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 Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2010 6:58 pm
 Time, it had gone by relatively quickly for the first portion of her pregnancy. But now, the days seemed to be dragging on more and more. Granted Seraphin was still extremely thrilled at the prospect of the day her and Iosef's puppies would finally arrive. She had always wanted a family and now with Iosef as her mate that dream was reality. Oh if only that time would come soon, it was close of course, judging by how...well fat she had become. The Queen even said she was close, probably another week or so. One could never be certain of these things.
Shifting to try to get more comfortable but that was becoming a losing battle. Due to her added bulk and the movement of the clearly restless pups it was impossible to get and stay comfortable for very long. Especially today, it didn't matter how much she shifted, laid, sat or stood, Seraphin she was horribly uncomfortable, almost in pain at times. For now she thought nothing of the extreme discomfort she was feeling, it had been slowly increasing over the last few weeks, clearly it was due to being so large and unable to move too much.
The last few days she had been completely confined to her den for it was much too tiring to walk around. Food was brought to her to keep her hunger at bay. The Queen would be by later, as hopefully would Iosef. He was still busy with his duties, but had taken heart to the Queen's offer to take it easy and spend time with Seraphin as often as he could. Seraphin of course knew that even with the prospect of being a father on the horizon he would see that the work got done in the timely manner.
Today she wished greatly he would just forget about those damn duties for once and come to see her. Letting out a whine Seraphin shifted for the hundredth time in the last hour and laid her head on her paws, trying to ignore the pain she was in.
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Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2010 11:09 am
 To say Iosef was nervous would be to make one of the more dramatic understatements of the year.
He had awoken that morning with the constant nagging feeling that something was terribly wrong. This wasn't a particularly new sensation for Iosef, who was constantly plagued about anxieties and generally always thought there was something terrible lurking behind any bush he had not personally examined...but, given his current situation, the anxiety he felt today was amplified twenty-fold.
Thank the gods for Casimir, was all he could think as he tried to rush through his duties without resorting to sloppy work. He could hardly stand to look at Tui just now, considering the jumbled mess of his emotions on the topic, and Glacier was...well, wherever he was.
Teenagers.
Agitated, Iosef paused in his duties, finding himself completely distracted. He glanced around, verifying that the likes of Varia or Thealia were not looming in the shadows, and then excused himself. Cas could finish up, he reasoned...and besides, he should catch something for Seraphin. Bring her some late breakfast....early lunch. A little snack to tide her over and reassure her that he was still committed and give him a chance to see that everything was okay.
Smiling, feeling quite satisfied that this was a perfectly amenable plan, Iosef headed into the underbrush in search for something to bring her.
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Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2010 11:42 am
It was time now, of that she was certain and from the looks of it she would be alone for this. There was no way to go for help, as most of the pack would be busy with training, hunting or patrols. And knowing her luck if she did call out it would be Varia who would answer and that would be no help at all. But Seraphin told herself that she could do this, she was strong enough and had spoken with the Queen at length many times to know what to expect - for the most part at least.
Calmness, that was what she was focusing on now, she had to remain calm. Easier said than done, the extreme pain and discomfort she was in now was making it damn near impossible to stay calm. Oh sure Penthesilea had told her to expect it to be painful...but to be quite frank it hurt like a son of a b***h. Shifting slightly to lay more on her side Seraphin closed her eyes as another wave of extreme pain raked her body. This was it, the moment she needed to push that new life into the world. Gritting her teeth Seraphin bore down, muffling a cry of pain as best she could.
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Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2010 10:19 pm
Iosef had long considered himself something of an expert at hunting small game, and he wove through the under brush with purpose, sniffing at the trail of some or another vermin. He came up on it suddenly, dispatching of it without even taking time to notice what it was -- ground squirrel, he thought, or woodchuck -- and snatched it up in his jaws, turning tail and loping toward Seraphin's den.
He was feeling a little silly. He had a few days left until he had to worry about the pups arriving, he thought, and after all Seraphin was likely not starving to death within her den, she was well provided for...but still. It suddenly seemed like the single most important thing in his life to deliver this woodchuck to the mother of his children, a singular token of his commitment to his family.
