Darkness on the Rise (Finished)

[The Jenn]

The stress of the moment made Lior purr, combined with the unbelievable wave of relief at seeing her again, even if she wasn't going to stay. A small whimper made it through the rumble as she spoke and it confused him, what she was saying. All he'd wanted these past few weeks was to see her, some sign that she was still alive, still cared, would come back and save him from a fate alone and caring for children he didn't rightly know if he could ever come to love.

Her, he loved, and it was only after she'd left that he realized he'd never flat-out told her. Nearly a year was long enough to fall in love with someone, wasn't it? That was what had happened to him.

"Please don't leave," he whimpered, and unconscious mimicry of the last thing he'd said to her. "I love you, I don't care, it's fine, everything's fine... just please come back inside with me." She looked as though she would need medical attention, but for the time being it would have to be whatever he could provide. Ironic that he would need warm water and blankets, just like last time. He pressed against her and licked her cheek, the mask that used to cover it still sitting on the table next to their bed.

[carcinoGeneticist]

The world was spinning. It had always been spinning, but the ground had never been anything but stable under Rhinnon's feet.

Now, clinging as she was to the white feline, sobs shaking her thin frame, she could feel every little bump along the way. How long could this last, him holding her and comforting her like this? Would he make the stroke that would seperate them forever this time as clean as he had made the one that had ended her life? She felt sure, in that moment, that she would die if he did. She would die no matter what, but if he refused to see her... She would just be so lost. He was the father of her children, after all.

"I won't,[/b]" Rhiannon whimpered, reaching out and touching his cheek with her paw. The movement would have been far more meaningful if she'd had a biped form, but the meaning was there, shining through the awkwardness of it. Her cracked pawpad left a faint stain of red on his cheek, and she whined and licked it softly, embarassed by the way she had stained his lovely coat. She hesitated for a moment like that, lingerng close to him, her tail giving a feeble wag. "I can't, Lior, I can't believe I did before...[/b]"

The words were almost lost in the other things he'd said, and for a moment, Rhiannon wondered if she'd imagined them. But he had said them, and she felt faint for a moment - was she really ready for this? Could she be? It only took a second to quiet her brain and she began to lick the feline desperately, whimpering, her tears flowing freely. "Lior, Lior, I love you,[/b]" she had said that before, she knew - but the circumstance seemed inappropriate, making it somehow less significant in her mind. "I'll... I'll need help getting in,[/b]" she said pathetically, laughing a little nervously.

It took some doing, but eventually, she made her way inside and to the bed. It was exactly how she had remembered it, except for one important note - that which had made her leave in the first place. "Where are they?[/b]" she whispered, anxiety filling her voice.

[The Jenn]

Her desperation and near-panic was almost infectious. Lior nosed at her cheek and neck, not noticing or caring about the red smudge that was swiftly licked away, mind still caught up in the fact that she had come back. She was here. She... she loved him. No matter how guilty he felt for what he'd done to her and their children, he could put it aside in favor of the simple joy of seeing her again. He'd been terrified that he never would.

His head pressed against her shoulder and he closed his eyes for a moment, just savoring her warmth and presence. She could use a shower, but he didn't care, not at all. As carefully as he could, he maneuvered part of his shoulder for her to brace against and helped her limp into the apartment. During that time, he mumbled words that weren't easily discernable, sentences that weren't entirely coherent. He was exhausted and short on sleep thanks to the children, but he'd been awake and it was the shock of her return more than anything that threw his head for a loop.

He helped her up onto the bed, grabbing a blanket that he'd kicked off several nights ago, and hesitated before throwing it over her. "They're in the living room," he whispered back, not wanting to speak any louder than she had. It just didn't feel right and made him shift uneasily. He didn't want to think about them right now, but obviously it was something that had been weighing on her mind and it wasn't something he could easily ignore either. "We passed by them on the way into the room. I got them sleeping about an hour ago. One of them will probably wake up soon, though. That seems to be how it goes. They're all... still alive." And here, was the implicit addition.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Then they had all survivied. Rhiannon wasn't completely sure how long she'd been gone for, but something in the back of her mind had whispered that it was far too long for children to go without a mother. It had been one worry wrapped up in a pile of others that she'd managed to discard, but now that she was in control of her own mind once more, she felt oddly relieved. If she had their horrific appearance weighing in on her consciousness as well as their deaths, she would almost certainly collapse.

