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Even lost in the throes of a contraction, oh gods a contraction, Brone still instinctively flinched away when Melian tried to put a comforting hand on their back. Jiyan's heart broke a little just watching it. Here he was afraid Brone was about to betray them all while they were asleep and vulnerable, yet the whole time Brone had been the most vulnerable one in the entire forest! Mel respectfully withdrew their hands, hovering in case of a sudden collapse. After a moment it seemed like the contraction ebbed away, as Brone looked up to find them all circled around him, wide eyed and staring.

“Fuck.” He groaned for the second, but probably not the last, time that night.

“You're in labor.” Melian stated, tone more purposefully neutral than usual.

“Yeah, I can bloody fucking tell.” Brone spat, and then he straightened up and sighed. “Look, we're already past the most dangerous bits of the forest, and you lot are already a lot stronger than most folks I take through here. Less than two days out, jus’ leave me here, and finish the journey. You don't even half to pay me the second half of the coin.”

“Let us get you to sit by the fire. Rhiannon, get extra buckets of water, and Jiyan, find some extra blankets. It is going to be a long night.” Melian replied.

“Didn't you just hear what I bloody fucking said?” Brone seethed, like a tomcat trapped in a corner.

“Yes. And I have decided to ignore it.” Mel calmly explained as they began to guide him towards the campfire.

“Why? You don't owe me shit!” He shouted, as if he wasn't the one being ridiculous here.

“I am trained in the arts of healing and midwifery, and it would go against my sacred duties to leave you here to birth your child alone, even if we were not in one of the most dangerous locations in the land.” Even Brone could sense the anger lurking in Melian’s usually unphased disposition, and his shoulders sagged as he relented and accepted his fate. He let Mel and Rhi help him sit as comfortably as he could by the fire, while Jiyan panicked and rushed to find the blankets.

“Here,” They reached for the ladle in the cooking pot and brought a ladle-full of softly steaming stew towards his mouth. “Eat something. You shall need to keep up your strength.” Brone glared at them as he reluctantly took a sip of the stew. Then another. Then another, as Melain watched him, until the ladle was empty.

“How far apart are the contractions?” Mel asked gently.

“I dunno, ‘bout 10 minutes I think.” He growled. They hummed in response.

“And why are you guiding groups through the Wandering Woods so close to your due date? Why are you anywhere near the Wandering Woods at all while carrying such precious cargo?” Mel’s anger returned, a rare display. Rhi decided it might be a good time to go get those buckets of water they'd requested earlier.

“I needed to save up for the kid didn't I?” Brone's jaw tensed, and he couldn't quite seem to meet Melian's eyes. “Not like anyone would hire me fer much else. Safer than staying with the mercenary companies anyway.”

“And what exactly, was your plan here?” Melian narrowed their eyes. Brone sighed.

“I thought I had more time, I thought I could do one last job, get a bit more coin before the kid came, then fuck off to some remote little cottage where I could raise them in fucking peace.”

“And where is this ‘remote little cottage’ located?”

“I, uh,” Brone shifted uncomfortably. “I hadn't quite gotten there yet.” Melian could see the quickly growing tidal wave shame and guilt swelling in his eyes, so they took a deep breath, and chose mercy. If his estimate was correct, his next contraction would be coming soon anyways, and it wouldn't do to add to his stress when he still had such a long way to go. Just then Jiyan came rushing back, arms full of blankets, shirts, pants, just about any and every piece of fabric he could find.

“Alright, I'm ready to catch this baby!” He cried, spreading his arms under all the fabric and squatting down in front of Brone. “You've got this Papa Bear!”

“What the fuck are y- augh!” The contraction hit Brone mid-protest, his eyes squeezing shut in surprise and pain, gritting his teeth while his body held him in a vice grip.

“Go on, push! You're going to meet your little one so soon!” Ji encouraged him, proud tears welling up in his eyes. Usually Rhiannon was the one to roll her eyes at his hijinks, but just this once Melian took the mantle as they put an arm out to stop his dramatics.

“Brone, do not push. Jiyan, do not give advice you are far from qualified to give.”

“What?” He gaped like a fish. “His water broke, isn't it time to push?”

