birthing

[Pazuzu]

Gods above I was so nervous. So fucking nervous. Just another first to add to my ever growing list. I didn't want to fuck these beautiful little girls up. I didn't want any of my darkness to trap itself inside their innocent souls. I stood there in the darkness, with the full moon above us. I find the yellow mare's presence a comfort. If anything happens she will keep them safe, she will keep the darkness from planting itself inside them. I knew the others were close, I knew they were watching and waiting. Tycho, Drow, Dara, Zur, and Ryss. My beautiful Ryss.

"For fuck sakes, get your shit together." I mumble to myself and draw my self up. I straighten my back, relax my muscles. I turn a black eye towards Quark. "Ready?" At her nod, I smile a little bit to myself. I draw the magic to us. I pull it from my depths, stirring things that were long better asleep. I struggle with them for a moment, a red sheen crossing my eyes, but I blink it away. It seems as if it lasts forever, but in reality I get them back under some semblance of control within a few seconds. Hardly any time at all in the scheme of things...something I hope goes unnoticed.

Since Ryss and Tycho, I have managed to keep the Darkness away, keep it tamed and content. I have managed to make it submit to me in ways I hadn't known I could before. Where blood and pain had fed it, with the screams of the helpless and their hopelessness that swamped them. Now it was fed with the light of our love, the seriousness in Tycho's gaze and the way Ryss looked at me. How I could drink her form in all day and never tire of it.

The magic makes the air thick and tickles my nose. It raises the hairs along my body like a large static charge. Adrenaline courses through my blood, through my veins setting them on fire and I laugh a moment in the pure joy of it. "Very well." I say, forgetting about them all and focusing solely on my task.

Well, scratch that. I turn to Quark. Tendrils of magic snaking through my mind to hers, visible things of black and touch her forehead and link her mind to my own. It flashes yellow and blue, swirling around our necks and I know she is there, I can feel her. She will watch and add anything I forget.

But I push the thoughts away, feeling only a slight tingling where she is watching, sitting there in my skull. I pull the magic up until it's almost uncomfortable. Pieces of the past float forwards, random things that turn into a silver blur of time. Gold pieces of the future add to the mix and the copper wire of the present wraps around them both. A metallic blur that twists before me.

(That yellow-blue bond between us flickers to black and then back again.)

Purple for mind. I pull it from Arzhur's and Drow's, tendrils of purple that is nothing more than the essence of what a mind is. Intelligence and emotions and all the things in between. Spirit was white, a perfect white that wraps itself around the mind, nestling inside it as well. And Body. Body was green, like that of the earth.

I pause, sweat beading my body. I take Quark's thoughts, I take whatever magic she sends my way and work it all into the spiral of color before us. "The elements." She says and I nod slightly, quickly.

Fire crackles to life before us. A bright inferno that rages against my control. I struggle with it, Darkness roaring to life within me. Let it burn, let them all burn. Revel in the destruction. Our bond black with the struggle. I am still as my eyes bore into the inferno before me. It reflects itself in my eyes and all I can hear are the words, the words to maim and kill, to let the world burn.

"Ryss." A soft voice says to me, one I'm not sure who it is (although I will know later it was Quark, reminding me with one word all that I would lose. I narrow my eyes at the fire, forcing it down into the spiral of color where it needed to be. "Fire for their passion, their drives, the spark in their souls.” I say aloud but it is quiet in the roar of the wind as it whips through. There is less of a struggle here, as I am ready for it and I wrestle it into submission before it has a chance to charm me with its words. "Air for the breath in their lungs, for the fluidity of life, the powers of the mind and all that it encompasses." A rumble around us as the ground starts to tremble and I pull the soil up into the spiral. Earth was gentle and quiet and happy to be the base of the form for their bodies. "Earth for their bodies, to give them the form that they will need in this world, stability, and their roots.” And water, finally water. I pull it from the plants and then I stop. There will be no death when they are born. Returning it, I pull the water from the ground. This takes a little more work. I am tiring as well and my mental muscles are fatiguing from this constant source of work. "Water to give them blood, emotion, and fluidity." I say, softly as the water spirals around the outside of colors.

"The Sun, the Moon, and the Shadows in between." I pull them all to me, taking the light from the moon and pulling rays from the other side of the world for them. I add the inbetween, the dusk and the dawn for Furia. The bright light of the sun for Halora. The paler rays of the moon for Lunasol.

Three by three. Forming a triangle so that their strength was in each other and stabilizing the other sides.
That was always a good sign.

