In the middle of the night, she wakes, an uneasy feeling in her belly. Extracting herself from @Thana's embrace, she begins to pace their little burrow as quietly as she can. Eventually, though, she finds herself chuffing - soft at first, and then frantic as her first contraction hits. Thana, she whimpers, panting. Thana, they're coming! Knowing her sister has been nearby since Thana had met her, she releases a quick call for Sonni, too, panting from fear and stress.

Shaking nervously, terror mounting as her contractions strengthen, she continues to pace, her breaths rushed and frightened sounding. Where's Sonni? Oh, spirits, she whimpers, shaking her head helplessly, curled mane bouncing. Thana, she moans, turning to stare frantically at her friend. I'm so afraid for them. Her sides still haven't grown swollen, or if they have, it's a minute change; not enough to notice. It makes her extra fearful, because shouldn't she have gotten bigger? What if they're not ready yet?

Pastel Princess

code by corvus | image by wombo.art

MEET ME WHERE THE FALLING STARS LIVE

"What's the matter? Who's coming?" The dark lioness was on her feet in an instant, bristled towards the entrance of the cave.

The cave that had grown much, much cozier since Momo's arrival. She'd been hunting nearly every day, more for pelts than for food, and had amassed quite the collection.

It took the guard dog several moments to figure out that she meant the cubs, and when she did- oh god.

"Momo, settle down, you're okay. They're okay." She knew they were, how many times had they both felt the little cubs kick? She forced herself to relax, took a deep breath, and put her head over Momo's shoulders, trying to calm her. "Hey hey hey, it's okay. Breathe, I'm right here."

I WILL WAIT FOR YOU DAY AND NIGHT

code by corvus

ooc: bein a little vague bc idk what's goin on fjfnfkfk if anythin needs changed tho just lmk

She had lied.

@Mononoke had said she would not leave. Not him, not the band, and not this little family they've cobbled together in the forest. But she had disappeared, seemingly run off by something Gawain had said. His mate had seemed confused and hurt, but Elijah knew why. It was because of him, and that stung, but her absence stung more. He'd told her he loved her and then, she had abandoned them after saying she wouldn't.

She had lied.

So when they are woken up in the middle of the night by screaming monkeys, a scarred woman barking at them, he is hardly enthused. Any other time he might have recognized @Sonnilion from momo's stories about her but at that moment she is a stranger. It's not okay but it is, because she says Momo needs help. Not only that, but she is actively in labor. Labor with... babies. Momo was having cubs. there is a disconnect there in his brain as he struggles to process this while being roused from sleep, but there isn't much time to sit and deliberate. He knows better than to follow a stranger but with @Gawain at his side, he feels comfortable enough -- albeit frantic and very frazzled.

He has the wherewithal to grab his go-bag of healing herbs ( but does not think to grab anything specifically for labor, as he is too shocked to truly think of it ), hustling to keep pace with the red lioness. I don't understand, he says to neither of them in particular -- voice breaking with anxious panic as they follow Sonni back through the jungle, to the grove, and as they grow closer the smell hits him. This woman, Sonni, was not lying -- and Elijah doesn't know how to feel about that. Doesn't have much time to decide, either, as they come to the den rather quickly. He does not so much as pause before moving in, knowing that her well-being and health would always outweigh whatever lingered between them.

Eyes widening, and then narrowing.

The first thing he notes is Momo, lying prone and panicked. Probably in pain, and clearly in labor. He goes to move to her side but freezes, just a step or so inside the den. Because -- momo isn't alone. There is a lioness curled tight around her, half a shadow herself. But there is something about her and before his mind recognizes @Thana his body does. The parcel of herbs slips from his mouth as his body stiffens, hackles raising up -- a low snarl rumbling from deep in his chest.

It is not a sound that should ever come from him.

A part of him, maybe, knows that this isn't the time nor place for it. That there are bigger things at stake here than Thana. But he cannot look away from her, curled so easily around Momo, shushing her as if she has any right. Get away from her, Elijah says, his voice frigid steel -- hardly the shy little medic anymore. Instead his throat burns inside and out, the feeling of her claws against his jugular still fresh. It's not a hard leap to imagine her doing the same thing to Momo, right now, and his heart pounds in his chest, tail whipping at his ankles in fury. Now. or I will make you. he would drag her from this den if he had to.

