(A/N: I credit Granddaughter Ogg's Happy Horseman Father's Day with influencing most of Strife's reactions. Everything else I blame on Life, which has continued on without a care as to what it leaves in it's wake.)

Chap 21 - "Born to raise Hell"

(Age 43+) (Twins 23+)

EW 68+ (32 years till DS1)

After finishing off the six month duty rotation on the northern front, Xaxu returned to Fort Benning to await her next duty assignment. Since Manny' death, her liaison status between the Makers and humans had been revoked so she no longer had access to the portal gates between the fort and the Maker's forge. If she wished to visit, she had to do so on her own time and by her own means of transportation. Not an easy task since she currently still relied on the horses belonging to the base.

As for Strife, when he returned to the base he was greeted by a very, very unexpected surprise. Two of them actually.

"Welcome home… Daddy," Tika said.

'Daddy?' Strife thought as he turned around to greet the Battleborn healer. He stopped and just stared in surprised confusion. "What? How?... Who's?" he inelegantly sputtered out.

"The what is that I am pregnant as you can clearly see," Tika replied motioning to her distended belly. "How is that we had sex. Lots of frisky and unprotected sex. Unless it was so bad for you that you completely forgot about it. And who's? Well I'm sure you can add one and one and come up with two. As in you plus me," she said running a hand over her belly, "equals our son. So I say again, welcome home daddy."

Grief had stayed behind for the mission mainly due to the location. There was very little area she'd have been any use in. Consequently, the same had gone for Rampage. But she hadn't been totally idle either. Even before the mission, not that her rider seemed to notice or mind. So when she walked up to her still obviously stunned rider, it didn't take much to knock him over.

When Strife recovered his wits as well as his footing, he stood in front of his steed with a comically betrayed expression on his face. He leaned to one side then the other before looking at his mount in the face. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?" he asked. A hot gust of horse breath in his face as Grief snorted was the answer. He looked back to where Tika was still standing then back to his mount before looking once more back to the healer. He moved away from Grief to stand before Tink. Taking off his helmet, he dropped it to the ground along with his gauntlets. After he placed his hands on her shoulders he slid them down her arms then took her hands. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Absolutely positive that it is a male and that it's mine? Don't be lying to me. Don't do that to me."

"Absolutely," Tika replied. "It's a boy and it's yours."

Strife slowly dropped to one knee before the healer and pressed his forehead to her swollen belly. "Hey there…," he whispered then looked up at her face. "Thank you."

Tika wasn't sure what to say so just caressed the side of Strife's face before running it through his hair. She winced when she felt a hard kick from the child. "Ow."

Strife jerked his head back, eyes wide in surprise at having felt the movement. It took a moment or two before surprise turned to amazement then to delighted amusement. "Hello," he said as he caressed Tika's belly.

Tika winced again as the child became quite active. "You know just how to cause a ruckus don't you?" she asked, whether to Strife or her unborn child was unknown.

The Horseman laughed softly, still stroking Tika's belly. "Hey now, calm down. No causing problems for your mama, you hear me?"

A few days later…

"You're not mad?"

"No."

"Positive?"

"Yes."

"Positive that you're mad?"

"Papa! Enough. No I am Not mad that you have another child on the way, one that is one hundred percent biologically yours. I am happy for you and yes I will do my damnedest to protect the little sprogling from those that would wish to do him harm or use him in some unscrupulous manner," Xaxu stated firmly, with a hint of frustration in her voice. "Now.. take Rampage, go somewhere that there is plenty of space and even more demons and undead to kill. Or go fine Mikeal and two of you go find something to occupy your time. Your driving both Tika and Grief crazy with your hovering. Females throughout creation have been having sproglings since the beginning of time. I think they can handle things at the moment."

"But…"

The Battleborn let out a frustrated sigh. "Papa, please. Go blow off some of that excessive chaos energy you have built up. It really is driving everyone around you crazy. If anything changes or happens, you will know about it. Ok?"

