Amon had been pleased to watch how quickly his youngest children had grown in such a short time. They promised to be as large as Naamah and himself, rightful heirs to the Abraxas line. He had swelled with pride every time he had set his eyes upon them, and that urge had neither faded nor lessened as time went on. His one source of sorrow was that his other children did not seem present nor interested in their arrival, which he had not expected. Still, he would not dwell on that negativity while he had so many reasons to be glad. His sister's whelps were growing stronger and more vibrant day by day, and would prove to be adequate agemates for his newest daughter and son whether their older siblings deigned to grace them with their presence or not. As it was, he knew that the time had come for Gaios and Aaliyah to greet the world. He picked his way carefully down the canyon wall, a fat hare clamped tight in his jaws. It had been plumped by the spring grasses, and he knew Naamah would likely appreciate the snack. She had proved to be an excellent mother thus far and, true to his nature, Amon was partially proud of himself as well for choosing her. Still, it felt to him as if the Fallen God walked in step with him, whispering in his ear. He paused outside the den, an unusual warmth in his voice as he called out, "Hungry, Naamah? I've brought you a hare." He paused, waiting to see what sort of reply he might get in return, awaiting the cacophonous voices of young pups. "Talk" "You" Think

Gaios had been sleeping, and rather soundly too. He rolled onto his side, shifting a bit, kicking out a small leg. It hit something warm and squishy (probably his sister) but it was not quite enough to wake him up. He dreamed of his mother's face and his father's voice, but did not yet know enough of the world to imagine much else. Over the past moon his soft body had grown just a bit stronger, just a bit more capable. He could see and smell and hear, and walk instead of scrabble. In fact, he found himself with more energy than he knew what to do with. Chewing on his Mama's toes and his sister's tail could only occupy him for so long. Who could blame him, it was hard to stay put when his legs wanted to take him places! When Amon's voice broke into the quiet of the den, Gaios rolled upward as if he had been bitten by a snake. Not yet competent with his wobbly puppy limbs, he continued rolling until he found himself back on his back once again. "Oof!" He grunted, but was not dissuaded from rushing to the den's entrance the moment he got his feet beneath him. "Papa! Wha'dyou have? Can I see?" He looked over his shoulder to make sure Aaliyah was coming too. "Liya!! Liya, are you awake?" He was more than willing to go jump on her just in case, because he knew she would want to see Amon's present too. "Talk" "You" Think

Pyralis was out for a morning walk to stretch her limbs after hunting. She'd felled a collection of small prey then left Lydia to feed the kids. They were expected to join her shortly but she wanted some time to take in her new niece and nephew without her own brood chattering and flailing under her feet as they often did. Maneuvering through the canyon she made her way to Naamah's den. Amon was already there but that wasn't a surprise. He had fatherly duties to tend to after all and his hindend was positioned toward Pyralis in such a manner that she really couldn't help herself. Her body slunk low, her paws rolling carefully across the stone, heel to almost toe in an effort to silence the click of her claws. When she was just close enough she reached out to nip his ass, right on the left butt cheek. "Talk" "You" Think

Pups. Astaroth grumbled to herself a bit, flicking an ear back and overall feeling rather... awkward. She was of age now to have pups, having just experienced her first heat - but she did not want pups yet. She didn't think she'd be expected to have children so soon; after all, her aunt Pyralis waited a rather long time to do so. Still, it didn't stop her from avoiding her family and father while she was in heat... and while her father's... whatever Naamah was, while she was pregnant and with young pups.

It also felt weird that these pups... well, that they existed. Logically, Astaroth knew that they had been doted on just as much, that her and her littermates had seen the same amount of pride in his eyes as he now looked upon Naamah and the pups. That didn't bother her. It was weird to be thought of as an older siblings. What did that even entail?

