Sun Mote Copse o quam sancta

any/all of the malkaria! @Asherah @Ar-Khalba @arunik'ra <3

she was gravid, her belly quite rounded over the slimness of her sinewy hips. already the children kicked and moved within, and eshamun felt herself fighting the natural attachment that forms between a mother and her young. these little seedlings were meant for a different soil.

but the melekh found herself, in the turmoil of pregnancy, weeping from time to time. annoyed with herself on one such instance, eshaman lifted herself up as gracefully as she was able and moved to the heart of the copse, hoping to spot one of the tophet-dwellers therein.

After returning from a hunt near the falls to the east, Ar-Khalba returned to the copse blood-soaked and weary. He took his kill, yet another fox, and stashed it away within the cache for a later date. Once it had been buried, he returned to the heart of the copse with an afternoon nap on hims mind. The man dug himself a shallow rut in the dirt to keep himself cool and he laid himself along it's length. Satisfied, he closed his eyes.

But, there was a noise and the heavy curtains of his eyelids lifted slightly into tired slits. Her blurry form crossed his path, winding through the trees. His gaze followed and he looked upon his Ekar-Aji with both fondness and pride. Her belly had grown round with the children he had wrought. Each to be laid bare across the altar of Molech -- sating their hungry God's desires. 

However, as his vision cleared from its tired haze, Ar-Khalba could see the tears in her eyes. He rose from his spot, and drew near to his queen. Wordlessly, he pressed his muzzle into her plush cheek in the hopes that it would bring her comfort from what was mysteriously ailing her.

khalba -- of course it would be him who arrived to proffer a gentle touch. eshamun wished very much to lean into it, to give over the grief she carried, but anger roused itself within her. the woman growled and nipped the man's ear sharply, removing herself from his closeness.

but when her viridian eyes alit on his own, she was filled with the shame of her outburst, and lifted her gaze to the heavens. she was tormented, yes -- tortured with the knowledge that the living, kicking children within her belonged to the eight-armed one, to turn away molech's eye.

"i want to keep them," she murmured, "for i am weak. i shall not, of course, but ... i do not deserve to be at the head of the malkaria with such vacillation in my heart. it is unnatural that i should become bonded to them, and yet i am." she breathed the last in a tremble - why khalba should invite such vulnerability within her she did not know.

Snapping down on his ear, the Ekar-Aji would not accept his gesture comfort. He yelped, a sharp sound of pain escaped him. Skittering backwards, Ar-Khalba's ears layed flat against his skull. He lowered himself, knowing that it had been his own mistake. His judgement had been clouded by his fondness for his queen -- his relationship with her mistaken to be one of kindness. He would not make the same mistake again.

Prostrating himself into a position of submission, he allowed his queen the space she desired. Then, meeting her gaze, Ar-Khalba could see the glint in her eye that he had once mistaken for kindness. He remained silent, allowing her to unload all of her grief upon him. 

He met her gaze with one of empathy. Sacrifice was always difficult, and it was always most difficult on the parents themselves. It was both a great honor and a great sadness to know that his firstborn litter had been chosen by Molech. He had no advice to give -- nothing of worth. Instead, the man spoke a proverb in which he had been taught in his rearing. "We all belong to Molech," he said, hoping it would give his lover the comfort she desired. Some simply became one with the many armed God sooner -- but all within the light shared the same fate.

Jumping in to help my thread count, and Asherah is still yet clueless about the children bit of worship. For my own clarification, will all of the litter be offered? I thought it was only one?

She was in the process of what she believed to pass for patrol, making her way through the Copse to check for any who did not belong. She wanted to welcome them into the many arms of Molech, as she had been welcomed. Her eyes landed upon two figured, and she recognized them instantly as Eshamun and Ar-Khalba. Her gaze trailed down to her sister's belly, slowly swelling with life. It seemed almost strange to realize that she felt no jealousy over Eshamun and Ar-Khalba's union and the pregnancy. In youth she had always assumed it would have destroyed her for a wolf who was her mate to cast a lustful gaze upon another female. Now, though, watching as Ar-Khalba approached her sister and offered a gentle touch, she was filled with only glowing love.

Mateship was such a silly thing, such a needlessly restricting thing. Why should she mourn over Ar-Khalba fathering children with another female, or mounting another female? Why couldn't she find the beauty in another's union, in new life itself, and the fact that two wolves she cared for were happy. Her thoughts were broken as Eshamun struck at Ar-Khalba and he yelped, then submit. Asherah's brow knit together and she wondered what was wrong. She issued a soft chuff, an announcement of her presence to them. She couldn't hear their words, but could read their bodies. She waited to see if they would beckon her over. Her body leaned towards them, disliking the hurt she saw in her sister's body, the pain that seemed broadcast on her shoulders.

