Into The Light (Aliya's Birthing)

[Destiny]

The greyish brown form of the Destinian beta lay in a large nest in the nursery. Aliya's blueish green eyes were bright and sparkling with un ending happiness and joy. She could feel it. Today, she would have her pups. No. Not just today.... NOW! She called towards the nursery's entrance. Her sides heaved, the pups would be here soon enough.

Not long after Aliya lay grooming each of her six pups. "Sirius, Sedaka." She called through the den's entrance. Sedaka should look over the pups, just in case. And Sirius should know of the children.Aliya opened her maw to call out for some other wolves. "Skysong S-" She didn't need to finish. Sothis already stood in the entrance. Aliya smiled and beckoned him over. "Sothis, meet your new siblings."

[Ärï]

Sirius padded toward the nursery to check on Aliya, his head and tail both hanging low. His silver eyes were dark with sadness. He had just been in the dens and had seen Skysong's slowly declining health for himself. His daughter was getting worse, coughing more, flecks of blood littering her maw and growing thin, unable to keep down food. With a heavy heart Sirius approached the nursery entrance but stopped short, finding Sothis already there. Looking over his son, Sirius stuck his head into the den and his silver eyes lit slightly and a smile managed to worm its way onto his face. Aliya was laying in her nest, six pups whimpering at her side.

Sliding past Sothis, Sirius padded toward Aliya, dipping his head and nuzzling her neck, licking her muzzle and whining softly. His news could wait for now. Aliya would be tired. Though sooner or later Sirius would have to tell her that Skysong was ill, it could wait for when they were alone. He didn't know if Sothis already knew but didn't really know if he should tell his son or not. "They're beautiful" Sirius murmured, licking Aliya's muzzle lovingly.

[Destiny]

Sothis glanced at his father as he passed. Sirius looked tired and downcast. For a moment Sothis wondered if Sirius had seen Skysong yet. Sothis had noticed her growing ill not too long ago. It worried him as he himself was perfectly healthy. Not even a cough.

Aliya looked up from the pups. "Six beautiful pups. I have named two, and I want you too name three. If Sothis doesn't mind I would like him to name the final pup." Aliya glanced at her ebony blueish silver son standing in the entrance. Sothis had a strange wisdom about him which Aliya hoped would grow with age. She nuzzled a snowy white brute. "This is Silas.And this," She said, nuzzling a brown pup "is Nutmeg." Aliya had a strange habit of giving her pups odd names.

Sothis padded forward. He looked the pups over. Leaning down he touched the smallest pup with his nose. She was a beautiful honey dew color. She stood out somewhat amoung the litter. "Vetra Vaticana." He simply said. A strange wisdom glowing in his pools as he looked down at the pup. "One day, she will proove that size does not always win." He quoted quietly. Not really realizing what he had said till the words leaked from his maw.

(K, I was only going to keep one.... but..... I got soooo bored the other day tht I went an made and avvie and a siggie for Vetra Vaticana cause I liked the name, XD. So, if you don't mind. I shall be keeping two pupsies. *huggles Vetra and Silas* I think Nutmeg will be dieing of sickness at any rate.)

[Sheera]

OCC: I'll take nutmeg!! Don't kill em!

[silverpelt12]

((Could I have one?))

[Ärï]

(k, i'm keeping two so there will be two in all dying of the sickness)

Sirius felt a twinge of curiousity at the strange names his children were getting but decided to let it slide. It was after all, the mother's choice what her children were called. Sirius glanced warily at Sothis but decided not to speak about Skysong's sickness yet. Sirius looked over the remaining three pups and touched the back of one of the males, a night-sky black male with a single white dap on his forehead that looked almost like a teardrop. "Aries" Sirius said softly, brushing his muzzle against the pup's back. Looking at the other two, a smaller male and a female he touched the female. "Willow." Willow's fur was dusty brown, splattered white and darker brown here and there. Turning his head to the runty male, Sirius touched it lightly. "Kilo."

( i name mine after stars or the sky....Star, Skysong, Sirius, Aries lol)

[silverpelt12]

((Could I have the other one dying of sickness and Clover have Nutmeg?))

[Destiny]

(XD, Sothis is named after the dog star and Vetra Vaticana.... I picked apart words in Angels and Demons and made a prettyful name. Oh and Xeria and Tainted, i'll let ari decide wether or not you can have the remaining pups, we were originally going to kill them of sickness, but it's fine with me if it's fine with Azari)

Sothis glanced at his father for a moment. I think we both know about Skysong. Have you told Aliya yet? His pools seemed to say. He gazed upon the rather large litter of six pups. It would be a miracle if all six managed to survive. Vetra Vaticana would. He knew that automatically since something told him she would have an importance to some wolf in the future. Though it was un-clear at the moment. Silas startled him. The pup had a strange aura about him. It was interesting.