That the first sound he heard upon approach to her den was a cry of pain, then, threw him into action. Suddenly terrified, he burst into the den, the snack flung haphazardly into the corner, and he rushed up to her, violet eyes wide, whimper caught in his throat as his words spilled out of him in frantic speech. "Seraphin! Oh, gods! What's wrong? Is everything alright? What do I need to do? Are you okay?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2010 10:29 pm
A flash of anger crossed her eyes as Iosef came barging in. He of course had ever right to be here and to be concerned for her welfare but damnit she was in no mood for it. This whole giving birth thing bloody well hurt. "Do I look okay, you ninny!" She half screamed at him, partially because of her anger and partially because of the horrible pain of the contraction. Growling slightly she pushed once more, claws digging into the dirt. Only this time she was rewarded for her efforts as the first pup came into the world. Widened eyes looked to Iosef for a moment and then turned to the pup.
Gingerly she picked up the pup, setting it down on her forelegs and began to lick it clean. Slowly the pup turned from a dark, wet blob into a mint colored bundle with tan and black speckled paws...and was a female. A smile crossed her maw and she set the pup at her side then looked up at Iosef. "We have a daughter." Relief washed over her that the pup was healthy, gender didn't matter so much right now as the pups health did. The pain was building again, but for the moment Seraphin could enjoy her firstborn. A daughter that with any luck would bring Iosef great honor.
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Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 1:18 am
His ears folded back and he assumed a position of total humiliation, whimpering a little. "Sorry," he said, quickly, and looked miserable and confused.
He was about to ask something else -- to find some way, some how, to make himself useful -- when he realized what, exactly, was happening. His eyes widened, watching as she cleaned the pup, staring in complete glossy-eyed disbelief at the life he watched being brought into the world before his eyes.
"A daughter," he echoed, voice suddenly choked with emotions he couldn't put words to, tears welling in his eyes. He was glad no one else was here to see him in his weakness.
Meekly -- partially disbelieving -- he fell to his belly and crawled forward, as though taking a position of reverence to Seraphin and the miracle she had just created. If his sisters could see him, they would surely laugh at the spectacle he had created....but Iosef couldn't help it. Being the youngest of his siblings, and having been a slave all his life, Iosef had never once had the occasion to watch life come into the world before, and it had completely shattered him with its awe-inspiring power.
And the realization that this puppy, this tiny, living, breathing creature....was part his....it was almost too much to fathom. How was it that Iosef, something dirty and worthless, could partake in the creation of something so singularly perfect, so amazing, so beautiful and well-formed? It blew his mind to even consider it.
"She's beautiful," he whispered, glancing up to meet Seraphin's eyes, asking for permission with his own violet eyes to touch their first born.
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Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 9:20 am
Watching Iosef as he crawled forward, eyes filled with complete awe at the sight of his daughter made Seraphin's eyes well up with tears. She had always known he would be a good father, but seeing that reaction pulled at her heartstrings more than she had expected it to. Nodding slowly Seraphin gave him permission to touch his daughter, she would have watched but the pain was getting worse now so she had to close her eyes in a vain attempt to block it out.
The pain she was experiencing now was easily ten fold what she had felt with the first pup. Was this pup larger than the first? Or was something wrong and her body was trying to tell her so through the pain. She couldn't let that thought get to her, it would only cause panic and that she could not handle right now. As the pain escalated Seraphin pushed once more, she managed to hold back any sound of pain but the look on her face was a clear sign of just what she felt. After a few moments a pup arrived. Blowing a slight sigh of relief Seraphin went to pick up the pup when an even greater pain raked her body. This time she did cry out, for it hurt too much to hold back.
Another large push and a second pup came, only a few short moments after the last one. Seraphin was shocked and after some deep breaths picked up one pup, setting it on her front paws and then picked up the other, placing it beside it's sibling. Carefully she washed the two off, taking note of how awfully similar their coats were. In fact, now that they were both completely clean she could see their coats were identical. Twins!
"Iosef...look." Placing the two pups beside their daughter for him to get a clear look at them. There was no mistaking that they were in fact twins. "Twin boys." Watching the two new boys lie beside their sister Seraphin was amazed. "I have heard it say that twins are good luck."
