There Can Be Miracles

It didn't take long from her call for Chimera to come hauling ass into the bedchamber. Aliana greeted her mate with bright, excited eyes and a loving smile, nodding to his questions. "Yes, my king, it's time! We're going to be parents!" He asked what he could do, the nervousness in his expression both endearing and comforting. It showed his love for her and that he was invested in their family. "Just stay with me. Siren and Dalila will take care of the rest. I just want you here when they arrive." Partly for support through the pain, partly because she was secretly afraid of a repeat performance, and would need his embrace securing her if it came. Siren was the next to arrive, stepping briskly into the room while Chimera settled his bulk around her and Ali reclined into his frame. She greeted her new lover with a warm smile and shimmering eyes. "The contractions are coming a few minutes apart," she said between gritted teeth and groans of pain when she felt her muscles contract again, counting the intervals between them. "They won't be long. I can't wait to meet them!"

Not long after, Dalila came running in as well, completing their little family. Aliana beamed to her lover, positively glowing with excitement while she leaned into Dalila's gentle kiss. With everybody in position, all they had to do now was let her body do its natural work bringing her and Chimera's family into the world. Ali began her deep breathing exercises, trying to focus on each inhale and exhale as the pain intensified while the pups within her squirmed about and got into position, her muscles tensing and contracting to assist their wriggling. There were so many inside her womb and it felt like they were all fighting to be the first one born. Then she felt the first pup make its way to the birth canal and the contractions hit her hard. Aliana cried out and grit her teeth through the pain as she began to push, feeling the immense size of the first pup as it worked its way out of her body. These pups were definitely fully formed, she could tell from the sheer size of them compared to the last litter she'd birthed, and even though it brought her intense pain it also comforted her nerves. Ali clawed at the furs and blankets, leaning into Chimera while she panted and pushed... pushed... pushed!

After a few moments and a scream of agony and relief, the first pup tumbled easily into the swaddling cloths in Dalila's paws. It was a boy, clearly dire by its size, with a coat half black and half blending silvers and grays, with streaks of slate across his back. Aliana panted while she listened with strained ears, her heart pounding in her chest, silently pleading with all her heart and soul to hear him. The pup was quiet for a moment—and then its tiny limbs kicked, and the boy let out a squealing mewl. Tears sprung to Aliana's eyes, spilling down her cheeks with each cry her son made. She barely had time to revel in the birth of her firstborn while Dalila cleaned him and placed him at her belly to feed before her body began to contract and push again, a second pup making its way out. Aliana cried out in pain, trying to keep her body still so she didn't disturb her son at her belly. The second pup came a little easier than the first, though it was still sizable, and once he slid free into the swaddling cloths, it was revealed to be another boy, this one mostly white with his left side a cloudy gray and white and black streaks across him. Much to her delight, Ali heard her second son's cries begin almost immediately, and he was joining his brother at her belly a moment later.

But she wasn't done yet. Inside her, Aliana could feel the hefty weight of more pups moving about inside her. The third began to make its way through her body, Aliana burying her face into the crook of Chimera's shoulder to try and muffle her cries of pain. The third pup was much like the second: smaller than the first, but still significantly larger than an average wolf pup. Her body ached all over and her muscles felt strained and tired, but she had to keep going. Pushing in time with her body's natural rhythms, Aliana birthed the third pup with a keening cry of agony, taking a few moments to try and settle her gasping breath. The pain was unbelievable, but the relief she felt between each pup was like a breath of fresh air after being underwater for too long. She glanced down as Dalila set the third whining pup at her belly, looking at her third son who wore a coat that looked the most blended of hers and Chimera's—a cloudy gray and white base with a black underbelly and ears, with white stripes across his back. Aliana couldn't keep from crying as she gazed at her three perfect sons, looking up to Chimera with unabashed joy pouring from her. Then she glanced down to each of the pups, naming them as they had been born.

"Revenant... Kasos... Orthrus..." Her respite didn't last long, however, as the contractions started up again with a sharp cry from the clouded queen and another pup was fast on its way.

"Aliana"