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The sound of @Sonnilion waking them had him up immediately. Groggy, of course, panicked a bit, but he knew who Sonni was and attempted to explain it to @Elijah a bit on the journey. Not that he would necessarily catch on, just as a sleepy effort. Momo being pregnant was about the last thing on his mind, but now that he thought about it he supposed it made sense. Who was the father though? He knew it wasn't him, and highly doubted it was Phantom. Eli, then. Or a stranger. He offered a kiss to Eli's cheek as they traveled. He may not be the cleverest, but he could certainly tell when his husband was upset. He was, too- he was still convinced that @Mononoke was angry with him for some unknown offense. They arrived at the den and noticed the smell of another before they saw her. "Thana?" He'd known Alva was here, so Thana couldn't be far behind. But Eli's reaction certainly wasn't expected. He saw the way Thana, too, puffed up at their arrival, curling protectively over her as if they were a threat. And then, the confusion that fractured across her face when she recognized Eli, and the hurt that followed at it's heels. Gawain put an arm around Eli, more of a protective gesture than an attempt to hold him back at all. "Eli? What's happening?"

code by irish

mononoke yōsei lupai

---

like fragile tiny shells, drifting in the foamOOC; Will post Sonni later, wanna get the babies born asap! Pls assume Sonni is here just kinda eyeballing the chaos atm. Edited multiple times to fix various Problems -_- Site ate some of my paragraphs lmao.

Her sister arrives - followed by @Elijah and @Gawain. Dismay and shock are written clearly across Momo's features, and then pain - their drama will have to wait, because with a scream of pain, Momo starts to bring new life into the world. No fighting, she gasps, her pupil dilating until there is only the thinnest sliver of petal left.

Her fangs come out in force, instincts screaming at her to protect her cubs. You don't fight near my babies. This comes out as a guttural snarl much more in character for Sonnilion than for Mononoke, and at the moment, pixie features are contorted into a warning aimed at everyone present. With another cry, she pushes her second ever son into the world.

He is black, like @Thana, and seems to possess her starry markings as well. The dorsal, though? That's all Elijah's doing. Terror suffuses her, and she licks frantically at the babe. He's so small, smaller than he ought to be, and it makes her afraid. I didn't want you here for this, she says, her voice breaking. If they - if... if they don't make it - I didn't want you to have to endure it.

She knows better than to ask any of them to leave at this point, though - they're not going to. When the boy finally gives a loud, screeching cry, the relief is evident on her features. Quickly, she brings him to her belly and coaxes him to nurse, tears slipping down her face. Please, she whispers, as the contractions start anew. Please make it.

It's a heartbroken plea, but then out comes a pink babe that has her blinking a startled eye for several seconds. Shaking herself out of the shock, she repeats the grooming process until he, too, gives an angry scream of protest at being removed from her womb. Tucking him alongside the first, noticing that his wings are much more expansive than hers - fly, sweet baby, fly higher than I ever could - she lets out a relieved breath as he begins to nurse.

Terror is written across her face again, however, as another set of contractions begins. Her gaze finds Elijah, and there is wild desperation there - grief, already, though she knows not the outcome of this final child. Closing her eye, she pushes - and out comes a silvery babe, clearly born of her lineage but sharing characteristics of his father's, too. Quickly, she grooms, not satisfied until he gives a cry, and then places him alongside his strawberry brother.

For a long moment, all is well - until she scents blood. More blood than there ought to be, anyways. Looking at herself, she gives a low gasp. It's not terrible, but certainly she will need attended; though small, the trio of cubs had been difficult to birth, and her body reflects that. Sweating, anguished, she keeps looking back down at the babies - tense and still absolutely terrified. So small, she whispers, both titillated and horrified by the precious babies at her belly.

Small like him, she whispers. Sonni starts to step closer, and Momo's head whips up, a vicious snarl escaping - and a paw swiping towards her older sibling. It's a clear warning, even as Momo's expression turns mortified seconds later. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just - space, please. I've never... I've never felt like this before. But then, she hadn't been raw and terrified of loss the only other time she'd given birth; her own fears make her more volatile in this moment than she would otherwise have been.