“No, Jiyan.” Melian sighed. “Birth doesn't work like it does in the plays.”

“What are you talking about Mel? They can't all be wrong!”

“Jiyan.” Mel said after staring at Jiyan in disbelief for a moment. “If a play were to accurately depict a full and complete birth experience, the play would be several days long. It is simply shortened to water breaking and the baby being born immediately after to save time and heighten drama.”

“Wait, what do you mean days long? Do you mean he's going to be in labor for several more days?!” His jaw dropped as his eyes went comically wide.

“No, his child will likely be born before the dawn arrives. But, he has been in labor for the past several days, whether he had acknowledged it or not.” Mel gave a pointed look in Brone's direction, who was focused more on the intensity of the contraction without the cushion of his waters, than on educating Jiyan on the reality of childbirth.

“So this whole time Brone’s been in labor? Even through all the attacks, and hacking away at vines, and shit? Holy crap, he's even stronger than I th-”

“Would you please shut the fuck up.” Brone growled as the contraction ebbed away. “Is he going to be this annoying, the whole time?”

“You need to breathe.” Melian ignored his grumpy outburst.

“I need to wot?”

“Breathe. You are holding in your breath too much, and it is making the contraction more painful. Next contraction, try breathing like this.” They demonstrated the proper breathing technique for him.

“That's stupid. I'm not bloody doing that.” He frowned.

“Then you will regret it.” Melian stated plainly.

“Is that a fucking threat?” Anger flashed through Brone’s eyes, thinly veiling the relief of re-entering familiar social territory.

“No, I am simply stating the facts.” They replied, refusing to take Brone’s bait to rise to his anger.

“Don't knock it ‘til you try it, Papa Bear, that's what I always say!” Jiyan interjected in an attempt to be helpful. Brone rolled his eyes.

“Look, if you won't leave,” He pointed a finger at Melian. “can we at least send him on his way?” He jabbed his thumb in Jiyan’s direction.

“No.”

“Ugh, fine.”

“Now, have some more soup. You will need it.”

Eventually Rhiannon returned with the extra water, which Melian then set to boil. When Brone’s contraction returned, his face scrunched up again as he braced himself for the pain. At a simple reminder from Melian to breathe, he reluctantly relented, as Jiyan ‘helpfully’ exaggerated the breathing technique Mel had showed them earlier. When the contraction ended, Jiyans supportive thumbs up and big smile was met with an exasperated eye roll, but Ji would swear he was making progress with breaking down the emotional walls of the laboring man. Even if he did look like he was going to bite Jiyan’s hand off when he tried to help Brone out of his cloak and leather armor so he could be more comfortable. After a few more contractions, and making sure everyone had gotten some dinner, Melian approached Brone again.

“I'm going to have to check you at some point you know.” They said, glancing down.

“Wha-?! Like the bloody fuck you will!” Brone objected, hackles raised again.

“Uh, check what?” Jiyan asked while Rhiannon buried her face in her hands.

“His dilation, to see how far his cervix has opened to allow his child to pass into the birth canal once active labor begins.”

“Absolutely not!” Brone cheeks started to turn a deep shade of pink.

“Look, my guy,” Rhiannon interjected. “Did you plan on just giving birth into your pants?”

“... No.” He eventually muttered, refusing to meet any of their eyes as the pink of his cheeks continued to spread.

“Good. I will try to make it as unobtrusive as possible.” Mel knelt down in front of them. Brone rolled his eyes, but complied and started to take off his boots and pants, only pausing to breath through a contraction in the middle of it.

“How do you want me?” He finally asked, the blush blooming across his cheeks now completely unhideable.

“However you will feel most comfortable.”

Brone snorted but complied, not necessarily by getting comfortable but by just spreading his legs apart and refusing to look in Mel’s direction. True to their word, Melian tried their best to be as unobtrusive as possible, gently narrating what they were about to do as if they were talking to a spooked horse. Even so, Brone flinched when he felt their fingers inside, his body rigid and tense. Jiyan thought it would be the perfect time to step in to ask some questions and sate his curious mind.