Still, she couldn't avoid it forever, and the little whelps were likely to be out and about soon, so she edged closer to the den, her eyes falling on her father, carrying a fat hare, and her aunt... who was approaching her father from behind. She watched as she carefully scooted closer, snorting as Pyralis attempted to greet her brother with a bite on the ass. Typical, typical Pyralis. Grinning now, and her presence being given away, her eyes drifted back to her father as she inclined her head ever-so-slightly in a silent greeting.

She grumbled as her brother stirred, the sound becoming a snarl when his leg kicked out and got her right in the belly. Not fully awake, Aaliyah dozed lightly even as she heard her father and mother and a few other voices outside. Molten red eyes open to glare at the world and it's need to be active, fine, if she had to be up she would be. Gaios spoke to her then, asking if she was awake and the question brought a smirk to her face. "Yes, Gai, I am." Her voice was sweet, and she shook her dark pelt free of dirt. Moving toward the entrance of the den, Aaliyah stood up on her hind legs to peer over the threshold, her head tilting at the faces she saw. She knew her father's face, and the lady with the eye patch could be Pyralis, but she wasn't sure. Who was the other girl? "Momma, I want out! Who's that?" She tried to scramble up the side, but her mother had made the den a virtual prison for pups. Still, she dug her claws in and pulled herself up, trying to claw her way up with her hind paws as well. Grunts of effort escaped, but she pushed herself and finally made it over. It wasn't the most graceful intorduction, as the young goddess pulled up just a tad too much and hadn't realized how thin the wall was. As a result, she tumbled over the other side and landed on her rear end, the impact hurt! Her eyes got wide and she pinned her ears back, looking up to the dark figure of her father with a shocked expression. To her credit she didn't react future than that, only sat in stunned silence as she wondered what just happened.

Amon, not hearing a reply from Naamah, assumed the woman must still be sleeping. Well, he was hardly surprised. Even though there were only two pups, they were full of spirit and boundless energy. As such, it was not long before they came bubbling forth to the front of the den. Naamah had veritably pup-proofed the space, which had left Amon chuckling when he first saw it. There were no children more suited to escaping than Abraxas children, but so far Aaliyah and Gaios seemed too young to be able to accomplish much. Perhaps that would change in time. His son was the first to rush to the barricade, intent on the rabbit he had brought along. His sister was on his heels though, and Amon watched with mounting amusement as his daughter tried to heave herself up, up, and- Well, it was as he suspected. Her dark brindle body bumbled over the barricade, and he opened his mouth to comment on her graceful entry when a set of teeth lodged into his backside. He snapped his mouth closed around a half snarl, worried that he would frighten Aaliyah or Gaios, but could not stop himself from whirling around to face his assailant. Oh, of course it would be his gods-damned-good-for-nothing-rat-eating sister. He glared at her, eyes seeping venom, until he saw Astaroth appear over her shoulder. His anger washed away with the delight of seeing his older daughter after so much time. She had filled fully into her adult frame, and he was pleased to see the young femme she had become. Strong and beautiful, with eyes like his. He graced her with a rare, genuine smile. It occurred to him, somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind, that perhaps he should be cross that she had not checked in. Instead he found himself grateful, because he had started to wonder if his children had not found homes in distant lands, and whether they would return to him at all. Finding himself with too much to tend to at once, as usual, he turned to Gaios and Aaliyah. "There are some family members who are here to see you. Would you like to meet them?" He used one massive paw to push away bits of debris which made up the den's barrier so that both pups could easily come and go as they pleased. He quickly set the rabbit just inside the den so that Naamah could eat it at her leisure, and then stepped back to give his youngest a good view of their aunt and sister. "This is your Aunt, Pyralis. She has two pups as well, only a bit older than you, who I'm sure you'll meet soon as well. And this is your older sister, Astaroth. They are both exceptional fighters and very smart too, so I want you two to listen to everything they'll have to teach you, okay?" He flashed his older daughter a look of warm pride, finding himself overjoyed with her arrival and reminded of how much he missed the rest of her litter. Perhaps after this he would be able to pull her aside and ask her if she knew what had become of the others... "Talk" "You" Think

