Sunrise. It was such a mundane concept, and yet Aliana had never been so happy to see the bright orange glow rising over the eastern sea. After the terrors of the Long Night, watching the rising sun felt like a breath of fresh air into her lungs every time she saw it, like a physical reassurance that she had not only persevered—she had survived. All of them had. Well... not all of them. Ali's thoughts turned to Viper, her heart sinking to imagine the torment the poor woman must have gone through in her final moments. Although Viper had been no fan of hers, Ali wished there could have been some way to save her, if for no other reason than for Cerberus' sake. But thankfully all of the children had survived—well, the ones that had lived to begin with...

Sitting on the white sandy beaches, Aliana watched the sunrise. What sunrise was this now? The sixth? Seventh since the end of the long night? It didn't matter; never again would she take the morning light for granted. Ali drew in a deep, calming breath of the crisp sea air, letting the morning breeze fill her lungs and rejuvenate her body and spirit. Finally normalcy could return to their lives. Perhaps Chimera would be able to relax a little more now that their home was no longer infested with crystals and mushrooms, the strange growths seeming to have shriveled away into nothingness practically overnight. Once more, the island of Fenmyre had returned to its natural state.

With a gentle smile on her face, Ali watched until the sun finally peeked over the horizon, bathing the world in warm, golden-orange light. Only then did she release a relieved sigh. This wasn't a dream; this was all real. Rising to her paws, Aliana began to make her way back toward the estate, ignoring the wave of dizziness and nausea that hit her as she did. Since the sun had returned to the world, she'd been feeling more fatigued and achy, with bouts of nausea and dizziness, which she chalked up to the constant exposure to the mushrooms and crystals. Now that they'd been gone for a few days, surely she'd be getting her equilibrium back soon enough.

Or so Ali thought. Today, however, the strange symptoms seemed determined to prove her wrong. As she walked down the broken stone paths that led around the island to the estate, the ash and snow queen felt her stomach churn, the nausea rising greater than before, and knew she couldn't hold it back. She had made it all the way to the main entrance before her stomach lurched and she vomited, her body shivering and seizing with each retch. That's bizarre... she thought to herself while wiping her mouth with a paw. Had she eaten something off? She tried to put her mind past it, but on her very next step, a wave of dizziness hit her like a drop in her blood pressure, making the queen stumble and slump to a seated position. That was strange! What was going on with her? Tilting her muzzle skyward, Ali gave a soft, non urgent call for Siren. Though she was as skilled a healer as the golden queen, she didn't trust herself to do a self-diagnosis in her current state. She needed her close confidant's expertise.

"Aliana"

Normalcy and routine, two things Siren wasn’t sure she would ever crave so much. After growing up half wild and growing into the elegant queen she was, Siren built her life around structure. All that had fallen apart during the endless dark, and the precious lives she had almost lost during it. Most relieving of all was that her children were recovering. Putting them into the prison cells alone had been one of the hardest things she had ever had to do after watching her children suffer.

There was incredible relief when she welcomed them home. With the sun came the illness finally dissipated and her three pups had endured. She included Cerberus. Siren hated thinking about watching Viper die, and the fear that had gripped her since that day that she would lose her sick babies. She had seen what losing her unborn had done to Aliana, what would losing her pups now that she knew them and loved them do to her? Siren was grateful she wouldn’t have to face that inevitability now.

Siren finished feeding said children and sent them off to have lessons with their father and she made her way towards the greenhouse. Before she could make it the sound of Aliana’s voice summoned her. That wasn’t something that happened very often so even if there was no emergency Siren rushed to her side.

The scent of vomit almost overwhelmed the more subtle scent Aliana was putting off. Concern filled her features as delicate paws carried her up to the clouded Queen. "Are you alright, Aliana?” She asked softly, nuzzling her shoulder gently. Her nose brushing clouded fur and breathing her in, eyes widening as she realized the subtle change of scent.