“Sooooooooo... do you know who your ‘baby daddy’ is?” He asked, innocently and with no ulterior motives at all. “Asking for a friend.” He winked.

“Why the bloody fucking hell do you wanna know?” Brone glared at him. Ji shrugged.

“Just curious… Does your ‘baby daddy’ know they're your baby daddy?” Brone snorted.

“Bloke was so sozzed he didn't even realize I don't even ‘ave a cock, so I think it's safe to say, no, he don't know he’s my ‘baby daddy.’”

“Cool, cool, cool.” Jiyan nodded, mentally taking notes. “Good to know.”

“5 centimeters.” Mel rose, their diagnostic completed.

“And is that good? Is that bad?” Ji asked.

“It is neither, it simply means that his cervix has opened 5 out of the 10 centimeters it needs to in order to be fully dilated.”

“Oooooh. Way to go! Halfway there Papa Bear!” Jiyan cheered.

“Brone, you should take off your armor. It's already constricting your breathing, and it will continue to be a detriment during the course of your birth.”

“First my bloody pants, then my bloody fucking armor…” Brone grumbled as he complied and started to uncomfortably shift to unbuckle himself from his chest armor. He couldn't resist the sigh of relief that escaped him as the tight pressure on his chest released, then immediately became red in the face again as he realized there were two very large very prominent wet patches that had soaked through his dark gray top underneath the armor.

“Wow, you must've been hot under there too!” Jiyan said, before Brone could cover himself in his embarrassment.

“It is not sweat, Jiyan, it's milk.” Mel explained, before Rhiannon could stop them, as Brone’s face grew even more red. “The tightness of the leather armor likely applied enough pressure on his breasts to force a higher expression of milk than would have occurred naturally so close to giving birth.”

“Oh, so his armor was, like, milking him?” Jiyan asked. Brone ran a hand down his beet red face.

“You lot sure we can't leave him back in the thick of the woods? It's not too late.” He growled. Rhiannon smiled and shook her head.

“No can do. With our luck, he'd end up more powerful than ever, and still end up back here to annoy the hell out of us.” She teased.

“Yes. He is unnaturally canny at stumbling into lucky situations. There's no telling what horrors he would unleash from within those woods.” Mel pondered.

“Aw, you guys! I love you too!” Jiyan drawled, his hands over his chest as if he was overcome with emotion.

“Alright, change of subject before his ego gets too big to handle.” Rhiannon laughed. Melian nodded in earnest agreement.

The night passed on, with Brone’s contractions slowly getting closer and closer together, as he kept refusing Jiyan’s requests to feel the baby kick. Melian encouraged them all to try and get a little shut eye, but no one was very successful at it, least of all Brone himself. At some point Melian had convinced him to walk around a bit, reluctantly letting Rhiannon and Mel support him whenever a contraction hit as they slowly shuffled around the campsite, Jiyan playing some gentle calming melodies on his lyre.

Melian had tried to reassure Brone to move however his body wanted to move, whatever helped to relieve the discomfort, since he still tensed and seemed to be trying to squeeze in on himself, to lock himself in place whenever a contraction grabbed him. At first he had shaken his head, as if Melian's suggestions were absolutely ridiculous, but eventually he started to loosen up, swaying his hips just a little as he began to give into his body's demands. It was while he was leaning against the side of the wagon, groaning and swaying his hips through a particularly rough contraction, that Jiyan and Rhi were helping support him so Mel could have a rest before the ‘big event,’ that he spoke.

“This feels stupid.” He said, panting from the exertion his own body was putting him through. “This probably looks bloody stupid as hell, doesn't it.”

“Stupidly hot, Papa Bear.” Jiyan winked at him before Rhiannon could respond in the way a person with some semblance of common sense and self-preservation would have responded. Brone growled, getting increasingly overstimulated from everything his own body was putting him through already and annoyed with Jiyan's ‘teasing.’

“Why the fuck do you keep calling me that?” He snapped.

“Why do I keep calling you Papa Bear? I mean look at you.” Jiyan ignored Rhi’s warning look. “You're a giant bear of a man, and well, the baby's not born yet, but you're already a papa in my heart!”