I can't - how do you control this - this - instinct? Deadly claws curl out from her paws repeatedly, her watchful gaze wandering over every present individual, assessing them all as threats even as she knows none of them would ever hurt her. I don't understand why I'm so on edge. It's another apology, but her claws keep flexing - she doesn't even realize she's doing it, an unconscious threat display to keep everyone away from the cubs.

code by corvus

MEET ME WHERE THE FALLING STARS LIVE

Thana backed herself against the wall, tension evident in every motion. She kept her eyes fixed on the men who had entered her den, their den. This was supposed be be a place of safety. Her gaze turned to @Sonnilion. Had she betrayed them?

She knew she couldn't be a comfort in this moment, so she kept quiet, unwilling to exacerbate the fight that was pushing at the fraying edges of her nerves. @Elijah, the little medic that she was supposed to have killed... that they told her they had tortured and killed for her insolence... he wasn't the type to kill a cub, right? She didn't recognize the man next to him, but he knew her. How? HOW? Her teeth were bared as she kept silent, looking more like a caged animal than any sort of threat. She hated herself for her weakness, her inability to just stand over @Mononoke regardless of her words. But she couldn't, wouldn't go against a direct request. Not from Momo.

It took a while for Momo's words to process. She wasn't... afraid of the men. She was afraid of the impact that losing the cubs would have on them.

What?

They weren't... a threat? But they were two males! How could they not be? Why were they... so close?

Eli's words had her looking like a kicked puppy. She knew what he was thinking. "I... am... sorry. I never wanted... any of that. Any more than you did." Her words were barely a whisper. She had hurt him to keep him alive. He had given her hope. But she couldn't possibly expect him to understand that. He couldn't possibly know what they had planned for him if she hadn't done that.

She turned to Momo, now, still pressed against the wall, no less tense than she had been. "Do you need me to get you anything?" Her tone was still soft, subdued. She'd been wrong, this whole time. The men weren't the problem, she was. She had taken her from her home, set her up here... she'd taken her from her family. And she wasn't sure how to move forward.

I WILL WAIT FOR YOU DAY AND NIGHT

code by corvus

An annoyed snarl pulls from his muzzle, glancing to gawain as he puts an arm around for only a second. The brunette is confused when he should be furious and that sparks something in Elijah's chest -- fury rising when it should be quieted by the recognition. Of course gawain knows her, though, because: She's from darkstone. He snarls, spits -- the explanation clear, at least to him. But to his mounting dismay ( and growing panic ) no one seems to care. Momo is vulnerable, and in pain, and there's nothing he can do.

He won't go near her, not when Thana is there. And the others won't do anything about it.

His head turns, looking back to thana, narrowed eyes watching her. Expecting her to lunge and rip and tear at any moment. You need to leave. Now. He repeats, claws scrabbling on the den floor -- unable to keep himself from glancing to @Mononoke. She needs him ( no she does not ), she is in pain, she needs help. He snarls, frustrated and scared, terrified of losing Momo ( haven't you already? ), still keeping still.


Thana speaks, an apology, but he does not hear. Acknowledges it but flattens his ears as he stares. Then his muzzle turns, pointedly, to Sonni: If you love her sister, you will get her out. Before it gets too far, before its top late. But it already is, momo snarling and hisses -- doing all the work herself with no assistance. Isn't that what she wanted, though? She's holed herself up here with a darkstone, doesn't immediately shove her away. The labor continues and soon there is a cub -- he sees it, smells it. Nestled against her light fur, dark as a shadow, and his heart breaks -- wanting nothing more than to move to her. Even if she doesn't want him here ( even if she doesn't want him ) he can't, he won't, he doesn't know what to do.

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Gawain was frozen for a moment as he weighed everything that was happening. Eli was... panicking, clearly. Momo was actively giving birth. Thana seemed to be trying to protect her from them. But his alliance was to Eli, before anyone else. Eli, who he loved, who he would do anything for. So he turned to the dark lioness who had pressed herself against the wall. He looked to Sonni for a moment, unsure, before looking back to Thana once more. "Thana, I think you should go, while we figure out what to do." He knew her. She did not know him. He watched her creep along the wall towards the exit then linger there, hesitant, unsure. Waiting. But out of the way. Away from Momo and the cubs. She was still bristled, still ready to jump in and Protect. Then he nudged Eli gently. "Those aren't my cubs," he whispered, because he was pretty sure he knew who they belonged to. He'd never been around a birthing mother, and he was frazzled. He tried to maintain his composure and to do what he could. "I'll keep an eye on her. You take care of Momo." Poor Momo, who was panicking and lashing out and scared, who'd tried to keep this from them to suffer any loss alone. He stepped between Thana and Eli, she wouldn't have a direct line to him, she'd have to go through Gawain before she could touch Eli or Momo. He didn't know how to help here, he'd never experienced anything like this. So he just stood at the ready, waiting to be told.

