and, when the friendly sunshine smil'd,
and she would mark the opening skies,
i saw no Heaven—but in her eyes
Autumn was slowly working its way into the world. Days were still relatively warm, but evenings were cool and the leaves were beginning to shift from their vibrant greens into the fiery colors of fall. Pregnancy was… an adventure, Eulalie had decided. She doubted many woman enjoyed carrying around the extra weight, and her belly for sure had grown quite large over time, but to know that she carried around with her life... it was terrifying and humbling.
The ivory woman glanced over at Somnus, who walked faithfully by her side, and she smiled. She was tired, as was no doubt expected, but she was happy. He had been true to his word, that he would be there for her through it all, and Eulalie had quickly found her feelings for him growing deeper through every passing day.
It was a peaceful morning in the court, with soft, gilded sunlight filtering down through the streets and a gentle, whispering breeze brushing over her skin. She had wanted some fresh air, wanted the chance to just enjoy a moment with the man who had, quite honestly, stolen her heart. They walked slowly, taking their time and setting a leisurely pace. Time, however, had a different plan.
The first contraction was a shock, unexpected, but not entirely awful. She breathed past it, pushing it away, but when it came back stronger a second time it was like a bolt shooting through her body—such that she stopped walking suddenly. “Somnus…” Eulalie looked toward him, brown eyes searching, “Somnus, I think,” another contraction, sharp and acute, “the baby.” When he came to her, she reached out for him, wanting him at her side. Things seemed to happen quickly after that, or perhaps a lot of it had been blurred out by the sheer agony.
Her leaning against Somnus as each contraction passed, the warmth of his body helping her to relax. Him calling out for a caretaker, the sound of his voice enveloping her. As the labor progressed, draining her energy, Eulalie laid down in the courtyard. Her sides rose and fell quickly and and fine sheen formed over her coat as the contractions grew closer together, stronger. It was a pain that even her years in slavery could not prepare her for, and each breath gasped past her lips.
She pushed, and she ground her teeth together against the cries that wanted to escape her, and her coat grew dark with sweat. Even when the foal slipped free and came to rest on the ground and Eulalie thought that it was done, it did not end. The contractions continued, the pain never dampening, and for a moment she wondered if something was horribly, horribly wrong.
At last, and with a final push, there came another foal. When Eulalie could finally catch her breath she looked over the two small creatures laying there with her and she could not believe it. “Twins,” her chest expanded, shuddering, and she could not help the tears that rolled down her cheeks, though these did not come at the cost of pain. No, they paired with a smile, “Oh, Somnus,” she cried gently, standing, legs shaking, reaching out for him again, pressing her muzzle to his.
Then, she stepped toward her children and gently brushed her nose over them, making sure they were alright. Children, there were two. She was a mother, not only of one beautiful life but of two. “A boy, and a girl,” she said, her tired brown eyes meeting Somnus’ verdant green, as she carefully nudged them, encouraging them to their long, gangly legs. They looked complete opposites, the boy darker than his sister, and smaller, where she was golden ivory and considerably bigger. Both sported a nub of a horn in the middle of their foreheads and soft, downy feathered wings.
Though she worried for her son’s size, she could not help but be overwhelmed with joy. No matter what, whatever obstacles they may face, she knew they would do it together. She had a family now… a well and true family, like she once would never have believed was possible. Oh, how so much had changed and would never be the same. There was a great big world opening up in front of her, in front of all of them, and she would never go back again.
All my loves <3 @Somnus @Regis @Anemone Welcome to all if you'd like to respond, but please allow the family to post first!
06-20-2018, 04:14 PM
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Sparrow [PM] Posts: 196 — Threads: 34 Signos: 25
The day had quickly gone from one of attempted relaxation to one of terror.
Somnus had never felt so useless or stricken with uncertainty as he was when Eulalie was overcome by pain in the midst of their stroll, forced onto her knees as the pains of labor began to overtake her. The dunalino stayed close, letting her lean upon him. As she reached for him, he reached back, pressing his muzzle against the unnatural warmth of her skin. “Eulalie, breathe darling. Breathe. You can do this. I’m here.” He had no doubts that she could. She had survived so much thus far in her life, terrible and difficult as it had been… Somnus had no doubt she would overcome.