Brone's response to his encouragement and complement was underwhelming. He'd expected at least some indignation and confusion, but instead was met with soft cursing and a scrunched face.

“...Something’s… different.” He ground out after a moment.

“Mel!” Rhiannon called out, unable to hide the rising edge of concern in her voice. Melian, who was supposed to be resting, but decidedly was not resting, was at Brone’s side in a heartbeat. A quick check later and they looked into his eyes.

“Do you feel like you need to push?”

The terrified whimper seemed to come from somewhere else, because never in a million gazillion years could that sound have come from Brone of all people. But come from Brone it did, to match the wide eyed look of terror that briefly took over his face.

“See, even your baby knows you're meant to be a Papa Bear!” Jiyan smiled. Brone’s face shifted back towards a comfortable annoyed eyeroll and the sound that escaped his throat sounded less like a terrified whimper and more like his classic disgruntled groan.

“Quit joking Ji, and help get him into the cart.” Rhiannon commanded, her voice terse as if she were shouting out directions during a fight. Together they guided him towards the back of the wagon, which Mel had been preparing to be a makeshift birthing center, lamenting that they wouldn't have the usual soothing pools and hanging ropes that would have, supposedly, helped Brone feel more comfortable. At the back of the cart another contraction squeezed him in its vice grip, harder than it ever had before.

“Push if you feel the urge to push, do not fight your body Brone.” Mel said, softly but sternly.

“But-” Was all he could gasp out, barely more than a grunt.

“Your baby will not be born in one push, I assure you.”

It must have been Melian's tone, or perhaps their apparent expertise in the situation at hand, but by some miracle Brone trusted them, and bore down into a hard squat. Teeth clenched together, brows so furrowed together they almost became one, gripping the top step of the wagon, he pushed, and pushed hard. The contraction released him with a gasp, Mel's hand applying pressure on his lower back keeping him from falling backwards.

“I felt- I felt it… move down.” He whispered, both in wonder and in fear. “Fuck, it feels so heavy now.” He groaned and clutched at the low hanging base of his belly.

“Where do you feel most comfortable? Here, in this position, or within the wagon?” Mel prompted, as focused as they ever are when in their role as healer.

“Wagon, definitely inside the wagon.” Brone panted, still out of breath from the contraction and awkwardly climbing the steps into the wagon, slowly, with their legs spread wide, as if ready to squat and push again at a moment's notice. Or perhaps he was simply unable to with his baby’s head already spreading him wide from within his birth canal. The trio helped him get as comfortable as possible, his back resting against a built-in bench near the front of the wagon.

“Why inside the wagon? It's so cramped with all of us in here.” Jiyan complained.

“Safer in the wagon, covered on three sides, can see any threats coming from the fo- augh!” Brone’s head fell back as the contraction hit without warning, Melian reminding him to listen to his body, to push, to breathe. Jiyan and Rhiannon instinctively offered their hands for support, their offer hesitantly taken at the contractions peak.

“Jiyan-” Rhiannon started to warn but was cut off by a melodic voice, Melian’s voice echoing through their heads. Keep distracting him, Jiyan. He looked to his friend, preparing the supplies they needed, and gave them a brief short nod. Then, just for a little bit of fun, as a treat, turned and poked his tongue out at Rhiannon.

“Keep pushing, Papa Bear!” He made it his own little game to try and find all the different ways he could encourage Brone to push. Winning quite a few confused reactions from the rest of the wagon. It didn't take very long until Brone was plastered with sweat, hair sticking to his face, the wet sheen making it more apparent how red his face was getting with the grueling effort of bearing down through the contractions. To everyone's surprise, he even let Rhiannon put his hair into a loose bun, only flinching twice. Having his hair out of his face and off the back of his neck was even more of a relief than he thought it would be, judging from the brief moment his body untensed once she'd finished.

