Little Fiery One

She appreciated his strength and his dedication more than he would ever know, but when she saw the tears glimmering in his obsidian gaze she almost insisted that he go regardless. She of course loved their children more than her own life, but Alastor was her entire world. Seeing him hurting and knowing that her and her family's beliefs were the cause of it tore her apart. She gave him all the time he needed as he shifted and leaned over her to reach their pups and she had a difficult time watching as he picked up their son and their smallest daughter, showering them with affections and whispering his love to them both. Tears of her own welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks and for the first time in her life she wondered if this was really worth it. She wondered if everything she had been taught and upholding their family laws was really worth the pain she had to put her beloved husband through. But, when she looked to the girl that would remain and live out her life with their family, she knew she had to. Maybe one day she would come to find that their beliefs were all full of shit, but until she was proven wrong she couldn't live with herself knowing she was letting their daughter live with a fraction of a soul—even with all of the duty and responsibility as the Matriarch aside.

When Alastor pulled back and began to prepare himself, giving her a nod as his agreement for her to go ahead with what had to be done, Manea could hardly breathe past the ache in her chest. She twisted just a bit to be able to rest one of her paws on his cheek, gently kissing away the tears from his ebony eyes. "You will be with them again one day," she insisted, her voice rough and breaking. She knew what he thought of himself, she knew he likely didn't believe the words he had spoken to their children, but he needed to know this wasn't the end of his relationship with them before she tore him apart even more. "You are a Mendacium now. Your soul is just as precious and powerful as theirs. Your spirit is going to join the cycle of the Ancients just as theirs will. They're going to live on in our little girl and one day when we're all gone, we're all going to be together again." Maybe he wouldn't believe her, maybe he would, but she hoped that it brought him some sort of solace while their hearts were breaking.

She gave a shaky sigh as she looked back to the pups at her belly, gently brushing her paw over each of their backs as she took a breath and steadied herself. Manea leaned down, pressing her nose to the little boy's forehead for a moment before doing the same to the smallest girl, having to squeeze her eyes closed to keep the tears from escaping again. She kept one paw lightly on the back of their remaining fire-marked daughter though the whole ordeal, a reminder to herself of what they were gaining and a conduit for the ceremony she had to perform. "Thank you for the invaluable gift you have brought us. You each were given a task to bring the pieces of this Ancient soul to this realm, the hardest task any one of us could ever receive, and you have done marvelously. Now you can rest." She swallowed back a lump in her throat, forcing herself to pull a small smile across her lips as she nuzzled the backs of each of their children. "Go back to the Ancients and enjoy your time with our ancestors, never knowing pain or sorrow, carrying with you the love of our family... and your parents who love you so, so much." Her voice cracked again as she went off script for a moment, nuzzling each of their soft, sleeping forms again. "Your sister will carry your legacy in each of her steps and I will honor you for every day that there is still air in my lungs. Goodbye for now, but not forever."

With that, she forced herself to follow through with the awful task at hand, killing their two children as quickly and painlessly as she could possibly manage with quick bites to their fragile necks. They didn't even make a squeak before they went entirely still and for that she was grateful. Still keeping one paw resting on the remaining girl's back, she lifted her other paw while she tried and failed to keep it from shaking. One at a time, she collected a bit of blood from each of their lost pups, finally finishing the ceremony of it all by painting a small stripe of blood for each of the pups across their daughter's shoulders, though it was difficult to see it among her dark, fire-marked fur. "I rejoin this soul and make it whole once more, granting the power and responsibility of it to our precious gift. May you know always the sacrifice that your siblings gave for you and hold your head high as you embody the strength and the grace of your Ancient soul." Her words were soft and broken, but still full of reverent emotion, holding on to this little girl just a bit tighter as she pulled the girl closer to them. She was still fast asleep, peaceful and oblivious to everything that had gone on around her.

Manea couldn't make herself meet Alastor's gaze. She was too afraid of the heartbreak and the pain she might see on his face, knowing that she was the one that caused it. Without looking up at him, she gently lifted their daughter and placed her safely between them before she sat up a bit to reach for a soft snow leopard pelt she had put aside especially for this. She unrolled it and carefully placed the boy and girl on it, giving each of their heads one last kiss before she just as carefully wrapped them in the fur that would become their burial shroud. Manea gave a shaky sigh as she turned her gaze away. She would need to go prepare a grave for them, but for now she was too exhausted, mentally and physically. She turned her gaze back to their beautiful daughter that was now sleeping away between their front legs, and she managed a little smile. "She'll need a name," she said softly after a moment, trying to focus on the joy of this stunning little piece of Alastor they were getting to keep instead of the two that she had to send away. She still wasn't quite able to meet her husband's gaze and instead just watched their daughter, gently petting and tracing the flame markings that were not quite as distinct as Alastor's yet in the most adorable way because of the fluffy nature of her puppy fur.

"Manea Mendacium"