Gaios had heard a lot about their family, but he hadn't met any of them until now. They were too little, apparently, whatever they meant. Weren't pups supposed to be little? Father said they would grow big and strong one day, just like him and their mother! Gaios couldn't wait, because for now the barrier in front of their den was the worst thing in his whole life! He just couldn't climb over it, no matter how hard he tried. Watching his sister start to scrabble up it's edge motivated him to give it one more try, and he gasped in alarm when she tumbled down the other side. "Liyah! Are you ok- Oh." His words dried up when he saw the other wolves, just as big as his Father, waiting on the other side. He teetered at the top of the pile, and promptly lost his balance. Sliding down gracelessly on his rear end hurt, and he landed in a heap at the bottom. Gaios popped up as quickly as he was able, pale coat heated and puffed out in his embarrassment. He ran forward to stand beneath Amon's legs, so he could peer out at the strange females in relative safety. Amon introduced them as his aunt and sister, which made Gaios gasp. "Really?!" He gazed at Pyralis in wonder, and then ran towards Astaroth, fear forgotten. He stood at her feet and gazed up. "If you're our sister, will we be as big as you some day? Will you teach me how to hunt? Pleeeaassee?" Gaios wanted to learn how to hunt more than he wanted anything, but he was always told he was too little! It was totally unfair. His only hope was that his sister was a lot nicer than his parents were! "Talk" "You" Think

The warning came to late and Pyralis let out a cheer as her fangs successfully nipped her brother's ass. She smiled innocently as he glared at her. "Morning brother!" she chirped. She stepped back as Astaroth arrived and she watched in amusement as the new members of their family crawled out into the world. The little boy was quite lovely, unusual in his pale pelt. Amon made introductions and she nodded at the mention of her children. "Lydia is bringing them along shortly." She nudged lightly at Amon as he forgot to mention the pups names but as the boy gazed up at her she figured she'd just ask the kid. "And what is your name little one?." She wasn't sure if she'd get an answer as the boy took off running toward Astaroth. Pyralis rolled her eyes. Kids. She sat down next to Amon. "How much longer do you think brother? How much farther do we need our numbers to swell?" "Talk" "You" Think

But you'll never find the answers, until you set your old heart free

Lydia finished licking the bloody remains from Ashiel's mouth as the boy had some how managed to make a mess of his breakfast. She stood back and gazed at them for a moment. Yes, ok, they were clean enough. "Ok, come on you two, lets catch up with your mother." She trotted off down the canyon, doing her best to keep an eye on the rascals so she could make sure they both safely arrived at the gathering. Her stomach was twisting in knots at the thought of being in a group surrounded by the Abraxas. It was bad enough dealing with Pyralis and the occasional visitor, she had no idea what to expect with a whole group of them… especially now that she knew they were delusional. Lydia was sensitive to her position so she hadn't bothered to test the waters or contradict the belief of these wolves that they were actually gods. There was only one god to her and they certainly weren't as cruel and pompous as this group.

Lydia took a deep breath, gave Ashiel and Asharya a once over then walked into the currently small gathering. She sat politely a ways off and gestured for Ashiel and Asharya to join in the family greetings. 

Ashiel fidgeted and flailed as Lydia licked at his face. "I'm clean! Ack! Stop!" Finally she was done and he glared up at her before turning to Asharya as if to say can you believe her? What was wrong with letting a little blood stay on his muzzle? He wanted to look fierce! He was going to tell his uncle about being in some great battle and then Lydia had to go and clean him and it was murderously unfair. His mood lightened though as she mentioned that they'd be going to visit his baby cousins. Cool! So they weren't the smallest anymore. Ashiel trotted after Lydia, doing his best to practice being regal. He wanted to walk like his mother, smooth and elegant and deadly but it wasn't working very well with his limbs fighting him every step of the way. Finally they arrived and Ashiel made a beeline for Gaios, walking right over to the pup and trying to give him a good sniff. "So this is a cousin, hm? Do you play? Wanna play tag? Or hide and seek? Asharya, Asharya! Pick a game!" "Talk" "You" Think