Jiyan continued to hold his hand through the contractions, while Rhiannon clasped his other forearm and dabbed at his forehead with a damp rag. Considering the size of him, and the man’s almost supernatural strength proven over the last few days, Ji thought he was holding his own pretty well, with his thin manicured musician's fingers tightly gripping Brone’s scarred meaty hands in response. Until during a particularly rough contraction, when Jiyan briefly felt a painful twinge run through the back of his hand, he wasn't able to catch the soft hiss of pain before the traitorous air escaped his mouth. He felt Brone’s grip release despite him being caught in the throes of a contraction, and was supposed to be putting his full concentration into pushing his baby out to meet the world. Ji felt a ball of guilt start to form in the pit of his stomach, as he realized Brone was spending his much needed baby-pushing energy on holding his strength back. He knew any encouragement to do otherwise would just be met with grumpy stubbornness, but Jiyan didn't know how to let Brone know it was okay to let go, even if it would hurt him temporarily in the process.

“Brone, you're starting to overheat. Would you feel cooler if you took your tunic off?” Mel asked, to the rescue as usual. Brone looked at them, panting and red in the face from the contraction that had just ended, eyes full of pain and uncertain emotions, but paused only a moment before giving one quick nod. Together, they all got him out of his sweat drenched tunic, quickly, before his next contraction hit. He sighed in relief again, as the cool night air hit his skin, hairy chest and the happy trail from his popped out navel down the swell of his belly now on full display. As he glanced down, Ji could see his breasts already beginning to release droplets of milk on their own, as if they knew they wouldn't have long before his baby would be feeding at his chest.

“Nice tits Papa Bear.” Jiyan leered, just as the contraction hit and quickly ramped up. Without enough time to react with a growl or with an eyeroll, Ji felt the full force of Brone’s strength, taking a note out of Mel’s quick birthing lessons and breathing through the pain searing across his hand as Brone himself screamed from behind clenched teeth, his lips curled into a snarl. He could even see Rhi wince a bit on the other side of him.

“Fuck… off…” Brone growled as the pain began to ebb away.

“Hey, I'm just sayin’, that's one lucky baby.” He winked as the pain of the next contraction quickly flowed back through Brone's body, earning himself more searing pain radiating from his hand, squeezed so tightly he could barely grip back. Brone growled in annoyance at the end of it, but with a couple more well-timed over the top inappropriate comments about how hot he looked pushing out his big beautiful baby, Brone seemed to get the message. That Jiyan, and by extension Rhiannon and even Melian, could handle whatever he could dish out if it meant it would help him. And just in time too.

“F- fuck! Something- something's wrong, it burns.” He groaned, head rolling back as tears pricked at the corner of his eyes.

“It is called the Ring of Fire, painful, but completely natural. It means your child will soon be here.” Melian explained. But Brone shook his head, too overcome by pain and exhaustion to listen.

“I can't- I can't bloody do this!” He sobbed helplessly, his head still lolling side to side.

“Give me your hand.” Mel gently commanded.

“I can't. I can't do it.” Brone whined, too consumed by pain to hear them.

“Brone, please give- … thank you Jiyan.” Melian said, as Jiyan held out the hand still clutched in Brone's to them. They guided the pairs hands down between Brone’s legs. Jiyan hesitated and tried to let go but Brone’s hand was still white knuckled and refusing to unclasp, barely aware of anything besides the pain wracking his body. Mel gently brushed both of their knuckles along something that felt slimy, and a little sticky, and hairy?

“Is that?” Brone’s eyes shot open, wonder and amazement momentarily overcoming the pain and panic.

“That is indeed the top of your child’s head.” They smiled.

“I was just gonna say ew, Mel,” Jiyan momentarily glared at them. “But nevermind, that's your baby’s head! Let's go Papa Bear!” He cheered. A new energy surged through Brone, his jaw tensed in determination as he steeled himself for the next contraction.

“You've got this Brone.” Rhiannon clasped his forearm in preparation and gave him a quick supportive nod. “Just a few more pushes to go.”

“Help hold his thighs back further, it will help him spread further.” Melian commanded, and Rhi and Ji were quick to comply as they watched the stomach muscles across Brone’s belly begin to tighten again. Chin pressed down into his tits, Brone shouted as if charging into battle as he bore down with all his strength into his biggest push so far. It felt like forever before the contraction subsided, Brone, red faced from the effort let his head lay back on the bench for a moment.

