Soleil the Virtuous
May 14th, 2012 at 7:33pm

For whatever reason, completely unknown to Soleil she had ended up in,
quite possibly, the coldest region of Helovia. To make matters worse
she was going into labor and she knew she wouldn't make it out of the
frozen wasteland she was in in time. The only thing she could do was
find a place where she was sheltered from the wind, where her newborn
would be sheltered, and have her child in peace.

The search was agonizing in more ways than one. The cold wind seemed
to bite through her skin and muscles and penetrate her bones and the
contractions that came with her labor had her wanting to just pace
back and forth rather than search coherently. The mare forced herself
to find a suitable place and when she did she dropped down onto the
floor of the cave she'd found and sucked in a deep breath to calm
herself. She wished Paladin was with her. He wouldn't have allowed her
to wander into the frozen wasteland and even if he couldn't have
stopped her he would keep her warm.

-graphic birthing stuff goes on here-

The process of having her children went more smoothly than it had when
she'd given birth to Ktulu and Ophelia. Soleil was surprised to have
gotten twins once again, but she was excited. The mare clambered to
her feet and turned to look at her children, both colts. Paladin would
be excited, she thought. One of them held the tribal markings that
were unique to his bloodline, though they were a bit off. His body was
pale rather than black and the markings blue rather than red. The
other foal was the spitting image of his father with the black body
and red tipped mane and tail.

Soleil lowered her head and nuzzled the two newborns before urging
them to stand. They needed to stand and drink so she could lead them
out of the frozen land she'd ended up in and back to the warmth of the
foothills.

---

Paladin the Valiant
May 14th, 2012 at 8:53pm

Paladin had been to check on their girls only to return to find that
in her state, his mate had wandered. Concerned, he tracked her into
the frozen wastelands of the north, and he snorted a cloud of white
smoke. Why would she wander here? He powerfully moved over the earth
until his crimson eyes settled on a cave in the distance. In the
white, he made out the form of his love.

Quickly, he rushed to her side and lowered his body next to hers,
trying to keep her warm. As she struggled, he whispered loving,
encouraging words, and he was pleased to see that this birth was much
easier for her than their twin girls had been. Two! Twins again! What
manner of glorious and spectacular hell was thin? Four children to
call his own? He had never been more proud or more overwhelmed. His
blood would flow strong in this land.

When Soleil stood, he followed suit and helped clean the two colts he
had sired, and he grinned. Always one dark and one light - fitting for
he and his mate. The lighter one had markings like his family, but
they were blue like Sol's eyes. For a moment, his darker son made him
frown. The colt held none of his mother's markings - not a single hint
of dun on his charcoal form. Once again, the power of Riekahn worked
its way into Paladin's life, though the innocence in his son's eyes
was too beautiful to stay concerned. He loved them, and he could never
do anything but love them.

Paladin lovingly nuzzled his mate's neck as she urged their sons to
stand, and he chuckled. "One of our sons has your features and my
markings. I am interested to see how they age." he commented with a
grin. "We make some damn good children, Soleil."

---

Soleil
May 14th, 2012 at 9:29pm

Paladin had arrived right when she had needed him most, giving her his
warmth and comforting words as she birthed their children. She was
just as lost as he was at the aspect of having two sets of twins. In
two pregnancies she'd given him four children. Four absolutely
beautiful children and they were both still young. Should he desire a
bigger family she would be more than willing to give that to him. The
only thing he had to do was tell her.

"He does." She agreed when he said that one of their sons had her
features. She missed the way he frowned at the darker colt and she
wouldn't have known that he attributed it to his father. Her own
father was a massive black stallion. He could have gotten his looks
from either of his grandsires.

She nuzzled the colts in turn, continuing to urge them to find their
feet. "Come now, Vadim." She said as she nudged the paler of the two
colts. He scrambled until he stood on awkwardly splayed legs then
looked at his mother expectantly. She did not move to him and so he
shakily edged his way closer to her and once he was close enough he
shoved his head under his dam's belly and began to nurse greedily.

Soleil's gaze then turned to Paladin and she smiled. "Have you thought
of a name?" She asked before dropping her head to nudged the darker
colt to his feet.

---

Paladin the Valiant
May 14th, 2012 at 9:42pm

Vadim was a good, strong name. He smiled as the lighter of the two
colts stood shakily on his long legs, and Paladin's crimson eyes
looked at his second son. Vadim was hungry apparently. As he watched
his mate nose his dark son, Paladin smiled. "Varath," he replied. The
name was a family name, one full of power and greatness. He could only
hope that his son would make the name good.

Varath, seemed particularly perturbed and irritated at his sudden and
unwelcome advent into this cold world. As his mother's warm breath
washed over him, he shivered and slowly rose to his feet. He was
hungry dammit, and it was a strange sensation. He wanted to eat! The
gangly, grey creature he had shared the womb with was already eating,
and he turned his two colored eyes to his brother, examining how he
was moving.

The dark colt then lunged his body up onto his feet and swayed
unsteadily, having to quickly widen his stance to stay upright. Varath
then moved to the other side of his mother and ate hungrily, wanting
nothing more than to be warm.

---

Soleil the Virtuous
May 15th, 2012 at 8:30pm

Soleil watched in awed silence as Varath found his feet and finally
stood. It was something she could watch over and over again. Her
children breathing their first breaths, taking their first steps,
speaking their first words. She remembered every little detail from
each of her childrens births. She watched as the dark colt stumbled
his way to her side and she lowered her head, running her muzzle
across his back as he began to drink like his brother.

Her heart felt like it would burst with happiness. The mare turned and
nuzzled the other colt before raising her head and looking to her
mate. The moment was perfect with him there, it would have been more
perfect if their girls would have been there to greet their brothers,
but they would all meet eventually. "Varath and Vadim." She spoke
their names together for the first time. They were strong names for
two strong boys.


Having had his fill, Vadim smacked his lips as he scooted back a step.
He then peered around his mother at the dark stallion that was
standing there as a guard. A few moments later he walked shakily from
around her and stood staring up at him with blue eyes that perfectly
matched his mother's. He weaved around his father's legs and moved
under him before flopping down on the ground. Standing was exhausting
and so was drinking. Within seconds the colt had drifted off to sleep.