code by irish

i don't know what's worse:

drowning beneath the waves
or dying from the thirst.

Don't drag me into this, @Elijah - your issues with Thana are not mine. She narrows her gaze on him for a moment, and then relaxes. Still, I say the three of us, she gestures at Thana, Gawain, and herself, go hang outside for a bit. Let you work shit out with Momo and meet your new sons. Oh yes, Sonni knows exactly whose babies these are - if Momo had fallen for Elijah, she wouldn't have slept with anyone else.

Not outside of some sort of extreme circumstance, at least, so Sonni casts Eli a warning glance and then turns to leave the den, gesturing at Thana and Gawain to follow her. Word of advice, kid? She tosses the words back over her shoulder at Eli, her gravel voice kind, When you approach, do your best to avoid looking scary. Got a better chance of avoiding an adrenaline-fueled mauling that way.

With that, she slips out of the den, stubby tail wiggling, posture deceptively calm and relaxed.

- entry & temporary exit -

code by corvus

mononoke yōsei lupai

---

like fragile tiny shells, drifting in the foam
Things have gone all sorts of wrong, and she's a few seconds from screaming at all of them to get out if they can't be civil, but her sister takes care of it for her. Curling defensively around the babies, claws still flexing, she watches her sister exit - tear-drenched features turning then to @Thana and @Gawain to see if they follow. Thana, she says, quietly, her voice breaking. Whatever she'd been under Darkstone's banner, the woman no longer is now; Momo can see that, even if @Elijah cannot.

She seeks to reassure the woman in this moment with her expression; we're okay, I'll find you after this. She knows she can get Eli to come around about Thana. Everyone in Darkstone was forced to do things they hated - she's sure whatever had happened between them was something Thana had been forced into. Still, now isn't the time to try and convince him of the fact, not when she knows he must be raw from her leaving. She'd said she wouldn't - she'd promised - but she hadn't known about the babies then.

She'd left because she'd been frightened, had remained frightened this entire time - had been terrified of losing them, and had decided it was better to break her word than risk Eli having to endure that pain alongside her. If she left, if she hid the truth, then he would never need to know if things went wrong. That had been her plan, anyways, once she'd realized she was pregnant. Turning her face to him again, she says quietly, I've been so scared. It's a soft confession; not a bid for sympathy or understanding, not an excuse, but an explanation.

Scared that you wouldn't want them. Scared that I - that they'd... that it would be Ichirō all over again. I didn't... I didn't want to risk that, didn't want you to go through that. I survived it once, I figured... she trails off and shrugs, looking away. Ashamed - and still afraid. I figured I could live through it again. The last is nearly a whisper, her gaze falling to the babies and her heart shuddering at the thought. No, she thinks, I couldn't go through it again. Still, she hadn't wanted Eli to have to suffer with her if it could be avoided.

I didn't even realize I was pregnant until Thana found me the night after I had a... discussion with Gawain. She mentioned it, and I - she shakes her head, claws flexing harder with her distress level. I completely freaked. As more blood escapes her body, she feels herself growing exhausted - and realizes her adrenaline level has been so high for so long that she's now crashing. Shuddering, her head drops to her paws, but her gaze never leaves the babies she's curled so protectively around.

They all look so wildly different, and only the third one - the silver boy - really looks heavily like Elijah and herself, but she loves them all. They're precious, and when she spots a little mark on the pink boy's nose, she sucks in a surprised breath. Struggling, she picks her head back up off her paws and peers closer at the little baby, eye widening at the heart on his nose. Oh, she whispers, feeling suddenly dizzy. Her body slumps, her head collapsing again, and she blinks up at Eli in clear exhaustion. Come and see them, she murmurs tiredly, if... if you want to.

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