Trigger warnings: miscarriage, stillbirth, gore, macabre content.
Do not read if you are uncomfortable with any of these subjects.

It had been two days since her interaction with those horrible crystals that had taken over the island. Since the moment she touched the one Chimera had broken, Aliana felt like she had been slowly dying. Her energy was gone, sapped as if some wraith had stolen the very life from her body. The excruciating experience of feeling her own children writhing in pain and fear within her was forever seared into her brain, replaying in her mind while she panicked for their safety. In the days before, the pups in her belly had been fairly active, kicking and wriggling about while they grew healthy and strong. But after she'd touched that damned crystal, the pups had gone unsettlingly still. They'd freaked out as if in agony for several long minutes after, and then they'd simply stopped moving. The first day she would feel the occasional kick or twitch of a paw or leg inside of her. On the second day, there was nothing. Just stillness.

Aliana was doing her best to keep from panicking, trying to keep herself calm and her blood pressure stable for the sake of her and Chimera's children. She'd refused to go anywhere near those crystals or the fireflies anymore, keeping virtually quarantined away within her alchemical study or the bedroom as often as she could. Those places were her sanctuaries, the only places she still felt any semblance of safety. She hid away, singing quietly to her children in her belly, silently begging and pleading them to move or do something to let her know they were still okay. Her heart ached to keep her babies safe. At long last, she was beginning to understand the motherly love she'd heard other women speak of. The desire to have all the evils of the world done unto her so long as her children were spared and left alone. Gods, she had been such an idiot! Why would she touch a strange crystal that appeared out of nowhere?! She should have been more careful! What sort of mother did something so reckless as to endanger her own puppies? She was being critical of herself, perhaps overly so, but she felt she deserved it for how stupid she had been. Chimera told her not to touch the crystals, and yet she'd gone and done it anyway. What a fool!

She didn't realize just how deserving she was of that criticism quite yet...

It was a quiet night at the end of the second day, and Ali had fallen asleep in bed waiting to feel some movement from her children. She's caressed her swollen belly with tender paws, still clinging to hope and praying to whatever gods acknowledged her for their safety, and hummed softly until her voice drifted off into quiet snores. Sometime after midnight, Aliana was awoken by something. Her sleep-groggy brain didn't realize what it was until in her near-consciousness she felt another sharp pain stab through her stomach. The clouded ash and snow fae gasped at the sudden pain coupled with a strong cramp, almost making her double over. It felt like someone had jabbed a knife straight into her belly. Her heart rate spiked, panic ensuing for the fear of her children. Was something wrong with them? What was happening?!

Ali didn't get long to dwell on her anxious worries before another stab of pain took her breath and a series of cramps twisted up her insides. She groaned and cringed, clutching at her belly as if she could protect her puppies by doing so. Her body tensed again, and that was when Aliana realized what she was feeling. Contractions. What? But it's far too soon! It can't be happening now! Another painful contraction made Ali cry out in pain, and then she smelled the blood. The familiar, coppery-metallic stench hit her nose like an unwelcome guest the moment her water broke, and Aliana's anxiety intensified. Something was very, very wrong. "Chimera?!" she called out to her mate sleeping beside her, terrified aquamarine eyes searching for him in the darkness of the night. She couldn't say anymore, her breathing turning into light hyperventilating as another painful contraction hit her. Hopefully he'd hear the fear in her voice and be able to piece together the rest.

"Aliana"

Things had been different since the strange happening with the crystals. Chimera had warned all of the women to stay close, don't leave the island and above all, don't touch the fucking crystals or anything else that glowed. Both his experience and Ali's experience had been horrendous, though she had suffered more than he had. Worry was a constant now. There wasn't a waking moment where Chimera wasn't worried about his family. This blue bullshit proved that it could hurt them and what could he do against it? Nothing. For once, Chimera was helpless. He didn't like it one bit.

The island had been quiet. No one ventured outside of their rooms much, save him. He needed to go out to check on the others and to make sure that everyone had what they needed. Food. Water. Comfort. How long they could live like this, he didn't know. Hopefully things would shift back to normal with the changing of the season, but it was hard to hold on to that hope. The strangeness had taken hold so completely. So quickly. Hope... was hard.