I cannot even manage the smile that flashes through my mind as I watch the spiral before me form. I spin it faster....faster. Until it is nothing more than a blur of colors. The explosion from this will kill them all. The Dale most certainly. Perhaps even all the way to the Chamber. Our bond goes back to black, the only other outward sign of my struggle. The softly spoken voice spews such matter of fact words, I have a hard time resisting.

But once again Quark is there. "Tycho." I redouble my efforts one last time to force these into submission. The whirling of the spiral is stopped and in a clap of sound and a very bright light, there are three tiny bundles of legs and eyes and hair on the ground before me and Quark. I hold the magic as Quark adds their souls to their bodies, anchoring and growing them in a much shorter amount of time. "Blood and flesh." I say and only release it once they had all taken bits of flesh from their Daddies in the ritual rite Quark does. I have no extra effort to give here. I am careful with them, holding it for longer than I needed to make sure their forms stay stable.

I let it go when Quark nods, the release of it and the snapping of the bond between Quark and I is like a physical thing. I sway on my feet, the sweat of my body cooling and making me shiver. "No." I tell the yellow mare. "Magic like this has a price. I'll be fine." I turn my attention towards her, pulling it away from the smallish crater in their home. It would forever be marked that way, an indent in the ground where these three beautiful babies were born.

I smile at her. "Good job." I tell her, knowing that her pulling their souls and planting them in their bodies hadn't been the easiest of jobs. Our magics had worked together beautifully and whatever she hadn't been able to grasp I had given her. Which, was also, probably why I felt like I had been ran over. I slump a little, but still not daring to move until I felt less like falling on my face. A happy smile curls my lips as I watch the new Daddies and their little trio and Dara.

Then I turn to Ryss and Tycho and smile some more. "Hello loves." I sway into Ryss’s body,using her strength to hold us both up for just a brief moment before I am stabilized again. My gaze finds the girls and I smile. This was the most beautiful and notable thing I have ever done with this magic of mine.

[Quark]

Screaming like a siren, alive and burning brighter.

When I woke today, it was from dreams of my granddaughters. The light in their eyes, the eager impatience, and the absolute knowledge that tonight is the night. For once, no shadows lingered on the edges of those dreams, my spirit walking in peace with a trio of little starlights about to become incarnate. I've spent months with them strengthening the bonds between us until I could reach them from the edges of the universe if I had to. Oh, that will change. They'll anchor to their bodies soon enough, and by necessity the cords connecting them to me will weaken. But the path between my soul and theirs will be clearer, brighter, easier to traverse for all our time together.

I have meditated, fasted, cleansed my body and my soul for this ritual, and now that the day is finally here, peace radiates out from my chest. I spent the entire day preparing, and now that night has fallen I stand beside my newest son ready to bring our family's newest daughters into the world. Pazuzu is understandably nervous, though he hides it well when he tries. “Ready?” he asks as the moon hangs high overhead, and I nod. I've been ready for months. This is the night.

I draw in a deep breath and gather my power to myself, checking my bonds to each of those three lovely souls coming into the world tonight. Ready, girls? Of course they are. They've been ready almost from the moment their fathers set eyes on each other again, eager to make their way into our lives and our hearts. Months of planning, of waiting, of feeling the right moment slowly drawing nearer. Now it's finally here.

I see the flash of red in Pazuzu's eyes and reach out a tendril of my not-quite-magic to him, doing what I can to anchor him as well. Peace, son. You can do this. We can do this. Still, it is his struggle to endure, his demons to overcome. And this is only the beginning.

He turns his attention to me, and I lower my defenses as best I can. They are such an inherent part of me now, I built them up so high, but the need is far greater in this case than any fears I have of my mind being touched. And he is family now. So I reach out, meeting his magic and his darkness with my own unique gifts, and I can feel the dramatic impact my presence has on the weight and texture and feel of the magic being wrought. It is like a new sense opening up, almost like when I woke to my power. This, though, this is a borrowed sense, access to a magic not my own. A fascinating glimpse into another world.

God, it's lovely. Dark and light blending so intricately, time an intriguing tapestry being continuously woven and unwoven by invisible hands. The very nature of the universe, from its entire scope down to the quantum level, all a thought away. Even reaching out to touch other planes, other worlds, other realities, how utterly fascinating. Kin to my power and yet completely different. Well. Fascinating for a moment, for an hour. To live in it? I don't think I would want all of this swimming in my head all the time. Perhaps, like with my gifts, his magic comes with an ability to tune out the extra frequencies, to quiet all the added noise and coax it into slumber. Either way, I do not envy him the burden he must live with.

Focus.

