Into the First Morning's Light

[Sephirothsicase]

~How the hell do you think I feel?! ONLY FEMALES ARE MEANT TO HAVE THIS HAPPENING! NOT ME!~

*He gets up to his knees, hands clutching his stomach as if trying to hold it in, or keep it from coming out*

~Am "I" alright? I should be asking you the same thing! I have to feel that disgusting little thing writhing around inside me!~

[Embri]

~Calm down!~ What the hell am I saying? People are supposed to be telling me to calm down... Embri glares at Seph. ~You will be fine. It's all in your head. Nothing's going to actually happen to you.~

Dropping her head, the unicorn concentrated on trying not to panic. Three shared minds of emotion weren't helping, but come hell or high water, there was little choice but to muddle through as best they could.

[Sephirothsicase]

*He growled slightly*

~Fine...Be that way... But nothing better happen or ill have to eat Embri junior...~

*He tried to pick himself up, failing misreably, he settled with laying down on his stomach, groaning slightly.*

[LordPsycho]

Au'Marui hadn't counted on having to take away another's pain, but the link between Seph and Embri forced him to start when Seph approached. He struggled to maintain his current form as he flickered between that and his normal form, trying to muster a little more power to get this spell to work right.

If only he could find that voucher for use of the Spirit of Pain he had won off of Rafrika at last night's Poker match. Stupid maids.

But as hard as the spell was, he knew he couldn't have the pain relieved entirely. Both Mother and child need the trauma to force their systems to work harder.

~Hold On Embri...it is almost time~

As the sun began to peak over the horizon, a comet appeared above it, as to make an eye, the sun being the pupil and the comet being an eyebrow.

~Look, it is the sign...really not to long now~

[Embri]

"Hurr... easy for you to say!" Had it really been most of the night since this first began? Time had seemed to lose all meaning.

"It's ... okay... Au'Marui." Embri shivered. "We've all... been through .... much worse pain." Still, the unicorn hoped he was correct - her current state was far from comfortable. Panting, Embri felt something give way within her, and curled up her tail with a snarl as the underside became wet. ~Ick! Water... just what I need. A soaking.~ Annoyed, she flicked her tail and hurruphed.

[Angel]

well, well, well... the whole families here *she thinks privatly, mildly supprised. Seph's reaction amuses her, he has less experience with keeping the link restricted and now that Embri is distracted... she would have laughed but another contraction bends her double instead.

she concentraits on drawing off the panic and calming the three of them down as much as she can. the spectical of Seph lying face down, weak as a baby, distracts her and she closes her eyes to concentrait better.

she realises she hasnt spoken or listened on the material plane for some time and is almost shocked to find the Sensei in the cave, she looks round at him quickly but looks back just as fast as Embri's waters break.

she runs shaking hands over Embri's neck and begis to rock slightly, humming a calming tune*

[Shaon]

((Time to write myself iin~))

Shaon, or, more properly, Paranesia, was in the cave, in her secret, mistfilled chamber.

She never slept, of course. Neither of them did.

Instead, to occupy herself in the eight hours of inactivity, she chose to create.

While trying to see what a male version of Kat would look like, she felt one of the minds leave her realm upruptly, stirring back to awakeness in the 'real' world.

A quick touch on their mind revealed who it was. Embri.

The flaming horse soon left the cave. The goddess did not persue, however, as she thought nothing of it, as she had been leaving the cave for short times for a while now.

She did, however, notice when both Red Angel and Sephiroth left the cave not long after Embri.

This time, she decided to follow.

Moving the bookcase back into its original position, she began to look for the three, mentally.

It wasn't three any more.

Of all things, it was four and three quarters.

When birthing, the child's mind does not seperate fully until the very end.

Paranesia immediately headed towards the four, forming into her giant fox form.

[Embri]

A soothing tune running through her mind, Embri twists, uncomfortably tight as it suddenly seemed like there was simply not enough room within for her foal. Her world narrowed to a tide of awareness - contraction, discomfort, easing pain, contraction again...

~The damn well be nearly over!~ Embri huffed and groaned, fur damp with sweat, of all things. It was almost amusing. I can't recall ever sweating before in my life...

[LordPsycho]

----------------------Inside Embri's Mindscape-----------------------------

Au'Marui stood, battered and torn. He was in his ascended form, the form he was forced to take in such excursions, and the immortal realm, of course.

He hated it.

But it didn't matter now. He had finally defeated the Spirit of Pain's third Gorgon, symbolic guardians of what is his domain in each person's mindscape, and as such, gained the third key to access that part of Embri's mind.

Au'Marui had never approved of such arrangment's to grant access to the parts of the mind under his domain. They were his to control, regardless. of the need. Afterall, he's provided a summoning spell to mortals if they have need of him.

