Happier Than Ever

She’d stir to the soft sound of chirping in the background as morning had arrived, though as she awakened it would be made apparent that it was nearly noon as the sun peaked into the windows and strung lights over her pelt, warming her as if another had been wrapped tightly around her. That was merely an illusion as her gaze panned around the little cottage, dust gently drifting up toward in the beams like a lackadaisical dream, still feeling like she had yet to truly wake up. In a daze she would start to notice the quiet as her ears twitched for any sign of life outside that of nature that was not directly touching her. A yawn would crack her maw as the crust around her lashes were batted away by a coal paw, eager to expel it and come to greet the sun with the full capacity of her vision as the fog started to fade away, she could see far more definition.

It was empty, not even the sound of paper rustling in the background like she was so used to from her eldest daughter always shuffling from page to page, reading from one of the countless stories that kept her curious. “Khepri!? Aurora!?” She called loud enough for her voice to travel outside of the cottage, confused by the absences of her family and a slight bit of worry would grow. She went to get up, anxious as everything, only for her muscles to protest such an idea. A groan rolled from her lips as her body ached, oddly feeling simultaneously like she had slept the longest she had in her life but with even less energy to show for it.

Little cries would fuse into her achy complaint but not from her as she felt the movement of tiny bodies against her belly, realizing she had almost squished them in her attempt to get up. Quickly she turned her attention to them, her ears forward and alert as her heart picked up, checking over them. “Sorry for waking you little ones. Hush now,” she cooed, nuzzling each in turn to try to soothe them. The little boy seemed far more willing to comply as his cries turned into an adorable yawn. She had forgotten newborns were so tiny they could not hear or see just yet, making her own voice more just something for her own ears to hear.

They were so…helpless and codependent. So small. So lively compared to how still and silent Aurora had been as a newborn. It was refreshing to hear them cry as much as it made her heart race with maternal worry. She allowed her face to nestle between the two, tail happily swaying as they both stopped mewling to gently bury into her cheek fluff.

[ooc note: Set the morning after they were born <3]
@Khepri

Khepri

He had not been able to sleep that night and so when the sun peeked over the horizon and light began to spill into the little cottage, he rose to his paws. Sif was sound asleep and he was growing restless so he decided to fetch her something to eat before she awoke. However it took him longer than usual to track something down and he returned around midday with a quickness to his step. He hoped he had not worried her too much by disappearing. "Khepri?! Aurora?!" came her voice from within, just as he was nearly to the door step. Khepri's fur tawny fur bristled lightly as he walked through the entry way with a rabbit hanging from his jaws. His honied eyes glanced over the inside of the cottage once, as if danger might be afoot, but when he noticed nothing out of the ordinary he visible calmed. His gaze settled on Sif as she nestled between their two children and his heart warmed.

Gingerly, he placed the rabbit before her and his ears tilted back slightly. "Sorry, I meant to be back much sooner but this rabbit here gave me a lot of trouble," he said.

He slowly lowered himself onto his belly and drew a breath, his own tail thumping behind him once or twice before he looked her and the pups over. "I thought you'd be hungry," he said with a soft smile. She needed to keep her strength up, for herself and their new son and daughter. His ears flicked and perked as he looked around again, realizing Aurora wasn't here. But Sif had been calling for her as well, hadn't she? He hummed softly, curiously wondering where she'd run off to this time. "I was hoping to make the trip to the manse in a few days, to get Nassar, but I don't want to leave you alone." he said. So long as Aurora was home too, he'd feel a lot better about going.

Just as she started to settle down, the scent of blood would overpower that of fresh milk and that scent of the children, causing her head to tilt more toward the entryway with a snarl peeling her lips back to show sharp used ivory. It wouldn’t take too long for her to realize it was the perfume of prey rather than that of wolf, causing her shoulder to ease a little but that desire to stand defensively was still sinking into her thin ebony stems that had lost some muscle mass in recent weeks. The soft breaths and clicking of nails entering her home had her ears perk up and pinning, knowing that breath from more intimate times as he wrapped her in his cloak. Soon tawny and false gold would come flying into the cottage, easing her worries of an intruder coming to pluck off the weak and frail.

Her husband. The snarl would fade away as her ears tilted sideways along her head, tail swaying with a calm happiness as she smiled up at him, nearly submissive behavior unlike her. A relief would fill her to see he had not taken off for good, leaving her to raise these little ticks all alone.

As he came closer, she would unfurl herself to stretch out, feeling each crick in her body buckle to a release. It was painful at first but would quickly be replaced by a comfort away from aches. Though not all of them would go away. In the process of stretching, she would lean forward to give him a loving kiss on the snout once he had settled on the ground in her immediate vicinity. “Thank you, love. I wish I could have celebrated their birth a little better last night instead of passing out on you, twice,” she confessed with a yawn, feeling bad for sleeping and leaving him to tend to everything but labor had been long and tiring despite the birth itself having been simple. Then to see them healthy, it was like the weight of years long anxiety had finally lifted and it only allowed for a more peaceful sleep her body had needed for a long time.

