Whose idea had this been? Not hers, that was for damned sure. Perhaps it served her right, considering she'd agreed just so that Avacyn would forever owe her. The journey up until now had been alright. Making the pups had been the best part for sure. Carrying them around and getting fat hadn't been the greatest but she could deal. It was the painful contraction bullshit that was really making her rethink her generosity. Ouch.

Scylla sent her bushdog companion off to fetch Saracyn. "Take your time though. I don't really need anyone to see this." So the fuzzy little creature walked at a leisurely pace. That left Scylla with only her crystal scaled viper to witness the birth. Was it selfish of her to want to do this alone? Maybe. Did she care? Absolutely not.

The contractions came more and more quickly and soon the slate and cream woman was gritting her teeth and pushing. "Bloody fucking hell," she snarled as her body stretched beyond its limits. This thing was huge! A strangled little scream eked its way out of Scylla's lungs as the first pup entered the world. He was big and dark, his coat melded with red. The fae did her best to clean him up, but the next pup was already on the way.

Scylla pushed again and this time it was much easier. The big boy had paved the way. Gods... she hoped that her body went back to normal after this. Not to brag, but Scylla had always been proud of just how tight she was and how cute her svelte little body was. She'd do whatever she had to do to get back in shape as soon as possible.

The pup that was expelled from her body next was tiny tiny tiny. He was slate colored like she was and there were pale marks on his face and side. Scylla noted the little nubs on his nose and tail. That... was interesting. What in the hell?

She'd just finished cleaning the second boy when her body started contracting once more. A few pushes later and a sweet little girl was deposited upon the furs. Scylla cleaned her as well. She expelled the afterbirth and wrapped it in the bloodied fur to dispose of later. Gods was she tired...

Scylla lay upon the plush pile of furs within her dark little den. She'd allowed the trio of children to nurse, though she'd considered just handing them off to Avacyn. She wanted pups? Then she could figure out how to feed them. Ah... but even Scylla wasn't that mean. The first feeding was crucial for the growth and development of puppies. The striped fae closed her mismatched eyes and dozed here and there. Soon Saracyn and Avacyn would arrive and she needed at least a little energy to be properly snarky.

"Scylla"

The last few weeks had been nothing but preparing for the pups that were due to be here in the very near future. She was a mess of nerves and excitement that was tinged with jealousy as they prepared the den that she and Saracyn shared to receive the pups. The recent addition of Juniper to her life had turned out to be more helpful than she could have imagined at the time since the little healer had helped come up with a combination of herbs to help her start producing milk so that she could care for the pups after they were born. Between Juniper and Irilyth's help she felt like she was more than ready for them to be born–physically at least. Mentally and emotionally she was still wrapping her head around the fact that this was really happening. It had been harder than she anticipated to grasp the fact that they were really going to be parents when she wasn't the one carrying the pups. Ready or not, the impossible request she had made of Scylla was coming to life any day now.

She was rearranging the furs and reinforcing the walls around the bed she had constructed with Saracyn for what felt like the hundredth time when the bush dog she recognized as one she had seen following Scylla around walked into the den. She looked up at the companion with confusion for a moment before the reason for it being here finally sank in, her eyes going wide as she looked to Saracyn with nervous excitement. She immediately grabbed the fur lined basket she had prepared to transport the pups and hurried out of the den with him, hurrying across the island and following the bush dog to Scylla's den. She let Saracyn go in first, but she followed closely behind and as soon as she stepped inside her eyes landed on the three puppies nursing at Scylla's belly, one of them far larger than the other two.

A boy that looked like he could have been their biological son with a marking similar to theirs and a coat of mostly red and black with a subtle purple that was almost hard to see in this dark lighting, another boy that took heavily after Scylla with some bumps that looked like they had the potential to grow into impressive spikes one day, and a little girl with a coat that took heavily after her father with a combination of black and red. She was stunned speechless as she looked at them, quietly putting the basket down in front of her as she sat back on her haunches in awe. "They're beautiful," she said quietly, glancing up at Scylla with a little smile, blinking away tears as she looked back to their children. Gods how she wished she could be in Scylla's place, but she was just happy that they were here at all.

"Avacyn Medacium"

Saracyn knew Scylla would be due to give birth any day now. He'd been keeping a close eye on her ever since he'd learned she'd conceived and was carrying his children within her belly. A primal part of Saracyn's brain demanded he keep close to her, keep her safe and satisfied while she grew their pups, despite the obviously oppositional wishes of the independent Klein fae. He couldn't help it! Sara found he quite liked the idea of being a father, and those paternal instincts drove him to want to provide for the fae who was carrying his children. He wanted to take care of his woman. Except... Scylla wasn't his woman. She wasn't his mate. She was the surrogate for him and Avacyn, a fact he had to catch himself on time and again when he found himself hovering over Scylla. The past few weeks had been a delicate balancing act between maintaining his normal life with Avacyn and playing the role of protective sire to Scylla and their pups. It was all very confusing for Sara to manage, yet somehow he did. The prize at the end of this journey was worth all the effort and uncertainty he was required to handle.

