Serene Validis It had been some time now since her heat plagued her, and it had been equally as long since that first night shared with Malleus. Now the fawn woman would never come to regret the decision they made, nor would she regret the ever growing life forming within her, but there was one thing she did not consider. Pregnancy was uncomfortable. Not uncomfortable like laying on a rock while trying to sleep, or having a splinter in between your toes, no, this was a grueling comfortableness that consumed her being completely. Serene was use to being a thin, well curved female with probably more fur then muscle on her body, but that has all since changed. No, Serene was now swollen compared to the woman she use to be. Her stomach hung low, losing that natural curve she sported so happily once upon a time. Her joints were round with fluid, making them ache with each moment she stood on them. Even her own skin was changed as it fluctuated between too warm and too hot; trying to gently cook the little buns in her oven while also trying to cool the suffering host. Sleep was rare now a days, finding her abdomen was too large now to comfortably curl up in a ball or lay on her back, resulting in constantly rolling over from one side to the other in attempts to find peace. It was a constant battle with her own body, something Serene did not consider when she decided to get pregnant. In attempts to cool her body, as it was burning red hot today, the golden woman decided to travel to the creek that ran along their territory. She knew there was a tree she could lean against in the shade as well as dip herself into the cool waters. Perhaps it would sooth her aching feet if nothing else. But as she neared the stream, her irritability shined brightly on her features; the crease in her brow and the slight frown of her lips making it blatantly so. Serene, a female most known for her kindness, was not in the mood today. "Speech" <

It put it simply, Malleus felt great. There were big changes coming to the Empire now that he'd decided to embrace his position. In addition to that, he was going to become a father. The thought warmed him and he prayed hard that the Fallen God would see fit to give him many strong sons and daughters. With Serene whelping them he hoped a single one wouldn't have to be culled, but time would tell whether or not they were as fitting a match as he thought them to be. His expression was bright as he made his way towards Serene, who was walking away from him. It was a good day. The rain had let up and the sun was out bathing them in warmth and light, and his woman was as beautiful as ever. Motherhood suited her. Her belly was round (his heart warmed every time he laid eyes on it) and her fur shone as if the little godlings were imbuing her with the blood of the Abraxas. She was positively radiant. "Serene," he rumbled so he wouldn't startle her when he nuzzled the top of her head. "Going for a walk?"

Serene Validis Malleus. Poor sweet, adorable Malleus. Despite the horrible mood Serene was in, her counterpart couldn't have been in a better mood. For whatever reason, the silver male had been in a great mood for the past couple weeks, and had the blonde fae not been increasingly irritable, she might have enjoyed it. But despite her best efforts, Malleus sudden cheery mood was like claws filing on rocks. So when she heard his paws thundering the earth behind her, she sighed heavily before forcing herself not to turn around a nip at him. She allowed him to nuzzle her head, even braving a soft smile for his enjoyment, but otherwise she pressed forward, hoping to ease herself in the cool waters before she lost her temper. Thankfully, the two were always truthful with their words, so when he asked her what she was doing, she didn't hesitate to answer him, but he may not have known the full force of what he was asking. "I'm going to soak in the creek for awhile, Malleus. My feet ache with all this extra weight and my skin is cooking me form the inside out." Maybe it was a little harsh, but if the sway of her underside didn't give her the right to be a little nippy, no one did. A small growl of frustration slipped passed her maw as she continued to voice her thoughts. "With any luck my balloon self can even manage to snag a few fish, Gods know I'm craving fish. Which I've never had. Ever. I can't even remember the last time I ate fish." It was true, Serene was more of a hare kind of gal, maybe a deer here and there, and counting elk as a luxury. But fish would normally turn her stomach into knots, yet here she was, craving the slime of their scales and actually looking forward to chomping through their tiny bones. Maybe that was another reason she was so upset; Serene wasn't exactly in control of her own body, in fact she felt more like a hostage in her own skin. "Speech" <