As the crystals had yet to invade their sleeping space, Chimera and Aliana spent a lot of their time holed up together. With little else to do, the pair were catching up on a lot of sleep. It was during one of those sleeps that Aliana's fear filled voice wrenched the man from sleep. Instantly his eyes ripped open and he was on his paws. He didn't even have to ask what was wrong. He could smell the blood. He could see the panic on her face. She was going to give birth... but even he knew that it was too early. "Hold on," he growled to the woman, though not roughly. It was simply his reaction to the panic that surged through them both.

Striding to the door, Chimera kicked it open, the wooden panels slamming into the walls. The beast roared across the atrium, calling for Siren and Dalila. He didn't care who the fuck he woke. Something was wrong and he wouldn't risk Aliana's life for some pleasantries. Once his call was made, the brute made his way back to the clouded woman's side. He was hesitant to touch her because she appeared to be in so much pain, but he managed to press his forehead to hers. "Tell me what I can do..." There was nothing. He knew that there was nothing. He had to ask anyway.

"X"

Chimera is a very adult character and takes part in very adult situations. Don't read his threads. Ever.

Chi has three black Tibetan Mastiff's as guards. Assume they're very close by.

Siren curled around her growing pups, knowing that the number of nights she would have left like this would be few. Both pups were incredibly independent and more importantly Albion would quickly be far too big for her to curl around. Siren was happy. Peaceful even, when the sound of Chimera’s commanded voice pulled her from sleep without mercy. The pups too. Though they protested lightly as Siren lifted herself from the bed they would both soon be back asleep.

The Queen rushed to gather what supplies she could, Dalila hot on her heels though slowed by how far along she was in her own pregnancy now. Siren was swift on her paws as she made her way to Chimera’s wing and the room he shared with Aliana. Before she entered the threshold she could smell blood.

"Aliana,” She offered comfortingly as she rushed to the woman’s side. "Hey, shh, you have to breathe. Deep breaths. In and out.” Siren began to soothe her, certain Dalila was right behind her ready to attend. She looked at Chimera as she coached her breathing, silently reminding him to take in deep breaths too.

"Chimera & Siren Klien"

Dalila was fast asleep, catching up on some rest that had been hard to come by as of late. Her growing pups made her restless and it was hard to get comfortable these days with her swollen stomach, but she did her best, knowing that being exhausted wasn't going to do well for them either. The worry about what was going on in the world around them and the strange things popping up everywhere certainly didn't help her ability to rest, but being with Siren did ease some of her worries. She jolted awake with a gasp at the booming howl Chimera let out for them, panting lightly as she lifted her head. She blinked the sleep from her eyes and realized Siren was already up and moving, gathering supplies from their store of healing herbs and items. Was it Aliana? No, it was far too early for that... They had gotten pregnant virtually at the same time, there was no way she was ready to give birth yet.

Either way, she quickly got to her paws as well—though with a bit more effort than Siren—and gathered some of the things that Siren hadn't so that between the two of them they would have everything they needed whatever it was they were walking into. She followed closely behind Siren, waddling more than running, as they made their way to Chimera's wing of the building. The smell of blood hit her almost immediately as she passed through the door and her pale blue gaze landed on Ali's pain stricken form. Her ears flicked back as her denial was given no room to remain, but she immediately got to work to help where she could. She started to lay out the supplies they brought, laying out a stack of cloths and towels toward the end of the bed and bringing the herbs up to where they could be given to Aliana. She left the motherwort and trillium beside Siren so that she could handle dosing the herbs while Dalila started to use one of the rags to clean up some of the blood that had appeared and began examining Ali get a sense of how far along things were so far.

"Dalila Vista Rocha"

In the blink of an eye, Chimera was up and in action, rushing to the doors and breaking the bedroom doors down to roar for aid. She'd never seen Chimera in such a state before, his overwhelming concern and urgency helping her to believe even if just for a moment that maybe, just maybe, everything would be okay. Tears had formed in her eyes from the sheer amount of pain her contractions brought and she did her best to do as he said, holding on while trying to get her panicked panting under control. Chimera was beside her again, resting his forehead to hers. She wanted to reach up, to touch his cheek, but both paws gripped at her midsection while her muscles tensed and flexed over and over. "Stay with me, please," she pleaded with the man, aqua eyes gazing up into his in the dark while tears blurred her vision. She could have tried to describe different plants and herbs for him to go grab from her study, but she knew Siren and Dalila would be here sooner than he'd be able to identify any of them in her stock. His comforting presence right now was the greatest thing he could provide to her.

