Fantasy ~ FableWood ~

[BloodThunder27]

(Brace yourselves; I'm on my phone, so don't expect any super-long posts)


While finally getting up to stretch her legs, Ashley felt a sharp pain in her belly and her ability to stand seemed to start deteriorating, so she latched onto the bed frame in order to keep herself standing. As she held onto her belly, she felt another sharp pain. "I think my water just broke..." She looked like she was about to cry. "I'm...Sure I'll be...Fine. At least for the next few hours...I think." The pain was indeed sharp, so she took a few deep breaths to ease it, but that didn't help and the pain only moved to her back.


(Oh dear god, who's in the room with her...?)

 

[Flutterby]

(No one O.o everyone is out with Malachai)


Quincy watched as Malachai began to stir, muttering in the tongue she didnt understand. Finally, he came to, albeit violently with a roar. She jumped backward slightly, out of the way of the giant man as he hug-tackled Alex. A smile spread across the kelpie's face as the two embraced, their joy contagious. Seeing their bond restored made her happy in the same second-hand way it made her smile when Alexander did. She backed away a little, now shivering, intending on giving them space to enjoy the moment and find her warmer clothes.

 

[SkywardSocks]

Achyls nodded, a smile breaking across her face as she saw Malachai wake. She allowed the brothers to have their time, and decided to return to Ashley. She had her duty to protect her at all costs. Spreading her wings, she vanished up into the room, letting out a gasp once she saw Ashley.


"Ashley!" she panicked, rushing to her side. Placing one hand on her back and the other at her shoulder, she guided her out of the room. Her eyes kept flitting from her to her belly. It was time.


No...no...what do we do? she thought to herself. She continued down the hallway at a peaceful speed so that Ashley could move with her.


They eventually came to the infirmary, and she lay Ashley down on a bed. Quickly, she rushed to a healer, eyes wide and sweat beginning to create beads on her brow.


"This woman is in labour! We need assistance!" she gasped, to which a large group of healers followed, fussing over the woman with child.


@Shimakage Thunder

 

[SilverFlight]

Tad raced around the room, mewling frantically about Achyls and Ashley, suddenly he shot out of the window.


A passing servant heard Achyls call and immediately dropped the books she was carrying to get the healers.


Tad rushed out to the lake, squeaking his alert to everyone there. Leia squinted, suddenly words forming in the creature's speech.


"Ashley!" She yelled. "The baby's coming!"


@Flutterby @Hel @andujarprime @Bea Delaine @DawnAntalios @zCrookedz


Tad rushed off again, deciding it was his job to alert everyone Leia knew. He found Briar, in conference with Fior and Grenwin, Halbred, conversing with Trindle the arms master and half the castle staff. Tad then rushed off to find the last two members.


Kallin had watched the entire pack race off. He stayed behind, surveying the upturned camp sight with much satisfaction. He took a seat, mentally patting himself on the back for a job well done.


Tad came zooming through the woods, squeaking and twisting through the trees. He rushed past Luness, then did a doubletake and rushed back, sailing about her feet before racing towards the campsite.


Kallin almost tripped as he tried to avoid the excited spirit, only realizing afterwards he could just step right through him.


"What on earth has your tail in a knot?" worry gripped him for a moment. "You belong to that human girl don't you?"


He started into the woods where he had seen Luness run off.


"Luness! We need to get back to the castle!"


@Lioness075

 

[andujarprime]

Malachai had faintly felt the tug of the baby and Ashley's surprise in the back of his head. As her contractions got stronger and the baby came closer he felt that tight again, when Tad came streaking down to them it completely caught his attention. "Pahdul, baby" He whispered as he let go of Alex and began shifting backing away from the group to give himself space. "My apologies Zeymah, our reunion must wait. And I owe you all an explanation but that must wait as well. I am needed" He said mid shift then he took off. Certain that the others were right behind him on their own way. He flew to the window of Ashley's room finding that her and Achyls we're gone. He used his connection with the Mother and child, and the directions of the frantic castle staff to find them in the infirmary. Everyone jn the room was taken aback when the huge man burst through the doors. "IT HAS BEGUN!" He exclaimed as he strode in to find Achyls and Ashley sitting there, a pained look on the mother's face. He could feel tell that it was going to be a long night. He calmed a little and smiled as he stood by the bed watching the entire scene around them. Ready to jump and assist at a moment's notice

 

[Lioness075]

Luness nearly did a double take when Tad came flying past her and then turned around to fly into Luness' face.


Hissing in surprise, Luness jumped back from Tad and then turned to watch, as Tad flew back towards the campsite. Blinking, Luness then began sprinting after Tad, knowing that the spirit had seemed her out so something had to be amiss.


