Some are born great
Some achieve greatness
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He had never thought that he would be a father this soon, let alone twice over. He and Seraphina had not been very smart when it came to their couplings, and it seemed that each time they laid together, it resulted in pups. The first time, neither of them had been aware of her pregnancy until the night that she whelped. Mostly, it was because they had not thought that they could get pregnant. It had been the correct season, yes, but they were both young, and it had just been one time. But their love apparently was plentiful and vivacious, and had resulted in a decent sized litter. It had surprise them, but they had taking it in stride, and been good parents to their pups despite the fact that neither of them were adults themselves. But they had been smarter and wiser this time, and at the first sign of Seraphina widening, they had known. Vladimir had used his tempest vision to confirm it though, just in case. And he had been rewarded with the sight of multiple souls swirling around inside of Sera‘s womb, happy and healthy. Though they were surprised - after all, it had not been in season - and a little bit anxious at the thought of raising two sets of pups at the same time, they were also overjoyed. Their love could conquer anything and everything. They had survived Sera‘s betrothal to another, and the passing of the throne from one king to another. And Seraphina had survived birthing their pups despite her slender frame… The second time would go easier wouldn’t it?
But it didn’t. If anything, Sera seemed more uncomfortable than the first time she had been with child, it struck fear into Vladimir‘s heart. If this was difficult for her, then how would the birthing go? She was still a teenager, like Vladimir was, still small and slender, even for her breed. They had been blessed and lucky last time with a quick labor without any complications. But what if it did not go that way this time? What if one of the pups was backwards, or too big for her? What if she tour, or blood? Vladimir had spent all of his time with her and their family recently, and though he knew of Khaleesi, he did not know her well. Where was her pack? Was she even part of this pack anymore? She was the pack‘s healer… But did she know anything about being a midwife? The fears swirled around in his mind, but he held the secrets safe, tucked tightly against his chest, not wishing to share them with Sera. She had enough on her plate, having to both provide enough nutrients to feed their rapidly growing pups, developing as they were in her womb, in addition to providing milk for the ones already whelped. She did not need any more stress, and did not need to carry his burden. And so instead, he pushed the fears to the back of his mind and had focused on supporting her. How he doted on her! Each day, he caught her a new fare, wanting her to have whatever it was that she wanted to eat. Though he could not take over the nursing of their pups, he groomed the pups and her whenever needed, and sometimes more than that, and ensured that by the time they went to bed, the pups were well worn out so that they would not keep Seraphina awake. She had enough trouble sleeping as it was. And Vladimir always felt bad about that, considering he was such a heavy sleeper.
That was how she had gotten away from him in the middle of the night without noticing - he slept right through her departure. But when she called his name with urgency, his tempest soul awoke, called by her need. In an instant, all tiredness and fatigue was gone, replaced by urgency and focus. He slipped from their pups and out of the den, moving quickly to her side. His focused optics saw her contracting muscles, saw her pain, felt her agony. He would not let her be alone in this, just as he would not let her be alone in anything. They were soulmates, yes, but they were also the love of each other‘s lives. He braced against her shoulder, helping to support her each time a contraction took her until she finally got wherever she was planning on going - an out jutting set rocks that had a deep crevice in between them, a cave. He had said nothing the entire trip, and did not change that now, for it all made sense. She had not wanted their pups to see her give birth. It was a very beautiful thing, yes, but it was also a messy and dangerous thing, and if anything happened to Seraphina… And they saw it? It would scar them for the rest of their lives. Vladimir stayed by her side and groomed her forehead, her cheek, her nape and belly, wishing he could do more. And then, as much a miracle as their first litter, pups began to emerge one by one. Though Sera was the one to initially grab them, Vladimir reached over her and continued to clean them off while she worked on pushing the next out. Four in total… And none obviously unhealthy. Vladimir smiled and moved back behind Sera, curling around her protectively.
“You did a wonderful job my love. But now that they are out… You have no reason not to marry me now.”
He jested with her softly. The two of them had decided to wait despite her acceptance of his proposal when they had discovered that she was once again with child. He knew that in her land, it was tradition to have an official marriage, and even though she had no family here, that did not mean that he wanted her to abandon everything she knew. And so it was important to him to ensure that it was perfect… It seemed that it was now time for them to start planning. He peered down to say something else to her, but she was already fast asleep, curled around their newborns. Vladimir sighed and close his eyes too… They could move their pups back in the morning.
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Some have greatness thrust upon them
~ Soulmate of Seraphina ~ Brother of Castiel ~ Warden of Scamander ~ Heir of Aurora Borealis ~ Sire of Ziva, Qiturah, Cassius.:.Maui, Liora, Ikuseghan, Roan~
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