Strife fidgeted a few more moments before giving in. "Fine."

Xaxu stood with arms crossed as she watched the pair finally leave. Once she was positive they were out of range she dropped her arms with a groan. "You'd think this was the first time in the history of creation that a female has gotten pregnant," she said to Grief as she picked up a pair of brushes and resumed her work. She paid close attention to the spots the steed wasn't able to reach due to her bulging sides. "You sure you're only having one?" she asked in amusement.

Grief bobbed her head up and down before shaking it. She leaned into the brush strokes, enjoying the pampering. While this wasn't her first foal since bonding to the nephilim, it was the first she'd let him have any knowledge of. She sensed the change before the young female did, knew that something or someone had arrived from some other realm. She sensed more of her kind as well as one that was kin to her. She turned her head, bumping it into the young females side as she stamped a hoof.

Xaxu picked up on the change within a minute of the Horseman's steed sensing it. A change of lighting, a shadow where one wasn't a moment ago, a sense of being watched was all it took. She spun, dropping the brushes and drew her gun, Vindication. Her aim perfect as she locked on the intruder.

It was a human male with long light brown colored hair. He wore a wide brimmed, tan hat that shadows his face but his sky blue eyes could still be seen. Over each shoulder rose the handle of what looked to be twin blades and a whip hung coiled at his side. He wore a reddish brown wrap style poncho over faded black leather armor. Though he had his hands raised to show he came in peace, his lips had a bare uplift as if amused that someone thought they could beat him.

"Who are you?" Xaxu asked calmly. This was someone she had never seen before, especially around the horses.

"I go by many names. Sikem, Kusi, łįį', Mo en ha, lichiili, Sunka Wakan, Chelee and many more. I'm often just called the Horsemaster."

" 'Horsemaster' ? Huh, so your the one Strife sometimes mentions when he likes to recount how he and Grief became bonded," Xaxu said as she lowered Vindication then re-holstered the gun. She retrieved the brushes off the ground and resumed her work once again though she kept an eye on the man.

Lowering his hands, the Horsemaster moved forward till he stood in front of Grief. "Hello again," he said to the horse as he fondly ran his hand up and down her muzzle. "Another one I see," he continued as he moved to stand on the other side of Grief, opposite of the Battleborn. With practiced ease, he moved his hand down her shoulder to check her front leg then did the same with her rear leg. Then he checked how far along she was. "You're doing fine. Progressing along nicely in fact. Unless something happens, you should have a healthy foal when the time comes," he said to the horse before moving away. "You've broken quite a few of the rules, you know."

Xaxu gave a soft laugh in reply. "Not my fault. No one ever explained the 'rules' to me. Had to figure things out as I went along," she commented as she finished up. "Alright, all brushed out again," she said to Grief as she put away the brushes. She tilted her head in the direction of the barn doors as she retrieved her helmet from where it sat on a stack of in need of repair tackle.

The Horsemaster gave the steed one last scratch before joining the young woman. "Tell me, how did you acquire so many of my charges?" he asked. "It has always been one on one, yet here you are with nearly a dozen," he said as he gestured to the small field in which the phantom horses lazily moved about, grazing on spring grasses.

"I make no claim on them so they are not mine. Just promised to find a worthy bond partner for them," Xaxu replied. She leaned against the fence and let out a short whistle. Heads perked up and turned her direction as moments later nearly a dozen phantom steeds crowded against the fence. "Heyla heyla!" She called, "Behave, no shoving you hear?" She chuckled as she dug out a couple of ever present apples from a pouch somewhere on her. She held one out to the Horsemaster, who took it, the other she started cutting it up into pieces. "Ah-ah! No being greedy," she chided a couple that wanted more than once piece. "They are like children sometimes. Greedy children," she said with a laugh. "Always forever younger siblings. Treat them with respect and care and they will do anything for you. Strife taught me that."