All the same, she couldn't bring herself to see them. Not yet. "I don't know if I can see them yet,[/b]" she said, shaking her head and looking down. She was ashamed of the fact, but that didn't make it the right time. "I-I should sleep first. So I can have a rested mind before...[/b]"

Rhiannon's voice trailed off then, and she pulled the blanket tightly around herself. He would understand what she meant. She snuggled in close to him, body trembling slightly. She would be sore in the morning, of course... But with any luck, a night spent close to Lior would put her in a much more healthy mindset for seeing the - no, her - children.

She could hope, anyway.

[The Jenn]

Something in Lior relaxed a little bit when she didn't demand to see the children right away. He would have gone to get them, of course, but they weren't what he wanted, especially not just then. All he wanted was to lay next to her and reassure himself that she really had come back and he wasn't having some wonderfully cruel dream. Waking up next to her would be a wish come true all over again.

"That's fine," he agreed, resting his head against her shoulder. "They'll be there in the morning. There's no reason to have to hurry." Especially if he could have her all to himself for that night, barring any cloak-driven interruptions or wailing infants to care for. The latter was far more certain than the former, but either or both could easily happen. She would understand, he was sure, especially if she was as tired as she looked.

His cloak acted as his blanket and he lay against her, falling into a light sleep that was interrupted four times for different reasons. He wasn't much more rested by the time morning rolled around, but he hoped that she would be. With a tired sigh, he made sure that the bat child didn't drown herself with the milk and her inability to open her mouth properly. Bottle-feeding was so unbelievably awkward without hands... at least it seemed impossible for the rankless child to drown from the bottle, even though he now knew that baths would be hellish if he wasn't careful.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Rhiannon nodded, the motion almost a nuzzle in the position she was in, and let her eyes slide shut. She had barely managed to hear his last few words before sleep took her completely, her sides rising and falling evenly. She was beyond exhausted. She barely even stirred through the night, barring one notable exeption the first time Lior was called from bed, when she reached out for him as if begging him to stay by her side for just a minute longer.

She didn't dream. It was a strange occurance for the woman, as for the last several weeks she had been absolutely plagued with the most vivid dreams she could imagine. She was more than greatful for the blackness that she had fallen into as soon as she'd found sleep. Hours passed like this, without interruption, most likely the best sleep she'd ever managed to have, until -

-ake up. Your children need you.

She twitched as her mind was pulled from sleep, reaching out as if to touch the figure that she'd hoped to find by her side, but her paws stretched into nothingness. Why was she awake so suddenly, and where was Lior? Reality swam back to her slowly, and she raised herself up, glancing around the room. There was light streaming in through the window. What time was it? Lior must be feeding the children... The voice that she had heard in her slee came back to her, and she rose to her feet.

She hesitated in the entryway to the living room, watching Lior feed the infants. It was a touching sight, but something in her stirred at it. She knew she was still able to nurse... The hormones had stayed strong in her, and without another word she walked up to her lover and her children, carefully nestling down inbetween the squirming bodies. She swallowed hard as she looked them over and closed her eyes before nudging them towards her belly, then lay her head down on Lior's paws. "How is the one still alive?[/b]" she murmured, struggling to keep from sickness. When she couldn't see them, could just feel them against her, it seemed okay... Except for the one with no face and those strange splayed toes, kneading at her stomach but unable to feed as his siblings did.

[The Jenn]

Lior was too tired to notice the sounds of Rhiannon waking up and getting out of bed, but movement out of the corner of his eye made him turn his head as she walked over and offer her a tired, happy smile. Just seeing her awake and aware and not leaving was enough to turn his morning from numbingly exhausting to tiredly happy. He nosed at her as she passed, accidentally upsetting the precarious balance of bottle and infant, and grimaced as he tried to right it. That proved unnecessary when she settled down next to him and drew the children closer. Surprised, he rolled the bottle to the side and set the bat girl down to join her siblings. She squirmed over next to her rankless brother, who grunted as he settled against the warm side and began to nurse. Lior's tired mind hadn't made the connection between her return and a departure from bottle feeding.

"I really don't know," he admitted, moving to lay down beside her with his paws held carefully still. He licked at a spot behind her ears for a moment, the fur oily and grimy, then stretched a wing over her and the children. She hadn't gotten a chance to really look at them before leaving, had she? "He must get nourishment from something because he's as healthy as the rest of them, but I haven't been able to tell how. He's fully blind, of course, so he just sort of moves with the rest of them... but the girl with no eyes seems to have some method of moving around. You'd know more about bats than I would."

