All you have is your <i>fire</i> {birthing! pups + Vlad in)

aurora borealis- noun plural: An aurora that occurs in northern regions of the earth. Also called northern lights.

In the middle of a dense forest of coniferous trees lies the Aurora Borealis pack, its name coming from its location. At certain times of the year, the northern lights appear, dancing almost magically in the sky. A narrow trail leads you through the close evergreens. Giving into temptation, you begin moving your paws. By venturing into this territory, you are venturing into a land belonging to a pair of feared leaders. You have heard rumors of them...but you decide to take your chances and hope that the tales of blood and death are merely fabricated stories to scare wolves.

You have walked nearly five minutes before you realize the sound of paws stepping somewhere from behind. Deciding that you've made a mistake, you quickly turn around, but find that you cannot go any further. Standing before you is one of the mighty kings you've heard of. His blood red pelt clings over perfectly toned bands of muscle. But that isn't what causes such fear in your veins. One of his amber eyes has a horrid, bleeding scar across it, and his good eye seems to stare right through you. His face is expressionless, giving off none of his intentions. You cower away as his jaws part.

"I'm Hell Demon."

His voice was deep and cut through the air like a hot knife through butter. Right where he left off, another voice picks up from behind you. You whirl around and find yourself facing another male with steely muscles beneath his pelt, which seems to consist of every shade of brown. He had startled you, and you're amazed how you hadn't at all detected his approach.

"And I am Ghost...we're the alphas of Aurora Borealis."

His deep voice was laced thickly with a Native American accent. His own golden eyes are directing a harsh glare your way. Now you're caught in the middle...your breathing has become heavy in your panic and you're not sure which to face.

"You've foolishly trespassed into our territory. You face the one called Hell Demon's whose voice is once more addressing you. Get out, or become a corpse along our border."

It's obvious they mean business. So now it's up to you...take your chances and stay, or heed their warning and waste no time getting out with your life.

_{Refresh/Reload}

All you have is your fire {birthing! pups + Vlad in)
IP: 24.62.203.164
Posted on March 15, 2018 at 07:18:44 AM by Seraphina

S E R A P H I N A

�I think I could never be happier than I am in this moment. But I have a question to ask of you that may make me happier yet. Will you marry me?� Sera looked sideways at her mate, nuzzled beside her cheek. She lifted her head and kissed his aud, a bubbly feeling in her chest spreading to her maw and manifesting in a smile.

�Of course I will, my love. I�m surprised you even need to ask, when you know the answer: for you it is always yes. But I didn�t think it was traditional for wolves in Blossom to formally marry?� Seraphina asked lightly. It was something she was quite familiar with, having been born to a pack where marriage was a very official affair. Had Vladimir not saved her from Kael she would have been married to the brute for some months now. The princess shuddered at the very thought. It was fortune that had shown his true colors before he could take her away. Sera didn�t even want to imagine being mated to such a possessive, power hungry male. She shuddered at the thought. She knew how lucky she was to have met Vladimir, who was gentle and kind and would never do anything to hurt her.

�Of course there are some things we must iron out before anything else, I suppose. I have no family here aside from you and our children, but you have aunts and uncles and cousins all over. Do you want them to be there? Or your packmates and friends? Scamander and the other Arcus Irae? We could always just do it with the two of us, but if you want others there it would be very lovely I�m sure. And where will we hold it? Out in the open? In a neutral territory or in the pack? Or maybe-�

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the end, the pair decided to wait to get married. Mostly because they still had three young, excitable pups who were becoming harder and harder to keep track of and manage. It seemed they were in the trouble making phase. They didn�t really mean to make trouble - they were generally good kids - but they got caught up in their own fun sometimes and, well, it stressed Seraphina to no end. Ziva in particular seemed to have caught an adventure bug. It didn�t help that Sera had discovered she was pregnant again, much to her surprise. At least this time she was less clueless. It seemed that Tempests� breeding times were not like those of normal vargs as the two had mated in the summer and it was now only fall, still months away from winter, when pups were generally conceived. It had been a happy surprise for her and Vlad, though it would be hectic with so many pups. They�d work it it; they always did. They probably could get married while she was pregnant, but it was a matter of personal feeling at this point. Sera preferred to wait.