Malleus would have lingered in her space, breathing in her scent and enjoying her presence, for several more seconds had Serene not continued on her way. Her move away from him was tinged with annoyance, but Malleus was oblivious to his beloved's chilly demeanor. He'd caught her smile and that was enough to convince him that she too was in a good mood. With a spring in his step Malleus caught up to Serene, his pace slowing only once they were walking abreast. The soft smile that graced his lips haltered and then flattened into a thin line as Serene's frosty voice washed over him. Uh oh. Perhaps it wasn't as good a day as he'd thought. "Oh..." His cheer faded. Give him a war to wage or a wound to tend and he'd tackle the problem with ease, but an angry pregnant woman? He'd tried and he tried, but nothing he did made her happy. He'd tried diplomacy, bribery, flattery. He'd doted some days and he'd steered clear others. Nothing, absolutely nothing, was to her liking. And still he tried. Not because he liked being the object of her ire, but because she was unhappy and uncomfortable, and because he couldn't begin to understand what was happening to her. It was frustrating to say the least, but he wasn't at the end of his rope just yet. "Say the word and I'll carry you wherever you want to go," he offered teasingly. "And if you want fish I'll catch you fish. Just make yourself comfortable," he said as they arrived at the creek, "And I'll bring them to you." Malleus waded into the water quickly, hoping to get in before Serene could even dip a toe into the water. Hopefully him going in first would discourage her from following and maybe, if he was lucky, she'd lay down at the water's edge and do as he suggested. Once he was in the deepest part of the creek, Malleus stilled and waited for the fish to venture closer.

Serene Validis An ear flickered towards Malleus when she noticed the sadness in his tone. Oh no, had she done it again? During these past few weeks as she neared the end of her pregnancy, Serene had grown increasingly uncomfortable, and thus more irritable. But never, not once, had she meant to hurt her sweet Alpha in the process. But every time she was caught under that grey cloud of annoyance, she would come to her senses and find she had hurt him in some fashion. It was incredible that he was still with her after all her abuse. It made Serene cringe knowing she had done it yet again, but by the time she had realized it, the silver male had already ventured into the water. There he was, her most loyal mate in silver armor, wading into the river's stream just for her. He was an Alpha of a growing empire, she could think of a million other things he could be doing, but here he was taking his time to fish for Serene. The sandy fae plopped down just on the edge of the water, letting her haunches fold and her swollen ankles be soothed by the cool stream. That's when she felt the burning of tears in her eyes. Gods, why was she already crying? The more her amber eyes stared at the blurred reflection of Malleus in the water, the more she felt horrible about snapping at him and wanting to cry over it until finally she was practically sobbing to herself. The river would run warm with how many tears she dropped into it. She tried to hide her sobbing, letting her head hang low and out of sight, but this only helped gravity pull the running snot out of her nostrils, which she tried so hard to sniff back up. Eventually she was shaking with her tears, every second that past left her feeling even more miserable than before. She was a horrible mate. She would be a horrible mother. How insensitive she was to others around her. Finally, she managed to croak out, "I-I'm so s-sorry Malleus. I-I'm such a h-horrible wolf." And it was true, this pregnancy was bringing Serene's full colors out, and they were not at all what she expected. "Speech" <

Malleus was careful to keep his gaze away from Serene. Everything was a potential irritant and he thought that if perhaps the next time he looked at or approached her, an offering of fish might soothe whatever irritation his presence aroused. At any rate he could hope. The bank was quiet as he unsuccessful snapped at fish. Once, twice, three times he missed and still not a peep from his pregnant overseer. Malleus wasn't sure what to make of her silence. Perhaps the cool water was a relief to her and his presence, at least for the moment, was forgotten. Maybe the waters had cooled her temper and maybe, if he was lucky, things were alright. A sniffling, muffled sob alerted him to the fact that no, no it was not alright. Honestly he was afraid to look. Anger he could deal with. Tears, though? Tears he had shunned as a child. The last thing he remembered crying over was his mother and that had been years ago. Needless to say, crying made him a tad uncomfortable. Finally she spoke and he had no choice but to look up. She wasn't a horrible wolf, just a hormonal (crazy), pregnant one. "No, you aren't," he told her earnestly. "And you have nothing to apologize for."

Serene Validis Despite him encouraging her, that she was not in fact the horrible female that she was, Serene still wouldn't listen.She had treated her lover, her mate, with such vile mood swings and poisonous words, even a viper would feel the sting. Now, even with her apologizing he was trying to sooth her and reassure her she wasn't the terror that she was. Serene came to the conclusion that in fact, she did not deserve Malleus. He was too pure, too honest, too sweet and caring for her anger management problems. Sniffling another sob, she would croak out once again; "Yes, I am. I've been nothing but monstrous to you," Another, rather unpleasant sounding sob before she continued. "The one wolf in this entire world that gives a damn about me. My own mate. The father of my pups. I don't even know why you bother to stay with me." Being so worked up, made the tiny aliens inside her wake up and throw tantrums of their own it would seem. Her plump stomach would be stricken with the harsh kicks and thrashing of her unborn young, making her wince and stutter mid cry. Now she was even harming her own young with her retched crying. Was there nothing she could do right anymore? Fed up, the blonde woman fell back, letting her back rest against the bank, throwing her legs up in frustration. The cool water rolled over her fat stomach, seeming to cool the fire within the tiny daemons that called her womb home.   "Speech" <