Upon his spine, Alba fluttered about nervously, her anxiety filtering between their bond. ’The foal!’ She cried, clearly worried for the welfare of not only the child within, but for Eulalie as well. The barn owl had grown quite close to the ivory maiden, and like her bond-mate, loathed that there was nothing she could do to help. Somnus, knowing Alba’s distress, quickly ordered her into action.
“Alba, get Ulric. Get Po. Get Pavetta. We need a caretaker! Quickly!” The barn owl, her command given, quickly swooped into the sky with rapidly beating wings, but Somnus did not watch her part. The dunalino’s verdant eyes, wide with fear and concern, focused once more on the quivering form of ivory and gold at his side.
Legs buckling, Somnus let himself fall in an uncharacteristically graceless action to the ground, so that he was pressed against Eulalie’s side. The unnatural warmth radiated from her skin, her body surely struggling from the onslaught of labor, but he did not pull away. “I’m here. I’m here, darling.”
What followed seem to take forever. There was nothing that he could do except remain a steady and strong support, allowing Eulalie to lean her sweaty, exhausted body against him and hold her up. The groans and cries that left her lips tore at his heart, and he prayed to Oriens for some form of relief for the mare that had stolen his heart. Please. Please, Wise One, I beg you. Please. Help her. Guard her life and the life of our child. Please. Her agony tore at him, but Somnus swallowed against his stress and emotions, wanting to be a stoic, stalwart rock of strength for her to rely on. Soon enough, a damp little foal arrived, their color marred by the wetness that came with birth. A smile slowly blossomed across the Dawn King’s lips, feeling proud and breathless. A child. The child had arrived! “Eulalie…” But instead of relief upon her brow, Somnus took note that not all was as it should be. Her expression was pinched and distraught, her body still shaking in the throng of contractions, and his relief quickly turned to worry once more. What was happening…?
As it turned out, there was a second child. Another foal. Twins. Twins? Oriens’ beard, twins?! The second foal was a gangly, small thing, clearly dwarfed by its sibling. Upon closer inspection, it became obvious; they had been blessed with one filly and one colt. The filly had been born first, her brother following only moments behind, and Somnus’ heart beat rapidly with lingering adrenaline and adoration.
“Twins,” he echoed Eulalie’s words, admiring the two foals with adoration, before his eyes drifted to meet upon the warrior’s earthen gaze, “Eulalie… Oh, my darling. You did wonderfully, love. Please, take it easy.” Yet when she made to stand, Somnus allowed her, quickly standing upright as well to steady her in case she was not yet prepared to stand on her own. He stood over his little family, marveling at the twins’ tiny, downy wings and their horns that were nothing but nubs, and he reached out to nuzzle both of them.
“I suppose it was a good thing we picked out two names, hm?” Not knowing what their child would be, he and Eulalie had picked two names in the case of a son or a daughter. Who knew that they would have been graced with both?
“Little Anemone, little Regis... Eulalie, they’re perfect.”
you feel the gentle whoosh of your mother’s heartbeat, the soft whirring of her stride as she walks. you are only disturbed occasionally by the gentle bump of your brother against you; and it’s alright. he makes it alright. because he is safe too.
but then there is something that squeezes your sides, her sides, and you feel the walls of your home closing in on you. you kick, and you would scream too if someone could hear you, but it’s no use. the womb has given the eviction notice and you’re due out time: n o w.
it’s a shame, really. your mother was comfort, she was your world – and now suddenly that world is replaced with bright colors and loud noises. you feel the ground beneath you; solid, no longer humming with the gentle presence of her. you are alone, it is heart wrenching and catastrophic all in one. eulalie… you hear her name on your father’s lips like a breathless whisper. you’ve heard that voice before, muffled of course, but it was a constant source of solace while you were safe.