She'd been out exploring once more though she found it to be a bore without put by her side. There was alot a goddess could get up to alone but with another goddess close by she found it much more entertaining. She knew her second cousins had been born but with a mother like theirs she'd not seen fit to be at the birthing, plus she had her own agenda. She stopped at the edge of the canyon. Her mouth clutched a prize worthy of the godlings. Pyralis wou ld be pleased at least. She stalked into the canyon, her tail lowering to cover the heat scent for now. The cries of the prairie chicken gave her away but went unheard. It was doing some strange dance when she found it and she was rather amused so brought it back alive. She hadn't seen one of these back home so it's customs were foreign. As she approached she spotted Lydia and dashed ahead cutting off her route to amon's kids. Her eyes glared at the mortal. She intended to get the point across that no trust would be hers near the children. She would cut her down immediately if she tried. And then she was off again flagging her tail slightly in hopes of catching pyrs kids attention and ensuring the followed. She then trotted forth.

As she came upon Amon and Pyr she stopped beside put and spit out the strange bird before placing a paw upon it. She smirked at pyr then and nudged her shoulder gently. "you have to see these things dance cousin, it amuses me." she grinned then before lifting her paw from the beast and allowing any curious holding its fun. The killing of the beast was all theirs. It couldn't get away anyway, she'd broke it's wings and the things seemed half retarded when she'd cased them down. "Amon...." she dipped her head to him then and turned her eyes to his children. "The beast belongs to you lot do as you want to it." she smiled at them and sat after ensuring that no stray child was under her rump that was. She'd wait for others to come before she decided where else her day would take her.

YOUNG AND A MENACE

The day had started off great. A rolling, aloof gait would pull the titan forth. The children were out, and while they had not been able to witness the birth, the little monsters' first outing was just as glorious. Broad paws would collide with the barren, scorched earth with little care for who heard them. Who was going to do anything, around here? No one. No need to sneak around like a mongrel. The sounds of jovial cacophony were already echoing into their audits, children screeching with no care for a thing. Ah, to be so young again. The golden godling was late, but only fashionably so at this point. The scents were not complete, that much was obvious.

Sauntering onto the scene, the deity was aware of one thing. There were plenty of little ones cajoling about here. Frolicking, even. A small, wistful smile would toy with inky lips. Warmth flooded their chest, mismatched gaze twinkling. The bigger ones must have been Pyr's little mongrels. The tiny balls of fluff and energy were the brand new ones. They were all going to be stolen away if their parents didn't treat them well enough, Kaine could promise that. Adorable!

"Finally, a reunion I can join!" They rumbled by way of announcing themself, grinning much more widely now. A few more steps would assimilate their form amongst the rest. Christ, were they the smallest here? Being back amongst family was always bittersweet. Kaine was, apparently, a runt. "Those are some fine children roaming about. Pyralis, you may have lost out in beauty, with that little one you have there." They would gesture with their muzzle towards the fire sprite, winking at his sister. Attention would be diverted towards a glowing beacon of alabaster surrounded by much darker hues. "My my, we have a black sheep in the fold." Rumbling vocals would croon sardonically, crown lowering to gain better vantage of the youth. This one had two-toned eyes too. How interesting. Would they be as chaotic as the rest?

