Time inched forward as she drew closer and closer to the inevitable, waiting anxiously to give birth to the two pups that had made her stomach grow round and swollen. Going farther than a few feet from the den had turned into a chore so she never really went farther than the hilltop above their den, but more often than not over the last week or two she had either remained in the den or just outside of it. The feeling that their children could make their appearance literally any day now was firmly in the back of her mind and as much as she wanted them to continue to grow and develop as long as they needed, she was equally as eager to finally have them and be free of the limitations of her pregnancy. She had plans and dreams she wished to resume her preparations for, but she couldn't do those things until their children were finally born.

It was late in the evening, the sun already mostly set, as she laid among the many furs that basically carpeted the den at this point with a couple places that were particularly plush and stacked with them in beds of sorts. The largest of the piles was of course for her and her husband and the other was reserved for Irilyth - though she did sometimes invite the girl into their bed as well depending on her mood. Shades of red and orange filtered into the den from the sunset. She had begun to feel even more restless than usual a couple of days prior, occasionally pacing around the den when she just couldn't stand to lay still any longer, but in that moment she was laying leaned back into Alastor's form, trying to find any way to lay comfortably when everything felt utterly uncomfortable no matter what she did. Little contractions and hints of what was to come had tormented her over the last couple of weeks as well, but there was nothing to show for it just yet.

With a sigh she began to roll to her large paws again, standing with a bit of effort. She didn't say anything to her husband or handmaiden as she began to waddle toward the entrance of the cave, resuming what felt like an endless cycle of pacing around and attempting to get comfortable again. She walked out of the den, but only made it a couple of feet before another contraction stopped her, this one stronger than the other ones she had felt. Manea winced slightly at the pressure and discomfort it brought, but what caught her off guard was the feeling of wetness spreading across her thighs, making her brows lift with surprise. She chuckled softly and turned back around to go back the way she came, walking toward the stores of herbs Irilyth had been building to retrieve the ones they had set aside for this moment. "Looks like our little demons are finally ready to show their faces," she told the pair with a smirk, taking some of the motherwort before she came to lay back down with Alastor, nuzzling into his neck as another contraction ran through her and made the muscles on her sides ripple noticeably with the effort as her body began naturally bringing the pups into the world.

Manea | Temno | Ciemny

The waiting had truly been the hardest part. As each day crept by, Alastor continued to watch his beloved wife grow larger and larger with their growing pups. She had been right about both children having their parents’ stature, it seemed, as by now she had inflated to quite an impressive size, her belly absolutely rotund. He had done his best to be a supportive husband throughout the ordeal, fetching Manea whatever her heart desired as her ability to travel became lesser and lesser. Food and water were in constant supply, as were little berries and sweets to keep her mood up. At nights, he would tell stories with his head resting on her belly for the children within to hear, and in the mornings he would assist her outside to relieve herself. Let none say Alastor hadn’t put his all into being there for his mate!

On this late autumn day, Alastor was snuggling with Manea in their bed, quietly waiting out the clock while stroking a large black paw across her swollen stomach to try and soothe her. The last few days, she’d been struck by random pains and contractions, all of which Irilyth described as the start of Manea’s body preparing for labor. Time was getting short, and Alastor was anxious to meet his children. Manea shifted and got up to get some movement, leaving Alastor flopped across the bed while he relaxed and watched the sunset outside. He had been halfway to closing his eyes for a nap when he heard Manea come shuffling back in announcing that it was time. A red-tipped ear flicked and the brute sat up with a start, gazing at his mate with wide eyes and a wagging tail.

“It’s time?” he asked, the excitement clear as day in his voice while his mate came back to lie beside him. He nuzzled the top of her head in return, glancing down at her side when she made a sound and saw her muscles ripple and contract. Oh yeah, it was time! Alastor placed a paw on her belly and began to rub again, licking the back of her neck and forehead to try and soothe her. “If at any point the pain gets too intense and you need to, bite me,” he told her. “I’m here for whatever you need from me, my love.” Another glance down at her belly, then he placed a slow kiss to her forehead. “I can’t wait to meet them!”



"Alastor"

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
____________________

As the days ticked down closer and closer to Manea’s expected due date, Irilyth had been making more and more preparations for the arrival of her mistress’ first litter. The den had been mostly furnished by the time Manea had adopted her into her service, and Alastor had provided a few additional furs in the time since then, so all she had to do was make sure they had plenty of medicinal herbs on hand for the occasion. Plenty of meadowsweet and motherwort for the day of, a few trillium flowers she’d managed to find, and lots of alfalfa for once the little ones were here. As far as she could tell, they were all prepared to receive the new generation of Mendacium wolves.