While I have been distracted by the newness of seeing through magic eyes, he has been hard at work spinning bodies for our girls out of the ether, out of magic and the fabric of time itself, coaxing their minds, bodies, spirits to come and play. Belatedly, I add my own spin to each of those aspects, deepening the texture and flavor and color of each ingredient. Still, it isn't quite tangible, isn't quite solid. Needs something...“The elements,” I murmur, seeing patterns in the tapestry, strings that need tugging. Earth, Air, Fire, Water, all need incorporating into their bodies. The measures will balance themselves, and I ease into the working to connect to Spirit woven into their bodies, to begin the anchoring of their souls. So that the proper balance for each can find its way into the working, and the rest can be grounded or released.

Fire, that I know all too well, and I recognize the struggle against its destructive force. Of its own accord, a piece of the fire in me flows into the magic we're weaving, adding sunlight to the already raging inferno. But this fire is warmth, it's passion, it's heat and vitality and the infinite dance of sunlight along the surface of the earth. This fire is love that burns deeper than any inferno, and as I channel toward him the beauty of fire, I remind him of his own. “Ryss.”

One word, a name that has become the name of god to the one who loves her more than anything in this world or any other. And it is enough. He speaks, and the with his words he invokes that bright firelight into their still-forming bodies. I smile and reach for air, an element normally beyond my grasp. Again, I coax the positive aspects to the fore, dreams and visions, meditation and contemplation, travel and study and a connectedness that extends beyond comprehension. The air these girls will breathe has been a part of so many others, an intricate exchange of atoms and molecules between organisms utterly unaware of the intimacy of every single breath they take.

Then it is earth's turn, and I see the mountain my son has become, towering and steadfast and stubborn as hell, stable now despite all the chaos that has roared around him. The volcano sleeps, and he is so much stronger than he has ever been before. Oh, but that is not all earth is. Earth is growth and flourishing; earth is a home that wraps itself around you and reminds you that you are not alone. Earth nourishes and sustains the vast variety of life it hosts. I weave the complex nature of earth into the working, smiling as it surges up through me to answer my call.

Okay, so maybe it'd be a heavy burden to bear, but this is damn fun.

Ah, and water's turn. The ebb and flow of tides, the gentle cleansing rain, the unforgiving flood, all aspects of this element that is so deeply called to the moon. The hidden depths of emotion, the mysteries hidden beneath the waves, the water that fills a womb and cradles new life as it grows. Water in every cell of our bodies, and the thirst for more that can be sated only by drinking deep of what the world has to offer.

Such a complicated work of art, bringing this trio into the world, forming bodies out of nothing and everything. Pazuzu calls to the sun, the moon, and the shadows, and I can't help but coax starlight to join them and mingle in the twinkling of their eyes, the spark in their soul, the blood in their veins. An extra little bit of light to help guide them when the world feels dark. Each girl so different, and yet so very ours. I can already feel their souls reaching out toward those little bodies, feel the bonds forming between each and the others, and seeking out their fathers, their sister, their aunt and uncle and cousin. Soon.

I feel Pazuzu's struggle to hold onto the magic, to keep it from turning dark and unleashing destruction on the world around us. So hard to hold on, now that it's so close to completion. Again, a name leaves my lips, almost of its own volition. “Tycho,” I remind him, and he sets his jaw and renews his grip on the magic. Meanwhile, I guide the girls' souls into the bodies they so desperately want to inhabit, anchoring each by an umbilical cord. Ties like these would normally have months to form, to grow strong and solid and stable. Instead, I coax them to speed forward, bonds glowing with the added energy and rushing to weave it into an anchor line home. They take their sweet time, and though I do all I can to speed the process, it is one they won't finish until it's done. “Blood and flesh,” Pazuzu reminds me, because of course they need help from their fathers.

I catch Arzhur's eye and beckon him forward. While he approaches, I take on a dragon form smaller than my usual, more agile, so that when he stands in front of me I can touch my claws to his chest and carve out three pieces of flesh. I let his blood pool in my palms and then stem the flow before bringing his offering to his daughters. As one, their bodies rise to consume the flesh of their father, to lap up the blood until it is gone. They stand silently, waiting as I return to him and heal the wounds, leaving three little scars on his chest.

When his turn is done, I beckon to my Drow. Ah, my boy who has become my dearest friend. H pause to stroke his face, pressing my forehead against his for a moment before repeating the ritual. Carving little bites of flesh from his chest, letting the blood fill my agile hands before I slow the flow to the barest of trickles. I carry Drow's offering to waiting mouths that eagerly devour what they are given. When they've licked my hands clean, I turn back to Drow to heal his wounds, giving the girls' bodies a chance to break down and assimilate their fathers' genetic material, to shape them into flesh of their fathers' flesh and blood of their blood.

