His dragons have turned into his spies of late; their sole purpose is to follow Isopia around and ensure no harm comes to her and her ever-expanding stomach. Babel and Hubris are more than capable of doing exactly that, but what fool would dare try and fight off four dragons, three of them royal? In addition, it means that Volterra can get regular updates on the pregnancy without appearing smothering by following the Mountain around every second of every day.

It also means that the Indomitable can be notified immediately upon the giantess entering labour, something he's been unable to stop himself thinking about for weeks now. He is no stranger to women giving birth (after the initial shock of realising that foals didn't hatch from eggs as he'd thought upon seeing Tyrath's birth) but there's something different and so much more worrying about Isopia doing it. The Mountain is one of the strongest women in Helovia and childbirth is as natural as anything, yet Volterra can't shake the rising tide of what ifs? that plague every waking thought. What if the foal gets stuck and a healer can't get to her fast enough? What if she dies? What if the foal dies? What if it's twins as suspected and her body can't take the strain of them? So many worries, but under all of his anxiety there's the thrum of excitement at the idea of finally getting to see the beauty that he and Isopia have created.

When his dragons give the signal that the pregnancy is progressing, Volterra loses no time in crossing the Throat to get to her. No sand dune, log or puddle will prove any sort of an obstacle to the onyx monolith as he roars through his home at a gallop, led by the mental urgings of the gold and red beasts in the heavens. He soon locates Isopia, and slows to a halt with his heart pounding due to the run and the anticipation. "Kis hollo, it is time?" It's both a question and a statement, as her sweating state, posture and those unpleasant-looking fluids tell him that yes, it is time. As much as the warlord wants to go to her and offer the reassurance of his physical touch through the haze of her pain, he keeps his distance. He knows better than to get too close to a mare during childbirth - it can cause even the most gentle of women to aim a bite or kick at their erstwhile lovers.

Instead he hovers a short distance away, his tail swishing anxiously and his eyes scanning around to make sure there's no imminent danger. With four dragons and two fine warriors for parents, this is possibly the safest child ever to be born, but that doesn't stop Volterra from fretting.