On the day of, Irilyth had been busy organizing some more herbs she’d gathered earlier in the day and prepared to dry for long-term storage. She heard Manea shift in her bed chamber and watched the massive violet fae step past her to head outside, dipping her head to her Mistress before returning to her task. Not more than a minute later, however, she heard Manea come hurrying back into the den, going straight for the shelf of herbs and announcing the pups were coming. Iri's ears pricked up and she spun around to look at her Mistress with wide raspberry red eyes. It was time! Wordlessly, Irilyth rushed over to the herb supply and gathered some more meadowsweet, some motherwort, and one of the trillium flowers. She could get more if she needed, but she wanted to keep the more powerful painkillers to a minimum, if possible.

Coming into the bed chamber beside her masters, Irilyth laid out the herbs beside the bed of furs and got herself sorted before turning to Manea. She could see the muscles around her midsection contract in time with her labor and nodded. Although she had never performed a birthing on her own, she had assisted in one once and learned all she could from other healers. She could do this. The caramel-blonde fae took a steadying breath, then took a stem of motherwort leaves and gave it to Manea. "This should help keep the contractions even and easy," she explained, her lyrics soft and calm as always despite her nervousness.

A tiny paw pressed to her belly, feeling around through clenching muscles until she felt the forms of the two massive pups squirming around inside her womb. A smile spread across her lips and she looked up to Manea with shining eyes. "They're getting into position. It won't be long now." Stepping around toward Manea's end to prepare to receive the puppies, she looked up to her Mistress and said, "Start your breathing. Slow and steady. Try to time exhales with your contractions, and if you need more painkillers, let me know." Her smile widened in a flash of pearly white teeth. "Congratulations, Mistress Manea, you're about to be a mother!"

"Irilyth"

Manea gave a little grin at Alastor's excitement, feeling his paw rubbing across her stomach and appreciating the licks he gave her neck along with the other affections he covered her with. She gave a slightly breathless chuckle as he insisted that she bite into him should the pain get too intense, already panting lightly as the contractions began to come closer together very quickly. "I'll remember that," she agreed, turning her head to kiss what she could reach of his jaw. "I can't wait to meet them either, my love," she told him with a grin, nestling back into his larger form and leaning her head into his neck as Irilyth swept into the room with all of the necessary herbs, falling into the role of midwife easily. Even though Manea knew most of the herbs needed for a smooth birth, she still appreciated the explanations Irilyth gave as she lifted the responsibility of keeping track of what she had taken and how much. It was a nice steadiness to have as she went into her first birth.

"Thank you, Irilyth," she said genuinely as she glanced down at her handmaiden after she had checked the pups and declared that she would soon be a mother, smiling softly before lowering her head again to put her attention into steadying her breathing and paying attention to her contractions. Her mind wandered as minutes passed, grimacing and wincing as the contractions steadily came and went, that discomfort and pressure building with each one as their children began to make their way ever closer to being born. She thought about the births she had witnessed in her life from her aunts to her mother... and her sister that was taken from her far too soon as she gave birth to Nirvana and her siblings. Her paw squeezed the upper portion of Alastor's foreleg as a bit of nervousness that fluttered in her stomach. She wasn't carrying nearly as many pups as Kallisto had been and there wasn't as much of a difference in size as their had been between Kallisto and her mate so there weren't nearly as many risks as there had been in her pregnancy. At least she could rest easy knowing that if anything ever happened to her then Alastor would see to their children unlike Nirvana's father.

A particularly strong contraction made her grit her teeth and her claws cut into Alastor's leg on reflex, a growl rumbling in her chest. As it passed again she sighed, panting more heavily as that pressure and discomfort slowly shifted more toward pain. They were making their way into this world quickly, the contractions almost one right after another at this point. She didn't reach for any of the pain killers though. She had easily agreed to the motherwort purely to make sure the contractions continued to come steadily and easily, but if she could resist the pain killers she would. As her labor continued the sun continued to set, quickly shrowding the interior of the den in shadow and making it so that Alastor nearly blended into the darkness and she could just make out faint details and outlines of Irilyth's pale form. There was only faint light from the stars filtering in since the moon was dark, a new moon taking away any light it might have provided. She very briefly considered asking Alastor to go build a fire to help them see by, but just as the thought crossed her mind another contraction caught her and made her lean more heavily into him as she growled again. No, she didn't want him going anywhere. She needed him right here with her as she breathed in this pain and birthed their previous children.

Led mostly by her instincts and her knowledge of how a birth should go, she eventually began to push with her contractions, each one more painful than the last as their large pups were moved along with the tensing of her muscles. As one of them drew closer and closer to being born that pain became more constant and she tucked her head into the crook between Alastor's shoulder and foreleg as she snarled, giving a low groan of pain through gritted teeth as she gave another hard push. She panted hard for a brief moment, but her body was no longer giving her much reprieve and as she prepared to give that final push to deliver their first born child she let her jaws open to bite into the upper part of her husband's leg, tasting his blood on her tongue as she growled through the worst of the pain and finally pushed the first pup free. Her body immediately relaxed in the momentary relief between the two pups and she let go of Alastor's leg so that she could lift her head to see their pup.