As he had predicted, one mid-autumn day while he and Avacyn were rearranging the bedding for their upcoming pups again, one of Scylla's bush dogs came to find them in their den. Sara looked up and made eye contact with the canine, the dog giving a needy huff in his direction. Saracyn instantly understood the meaning of it. The crimson brute wasted no time dropping everything he was doing and rushing with Avacyn down to Scylla's den. Fucking hells, why did she have to live across the damned island?! When they arrived at the den, the dog stood guard outside, making it clear they were to enter. Sara didn't hesitate to duck down into the den, hurrying inside. The immediate scent of blood and milk hit his nose, and moments later the quiet mewling of fresh puppies reached his ears. Saracyn's world stopped when his eyes fell upon the sight of Scylla, bloated and exhausted, with three newborn puppies nursing at her belly. Their puppies. His children. He was a father!

Sara's mouth hung open in a silent gasp, cerulean eyes wide as he studied the three pups one at a time. Two were notably smaller than their larger sibling, with one distinctly looking like Scylla while the others took their colors from their Mendacium roots. Behind him, he heard Avacyn entering the den as well. As she got to see the pups for the first time, Saracyn was already moving over to Scylla, checking on her to make sure she was okay. Birth was a taxing process for a woman, and it had nearly killed Avacyn. He wanted to make sure she was comfortable and cared for. Moving around to lay down beside Scylla, the Mendacium brute watched up close as their pups fed hungrily. He wanted to reach out and touch them so badly, but a fear of disturbing or hurting the little nuggets stayed his paw. "Scylla..." Saracyn's words drifted off on his breath, the brute still reeling from the realization that he was a parent now. They had done it! After all this time and heartbreak, they had done it! But it had been all thanks to the little fae he was currently sitting guard over, and the only words he could think to say were so woefully inadequate for what she had done for them. "Thank you."

"Saracyn Mendacium"

Saracyn and Avacyn appeared in the mouth of the den and Scylla looked upon them with mismatched eyes. She could see the tension within them both, the anticipation. Sara wasted no time in approaching the diminutive fae, laying his big body down beside her. Slate and cream ears shifted as Ava declared the pups beautiful, then shifted again as Sara thanked her. Ugh... What a touchy feely moment.

Scylla didn't answer either of the siblings. She hadn't really even looked at the pups other than a cursory glance while she cleaned and removed their umbilical cords. She didn't want to see them. Somewhere deep inside Scylla's little black heart, she couldn't stand to see them. The three babies nursing at her belly... they were a reminder of what could have been. She'd told Saracyn that she could have loved him and she meant it. Could have because, deep down, a part of her... Nope. She wasn't going to think about it. She wasn't going to manifest any sort of fucked up feelings.

"I've done what you asked of me," she told the pair. "You get your happy ending." One dexterous paw gestured at the trio of pups. "Now release me from Elysium." She hadn't expected to ask for that and she imagined that they hadn't expected it either. Why did she want to leave? Well... Scylla didn't want to watch the pups grow. She didn't want to see how happy Saracyn was every single day. Scylla was a selfish bitch because she could afford to be. She'd leave Elysium and nothing would hold her back. Not children, not vows, not her traitorous heart.

"Scylla"

There was a twinge of something as she glanced up and watched Saracyn lay beside Scylla with his pups at her belly, but she quickly tucked that emotion–weather it was envy or something else, she wasn't sure–down underneath the gratitude and shock that was currently overwhelming anything else she could have been thinking or feeling. She kept her gaze on the pups, taking in every little detail. She knew that once they had them back home she would have nothing but time to take in everything about them, but because she hadn't been able to carry them herself it felt so strange that they were suddenly here in front of her. It didn't feel real, but felt so incredibly real at the same time. It was disorienting to say the least.

What finally pulled her out of that was when Scylla spoke, bringing her gaze back up to the smaller woman when she pointed out that she had done what was asked of her before demanding that she be released from Elysium. Avacyn was sure that her surprise and was clear on her face and for a moment she was quiet as she considered, glancing briefly past her at Saracyn. She already knew that Scylla didn't want any sort of role as a parent to these pups–a thing she was very grateful for since she had been slightly concerned about a conflict that could have come up in the future over that–but she hadn't expected Scylla wanting to leave entirely because of it. It made her wonder what all had happened or what all was said between her and Saracyn given her brother's sudden affection toward the woman he had previously had such an animosity for.

Regardless, Scylla had given them more than she could ever have ever imagined so how could she deny her this request? She had promised Scylla a prominent position within the pack in exchange for this gift, but if being in the pack was no longer what she wanted then there was nothing else here she could offer her to sway her. It would hurt to lose a skilled wolf like herself, but that was a worthy sacrifice if that was what Scylla wanted. "Of course. If that's what you want," she agreed with a small nod. "And should your siblings wish to follow you I will not stop them," she added after a beat. She supposed only time would tell whether or not the other Kleins would follow suit. Things were always shifting and changing so she had to wait and see how things settled. For now she had three pups that would be getting all of her attention and then some for quite a while.

"Avacyn Medacium"