"Speech"

The beautiful Siren arrived not long after she had called for her; the queen must have already been up and about, which absolved Aliana of feeling any guilt that she may have disturbed Siren's beauty sleep. As her fellow queen approached, Ali shook her head as if she could rid herself of the dizzy spell by sheer force of will, offering Siren a sheepish smile. She looked fatigued, but other than the healing bites and bruises Chimera had left in her neck from their wild coupling, she looked physically fine. Ali did nothing to hide the marks on her neck; she wore them like a badge of honor, and there was no way the others hadn’t heard them that night. Why try to hide or be ashamed of having a mate who loved her so thoroughly and ferociously? Pale alabaster ears folded to her head; she hadn't intended to worry Siren. "I... I think so," she replied in soft, lyrical tones. A dainty paw raised to her head, rubbing at her temple while her stomach churned again, giving Siren a little reassuring smile when the smaller lady nuzzled her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to take you from your day, I was hoping you could lend me your expertise? I haven't been feeling too well lately, though I'm sure it's probably nothing." Aliana gave a subtle nudge to Siren's shoulder to urge her away from where she'd thrown up, leading her down the path a little around the estate to enjoy some of the fresh air until she found a copse of palm trees the two royal wolves could sit beneath. "I've just been feeling a bit... off, the last few days. I've been dizzy and generally tired, and just the other morning I began feeling actually sick," she explained while she reclined to sit on the soft grasses. "I hope it's not any residual effects from what the children had. I was hoping you could give me a physical, make sure I'm not worrying over nothing?" She turned hopeful aqua eyes to the petite Klein lady, already thinking of how many kisses she'd give her to repay her for her services. She was sure there was nothing wrong with her, but there was never any harm ing getting checked out, right?

"Aliana"

Aliana looked like she was doing well, maybe tired along with the wounds along her neck that were healing. Siren hadn’t felt the sting of Chimera’s bite in a very long time, in no small thanks to both Aliana and Dalila. Both who’s original purpose had been to stand in against Chi’s aggression for the tiny Queen. The marks on Aliana’s neck healed quickly, and they all knew how much the two of them enjoyed engaging in such activities. The thought would have made her grin if she were not so concerned with Aliana’s potential illness. She said she was mostly fine, but the way her ears fell to her skull and she trailed off Siren wasn’t so sure. By now she was beginning to realize what was happening.

She wasn’t feeling very well, and apologized for taking her away from her own day. Siren shook her head, there was really no need to apologize. "Anything for you, Aliana.” She assured her softly, especially since she wasn’t feeling very good. Siren let Ali guide her away from where she was sick as she continued speaking softly. She wanted a physical, she wasn’t feeling well and was sick even more recently. Physically ill and not just tired, maybe it had to do with the illness the three pups came down with but Siren wasn’t so sure.

"I can check you over, but Aliana I’m pretty sure I already know what’s going on.” It wasn’t so odd to find her pregnant again so soon, not when the King and his Queen had such an appetite for each other. "I know it seems unlikely but… I believe you’re pregnant again.” Siren kept her voice light, but she didn’t know how Aliana would take the news after what had happened.

"Speech"

As Aliana explained her symptoms to Siren, a look of knowing formed across the tiny golden queen's features. Had it been someone else explaining these symptoms to her, Ali likely would have drawn the same immediate diagnosis that Siren did, but it was hard to consider herself outside of her own headspace. Siren explained that she had a good idea she knew what was going on, and the diagnosis took the clouded gray and white fae by total surprise. It shouldn't have; it all made sense the more she thought about it. But put into context of her life, after having only lost her first litter just over a season ago. She was pregnant again. Was that even possible, having two litters so close together? Was this her body trying to spring back from the trauma it had endured when the world was cursed?

Aliana lifted a snowy white paw to rest over her belly, mouth hanging agape and aquamarine eyes wide with realization and shock. She was pregnant again? Surprise and joy and worry all flooded her heart at once. The dainty queen's chest rose and fell with each quick, short breath while she tried to wrap her mind around what Siren had concluded. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense, and the less it made sense at the same time. None of these symptoms had happened before her night with Chimera... and they'd certainly gone at it enough times to guarantee this outcome had she been in heat. But she wasn't in season. She'd already lost her season litter. "Is... Is that even possible?" she asked amidst a gasp, looking to Siren for guidance. "I'm not in my season. I lost..."

Her words drifted off, her heart racing while she dared to daydream of the possibility that life had given her a second chance to take back what had been stolen from her. A little smile touched her lips and tears sprung to her eyes, looking back to Siren. "...Do you really think I could be...?"

"Aliana"

Aliana obviously didn’t expect the words to come out of Siren’s lips. Her jaw dropped and she looked to be in disbelief. Siren wouldn’t expect her to take the news very easily, not after the litter she lost not so long ago. That was probably the most difficult realization that after such a harrowing experience she could be facing the same scenario again. This time would be different. Aliana was young and healthy, and Siren would be more swift to blame the cursed darkness for the loss instead of the woman before her. That didn’t explain why Ruse managed to persevere, but Siren would hope.