It was hard to make out the finer details right now in the dark, but as soon as Irilyth placed the pup within her reach she tenderly moved their child closer, her chest swelling with pride at the fact that they were finally parents. Her biggest goal in life, her most important dream, had been fulfilled. The squealing pup settled in at her stomach and in the faint light from the outside world she could just make out the swirls of purple hued fur, but it was difficult to tell the exact hue with their fur still damp and the lack of light to see by. She glanced back to Alastor with love and joy in her aqua gaze, eager to see his reactions before she was swept up in the contractions once more. "You're a father," she whispered to him breathlessly, a giddy chuckle leaving her as she caught his lips in a quick kiss.

Manea | Temno | Ciemny

Manea's little handmaiden made her way into their bedchamber, offering Manea some sort of herb and laying out various other ones before she set to checking on the pups. Alastor watched while she felt for the puppies, then announced with a smile that they were on their way and they were about to become parents. Alastor's heart, which was normally a steady beat, was racing in his chest. He felt anxious, excited, nervous, all rolled into one. He had never witnessed a birth before, but he knew of the pain and the complications that could come with it. His greatest fear was something happening to Manea, the way it had happened to her sister, and that he would be left in this world with his children without her. Not that he wouldn't love his babies, but because he doubted his abilities to be a good father with her, let alone as a single parent. He couldn't do this alone, of that he was certain.

The process of birthing their little demon children was long and agonizing, with Manea growling and struggling against the pain of her labor. Alastor felt his mate squeeze his foreleg, and then felt her leonine claws rend his flesh. He grit his teeth and hissed out an exhale against the stinging pain, little sparks erupting where her claws dug into his skin and drew blood. He would share in her pain with her, give her an outlet with his body to keep herself stable. Darkness overtook the den as the sun finished setting, and Alastor held his breath as the world began to disappear before his eyes. Manea nearly vanished with her dark fur, though Irilyth remained clearly visible with her lighter tones. The dark-furred brute himself melded into the shadows of night, becoming invisible against his mate so it would seem she were clinging to the darkness itself for support.

Manea growled louder as a harder contraction hit her, and Alastor moved his paw from her stomach up around her chest, squeezing her gently in his grasp. "I'm here for you," he whispered in husky tones directly to the ear closest to his muzzle. "You've got this." More contractions, more pushing, more growling and groaning in pain. Alastor did all he could to comfort Manea through it, keeping her stable while she buried her head into his shoulder as if she could hide from the agony. Then, in the final moments, Alastor felt Manea's sharp teeth sink through his upper leg all the way to bone. He snarled as the hot flash of pain, gnashing his teeth while he resisted the instinctual urge to snap back at her, her muffled screams telling him all he needed to know. This one lasted longer than the others, and when Manea finally settled, Alastor noticed Irilyth had begun moving and doing something. The sand and snow colored fae announced the presence of the pup, a little girl, helping to separate and clean her from Manea before gingerly carrying the sizable pup over to nestle her against Manea's stomach to feed.

At first there was quiet. And then Alastor heard the first grunting cries of his daughter. The world stopped as his ears stood fully erect on top of his head. Abyssal eyes gazed through the darkness down over Manea's swollen form to spy the little ball of matted fluff, purple and black swirls of galactic fur just like her mother. Alastor's heart missed a beat, then another, and another, skipping every time the pup made a noise or wriggled closer to nurse from her mother. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her, watching this tiny creature his mate had birthed, that he had helped create. The giant dire wolf was scarcely breathing, so focused was he on this perfect little being. Manea told him what he already knew, but his mind still hadn't wrapped around it. Alastor was a father. This was his daughter. His daughter! Liquid crystals sprung forth from the brute's eyes, a noticeable shimmer against otherwise empty blackness. Alastor had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life, struck dumb and mute by her mere existence, and feeling so wholly unworthy. He didn't even notice the blood running down his leg from Manea's bite anymore, he was too lost in his emotions, but he kept his paw wound tight around his mate's chest.

There was still one more pup to come.


"Alastor"

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
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Irilyth watched the love and support Alastor gave to Manea through her lashes while she focused on timing Manea's contractions. It was touching to see the giant behemoth of a wolf being so nurturing and caring to her. The birth was painful, but fortunately mostly uneventful so far. The motherwort seemed to help regulate Manea's contractions, and although the massive fae was struggling with the pain and lashing out at her husband throughout it, there seemed to be no complications. Both pups were right ways around from what she could tell, and Manea wasn't bleeding any more excessively than was to be expected from someone having such large puppies. Sunlight faded, and as darkness began to overtake the den, Irilyth wondered if either her or Alastor should start a fire so she could work better.