Whatever could be wrong when her belly was full of life? Had Molech not smiled upon her?

she had hurt him. "oh, khalba," eshamun whispered, her voice quivering with grief. the mention of molech elicited a bow from her, but her ears fell back and she reached toward her lover, wanting nothing more within that moment to be embraced by him. she cared not that this was frowned upon by the malkaria -- she wanted khalba. 

the appearance of asherah paused the canaanite, however, and despite the bulge of her sides, eshamun regained her regal stance. the girl had been regularly visited by ar-khalba, and while the woman was not riddled by jealousy, there was an envy there she decided was the result of her stirred emotions. "hello, asherah," eshamun murmured gently. "how have you been?"

His queen's voice was laden with the heavy tone of remorse. This confused Khalba. She had done no wrong to him -- she had merely made his position over him known, as was the way of the Malkaria. However, as she reached forward, the man did not shy away. Stepping into her touch, he welcomed her embrace, allowing her snout to graze along his cheek.

His attention, along with that of the Ekar-Aji, was torn away by Asherah's arrival. As-Khalba spoke not, but looked upon the woman with a subtle fondness and his tail wagged slowly behind him.

The pair did beckon her, with body and voice, and she wagged her tail as she came closer. She dipped her head to her sister, and offered Ar-Khalba a smile. Her eyes flashed desire, but she knew now was not the time, for her sister was somehow in pain or need. She looked to her sister, eyes full of concern. "Hello Sister. I have been well, blessed by Molech to walk the lands. Less blessed than you, I see. Your litter is a great omen, a wonderful thing. Congratulations to the both of you. May the next generation love and adore The Many Armed God more than we, and be twice as blessed." She dipped her head for a moment to allow that prayer to go, before lifting her eyes again. Her smile was bright, her face alight. She was in contrast to her sister, who seemed so small and sad in comparison.

"What ails you, Eshamun? Do you not feel your babes within you? If they pain you, it will not be long before they are in the world and you can tend to them easier. Perhaps I could as the Priestess for some herbs for you? I have never known the blessing myself, but I am sure it must come with pain for all the joy that it will bring. Children of your own, of both you and Ar-Khalba, blessed by Molech, here to spread the learnings as they themselves grow. Please fret not, how might I help brighten your eyes and face, sister?" She, of course, did not know that she was effectively twisting the dagger in her sister's heart, talking about something that would never come to be.

She was, as of yet, unenlightened about the sacrifice Molech required and so the origin of her Sister's pain was not something she would have ever even thought of. Her words, however cruel they may have seemed, were said sincerely. She would do anything to help her sister if she could, to lift the sadness from her and make her happy. Eshamun had saved her, shown her the light of Molech. It made her terribly sad to see her troubled, there was nothing but love in her intentions.

asherah's words softened eshamun somewhat, so that she was able to relax in the presence of her sister. the girl was wholly devoted to the malkaria, and while surely khalba was to thank for that, she recognized the verve of a true acolyte within asherah. but she knew not the role that the children would play, and the canaanite knew she must reveal this.

"i do not feel them, not yet, but i know they grow strong. an herb to ease my sickness would be welcome indeed," eshamun said lightly, keeping radiant the mood as she sought the words to explain to asherah the purpose of her children. "we belong to molech, asherah, all of us. including these babes," the woman went on, pained by the girl's enthusiasm for the new life she carried.

"when they are born, i shall offer them to molech, all of them. they shall set the evil eye away from us and make fertile our land." she felt the tears rising again, and fought against them as she waited for asherah to make the dark realization of the babes' fate.

Asherah's ignorance was endearing -- innocent even, but she would soon learn the ways of the Malkaria. Molech was a brutal God, demanding much of those who pledged their very lives to the power of the divine. The blessings of the consumer were numerous, yet Molech's anger needed to be appeased. The eye of the eight armed one must be diverted.

It gave Ar-Khalba no pleasure to know that his brood would be laid across the altar to Molech and that their souls would be consumed as an offering. It was, however, what needed to be done. It was his service to the Malkaria to provide such an offering. 

As Eshamun explained, Ar-Khalba remained silent. A strange mixture of both pride and loss sweeping though him at once.