Siren appeared only moments later, but even that felt like eons, and a few moments after came Dalila. Both women immediately set to tending to her. While Dalila prepared the cloths and began cleaning up the blood, Siren guided her. Ali looked to the dainty woman for direction, sucking in slow, shallow breaths to try and calm herself down, but her heart just kept racing. "Something's wrong," she whispered through agony-clenched teeth. "The puppies... It's too soon!" But no sooner had she spoken, another powerful, painful contraction hit her and cut off her words. Her exhausted body struggled through the process, feeling her body forcing the pups out far more harshly than should have been natural, the sensations more like her body was trying to reject the puppies within her. Claws tore at the sheets while Ali screamed in pain, trying her hardest not to writhe and to keep breathing.

Then she birthed the first pup—if it could be called that. At this stage in the pregnancy, the unborn creature resembled a puppy physically, although it was almost entirely furless, with a few patches of gray and white fur splotched across its soft body. The little boy was clearly still underdeveloped, covered in blood and afterbirth, and entirely motionless. The pup never took a breath, and its heart never beat outside of its mother's body. Ali was given a moment of reprieve as her body recovered to prepare for the next pup. She lay collapsed on the bed, leaning into Chimera, panting hard while straining her ears to hear those first mewling cries. They never came. Although her brain knew the truth, her heart refused to believe it. She waited, waited, counting her breaths to try and keep herself calm. "Why isn't it crying...?" she asked Siren and Dalila, lifting her head to peer to the two healers. She knew why it wasn't crying, but the poor woman's mind was so fragile and broken from everything that had happened since the start of the season that she simply couldn't internalize the truth.

She didn't get a chance to find out for herself though, as a second painfully strong contraction hit her. Ali grit her teeth and cried out in agony as she went through the grueling process to birth a second pup out of gods knew how many, another little boy, similar to the first—underdeveloped and unresponsive, this one wearing a patchy coat of black and white, just like its sire. The puppies were dead, killed before her body had woken her up this night. This was no birth—this was her body rejecting her deceased children still inside her. Shimmering tears fell from Ali's pain-filled eyes, from a terrible combination of physical suffering and the slow and total breaking of her heart as she waited, scarcely breathing, for her children to cry and let her know they were all right. "Why aren't they crying...? What's wrong?" she asked, looking frantically up to Chimera for reassurance, her voice choked and weak. "Chimera...? Siren...? Dalila...? My babies, are they okay...?!"

"Aliana"

Everything was wrong. Chimera had been through two births now, Ali being his third. He knew enough to be aware that this was wrong. It was too early. The pain that the woman was experiencing was abnormal as well. If her cries were no clear indication, then the way that she writhed about on the furs most definitely was. Having come back to her side, the massive brute stayed close as she asked. He wouldn't leave her side. Not for as long as this continued. Not for as long as he lived.

Siren and Dalila arrived quickly and he could see by the expressions on their faces that they felt the same worry and panic that he felt. It was too soon. Aliana voiced the same moments later and Chimera's ears flicked back against his skull. He trusted Siren and Dalila to fix this situation, or at least do what they could about it. The pups be damned... Chimera just wanted Aliana to live and to be okay.

The first pup was pushed out of its mother. Dead, as he'd suspected. The two-toned man had a feeling that this wouldn't be the last dead pup. Moments later another came, just as dead as the first. Aliana's aqua eyes were wide as she asked about the children that she'd birthed. What was wrong? Why weren't they crying? Chimera's dual-toned gaze hardened and he looked away from the fae. He would be truthful, but he would find no joy in that truth. "They're dead, Aliana. They're dead." Just like Vipers. Chimera began to wonder if this was his fault. Perhaps there was something wrong with him. He couldn't dwell on it for long, however. The next corpse was coming.

"Chimera Klein"

Chimera is a very adult character and takes part in very adult situations. Don't read his threads. Ever.

Chi has three black Tibetan Mastiff's as guards. Assume they're very close by.

Aliana tried to do what she said, but her panic and fear showed through in her words and her voice as she proclaimed what could be so easily seen. This was no normal birth, it was far too soon for anything fruitful beyond saving Ali’s life out of tonight’s events. "Aliana, you have to think of yourself right now.” Siren whispered even though the woman was already half way through another terrible contraction. The little Queen had struggled and suffered through her birth, but Aliana’s pain was so much more obvious. Physically and mentally.