That option never came though, as shortly later, Manea gave a louder scream and her body pushed the first child out into the world. Irilyth cooed softly as she helped receive the pup, quickly beginning to clean the afterbirth and mess from the little bundle of wet fluff. In the dim light, Irilyth could make out the dark black and purple fur, as well as small white markings around the pup's right eye. Almost immediately, the pup began to whine, little paws kicking out feebly as it took its first breath. Smiling wide and her heart filling with joy, Irilyth inspected the pup to make sure it was healthy and breathing okay, then checked for the sex. "You have a daughter!" she declared in soft lyrics while she delicately lifted the pup, which alone was a feat given how large and heavy it was, and brought it over to nestle it against Manea's stomach.

Stepping back to her position, Irilyth watched the looks of joy overtake her mistress' face and the emotional shock on her husband's. Was he crying? That was so touching. Irilyth didn't remain distracted for long, however, as she returned her focus to Manea's contractions. "The other one will be here shortly. Are you hoping for a boy or another girl?"

"Irilyth"

Manea could hardly believe it when she saw the glimmering tears in her mate's eyes. She had never once seem him shed a tear and now as he laid there clutching her to his chest, staring wide eyed at their perfect little daughter, he was actually crying. She looked lovingly up at Alastor, watching his expressions and reactions with awe. She had known he was excited to be a father and she had expected him to be overwhelmed in one way or another, but he exceeded even her expectations. Just as her contractions began again she leaned her head back to swipe away his tears with gentle kisses, one of her paws resting over his foreleg that was wrapped securely across her chest. She glanced down at Irilyth as that now familiar tightness and pressure pulled at the muscles of her sides and stomach, making her grimace slightly and having to wait till it passed before she could answer the question of if she was hoping for a boy or a girl for their second. "Whatever we have been given I will be happy with," she said with a slight smile. In truth she knew that she had already been given the daughter she longed for so it would all come down to what gifts they each had received to determine which child would remain with them and which would return back to energies of the Ancients. Unless... No, she shoved the thought away that had continued to creep into her mind from the day that Irilyth had confirmed that there were two pups. She refused to humor such ideas and get her hopes up.

With their first little daughter safely against her stomach, Manea rested her head against Alastor once more, resuming the steady wave of breathing and contractions that had brought their first born into the world. The pain built more quickly than with their daughter, the second pup clearly very close behind the first. She quickly realized that wasn't the only reason though. Their second born was noticeably larger than the first and each steadily building contraction took even more effort than with the first. Manea fell back into a pattern of panting between the contractions, gritting her teeth against the pain and growling as she pushed with each one to work the pup free of her body. Her head was tipped back against Alastor's shoulder, the claws of one paw gripping the furs of their bed and the other hooked solidly into Alastor's leg. Minutes began to tick by and that pain was nearly unbearable, but she knew that even if she did take the trillium now it wouldn't take effect before they ran the risk of something happening to their child from her labor taking too long. She pushed hard through several contractions, snarling and squeezing her eyes shut through it. She could feel that the pup was very nearly there, but it felt like the last several waves of pushing and contractions had gotten her nowhere.

Digging her claws deeper into the fur and into her mate's leg, she braced herself for that next contraction, panting hard in a vein attempt to catch her breath until her muscles began to tense and tighten again. She grit her teeth together and growled with a vicious snarl as she put everything she had into pushing out this pup, her growl shifting into a scream that echoed around the den as she pushed through that last agonizing wave of pain before she finally felt the pup slip free. Her body immediately got the relief it so desperately needed and she collapsed back into her husband, slowly unhooking her claws from him as she panted and her head swam, not popping up quite as quickly as she had after their first born as she tried to catch her breath. It wasn't until she heard Irilyth announce that it was a boy that Manea made herself lift her head to see their son, a tired grin pulling across her lips. A daughter and a son. The moment that the little boy was close enough for her to reach she gently scooped the large pup with her feline paw and placed him next to his sister, savoring the squeaking, crying sounds of two healthy pups.

As soon as she saw the boy with his swirls of red and black painted across his body she felt something tug in her chest. He was worth every effort because he was her little piece of Alastor. Her careful paw pads traced along each of their backs while they ate their first meal, their daughter's fluffy puppy fur just beginning to dry while her brother's fur was still damp. "Irilyth, thank you for your help. Go start putting to gather a fire, would you?" she instructed her handmaiden with her voice still slightly breathless and hoarse, not looking up from the two pups. She waited a moment for Irilyth to leave their chamber while her aqua eyes appraised each of the pups tenderly. They were perfect. Utterly perfect. Through the haze of this fathomless, motherly love that filled her as she looked at these children that they had created, she knew what had to be done. It made her ears flick, but she knew it was better to do it sooner rather than later.