"Well at least one of them listened," the Horsemaster quipped with a barely there smile. "Tell me about them," he said.

Leaning against the fence, Xaxu crossed her arms over the top and watched the horses. There was more in the field now than had been earlier. The newcomers easy to pick out as they reacted to the sounds and smells of an unfamiliar place. "It's been… eleven, almost twelve years since me and Strife rescued them from whatever fate the demons would have given them. Two dozen in a small corral not meant to hold so many. Twenty three came with me that day, one chose to stay behind. Strife pushes for me to bond with one of them but," she shrugs, "I'm not ready yet, it's not the right time." She gestures to the horses. "Four chose to go with the Makers. They were big draft types and enjoy the work they do. One bonded with Manny. They had ten wonderful years together before we lost both. Him due to age and health, her to choosing to depart with him. The twins bonded with a matched pair. The grandson of Denea is the only other human to bond with one. He shows great promise as a future leader of humanity. There are four other Battleborn who also bonded with one of the horses. Each one an honorable, worthy partner to their steed."

"Impressive," the Horsemaster said as he looked over the small herd. "No one has tried to force a bonding?" he asked. More times than he could count, much less remember, demons and other beings tried to steal his wards. Some succeeded but only because the horse allowed it. Most failed. He knew of the abyssal riders and their mounts, but none had ever tried to take any from The Far Fields. All the horses he'd seen them use were as broken in spirit as they were breeding, so when they died it was a blessing for the animal.

"A few have tried. It's the horse that does the choosing, not the other way around with these guys. Every so often, someone gets up the courage to enter the field and tryor is dared to by their friends. That was how Dean and Sam bonded. Someone dared him to go out into the field and next thing anyone knows," Xaxu chuckled, "They are bonded. They act more like brothers than rider and steed."

"I see. And the one that stayed behind?" the Horsemaster asked as he scratched his lightly bearded chin in thought.

"Ruin. Strife called him 'As mulishly stubborn as his rider' when it came to the concept of honor or what they believe to be honorable." Xaxu turned when she heard her name called. "Speak of the devil.. There's Dean and Sam now."

"What are they doing?" the Horsemaster asked as he watched the pair start to work their way through an obstacle course.

"Training. It doesn't matter if the horse is mortal or not, everyone who rides spends at the minimum several hours a week training with their mounts," the Battleborn explained as she started to walk away.

"Answer me this: Why do you trust me when you've only just met me?"

Xaxu just smiled as she turned around and started walking backwards. "I don't, not yet that is. But I do trust the horses and they trust you. So that's good enough for me for now." She did an about face and continued on her way, hollering at a couple of younger looking people to pay attention as they trained.

The Horsemaster leaned back against the fence, arms crossed over his chest. He tilted his head as he cut his eyes to the side to look at the exceptionally large crow that landed next to him. "Tell your master that yes, I agree with him about that one. Now go. Pester someone else," he said as he uncrossed his arms then walked away.

Four months later…..

"Are you sure this is normal? Everyone of the Battleborn breeders I've seen takes only about nine months for the bun to finish baking in the oven…"

"Seriously Strife?" Xaxu asked in exasperation before turning her attention back once more on the healer. "Though he does have a valid point. Battleborn take after the human part of their heritage and pregnancies only last around nine months, give or take a week."

Tika raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms over her ample belly.

"Yeah I know, I know. You're the healer not me. But as many times as I got shoved into the breeder quarters at Rene I did pick up a few bits and pieces of knowledge about our people," Xaxu said.

The clearing of a throat got everyone's attention. "As much as it amuses me to see everyone in a conundrum over this puzzling little quirk of the female body, I have to point out the one thing most glaringly obvious yet completely overlooked… Daddy there is not a Battleborn, nor is he human. He is Nephilim. Therefore the 'bun in the oven', as you so eloquently called your offspring, will take a little more time to 'bake'," Lou pointed out in one of his very rare moments of complete lucidity.