She questioned Siren, wondering if this was even possible. She had just lost her litter, she wasn’t in season. As a healer she should have known better, but maybe that was just her inexperience talking. "It’s not so strange to conceive out of your season.” The real question Siren had was how would her body fare after such a traumatic stillbirth. "I know you are,” Siren told her softly.
What she didn’t know was if she would carry them to term or not.

Siren tentatively lifted a delicate white paw and gently went to trace her toes over Aliana’s belly before she tried to find her gaze and give her a comforting encouraging smile.

"Speech"

Words couldn't begin to accurately express the maelstrom of emotions surging through Aliana's heart and mind at that moment. She was pregnant again, so soon after her failed pregnancy. She'd been given a second chance to be a mother. All through the endless night, she'd dreaded that whatever dark sorcery had stolen the lives of her first children might have rendered her barren, but it turned out not to be the case—in fact, it was the opposite! She wasn't sure if it was herself or Chimera who was abundantly fertile, but something had worked between them this time. They'd been given a second chance! And this time, Aliana was determined to do everything she could to carry these pups to term. She wouldn't lose another litter; she and Chimera would be parents to a litter of healthy, happy little puppies.

The soft touch of Siren's paw against her belly brought Aliana out of her daze, blinking in rapid succession while she came back to reality. A stunned, incredulous giggle started from the cloudy-coated fae while the smile on her face dared to grow at the prospect of being a parent for real this time. Ali lifted her paw and rested it over Siren's on her stomach, feeling giddy and excited and nervous. There was always that looming worry of what if something had happened to her during the night to curse her, but there was a more overwhelming joy that blocked all the anxiousness out. Leaning her head forward, Ali went to nuzzle the side of Siren's cheek with her own in a wordless sign of gratitude, perhaps for the good news, perhaps for the comfort and reassurance.

"Thank you, Siren," she said and went to place an affectionate lick to the smaller woman's cheek. "I... I need to go tell Chimera. He's going to be so happy! Oh... or I hope he'll be happy." She suddenly realized that she had no idea if Chimera would be excited or terrified at the notion of having another litter so soon after losing their first. He'd told her before that she was the most important thing to him, more than any children, but she had wanted to give him a family. "Will I be able to bear them? I mean, it's so soon after... after what happened." She realized even the greatest medical expert couldn't predict the future that accurately, but she needed Siren's opinion on whether she would be fit enough to raise a litter of healthy pups so soon after what she'd endured.

"Aliana"

Exhaustion from the sheer mental and physical strain of the long night had at last taken its toll on the Fenmyre king. Rarely did he admit defeat, but Chimera knew that he wasn't up to snuff. He needed rest and recuperation in order to be able to care for his family once more. His women stepped up, Dalila taking the helm. He couldn't have been more proud.

Chimera had taken up residence on the far end of the island in one of the luxurious cabanas that he'd refinished. Most of his time was spent sleeping, his big body just purely needing the rest. It felt odd to be separated from everyone, but he didn't wish to infect his wolves if he was indeed infectious. Sometimes headaches and nausea would strike. He wouldn't risk it.

Today he lay out on the sand, allowing the warmth of the finality come sun to sink into him, providing his body with much needed nutrients. The light strung his pale eye, but he dealt with it by placing a thick foreleg across his muzzle. He would have to retreat inside soon, but he just wasn't ready yet.

After receiving the good news and positive prognosis from Siren, Aliana set forth to find Chimera. She'd known he hadn't been feeling well and had isolated himself to another section of the island while he recovered. Though she hated being apart from him, she understood why he had chosen to quarantine himself. In the wake of the plague and the death of Viper, one couldn't be too careful when it came to sickness. Still, she would brave the risk of any illness if it meant delivering the wonderful news to her mate, just to see his expression when she told him he was going to be a father again.

Aliana followed one of the old moss-covered cobblestone paths down to the beachfront cabanas, nose twitching while she hunted for any trace of Chimera's scent. The brute's musk was brought to her nares on the salt-tinged breeze, and Ali felt her heart leap in her chest with excitement. Dainty snow-furred paws carried her swiftly off the path and across the soft golden sands of their beach, making her way down the shore until she had followed the scent of her man to him. He lay basking in the sunlight, looking like a god descended to earth with his pristine white and black fur ruffling gently in the coastal breeze. Aliana's aqua eyes lit up like light shining off the facets of a gemstone while she sauntered up to her massive behemoth of a mate, greeting him with loving eyes and an affectionate smile.