Manea | Temno | Ciemny

As if had been with their first pup, Alastor held Manea as the contractions started up again, her body working in natural rhythms to bring their second child into the world. However, as rough as the first had been, the second seemed markedly more difficult. Alastor saw the agony and strain on Manea's face as she tried to push their child out of her belly, but with every snarling push, it seemed like no progress was being made. He didn't even feel her claws tearing into his leg anymore while he watched her with a panicked expression, eyes locked on her rippling abdomen and waiting for the sound of puppy cries again, but nothing came. What was happening? Was something wrong? He looked up to Irilyth, exchanging a quick look with the small handmaiden and noting the look of anxiousness in her eyes despite the smile on her face. What was happening with his mate and his child?!

Alastor's heart raced and he gave another vicious growl as Manea's claws dug deeper into his flesh, the scent of his own coppery blood mixing in the bedchamber from the amount of wounds he'd sustained. He didn't care though; he'd endure a million bites and tears if it meant having his family be healthy. It took some effort on Manea's part, including some gut-wrenching screams the likes of which he'd never heard uttered by his Queen before. But after that Herculean effort, Alastor felt Manea collapse weak and exhausted against him, saw Irilyth doing something in a frantic hurry, and then heard the loudest squeal of an angry puppy he'd ever heard in his life. His head shot up while Manea recovered, watching as Irilyth cleaned and presented them with a son, larger than his sister, with swirling fur of black and red that was so distinctly Alastor. The dire brute's heart exploded with joy when he gazed upon his son, those tears returning to his eyes while a huge smile stretched from ear to ear. After the boy had been placed alongside his sister, Manea dismissed Irilyth to go light a fire, and the small fae excused herself quickly. That left the parents alone with their newborn pups, and Alastor's heart stopped.

The behemoth stopped smiling instantaneously, knowing what was to come next. He gazed down at his two precious, perfect little balls of fluff nursing at Manea's stomach. He brought his obsidian gaze back up to her aqua eyes, seeing the looks of appraisal she was already giving each pup. This was it. This was the moment when his whole world crumbled just seconds after it had been built. Alastor's heart shattered, and a different type of tear began to run down his cheeks. But as much pain as it brought him, he knew he couldn't interfere. This was Manea's life, her beliefs, her world. He had come into this willingly knowing what the outcome would be—but nothing, nothing could have prepared him for how difficult this moment actually was. Gazing down at his children, pieces of his flesh, blood, and spirit, and knowing one of them would never see the sunrise. It crushed the new father, devastated the short-lived happiness he'd known. But it had to be done. This was the way of the Mendacium.

Alastor shut his eyes, scowling and biting his tongue to prevent himself from growling. He had promised Manea he would stay beside her during the ritual and he would keep his word. But the pain and conflict was etched clearly across his face, visible even in the darkness where his features contorted with heartbreak. He didn't want to watch as one of his firstborn children was snuffed out only minutes into their lives. But he couldn't forgive himself if he didn't at least show them that their father had loved them. Opening his eyes again, Alastor shifted tor ice and lean carefully over Manea, reaching his muzzle down toward his two children. He placed a long, lingering kiss and lick to his son's forehead, taking in his scent and the feel of damp clumps of silky fur. He turned to his daughter next and gave her the same affection, lips lingering on her crown where little bumps that would become jagged antlers like her mother's wound form. One of these two children would not survive the night, and so he savored both of them while he had the chance. They both deserved to know that they were loved beyond words.

Yet as he drew back from the little girl, Alastor noticed a glimmer of light coming from seemingly nowhere. He blinked in confusion, then slowly turned the girl's head away from her mother's round stomach, but to the protesting squeals of the pup. As soon as he'd uncovered the markings over her right eye, Alastor saw the pale bioluminescent white glow coming from her markings, and his breath caught in the radiant beauty. "Manea, wait!" he whispered urgently, urging his mate to look at their children. The glow hadn't started on the girl's markings until she had begun to dry. In an anxious hurry, Alastor shifted over to his son and began to frantically lick over the markings on the boy's left eye, helping to dry the fur there quicker. Slowly but surely, the boy's markings began to glow in a similar fashion, faint at first, but building in brightness until it was like the stars themselves had landed upon their children's faces. Alastor gazed in awe at the two children, turning back to look at Manea with wide eyes and slack jaw. They were even more special and glorious than he had ever imagined! But... But how...?