you gather these newly discovered limbs beneath you, attempting to push against them and rise above the dirt. it’s a hard thing to do; to learn how to walk just moments after you’ve been catapulted into a world that is so different than what you’ve known. but it is necessary, something in your bones urges you on-ward. it takes a minute or so, but before long you are standing on shaky stilts – watching your mother heave with effort and your father’s brow pinch with worry. he is golden, like you, like the sky now shifting from dark to light. and you soak in his presence for just one moment before your attention is directed at the heaving sides of your ivory mother (like the clouds overhead, soft and beautiful).
you are not alone for long; regis slips into this new world with a forceful shove. it’s easy to understand why he’s smaller for you; he didn’t get enough, something happened to him that you can only vaguely piece together – just barely there in the back of your mind. now though, you are left only watching him before you feel yourself take a tender step towards him, the baby pink of your lips pressing against the crook of his neck.
we are safe now.
"speech."
@Regis + @eulalie + @Somnus
sorry for the crap post but i wanted to get this doneee
All he knows is warmth and darkness, the comforting closeness of his sister and the tender, but muffled sound of his mother’s voice.
He’s content here, but soon, everything begins to change - an intense pressure and then his sister is gone, but it isn’t long before he follows quietly in her stead.
The sunlight stings his virgin eyes before they’re even open, the sickly sweet aroma of the flowers planted alongside the citadel invading his nostrils as they drink the air for the first time. His tiny frame trembles from where he lay as most newborn foals tended to do, but his legs didn’t immediately unfurl from where they were tucked up against his chest and belly.
He hears voices, familiar ones, and oh does he wish to seek them out, yet... when he shifts and reaches his tiny, wet, blackened muzzle out, searching for the comforting touch of his sister, his body refuses to cooperate. His eyes, one of radiant green and the other a bright, wondrous blue searches his immediate surroundings and within it, he finds the one who’s been there with him since conception.
His sister’s nose is a comforting pressure against his damp neck, and it isn’t long before his parents prod him in a similar fashion. Their touch, too, is comforting and reassuring. It urges him to move and join them, and move he does, but the boy manages only to get a single front leg put out in front of himself. His head bobs up and down as he fights with himself, back gangly back legs kicking out and then coiling as he attempts to position them correctly. And he does, but when he puts in the effort to actually push himself up, he only manages to get his narrow, quaking hind-end up into the air for a few precious moments before he goes toppling over completely.
With a gentle huff, the colt pulls the tangle of his legs close and presses his nose into the soft dirt beneath him. Where most would be driven by instinct to try again, to rise up and survive, Regis is oddly content to remain. Perhaps it would be better to stay here, anyway…? It’s comfortable here, and he’s still able to see his beloved sister of creamy ivory, his father of superlative gold, as well as his sweet mother, warm and radiant like the sun shining above them. That was all that mattered.
Aim your arrow at the sky and leave me where I lie
and then you put your hand in mine
and pulled me back from things divine
For Delumine’s Warden, dawn typically marked the end of his day. When the sun was nowhere in sight and the moon reigned supreme in the star studded sky was when Ulric set out, taking a trek about the boundaries that marked the land as their own. Then, at the first sign of light, the roan would begin his journey back to the citadel in order to rest, then repeat the procedure the following day every day.
This morning, however, would prove to be different.
A cry from above drew his gaze skyward, his brow quickly growing pinched when he spotted Alba’s approaching form. It was unusual behavior for the owl, and already Ulric’s feet were moving at a quicker pace beneath him, carrying him ever closer to the citadel in the near distance. “Alba,” he spoke the name of Somnus’ companion, an uncanny feeling that something just wasn’t right creeping up on him and causing his skin to prickle with fear. The owl of course could not speak to him, but one look into her unsettled eyes and Ulric knew he needed to go.
His limbs were a blur of movement as they carried him to the citadel faster than he had ever gone before. Were they under attack? Was somebody hurt? His mind was rampant with all the things it could be, but a sharp inhale and the warrior did his best to push each of those ideas away. Now was not the time for clouded judgement nor jumping to conclusions, even if Alba’s uncharacteristic behavior had been deeply upsetting.
