Deathbelle's pregnancy had been going along well, and Archon saw fit to prepare all the lessons he could in advance. Obi had been hard at work making a polished ball of earth to carve blessings into. Obi said they had herbs at the center of them and that, when set out in the sun, would warm the herbs inside and create a potpourri of sorts that carries blessings within. It was all a mystery to Archon, but he appreciated the efforts. Today Obi had given one to Archon to give to Deathbelle. This one was apparently lavender and roses. It did smell flowery in an earthy kind of way, but maybe it was Archon's imagination.

As he came near the den, he called out to Deathbelle. There was no telling what visitors she may have at present. Her den entrance was marred with the scent of many. Archon would wait until she was ready, not being one to intrude on her business.

The Empress was progressing slowly through the pregnancy, she allowed herself to enjoy the journey and tried to suffer through the difficult parts with as much dignity as possible. All of the wolves closest to her took up their duties without complaint, they doted on her and did whatever possible to make her more comfortable. They warmed her heart and her den as the chill of Fall settled over them. She felt more susceptible to the cold now, and now more than ever wanted her leopard cape.

She was alone when Archon’s voice was heard from outside the oryx hide curtain. She yawned and stretched over the furs that lined the main room of her den. She wasn’t so cold she had to retreat to her private room, but she didn't want to meet her lover outside either.

”Come in, Archon.” She called out sweetly to him, lilac gaze on the entrance as she awaited him. ”Wipe your feet on the mat, and come lay beside me.” Her voice grew warm as she shifted her form from laying on her side to pull her elbows beneath her so she might more easily speak with the Daimyo. She lay sphynx like on a pile of soft furs, with a bongo pelt draped over her back.

When her silky and warm voice fell upon Archon's ears, he listened intently, small smile curving upon his maw. He entered, taking special care to clean himself of any debris and to wipe his paws before entering. When he did, and upon seeing his lover- the woman he would be proud to call his mate if she one day allowed- it took more restraint than he cared to admit for him to not drop Obi's gift at the door and pounce on her delicate form. His mind escaped to a place where he could once again hold her close in the luxuries of her den, but he dismissed them as quickly as he could. These thoughts kept coming in and ravaging his brain, but he had things to attend to. He came to settle by her side, presenting the leaf-wrapped present to her.

"It's from Obi," Archon said. He would explain it to her briefly and how to use it before changing the subject.

"How are our children?" he asked, his eyes shining excitedly. "They aren't causing you too many problems, are they?"

He wanted nothing more than to swoop in and kiss her and to groom her and spread his scent all over her body in a silent claim, but he said he would wait for her. And he would. He would wait for their forever.

Archon followed her instructions with haste, settling himself beside her as she resettled herself comfortably. Deathbelle leaned into his side, basking in his warmth and enjoying how close he was. Her features were bright, and Belle realized how much she looked forward to being with the massive wolf. He was an equal, and being beside him had grown easy and comfortable. His first order of business was an intriguing sphere, it was marked with little symbols. It was beautiful, and she was sure it smelled of roses and lavender. How had Obi known her favorite scents? She wouldn’t question it very hard. ”You must thank him for me, I love it.” Of course the Empress adored her gifts, Archons slave being among her favorites.

”They’re strengthening every day.” She was growing more round, their children were growing larger every day. They were approaching the halfway point of her pregnancy, and Belle was becoming anxious to meet their little ones. ”The morning sickness is becoming less frequent now, but I need so much more sleep and I’m always cold and swollen.” She complained easily to him. Luce did her best to relieve her symptoms, but she could only do so much. There was so much effort to be put into growing the next generation. ”I think.. I think I felt movement this morning.” Belle offered the words in hushed but excited tones. It would be a little while longer before she could invite Archon to feel their existence.

Archon curled into Belle as she came close to his side. He listened eagerly with a soft smile as she inspected her gift and spoke about their pups. He felt like he could watch her forever and listen to her for an eternity. What a blessed presence hers was. Archon could only imagine how wonderful the presence of God must be if Belle's was already such a pleasure. Archon was beside himself.

When Belle mentioned she thought she could feel them move, Archon's excitement only grew. "Do you have any guesses as to how many yet?" he said softly, although his eyes bounced from the woman's stomach back to her eyes. "We should try to make sure there's enough servants for them. And that they have equally powerful names."