"Alastor"

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
____________________

Irilyth waited as Manea pushed and strained through her contractions to birth the second pup. But unlike the first, this one did not go as smoothly. Despite her continued efforts, the pup did not emerge. Iri's brow creased with worry, but she remained calm and faithful that Manea's body would complete what it was designed to do. But as the seconds dragged on into minutes, that worry began to mount. She glanced up and caught Alastor's nervous expression and did her best to give him a reassuring smile. Pretend everything was okay and keep them calm. In the back of her mind though, she was already considering what she might have to do. More motherwort might help, but it may not take effect in time before the pup suffocated in the womb. Manea would have to make it through this naturally or risk losing her child.

Gently rubbing Manea's hip, Irilyth gave little sweet nothings of encouragement, and when she finally began to see the pup crown, she breathed a sigh of relief. The second child, a boy significantly larger than the girl, bore a more striking resemblance to his father once he'd been cleaned, and came into the world squealing and screaming right off the bat. Irilyth carefully passed the pup to Manea, who settled the unruly boy into place next to his sister, where one of the giant fae's teats did the trick in silencing his cries. Iri breathed a heavy sigh, her body relaxing back as the birthing was completed. The furs would need to be washed and cleaned come the morning, but Manea seemed to have made it through with no internal injuries, no harm to the pups, and the birth had gone smoothly. "It was my pleasure, Mistress. Congratulations, both of you!" she said before giving a demure nod and slipping out of the bedchamber when she was dismissed to gather the materials for a fire. A small smile graced her lips; proud of herself for a job well done, and happy for the new Mendacium family.

- exit Irilyth -

"Irilyth"

Unlike with their first born, she couldn't bring herself find Alastor's face as their son fed from her beside his sister. She could feel him shifting behind her and she could feel the palpable tension radiating from him. He knew what had to be done as much as she did, but she knew it was going to be difficult for him no matter what. In all honesty, as she laid here with their first children, their first perfect pups, pressed against her... It was difficult for her as well. It would be one thing if perhaps one of them showed no noticeable signs of the gifts they had been given or one was in poorer health than the other. But both were painted with stunning colors that were just being revealed more and more as their fur continued to dry. The boy was huge even for a pup and would most certainly match his father in stature, a force to be reckoned with to be sure. The girl was smaller, but still not tiny by any means and has her careful paw traced over the girl's features she could feel the small bumps on her head that would hopefully one day match her own, could see the distinctively different shape of her paws, and there was some kind of bumps hat seemed almost like scales on her small legs, but it was hard to see exactly what there was in the darkness. Clearly the girl had more mutations gifted to her, but the boy was larger and his red coloring pulled at a distinct soft spot in her chest.

She sighed softly as she debated them silently, but before she could form any kind of decision she felt Alastor lean over her, reaching across her side to get to his children. She watched him for a moment as he began to press tender kiss to each of their heads. Her ears flicked against her skull as she shifted her gaze away, looking at her paws. It was difficult to watch him and his deep, unwavering devotion to these children, knowing that she would have to break his heart by taking one of them away. Seeing him like this made her question everything, made her wonder if it would really be worth it to cling so whole heartedly to her beliefs. She had seen so many Mendacium wolves before her to their duty to keep their traditions going and their blood line strong, but she truly believed that none of them had found the kind of love Alastor had given her and their children. It tore at her chest knowing she was going to have to hurt this man that had done so much for her.

The squeals from their daughter made her gaze snap back to their children, the sound immediately flaring that protective instinct in her, and her aqua gaze landed on her husband who had lifted and turned the girl away from her stomach. He told her to wait, but he didn't have to. Her gaze was fixed on the girl, her eyes going wide with disbelief at the faint glow that radiated from the white marking that framed her eye. As their fur continued to dry the glow became even more prominent, creating the only source of light in the dark den. She watched Alastor franticly reach for their son, cleaning his red and white marked face until he revealed the glow hidden within his fur as well and for a long moment she looked at the two pups in stunned silence. Never had she ever seen or even heard about any kind of marking like this and for both of them to have it with such similar markings and patterns... She couldn't deny it any more. These secret hopes she had held quietly in her heart and had pushed away in her disbelief were staring her in the face and she didn't know how to process it.