An ember would flicker onto the rabbit, for once starving instead of quickly shoveling it away from herself. She’d pull it closer, sinking her teeth into its stomach to pull out the entrails and some of the organs. So used to leaving the liver and heart for Aurora, she had made no attempt to grab those iron rich organs that benefited the girl. Her muzzle and paws had been drenched in blood by the time Khepri had spoken again, her tongue thick in crimson sloshing over her lips as she raised her head to look at him only for that worry to line her features.

“I hope wherever she has taken off to, she is being accompanied by that boy, Victorian. She better not have taken off by herself again,” she breathed, ripping off one half of the rabbit's ribs before pushing more than half the rabbit back over to him to eat the rest. It probably seemed like she hardly was eating but this was more than she normally ate in a sitting, never having been one to stuff her face like it was the end of the world.

@Khepri

Khepri

He returned her kiss with a quick peck on the cheek of his own before settling completely. "Thank you, love. I wish I could have celebrated their birth a little better last night instead of passing out on you, twice,” she said with a yawn. He smiled and chuckled a bit, "sounds like you're still tired." He didn't blame her, he thought if he were the one having to give birth to two little squirming pups he would be equally exhausted. He shifted his paws beneath him, stretching out his front legs as she readily took the rabbit from him and began to dig in. His gaze wandered from her to Sheik and Haskell at her side as she plucked out the organs, presumable for Aurora later.

By the time she spoke again she was covered in blood and he returned his gaze to her face, looking a little surprised by the scene before him. “I hope wherever she has taken off to, she is being accompanied by that boy, Victorian. She better not have taken off by herself again.” She ripped some more of the carcass apart then before pushing it back towards him. He scooted forwards, sniffing the tattered thing once before taking a few bites for himself. He wasn't too hungry at the moment but he wouldn't say no to a small meal. "Hopefully wherever she ran off to she's with him," he agreed. He did not know where Aurora went in her free time while staying here but he also hadn't bothered to ask, seeing her as an adult and more capable than Sif seemed to see her. "How are you feeling now? Besides tired?" he asked, wondering if she was feeling alright. She hadn't eaten much but then again that was fairly normal for her. He just wanted to make sure she was getting enough for herself and the puppies. These next few weeks were important for their growth.

Her shoulder would roll up a touch bashfully at the kiss on the cheek, it tickles but she had held in any giggles from escaping, only allowing a loving smile to pull along her maw as her tail gently dusted her heels.

It still felt surreal, all of it. She kept waiting to wake up a second time, as if she had only awakened from a dream to be placed in another, awaiting the horrors to fill the void once more. That wouldn’t happen, not today at least. For now, she could live in her little bubble of bliss, ignorant to the throes of this world that might be only escalating since she went onto maternity leave.

“I’m always tired but I sleep easier with you at my side, keeping my night terrors away,” she stated gently, not actually sure if it was his touch that starved away the nightmares that haunted her for so long. It could simply be because she was no longer a prisoner in a home she had wanted away from. Now only surrounded by love instead of orders and malice. Diluc released her chains, allowing her to have a life separate from the Helvig estate. Relief flooded her but she didn’t know what to do with newfound freedom besides surrounding herself in the affection of others, relishing it greatly, a luxury that probably seemed so trivial to others that had it all along.

As she dug into the rabbit, there was a part of her that wanted to speak of it but in the end she didn’t want to ruin the mood as such a peaceful morning with her bleak history.

When she met his gaze, she’d notice that spark of astonishment on his face, making her blink a few times in confusion before tilting her head in silent question about what had made him look like that. Her ears folded as he went as far as to sniff the prey item he caught as if it was something he hadn’t touched yet. “I promise, I didn’t poison it,” she huffed in amusement, turning her head away from him to look down at the little worms that started to wiggle at her belly again though she wasn’t so sure why this time. Her brows lowered in frustration at it appearing Khepri hadn’t a clue where Aurora was either.

Slowly she lowered herself down to their level to let them snuggle up to her face again. That’s when she would realize why Khepri had been looking at her so weird as red so easily coated their far paler furs. The mural of blood on the both of them didn’t seem to deter their desire to give her face little boops with their noses. She just wanted to stare at them forever, melt away in this moment as a wish for them to never grow up greedily popped into her head but for them to remain small forever was a dream she didn’t wish would come true; knowing the only way that could come true was by their deaths. That red splashed on them a stark reminder of that.

