Secret Falls the softest beats, resounding deep

( in Darkwater territory; @Kade only please :3 )

That morning they had rose to moonlight and hope, descending the mountain to find their place in the untouched Lore. Travel had not suited the wide wolf, her large belly causing a protest in each of her limbs, but they had made it and no amount of ache could dull the smile that stretched across her dark face. Digging the den and marking the territory had worn them all and when sleep came for them, she did not resist, knowing they were safe in a place that was all their own. But her amber eyes had closed for no more than a half hour before her body decided that the eventful day was far from over.

It had started with discomfort, like when her unborns' paws pressed against the lining of her womb, but tenfold in that it woke her. Its persistance was less than welcome, pulling an irritated moan from her throat as she shifted in an attempt to ease it. But that shift in her position drew molten needles out from below her belly, searing in hot pain as they trickled down toward her hing legs, and at once she knew it was not the long day that was causing this pain.

Ava pulled away from Kade's embrace, sorrowful to deny the man of his rightful rest, murmuring into one ear, "It's time." She protected the strain of her voice from slipping in to her tone as the agitation in her belly turned to violent waves of anger once more. There was no moment to spare and the dark she-wolf broke free from their cover and embarked into the spring night to find the privacy she needed. There had been neither strength nor time to make a new birthing den lest she wanted her claws to fall bloody from her dark toes (and that she did not) so her search for a suitable location was swift, if not desperate. Ava did all she could to keep the panic from resonating in her wide-eyed stare, knowing that the scent would make her beloved Kade uneasy.

A dip in the territory led to a tree whose wide roots had created a depression in the soft ground, a crest of land rising at one side made it seem as though Mother Nature had simply scoooped out a hunk of earth and left this cove as a sanctuary for weary travelers - though it would suit the delivering Leader just fine. Quickly she disappeared around its corner, tucking away into the shadows of the escape to collapse into the dirt. Ava tested the wind, knowing her mate would be close by, and gave in to the want of her body.

Rows of teeth pressed against each other, tongue raised to the roof of her mouth to supress the whines that threatened to wake the night as she pushed with the contractions to deliver a new life into the Lore. With her dark jaws tight closed and the rumble of the waterfall in the distance she knew there would be not a sound to lead any unwanted stranger to witness the miracle.

Then arrived the first of their dark brood, a little wet body squirming against the dirt and her dark fur. Reaching for him, she licked him clean with a warm tongue and the best of her effort, finding peace in a breathless moment before the next contraction reminded her that she would have to be patient before she could acqaint herself with all her children. The labor was not kind on an untrained mother who had just crossed the Serpent's Pass, though she never once gave anything but her unrelenting effort - strong with every push, thourough to clean their faces, guiding them with her muzzle toward her belly. That night was longer than any summer day or winter night...

And when the sun rose she would finally lay her head on the ground, exhausted and panting and only half there, really, but wearing a dreamy smile. Four shapes nuzzled against her side, each one dark and wobbly and more precious than anything she had ever known. Love in her honey-hued eyes, she chuffed gently overhead, signaling to the Father that his children were ready to meet him.

♥ Allie

(This post was last modified: May 04, 2013, 09:28 PM by Ava.)

art - threads

As exhausted as he was, there was little rest to be had. The sound of the river churning far below couldn't soothe the feeling of apprehension that loomed in the air as Ava fidgeted in her sleep. His broad head rested upon the crest of her shoulders as he watched the ebony tips of her ears twitch, helplessly studying the pitch of passive whines that didn't quite escape her throat. The time for her to give birth was drawing near, and they had been lucky to have made it all this way without any serious complications. Even now in the safety of Darkwater territory, it was hard to feel sure about the event he knew would change his life further. Would they look like him? Would they love like she did? Were there two? Three? Would they be healthy? In the night and as he lay, his body curled loyally around his mate's, there were moments when he could feel their movements within her womb. Soon enough, his children would exist to inherit the empire he would build for them.

For the first time since the dark pair had settled for the evening Kade had begun to drift away, the warmth of their embrace giving way to the peace he needed. The memories of the days past, the journey to this place, and his dreams of the future were all faded to sleep, and with a deep breath and a long, exaggerated sigh, he slept. Until a few soft words and a violent jolt woke him with a start. The patriarch's tired eyes were wide with confusion at first as he tried to process what was happening, blinking away his own wants with one look at the painful grimace that Ava couldn't hide. As quickly as he'd jumped to his feet did she slip from the den mouth and out into the night. This might be a novel experience, but he was sharp enough to know that she needed privacy and not the overbearing concern he wanted to give. What he wouldn't do was allow another living thing anywhere near her, or the young on the way. Prowling out into the moonlit forest like a terror waiting to happen, Kade trailed Ava to the cove, hanging back as she rounded a chosen corner and disappeared into the darkness.