Her gaze shifted to meet Alastor's as he looked at her with slack jawed shock, both of them struck by the awe and amazement at what they had created. Waves of emotion crashed over her, over whelming her and bringing tears of joy and relief to her eyes. This was it. This was the proof that she had found her soul mate, that she had created the most perfect union she could have ever dreamed or hoped for - a union so great that they were granted the greatest gift any Mendacium could ever hope for in their wildest dreams. "They're twins..." she breathed, still in complete disbelief and shock as a smile crept across her face, those tears spilling down her cheeks. She turned her gaze back down to the pups that had settled back into her stomach to continue their first meal, two little shining stars in the darkness. Her moon and sun. "I've... I've never seen it happen, but I've heard that very rarely a Mendacium can have twins... A litter that is given two complete souls instead of one..." She looked back to Alastor then, her cheeks hurting with how wide she was smiling as she reached a paw to cup his cheek, pulling him into a deep kiss for a few moments before she broke away with a giddy laugh. "Avacyn and Saracyn... It was fate. We didn't even know that we were choosing the names for our twins, but here they are... Our little Ava and Sara... They both get to stay with us! Both of them!" She laughed again, tears of joy streaming down her face as she leaned her forehead into his, one paw on his cheek and the other carefully draped across the backs of their sweet, innocent children.

Manea | Temno | Ciemny

Alastor was so in awe of the glowing marks on both of his children that he hadn't initially heard what Manea was fawning over. It was only once she had begun to explain her shock and awe that he realized why she was so amazed. Their children were not just littermates, but twins—perfect matching twins. Their fur patterns, their glowing markings... Avacyn and Saracyn were two parts of the same whole. His ear flicked while he considered Manea's explanation. Two complete souls of the Ancients, one for each of their children. But... but how...? How could they both come out with identical markings, and marking that glowed with a brilliant bioluminescence at that?! They looked like little stars, or... Alastor froze as realization dawned on him.

Fireflies.

"Now you will give birth to a little monster like yourself." The words of the enigmatic insect fucker that had cursed him in that cave over a year ago played back in Alastor's mind for the first time in an age. The curse that had been placed on him, that had made him so reluctant to lie with Lurid, that had been so easily forgotten amidst the chaos of her disappearance and his discovery of Manea and everything that followed... that same curse had now just saved the life of his child. Alastor's lips twitched into an incredulous, almost mocking grin as he considered how he'd taken the punishment given to him by the demon creature and turned it around to his own benefit. Ha! Get fucked, you stupid bug asshole! Nobody beats Alastor!

Alastor's mental triumph party was interrupted when Manea caught his cheek in one of her massive paws and guided his lips to hers in a deep kiss. The dark-furred brute gave a rumble of delight while he kissed his wife and mother of his children back with all the love and passion he could muster to celebrate this glorious moment. Both of his children would get to live! He wouldn't have to face the pain culling them off—at least not this time. This time, he could savor and cherish and love his firstborns with all his black heart and twisted soul. He was still just beaming victoriously while Manea gushed over how this had been fate, not daring to mention how it had ended up being by design. He would keep this secret to the grave if it meant protecting his children's lives. "It was meant to be, my love. Everything aligned, and we were given perfection for our deeds and your faith," he said, tears of joy falling from his eyes as he nuzzled her neck. He laughed along with her, a deep, blissful laugh that was so unlike the broken laugh of the young wolf left beaten down and alone in an empty cave years ago. Oh, how far Alastor had come... and it was all thanks to his new family.


"Alastor"

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
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Manea returned the affectionate nuzzles that Alastor gave her while they shared this moment of pure bliss, lost in the relief and joy they both shared. She had been caught off guard by how strong and instant the bond with her children had been. The moment she laid eyes on each of them she had loved them with all her heart. In reality her love and obsession with them had begun long before that, but it made a little worry creep into the back of her mind. How was she going to fulfill the duty she must complete to keep her family true to their beliefs without ripping Alastor and herself apart? Seeing the joy in his face when he saw them and the gentle way this behemoth of a demon doted on his children stabbed at her heart. It wasn't a problem she would need to worry about for another year at least, but it was something that was now planted in the back of her mind as she dreamed forward to the future.

As they laid cuddled together for the first time as a complete family, a soft glow coming from near the entrance of the den pulled her attention and the glanced out toward the fire that Irilyth had gotten started for them, offering them a bit more light to see by. She returned her gaze to their children that had gotten their fill of their first meal and were now drowsy and sleepy as puppies tended to be. She curled a careful paw around their daughter, their first born, and lifted the sleepy girl into the light so she could get a better look at her swirling, galactic markings. She held a lot of the same purples as herself, but there was also hints of blues and indigos that added even more depth and Alastor's black was threaded throughout. The intricate white marking around her eye still glowed, but not quite as noticeably as it had been in the almost pitch darkness. Now that she could see the girl more properly she could see the hard, scaled patches on her tiny shoulders and forelegs where the fluffy puppy fur hadn't grown in, looking almost like plates of armor on an armadillo. "She has my paws and horns," she said adoringly, giving one of her paws that was too big for her little body a loving kiss.

