Nature, Nurture, Heaven and Home

Aslatiel

"Aslatiel Fatalis"

Aslatiel had been lucky. Her pregnancy had been quite uneventful. She'd been hungry, gotten grumpy, but there hadn't been any strange aches or pains or anything worrisome to deal with. Everything was smooth sailing. So much so that she continued to push herself to the bitter end. She didn't feel poorly, so why bother sitting around inside the den doing nothing? Aslatiel continued to do patrols as much as she could, though she wouldn't run the full circuit. Her paws did become sore after a while, but that was nothing that a good soaking couldn't cure.

Just like usual, she went out that evening simply because she couldn't stand to keep her paws still. It didn't feel like sleep was coming, so might as well walk, right? There was anyone in the den to tell her otherwise. Naiche was gone. Mojito was doing his own thing in Io's old cottage. Acantha wouldn't tell her no either way. Asla ruled herself. So out she went.

The night was rather warm, bordering hot, and the sky was overcast. There was the scent of rain on the air, but there was no lightning. There was no thunder. Rain never hurt anyone. If it did rain, it was likely to be a warm rain. Asla continued on, rounding the eastern corner of the territory. That was when events began to unfold.

A hard roll of thunder reverberated through the land and Asla winced, lips peeling back to flash teeth in tune with the flickering of lightning. Pain cut through the small woman's round stomach and she hissed, stopping in her tracks. Instantly she began cursing the idea to have children. This was a very bad idea. The striped fae turned with the intent to make it back home to her den, but it was already too late. Liquid coated her tail and heels just as a thick curtain of rain began to cut down from the sky. Perfect timing.

Aslatiel Fatalis cursed her stubborn nature. She cursed Naiche and she cursed Mojito. She cursed whoever had told her that she would have to further the Fatalis line. She cursed herself most of all. How could she be so unprepared? Again thunder rolled and lightning flashed in quick succession. Tucking her ears, Asla hurried for shelter. The nearest place of safety that she knew was a hollow tree in the Weeping Woods. More than once on her trek to the tree, Asla doubled over in pain, gritting her teeth and growling into the soaking ground beneath her. The woman was completely waterlogged by the time that the tree came into view.

As the drenched fae waddled towards the tree, she beseeched the gods to let her unborn children wait until she was inside to be born. It felt as though she wouldn't make it. Already there was sharp pain and ungodly pressure. "Fuck..." she growled, forced to stop again just out of reach of the hollow. Her body began to work all on its own, the natural process of birth taking over. Involuntarily, her muscles clenched and she had no choice but to push. There, in the pouring rain at the edge of a massive willow tree, Aslatiel gave birth to her first child.

Wasting no time, Asla grabbed the pup and hurried into the hollow tree. It was dry inside and the leaf litter made the place rather comfortable. With the ground a little raised within, there would be no risk of the rain waters entering the place. Asla cleaned the child, a perfect little boy, just in time before the contractions began again.

The second child, a grey and tan girl, came even more quickly. There was pain, but not as much as the boy had brought. Understandably so. The little girl was significantly smaller. Soon Aslatiel had them both cleaned and nestled at her belly. It was a little difficult to see their coloring within the dark confines of the hollow. The wet, exhausted mother curled her body around her children. No one knew that they were here, but she assumed that someone would come looking for them in the morning. Enough time for her to get some rest.

Lightning flashed outside and the children were illuminated for but a moment. It was long enough though. Aslatiel's galactic gaze had noted the golden color on the boy and the softer coat and dark ears of the girl. Bloody hell... With something akin to a laugh mixed with a groan, Asla rested her head back against the side of the tree. Both of them... They were both the fathers. What a mess that would surely be.

Aslatiel looked upon her children again as they fed at her belly. Lovely little things, really. So far though, she didn't feel the motherly pull towards them. She'd been told that this was sometimes the case. They were puppies and they needed her. She wouldn't abandon them or else what had been the point of this whole ordeal? Perhaps she would learn to care for them as time passed. Curled around her children, Aslatiel soon fell asleep, her exhausted body slipping easily into slumber. Outside the storm raged on. Everything was sure to be flooded by the time it was over. She slept deep and dreamless, hearing neither the storm nor the squeaks and whines of her sleeping pups.

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Nature, Nurture, Heaven and Home

Birth

Aslatiel