Following the owl, Ulric rounded a corner of the citadel and there before him lay not just Eulalie, but Somnus as well. Coming to a halt, the confusion wrought across his face lasted only a moment before it sloughed away to reveal shock. She had gone into labor, perhaps not in the most convenient or private of places, but at least here she and the coming child would be safe. He would make sure of that.
Turning his back as to give the family their privacy throughout the ordeal, Ulric stood vigilant guard, assuring none ventured too close or became nosy unless ushered here by Alba herself. It was only when he heard Eulalie and Somnus speak in gentle voices behind him that the Warden was certain it was over, but what he heard was something he hadn’t even considered until now; twins?
Shifting his weight, the roan turned to face the new family and was in awe by what he saw. Eulalie and Somnus were certainly parents now, not to just one new, precious life, but two. A smile, genuine and free broke out across his face and he took a hushed step towards them only when he was certain the action would be welcome. His eyes roamed the small forms of Delumine’s latest residents; the Princess is pale gold and ivory, one of her wings taking on a blue hue while the other is hoary in appearance. Then there’s the Prince, darker in coloring with wings resembling his father’s own, and much, much smaller in stature. His lips draw back in mild worry, but he knew next to nothing of children, let alone about twins. He didn’t know what was considered normal and what wasn’t.
“Looks like all that waiting was worth it,” he remarked with a smile towards the newly marked parents, “Congratulations. If Pavetta isn’t here soon, I’ll be sure to find her or somebody else. Is-... is there anything I can do?”
She had flown; over hill and creek and through the forest, thorns tearing at her skin. Alba had found her grazing lazily in the meadow near the castle and had reprimanded her sharply with her talons. While Pavetta told herself she was looking for medicinal herbs and roots, really she had been relaxing, taking the day off. Much had happened as of late and she wished for some time to herself. She had spent the night under the stars, alone, swam in the spring, and grazed the freshest, greenest grass she could find as a unicorn ought to. When Alba had descended from the sky, Pavetta knew not all was right with Somnus. She had only stopped at her cave to equip her medicinal satchel and healing supplies.
“I’m here,” Pavetta said breathlessly as she arrived on scene, her medicine bag stuffed full with muscle relaxers and soothing herbs. “Out of the way,” she said roughly, but not unkindly as she shouldered past the stricken onlookers in the street.Too late. The children were beautiful, slick and bright. Healthy. They blinked, slow and alert, taking in their new environment, their entire new world. Twins. A rare, beautiful sight indeed.
Pavetta paced carefully to Eulalie’s side and nodded respectfully to Somnus. “How are you feeling, darling? Would you like anything to relax? Your body is exhausted but I see your mind remains strong; that is good” Pavetta said softly, nudging her damp neck gently. Hot, feverish, but not altogether unwell. She was alert and bright-eyed—signs that brought a heavy sigh of relief from Pavetta. “It’s Pavetta, I’m here,” she repeated, soothing—but who was she soothing? Eulalie, or herself? What if something had gone terribly wrong? Pavetta did not have much experience in childbirth and to be in the thick of it was overwhelming, all consuming.
“I should have been by your sides sooner.” She looked to Somnus; guilt-wracked. While the new mother shuddered with exhaustion, she was not immediately at risk and Somnus was attentive to her every need. Pavetta moved to the children next, examining them closely for blocked airways or lackluster eyes—searching for any sign of weakness that could claim them in the coming days and trying desperately to remember her training, the long nights she had spent with the midwife of the priestesses. They would stand soon, encouraged by their mother, searching for the colostrum that would give them more life, energy, and the strength to endure. Regis and Anemone.
“You have done so well, Eulalie.” Pavetta gave her one last encouraging nudge to the cheek, and then stepped quietly away to Ulric's side (who was worrying and fussing like a mother hen), ready and waiting should she desire any relaxing medicinal herbs or other assistance, but proud and happy to witness the new family greeting each other for the first time.
a pearl in pigshit, a diamond on the finger of a rotting corpse,
creature in whom nothing, but nothing, remains of an elven woman ---