Then the first was passed. Siren was hesitant to call the small body a puppy, it barely had enough time to grow fur let alone all of its lungs. It was dead long before its birth. "Dalila, switch me.” Siren offered softly, knowing how difficult seeing the dead children would be for her pregnant love. Aliana spoke, as though she had lost all of her senses. She knew the answer but was unwilling to accept it. "Ali, keep breathing. We’re fighting for you.” She nosed her cheek affectionately as she moved back to business.. "They’re gone.” She whispered apologetically and went to work.

Another puppy was born, dead, and Ali started crying for them again, but this time Chimera stepped in. Strong and concise. They were dead.

"Chimera & Siren Klien"

Dalila stood dutifully by Aliana as she began to struggle and scream through contractions, Siren coaching their friend through the process that was too early and too painful. She dread the truth of it all as she waited for the first pup to arrive, waiting with cloths to receive the pup and already preparing herself to try and save the premature pup if it was even possible. However, when the first pup slid free into her waiting paws, her heart dropped to the floor. Her pale blue eyes widened at the sight of the pup that was recognizable as a pup, but still obviously not fully formed. Her ears pinned back against her head and tears welled up in her eyes that she tired to very quickly blink out of sight. She knew that any attempts she might have made to save this little boy would be futile and with a hard swallow she shifted off to the side on a different corner of the bed and very carefully and gently wrapped the pup up in the cloth. There was no point in cleaning him up, he was already gone.

She looked at the wrapped up bundle for a long moment, a bit of panic and worry rising up in her chest as she thought about the birth she would have to go through soon enough. Hearing Ali's screams, seeing the pups that came from it... It made her even more nervous about what was to come, especially considering the unpleasant symptoms that and had continued on through the duration of her pregnancy. She pulled in a steadying breath, trying her best to not start crying again as Ali asked about her silent child, and went back to her post in waiting for the next to arrive.

She glanced up at Siren when her love suggested they switch and she gave a shake of her head. No, as selfish and awful as it made her feel, she knew she wouldn't be the best one to comfort Aliana through this. Her mind was already far away, thinking and worrying about her own children. It would be better for her to receive the poor pups and make sure they were handled carefully with the respect they deserved. Once the second boy was pushed free she did the same as the first, from now on picking the nicer cloths from the collection they had to wrap them in, gritting her teeth through the awful process and letting Siren and Chimera be the ones to break the terrible truth to her. She wasn't sure she'd even be able to utter the words if she tried.

"Dalila Vista Rocha"

Aliana's mind had begun to shut down to block out the overwhelming trauma her brain was trying to process. Between the physical, mental, and emotional pain, Ali was a total wreck. She was spinning out of control, barely cognizant, only able to recognize the agony and the voices trying to guide her. At some point, Chimera had come back to her side and was comforting her through the process. Shrill whines broke the heavy, labored breathing between cries of pain. Had the crystals done this to her? Had she done this? Was she to blame? The dizzying thoughts were silenced only when Chimera spoke the harsh and cold truth to her as she asked about her children. "They're dead, Aliana. They're dead."

Dead.

Aliana's breathing stopped. Her children... were dead? But she'd done everything right. She'd done everything she could to make sure the puppies were cared for, protected, given the right blends of herbs at the right times. She'd finally learned to love them. They couldn't be dead, they just couldn't be! Ali tried to sit up to confirm what she already knew in the last remnants of her logical brain, but another strong contraction forced her back down with a whine of pain. A third boy was brought into the world, deceased as his brothers had been. When no puppy cries reached her ears, Aliana's brain finally let it sink in. Her children were dead. They were gone, probably long before her body had begun to reject her failed pregnancy.

Her muscles continued to contract, but Aliana felt nothing. Shock had settled in, blocking her brain from any more pain while she just lay there, sucking in shallow breaths just barely enough to keep her heart beating. Siren was speaking to her, but her words were coming in muffled and foggy. Wide aqua eyes stared straight ahead at the far wall, distant and glassy with tears. A fourth boy was pushed out, and again, no cries ever came. She'd failed. Aliana had failed at the most important and most basic biological task her body could perform. All the pain, all the turmoil, all the fear and worry and struggle and effort... it had been for nothing. Her children were dead. Her family with Chimera was dead. She'd failed him. She'd failed him where every other woman in his life had succeeded. Gods, she was so totally, utterly useless! She couldn't even do her one role as a female properly! Now Chimera couldn't even look at her. Useless, pathetic, weak, unworthy Aliana! It was foolish of her to think she'd be able to raise the pups of a wolf like Chimera. She was nothing. She was nobody.