The magic flowing through me or the dragon shape I bear or a whisper from deep in my soul coaxes me to seal my son's wounds with my mouth, to lick them clean and erase every trace of the blood that flowed. Following instinct, I do so, feeling blood of my blood burn through me and sharpen the tie that binds us. I don't understand the impulse, but following my gut seems like the right choice in this moment. Mine. Ha. Maybe I've just been spending too much time with Tycho.

By the time I turn back to the girls, they are deeply seated into their bodies and beginning to stir of their own accord instead of operating on magic and need. I nod to Pazuzu, who seals the working and releases it. He sways, and I am already reaching out with my healing magic to scan him, to offer support and strength where I can, when he cuts me off. Magic has a price. Of course it does. I nod my acceptance, deferring to his greater knowledge on the subject. “And good job yourself,” I add, grinning. It was fantastic, a fucking rush, and a fascinating glimpse into the workings of magic. And we brought Drow and Arzhur's girls into the world. Oh hell, speaking of.

Hungry babies require feeding. Luckily for the boys, Ryss and I volunteered to be of service in that regard. When she's done holding her man, I'll help her body through the chemical changes necessary to do so. For the moment, I work on myself while Drow and Zurry and Dara welcome their new family members into the world and Ryss and Tycho help Pazuzu ground himself in the life he has made for himself and quiet the magic. By the time everyone is recovered and the triplets are done meeting their family, their first meal will be ready for them.

I am the fire.

[Daeryssa]

Just stay away from the white light. I'd say your worst side's your best side.

God, he is glorious when he's working magic. If it weren't for the fact that our family is standing around in little clustered groups watching, I'd be jumping his bones already. Well and he looks pretty damn worn out from the task at hand, so. I suppose. I can be reasonable. Instead, I walk up beside him, letting him lean on me while he sways with the effort he's expended. Oh, it doesn't take long. I know how much he hates the idea of looking weak, and swaying or not Pazuzu is the strongest man I know.

“Hello yourself,” I murmur, my lips brushing his ear. “That was magnificent. You did an amazing thing, love. I'm so proud of you, and those girls are amazing. Good work, Zuzu.” If Tycho weren't standing right next to me, I would murmur ideas in his ear of just how I could reward him for his labor once he's had a minute to recover. Just how we could celebrate his success. Instead, I press a kiss to his neck. “Well done, love.”

Tycho, quiet and watchful as ever, stands on his father's other side, offering the same steady support I do. A shoulder to lean on if necessary. And a curious eye on three children born in a manner utterly contradictory to the sex ed lesson he was given when he was younger. He studies them from a safe distance while their happy little family curls up around each other and says their adoring hellos.

He is naturally more of an observer than a participator in social situations, my Tycho. Still, he tilts his head, eyeing his newborn cousins with a fascinated gleam in his eyes. Ha, I suppose. Animated by magic and offerings of flesh and blood, how could he not be intrigued? He almost takes a step toward them, but catches himself with one foot barely off the ground and settles back in to wait until their fathers and their sister have welcomed them home. Instead, he gently bumps his shoulder against Pazuzu's, breathes out a quiet, emphatic little not-quite-snort of approval, and nods. His wordless way of saying well done too.

Just when you think that you're alright, I'm crawling out from the inside.

Daeryssa

of the restless heart

[Arzhur]

In my mind, I'm running round a cold and empty space

Morning dawned and I was anxious and worried and incredibly happy. Our babies would be here tonight. Nothing was going to go wrong, Pazuzu and Quark would make sure of it, but nonetheless I felt like something might. I hadn't been this much of a hot mess when Dara was born, but then she had been a little bit more of a surprise, a perfectly wonderful one, but a surprise nonetheless. I didn't have days and weeks to worry over the details of having not one but three little baby girls to take care of. Thank the gods that Quark and Ryss were willing to help us out with feeding them.

I curl closer to Drow, wrapping myself around him more and taking in the morning cuddles. I attempt to push the worry, the fear, the doubt away, grounding myself in his touches and his soft words against my skin.

I sigh, willing to stay like this all day, but I know we have things to do.

So eventually we get up and somehow I manage to get through the day. The dark comes and we gather with the moon shining full and ready to burst above us. Pazuzu wavers only a few times in his magic, I can see the black in the bond. I know what Quark says to him even though I cannot hear the words, do not even see her mouth move. I know what would anchor me to the now, anchor me to this life and to love. My eyes touching upon Drow first. I love to see the light in his eyes, even as it darkens now and again with worry. I understand his concerns, understand the worry and the fear that could swallow us both whole if we let it.