Luness then heard Kallin calling out to her and sprinted towards his voice, soon seeing his heat signature up ahead of her.


Skidding to halt before she collided with Kallin, Luness then stood up on her hind legs only a few feet away from Kallin and asked him, "What's wrong?"


Before hearing Kallin's response, Luness looked to the side and then skyward before she let out a caterwaul, calling her pack back to their campsite.


@SilverFlight

 

[DawnAntalios]

Nyr's eyes widened - first from surprise then from a sudden panic. They were so preoccupied with everything happening around them that she had forgotten the single most important thing that was to happen soon to Ashley - her blessed baby would be born. Looking at Leo they nodded to each other and now both of them knew what to do. Turning around quickly she started to flap with her wings, bringing Leo with her in the air.


" There is no time to waste! " she told the others what they already knew " Let us make haste, the birth of the child is a gift of life - we must witness it with our own eyes immediately. "


With that she darted towards the castle with the leonine guardian. Soon enough she landed with him and both hurried upstairs to find the girl. She ran up the staircases which felt like an eternity to Nyr but ultimately they have reached the room of the young mother where they have met with a servant who told them that she was already transported to the infirmary. Now running back down to find her again Nyr breathed in relief seeing that Achyls and Malachai were already there with her.


" Ashley! " she exclaimed in horror as she saw how much she was struggling. She had never seen someone giving birth but she knew the time was not ripe just yet - but the young human was in great pain. Kneeling down near her she mumbled a silent apology for not being here with her from the beginning then even though she had used up all the moon energy before still asked her Mother for a blessing. A soft white light enveloped her hands and held them over the belly of the struggling mother and smiled.


" The others will be here soon as well! " she said " Just hold out Ashley, we are here for you! "

 

[SilverFlight]

"What? Now?!" Ward leaped up, prancing like a nervous horse as he thought. "Oh dear! Oh dear! We have to, we must...Oh dear!" As Malachai disappeared Ward galloped after him, remembering half way that he actually had wings and then jumping into the sky. The flight back to the castle was short. The infirmary was being cleared and prepared and Alta was there, barking orders at the staff.


"Towels! Now! That water's not warm enough! Someone get a caster in here to light the hearth!"


Ward changed back to human form before going to attend to the hearth.


Alta followed him, and as soon as the fire was roaring she spun him around and shoved him to the door.


"I want everyone here who's not useful to clear out! This will be stressful enough for the mother without anxious clods filling the space!"


Ward was piled unceremoniously outside the door and left to wait.


Kallin nearly ran into the werecat and fought to keep his balance. "I have no idea what's wrong." He admitted. "But if I know your friends its most likely trouble."


He addressed the spirit next. "What's the matter boy? Someone fall down a well?" The spirit squeaked and trilled and Kallin frowned.


"You know I actually got some of that...you said...'baby'?"

 

[andujarprime]

Malachai stood by the bed still as a statue, he chuckled at the sight of Ward being thrown out, then he eyed the old woman warily when she looked back at him. Dismissing the thought of leaving the room he continued to watch everyone

 

[SkywardSocks]

Achyls shot a healer a wide-eyed, angered look. She refused to now leave Ashley's side, still feeling guilty for her kidnap. Another healer tried to force Achyls out, but was held back. A small deliberation went on between them, and they then let her be. A scoffing sound escaped her mouth, but it was quiet enough that none would hear it.


She wandered to Malachai's side, looking at him with a soft smile.


"You are a brave soul," she whispered to him, before averting her gaze back to Ashley. It filled her with grief to see her suffer so, but she knew that it would all be for the better. She would not neglect her duty of protecting her.


@Shimakage Thunder

 

[Lioness075]

Luness raised an eyebrow at Kallin, but knew he had a point. Especially since Tad had been sent to find them.


Hearing Kallin's questions for Tad, Luness rolled her eyes and then said, "You seriously think that Tad would show up and be asking us for help if it was as simple as someone falling down a well?" Frowning, Luness then muttered, "Who's dense enough to do that anyhow?"


The moment Kallin mentioned baby though, Luness' eyes lit up and she grabbed Kallin's wrist, pulling him behind her for a moment to get him moving before she let go of his wrist and began running towards the castle. Shouting over her shoulder, Luness said, "It's Ashley and her baby! She must be having it soon!"