“There is no need to worry so much about me, Khep. I feel… at peace yet anxious as everything? In love and wanting this moment to never end,” she slowly looked back over to him after a few passing seconds, the same adoration for the children remaining on her visage for him. "Thank you...for never giving up on me and..." she flustered, feeling her cheeks warm. Talking about feelings wasn't her specialty but she hoped she got her message across as she floundered before she could finish her thought aloud.

@Khepri

Khepri

"As do I," he admitted, his voice soft and gentle. Since their union a lot of things had stopped for him. The nightmares, and even the drugs. He hadn't realized it until recently but with everything going so well he didn't even had time to think about the bitter past. He wondered idly, unwillingly, when it would all fall apart. He shoved the thought away immediately, knowing that living in the moment was better than living in a world of 'what ifs'. He wanted to bask in his happiness now rather than be miserable through it all.

He chuckled lightly at her comment about poisoning the rabbit and shook his head. "Sorry, I'm not too hungry myself." he said before standing and moving the rabbit away from them so they could speak without a carcass between them. He'd stow it away later.

He watched her in silence as she lowered her head back to the pups, the blood on her getting slightly on them. His ears flicked but he said nothing, knowing that the blood could easily be washed away. He didn't say it out loud but he loved seeing her like this. The way she looked at her children with such love and adoration only made her more beautiful in his eyes. As she told him not to worry, he simply shook his head, unable to comply. He would worry over her till his dying breaths and maybe even beyond. It was just something you did for someone you loved. You worried about them and you wanted to do everything you could in your power to take care of them, make sure they're happy and safe. He wasn't expecting her next words however and he smiled as she trailed off, unable to finish her sentence in the moment...

"And...?" he asked, reaching a paw forward and brushing it against her cheek gently. He wanted to hear her say it; whatever it was.

Her head tilted a little, never knowing he had nightmares too and it brought a thoughtful yet sad glint to her eye, not wishing for either of them to have such things to deal with. She only wondered what his nightmares consisted of, knowing her own mostly consisted of a man she wished would never haunt her memories again but she knew she could never forget him. The very thought made her body tremble, feeling sick to her stomach as for a moment she felt like pulling away and leaving the infants with Khepri till she could find it in herself to not let his words feed into her thoughts. She took in a deep breath to hold it in for a while, allowing that white visage to turn into nothing but smoke in her mind, drifting off so as to not ruin her happiness today. That was the last thing she wanted to think about was a deranged monster that would be happy to kill these pups that weren’t his she could only imagine based on the voice that echoed in her head; every cruel word and threat.

Releasing the breath to outer world laughter, her thoughts unhitched to something of the now. Gorgeous browns taking over the ice blues. “Fair enough though you usually aren’t one to pass up a meal. Too excited?” she asked as she watched him go all the way to the trouble of getting up in order to move it away from them, finding it curious that he didn’t go even further to put it somewhere a little more appropriate.

Still, she was happy to have him stay close, her tail giving little thumps as he returned to rest a touch closer but she had been already far too enamored with the little ones to see. She would feel his presence and the soft shadow that overcasted them, taking away some of the heat of the sun, though even with that eclipsed it would not stop the dust from making Haskell have a cute little sneeze against her face. Hardly caring about any snot that might have come with it as she tilted her head just enough to angle her tongue to clean his little silver muzzle.

That bashfulness that had taken over her would become tenfold when Khepri prodded for more words, her eye widening as she looked at him before she would huff and pout at him. He knew she had trouble talking about her feelings and well everything personal. It was like there was an invisible wall that would block her whenever she tried, but this time it was a different wall that impeded her. One of a tied tongue as her heart pounded in her ears growing louder when his paw was felt against her cheek, leaning into it. “And for being a rude numbskull,” her pout deepened before she’d lift herself from the ground, careful not to knock the babies this time.

It felt nice to stand, hearing a couple cracks as her legs adjusted to her weight but she felt a little lighter than she had yesterday now that she had two less babies inside her body. Gingerly she would maneuver around them, as if in a ballet before sinking back down so her back was against Khepri instead of facing him now, pulling the babies close once more. “Well, always being there to lift me from my deepest depression, even when I wanted nothing more than to push everyone away and be alone to soak in my mounds of despair,” she said quietly, grooming some of the blood off the babies before continuing a bit louder. It was easier to talk when she didn’t have to look at anyone. “For loving me when I couldn’t love myself. For giving me happiness when I thought happiness was just a fantasy…for giving me these two beautiful little bundles and taking me as your wife when I'm the last one to deserve you,” she’d coo before falling back into him, breaking into a warm smile as her head tilted toward him and rested into the curve of his neck, giving his jaw a loving kiss.

It might have sounded cheesy but she wouldn’t take any of it back.