He is the other half to my soul. He is the reason that I am still here.

A smile curls my lips as I watch him. Then I turn my gaze to our beautiful daughter. Beautiful, perfect Dara. The light of my life. I had never expected her to be the same as I remembered. I knew she would grow and the missing of it still ate away at me inside. I knew she would always love me and forgive me even if her Daddy hadn't been able to. God I love her, so damn much.

She is the other reason I still draw breath.

And now, now we were adding three more to that. Three more reasons I would always live.
Halora. Furia. Lunasol.

Pazuzu's magic twisting and curling, forming together to create their bodies that their souls would reside in. Quark's coaxing and guiding to make those souls land in the right bodies. I didn't expect her to run into much trouble. They were so ready to be born. I often dreamed of them.

Then they were here, they were alive and ready for us. So first I walk, allowing the pain and the blood to be spilt for them like it had been for Dara. There had been less ritual then but this was right. This was needed. I wait until Drow is done. I wait until the girls are finished, until Pazuzu drops his magic, swaying against the release. The only reason I don't go to his side is that his family is already on their way. I am concerned for him, for the stallion that made our dreams possible. I will thank him later.

Right now I inhale their scents, pressing my side against Drow's. My lips find all their fuzzy little heads and I smile and then I am pressing my face into Drow's neck. "Three of them Drowling. Three more perfect little beauties." I say, although it might be softened by his flesh, by my lips on his skin. I exhale a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "I love you." I say to him. and then to the girls. "I love you too." My lips touching all of them and lingering on Dara's cheek.

Oh god, the trouble they were going to get into.

Just put your arms around me, tell me everything's OK

[Drow]

I thought I would be nervous, now that it's finally time. We've been talking about it for months, and Mom and Pazuzu have been working out the logistics for almost as long, and now that the big night has finally arrived...I thought I'd be nervous as hell. But all I feel is wrapped up in love, and...and this rare moment of absolute peace. Mom and Zu have got this covered, and Zur and I are about to become the proud dads of three more beautiful little girls. Dara's about to become a sister, something she's wanted for forever.

Hell, she's practically shaking with excitement. And I can feel how nervous Zur is in the way he presses against me. Nervous, and so damn happy. I press my lips to the line of his shoulder, the curve of his neck, and just hold him, smiling. Knowing for once that everything is going to be fine. Better, everything is going to be amazing, and life-altering, and fucking wonderful.

When Mom beckons to Zur, I press one more kiss to his shoulder and then nudge him with the soft of my nose. I watch as he walks over, as Mom carves pieces out of his chest and feeds them to our girls in the making. And when it is my turn, I walk toward my mother, my best goddamn friend in the world, and I interrupt her for just a moment to drag her into a hug, dragon shape and all. I love you so fucking much. Those mismatched eyes of hers meet mine, and her smile melts my heart. She quirks a brow at me, grinning, and I nod.

The pain is exquisite, wicked sharp dragon claws slicing through my chest and carving out pieces. Those oddly delicate dragon hands catch the blood that flows down my skin, a sensation so damn familiar but for once it's not because I'm hurting inside and need to let it out. No, this time the blood flows to bring my girls into the world. The blood slows to the slowest of trickles, just enough that it tickles as it trails slowly down my chest. Mom feeds my flesh to our little ones, and already I can see the way it changes them, giving shape and weight to their bodies, coloring their hides, adding tiny little horns to two of their foreheads—wait, horns? Where the hell did those come from?

Mom comes back over to seal my wounds and heal them back to a trio of new scars. But unlike with Zur, she takes an extra moment to lick the blood off my chest. I tilt my head, my brow wrinkling as I watch her. That wasn't something we'd talked about when going through the details of tonight's events, but okay. Sure. It feels...strange, though. I don't have the words to pinpoint how, or why, or what has changed exactly. But I feel...just a little more hers, just a little bit closer, I don't fucking know, but there are more important things to think about.

The moment Pazuzu lets go of the girls, we are swarming around them, Zur and Dara and I. There's nothing I can do to help him right now, and if anyone can it's Mom. Well, power-wise. Ryss and Tycho in every other respect. So I'll hug the everliving shit out of him later, when he's recovered a bit from working such huge magic. In the meantime, there are some babies who need cuddles.