He hesitated, considering his next words. Would she think them presumptuous...? "I, ah, remembered our conversation the night they were born. Even though I only know what you've told me about the Bog language, I think it would be good to name them. The... one without a face is Kieran."

[carcinoGeneticist]

They didn't know it, but as the family began to draw closer again, tiny Kieran felt his belly fill on something that was just as tangible to him as the milk was to his siblings. He started to pur, a stuttering noise that would fill his parent's mind, a rich sound of pleasure and relaxation. It filtered to his siblings as well, and the little winged girl made a soft noise, burying herself in her mother's fur as she filled her tummy. This was so different from how it normally was, but it was nice - they were all eating at the same time, all huddled closely together.

The purring noise helped Rhiannon relax slightly, though the feeling of tiny teeth on her skin was rather uncomfortable. The little bat, if she'd been any bigger, would have been impossible to nurse like this, but for now she could deal. "Echolocation, probably...[/b]" Rhiannon mused, shifting against Lior's side. She was in desperate need for a bath of some kind, but it could wait until the children were full and satisfied. She hoped that they would also fall asleep when that happened - that's what babies did, right? Eat, poop, and sleep? "They're... they're so little,[/b]" she commented again as a tiny paw came into view.

It was a bizzare sensation, looking down at the squirming bodies. If not for the few glaring imperfections they were all so beautiful, with richly swirled coats and sparkling white fur. Tenatively, she reached down and licked one when she saw a patch of fur that was rubbed the wrong way, shying away from the strange tubes that seemed to come from her child's back.

She would do her very best.

"Kieran...[/b]" she murmured in reply, looking over the golden wings. He was... really quite beautiful as long as she didn't look at his face or his swirled hair covered his imperfections. The toes were strange, but not overly so, especially not when the rest of his perfect little self was taken into consideration . "Do any of the others have names? I know of some others if they don't yet.[/b]"

[The Jenn]

Lior didn't know what 'echolocation' was and made a mental note to ask her later. It wasn't as important just then. He watched her watching them and gently nosed at the back of her mane. While feeding and bathing and handling them, he'd gotten in the habit of not quite looking at any of them head-on. The little girl with the oddly bony wings was fine. Kieran with his hair over his face wasn't so bad either, when it came down to it, but if he stared too long at any of the others it started to make something in his stomach churn unpleasantly.

He would try. For her and for the children they had brought into the world and he had cursed, he would try. He just didn't know how much it would take for him to see them as just 'children', all of them.

"I haven't named any of the others," he admitted, watching her expression. It seemed to be softening a little bit and it made him smile. Not having names for any of them but Kieran was awkward and he didn't know how long he would have let it go on before finally giving them some sort of definitive label. "The idea of giving them all names like your family stuck in my head and I just... didn't want to do it wrong. I know you said two names originally, but I couldn't remember what the other one was. Just Kieran."

The purr that rumbled next to the young Joker made him squirm happily and release his mother for a moment to crawl on top of his sibling before finding a different nipple. The bat protested his movement as he nearly squashed one of her wings and bit down a little harder than necessary.

[carcinoGeneticist]

It took a little bit of squirming but Rhiannon finally found the most comfortable position to lay. Her mother was unspeakably lucky, only having the two children to nurse, but her own litter seemed to be fairly calm when it came to feeding. She hoped that it would last, but something in the back of her mind told her that they would have much more energy once they got older, so she should try her hardest to enjoy the way things were now. They certainly weren't perfect, but there wasn't anything she could do about that. She just had to give the little babies everything she could.

A small grin tugged at the corner of her mouth and she glanced down at Keiran, who was taking wide and wobbly steps as he made an effort to climb her side, movements uttely unstable. It was... cute. They all were, with their little awkward movements and weird noises. "Do you hear that, Keiran?[/b]" she murmured, licking the little boy softly. "Your papa has a soft spot for you.[/b]" It was easy to pretend that he was okay.

The others... were much less so, and she found she couldn't watch them for too long without feeling her stomach flip. "Jakodi... do you think it fits any of them?[/b]" her expression turned thoughtful. She hadn't been around to get a feel for any sort of personality, so she would rely on what Lior thought of them. "Then there's Endellion, Treasa, Adair, Amhalghaidh...[/b]" She had never considered the proper Bog spelling of the last name, just knew that she liked the way it sounded. Auley.