Tika made a 'And there you have it!' gesture. "Thank you Lou!"

And in a blink, that lucidity was gone. "...uh… " he glanced around to the other two. "For what?"

Strife openly laughed as Xaxu covered her grin with a hand.

"Don't worry about it Lou," the Battleborn said as she patted the ex-Watcher on the shoulder.

"You reminded us that we were missing the very obvious," Strife said with a chuckle. "Thanks pal."

"... You're... welcome?"

When the day finally arrived, everyone was more than ready for it to be over with thanks to Strife. He sure as Hell lived up to his name in the weeks prior. Started arguments in the barracks between scout units, fights in the mess hall between squads and generally left chaos in his wake. He even managed to get kicked out of the Maker's forges after he ruined four straight forgings in a row.

At one point, Xaxu seriously considered finding the demon merchant Vulgrim and brokering a deal to get Strife into that thing called the Crucible just to get him out of the way for a little bit. Now all she has to do is drag him out of the stables and into Tika's delivery room. "Papa! Quit dragging your feet and get a move on!"

"But.."

"No 'Buts'... Who would you rather greet first? Your firstborn son or Grief's second born foal?"

"... I-" Strife came to a dead stop as his daughter's words hit home. 'Firstborn son'. It wasn't some twisted fantasy or cruel joke being played upon him. He really, truly was about to welcome his first born son into the world. "Shit.. it's really happening isn't it?" he said as he started moving again.

"Yep, now change out of that damned armor and into something else before you go in there. I don't think Tika would appreciate it! Give her my love Papa. I'll be there for Grief, I'm sure she won't mind you not being there."

Strife stopped, turned around and gave the young woman a hug. "Thank you," he whispered before letting her go and taking off again.

Xaxu just smiled softly and shook her head. "He doesn't have the first clue does he?" she asked, turning her head to look at the person in the shadows.

"Nope. Not a one," Mikeal said with a laugh. He had slipped in a few days earlier, neatly avoiding the angelic patrols as he did and the Battleborn paid him no mind once the word was passed around that he was Xaxu's 'uncle'. "What's the human's reactions?"

"So far, everyone of them think that Tika chose some other Battleborn to sire the child and is using Strife as a stand in. Most speculate as to which recently KIABB was the one in question." Xaxu crossed her arms over her chest as she turned back in the direction of the barn used for mares close to foaling. "Come on, before any of the sodding fluff headed fancypants spot you."

Mikeal folded his wings then put an arm over the Battleborn's shoulders as they walked. "You really don't like them do you? Those that haven't Fallen that is."

"Eh.. Some of them are OK, it's the rest that's stuck up asshats that think they are better than anything else in creation," Xaxu replied. "Always going on about how they are the 'First Kingdom', 'favored by the Creator' and all that nonsense."

The Fallen just chuckled. "Don't put too much blame on them. From the day we're fledged till our death, we're indoctrinated into that mindset. Every time we die, we're reborn and it starts all over again. It takes our Fall to open our eyes to the truth, and even then not all believe. You have to remember too, every single un-Fallen Angel here on earth is here by order. Even if they think it was their own choice to come, they were ordered here by those of higher rank who wanted the glory without dirtying their feathers."

The Battleborn snorted. "They're still asshats," she said before stopping at the farthest stall in the back of the barn. "How are ya doing hmm?" she asked the mare as she leaned up against the stall wall. She obliged Grief with a head rub when the mare stuck her head over the stall door.

The Fallen found a stack of crates to sit on as he looked around at the other mares in their stalls. "You know, this place kind of makes me wish I still had an Ortho to ride."

"Ortho?" Xaxu asked.

"What you griffons," The Horsemaster supplied as he exited out of one of the stalls further up the aisle.

Xaxu nodded her head in understanding. "How's that one doing?" she asked as she continued to rub Grief's forehead and muzzle.