Like Zur, I press a kiss to each of their foreheads, narrowly avoiding getting impaled on tiny baby horns that are surprisingly sharp. Fine. Sneaky little imps, I'll just have to play with your forelocks instead. Zur presses his face into my neck, and I hold him close. “Yeah. They're finally here.” Our three little girls.

They named themselves long before they were born, and somehow I can tell just by looking at them which one is which. Halo is the little white fluffball colored like moonlight and platinum, and already her bright green eyes have a wicked glint to them. She barely takes a moment to cuddle with me and her papa before she bounces over to pounce on her uncle. Ha. That one's going to be trouble. Though to be honest, they probably all are. After a quick snuggle and a wary sniff from Tycho, she bounds back to join us, sneaking under me to peer out from between my front legs and lip at my mane where it gets between her and her papa.

Luna is all sleepy silver eyes and pale grey baby fur, with a dark stripe down her back. Grulla, just like her papa, but without the white. She's a little bigger than Halo, who is a surprisingly dainty little thing. I forgot how tiny newborn foals are, and my side of the family tends to run bigger and broader. Halo must have gotten most of her build from Zur's side, maybe some from my late mother. Definitely built nothing like me and Mom. Luna's a little bigger, a little broader, and she's going to have some of my hair. Not nearly as much, but more than Halo. She curls up against her Papa's chest and yawns, blinking sleepy silver eyes up at him and smiling a teeny, tiny smile.

Holy shit, that little smile. I think my heart just melted into a puddle.

And Fury. Oh, my little angel girl. Dara's already snuggling her close, all wrapped around her baby sister and fussing over her pretty red and white mane, but they aren't close enough. I need their skin on mine; I lower my head and smile at her, and reach out to nudge her closer, to brush my lips along the fluffy stripe of her mane and press my face against her, rub my cheek against her, so tiny and new – though the largest of the three. She may look more like Zur in color and pattern, but she takes more after me in size and build. “Hello, angel,” I murmur against her spine, planting a kiss on the darker stripe of red there.

“God, I love you. All of you.” I brush my lips against each of them in turn, all four of our girls. And then I press a kiss to the side of Zur's neck, rest my forehead against him, and just grin. “I love you. So fucking much.” In my whole life, I don't think I've ever been happier than I am in this moment.

Know the water's sweet but blood is thicker.

[Furia]

Fitting into a body was hard work. It had felt weird being stuck into such a shape when I had been so fluid before. If I didn't want to be a horse, I didn't have to be, I could be a dragon with Grandma or a wolf with Dara. But that was in the other life, the veil between the worlds where we had been created and developed. Where Halo had gotten her fiery personality and Luna that quiet, I will kill you look. My sisters, my wonderful bratty sisters.

We were finally physical. We could run and tag and play and be absolutely rotten to each other when our Daddy and Papa weren't looking. My soul soared with happiness even as it felt tight and constricted with the body. I laid there, a little bit longer perhaps than my sisters. Halo was already off and running, which did not surprise me one damn second. Whoops...sorry Papa. Luna was curled up like a cat, cuddling against Papa and.....

"Daddy you're huge." I say with a smile, blinking my blurry eyes up at him. So many sensations in these little bodies and I hadn't even gotten to my feet yet. I still felt constricted but I was settling, slowly but surely.

Dara was there cuddling me telling me about my pretty red and I can only smile, feeling the rest of me settle into place with a small gasp. "Oh." I say, and then I smile, lipping her mane before Daddy is there. I curl into his touch, closing my eyes at the contact and the heat and the warmth and the love.

I surge to my feet after a moment, willing and ready to be up, to move and to chase after Halo who is practically daring me too anyhow. I narrow my eyes at her, mismatched with silver and jungle green, before I charge after her. I squeeze under Daddy, stumbling and staggering until I get the idea of it and then we are running around.

I get distracted with the sensation of it, the way the breeze curls through my mane, the way I feel almost like I am flying. Until Halo is there again, biting my shoulder lightly to remind me we are playing and I am not supposed to get lost like that when we are playing. I can only roll my eyes at the silent rebuttal before I clack my teeth close to her. Then we are off again and I chase her until we are both heaving. "Luna." I say between heaves, grinning a wicked little grin and nodding in her direction. She had been perfectly quiet and content against Papa.

Time to change that.

Papa watches us come, and almost rolls his eyes but I can tell he's too happy too. He is enjoying this too much, reveling in this sense of family and love. But he doesn't stop us either.

Know the water's sweet but blood is thicker.