Asherah nodded to her sister's words. Of course they would grow strong, with Molech to protect them. The mention of the herb was taken with another sharp nod, she would go right this very moment if she need to, to find such a herb. She knew little of herbs herself, though, but was aware of one that would help with feeling ill. She'd eaten it many a times before she'd joined the Malkaria, constant running had always had her feeling sick. Her mother had fed it to her time and time again. She'd know the shape and color of it, if she could find it, but the name escaped her. She'd always called it Belly Ache Weed.

Her ears cupped forward as her sister continued and she was puzzled by her words. Of course they all belonged to Molech. She tilt her head slightly, searching for Eshamun's meaning. A pained expression crossed Eshamun's face and she continued. For a moment, her words made no sense. What offering would need to be made? The babes were already Molech's. After only a second though, the dark truth dawned on Asherah and her mouth dropped open. She glanced from Eshamun to Ar-Khalba as if her sister were playing and cruel joke. 

"A-All of them?" She whispered, watching as Eshamun seemed to fight back tears. Asherah herself was not so successful. Tears formed in her eyes and she swallowed thickly. "But...but why? Why all of them? Is it always this way? How can our numbers grow?" Her voice warbled, but she did not let her sadness spill over. If Eshamun did not cry openly, she would not either. There was a lump in her throat she couldn't rid herself of. "Eshamun...Ar-Khalba....I am so sorry. Would Molech not rather have devout souls to spread his word? I just...I do not understand. Will...will children always be offered? Always?"

eshamun drew in a breath as knowingness dawned over asherah's lovely features, and though the sylph did not cry, the emotion that broke over the shores of her voice sparked a similar reaction in the ekar-aji. khalba was silent, lending his strength to the both of them, and the woman's viridian eyes alit upon her lover before she turned her attention to asherah.

"this is the way of the malkaria -- this is the way it has always been, and always shall be. in the years to come, many children will be born among us, and raised to serve molech -- perhaps even from your own body," she murmured gently, encouragingly. "but the firstborn child of every year must be laid in molech's arms if we are to survive. because we are foreign here, without a home and the protection of our god, we must appease the eight-armed one with ... all of them."

she drew a shaking breath and lifted her chin. "i am sorry, asherah, but this is molech's way. without the divine protection, we would die." she was silent then, watching the young one as grief threatened to flood her cheeks with tears.

Going to skip Ar-Khalba, hopefully that's alright. Then we can tie this up and move on since it's getting a little outdated as far as the pack goes.

Asherah shook her head, sadness filling her eyes. She didn't understand, was deeply confused. How could Molech who gave so much take away the children? She understood Eshamun's words, heard all of them, but a dark shadow had descended over her mind. She swallowed thickly, inhaled a breath. "I understand all the reasons you have given, but will not lie. My mind is dark and clouded, I am confused...upset. I...I need time to think, to pray. I..." She stuttered, then ended with another shake of her head. 

"Molech has all of my soul, I simply need time to think on this so that I may see the light through it. I...I will leave you two now. I am sorry to leave so quickly, to have interrupted. Be strong, Eshamun, sister." She glanced to Ar-Khalba, pain clear in her face. It was not either wolf's fault and she did not blame them, but her heart was sore with this news. "Take care of her, Ar-Khalba." She whispered softly to him, then with a bow to both turned to leave.

Her tears threatened her again and, at least, in private she would not feel so guilty for crying. In front of Eshamun she would feel like a fool, for it was her sister who would experience the loss most. So away she went, to cry and pray.

Eshamun went on to explain further -- elaborating on the importance of this particular sacrifice pertaining to the establishment of the Malkaria in this strange land. Ar-Khalba was saddened, yes. However, he knew what must be done and was continuously preparing himself for the day that soon approached. Feeling the sharp sting of pain himself, Ar-Khalba knew he could not ease Ashereah's troubled mind. This was between her and Molech.

She spoke of prayer and Khalba nodded. Despite his affirmation, his silence remained unbroken. As the initiate turned to leave, she whispered.  Ar-Khalba returned his somber gaze to Eshuman and muttered, "Always." For however long she desired him, he would be her strength.

fading here <3

asherah spoke, and eshamun nodded, watching the girl flee them both. and when the acolyte had disappeared from view, the ekar-aji of the malkaria broke into sobs, turning to bury her face against ar-khalba's chest and allow herself to stop fighting the mother's grief of losing her children, the agony she had been holding at bay for so many weeks.