“Good, keep pushing! Just like that!” Melian encouraged. Now too focused on putting all his energy into pushing instead of words, they only received a brief nod in response from Brone. But as long as he was responding, that was enough for Mel. It was only a few more big pushes like that before Melian stopped him.

“Brone.” They made sure to get his attention as the most recent contraction ended. “The next contraction do not push. Don't push again until I say so.”

“Wot?!” Brone snapped up and stared at them wide eyed and panicked. “Is the baby-?” He trailed off, as if he couldn't handle finishing the sentence, finishing the thought. Jiyan and Rhiannon’s wide eyed stares mirrored him.

“No, the baby will be perfectly fine. You need to give your vagina a chance to stretch, or you will tear.” Mel said sternly.

“Who gives a shit?” Brone groaned.

“I do.” Melian snapped. Well as much as Melian of all people could snap. “And you should as well. I only have so much healing magic and I do not have the tools or supplies out here to stitch you up if I need to.” Ji shivered, as he thought about how painful it must be, to get stitches in your coochie. Brone rolled his eyes in exhausted annoyance.

“Fine.” He grunted as the next contraction quickly started. It was obvious that without pushing that pain wore down on him more quickly, sobbing whines escaping his throat as he uncomfortably writhed on the wagon floor, still clasping tightly to Jiyan and Rhiannon.

“Fuck, this- this is worse. This is so much worse.” He shakily moaned in the brief break between contractions, each one practically one on top of the other, as if his body was getting just as impatient as he was.

“I know. Just hold on to Rhiannon and Jiyan, let them support you through it. Just two more okay?” Mel laid a cooling hand on Brone’s sweat soaked belly, feeling the muscles twitch and constrict as the next contraction started. Brone huffed out an annoyed groan in response as he gripped both of their hands tighter than ever before, preparing for another tidal wave of pain without the relief of pushing. After what felt like an eternity that one ended, and a microsecond later the next one took over the exhausted man's battered body and overwhelmed mind.

“FUCK!” He screamed to the heavens, as he threw his head back, back arched as if the pain was so great it was forcing his body off of the ground as the most intense contraction yet peaked, and peaked, and kept hitting new peaks of endless pain for the poor man to endure. Jiyan, realizing Brone was too far gone to pay attention to him, briefly whimpered through his own pain, as if Brone was so overwhelmed he was subconsciously transferring some of his own into him. He yelped as he heard a muffled crack! coming from his own hand, and his personal pain increased tenfold. Panicked and his cheeks puffed out, having miraculously, and in a feat on uncharacteristic strength, stopped himself pre-scream, Jiyan looked to Melian for help.

Later. They said sympathetically, telepathically, as Melian could on occasion use their gifts to do. I do not know how much healing magics I will have left once this is over. Jiyan could see concern in their eyes, not just for him and his hand, but for the fate of Brone and his baby. Things have gone smoothly enough so far, but I do not know yet what may go wrong. Jiyan, biting his lip to continue to contain his scream, nodded. A broken hand could be reset, if something went wrong with Brone or his baby then… he didn't want to think about that. He coaxed Brone, in his discombobulated state, to take his other hand. No use causing it further damage. Especially if he might need to get a splint instead of healing magic once this was all said and done.

“Alright Brone, on this next one, push.” Melian commanded.

“Thank fuck. Finally.” He groaned, as Rhiannon reached out again and pulled back his thigh on her side, and Melian leaned forward and pushed back the thigh on Ji’s side. The relief was short lived as the next contraction gripped him, but he grit his teeth and used all his strength to bear down, determined to meet his child before the dawn's light.

“You are doing good, Brone. The baby is making good progress.” Mel encouraged him after a few more contractions. Brone's frustrated growl seemed to disagree. He seemed to get more antsy and frustrated as the contractions wore on, despite everyone's assurances that he was doing a good job.

“Fuck this.” He eventually snarled at them, letting go of his death grip on their hands and kicking away their support on his thighs. He then grabbed his thighs himself and pulled back as far as he physically could, as if trying to curl in on himself, then pushed. Ji could see the veins throbbing in his forehead, as Brone pushed so hard no noise escaped his mouth, his teeth clenched so hard it looked like they might break.