Aliya nodded to Sirius and Sothis. A smile on her face. "They are wonderful names. I pray that thw Twilight Realm will let them all survive the sickness."

[Ärï]

(-shrug- idk doesn't make much difference to me, if they want em let em have the pups and kill em off later )

Sirius smiled at his mate, silently praying the same thing himself. If all six survived it would mean either Aliya was well loved by whoever guarded her family or they were extremely fortunate. Whatever happened though, Sirius would stand with her and protect their newly enlarged family. In all Sirius and Aliya had ten children in only two litters.

His expression sombered when he caught Sothis's look. Sitting back on his hunches, Sirius met his mate's gaze. "Aliya....there's...something I need to tell you about...."

[Destiny]

Aliya rose her gaze to look at Sirius. She curled her tail around her pups. Warily she glanced at Sothis, but he wore an expression she could not decipher. She turned her gaze back to Sirius. There was only one wolf this could be about. "It's Skysong, isn't it?" Aliya replied in a quite, sorrowed tone. Worry flickered in her pools as she pulled her pups close.

Silas shivered in-volunterily. The smell of other wolves was strong, but stronger was the smell of vegetation. Old leaves. Moss. Thorns. He whined as his mother pulled him closer. Muffling the scent of the plants somewhat.

Vetra Vaticana moved in close to Silas and Aries. Snuggling between her two brothers.

(Sure, Tainted, you can have Nutmeg. Xeria you can have whichever of the three other pups. Two of em are Ari's so you can have whichever she doesn't want.)

[Ärï]

"Yes" Sirius admitted reluctantly. He couldn't meet his mate's gaze. It was too painful so instead the confident alpha looked down or anywhere but the eyes of his beloved mate. "She's...gotten the sickness and has had it for some time. It's slowly getting worse...." He left out the fact that she was currently in the dens trying in vain to rest, refusing food because it made her throw up and struggling to keep herself together. He shivered at the thought of his daughter in that kind of pain. It killed him on the inside knowing his family was suffering. According to a loner Sirius had recently met, the slower the sickness went, the more painful it was. He decided not to tell Aliya that part.

[Destiny]

Aliya nodded. Tears were welling up in her pools. Suddenly Silas nudged her chest. She reached down and licked him a top the head. Surprised when he licked her back, almost a comforting aura was about the pup.

Vetra snuggled in closer to her mother and Aries.

[Ärï]

Sirius turned his head suddenly, looking back at the den entrance. "No you should go back to the healer den and rest" he barked.

Skysong opened her mouth to reply, standing just outside the entrance to the nursery but nothing came out. Her voice was lost from the coughing, blood matted around her muzzle, eyes tired and glazed. She looked as if a mere breeze could knock her down. Her legs trembled and her ribs were beginning to show under her unkempt blue-black fur. "I....wanted to...see them" Skysong rasped, her former beautful voice raspy, hoarse and quiet. "Sorry. I...won't get close." Turning her head away, Skysong coughed several times, blood flecking the ground at her paws. Her stomach was churning like an uneasy sea but she fought the urge to vomit.

Aries nuzzled Vetra and turned his sightless pup eyes toward Skysong and whimpered, trying to crawl toward her. Willow whimpered next to him but Sirius stopped the pups from going too far from Aliya.

[Destiny]

Aliya reached out with her paw and began to oull Aries and Willow back towards her. Wary pools glanced to Skysong. The last stage of the disease was insanity, she just hoped that if it got that far Sirius would have the ability to put there daughter down. It was a horrible thought and it pained her to think of it coming to that. But she had too think of her pups and the pack. Aliya gently licked Aries a top the head.

Sothis moved between Skysong and the pups. He touched his nose to hers. "Come along Skysong. You are ill and wandering about will not help you. You must rest now." His voice was stern and final, though he wasn't sure if Skysong would listen to him.

[Ärï]

Skysong backed away a few pawsteps, swaying slightly. Stumbling over to the bushes around the camp, Skysong vomited. She couldn't help it, her stomach was uneasy and restless, too uneasy for her to eat much if anything. Dry heaves were mostly what she wound up with. Painful dry heaves. Blood splattered the ground here or there, her raw throat giving out from the lack of water and strain. Skysong's paws trembled and she laid down, more like fell down but who was being specific. A soft pained whine managed to drag itself from her, eyes closed, the picture of misery.

Sirius leapt to his paws and bounded out of the nursery to Skysong, licking her fur comfortingly though he knew there was close to nothing he could do to save his daughter from the pain of the disease. Why? Why her? He had twelve lives he could give to his pack. Sickness could only take so many. Why not him? Why his daughter? His pack? Why?