He smiled down at the thought of the pups, "They'll be Abraxas, but what do you think about all of them taking on the Klein name as their middle?" He looked at Deathbelle to see her reaction. "A whole generation of Klein Abraxas."

His presence was enough to offer her comfort to her ailments and she relaxed comfortably beside him as his excitement seemed to grow more eager. He offered questions that she had mentioned already to Lucretia, not long after it was confirmed she had conceived. It was still too early to tell anything for certain, but Belle felt like she had a tiny army growing in her womb. She leaned away from him for a moment, to better exhibit her growing belly. She gazed down towards her abdomen like she had so many times already, trying to imagine the pups within.

”At least one.” She chuckled amusedly. ”Luce thinks it might be a large litter.” She tried to keep the nervous emotion from her words, but birthing a large litter of large puppies sounded like an ordeal and a half. If this was to be her price to pay for her superior brood then so be it. She prayed the price wasn’t too high.

Servants. Like she had Sirius Belle hoped that her own offspring would be awarded such loyal subjects. They would need to find or obtain similarly aged pups to pair them with. Zee had mentioned wanting to have a litter.. She put her handmaiden from her mind as Archon continued and mentioned names. Belle’s ears lowered humbly as she looked back up towards him and aimed to nuzzle against his chin.

”Its perfect.” There would be no disagreement about their names, Klein came first in the order of things, and they would hold their Abraxas lineage in the high esteem it deserved. ”What about individual names?” The Empress had a couple picked out so far, but wanted to hear if Archon held any ideas.

It was impossible for Archon to hide his excitement. Behind the curtains of privacy in the den, Archon didn't feel like he had to. Much less in front of Belle. She said it might be a large litter and Archon offered a smile. "Great rewards often come from great struggles," he said gently as she nuzzled into his fur. "Is that something you're prepared for?" He knew the answer already. The idea to doubt Belle or her strength never even crossed his mind.

When she asked about specific names, Archon's ears flicked back with the slightest bit of doubt. "Names are so important, I feel unworthy of such a task," he admitted in a quiet whisper. "It is one of the only times I have doubted myself in such a moment."

He went quiet, his eyes searching Belle's for some time before he spoke again. "Something that will last these children, our children, a lifetime... This can only be decided with the both of us, can't it?"

She could tell how excited Archon was growing, and he seemed to be able to show the emotion much easier in the privacy they shared within the palace. The shared emotion endeared him further to her. As she mentioned the size of the litter he mentioned great struggle as well as if she was prepared for it. "I’m nervous," she admitted to him softly. Something she had even been hesitant to be with her sister and caretaker. "But I am young, and strong. I am in good paws as well." She used the words to assure herself more than the man who held her. As their conversation continued Archin took his turn to be vulnerable with her. His doubts in himself were laid out as he admitted his shortcomings in this venture. Her lidded lilac gaze would find his as he quieted for a moment and met his forest eyes to hers. She nodded softly at his question, "I want to do this with you." She emphasized her point with an unabashed kiss to his dark muzzle. She felt free in her affections to him as she continued to debate internally what the next step should be. Both for herself, her own selfish reasons, but more importantly for her own family and the pack. "It is not the name that makes the man, but the man that makes the name." She tried to soothe him between affectionate kisses. Archon was one of the easiest wolves to be herself around, and despite her feelings for her vessel Belle could feel herself falling further for the father of her children. "Speech"

Archon ate up any of the affections Deathbelle offered, freely returning each with one of his own. They mirrored each other in their growing love for one another in parallel. She let her guard down and he, in return, lowered his. In each other's embrace, they had no reason to fake their emotions and all the reason to bear their raw and pure hearts. Even past the initial draw of an intellectual agreement, and further than the lust that followed, Archon was building a deep and rich love with Deathbelle. The life that grew inside of her, though made in the contract, only furthered his feelings and his certainty. His love was overwhelming and he drowned himself in it joyously.

Archon pulled Belle closer to him, his eyes searching hers just before he gave her a small flurry of soft kisses ending in a warm hug. He rumbled against her as she reassured him and took out his doubts. When he pulled away, his smile lingered. "Then, have you thought of any names?" hr asked. She had more time to be near the pups and to feel their energy within her. What did she think was best?

