After being together for several seasons and all the way through a season with her being in heat without getting pregnant she was beginning to grow concerned that she wouldn't be able to conceive. It was a concern she had never considered up until now, but then again, she never thought that she would fall in love with anyone the way she had with Iroh. She wanted to give him the world, she wanted to give them a family. Even beyond that, she had learned how important it was for him in the structure of their family and in their beliefs for him to have his own children and she was just as eager to make that happen for him. It certainly wasn't for a lack of trying. It seemed like they couldn't keep their paws off of each other and every spare moment they had together was almost always spent mating in some form or another.

Her fears had manifested themselves into nightmares, the same dream occasionally plaguing her and keeping her awake, though they didn't startle her awake the way they had the first time. She tried her best to not wake Iroh up with them as well, but it was difficult to do. It was always some variation of the same theme. Either she was pregnant and she lost the pups before they could be born or it came to light that she was infertile... Either way, in her dreams she was always alone.

But no longer. She hadn't found a healer to confirm, but she was certain. She had been sick in the early parts of the day for over a week now, she was constantly tired, and even though she never really found herself in a bad mood when Iroh was around even he couldn't brighten her mood. For a while she thought that she was just sick or something along those lines, but the longer it went went on the more sure she was of her realization. As soon as it dawned on her, as soon as that joy filled up her chest, she went looking for her mate, unable to wait even a single second to tell him. She went all the way out to where he was patrolling, her heart in her throat and a huge grin on her lips as she trotted over to him, pressing herself into his side and nuzzling her head into his neck.

Elise Adravendi

After so long together Iroh was more and more convinced that they were made for each other. A lot of the time Iroh felt like she could read his mind. She was his other half, the only woman he would ever need for the rest of his life. Elise made him feel like no other woman could, and everytime they were together was new and exciting. Iroh was in no big hurry to make a family together, he was enjoying the journey much more than the destination. One day they would have children, but he did feel the length of time was much longer than he had ever expected with how often they were making attempts.

He was not blind to the nightmares his beautiful woman was having about it all either. He hates she had to endure them, and wondered if finally getting pregnant would ease her worries. He comforted her as much as possible, but there was nothing he could do besides hold her until the bad feelings melted away. After that she had started getting sick, he was well aware of the misery she was going through. Elise wasn’t herself. When he finally made it home after his patrol he was going to bring her to a healer. Iroh didn’t want to think about what if something happened to her, what if this wasn’t just a stomach bug.

His thoughts were often on her, especially when he was away from the den. Today he was blessed with her presence in the middle of it, she grabbed his attention greedily and he was eager to give it to her. He leaned against her and returned her affection, nuzzling into her soft ears. ”Hello there, beautiful.” Iroh muttered quietly as he kissed her ears.

She hummed happily as her mate returned her affections, nuzzling and kissing her ears as she pressed herself into him. She felt happier and lighter than she had in quite a while and she wondered how much of that shone through. All her happiness, all her love, it was because of him. She left a trail of tender kisses and nibbles along his jaw until her muzzle found his, catching his lips with hers in a passionate kiss, for a moment just loving this little stolen moment of affection as she pulled him away from his patrol.

When their kiss broke, a huge grin pulled across her features, her tail wagging behind her. She didn’t go far, her muzzle still brushing against his as her heart beat fast in her chest with excitement. ”We’ve done it, my love,” she whispered to him, as if her saying it too loudly might scare the truth away. "We’re going to be parents. We’re finally going to be parents!” She was practically bouncing in place as she kissed him hard again, doing everything but throwing her forelegs around him.

Elise Adravendi

She hadn’t seem this starved for attention when he left that morning but he was never one to question Elise’s love. Whenever and wherever she wanted, he was here to oblige. Iroh adored every inch of her, body and mind over. He could spare her a long kiss whenever she came waltzing up, and was confident there would be no one that would question him. Usually they kept their affection in more private places, it wasn’t often they made out on the border. The world slipped away, though the dark coated man had to keep himself aware of their surroundings. He would have continued but he righted himself as she pulled away.

There was a gleam in her eye that had been missing and he hadn’t noticed until it returned. She brushed against his muzzle and whispered quietly to him, their little secret just between the two of them. For a long moment Iroh wasn’t even certain what she meant but Elise went on. Parents. After so much time together, their efforts would finally see success. Elise was pregnant.