Au'Marui approaches the gate, and inserts the third key. The entire door dissolves into DP, and he is wisked away inside.

------------------------------------Back to Reality---------------------------------------------

Au"Marui finally stops flickering, and appears to be having an easier time with the spell. What's more, Embri's labor pains begin to ease...slightly. Au'Marui was careful not to outright stop the pain, but dullen it as to help her out. She still had a job to do, and still needed the endorphines only pain could bring on.

[Embri]

Panting, Embri lay with her head in Angel's lap, eyes scrunched shut. A fierce wave of muscle contractions took over, making the hapless unicorn gasp in pain. Her ordeal was almost over, for the foal's legs and nose were emerging.

~I take it back.~ Embri sent, teeth clenched shut. ~It's almost as bad as what Seph did to Angel.~ Panting for a moment, a second round of contractions gripped Embri, flanks heaving. The foal's shoulders slid free, slowly followed by the rest of it's body.

The worst was over.

Embri thought she would simply collapse in relief once it was done, but some deeply seeded instinct drove her to action. Pulling her head up, Embri twisted around, reaching out to nose her newborn. Nostrils flaring, she prodded the thin membrane covering the foal, tearing it away with her teeth. A delicate muzzle, two long ears... four perfect, tiny hooves. A ridge of soft wet hair, the beginnings of a mane, and a short golden nub of a horn.

She was damp, messy, exhausted, aching and sore, but none of it even registered in Embri's mind any longer. Her thoughts were of the most primal sort, maternal instinct asserting itself with a vengeance. With a soft wuffle, she licked her foal's face as the newborn twitched, tiny nostrils contracting and dilating, tail twitching.

False dawn faded, the first glimmers of a new dawn rising over the treetops and casting a pale haze over the Psychotopian wilderness.

"Welcome..." Embri whispered softly. "Into the first morning's light."

[LordPsycho]

The ordeal over, even the God relaxed. He walked over to inspect the newborn foal. It was still recovering from the shear shock of what it just accomplished, and DP didn't venture to close yet...until the young colt could walk, Embri would be more than a match for even a God. But it had to happen soon. This colt needed the blesings of the God of Insanity at birth if he was to ascend what Au'Marui had decided would be his rightful spot.

He decided to risk it...

"Embri, may I approach your foal?" he asked tentatively, in a calm voice. He knew this had a fifty percent chance of working, but appealing to the horse in Embri was the only way he could possibly get close enough to perform the ceremony.

[Embri]

Embri raised her head to stare at Au'Marui for several moments with golden swirling eyes seeking challenge, wing mantled over her newborn son. She snorted softly.

Ears flicking back and forth with internal conflict, she reluctantly folded back her wing and nodded slightly to the god, giving her consent. "Come." Dropping her nose under her colt's chin, she nudged the youngster gently before licking his face again.

[3kul]

((Colt? So Embri's baby is a guy? Iiiiiinteresting... (yeah, I'm really bored with nothing to do today...).))

Both HollowEyes and Little Sister continued to watch from their hidden positions, though each were observing for different reasons. Little Sister was only interested in the potential the young horse had as a meal. Infants tended to be incredibly easy to devour, not being all that used to the ways of the world and those who inhabit it, although their genetics and abilities would all be in there, potential just waiting to be put to use. She was sorely tempted to harass Embri now, just as a little payback for all the times the infernal mule had interfered with her attempts to eat others, but she decided against it, given the absurdly powerful group surrounding the unicorn.

HollowEyes on the other hand was more curious as to why so many people had taken an interest in the newborn. He thought of the possibility that DP was merely there as a formality, no doubt pleased at the birth of a 'real' Dojodian, however, there was also the possibility that he had something else in mind. There was little to no point in attempting to guess what the God of Insanity was thinking, so he figured it'd be best to see what was going on with his own eyes.

The pair continued to observe in silence, waiting to see what would happen next.

((No doubt everyone's going to pull the old 'having sensed that they were there all along' now, so I haven't disclosed HE or LS' locations just to spite you hyper-sensitive-to-everything-around-you types ))

[Shaon]

She was quite nearly there when it happened-- the two seperated fully.

As the caves enterance got larger, she sent out a thought to the horses.

~Embri! You have seperated. May I... see your foal?~

[Embri]

((Well, I don't know about everyone else, but you could probably do cartwheels and cheerleading with HollowEyes and LS and not have Embri notice at the moment, so long as you weren't approaching her. ))

Embri turned to her head to study the newcomer... a familiar presence, one she normally associated with the cave and home. Embri's mind settled, logic and reason working to bring instinct under control. As much as she wanted to fight the beings who now drew close, Embri recognized her feelings as irrational and without cause.

Still, she nervously nudged the colt up against her side, as if her mere presence would discourage any hostilities.

"You may see." The unicorn kept a wary eye on both higher beings.