Placing her back down she lifted their boy with a chuckle, feeling the significant difference in their size and weight. "And now this little demon..." she said with a grin, lifting the boy into the light and revealing his extremely similar patterns except done up in Alastor's black and red. It wasn't a flat red though, it was all dimensions of the color with hints of orange mixed in and the white marking on his eye seemed almost like flames. "You're going to take after your father, aren't you?" she cooed, gently nuzzling is little cheek with her nose. She was smitten. Absolutely smitten. Even if she didn't notice any particular mutations right now, she knew that there could sometimes be traits that revealed themselves later. She was eager to see their little fire child grow, the rare and special twin that surprised them all.

Placing him back next to his sister, she curled her body around them and looked back toward Alastor to give him another kiss. "You should go have Irilyth tend to your wounds," she told her husband with a smile. She gave his nose an affectionate lick, adding, "Thank you for suffering with me. It means the world that you were with me through this." So many times she had seen the brutes her sisters and aunts and cousins chose be squeamish or spineless when it came to birth and pups. Alastor had stuck through every moment with her, let her rip apart his legs in her pain, and had been willing to stick beside her while she completed her ceremony even though it wasn't necessary this time around. She owed him everything for that. She glanced toward the bites and tears she had given him with a little smirk before going to rest her head on her paws beside their children. "Try not to break Irilyth, would you? She's quite a fantastic midwife and handmaiden - I would be very upset if I lost her." She was well aware of what pain and blood did to her husband and she wasn't oblivious to what Irilyth's duties would consist of while her own body recovered from birthing these two beautiful children. All she could really ask is that she still have a handmaiden at the end of it.

Manea | Temno | Ciemny

Warming light began to brighten the dark den as Irilyth got the fire started just outside the entrance. Bathed in the orange glow, Alastor was able to better see his children while Manea lifted each one individually to inspect their little glowing babies once they had finished eating and were half asleep. The little purple girl came first, taking very obviously after her mother with her rich violet fur, budding horns, and leonine paws. He gazed lovingly at the little ball of fur and fat, already imagining how her beauty would be radiant and heart stopping if she was anything like her mother. "She has your beauty too," he added in with a husky chuckle. "She's going to have no shortage of suitors knocking at our door." And he was already preparing to have to bury a few bodies of any boys that decided to get a little too bold with his precious daughter. There could be no doubt that Avacyn was going to be daddy's little girl, his princess.

Abyssal black eyes watched as she exchanged the pups out, lifting and inspecting their son now. Alastor grinned widely at his son as the larger fuzzball began to give more of a fuss at being lifted, kicking tiny limbs out and squealing in defiance. "He has my temper, that's for sure!" Alastor remarked with a laugh. Dark eyes sparkled as he looked over Saracyn, his handsome son who would no doubt bear his father's confidence and bravado. His little fire born son with fur that shimmered dazzling hues of reds and oranges as if he were made of living flame. Alastor snickered when Manea made a comment about Saracyn taking after him. "Ah, sorry, son. Guess you'll just have to make up for it by being a charming rogue like your old man too!" Saracyn, his special little boy, the one he had feared would have been chosen for slaughter for his lack of mutations, had been saved by Alastor's curse. Saracyn would always be Alastor's little death-defier.

The fire-kissed brute, who was always smiling anyway, wore the most genuine grin of happiness he'd ever felt in his life when he watched his mate curl around their beautiful children. He was eager to return her kiss, her comment about having Irilyth tend to his wounds reminding him of the steady drip of blood flowing down his leg from Manea's outbursts. "I made you a promise," he replied, returning the loving lick to the end of her nose. "I said I would be here with you through all of it. I keep my word." Although it had been more than a little difficult with the arousing pain and scent of blood to keep still when all his brain wanted to do was bite and fuck. Now that the adrenaline rush of the birth was over, those urges were coming back strong as ever. He did agree that he would need Irilyth though—in more ways than one, as the heated desire had stirred parts of him ready to action already. Rising with a grunt, Alastor walked a little stiff-legged out of the bedchamber in search of Manea's handmaiden, a salacious gleam in his eyes as he sought two forms of relief. Manea's call not to break Irilyth was met with a devilish grin from the dark brute, and then he stalked out of the cave, following the fae's lingering scent of heat. A few moments later, Alastor's growls and Irilyth's pained cries came echoing back into the den. Now was a time for celebration, and Alastor partied in the ways he knew best.

Once Alastor was finished, he carried the limp and well used fae back into the den and plopped her drop carefully onto her bedding before silently creeping back into bed with Manea. He smiled down at his family while he curled around Manea, smelling of sex and blood and entirely satisfied, a content grin on his face. Snuggling up with his wife and children, he gave the back of her neck a few loving licks to settle her into gentle slumber. "I love you," he whispered into one dark purple ear, peering down at his sleeping pups before closing his eyes as well. "All of you."


"Alastor"

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
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