Pacing the pebbled shore, he did everything he could to fight the instinct to go to her. However, he found that counting the waves created by the gentle cascade and the stars in the sky was more mundane than he cared to endure, and eventually slid to his belly, laying his head on his fore paws with a defeated whine. After what felt like an eternity and as dawn's light began to filter through the grove's thick canopy, a quiet summons broke through the air. The labored sound of the matriarch's breath and a number of staggered squeaks preceded the sight that he would endear for the rest of his life. Tucked away she lay, not two- or three- but four tiny bodies nestled close to her body. Wide-eyed, he inched closer, looking over each of them before reaching to nuzzle Ava beneath her chin tenderly.

"I'm so proud of you," he murmured to her, the love emanating in his eyes for her as fierce as his will to protect her and the brood she guarded. A newfound purpose dwelled within his softened features as he watched the little ones with wonderment for a time before flashing a grin to Ava, no less beautiful now than she had ever been.

♥ Allie

(This post was last modified: May 06, 2013, 04:55 PM by Kade.)

Within moments Kade appeared from around the bend, her eyes following his descent into the cove with a tell-tale smile etched into their amber depths. As the happiness blossomed on his face she could feel her own mirror his excitement, tired grins shinning brighter than the sun as it climbed into the morning sky. She returned his nuzzle and lingered on their touch, a silent thank you for all of his love and support. Reluctantly she pulled away, taking a deep inhale of Kade's scent as she did so like a token for the road, and looked upon their newly awakened brood.

"Four," Ava whispered, both lacking the strength to project her voice a little reluctant to disturb the dark bundles helplessly squirming around at her side. Her amber eyes were round and glistening, absolutely overjoyed and with an awe to match her weary mate's. "And two of each." Delight spread over her features once more. This happiness was not like that of dreams, she realized, not like anything she'd felt before. Ava fully understood this was her reality: the babbling shore, the thick green canopy, the knight in shining armor, a perfect dark brood, and loyal friends to share it all with. That it was all solidified in fact was the most wonderful kind of pleasure, no doubt.

Of course, their childrens' realities were only beginning. One day they would know the water, where it was rapid and calm, all the trees and all the passages through the surrounding forest - but first, they had to be raised. And first, they had to be named. Each one was simply dark to begin with, lacking any trademarks, and she supposed their nuances would become more noticeable with the passing months. Two of them seemed larger than the others, but Ava had a hard time determining. There was no experience to go off of, and though they smelled healthy and squeaked away without hesitation, she had difficulty swallowing the fear that the trek across the mountains had weakened them the way it had her and Kade. She nosed each one gently, eyes passing over their quivering bodies to make sure she hadn't missed anything on them.

Satisfied that she hadn't, she turned her gaze upon Kade once more, all smiles. "Boys or girls first?"

♥ Allie

art - threads

Two of each. Perfect. As if to convince himself that it was, the silver-featured man looked them all over once more. There was no way to tell which of them were which, as it were they nearly looked like a little clump of wet, furry shadows. They did look healthy, however, and as he took in the look of love flowing from Ava's glistening eyes like a waterfall as she inspected them further, he knew that they would only grow to be stronger, inside and out. Nestling in close enough to her without encroaching on the space he felt she required after the braving the birth of their brood, Kade quietly settled to his belly next to her, his smile mirroring hers contentedly.

Thoughtfully, he watched their little legs kick and the trembling of their tiny bodies as they whimpered. Visions of the little ones playing along the moss-laden forest floor and romping through the shallow waters of the quiet pool that bubbled before them now flickered through his thoughts. The man envisioned the light he knew would shine from his daughter' eyes as they looked up to him, the way his sons would grow to spar, and the way they would learn from he and their mother, and from the others. He thought of what their first hunt would be like, and how it would feel the first time one, or all (as was his experience), of them ran off, or explored a little too far. He imagined the wolves they would evolve to become. All of his musings were utterly terrifying to him now, as he cherished this moment and their vivid innocence.

"Mmmm..." One of his ears folding backward, then forward again, as he picked his mind. After a brief deliberation, he returned his gaze to Ava's golden one. "Boys," he whispered, leaning in closer to her. As a mother, firstly, and a queen, secondly, he knew full and well that it was her right to have the first opportunity.

♥ Allie

( sorry this is poopy; moving all my stupid furniture drained the creativity out of me D: )

Boys, he'd said, and with a grand gesture and an unbridled grin Ava picked out his sons and nosed them off toward dad in a round of indignant squeaking.In a short moment they settled down and wriggled around, making themselves content in their new spot of dirt. Like Ava they seemed to gravitate toward the dark patriarch, the little observation bringing a keen glimmer to her eye.

