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Blade Kuroda Vice Captain
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 Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 11:03 pm
Nodding to her, Maelthra stepped out of the cave with Beriothien before flying off towards the center of the forest to drop off the elf. A little while later, he returned, shifting into his elven form in case his mate needed something that would require his hands.
"I'm back love... now... do you need anything?" he said with a nervous grin.
He could have sworn that he got a death glare from Drachus at some point, but he tried not to think about it so much at the moment. So as he approached his mate, he knelt down by her side to take a closer look at their litter of pups.
One of them had tiny wings somewhat like his own, while another had wings that appeared to be a mix of his and Amuriel's.
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Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 11:09 pm
While Maelthra was gone, Amuriel tried to focus on determining names, but her foggy mind came up with nothing other than a great need for sleep. She bowed her head, tail, and legs around the pups, giving them a makeshift cage of sorts, and watched over them protectively. When her mate arrived again, she looked up, relieved.
"I really need... water and rest," Amuriel replied, breathing out heavily and smiling faintly. "I'm exhausted..."
She looked down at the pups, who were squirming around and making soft noises, and wondered how she could rest and still be able to be assured of their safety.
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Blade Kuroda Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 11:13 pm
As Amuriel replied, Maelthra nodded with concern before hurrying to the water's edge. He filled up a coned-up leaf to the brim and returned to his love, carefully offering her the water. Most likely he would need to make several trips to quench her thirst this way, but he didn't mind as it would mean her well fare.
Though through this, he smiled softly as she seemed to be happy aside from her physical strain. And still, the idea of those five young ones running around the cave happily one day floated around in the back of his mind.
A family... I finally... really have one... and it couldn't be with a better mate...
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Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 11:24 pm
"Mmm... thank you love," Amuriel said, dipping her muzzle down toward the cup and carefully sipping up the cool water. As she drank, she began to feel a little better, and she asked Maelthra for a few more cup fulls.
When she had finished drinking completely, she pushed her still moist muzzle out to him and nuzzled his hand sleepily. Now that her body felt rehydrated, she was becoming more and more sleepy. Once again, she glanced down at the pups, wondering what they would do about them while she was asleep.
"Don't you need to rest too love?" she voiced, watching her mate.
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Blade Kuroda Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 11:28 pm
Once Amuriel's thirst had been all quenched, Maelthra gently stroked her muzzle gently. When she looked over at the pups, he did as well, checking up on what they were doing at the moment. Something told him that it would be awhile before they really started to do much though..
"Hm.. I'm fine for now... I can start resting a little later. I'm kinda hungry right now so I'm going to fix myself some food... do you need anything to eat? It's been awhile since you last ate..."
Tilting his head as he spoke, he looked into her eyes, wondering if she was even hungry despite that.
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Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 11:36 pm
"I'm a little hungry, but I think the birthing killed my appetite for now. I'm surprised you have one... considering you watched," Amuriel replied, chuckling lightly and feeling her eyes droop. "For now, though, my sleepiness is alot more overpowering."
Yawning, she nuzzled him again and smiled, "Could you keep an eye on the pups for me then? I don't think they'll really stray, but I don't know what I'd do if one made it off the bed and was harmed."
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Blade Kuroda Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 11:40 pm
Chuckling, Maelthra wondered how he still had the appetite as well, but it was there. He gave his mate a kiss on the forehead, smiling softly.
"Don't worry love... I'll make sure they're safe..."
Nodding with this, he stroked the side of her face before glancing at the pups and moving towards his meat storage. From where he was he could still keep an eye on the bed, and he should be able to notice if anyone decided to stray off. Though one thing was for certain; none of them would be able to wander out of the cave without him noticing.
"Rest well love... I'll join you shortly.." he said softly before beginning to cook his meal.
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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 12:02 am
"Thank you love.." Amuriel responded, smiling and yawning again. Lowering her head to the bed, she curled her body around the pups again, trying to encage them protectively while she slept.
While she was exhausted, she was also exceedingly happy to have her children, and her mate, at her side.
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Blade Kuroda Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 12:11 am
Smiling softly as his lover drifted off to sleep with the children, Maelthra went on to cook and then eat his food. Once finished, he shifted forms and made his way back to his mate, carefully nestling agianst her and the pups. Before settling down fully, he glanced over them to see how they were doing. Happy to see them all alright, he rested his head down next to Amuriel and slowly drifted off to sleep. In the morning they would name them all, he assumed.
One week later, Maelthra was helping AMuriel care for the pups, though at this point she was doing more work than he was. After all, he couldn't exactly feed them at this stage. Though during this time, they hadn't really had a chance to clean anyone up fully, so it was right about time...
Waking up that morning, the elder let out a fairly big yawn before glancing down at the young ones between himself and his mate. Smiling down at them and Amuriel, he went over each of their names mentally.
Zydrumas... Luth'ol... Aidesui... Eirwen... and Kuroyuki...
