ooc: Elias should post first and then the pups if they're players want to do a birthing post! Waking up in the middle of the night was a fairly common occurrence for her these days. Between the pups moving and kicking and never being able to quite get comfortable her sleep was pretty much always restless. Ever since the conversation she had with Elias she found herself checking for him whenever she did wake up like this. Sometimes his presence was obvious in the moments when he would sleep against her side or back. With how much she moved around it was normal for them to simply sleep near each other and in those moments she would look toward his shadowed form in the darkness. She was always relieved to see that he was keeping to his word of being around more often. It had taken a lot of worry off of her which was something she was grateful for in these last days of her pregnancy. There was plenty to think of without being concerned over the status of their relationship. She was jerked awake by something and she wasn't sure exactly what it was until another contraction reminded her. Any sleepiness that was lingering left her at the realization that her water had broken. The sun had just begun to rise over the horizon so it was still mostly dark in their home, the light slowly beginning to filter in through the entrance. What little sunlight there was seemed to be filtered through a heavy layer of cloud cover. The air was cold and from what she could see the snow was falling in heavy flakes outside, adding to the blanket of snow that had already accumulated on the mountain. Zuriel stretched out her neck toward Elias as the contraction passed in order to nudge his cheek with her nose. "Elias... Elias, wake up. They're coming." Her heart was already beating quickly from excitement and nerves as she got to her paws. She took a couple of steps to cross the room to the alcoves she had created to store her herbs. There was a small bundle of them that she had set aside for herself. She did leave a few leaves of motherwort and about half of the trillium she had found off to the side for later just in case she should want or need it. For now she began to chew the bitter leaves, swallowing them and then picking up what was left to place them within reach of where she had been laying. "I don't want anyone else here yet," she told him, knowing he was probably wondering if he should go get Daelos. Even if he hadn't been it was still something she wanted to make clear incase anyone tried to come check on them. "If anything starts to go wrong then go get Daelos, but otherwise... I only want you here." She wasn't sure why she suddenly wanted to keep everyone away while she brought her children into the world, but it seemed sacred in a way to birth their children alone with Elias in the place where she pledged her soul to him and Ruina. She felt too restless to lay down and for a while she paced the small space where they usually slept, pausing every once in a while to lean into him as a contraction gripped her. The herbs quickly began to do their jobs as the contractions began to come with more frequency. The pain wasn't too terrible just yet, but she knew it would be worse if she hadn't had the trillium available. She hadn't been as prepared with her first litter so she knew too well how that could be. She finally laid down onto her side once the contractions began to get too strong for her to stand. She tried to lay so that she could use Elias' body for support, but she left it up to him where he wanted to be. She wouldn't force him to stay near her if he didn't want to. Once she began to push she mostly lost track of everything around her anyway. Zuriel tried to pace herself since she knew there was a long labor ahead of her, but there was only so much of that she could do. She quickly lost track of time or how many times she had pushed with her contractions, but she finally felt the first pup slip free. She gave a relieved sigh and pulled herself up to begin cleaning their first born. It was easy to see that her assumption that they were going to be large pups was correct. This one especially seemed to take after Elias in color and size she thought as she gently moved the black and gray boy to her stomach. Part of her hoped that he would be the largest of the litter so that she could look forward to his siblings being a bit easier to deliver. Only time would really tell if her hope came true. In the brief moment she had before the contractions picked up in earnest again she let herself enjoy these first few seconds with their son. Above all she was simply happy to hear her son's cries and to see that he was healthy. Once the contractions begun again she rested her head down again and let herself fall into the rhythm of it all. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she could tell that some time had passed at least by how far the sun had risen as she looked outside. Their second child came into the world without too much fuss. Perhaps her hope that the rest of their litter would be smaller than their first born would be correct. As she lifted herself up to rest on the elbow of her foreleg she noticed the tired strain in her muscles that had already started to settle in. As much as she wanted to grow their family and continue on this ancient line for Elias, she silently hoped that this litter would turn out to be smaller than she suspected. She began to clean up the second pup, happy to see that they at least had one girl. She tried to clean up each pup as much as possible and get them against her stomach as quickly as possible so they wouldn't get too