“I see the nose, you are doing well.” Melian encouraged again.

“No offense Mel, I don't think he's listening at the moment.” Jiyan said, now awkwardly sitting there while he watched Brone, so lost in labor that the only thing he was capable of listening to was the overwhelming instinct to bear down and give birth.

“Yes, I know Jiyan, but the soothing tone of encouragement never hurts does it?” They raised an eyebrow at him while they monitored the baby's progress. Ji shrugged.

“Hell yeah, let's fucking go Papa Bear!” He hollered, pumping his fist in the air. Not the one that was broken of course, the other one. Duh. He watched as Brone continued to push and push, following in the time honored tradition, passed down from generation to generation, followed as long as such a thing as creatures and people have existed, by listening solely to the instincts so deeply encoded into his being to spread his legs and give birth. Ignoring everyone and everything else, just solely focused on what his body commanded him to do in order to safely push his baby out. If Melian told Brone to stop just then, Ji didn't think he'd be able to. If he could even hear them in the first place. Suddenly relief flashed across Brone’s body and he momentarily untensed.

“The head is out! Wait one moment, let me check the babe’s neck.” Melian said, as they quickly made sure the baby wouldn't choke on the umbilical cord. “Alright, you're good to push. All that's left is the shoulders and I can safely pull them out.”

It didn't even seem like Brone was paying attention to them at that point, but even so he readjusted and prepared to push again. It only took two more powerful determined teeth gritting pushes, before he suddenly collapsed as relief flooded through his body. Gasping for air as if he'd been sprinting the entire length of the Wandering Woods, Brone closed his eyes for a moment as the sweet sweet high of relief raced through his veins. After a moment of silence, everyone expectantly looked at Melian, still moving down between Brone’s legs. One more beat of increasingly concerned silence, then the loud sharp cry of a newborn infant deafened them in the confines of the wagon.

Brone immediately held his arms out in wide-eyed wonder, eyes already wet, not from the pain anymore, but from joy and pride. Melian smiled fondly at him as they quickly but gently put the baby into a soft towel, then reverently placed them in their father's arms, umbilical cord still attached.

“This one has been born male.” Melian informed them. Brone held his newborn child and smiled. A big smile, one that would have looked so foreign and out of place on his face just hours ago, a smile so pure and full of joy. A smile that made him look 10 years younger, a smile they somehow all knew he hadn't smiled since he was a small child himself.

“So, you're the wee little thing that almost split my cunt open.” Brone sniffled and laughed proudly, in this pure blissful moment, unashamed of letting his tears of joy fall freely down his face. His baby still cried, likely upset over being forcibly ejected from its warm comfy home, but started to settle down in his father's arms, clenched little hands clumsy moving up as if reaching towards his voice.

Jiyan put his non-broken hand over his heart, practically on the verge of tears himself. Even Rhiannon, the usually stoic warrior of their little group, sniffled and wiped a tear from their eye.

“What’s their name?” She whispered, as if she was afraid she'd ruin the sanctity of the moment.

“Wulf. My little boy’s name is Wulf.”

------------------------------------

“At least it was a clean break.”

Jiyan breathed a sigh of relief as Melian’s healing magic flooded through his hand, mending the fracture, gods, weaving back together the damaged tendons in their hand and fingers.

“Wait a moment before trying to move it, let the magic do its work.” They told him, before they turned to Rhiannon’s less injured, but still extremely bruised arm. After Melian had helped deliver the placenta, then coached Rhi on massaging Brone’s belly to help his uterus contract back towards its normal size, while they cleaned up both baby and father; the trio had left the pair to get some quality one-on-one time alone in the wagon. Back by the campfire, now down to its embers, Melian had finally asked to take a look at Jiyan’s hand.

As the first light of dawn began to peek through the forest, Ji couldn't help but smile as he thought about the events of the night, of the past few days even, of the new happy little family resting in the wagon, grateful that both of them had Melian’s official stamp of good health.

“Hey Mel.” Melian hummed in response, only looking curiously at Jiyan once they were sure their magic had taken hold on Rhiannon’s arm.

“Told you I knew a dilf when I see one.”