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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:54 pm
A week had passed since Amuriel and Maelthra's pups had arrived, and as time passed, Amuriel recovered relatively quickly. Still, being protective of her new children, she hadn't left them. Instead, she began to prepare for when she would, having Maelthra bring her materials needed to make a carrying basket of sorts.
It sat on the ground next to their bed, fashioned from interlaced flexible twigs. It was lined with soft fur and had two leather handles for her to use, either in human or elder form. She even had another rectangle of leather she would use to cover them with if she felt the wind held too much of a chill. She hadn't used the basket yet, since she only finished it the night before, but she had thought it would come to be very useful.
The pups themselves had begun to grow, and they seemed to gradually be learning how to move around. Even though they had not grown just yet to the point of seeing or hearing, they had learned more how to ask for food or attention. More than anything, they seemed to cry, grunt, squeak or make some other noise. She had begun trying to decipher what noise meant what urge, but she hadn't managed to pin it down just yet.
Nursing... was still unusual to her, despite how much they ate. She had learned to grow accustomed to it, even like it because of the particular bond it allowed her to share with the pups, but the sensation was odd. She wondered what it would feel like when they developed teeth...
Maelthra.. had been a wonderful father and still an amazing mate so far. He seemed to be trying very hard, though somewhat awkwardly at times. She imagined she looked awkward too - she certainly felt that way. She felt like she was taking advantage of him at times, though, considering how much he did for her.
That morning, when he awoke, she was still sleeping, stretched out her on side with her muzzle against Maelthra's neck and her tail curled around their bodies.
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Blade Kuroda Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:06 pm
While watching some of the awake pups move about between them, Maelthra smiled as his mate had awakened now as well. Licking her face gently, he rested his head lightly against hers and closed his eyes momentarily.
"Good morning love... Did you sleep well?"
Nuzzling her gently, he stretched out his wings and continued to smile gently. Over the past week, he had been watching their children develop. While they did grow somewhat, they were still so tiny compared to their parents. And the amount they took in and let out amazed him considering how tiny they were.
"And.. do you think you're ready to be cleaned up today love? I don't think we should wait too much longer to get you all bathed..."
He didn't want to say it, but he could have sworn he saw a few more bugs in the area due to all the dried up blood that they had.
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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:16 pm
"Mmm..." Amuriel hummed quietly, waking. She stretched out lightly before smiling. "I slept very well."
When he mentioned a bath, she almost jumped. How she would love to be cleaned again! Things just weren't the same when she was feeling dirty, and she wondered if the pups themselves would look or feel any different after being bathed. She had a feeling their colors would become more vibrant and apparent...
Looking back at them, she smiled again and nuzzled one of them gently. It was hard to tell if they were awake or asleep when their eyes were shut all the time, and she also wondered what color of eyes they had.
"I honestly can't wait to get clean," she said quickly, grinning.
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Blade Kuroda Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:30 pm
"That's very good..."
Standing up now, Maelthra carefully stepped out of the bed and chuckled while nodding to her. The scent of blood lingered in the air so it would be nice to get everyone washed up. It would also help Amuriel and him to see the pup's true colors since they were a bit muddled from the dirt and grime. All that would leave is for their eyes to be opened before they could really get an idea of how they looked.
So then, he shifted forms, feeling that it would be better if he washed them down while having hands. From there, he glanced at the basket Amuriel had woven. It was a nice little basket, he thought and it should prove to be useful to transport the pups all at once.
"Well then, let's hit the waters! You can go ahead and bring the pups over while I get the brush and see if there's anything else around here that might help get rid of the dirt. It's too bad we don't have anything like soap in the forest..."
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Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:11 am
"Alright love," Amuriel replied, carefully standing and stretching as well. She was excited for herself and her puppies to finally get cleaned, and she nosed the basket onto the bed. Gently, she began to pick up pup after pup and place them gently in the basket.
When she had finished, she made sure the puppies were settled before grabbing the straps in her teeth and carrying the basket over to the edge of the water. She left behind the leather coverlet, but she didn't think they would need it just yet.
Glancing back to see where Maelthra was, she went ahead and waded out into the water, dipping her full body under before resurfacing and shaking herself roughly. She repeated this several times, thankful for the feel of water in and against her fur, and she swam back to the edge to peer into the basket as she awaited her mate.
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Blade Kuroda Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:19 am
There wasn't anything else in the cave that would help out, so Maelthra just took the bone brush and headed out to where his family was. Smiling softly, he stood beside Amuriel while holding up the brush. The pups would be easier to clean, but he figured that he'd take care of his mate first.
"Are you all set?"
After asking this, he glanced down into the basket where the shut-eyed pups squeaked and wriggled slightly in place. It was funny to think that in just a few weeks or so they'll be able to see, hear, and walk about on their own. So as he watched them, he tilted his head lightly while watching them move about where they were.
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