cold. Once she had their little girl next to her larger brother she noticed how similar the two seemed in their markings. Really the only difference was the undertone to their coloring. It was hard to tell with their puppy coats and damp fur, but it was an interesting thing to notice at least. So far she hadn't decided on any names or attempted to give them any on the spot. It was easy for her to decide that it would be better to focus on getting them all into the world first. There would be plenty of time to find suitable names for each of them once this was all said and done. Their third child was perhaps the easiest of the litter. A few strong pushes brought their second daughter to them. The size difference between this pup and her siblings was quite obvious and Zuriel was careful to make sure that her daughter had good access to her stomach so that she could eat alongside her siblings. It was hard to tell whether she was actually tiny or if she was simply small in comparison to her brother. It was hard to distinguish whether she was actually putting more effort into her pushes than she had been or if she was simply growing more tired and she was having to use what little energy she had left. She felt spoiled by how easy it had been to deliver their daughters once the fourth pup came into play. Her panting grew heavier and she began to grit her teeth against each contraction and push, noticing the pain more than she had before. She sat up far enough to reach the herbs she had set aside before, taking the second dose of each of the leaves. She had hoped that she could make it through without them, but she was quickly beginning to worry that wasn't the case. She was looking out toward the entrance of the den, but she wasn't really seeing it. The sun had nearly fully risen at this point, but the snow was continuing the fall so the light still wasn't all that bright. Once the second dose of herbs began to take effect she was able to face the contractions a bit more easily. It still took more effort than she really had to give, but she pushed through until she finally felt their next child slip free. She followed the pattern she had set for herself and sat up to clean up the newest pup, but she was shocked enough by her son's coloring that it made her hesitate for a moment. In a way it was bitter sweet for her. If anything it was enough to take her mind off of her exhaustion for a moment so that she could start cleaning up their son and moving him up to settle in among his siblings. He stood out like a sore thumb among the grays and blacks of the other pups, in the same way that she imagined Regulus had when he was born. She was a little surprised that such a rare trait carried on to her own children, but maybe the chances were higher since there were so many children. She didn't look up to see Elias' reaction since body told her she wasn't quite finished yet. Now that the vibrant, red boy was settled in Zuriel laid back down once again so that she could begin pushing with each strong contraction. The strain on her tired muscles was beginning to hurt more than anything else. She tried to put as much strength behind each push as she could in the hopes that she could deliver the child faster, but it didn't seem to be moving along as much as she'd like. For all the knew this all could have transpired in the span of minutes, but it seemed more like hours. The only thing she could really tell for sure was that it was taking longer this time. It was hard not to panic when her energy and strength were so quickly dwindling. She finally felt the pup, but something still didn't seem right. She lifted herself up a bit to look, but she trembled and collapsed back to the ground with a whine before she could do anything. From what she could see it seemed like the pup was turned at an odd angle, but she couldn't be certain. Zuriel took in a deep breath, waited for a particularly strong contraction, and pushed with a pained whimper. It took several pushes like this before the last pup finally slipped free just as her head began to swim and it felt like she couldn't get enough air into her lungs. The only thing that made her get up was a rush of adrenaline fulled worry for her last child. She pulled herself up just like she had four times before and began to clean up the last-born son that seemed to follow the previous colorings of gray and black. She rasped her tongue over his back, waiting to feel him breathe and hear the squeals that she had received from the rest of the litter. A moment of fearful panic started to creep in on her as seconds began to pass by without any response. She began to chant a silent prayer to no one in particular while she rubbed his back more vigorously, her exhaustion forgotten and ignored in favor of worry over her son. She didn't realize that she began to plead out loud as well, her voice a quiet, breathless whisper. "Please... please..." Finally she heard the cries she had been pleading for and her relief brought tears to her eyes. Five children more or less brought safely into this world. Three sons and two daughters. Once the fifth child was safely feeding at her stomach she gazed at them all for a moment, not realizing that she was crying until she noticed the tears dampening the fur on her cheeks. She barely had the strength to keep her head up, but she would do it all again if it meant that she would have this tiny souls with her. She finally looked up at Elias again, searching his face to see his reaction. She didn't know what she expected or wanted him to do or say, but she was happy to have him to look to this time. "Talk" "You" Think