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Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 10:06 am
Iosef touched his nose to his eldest daughter, all the world around him seeming to stop for a moment as he tried to truly comprehend the fact that, beneath his nose, was a future warrioress, the redemption of his worthless blood.
He was interrupted in his thoughts, however, by Seraphin's cry of pain, and a sympathetic whine escaped him without his meaning to. He never realized the whole process hurt so bad! It seemed awful to force someone through something like this, considering how minimal his own contribution had been in comparison. No wonder males were the weaker sex....
"Twins?" He echoed, feeling a bit dim-witted with each less-than-brilliant thing that escaped his lips; he couldn't help it, his mind was completely swimming and overwhelmed. "...And boys..." He blinked, staring down at the pups now inches from his nose as well, curled up alongside their sister. It was shocking to see that fur, that pelt so much like his own...but the spackled markings around their eyes belying the identity of their mother.
His tail thumped as he tentatively licked between the ears of each of his sons, heart bursting with pride, mind immediately springing to life with dreams of the two newest, greatest and most loyal slaves to Antianeira....
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Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 10:44 am
Laying her head down Seraphin was exhausted, but rest was not to be rewarded to her just yet as she knew at least one more pup was yet to come. Perhaps this next one would be their last and then she could sleep a bit. Eyes watched Iosef greet his newest pups as she prepared herself for another one to be brought into the world. Only this time she wasn't riddled with extreme pain. Oh it still hurt, but it was nothing compared to what she had just gone through with the twins.
Taking a deep breath Seraphin pushed, closing her eyes. It did not take much to bring this pup into the world. Picking up the pup she set out cleaning it off as well. This pup, another female, looked a great deal like her father, only instead of tan she had mint colored splotches which were complimented greatly by the black and white. "Another daughter." She whispered and set the pup down with her siblings.
Eyes swept over the four pups, two girls and two boys, each a good mix of the parents. She hoped that their daughters would indeed bring Iosef great honor by becoming warriors and their sons would do well to serve the sisters are best they could. Letting out a content sigh Seraphin laid her head on her shoulder so that she could watch the pups and Iosef as well as rest a bit. The pain was all but gone, and from the looks of it they would only have four pups, but it was a good number and she was happy.
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Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 10:55 am
"They're perfect," he said, voice low and soft. He watched with extreme interest as the mint-calico female was cleaned, his smile spread so far up his maw now that he seemed to be grinning like a maniac. Is this how all fathers felt, he wondered?
Well, not his father, he thought. His father had never had the opportunity...just like so many other males who had granted their genes to the Antianeira pack. He wondered, just for a moment, how much he resembled his own father, and if he would have been this proud if he had been present for the birth...but that was a dangerous road to walk down in his thoughts, and he firmly pushed the whole concept from his mind.
He glanced over Seraphin, seeing her body at peace, and his tail thumped again. Meekly, half-expecting to be chased out of the den for his inquiry, he asked, "...Four, then?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 11:19 am
Closing her eyes for a moment Seraphin tried to determine if her body held anymore small lives within it. It didn't seem so, the pain had completely left her and her once swollen side was much smaller now, though it would take some time before she was back to her normal size. She was done, she was certain of it. "Yes, four." Her eyes remained closed as she was very tired but she was attentive to the sounds of her pups.
They were a family now, and though it had been hard on her this last little bit, it had certainly been well worth it. Soon she would be able to fulfill her role of pack nanny again, and it would mean she could watch her pups as well as the others. That got her thinking, with her four, the Queen's six and Thealia's two...oh dear, that was a lot of puppies for a single pair of eyes to watch. Seraphin told herself that she would manage somehow.
Opening her eyes Seraphin looked at Iosef with happiness. The way he so lovingly and carefully touched each pup showed just how good of a father he would be. And just think when his sons were older they would get to spend a good chunk of the day with him learning how to serve the sisters. And their daughters would train to be warriors, hopefully Varia would not treat them harshly because of who their parents were.
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Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 11:26 am
"Four," he repeated happily, settling into a slightly more comfortable position. He smiled up at Seraphin, and wondered if he was supposed to do something. Congratulate her. Comfort her. Show her his affection, in some way. It wasn't his first impulse -- his first impulse was to snuggle in next to his four beautiful, perfect puppies -- but perhaps she was expecting it.