Khepri

His tail thumped on the ground behind him and he simply shrugged his shoulders. "Can you blame me? There's a lot to be excited about!" he said as his loving gaze shifted momentarily to their children. Their children. It seemed impossible to think about where they'd once been compared to where they were now. It all started with an innocent enough kiss and now they were a family. It had all happened so fast that Khepri sometimes felt like his head was still spinning... but he wouldn't change it for the world. He never wanted to go back to the way things had been, the way he had been.

"Rude?" he said with a chuckle. He thought it was hardly rude of him to want to hear anything nice she might have to say-- damn him for wanting to savor sweet moments like these. With her back to him now, she began to speak.

As she told him all the things she was thankful he began to groom the back of her neck gently. His tongue would glide across her golden fur without pause until she nearly finished, then he would stop and nudge his muzzle into her fur. "You deserve the world, Sif." he told her. "I'm just thankful you let me try to give it to you," he added. While he could not give her the world, he'd die trying, and that was what mattered. He hoped that counted for something.

She leaned back into him and he lifted his head so she could nestle upon his chest. She kissed his jaw and he angled it downward, towards her, closing his eyes momentarily as they lay there together in almost silence. The only noise now was that of the pups squirming and mewling about here and there. The cottage was quiet, but peaceful. It was no longer an empty hovel that welcomed no one. It was a home now, one he was glad to return to after a long day.

“I could blame you but I won’t. I don’t think my excitement will ever match yours today, probably cause I’m the one that just pushed living beans out of me,” she said in a jokingly grumpy tone as if it was the worst experience of her life but it had been a pleasant one. Tired as she was, there was only a brightness in her eyes, one that had rarely touched them since they had met but had become more frequent in the last couple weeks. It burned brighter than ever now mixed with a lightness that seemed so foreign, she didn’t really understand it but it was blissful, a welcomed change in her life. It was nice to not feel like her world was crashing down all around her, steeped in anguish and loathing.

Rude? She would nod to his question, not allowing her sour expression to change in the moment as her tail gave a small thrash. “Yes, you have horrible bedside manners for a doctor, pushing your patient to tell you her feelings. I should tell the council about your inappropriate behaviors, but I’ll forgive you this once,” it took all of her not to break into a smile then, hoping he wouldn’t take the comment seriously even though she knew she would, had it been the opposite roles. Khepri wasn’t as big of a stiff as she was though, she didn’t think he would see it as anything dire or concerning.

The gentle grooming against her neck as she spoke made her fumble a touch, his breath against her neck often accompanied by more cardinal sins but she was hardly in the mood to be allowing such things to happen today. Not because she didn’t want it but because there were two infants pressed against her and an adult child that could pop in at any moment. There was a gentle staggered breath from warmth followed by a chill from his touch, nonetheless, having come to pine for his affections quite regularly in the last couple months. Cuddling into him would have to suffice for the intimacy that she yearned for as her eye half lidded as his delicate voice kissed her ears with far too nice of words she didn’t want to accept as true.

“You deserve more than I do. The world, the moon and the stars… but if you think I am something that truly brings you happiness and worthy of you, I won’t deny it. I’ll keep you selfishly to myself until my last breath,” she crooned, pressing a second kiss into his cheek this time. Her tail would sway and coil up into his as she buried head into his neck and chest furs, not disturbing the silence as much as she wanted to. The peace was worth more than the worries that started to pick up in the back of her mind that he might meet that end before her as less than pleasant things would manifest.

He was still enlisted. He was still enlisted.

Khepri

Khepri chuckled at her comment about pushing out the children-- he could appreciate that, if he'd done the job he was sure he'd be far more tired than he was. Right now he felt somewhat restless, if he was being honest, but that was probably just the excitement talking.

"Excuse me, my bedside manners are impeccable!" he argued playfully as he leaned forward and nuzzled against her neck should she not draw away. He knew she was not one for sharing emotions but he was glad she'd been able to in this instance. He enjoyed hearing her speak the way she did now, as if the world was not as rotten as it was.

As they sat together, he felt a sense of calm wash over him as the excitement he'd earlier felt began to fade into an easy tiredness. His ears flicked as she spoke again and he smiled against the golden furs of her neck. He would gladly give himself to her time and time again. He said nothing as a sudden yawn parted his lips and a weariness took over. He was not too tired to sleep yet, however, and so he lifted his head and leaned to the side to peer at the little ones resting at Sif's side. They were quiet, for now, as was the rest of the cottage.

He looked at them and all his worries went out the window. He didn't think about how he was still enlisted, how there was a war looming over the heads of his new family, how he might lose everything again in the blink of an eye... no... none of these were thoughts in his mind as he gazed at those little miracles. He was just... happy.