The fifth and final pup was expelled from her body, a tiny little girl, sporting the most fur of all five pups. She was almost perfectly snow white with some slate clouding blending both of her parents' distinct patterns. The contractions stopped, and Aliana knew it was over. She didn't move, lying on the bed as she panted hard between choking sobs, waiting for death to come and take her too. It was what she deserved for all her failures. She'd failed Dalila. She'd failed Chimera. She'd failed herself. "I'm so sorry..." she whispered, though whether it was to her five lost children or the brute she didn't deserve was unknown. "I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

Aliana curled up on herself, sobbing silently and trying to ignore how in pain and aching her body felt all over. All the clouded fae could wonder now was why. Why had her children perished? Why had she been allowed to live? Why hadn't she been the one to die? The young fae's heart was shattered, broken for each love she'd lost. Why had she been allowed to love them only to have them ripped away?! Aliana would have gladly given her life in that moment to hear even one of those perfect little wolves cry, but Death was a cruel god, and the fates had abandoned her and taken her babies with them. She would find no mercy tonight, no solace or peace. Only pain and death.

As much as she prayed to die as well, the gods would deny Aliana once again, as they always had.

"Aliana"

Dalila refused her, something that Siren had not expected but she wouldn’t press her love either way. Their thoughts reflected the same thing, Siren would be better comforting Aliana, not that she could do much more than try and make her calm. There was no real comfort for what was happening right now. Aliana was losing her puppies, Siren’s nieces and nephews were gone and there was nothing any of them could do about it.

Aliana would take the blame on herself, as she realized, mostly, the situation before her Siren watched as she gave up, she lay down a forfeited any hope that may have remained. Her children were born dead, and now the goal was to keep her life in her. She lamented her guilt as her mind swirled with the attempt to rectify what was happening. Siren knew this would be no easy feat. This would destroy her.

Siren looked to Chimera, he spoke the truth always, and he would have to be the one to instill in Aliana her worth after this. Before her was a broken woman. Siren gently caressed the top of her head, pet her ears and spoke soothing words of nothing as her body worked to rid herself of the poison pregnancy. She was young and healthy, there would be more chances in her future. Perhaps the sickness of the world, the darkness taking over, was the true cause of this loss. Siren looked up to Dalila, worry in her gaze as she prayed this would not be the result her love would suffer.

"Shhh, it’s not your fault, Aliana.” She tried to soothe her, but there was no relief in this. "The sickness out there… It’s doing more than just plunging us into darkness.” Siren fully blamed the curse that fell over them.


"Chimera & Siren Klien"

The rest of Aliana's birthing was a blur. One after another the pups fell into her awaiting paws and one by one she carefully wrapped them so no one else would need to see the pups that weren't fully formed. She laid each one next to its siblings, falling into numbness like Ali just to keep her mind from spinning out of control with worry and anxiety for the pups she was carrying. This wasn't about her right now, this was about Ali, and she could swallow back her own fears to help her friend through this in the only ways she knew how. When the last of the five was laid beside the others, a row of little bundles waiting to be buried, she sighed and stepped back, looking at them all for a moment with Ali's cries of apologies distant in her ears. Would she add any little bundles of her own to this row? Ali had lost all of her children, Viper had lost children as well. Siren was the only one that hadn't lost her pups and their father wasn't Chimera.

She didn't realize that she had started trembling until she forced her gaze away from the row of pups, looking up at Siren attempting to comfort Ali. She drew in a shaky breath and walked around to stand beside Siren, having a hard time trying to meet Chimera's gaze. She leaned in to gently press her nose to Ali's cheek in a silent apology and condolence, her heart shattered for her and wishing that there was anything that she could have done to help. Dalila was certain that Siren was right—that this wasn't Ali's fault and it wasn't any of their fault and whatever the world had done to them was to blame. Leaning back she glanced to Siren and nodded toward the door, leading her love away and out of the room so that Ali and Chimera could have some privacy to mourn their losses, hoping that Chimera could help to pick up Ali's broken pieces. She closed the door behind her and managed to keep herself together until she and Siren were back in their own wing of their home.

"Dalila Vista Rocha"