"speech"


I THINK THAT GOD IS GONNA HAVE TO KILL ME TWICE

Asharya was minding her own business, as usual. Ever the prim and polite pup, she licked her paws with an air of smug satisfaction. Or maybe that was just because Ashi was currently being forcibly groomed against his will. Whatever the reason, the typically fiery pup was being unnaturally well behaved. Her mother had set out earlier to meet her new cousins, and apparently Asha got to meet them soon too! She could practically vibrate with excitement! New pups to play with meant someone other than Ashi to boss around, and since they were littler than she was, they would have to listen to her. Lydia rose from her task and announced that they were good to go. With a whooping, "Yahooo!" she bolted upright and raced towards where she knew her mother had disappeared. Asharya was getting a lot better at using her nose now that she was getting bigger and bigger. Her attention span had yet to show any marked improvement, so finding her target was still a fairly difficult endeavor, but today she was determined! The trail down the canyon wrapped and wound but by now Asharya knew it like the back of her paw and she took it with ease, never mind how nervous Lydia might be made by her reckless descent. Asharya knew they must be getting close so she cast a glance over her shoulder at Ashi to make sure he was walking close behind. He looked like a young prince, and she was reminded for a moment of her uncle Amon. Asha rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. "Would you hurry? They'll be all grown up by the time we get there at this rate!" She let out an exasperated sigh and continue to dash ahead. Asharya saw a lot of familiar faces, ecstatic as she ever was to see members of her family. It took her a moment to realize that the pelts she didn't recognize weren't becoming any more familiar the closer they grew. She beamed from ear to ear and careened onto the scene. She turned her attention at once to a young charcoal and ivory fae, a speckled golden wolf, and a brown fae dusted with flecks of snow. "Hey!" She opened her mouth, prepared to demand a story of valor or heroics, when it occurred to her that she didn't exactly know who these wolves were. She spun towards Pyralis and raced towards her instead. "Mama! Who are these wolves? Will you introduce me?" She had been so distracted by the titans among them, that she hadn't noticed Ashi's discovery of the pups, who were already spilled forth from the den. Her brother called out her name, and she saw he had found himself a small white male, still rotund with his puppy fat. She gasped, never ending fount of energy spewing forth yet again as she raced to Ashi's side, older members of her family forgotten entirely. "Wow! You're so small! Hi, I'm Asharya, and I know lots of games! Uhh... Oh! What about tackle-and-pin! We both tackle Ashi and try to hold him down! Like this!!" She turned to her brother, an evil smile curling onto her lips. She pounced without a second thought, leaping forwards with little regard to social propriety, or whether or not her young cousin would even want to join in. "Talk" "You" Think

ART BY HAGON <3

Sleep had become a thing of legend to the dark colored female, but when she did finally find it, she slept as though she were dead and there was not a force on earth that could wake her. There was one chink in her armor though, Aaliyah's shrill little mouse voice. Momma!... Clawing her way to consciousness, Naamah's mismatched eyes stared unblinking and wide, before she slowly closed and then opened them again. Was...'Liyah...on the mouth of the den? Surely not... "'Liyah..." The tone was a warning, double noted as Lilith chimed in with her slightly deeper voice. Too late, there was a massive black paw breaking down her walls, and Gaios was soon to follow his sister outside. Damn, if they could climb the wall, they would be independent soon. Scrambling to look outside the den mouth, Naamah watched as her children found their cousins and decided to properly introduce themselves. A much slimmer woman exited the den, and she made her way to sit close by Amon, eyeing the hare at the mouth of their den, and the mess he made of her wall. "This is not being what the wall is making for, Amon." With a false anger the shadowy goddess eyes him, flicking her black tail to curl around her paws before cracking a smile. "But, the hare is being nice, and I will be taking your apology when there are not being so many close. Thanking you." Her expression was one of happy pride as she gave him a once over and then let her garnet and ruby gaze go to her children. She recognized a few of the wolves easily, Pyralis and Skia standing out the most to her, and oddly enough for entirely different reasons. Still, she inclined her head to the group and subconsciously moved closer to Amon. Lilith growled silently in the confines of her mind, "Too many...This is too many." The internal response to this was to hush, there were wolves here who thought her to be a mortal. She would like it to stay that way. "Naamah" "Lilith" Think Scroll over for translations.