@SilverFlight

 

[Flutterby]

Quincy's eyes widened in surprise as everyone dashed away with words of "Ashley" and "baby." The human was going to actually have her baby? The kelpie's brow furrowed, an uncomfortable feeling settling over her. Birth was, to say the least, a strange concept to her. She stayed where she was as everyone dispersed, thinking over this idea of birth. It wasnt that she didnt understand-she did. But the occurrence of such an event raised some questions in her mind, mainly if she had been born. It seemed that one must be born to exist- everyone else in the group had. But if one didnt have parents, one couldnt be born. she knew she didnt have parents, and she knew she had never been a baby. So where had she come from? Quincy frowned, confused by where this train of thought was taking her. Perhaps it was best to simply be happy for the new life and ignore the rest. Yes, that seemed much easier. The kelpie fixed a neutral expression on her face and went to retrieve her clothes from where they lay on the other side of the lake.

 

[BloodThunder27]

Yup...She just went into labor. Ashley was in a fairly great deal of pain. By the time Achyls got her to the infirmary, she could no longer walk. Her contractions were at least three minutes apart. Due to all the pain she was currently going through, there were tears forming in her eyes as she tried to take deep breaths in between, but her contractions were not really allowing her to catch her breath. "Please...make it stop..." She said as contractions came and go. At this point, she'd do anything to be comfortable.

 

[DawnAntalios]

nyr's eyes opened in panic and fear as Ashley begged for help. Doubling her efforts she prayed to Mother Moon to grant her the strength to comfort the girl but it seemed that her efforts were in vain. No matter how hard she tried to ease her pain Ashley seemed to be struggling against the anguish. The servants ran up and down, discussing what they should do to help the young mother but Nyr could not wait. Their plans would take precious minutes, maybe half an hour to be set in motion - but Ashley needed help now.


" Ashley, try to breath slowly and calm yourself. " she whispered to her, leaning closer to the girl, and even though she knew that what was asking was impossible she hoped to help her some way. The white glow from her hands did not vanish but for a moment the power seemed to wane, but she quickly regained control " It will all be over soon. We are all here with you and protect you, just hold on! "

 

[andujarprime]

Malachai stood by as the nurses scrambled. He took a deep breath as he slowly eased himself into Ashley's mind. He began humming a calming tune that only she could hear, trying to distract her from the pain. "It is not yet time blessed mother, your journey is almost over, but you must endure just a little longer." He thought to her in a deep calming voice. Malachai decided to try something he had done once before, unsure if it would work. "Open your mind to me, allow me to lessen the burden for you" He said as he began to draw her pain into his mind, he had his hand on her shoulder at this point, hoping th hat the physical connection would help. Last time he did this was through a mental connection, but with a dragon. Doing this with a human was different. He continued to sooth her with his humming as he attempted to draw on the pain.


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[SkywardSocks]

Achyls knelt down beside her, holding Ashley's hand, whispering soft words in her Archaic Tongue. The black ink like power she had once before dealt to Luness in Wonderland began to seep from her fingertips, drifting into Ashley's body, soothing what little she could. She began to sing quietly to her, her voice sounding ethereal, like words sent from a distant land.


"Dear Mother, sweet Mother, we all start at the end. Oh Mother, dear Mother, I'll come back again," she chirped, feeling the tightness of Ashley's grip on her hand. She continued under her breath, trying to fill Ashley's head with sweet thoughts. All the while thoughts buzzed through her mind as if were a hive full to bursting with bees.


She looked to Malachai, a panicked smile on her face, a look of kindness and questioning.


@Shimakage Thunder @andujarprime

 

[SilverFlight]

"What?!" Kallin yelled, but his words were jarred from his chest as Luness yanked him forward. A hand went quickly to his hat to keep it from flying off. He ran as fast as he could behind Luness, not expecting her to run on two legs just so he could keep up.


"I'll meet you there!" He called to her. Still continuing at a fair pace.


@Shimakage Thunder @SkywardSocks @andujarprime


Leia knew she would be absolutely no use in the infirmary, so she stayed outside waiting for Tad. The spirit came pelting toward her and dashed into her, exploding in a wave of air on her chest and reforming just above her.


"Did you find everyone?" Tad nodded fervently.


"Ok...I guess...we wait."

 

[andujarprime]

Malachai opened his eyes nodding satisfactorily. His presence began to fill the room slowly moving down and over both Nyr and Achyls gently nudging them away.


"We have done enough, any further and we violate the sanctity of the birth. It is as she says" He nods to Alta "the birthing process is natural, pain is natural, in fact it is necessary in order to understand completely the sacrifice the mother is making now and the sacrifices she will be making in the future. To alter the birthing process, to rid her the feeling of that sacrifice will violate the entire process beyond anything you could comprehend." He explained in a gentle tone hoping that they would comply. "Let it take its course, she is in no danger, merely discomfort. Trust that as a guardian I will allow no harm to come to her. Please" He urged, hoping that they would understand how sacred this was not just to Ashley as the mother, but to his beliefs as a dragon and guardian.