Archon held her close and did not hesitate to return and add his own affections to her. Deathbelle couldn’t help the smile that played on her features, being so loved, so innocently and freely, was something enitrely new to her. With Sirius they had to be secretive, and loving him always came at a price. Hannibal was a bit more natural, but he was raw and primal. Archon was soft and sweet, he became just as vulnerable with her as she did with him.

Her thoughts returned to their names as Archon slowed his kisses and allowed her to focus on their conversation instead of their love. ”I’ve had a few ideas.” Like her own name, she wanted to stick to a darker theme. ”I love the name, Venom.” She started, offer the name she would likely save for her first born. ”Are there any traditional names you would like to consider?” She asked of him, quite the fan of traditional family names.

Belle let herself fall into Archon as she spoke about names. She spoke of the name Venom and Archon found himself endeared to the name already. Maybe it was just because they were talking about their pups, but the name already struck him to his core. He repeated it in hushed tones, looking at his lover's stomach. Could she be called his lover, he wondered. Surely they loved on another, but Belle's hesitation to become his made Archon wary of describing their relationship as anything.

She asked if he had any traditional names. "I'm sure the Abraxas have many, but no so much that it is demanded. My family prefers named from demonics, but there have been litters with common names as well as litters with even more unusual names." Archon tried to explain. He held no specific care to the tradition of named in his family. "As Abraxas, their blood and devotion are what matters."

Archon's attention geared back towards Belle's stomach. "As for this litter... what if we go with names like yours? Like Venom's? Would you... like that theme?" he asked, suddenly becoming bashful. He wasn't sure about his own suggestions of names or the ability to do it right. "If they share a name with one such as their mother, then there's no doubt they will turn out to be wonderful beings."

With Archon she allowed herself to forget the problems awaiting her outside, she could relax here in his arms, and he wouldn’t allow anything to happen to her. She felt warm and fuzzy, and exposed as she tore down her walls and let him see her fully. Even Luce hadn’t been told the name she most desired for her child. Archon had no specific names to add, he seemed nervous about deciding despite her comforts offered to him. As he looked back to her swollen belly and the lives that squirmed within she reached up to nuzzle him gently as he suggested names like hers.

”Archon, of course.” She loved the suggestion, not only did he play to her ego but he grasped hold of her desires and put words to them. ”You’re such a charmer.” She teased as she shifted from nuzzling close to his lips to grooming the fur at the base of his ear. ”Wonderful, superior, tiny little demigods.” She chuckled softly as she pressed a paw to her abdomen.

Belle looked to find his eyes with her lilac stare. ”They’re moving, put your paw against me, there.” She pointed out the place for him to most likely feel the results.

She agreed with Archon so readily, called him a charmer- as if he had any capacity to not only speak truths or to speak with ulterior motives- and complimented the children they made together. She told him the babies were moving and asked him to press his paw onto her belly. He followed her direction with the slowest, most gentle movements, scared that his massive paw might somehow hurt his future children. He waited, face scrunching as he tried to imagine the little ones squirming inside. He focused so hard that he almost missed it: the faint bumbling from inside.

When he felt it, his eyes darted up to Deathbelle's own, his maw slightly agape. He looked at her like she was everything the world and the heavens had to offer. Like she had just handed him his own world- his own shrine. His eyes were round with awe and love and his heart pounded so hard he was sure she could feel it too. He paused for a moment only to feel more kicking. Overjoyed, Archon wrapped his paws around Belle and covered her in a flurry of excited kisses and nips. His tail thudded against the floor of the den and it took real effort for him to pull away from her, his eyes sparkling with wonder.

"Does it hurt?" he asked. "I think they like the idea of using names similar to yours."

Archon followed her instructions tepidly, as though he might damage her or their unborn beneath his large paw. She watched him and the intent focus he found as he waited for one of the little rascals to make known their presence. She felt the movement easily, but when he finally did his amazement was clear. Belle beamed up at him as their father experienced his children for the first time. This was becoming very real, but she loved his reaction. This was a moment that would replay in her mind time and time again. Suddenly she was being wrapped up into his arms once again. She fit on his chest perfectly, despite her growing belly. She let him kiss her eagerly, and his teasing nips cause her joyous giggling to fill the space of the den. "No, but having them move around so much in there is.. weird. However endearing." She chuckled, assuring him they were no real burden yet. "I think you’re right." Belle told him as her gaze returned to her swollen belly and the excited pups beneath the surface. "Speech"