[Lunasol]

Blood. Its taste is the first thing this body knows, rich and metallic and salty. A clawed hand presses a bit of meat into my mouth, and I savor the taste, rolling it along my tongue, chewing slowly before I swallow it down and lick the hand clean. Blood of the father. I can feel it soaking into the still-forming tissue of my body, imprinting itself into my cells and shaping Who I Am with its likeness. Like, but not like. Incomplete. Hunger tears at my belly, a frenzied need to finish becoming, and I would writhe and scream with frustration if I could take control of this body so completely, if it were finished and my soul anchored into it.

Ah, and then. More blood, this time tasting a little more of copper than iron, a slightly sweeter undertone, with a little bit of a burn as it travels down my throat and hits my belly. Another bite of meat, chewed slowly again with toothless baby gums before I clean the clawed hand of any lingering traces of blood. It sears through me, the combination shaping my bones, my flesh, essences mingling and twining around one another and molding this body into their image. Into my image.

So many touches, so many bodies welcoming me into my own with loving little caresses, touching lips to face and forelock, fussing with my mane, tracing the curve of my hip, all grounding me in the physical, all helping to solidify the bond between body and soul and making this mine. It is, too, mine and real and whole, and to prove it to myself, I open silver grey eyes, blinking slowly and coaxing my eyelids to cooperate. It is harder than I expected, taking more effort to work the muscles, to make my body move. While I adjust, I curl up against my father's chest, resting my head against him and using the contact to ease the transition.

My sisters seem to adjust faster, all bounding activity and words in a whirlwind, and I smile. By the time Fury says my name, I am feeling more settled, and the sound of them stalking closer has that smile of mine turning just a little predatory on the side of my face hidden against my father's chest. Closer, closer, until Halo makes an impatient, excited little squeak and I know she's about to pounce.

Without warning, I launch myself at the sound, opening my eyes and grinning as I knock into her and we both tumble to the ground. Halo squawks in surprise, and I land a playful bite on her shoulder and scramble to my feet, charging at Fury while Halo is still shaking herself and snorting and trying to stand again. I'm sure she won't be caught off guard like Halo was, but a nice game of chase would be fun.

the moonlight glow on sallow flesh, there's beauty in our dance of death

[Halora]

Just like fire burning out the
way, if I can light the world
up for just one day...

Look, don’t mind Loony. She can be a bit of a drama queen. Yeah, we were born in blood and magic and that’s cool and all, but the important part? Not the blood, not the magic. The important part of this whole picture is the fact that we are finally, finally born. Or in bodies, whatever. Mine’s pretty sweet, all fluffy white and innocent looking except for an extra little glint in my eyes. Eyes that are green like Papa’s, which I mean. Perfect, right?

First thing, cuddles. Daddy, Papa, yes, all very important, and I give them each a quick nudge and a kiss and that’s great. But Uncle. Where’s my damn uncle? I came all this way (well, okay, so maybe he and Grandma had kind of a lot to do with that, but hush) and I am going to get a cuddle from my favorite uncle. Well, my only uncle that I know so far, but this one’s my favorite anyhow.

And he’s going to be a lot of fun.

When I finally spot him, all wrapped up in my auntie and my cousin, I bound on over and snuggle into his chest, and damn but this body doesn’t seem to have a purr function. Well. That’s okay, I guess. I rub against him like a kitten begging for attention, eyes closed and smiling because I’ve got so much to be smiling about.

Tycho reaches out his super pretty pinkish-purplish-reddish face to sniff at me, and I kiss him right on his nose, making him snort and shake his head and take a step back, his lovely light blue forelock falling over his eyes as he evades me. Ha, silly Tycho. You’re so cute when you run away. That’s okay, I’ll win you over yet.

Auntie Ryss nudges me gently, and there’s sass and love in her dark brown eyes that make me think she’s gonna be fun too. I grin up at her, then bound off back to my dads and my sisters and dive under Daddy’s very tall chest and peek out between his front legs. His hair’s long and flowy and kinda tangly and fantastic, and also extremely tempting, so I nibble at it just a little bit.

Then Fury is finally on her feet, and I grin at her, my body wiggling with anticipation. The second her mismatched eyes narrow, I’m off, darting back under Daddy and back around Uncle and Auntie and Tycho, Fury chasing after me. I loop around them, and she’s looking all distracted and not paying attention so I sneak up and nip her on the shoulder before taking off again as her teeth snap closed near me.

Ha!

I’m exhausted by the time we stop, my chest heaving and my heart racing, but the way Fury says Luna’s name like she just spotted a brand new target has me wriggling and gathering myself to pounce. I guess I get a little bit too excited, because just as I’m about to launch myself at her, a tricky little squeak escapes my throat, and before I know it Loony’s crashing into me and we’re tumbling to the ground.