@Shimakage Thunder @SilverFlight

 

[Lioness075]

Luness let out a low growl and then dropped to all fours and ran alongside Kallin beforr saying, "Get on my back! It'll be faster!"


The moment she suggested it, Luness was facepalming in her head. It sounded like the weirdest suggestion for Luness to offer for Kallin to ride her like she was some horse, but it would ultimately get both of them to the destination quicker...and on time together.


Keeping her gaze straight forward so that Kallin wouldn't see her apalled expression and blushing, Luness hoped that nothing too serious had happened with Ashley yet. Luness knew nothing about pregnancies or giving birth, but she wanted to be there in case something happened.


She felt some underlying duty to protect Ashley and her child, though she couldn't quite understand why.


@SilverFlight

 

[SkywardSocks]

Achyls nodded, not fully agreeing, but still respecting Malachai's words. Though she refused to leave. Instead, she sat back against a wall, closing her eyes and listening to all the sounds in the room. The thoughts continued to whir in her head and she drowned them out with her humming. She could hear the rushing and scuffling of healers, the thudding of footsteps, and most of all, the discomfort of Ashley. It pained her greatly, and so she squeezed her eyes shut tighter, knees folded up into her chest, her humming continuing lightly.


@Shimakage Thunder

 

[zCrookedz]

Leo kept close to Nyr and the others as they huddled around Ashley. Then Malachis began to speak and Leo smiled to the young mother. He was correct, this was a part of life and it needed to happen naturally. Leo placed a hand on Nyrs shoulder "I am going to step outside. There is more than enough support here for the young mother. If needed ill be outside the room." He looked to the young mother "Congratulations dearest mother to be."He gave the raven a smile, and then looked to the dragon and nodded in agreance. He shifted through the group and found the door. He opened as a few more nurses rushed past and then walked outside the door. He looked around and found Leia and her spirits smiling to her as he placed his back to the wall and sat himself.

 

[BloodThunder27]

Ashley drank the herbal mixture reluctantly, but wanted was best for her and the baby, not to mention she can nourish the baby one last time. She felt so well loved, seeing how her companions, namely Malachi, Nyr and Achyls, tried to keep her calm and comfortable. However, she was now closer towards giving birth. Because the pain got progressively worse, tears began rolling down her cheeks as she started crying.


By now, she was easily irritable and disoriented and a cold flush was about her face, not to mention she had began seating profusely. "I'm scared..." She cried as her legs started trembling despite her efforts to relax herself. Her contractions were now less than three minutes apart, with multiple peaks in terms of how sharp and strong they were. The worst part was that each contraction lasted from ninety to one-hundred twenty seconds and she barely had any time to catch her breath. "You're gonna be worth it, but I don't wanna feel like this anymore." She said, holding her belly and gently caressing it to help ease the pain.

 

[Hel]

Alexander had lingered a bit in the garden after everyone had left to tend to Ashley. He was still taking in the fact that his brother was still alive, and besides that he thought it beds not to overwhelm the young woman who would soon be having a child. Seeing Quincy linger too, he watched her gather her clothes, then stood, and stepped nearer.


"Come, we should go wait to greet the new child, but, perhaps, not in the same room?" He asked her.


Anya and Ethan had gotten the memo, as well, and Anya grimaced a touch at the thought of going to be with Ashley while having a baby. She had no desire to be near any sort of birthing process, and quite frankly didn't want to be around any newborn babies either. She had nothing against the woman, but clearly she would be in better hands with someone else.


The two did make their way back to the castle, however.

 

[SilverFlight]

Kallin was rapidly losing breath, when Luness shifted to all four paws he expected her to leave him behind. Instead he nearly tripped at her suggestion. He had ridden horses before, but those horses were generally speechless...and they also weren't pointy at five ends.


"A-All right." He said uneasily, bouncing one step and vaulting onto the alpha's shoulders. He sat low, trying not to pull her fur and refraining from making any jokes.


"Let's go then!"


@Shimakage Thunder


((That's about all you're getting out of me for this bit. Alta will wrap the baby up after the fact. If it were me I'd curtain call it to the sound of crying being heard outside the room.))

 

[andujarprime]

Kallin was rapidly losing breath, when Luness shifted to all four paws he expected her to leave him behind. Instead he nearly tripped at her suggestion. He had ridden horses before, but those horses were generally speechless...and they also weren't pointy at five ends.
"A-All right." He said uneasily, bouncing one step and vaulting onto the alpha's shoulders. He sat low, trying not to pull her fur and refraining from making any jokes.


"Let's go then!"


@Shimakage Thunder


((That's about all you're getting out of me for this bit. Alta will wrap the baby up after the fact. If it were me I'd curtain call it to the sound of crying being heard outside the room.))

<eff that post a live birth video >_> lol>


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