[HeIsKing]

A thick-boned, heavy-furred male wolf stood at the edge of a rock overlooking his territory, tail and head held high, deep green eyes scanning over the terrain. His mostly-black fur was patched through in some places with brown, and his heavy, layered mane of fur fell down over his back and chest, the shagginess almost managing to hide the growth in his belly. The growth that reminded Talon that he wasn't quite as feral as he made himself out to be.

The Alpha-Omega -- as he was called by the others in his pack -- was mated to a Tame Alpha. Despite this, he kept his role as the leader of his pack, as he had no siblings to take his place. Usually, an Omega would never be accepted as a proper leader, but Talon had proven himself over and over again, despite his sexual setbacks. In fact, he'd managed to fight off every Alpha who came sniffing after him, keeping them from taking him as his mate.

That was, until he met, him.

His mate would be the reason for the two squirming pups inside of him, and he was harshly reminded of his arrangement to see their father. Letting out a final parting call to his pack, Talon headed off down the mountain, towards the cabin they shared, switching to his human form to make his way inside.

"I'm home."

[shooshoo]

Jax could smell his mate approaching, the familiar scent of Talon breaking away from the background scent of the forest that surrounded their cabin.

Jax was older than Talon, a lean grey Alpha wolf with a life outside of the forest. He had kept the cabin for when he wanted to shift and run in the forest. That was where he had met Talon who had immediately took exception to him being so close to his packs land. It had taken a long time for Talon to trust him and even longer for Talon to accept his mating request.

"Hello, dear," Jax said when Talon ambled in, naked and rumpled from running through the woods and guarding his land. His belly was much more pronounced in his human form, protruding out and away from his body in a firm, round ball. "Everything safe and sound?"

[HeIsKing]

Scratching a bit behind his ear, Talon went to retrieve the clothes he'd left scattered around the cabin when he left, pulling a pair of sweat pants up his legs, but barely managing to pull the shirt over his head. This caused him to growl lowly, peering down at his stomach with slight irritation. He hadn't ever planned to be pregnant, but then Jax had come into his life and turned everything around.

"Everything's fine. Hawk is guarding while I'm away." Talon laid down on his side on the couch so that his stomach was facing outward, resting his head on one of his arms. It took a lot more energy to stay in this form than it did his wolf one, but he knew it made Jax happy, and eventually, it would be easier to deliver their pups that way.

"And you?"

[shooshoo]

"Fine. I ran errands this morning. I picked you up some more milk and salami." Jax tried to hide his smile. Talon hated to admit that he ever craved human food but as his pregnancy went on, the cravings had gotten harder to resist. Jax did his best to satisfy all of Talon's cravings, food or otherwise.

Jax walked over to the couch and gently urged Talon up enough to slide under him, Talon's head resting on his thigh. He worked his fingers through Talon's messy hair, getting rid of the tangles. "How are the pups?"

[HeIsKing]

At the sound of food, Talon perked noticeably. If he still had his tail, it would've thumped happily against the couch side, but his human form was rather tragically tailless. Still, that didn't keep him from being happy.

Talon relaxed against his mate's touch, half-closing his eyes in content as he did. Few people could say that they got this close to the leader. "Fine. Restless. They will be future warriors." The future of their pups was something Talon found himself thinking about often. With two parents so far on each side of the shifter spectrum, there was no telling how they'd turn out. He knew at least one of them would have to take the role of the leader after him, at the very least.

"The pack's healer said they will come soon. Before they do, we must go to the Stone den."

[shooshoo]

Jax put his hand Talon's belly, feeling the pups move. They were running out of room, especially when Talon was in his human form. He felt bad asking Talon to stay in his human form. He had to have the pups in human form though and Jax knew he had to get used to it. Talon had spent so long running around as a wolf, mostly feral, that he still wasn't used to his human body.

"You just tell me when we need to go and I'll be ready. I told my boss that I was going to have to take some time at the last minute this month and he is fine with that."

[HeIsKing]

Talon shifted a bit as the pups did, putting his own hand on his belly and feeling them react strongly. It was almost...relaxing, knowing that they were strong and alive. His pregnancy up until this point hadn't been very difficult, but he had no idea what might happen in the next few weeks.

