A future so bright it's dazzling

Alastor wasn't given long to dwell on his inner demons before Manea's soft leonine paw found his cheek and turned his gaze to meet hers, gazing deeply into the love held within those aquamarines in her flawless face. She smiled at him quite sweetly, pointing out how loving and devoted he was to a pup that wasn't even born yet, and that proved that he would be a good father. The corners of his lips twitched upward in a small smile when she licked his nose, then again when she continued to compliment and point out all the reasons why he was going to be great with their child. He blinked a few times, an errant tear slipping down his cheek to evaporate somewhere in his fur while he tried to clear his eyes of the liquid crystals building up in them. It was the only thing Alastor had ever wished for in his life: to not be his father. This was it; this was his chance to prove to himself and to the universe that Alastor Mendacium was a wolf all his own. Damned be his past!

He was disturbed from his thoughts by a berry poking at his lips, looking back to Manea with a playful smirk while he took the berry from her, chewing it gratefully while he held her loving gaze with one of his own. The berry was sweet and delicious, but it paled in comparison to his Manea. "I suppose that is something we should do before they arrive," he agreed with a chuckle, but delayed them by a moment to lean forward and give his wife an appreciative kiss for her support. "Have you had any names in your head, my darling?" He glanced down at her belly again with a contemplative look, giving a low hum under his breath. "I suppose we'll need one for a boy and one for a girl, depending on what we get, won't we?"

Alastor thought for a few moments, occasionally making some syllabic and phonetic sounds with his mouth in an attempt to inspire him towards something, though it mostly just came off as a string of guttural gibberish. "Ah... Auh... Awl... Alyce...? Maybe Alyce for a girl?" He paused to think about it for a moment, then shook his head. "No no no, that's not quite right. Let's see... Ar... Am... I think I like an 'A' name for a girl. Ahv... Ava... Avalyn... Avacyn... Avacyn?" He glanced up to Manea again, raising a curious brow. "Avacyn, maybe? Avacyn Mendacium for a girl?"


"Alastor"