Leaning forward she placed a delicate kiss upon the first born, darker and larger than the other. Both of them wibbled and wobbled in the exact same manner, stubby legs tangling and struggling to lift their pudgy bodies while their round little heads reached forward as they clamored gracelessly. Who was to say what they would achieve as they grew? In Ava's heart she imagined them all as talented and promising as the other, each one a hunter, a fighter, a protector, wise, strong, clever. It was an awful lot to ask of a heap of newborns - but in the deep of her heart Ava knew if they were anything at all like Kade, she would be proud. Though she could not deny it felt almost intimidating, giving these four the first bit of identity they would ever have. Would their names suit them? Would they like them?

Of course they would, she told herself, amber eyes closing for a moment. Theirs would be a family with blood like diamonds, positively unbreakable. Ava and Kade would raise them to have it all, a beautiful, safe home and a pack built upon love, so that when they looked upon their given name, the Attaya name, how could they be anything but happy? Eyes open once more she looked upon his dark face, eyes tightly closed and head bobbing to no rhythm. "Mace," she said, quietly but resolutely. Her eyes flickered like candlelight from child to father. "Mace Attaya. Our first born son."

♥ Allie

art - threads

Your writing is more beautiful than you think, you know. ♥ I figured Ava would name her mama's boys, and Kade his daddy's girls?

Mace.

The way such a monumental moment slipped from her mouth in a quiet breath made him shudder. Mace Attaya, the heir to this world among the rapids, built from the love shared by two old souls. It was perfect. As Ava nudged them closer to him, Kade reached down to touch his sons for the first time. Silent tears grew and dwelled along the dark lid of his wild eyes, eventually hanging for a moment like a raindrop from the point of a leaf before slipping into the fur of his face. They were soft and round, still wet and weak and with their lionheart squeaks; they would be fierce and strong and honorable, and there was no father more proud.

With a tender touch he roved Mace's belly with the tip of his nose, marking him as his own and with his love and breathing it all in. For a short time he would study every strand of ebony fur, each curve of his protuberant body, and every shade of grey and pink splashed perfectly on the first-born's face. With a twisted grin quivering on his lips, he realized that he thought his son looked, well, just like him. With a flash of humor he eyed Ava, silently wondering if she'd argue that, which he then deemed to be irrefutable. With the near grace that only a new father could possibly possess, he tucked Mace into the warmth of his broad chest, where he wished him to stay for just a little while longer. Just to hold him close, until it was time to resume his breakfast.

Motioning to the unnamed son with a gleam of wonder still fresh in his stare, he waited for Ava to offer her next suggestion.

♥ Allie

(Awwh, love you Allie <3 you spoil me with your compliments! & that sounds adorable and lovely )

Ava watched the union of father and son with reverence, priveleged to see something so monumentally special up close. Written in those stoic features, that handsome arrangement of planes and edges that made the face to make her swoon, was all the love in his heart pouring out to the surface, directed toward a pudgy little being that held all the potential in the world. She was humbled to witness it, and grateful as well; Ava knew there was no such fury that could rival that of a mother's - except a father's love and will to protect. She knew Kade would be just as ferocious as she; she could see it in plain sight. A gentle whine drew from beyond her closed lips, not of pain or sorrow but genuine happiness and devotion to him, to them, forever.

In the crook of Kade's body little Mace fit so perfectly, the warmth of his father calming him so that he ceased wriggling and settled his little head upon his father's wrist and fancied himself a little nap to escape the excitement. Ava met Kade's stare and grinned to match the amusement swirling within the liquid silver depths. No, absolutely so, she could not deny that those two were quite the pair.

Her amber gaze fell upon the next boy, who shuffled his stumpy legs in the dirt with confusion as to where that other warm body next to him had gone. Ava freed him from his confusion, drawing him closer with her muzzle. A contented smile simmered upon her features as she considered him as well. What would become of this little dustball? "And you," she addressed him, as though his literally senseless being might somehow hear or see her anyway. "You will be Rowan." Ava imagined that the muffled noise that came from him at that moment was that of consent and looked gleefully back upon Kade.

The princes had taken their turn, and now the princesses were waiting. After hours of struggle sunlight began to make its way through the verdant canopy, gentle beams giving the daughters golden crowns as they reacted ever so slightly to the added warmth. Ava lowered her head and rested it upon her paws, looking between her silver-featured man and the two unnamed pups with a delighted anticipation for what he had in mind for his girls.

♥ Allie

art - threads

*snuggssssss* <33

As the sun rose tall in a sky as blue as he'd ever seen, Ava looked upon the second born son thoughtfully. He watched with patience and strict attention as the boy squirmed against the loss of heat his litter mate's absence created. Even an experienced mother couldn't have possibly possessed the grace Ava did as she caressed him near to her, her smile shining down upon him with proud affection. Rowan was his name, and like the first, it was suiting of the dark prince. Stretching his neck to nose the pudgy child with an affection of his own, Kade accepted his son and marked him accordingly before laying a soft, wet lick along the length of his tiny back.