While I’m still flat on my ass--okay, fine, my side--the devious little minx noms my shoulder and charges for Fury. I scramble to my feet, and I’m about to chase after them when my tummy grumbles so loud! Startled, I turn to stare at it, spinning in a circle or two before I manage to stop myself. Oops. I think I’m hungry. I bounce over to Papa, nudge his flank, and peek under his belly. Nope. That’s not dinner. So I duck under him and try again with Daddy. Nope again.

Well what the hell? I snort and nudge Daddy’s flank and turn to glare at him, but a chuckle from Grandma distracts me. “Over here, love,” she murmurs in that lovely deep voice of hers, all rich and dark and full of story and song. I love her voice, it’s my favorite thing. Well. One of a lot of my favorite things, but it’s pretty up there.

“Grandma!” My eyes light up and I hop over to my shiny pretty splashy yellow and white grandma who is the bestest grandma and I rub up against her leg and rub my face on her chest. She tucks me into a hug under her chin and if I could purr I would, but since I can’t, I just make a happy little humming sound. Then she nudges me gently and nods toward her flank, and I remember the grumbling in my belly. “Oh yeah! Thanks!” I bump my nose against her shoulder and then it is dinner time!

With a soft little whickering sound, Grandma calls my sisters over too, so they can fill their bellies once they run out of energy. Shouldn’t take long, we’re still itty bitty new. When mine’s all filled up I give Grandma a thank you kiss on her pretty yellow cheek and curl up on the ground in the middle of all the love and nonsense. Safe and sound and surrounded by my family. I was planning to not sleep for at least a year after getting born, but my body has other ideas, and with a great big yawn I fall fast asleep.

Halora

[Furia]

Dang it Halo, you aren't supposed to squeak! My ears fall backwards briefly as I express my annoyance at my sister for giving us away. But Luna is so quick and sneaky, that her lunge into Halo makes me squeal just a little in surprise. I step back and then turn and start running when Luna is up again and charging at me. I laugh, the sound a different kind of music to my ears. Just like the sound of Luna's hooves on the ground chasing after me is music.

I can't run for much longer. I am tired and my body is worn out. Luna is fresh, she hasn't been chasing around Halo like I had been. So I slow after a sharp turn around the back of Daddy and Papa and let her tackle me on the other side of Daddy. I smile and laugh, laying on my side after she gets up. My sides heaving from the exertion.

Grandma calls my name and I move my head so I can see her pretty yellow colors and smile at her. My stomach growls in response and too soon I am up on my tired legs again, heading over to fill my belly. I do after appropriate cuddles with Grandma. My lids are working hard at staying open but I find Uncle Zu and Auntie Ryss and Tycho, giving them all love before I stagger back towards where Halo is on the ground sleeping.

I give Daddy and Papa one last nuzzle before I am laying my head across Halo's back and falling asleep myself.

Know the water's sweet but blood is thicker.

I dont even know what this is. lol She's also deciding to use this little bitty one for a while.

[Pazuzu]

I close my eyes when Ryss's lips touch my skin and her words wash over my soul, over my heart. A small smile tugs at my lips and I lean into her this time, not out of unsteadiness but because I love the way she feels against me. Her warmth mingling with my own. "Thank you." I say softly, my lips touching her cheek. Tycho, his warmth and scent bathe me on my other side and I turn to him, pressing my lips gently to the spot where his head and his neck meet. I rest it in that hollow for just a moment before I pull away.

Tycho doesn't much care for touch but after being exposed to it for a little while...he was slowly allowing a little more of it from his family. This was good, because sometimes I wanted to just wrap him up in a full body embrace...but we aren't quite there yet. I smile a small half-smile at him before Halo's small fuzzy body is barreling into my chest.

I cuddle her next to me and smile when I start to purr. "Perhaps we can figure out a way to give you a purr, kitten." I say, knowing the look she gives me. "Lots of trouble to be had." I say with a wink and then a small laugh when she kisses Tycho. I tug her fuzzy forelock. It's still hard for me to be so open but I say it anyways. "Love you kitten." Before she is bounding back to her Dads. A smile turns my lips again and I press my face into Ryss' neck.

I can feel the magic practically boiling under my skin still, like a high fever that almost makes my skin too hot to the touch. I won't let it allow to hurt them so I manage to cool my body down some with some ice/water magic and adjust my magic so that it keeps my body at a normal temperature, even with the fire burning in my veins.

Magic did have a price. I am dreading when it does finally come to collect.