They said that your second pregnancy was easier than your first. Sera called bull on that. Perhaps it was because she was more aware of it this time, but she was certainly much less comfortable than she had been before. As the pups� birth neared her sides had swelled enough to make almost any sleeping position uncomfortable. It hadn�t been a drastic change in her appearance, perhaps more so than with the previous litter, but Sera was small, she always had been. For her sake, it seemed, the pups were small as well. At least at birth. Perhaps they would be blessed with a large frame like their father when they were older, but she couldn�t say she was bothered with the fact that they started off at a much more manageable size for her body. Some days though, they felt about as large as a pup his size would�ve been, especially now. Quite frankly, Seraphina was looking forward to their birth, if only to finally get a comfortable night�s sleep.

It was one such night now, with Sera shifting every few minutes and grumbling under her breath. She tried not to complain too much to Vlad (he didn�t need to hear everything, besides if he really wanted he could use that emotion vision he had or whatever it was called), but when he was asleep she could mutter complaints and curses (the pups were too tuckered out to hear them) all she wanted. Actually, she�d been particularly uncomfortable all day, but Sera had simply assumed she�d had a bad piece of meat or something. The pain had been gradually intensifying all day, however, and had shifted from pangs every so often to a much more persistent one that ran through her stomach. It wasn�t like with her first litter, which had been sudden and immediate pain, but Sera was becoming more and more sure that this was an indication the pups would be coming soon.

With so many vargs sleeping so closely, their den often became hot, Sera had taken to noticing when she lay awake trying to get comfortable. Tonight was no different, with the little family choosing to curl up together like sardines. Carefully, the princess disentangled herself from the group, paying close attention to the pups. If one of them woke up then the others would be soon to follow, and all she wanted was a breath of fresh air and some cool air. Sera did her best not to wake Vladimir either, though was less worried about that. The prince had the sense to go back to sleep, or at the very least not to wake anyone else up. But Sera had been lucky so far, not having woken anyone up, to her knowledge, during these brief moments.

Though they were steadily approaching winter, the air was still pleasant enough that one could stand outside without getting too cold. So long as you didn�t spend the whole night outside, it was actually very nice. Seraphina breathed the night air in deeply, lifting her head up towards the moon and bathing in its glow. There was no warmth, unlike the sun, but it was beautiful nonetheless. How many times had she truly explored anywhere in the dark? Sera made a mental note that she and Vlad would have to take a night time walk sometime. Perhaps when all of their pups were older and having more was a realistic idea. Night was such a wonderful and magical time, it was only right that she share it with her other half. Speaking of� she was beginning to feel much more sleepy and would greatly enjoy returning to his embrace.

It was then that a pain far more intense than any previous tore through her abdomen, bringing Sera to her knees with a barely contained yelp. She forced herself to stand, and could feel wet warmth along her legs. These pups would not be born outside if she could help it, but she didn�t have much time to find a den. Her emeralds looked frantically back at her den, the dim glow of the worms just eeking out, and bit her lip. She couldn�t whelp in there. Not with the other children inside. She would wake them for sure, likely even frighten them. No pup would ever wish to see their mother in pain. She could not do that to them. And what of Scamander, who had been there the first time? She couldn�t make him go through that again. Another contraction hit her and Seraphina gritted her teeth, walking stiffly and carefully towards their den. She didn�t want to wake the children, but she didn�t want to go through this alone either. Even if she just had Vlad�s presence it would be enough. Besides, he would probably wish to see his children�s birth. He had been there for the first one, true enough, but still. As Sera saw it, he played half the role in their conception so if Sera was going to have to be there for their birth, he was too. Though he was always emphatic with her, so she didn�t see it bothering him too much for her to want such a thing.

Pausing outside the entrance to the den, Seraphina poked her head it and let out as quiet of a whisper as she could that would still be audible. �Vlad!� Another ripple ran down her abdomen and Sera quickly backed out, mild panic setting in. Another den, another den, another den. She continued her stiff walk, breathing heavy. The first pup was coming, she could feel it. An ever growing pressure, the need to push. She refused to do so, holding every muscle as tightly as she could. Wolves were apex predators, but like this she would be at her most vulnerable and that terrified her. Not to mention that though she fared well enough outside, a pup, freshly born and the weakest it would ever be, would have a far more difficult time. The princess stopped for a moment, legs shaking from exertion, and panted. If she recalled correctly, the outcropping of rocks not too far away could provide enough of a den for now. And it wasn�t too far from her normal den, so when all was said and done she could bring the new pups back home. All she had to do was make it there. She�d already made it this far, what was a dozen more yards?