"She's fine," the old one answered as he moved along checking on other mares. He'd settled in as if he was always here taking care of the horses and none of the humans were any wiser. The Battleborn just knew he was something more than he looked, not to try anything hinky with any of the horses and most of all, not to piss him off. As for the Angels, well they were oblivious to the fact he was there since they had their own mounts whom they considered far above the earthbound horses.

"Why would beings, who already have wings and can fly, need mounts for?" Xaxu asked in curiosity.

"Why would beings who can walk and run, need a mount to travel from one place to another?" Mikeal asked in reply. Having been a scholar before becoming a warrior, he tended to try to get people to answer their own questions with a little thinking.

The Battleborn grinned. "Because we're all lazy so getting someone else to do the work seems easier than actually doing the work," she answered, eliciting a laugh from both the Fallen and the Horsemaster. "Companionship. A partner who will fight to protect you as much as you'd fight to protect them. For many who can't see beyond their noses, just a beast of burden or of war."

Both men voiced their agreements.

After a few minutes of silence, Mikeal spoke up again. "Most orthos used are females because they tend to be bigger and more aggressive than the males. So large or aggressive males tend to be used just for breeding while the smaller, less aggressive ones are used as mounts for messengers. They tend to be faster than their larger relatives." He'd gone into a scholarly mode where he tended to recite or lecture about a subject. "It is common for the females to lay from three to five eggs in a clutch. Although in areas or times of greater conflicts larger clutches are also common. Egg viability tends to be about eighty percent." He stood up, adjusted his wings as he clasped his hands behind his back and slowly walked up and down the aisle, still talking. "It is noted that in wild ortho rookeries only two of the hatched chicks survive to fledging. In domesticated ortho rookeries, three out of four chicks survive. Those that don't are either culled or die on their own...huh…." He stopped to ponder that little bit of information.

Xaxu was both amused and fascinated. Amused at Mikeal for his 'teaching mode' and fascinated by the information itself. If orthos could be added as aerial mounts then they could possibly have an even greater advantage over the demons they encountered. It was something to think about and talk over with others. "Why are they culled? Are they killed or does something else happen to the culls?" she asked.

"You know, I never found out. When I was young, I wanted to be an ortho handler and breeder, but it was considered 'beneath' my station. So.. I snuck around and read up on any and everything I could get my hands on," he said with a light chuckle. "Guess that information might come in handy one day. Hmmm?"

"OOoo! Breaking the rules even before your fall!" The Battleborn tried to look as innocent as a child. "What ever gave you that idea?"

"Ha!" from the Horsemaster matched Grief's snort.

"Stay out of it Kusi!" Xaxu hollered back, still grinning though.

Grief snorted a second time, though it sounded more like a grunt as she pulled away from the hands of her rider's daughter. She moved around the stall, pawed at the thick layer of hay spread out on the floor, lay down then get back up again. She kept at it for another thirty or so minutes before she finally laid down and stayed there.

"I'd say it's time," Xaxu commented as she moved away from the stall and claimed a seat on the stacked crates.

The Horsemaster only glanced into Grief's stall and nodded in agreement before he walked away again. He was confident that she would know what to do and that if something started to go wrong, she would alert him or the Battleborn.

The sun had long set and the full moon was high in the night sky when Strife made his appearance in the barn. Tucked securely in the crook of his arm was a small bundle. In an almost trance-like state, he made his way over to Grief's stall then entered it. His horse was the first being he introduced to his newborn son and her foal was the second.

Grief nuzzled her rider as she took in the scent of both him and his offspring. Once she was satisfied, she nudged her foal forward to meet her rider and his offspring. After a few minutes of the colt dancing forward then shying away again, Strife crouched down so the colt could investigate him and his son without having to do more than stretch his neck out.

"You do realize (I hope), that her foal is already starting to bond with your son?" the Horsemaster asked from where he was sitting on a stack of hay bales. He was whittling on a small piece of wood no bigger than his thumb. It was something he had picked up in the short time he had been on earth and had found it both soothing as well as challenging to bring out what was hidden in the wood.