"Good morning, my handsome king," Ali greeted Chi while she slid up beside him, brushing his side with her own as she sank to the sand and settled in beside him. With a lift of her muzzle craning up to reach his jaw, the clouded ash and snow fae placed a few tender licks to his chin. "How are you feeling today? Any better? Can I bring you anything?" In reality, Aliana was bursting at the seams with excitement to tell him the news, but she wanted to build up to the grand reveal.

"Chimera & Aliana"

He would know her delicate gait anywhere. Though he had requested that they leave him be as much as possible, he didn't expect them to listen completely. Truthfully, he missed them. All of them. Aliana most of all. The woman soothed him like no other could and when she came to lean into him, he couldn't bring himself to chastise her for it.

Sweet words met his ears and, though his eyes were closed against the light, he could hear a smile in her lyrics. "Tired. Head still hurts. Improving," he tumbled in response, shifting to nuzzle her own jaw in return. "And you, my love? What's the news?" They knew one another well enough to catch the subtle inflections in tone and mood. He was curious.

After they spoke he would ask after the others, but here was content with this time being just for them. Lifting once foreleg, he gently pulled the clouded beauty against his chest. Then he waited.

Though he didn't open his eyes to shield them from the bright morning sunlight, it was easy for Aliana to hear the delight in Chimera's voice when she came to settle in beside him on the beach. His gruff response on his condition gave her hope that he was on the mend, though it still tugged at her heart to hear he was still unwell. The nurturing side of her wanted to care for him constantly, to chase away the aches and pains and sick from his body. "I'll bring you some more medicine in a bit for the headache," she replied in her usual dulcet tones, a little smirk playing on her lips. "I'll even flavor it with the berries I know you like." After having spent as much time together as they had, and all the time she'd spent in his service, she'd learned the nuances that made Chimera who he was. She knew what he liked, what he didn't like, what made him happy and what made him mad.

Hearing him call her "his love" made Ali's heart skip another beat, bringing that beaming smile back to her face once more. It turned out he knew her just as well as she knew him, as he picked up on her mood without even needing to look at her expression. "I have some wonderful news, my love." She leaned into his nuzzle with a happy purr, bringing a petite paw up to catch the black paw draped across her side that held her to his chest and slowly, subtly moved it down her body until it was resting over her slender belly where their family was being made. "We're going to have another chance to be parents together." There was a pause while Ali let the realization of her words sink into his brain before bringing her snout to brush through the thick fur on his neck, drinking in his affections like water. "I'm pregnant again, Chimera. Siren confirmed it for me. We're going to have puppies."

Part of her was a little worried about how Chimera would respond to the news. They had discussed the option of trying again for another litter in her next season, but it seemed like fate had other plans for them. It was soon after the loss of their first litter, and Ali knew how hard it had hit them both and shaken Chimera's confidence. But she didn't see this as a concern. She saw it as a blessing for them; another chance to have what was stolen from them. Aqua eyes turned up to study his expression, smiling all the while she held her breath, waiting for his reaction to the news.

"Chimera & Aliana"

That... was something that he hadn't been expecting. Thre smile in her voice and the pure truth in her tones prompted no disagreement from the striped dire. That pale, pink eye shot open, sun be damned, and though it began to water instantly, he couldn't stop looking at the woman before him. She... glowed. She shone more brightly than the healing sun and gods... did he love her.

Gently, as though too much pressure would crush her, Chimera slid his paw over the silvered belly that was even now working to bring more life into the world. Surprisingly, there was no fear within him. No apprehension. Only anticipation, excitement, longing.

Viper, Siren, Dalila... they'd all graced him with pups and, despite his gruff ways, Chimera felt that he was a good father. With this newest brood, he would be able to show that again. "Perhaps this is our reward for the suffering we endured during the long night. I won't turn down the gift," he rumbled softly, pulling his sweet woman mor deeply into his embrace. "You will take great care, Aliana. Nothing strenuous. Use Erystotle as much and often as you need." The slave wouldn't argue. "You and these, " he added with another glance and stroke to her belly, "are too important." The most important.