have a daughter.”

-------------------------- 

The situation was much different in the neighboring kingdom. The quite public birth by the young she-wolf of the Sun Kingdom made her nervous, but now was not the time to think about being uneasy. With the presence of her parents, other wolves and her Alpha Mate surrounding her, Dionne continued her personal task of delivering her first-born child from her protective womb. Again and again, she cried out whenever a contraction hit her body, pushing as hard as she could until the full birth sac emerged from her cervix. Clear and red fluid spilled onto the dirt rock ground of the main chamber as it came out of the she-wolf’s hind end whenever Dionne tried to complete the birth.

“Uhh . . .” The light-brown Dionne grunted quietly as she felt another slight contraction shift her baby closer to being born. “Ohh . . . AAH!” She shut her eyes once more as she allowed the urge to take control over her body, thus birthing the sac. Her upper body lifted from the ground, allowing gravity to help release the pup from its two-month prison of growth. 

Dionne, my love . . . I must go to her . . .

Sol, unable to stand in the sidelines any longer while his mate lay in front of him and his loyal subjects in agonizing labor, leaped towards the center of the chamber; Laxel lifted a paw to him, trying to stop his son, but it was too late. 

Please forgive me, Great Mother . . .

“Dionne?” The male halted before reaching his wife as he watched the final push that sealed the fate of his newborn child. He shut his eyes slightly as a small spray of blood splattered on the rock, quickly followed by the dull, glossy sac that carried his child. Once the sac was released from her, Dionne’s front legs buckled as she began to collapse to the ground with fatigue from the delivery. “Dionne!” Sol cried out with a gasp after opening his eyes to the sight of his weakened wife. 

Just when he was about to make another step forward to muzzle his mate in a sign of congratulation, the voice of his elder father echoed through the cavern. “Sol! Do not take another step!”

The bright-colored Alpha stopped, turning his head back to Laxel. “Why?” He whined; he was still pretty young, but he was just beginning his life as an Alpha – a life that had begun only a year ago – but his father, the former Alpha, continued to teach his son the things that a leader needed to learn.  

“The birthing ritual has not been completed!” Laxel explained to his son. “Until the pup is released from its birthing sac, no one else may interfere. That is the law of the Great Mother.”

The Alpha looked back at Dionne with a sigh, surprised that indeed she wasn’t finished yet. The birth sac had yet to be ruptured, allowing the newborn to take its first crucial breaths of life, and the umbilical cord remained intact, still connected to the sac and the new mother’s body. Sol patiently sat down as he could only observe his mate’s actions; without taking a chance to rest after the final push, the light-brown head of the mother went back to where her newborn lay, going straight to work with her newfound maternal instincts. With her teeth, she gently tore the dull-colored sac, allowing a clear fluid to overflow from it and ultimately reveal the miracle that everyone – Sol, most especially – was waiting for.  

The Alpha didn’t need his father’s assistance now, for he knew that it was his time to complete his child’s arrival into their kingdom; Sol approached Dionne, gently nuzzling her with a soft kiss to the nose and cheek, then went to the wet newborn that lay behind the new mother. He placed his white mouth by the slender, off-white cord that bonded mother and child and broke the connection, releasing the pup from its mother’s nourishment. As soon as Sol bit the cord, the pup let out a whimpering cry, quickly signaling to Dionne that it was time to clean up her new baby.

“The heir . . . is born!” Laxel proclaimed with a howl. “The Great Mother has bestowed this blessing upon us! Let us raise our voices and show our praise!” The other wolves of the Sun Kingdom began to cry out in joy and jubilation as the new parents nuzzled once more. 

“Oh, Dionne,” Sol gently comforted his mate with his bright-colored muzzle. “You did it, honey. Are you feeling okay after all of that?”

The she-wolf just chuckled airily at his silly question. “I’m fine, but I have to groom our new baby now.” She picked up the shivering pup with her mouth and placed it on her front legs, quickly using her tongue to remove all of the uterine fluid from her child’s coat. “Oh!” Dionne paused as she let out a howl of joy, silencing her people.  

“What is it, my Alpha?” Laxel asked her, still speaking like the wise-wolf that he was now. “Is there something wrong with the child?”

Dionne saw the confused look in her mate’s eyes and murmured something into Sol’s ear, causing him to smile as his eyelids lowered with pure joy in his heart. “There’s nothing wrong, Father,” he told his father, announcing to everyone. “It’s just that . . .” The new father was so happy, he couldn’t help but let out a quick howl before shouting his news with a gleeful voice. “It’s just that . . . it’s a boy! A son is born to us!” 

As the rest of the kingdom rejoiced at the sound of their Alpha’s announcement of the gender of the pup they had all seen born into the world, Dionne and Sol glanced again at their child, their son, with love and happiness.

“I can’t believe it!” Sol nudged his mate’s cheek as she leaned towards his neck, still keeping her eyes on her newborn pup. “A son . . . a son! A prince of the Sun Kingdom is born once again!” He placed his own tongue against his son’s coat. 

“Mmm,” Dionne moaned lightly in exhaustion. “He is a beautiful child indeed, blessed by the Great Mother to be bestowed within me and given your handsome looks.” She smiled, chuckling again. “I’m sure he’ll be a great heir to our kingdom.”

Sol nodded in agreement as he quickly whistled for a servant wolf to come to him. “Yes, my Alpha?” The servant stood up with his head erect and his position firm.  

“I want you to bring the message of our kingdom’s good news to our neighboring ally, the Moon Kingdom,” Sol told the dark gray servant. “Tell them a son is born to us at last and that we wish to invite them to join us in celebration tomorrow night at the Peace-Gathering Cave.”

The servant nodded. “Yes, Sire. Many congratulations for your family.” He added with a bow before running out of the chamber towards the Moon Kingdom. 

About a few moments after as he had left, as if it were speak of the devil, an ivory-white servant – clearly a member of the Moon Kingdom – leaped from the entrance with a short howl of welcome and landed by the bright-orange Alpha and the resting mother and the now-nursing child. The she-wolf lowered her tail and legs, bowing in respect to the Alpha.

“I beg your pardon, Sir, but I bring good news from my kingdom, the Moon Kingdom:” The white she-wolf cleared her throat and raised her head before continuing. “His Majesties, Lord Taylor and Lady Renee of the Moon Kingdom, have invited you and your kingdom to come to the Peace-Gathering Cave next morrow night in celebration of the birth of our princess earlier this midnight.” She bowed once more. “The Alphas give their personal congratulations to you and your wife’s expected child.” 

Sol began to laugh. “Thank you very much for your words, but our child has been born as well . . .” He laughed again as he glanced quickly at his mate and son then back at the servant. “Actually, he was given the breath of life about five minutes ago . . . Strange how both of our children were born at around the same moments!” Sol let out a low mutter under his breath so that no one else but him could hear. “How fate must be shining on us! This must be a destined sign from the Great Mother herself . . .” Once he cleared his own throat, he bowed back at the servant, giving her a reply for the other new parents. “Please tell