In his dreams, he was running through the jungle of his childhood fast enough that his heart was racing during his sleep. The fire of the volcano reached the trees and set them on fire, lighting the usually dark domain and setting its inhabitants on fire. He was running with his two sisters on his right side, his two brothers on his left. He would look to them and they would nod to him, in front of him.. his father was leading them, a giant phantasmal wolf of solid black that even the light of the fire couldn't touch. He was leading them away from the volcano, every turn he took an evade of the dangers that could prevent their escape- their freedom. Elias followed full speed, as his siblings did.. and all around them were their ancestors- he could feel them.

When they finally made it through the jungle, Elias found himself staring at a large plateau. Suddenly, all around him, the souls of their ancestors became visible entities of red, blue, gold and silver. Orbs of light flowed around him, lighting up his brothers and sisters and warmed them as they passed through them and toward the plataeau. They circled in the air for quite some time, beneath a dark sky of ash. Their light danced off the ash like slow before finally they fell into the earth. From the earth sprouted a titan of a wolf, as big as the sky and red as the devil. It shook the earth and stared at them with wide open eyes. Elias could hear it's stomach growling, wanting... would it kill them?

Fear and awe continued to fuel the fast-paced beating of his heart. The titan stared down to Elias and his siblings, a snarl cracking through the air suddenly- it was louder than any crack of lightning Elias had ever experienced. He winced, whimpering slightly in his sleep, as he braced himself. The titan was angry, though its anger only became matched by Elias' own as the snarling continued.

'Apollyon, we are your children. We follow you, we feed you, we are you.' Was the Apollyon mad that Elias had left their home, mad that he had spent so much time running from his past..? Elias could feel his wrath. Yes, he was angry. Their had been no offering for the reaping this year and they were setting up home in a new territory, a new home that was far from their traditions.

'Apollyon, we have found our altar, we have risen once again.' Elias ran toward the titan, neck craned back with his head looking up to the colossal that took up the sky. It seemed no matter how much he ran, the Apollyon was unreachable.. and yet still, Elias' speed was relentless.

'Will you forsake me now, when I live under your name- when everything I do is for YOU?!' Elias rolled in his sleep, his head nearing Zuriel's as he growled lightly. His words echoed in his dream, though they seemed to be heard by the titan. Suddenly, the titan began sinking back into the earth, his red fur desaturating and turning gray, like stone. The ash in the sky transformed into snow and the titan continued to sink.. and sink..

Finally it was just his head and left paw breaching out of the pits of the earth, his mouth open and growling, teeth bared while every feature hardened during it's transformation into stone. From the jaws of the titan formed two mountains.. two very familiar mountains. It was home, it was Fenrir's Maw. Another growl rumbled the earth beneath him and Elias continued to stare at the mountains, his eyes wide. The paw that had been left darkened, turning black and from it formed the burning Mount Volkan. From its fire came those that he had seen over the past season. Zuriel released as a pure being of blue, followed by the golden and glowing form of Vale- then one by one the rest followed- Dimitri, Drakan, Miach, Daelos, Legion, Terra. Following them were the Lambs, looking to Elias with expectant eyes. Elias thought it was over, this was his pack. This was his home.. he was relieved.

Though, from the fires of the volcano came five massive entities. They shook his soul like they shook the earth and woke him immediately.

He found the nose of Zuriel against his cheek, shaking him awake and he tried his best to calm his racing heart and listen to her words. 'Wake up, wake up! They're coming!' Had she shared the same dream..? No, no. It wasn't them, it was them he quickly realized as she began preparing. He stood to his feet immediately, ready to aid her in whatever way he could as he watched her independently find her own herbs and lay down. He nodded to her when she instructed she wanted no one else here and he stood in a way that barricaded himself between her and the door.