"It should be soon. If the healer is correct -- which I know she is -- labor should start in about two weeks. It takes a minimum of four days to get to the Stone Den." Talon looked out in the direction of the window, feeling phantom ears and tail prick upwards although they weren't there. "But there is no guarantee that the journey won't jump-start my labor."

[shooshoo]

"We should go soon then and in our wolf forms. It will be easier on you," Jax said, knowing that Talon would insist on that anyway. It wasn't a hardship for him to be in his wolf form. He was just used to presenting as entirely human the majority of the time. "I want this to be as easy on you as we can make this."

[HeIsKing]

"Birth will be a difficult process. I'm not expecting it to be easy." Part of him didn't even expect Jax to be present for the birth -- after all, his own father hadn't been present when his mother had birthed him, alone in the Stone Den. It was customary for mothers to be alone when their time came, but these tame shifters did things all backwards. There were rarely customs with them.

"I've ordered Hawk to keep watch over the pack for the next month. It will give us enough time to get there and let us bond with the pups before we bring them home."

[shooshoo]

"I'll take care of you," Jax promised, hoping that Talon knew that. Sometimes he thought Talon expected him to disappear, to leave him alone and abandon him and the pups, despite the fact they were mates. He hated that Talon being the Alpha-Omega made him feel like no one would take care of him, even if he was still an omega.

[HeIsKing]

Talon couldn't help but chuckle at the sound of that, rolling onto his back and putting his arms around his mate's shoulders, pulling him closer. "Mmm...it isn't that I don't think you'll take care of me, or that you'll leave. It just isn't customary for the father to be as...involved as you are. It goes against what the Elders taught me."

It was part of the reason why Talon hadn't wanted to take a mate for so long.

[shooshoo]

Jax bent down easily, kissing Talon sweetly, enjoying the warmth of Talon's arms.

"Do you want me to stay behind? I will if that's what you really want." Jax hoped the disappointment wasn't apparent in his voice, but knowing Talon, he would be able to tell. Talon was an expert at reading Jax's scent.

[HeIsKing]

Talon enjoyed the kiss while it lasted, enjoying the sweet taste his mate left behind when he pulled back.

"I want you to travel with me. For one thing, it will be less dangerous that way." It was still customary for an expectant mother to travel with the father to the birthing place, to ensure that no harm would come to her. "And...I suppose I've already broken tradition in more ways than one. A bit more wouldn't hurt." Things had to change at some point, right?

[shooshoo]

"Thank you," Jax said gratefully. He really didn't want to leave Talon behind or think about him birthing their pups alone. He cupped Talon's face gently, smiling at him. "Thank you for breaking tradition for me. You're the best omega anyone could ever ask for."

[HeIsKing]

Leaning forward, Talon brushed his cheek against Jax's, giving him another quick kiss as he did. "No need to thank me, love. I should be thanking you. It has been a difficult process for both of us." He stretched a bit, and as he did, the pups kicked and squirmed about inside of him, as if giving them a tangible reminder of that fact.

[shooshoo]

Jax smiled down at him. "Should I get you some food? Have you eaten anything today?"

[HeIsKing]

"I made a kill earlier today, and I doubt these two will let me eat much more." Talon glared down at his belly momentarily. "But thank you for the offer. Have you eaten?" Talon knew his mate all too well, and it was likely that Jax himself hadn't eaten today either.

[shooshoo]

Jax wrinkled his nose a little at the thought of Talon eaten raw meat. He did it himself when he was in his wolf form, but it wasn't something he really enjoyed. He ran a hand over Talon's belly again.

"I ate when I was out. I'll make something small for dinner later," Jax said. "Are they making it hard to eat?"

[HeIsKing]

"Making it hard to eat is putting it lightly," Talon sighed. They'd made it nearly impossible; all of their moving about made it difficult for Talon to keep anything down for very long. He was forced to stash his kills and eat them slowly, something which went against almost all of his instincts. "But yes, they are."

[shooshoo]

Jax frowned a little at that, picking up on Talon's discomfort about eating. The first four months of his pregnancy had been a struggle to keep him fed. Everything made him sick, especially the scent of blood. He wasn't able to make a single kill much less eat it. Between the pack healer and himself, they had managed to hit upon a combination of food that Talon could stomach.

"Are you throwing up again? Talon, you promised you would tell me if you were having problems eating again." Jax couldn't help the hint of Alpha control that slipped into his voice.