It was the princesses who would now procure his absolute awe and attention. There they lay, seemingly quieter than their brothers as the sunlight capered across their perfect forms. They were nearly mirror images of one another, both with newborn coats as dark as night and not a single marking to mar their fluid coloring. Perhaps it was the way that every father felt, knowing that one day his daughters would grow to love him and cherish his guidance and presence, that he would be there to protect them and love them, too, that made his heart and the rest of his insides melt in a way no other ever had. His little girls, the Attaya princesses, and who was he now if not the father that they deserved. As still as the rock wall of the ravine, he stared, losing sight of anything but the two of them for a time.

Eventually, he would tear his gaze away, looking over Rowan contentedly and reaching down to caress Mace's nearly hairless belly before gingerly returning him to Ava's care. Kade grew thoughtful then, drowning out all but the sounds of his family breathing, the tiny noises made by his children and the rustling of the canopy overhead as the gentlest breeze blew through Darkwater Rapids. He wasn't sure which of them was older, but the name of the one furthest from him emerged in his mind with a settling clarity. Hopefully, his silver gaze looked to Ava once more, a soft, boyish smile playing upon his features. "Cinder," he whispered.

♥ Allie

(This post was last modified: May 15, 2013, 07:51 PM by Kade.)

The fire within the depths of her eyes smouldered with a calm excitement as Kade extended his blessing with a sensitive touch to their second-born son. There was something almost relieving about their coronation of. They'd survived their trials in the womb and made it to the other side of the mountain, both alive and with a solid identity. Rowan Attaya. Mace Attaya. Theirs were the names of the future, not only of Darkwater Rapids but of the Lore in its entirety. Of course, they were not alone. Nuzzling her boys back against the warmth of her belly she turned her attention to the dark forms snuggled against each other beneath the spotlight of the sun.

Kade considered his subjects with the most reverent of care, the most beautiful gleam in his soft stare. Ava knew that when he finally fixed his silver eyes upon her that he would have it, the perfect name for a perfect daughter - and he did. Cinder. It glided off the tongue like sand in an hourglass - slow, beautiful, meaningful - and yet it hid something deeper than pretty, perhaps like fire yet hidden beneath ash. When she looked again upon their freshly named daughter it was all she could see. The slick dark fur, the short, straight legs, the rounded paws, every part of her was Cinder.

So she met Kade's hopeful gaze with a soft-hearted grin. "Cinder," she repeated, "Our youngest." Three had been named, though she was not so sure the little ones understood the significance of the process. Following their deliverance they seemed to drift away again, their squeaking hushing to only the occasional pipe as their heavy heads fell to the dirt. A playful grin widened across her face as she fell into a similar silence, imagining they were giving the dark-coated man a respectful silence. After all, he would need it to focus as he contemplated the final piece of their puzzle.

Using her muzzle she gingerly dislodged Cinder from her sister, an act which mildly confused them both. While the youngest was returned to her brothers and quickly rediscovered comfort among them, the remaining daughter shuffled skeptically in her place and turned her closed eyes directly upon her father - seemingly just as eager as her mother for her judgement.

♥ Allie

art - threads

With a grace all her own—that of a woman, and a queen, and a mother—Ava accepted his bestowing of their youngest daughter's name. His eyes lingered upon his mate as she looked down upon the newborn princess with pride and warmth, the grin that had been all along remaining upon his dark mask. As each of the lively, fidgeting heirs began to tire, drifting back into what he knew were the most perfect dreams, he turned his attention to the last nameless cub. Even apart from the others, the girl looked just the same to him—round and wet, perfect. She was quiet, however, and it came to him then that she'd not made much noise at all. There was an air of peace that he found to glow around her tiny body, and it came to him then as easily as a summer breeze.

Reaching out to nuzzle her gently with his wide snout, he straightened up the soft mess of her wild fur as best as a new father could, licking the dirt from her back affectionately. "Quil," he whispered without lifting his eyes from her, "Quil Attaya." For a moment he stared at her, then at her brothers and sister as they slept, their little sienna-hued forms twitching and whimpering here and there. Tenderly, he returned her to their warmth, positioning her between Rowan and Cinder and making sure she was tucked in just right before looking once more upon the love of his life. They really did have it all, and looking back on the happiest of times they shared and the trials they had endured, he knew without doubt that everything had fallen into place as he'd always hoped it would. This heaven was their lives, and now they had four perfect souls to live for.

♥ Allie

[happy ending♥]

(This post was last modified: May 30, 2013, 06:39 PM by Kade.)