Suddenly, things seemed very awkward again.
He rose back up to a seated position, and glanced over his shoulder to the discarded woodchuck...or ground squirrel...whatever that was. "...Hungry?" he offered, with a meek tail thump.
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Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 12:08 pm
She watched Iosef closely, he seemed a bit hesitant, like on that night so long ago when these lives had been created. It pained her slightly that he was not fully comfortable with things, but knowing his secret let her understand why. Still she had hoped for something out of him just now. Eyes moved to the small carcass then back to Iosef. "Perhaps later." She smiled, not wanting to think she didn't appreciate the offer, but food was not top on her priority list right now.
Right now she just wanted to rest, enjoy her pups and Iosef's company. "Iosef..." She was about to tell him to come a lay down with her, she so desperately wanted him by her side right now, but a sudden a sharp pain ran the entire length of her side. Odd. Perhaps it was just her body settling after birthing four pups. But no, there is was again. What was going on? Something was wrong, but she didn't want to frighten Iosef. Pushing the pain to the back of her mind she motioned for Iosef to join her for she did not trust her voice at this moment.
It didn't take long for the pain to come back. She tried desperately to hide it but soon it overwhelmed her. Flopping onto her side Seraphin let out a whimper, though she wanted to scream. Then suddenly a wave of pain washed over her and her muscles tightening, trying to curl her into a ball. Seraphin fought the action, for fear of hurting the little ones that lay at her side. Something moved within her and without really giving it much thought she braced herself and pushed. When a fifth pup came from her she was completely shocked. Her body had told her there were no more and yet here was this new life. Grunting a bit Seraphin rolled into a half laying position so that she could grab this new pup.
Washing the pup off the colors came through as a good chunk of hers and Iosef's, though the pup mostly had Iosef's markings with a bit of her own around the paws and tail. When the pup was fuly cleaned she set him with his siblings at her side, most of which were wiggling back up against her as her earlier move had pushed them back a bit. "Five." Her voice was weary but that was to be expected given what she had just went through. Eyes moved to Iosef, now more than ever she wanted some show of love and affection from him, but would be do so without being told.
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Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 10:17 pm
He perked at the sound of his name, and leaned forward slightly, suddenly extremely uneasy -- but was interrupted by her sudden change in manner. Eyes narrowing suspiciously, he began to speak, and then recoiled at her cry.
He was on his paws within moments, every muscle in him screaming to run for help, that Seraphin was obviously dying -- but then, he caught a glimpse of a nose and realized what was happening.
Shaking like a leaf, he stumbled back to his haunches, not trusting himself to stand. this birth thing was entirely too stressful for him.
"...Is he okay?" He asked, creeping closer, sniffing at the newest arrival, afraid that the delay in birth was a sign of something terrible. Then, not quite as an afterthought, he lifted his eyes to Seraphin. "....and are you okay?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 10:34 pm
She was done now, of that she was certain, without a doubt in her mind, there would be no more pups to surprise her. Eyes moved from Iosef to the pups, they were all nursing, even the newest arrival. Occasionally a small squeak came from one or they would jostle slightly with each other to be closer to her warmth - all completely normal things that healthy pups should be doing. "He is okay, they are all okay."
Sighing she raised her eyes back up to Iosef. "I am fine, tired though." It was clear to her that she would indeed need to tell Iosef that she needed some sort of comfort from him. The ordeal of birthing these pups had been hard on her. "Iosef...please lay with me. I need you beside me." It was more of a pleading request than an order, but that was because Seraphin hated being overly forceful with him - just because the pack said she outranked him didn't mean she had to treat him poorly. In the quiet and secrecy of the den, they could be, if only for a few moments, equals.
The sounds of their pups was music to her ears and it helped to calm any fears that she may have felt at this moment. It soothed her heart and mind to know that they had created these lives together, even if at times Iosef's heart wasn't completely hers. That was fine, for he had made a promise to her countless times, that he would be here for her and be whatever she needed him to be. And at this very moment she just needed his support, his softness and some of his love.
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