Mikeal burst out laughing. "From his expression I would say no, he didn't."

"Alright alright! I'm…. a little distracted… so no I didn't notice," Strife commented as he stood up again.

"Why is he here and not with his mama?" Xaxu asked.

Strife hesitated, shoulders slumping a touch as he gently caressed his son's cheek. "There were complications…." He looked up at the soft inhales. "Nothing that bad but.. She's alive, still. Just… in an induced coma." He exited Grief's stall, making sure not to let her colt follow him out. "Sorry kiddo. You'll get to see him again, don't worry."

"I'm sure he will," The Horsemaster muttered.

"Hush Kusi," Xaxu said as she poked a piece of hay against the old one's shoulder. "Let me see the sproglet," she asked as she held her hands out. At Strife's hesitation she sighed and shook her head. "I'm not gonna hurt the sproglet Papa, you know that."

"I.. do it's just…"

"Give'em a break, Xu. I have a very good notion that this is his first kid," Mikeal said as he came up to the Battleborn's side and draped an arm over her shoulder (pretty easy considering she barely came up to his chest). "So 'Papa', what's the little one's designation and what will he be Named?"

Strife made a face. "FBNA10041217 Alpha Alpha Nu Iota," he said mimicking the uninterested tone of voice the current overseer of the Battleborn breeding programs used. "As for his Name, nothing has come to mind yet." He finally handed his son over to the young woman.

"Aavi then," Xaxu said with a nod as she cradled her newborn brother. "What is your Name little brother? Hmmm?" she softly asked knowing that the newborn would not answer. "I would say Troublemaker, but I don't think that was your intention nor was it your doing that caused the problem with your mama," she said somewhat to herself. "No… I think you shall be Named Mischief. And your partner will be named Mayhem," she added as she looked past Strife to the colt who was now somehow standing outside of Grief's stall with several halters dangling off him.

"Creator give me the serenity to accept what I cannot change…" The Horsemaster muttered as he put away his whittling to deal with a colt already determined to cause trouble.

"Did she just?" Mikeal asked wide eyed as he looked between the Battleborn, Strife and Grief who let out huffed snort.

Strife just grinned. "Yep, she did. She Named them both."

"She's good," the Fallen agreed. There had been nothing like the 'showiness' seen with all the Naming he'd ever witnessed.

Strife nodded in agreement as he moved to stand at his daughter's side and watch. "She was Named Vengeance for a reason."

"But who or what is she claiming vengeance against?"

Privately the Horsemaster had a damned good idea of who, but he didn't say a word. He just shooed the colt, Mayhem, back into the stall with his dam and gave the crow sitting up in the rafters a look then a nod.

Deep in his prison, Samael started laughing. Long, deep and hard was his laughter. "Oh how this will play out!" It was loud enough that even the guards outside of the sealed prison heard it and was disturbed by it.

At the Well of Souls the Crowfather just shook his head but smiled. "Yes, that will do nicely. Go… you know your duty now," he told dozens of crows perched all over the place.

In the Charred Council's domain... The rebuilding of the chambers ground to a halt. Lava flow stopped flowing, changed or reversed direction or even suddenly turned to a different element completely. Watchers started bickering and fighting with each other or wander about giggling maddly to themselves. Even Panoptos was affected by whatever had just happened, though to a much lesser degree. To say pure chaos reigned supreme for at least a little while, was an understatement. And while the chaos was happening, the Charred Council was distracted enough to have missed what transpired on Earth.

And somewhere in all of creation, in the safe haven created by her heart's desire, Fury feels a poke in her side then trips over absolutely nothing. Quickly she gets up and scans the area. Nothing. Not even one of the humans who often sought to explore the land was around. She let out a growl of annoyance as she could have sworn she heard her twin's laughter. "What have you done this time Strife?"