Anubia knew it was time when the contractions started to hit harder than they had. It was dusk as she had lit the tiny "fire place" -- a small patch of dirt that she had surrounded with stones and placed kindling in -- with her Fire Newt casting Ignite. It was roughly a yard and a half away from her nest but the warmth filled the room. She was fairly sure it should be safe until the pups start walking and exploring.

She was curled up in a new nest she had made from some pelts she had scavanged winter ungulate carcasses on top of moss and other soft plants. The edges were slightly curved upwards to try to keep the little ones in for as long as she could. And she hoped that the pelt would soak up the pup's mess so she would just have to replace the pelt whenever it got dirty. Right now, she had a second one only a few paces away because birthing was messy.

She ate some herbs for strength and to help with birthing. Part of her wanted to call for help but some instinct told her to do this alone. She had acted as a midwife for others before and she knew how the process went. But it felt different as she was the one giving birth.

"< Heqet help me, >" she said in Arabic.

Well, she was in the residential district and if anything happened she could call for help. She had a sturdy stick next to her and bite down on to help her during the process. She was ready. She felt another contraction coming and gripped the stick in her jaws as she got ready to push.

When it was over and she had clean both of the puppies, she remembered an old tradition with the afterbirth. Well, it didn't hurt to try it?

And then when she was finished, the new mother felt exhausted and in pain. First of all, her jaw hurt a lot, not to mention other places. But when she looked down at her daughters, the pain was a distant memory. She laid on her side, allowing her daughters to nurse.

"Thank Meskhenet," she said as she looked at her healthy puppies.

A tiny golden jackal puppy with silver markings on her neck, chest, and tail; and with charcoal markings around her body. Though Anubia didn't quite expect the row of small -- not fur -- feathers along her daughter's back. She remembered Iwao having feathers. But these kind of looked like magpie feathers?

Anubia remembered hearing of a place called "Cittagazze" from a traveler when she was a healer in Suhra' Almanzil, the city of magpies. It sounded like a nice name for her magpie-feathered child.

"Cittagazze Amasis," she said allowed, softly to herself. Something was missing. Her mother had been named for the goddess Neith. Anubia herself had been named for the jackal god of death. Remembering the false name she had given to Iwao, she tried it out.

"Laverna Amasis?"

It didn't sound quite right either. And something in the back of her mind was worried about that name. But it was important, wasn't it? And it sounded pretty.

"Cittagazze Laverna Amasis," she said. It sounded right to her. She smiled as she looked down at the pup she nursed.

And then the she-jackal looked at the second puppy who looked normal for a jackal except her pink splotched skin and white splotches across of her body. This puppy didn't have feathers but she was still beautiful.

Well, now that she had an idea of maybe doing a middle name for her daughters, she had some names in mind.

She remembered one of the Praxidike, Arete whose name meant excellence. She glanced at the sister and figured the girl should have a middle name too. She considered the name "Fawziyya" which meant triumph.

"Arete Fawziyya Amasis," the she-jackal said. It sounded perfect.

She remembered something mothers in Suhra' Almanzil did.

" < Welcome to the world, Cittagazze Laverna Amasis and Arete Fawziyya Amasis, > " she spoke in Arabic. " < May the gods and goddesses of all the pantheons protect you. May they guide you on your path through life. Be blessed by the gods and goddesses, dear ones. > "

Anubia didn't expect for a voice to call her but she got up and heard the voice telling her she had a new child. She arrived at the doorway to see a lioness of enormous size with pink earrings and pink eyes with pink around them. And then the lioness disappeared in a flash of light and Anubia saw a newborn fox kit.

A fox, like Iwao. But the kit's fur -- she padded closer to sniff him -- his fur was like her own. How? She picked him up and heard a cry from one of the pups and brought the male pup and laid down to allow the pups to nurse.

As she laid there, she wondered. Who was this lion? She delivered a child to her. Hathor? Goddess of creation? But it had been a lion. Sekhemet? Lady of life, patron goddess of physicians and healers. A creator and destroyer, lady of pestilence.

Anubia looked down at her new son in the light of the rising moon.

"Qamar," she said aloud. God of the moon; of the moon. She pondered a middle name, thinking of the lioness that delivered him. She remembered the Aztec god of creativity, dancing, feasting, flowers, love, painting, pleasure, souls, and summer. Xochipilli, brother of Ixtilion, god of medicine.

"Qamar Xochipilli Amasis," she said softly. And then she decided to perform the same ritual.

" < Welcome to the world, Qamar Xochipilli Amasis >" she said in Arabic. " < May the gods and goddesses of all the pantheons protect you. May they guide you on your path through life. Be blessed by the gods and goddesses, dear one. > "