He watched her, admiring her as she delivered these pups and lifted herself each and every time to clean them. His eyes widened when the red furred pup was cleaned, though dark and damp- Elias could tell what that color was. That color was everything to him.. and with the dream he had just had... was this...

He didn't have much time to think about it quite yet, Zuriel wasn't done. When the last pup struggled to begin breathing, Elias found his heart racing once again. He whispered inwardly, he could feel the battle that was happening on the other planes. Demons were fighting for this pup, destroying one another as they would attempt to rip through and make it to the natural world. Would they hesitate too long and cause this pup his life?

Elias sucked in a breath when he finally heard the child's cries, finally.. he was alive. Each one was healthy, and each one an extension of Elias' own pride. He neared Zuriel, pressing his forehead and snout along her own as he closed his eyes and simply enjoyed the feeling of her near him with the presence of their five children at her stomach.

"The strength in you is something otherworldy, Zuriel. You continue to amaze me every day. I am here if you need anything, I won't leave you today." He gave her a moment to breathe, stepping back from her as his ruby gaze looked to her with more love behind them than he possibly ever had. He rested his weight beside her, staring at her.. though finally his head turned to look over their children, then rose as his ears stood up to form his tall crown.

"We will name them in the tongue of the Apollyon. Our old language, just as my father named myself and my brothers. For the first born twins, Dominus and Domina in honor of my father. May they grow as close as the similarities in their markings. For the second daughter, Actaea- a deadly plant that stands tall above the fields it frows and dapples it like the white on her back. May she grow as fierce and strong as this flower does. For our next son, Ignis.. after the fire that the Apollyon crafted his fur from. And lastly, Casso- after the demon managed to finally make it through- they must be strong, and may he grow in good favor and knowledge of this demon." He looked away from the pups, back to Zuriel and relaxed his ears, reaching over to her again to administer lavishing licks to her cheek. She was undoubtedly tired, but he wanted to remind her that even if she slept, he would still be here.

Domina, the second born, came into this world with ease. Her mother had cleaned her up and placed her and her twin brother against her warm body, as instinct directed the pup's small maw to her mother for food. She'd began suckling as soon as she found the food source, pushing her fat brother out of the way. Make room for me, you piglet. She couldn't see or hear yet, but she could feel his weight. Not much larger than herself, but big enough to cause an issue for her. As she continued to feed, the rest of her siblings were placed alongside her, surely to get food of their own. The body heat from the lot of them was beginning to warm her own body up. Dom felt smushed once all the pups were placed. She unlatched if only for a moment to complain, yelps and whines escaped the fat fluff, letting momma know that there was too many of them. Worried her place would be taken, and she'd be kicked from the feeding line, she nosed her way back to her mother, suckling again. There was a hunger that she felt might never be satiated. Her little stomach was probably full by now, but she wanted to stay there, this spot against her mother felt secure. The little monster stopped suckling but stayed latched, wiggling herself closer to her mother and twin, and away from the cretins that were her siblings.

Third born the female came into the world with ease. She was a quiet one even as her mother fussed and cleaned her. Only once did she let out a squeak in protest to the tongue running over her back. She was gathered by the first two siblings, pressed to her mothers side. At first she struggled, mentally unsure if she was really that hungry or not, but her little stomach ached and she pressed around with her tiny nose to find the right spot. Once she found her own spot among the other two she began to suckle in a greedy manner, filling her gut until there was no possible way to fit anymore. Two more larger boys would join them and her stomach would be full, feeling things were to crowded she wiggled away from the line of hungry siblings and did her best to crawl from them. Moving passed the rest of the siblings she made her way up until she bumped into one of her mother's front legs. Moving about she pressed her nose to the large appendage looking for a way over the obstacle. She moved to the right, heading towards her mother's paw and fallowing it around until she was on the opposite side of her mothers leg and headed all the way to the elbow. It was warm here without the pushing and shoving of her siblings so she pressed into her mothers elbow and curled up.