Evidently, a lot. Her body finally rebelled against her attempts at slowing down the birth and her instinct forced her to push through a strong contraction, the howl she�d been holding back breaking through her clenched jaw. Her hind legs bent, wanting to fall to the earth and continue the birth as it should be done, but still Sera would not let herself fall. Sweat plastered her body as she staggered forward, her every fiber fighting her will. This wasn�t natural, it said, the pup was half out, she had to finish the job. Sera always had been too stubborn for her own good. Even as she inched forward, her contractions inched the pup out, until at last the princess had to sink to the earth, just out of reach of the den. The pressure had begun to build up again, signaling the readiness of another pup. With one final, strong push Sera allowed her baby to enter the world at last. Hurriedly, she grabbed it and broke the sac to clean the pup. It was a boy, she discovered, and was inwardly pleased with this. Asmund would probably like a brother. She moved to push the pup to nurse, but emeralds flew to the den once again. She was so close� she could make it before the next pup came. Gently grabbing the boy by the scruff, Sera stood on shaky legs, and with her last bit of strength made it to the den, where her legs finally gave out and she could allow herself to whelp in ernest, away from any prying eyes or obvious danger. Vladimir was somewhere, though her mind had no time to focus on such things. For what had felt like the last eternity, Seraphina�s only focus had been her labor and this den. Now, it had shifted from the den to her pups.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Sera cried out at the next bout of contractions, stronger than the last had been. Perhaps she had been too distracted to focus on the pain, or walking around had lessened it. She pushed now, letting nature take its course as it had been trying to for some time now, until she felt the next pup slip from her. She repeated her earlier process, finding this one to be a girl. Her black bodice contrasted nicely with the little boy�s brown. At the mercy of some god, Seraphina was given a moment of peace. She could feel the next pup moving down, but it was not unbearably painful and she did not have to push just yet. Hot breath ghosting over the two pups nursing at her side, she thought of what they could name them. Maui� the name came from the depths of her memory, a story she had heard long ago. Perhaps the little boy could have that name. And the girl� would have to wait it, for once more Sera knew she had to push. This pup felt no easier than the last two, causing Sera to whimper with each push, but this one too was born and was very much alive, like the other two. A second girl, also with a black bodice. Exhaustion finally beginning to kick in, Sera giggled at the thought of having another boy who was brown, to match the first. Matching sets had become very funny to her. Her sides began to heave again, and her giggles quickly dissipated, replaced with the gritting and grinding of teeth. A stick to bite down on would have been nice, she thought, next time she would plan ahead. With one long, final scream breaking free as she pushed the last pup into the world, Sera could tell there were no more to come and that she could finally rest. First, however, she would tend to this new one. Breaking the little one�s sac and cleaning it off, Sera found this one to be a girl as well. Five little girls and only two boys� it was almost silly. This one was not brown or black, but had a coat more like her own. Seraphina pushed the last girl to her teats and curled herself tighter around them, tail covering the four protectively.

Dierne was a quiet pack and she was safe with Vladimir around, no doubt, but she could not help but feel paranoid that someone would come and take them from her. Perhaps because the birth was outside the den she was so used to, or because her scent was obvious from quite a distance. Regardless, the wanted to stay awake to watch over her defenseless brood and then, come morning, move them to the other den with Vlad�s help. She just couldn�t do it, though. Her eyes heavy and vision blurred from sleep, her head too much of a weight to hold up anymore. Sera couldn�t even bring herself to cast another look over her pups, exhaustion now fully taking hold of her and pulling her into a deep sleep.

|| Child of the Inferno || Shadow of Livia ||

Replies:

my time to SHINE - By Vladimir March 16, 2018 at 12:54:39 PM
All you have is your fire - By Seraphina March 18, 2018 at 03:59:22 AM
my time to SHINE - By Vladimir April 11, 2018 at 03:46:13 PM
All you have is your fire - By Seraphina April 15, 2018 at 02:31:08 AM
my time to SHINE - By VLADIMIR June 1, 2018 at 02:33:21 AM

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