Iroh had never felt his heart soar or leap like it did when she told him, much like her he felt like he was suddenly floating on air. ”Elise,” he could hardly contain himself. She kissed him, deeply, and he returned her affection. He didn’t hesitate bringing one huge paw up to her stomach. He couldn’t feel anything yet, but beneath his paw their children were growing. It was a feeling he almost thought he’d miss out on, but patience paid off. They were going to have their family together.

Elise's mismatched ears perked when she felt his paw rest on her stomach, making her break their kiss as she glanced down to where his dark paw rested on her pale fur. Her heart fluttered at the sight and she lowered down to her haunches so that she could rest her smaller, more dainty paw over his and hold him there over the place where their children had just begun to grow. As much as she knew that he would love her unconditionally and he had never stressed or put pressure on her over the fact that they hadn't let conceived before now, she knew how much they wanted this and how important it was for him. She had never been certain about being a mother or wanting a family until she met Iroh and began planning their future and now it was all she could think about aside from Iroh himself. She couldn't wait to see what their pups would be like, how many of them there would be, if they would look more like her or more like him... No matter the answer to any of those questions she knew they would be perfect. Just like her mate.

When she lifted her gaze away from their stacked paws, she brought her sapphire eyes up to his with the purest love and joy she could possibly imagine. She was slowly starting to understand the love that she had seen her father have for her mother and for her and her siblings. It was the kind of love that you couldn't fake or create, it just was. "I love you," she whispered against his lips before she gave him another passionate kiss, this one quicker, but only so she could grin as she brushed her muzzle against his. "I think... maybe we should try one more time... just to be sure," she teased with a chuckle, a gleam of that desire that was an ever constant emotion between them lighting up her gaze. She left a little trail of nibbles and kisses along his jaw and up along his cheek as she stepped closer, bringing her muzzle up to his ear. She had been finding her comforts in his arms through all of this, but now that her worries had been wiped away with this realization she felt lighter and more free and there was only one way she wanted to celebrate.

"There's a little secluded spot by the lake... Do you think I can steal you away from your patrol for a while?" she whispered as she reached up to his ear. She caught the delicate skin between her teeth and let them drag gently across his skin before she pulled away, giving him a sultry glance before she turned away with a flick of her tail under his chin to lead the way to a little spot hidden away in a cluster of trees, not waiting for a response. It had been phrased as a question, but she made it pretty clear that he wasn't allowed to deny her request.

Elise Adravendi

He had never felt so complete as when their paws were placed carefully over her subtly swelling belly. Iroh had never been terribly emotional, but even he could feel the subtle prick of a tear in his eye as he thought about the future they had to look forward to. This was everything they wanted together and Iroh felt his heart soar. He thought he couldn’t love Elise anymore than he did but as he looked down into her beautiful eyes and held her against him he felt a surge of adoration. They were going to be parents together. He never doubted her throughout their relationship, they’d been actively hoping for this for a while, and only time and patience was needed to succeed. Nature would take its course.

He grinned as he breathed her in, their gazes meeting in pure love and adoration. Finally having this was a great relief and excitement at the same time, they were moving on to the next stage in their lives together. ”I love you, Elise.” He whispered back, their lips brushing as they spoke together. Iroh’s deep blue eyes moldered with the fire that was ever present beneath his skin. He only barely held back his desire for his mate, there was no one else who excited him or turned him on like his beautiful woman. She pressed her lips to his and he fell deep into her passionate kiss. Elise was everything he hoped and dreamed and everyday their love grew, especially in moments like this.

She wasn’t done with him yet, Elise teased him softly, telling him they should try again just to be certain she was really pregnant. ”Just once?” He couldn’t help but chuckle against her lips, into her own amused giggles. He leaned into her affections as she nibbled and teased at his skin. She knew he had no ability to resist her and he followed her lead with no reservations, even as she suggested the lake. ”You can steal me away whenever you want,” He groaned against her cheek as his own teeth nibbled against her fur before she slipped away from his grasp and beckoned him to follow after her. There was no choice besides following her and Iroh did so with pleasure.

He kept up with her stride, bumping into her hip playfully as they went. He always felt like he was a kid when he was with her. Happy and giddy, like there really weren’t any problems in the world and all that mattered was that they were together. Iroh adored that about her, how every encounter felt like it was the first time but also like they had been together for a lifetime. No one else completed him like she did, and he knew there was no other woman who could compare.

Iroh Abraxas