The pain had been gripping at her for nearly a day now. Maybe longer - the old mare wasn't sure, able to focus on only the pain that seemed to claw its way along her nerves. It came and went, sometimes stabbing, sometimes a deep ache that resonated through her belly. It hadn't been so bad, at first, but the length of it was beginning to worry her. None of her births had been this long. She had sought out a small thicket in the Forest, settling herself into a makeshift bed of leaf litter. She was clearly restless, pacing back and forth between two particularly tall oak trees.

Another contraction ripped through her, finally sending her to her knees on the bed of needles. A low groan was pulled from her lips, rivers of sweat forming on the landscape of her flesh. It had been so long, but she hadn't forgotten the pain of childbirth, nor had she particularly missed it. Another contraction wracked her body, and suddenly, she wished she wasn't alone. Dogun had always been there for her, with the birth of their first two children. He had stayed faithfully by her side each time - through the long, grueling night of Bjorn's birth to Schuyler's quick and unremarkable entrance one late spring afternoon. Never before had she been alone at such a vulnerable time.

Still, she knew she was safe. Persephone was a good leader - she stood faithfully be her herd and kept them protected. Freya knew no harm would come to her as long as she was in the Forest. She felt comfortable here, in her makeshift bed of pine needles and old oak leaves, guarded by the towering trees.

Another pain gripped her belly, and she knew the time was close. She was thankful for the quick progression of her labor. It seemed luck was smiling upon her in her old age. Her breath came quick and heavy as the urge to push overwhelmed her, contractions gripping fiercely at her womb. One after another they came and went, and with each she pushed a little harder, determined to get this child from her body - even if was the last thing she did.

Finally, with one great heave and a mighty scream, she pushed her last child into the world. She felt cold, suddenly, her body going limp against the moist ground. The exhaustion was overtaking her, the urge to sleep weighing her down. 'Yes,' she thought, 'sleep doesn't sound so bad. Just for a few moments.'

((ooc: leaving this open-ended just in case I come up with some juicy drama :P))