Build It and Watch It Grow

The days seemed to speed by for the young mother-to-be. One moment Aliana remembered exploring this island for the first time with her king, and the next she was tending to the flowers and herbs of their estate's gardens, her belly growing along with Chimera's pups that filled her. From the moment she had gone into heat, Ali's life had been a maelstrom of emotions, the clouded smoke and snow fae barely knowing how to process and comprehend everything in her head and heart as one major event rolled right into another. These days afforded her more peace and reflection. Her pregnancy had begun with such fear and dread, but as the days progressed beyond inevitability and the more she dwelled on it, the more Aliana began to see life from another viewpoint.

Chimera loved her. That had been the keystone to finding the silver lining in her life. Whatever came from that, she knew Chimera loved her, and she loved him. He showed her just how much in all his own ways day after day, from the way he kept her close and tended to her needs amongst all his usual tasks, insisted she slept with him in his bed so he could watch over her through the night, and gave her the protection and reassurance of his presence when she needed it. She still hadn't yet found that motherly love for the children in her womb, and though that worried her, she had learned how to show her love to Chimera. Gentle licks and tender kisses while they cuddled at night, little shows of gratitude and appreciation for the work he did for her. It wasn't difficult to make Chimera happy—or maybe it was just easy for her. Ali didn't know, but she did know she enjoyed it a great deal.

Aliana finished pruning the last of the flowerbeds of errant weeds, enjoying the sweet scents of night-blooming jasmine flowers around her as the sun disappeared into the fading of twilight. Her belly hadn't become oppressively large yet, but there was a distinct bump to her midsection. There would be no doubting the puppies inside her would be large; even though the fae was small and slender to begin with, the amount her belly had grown in just these early stages of pregnancy revealed enough about the children she and Chimera had made. Most, if not all of these little wolves would mimic their father in terms of size. Humming a soft tune to herself that her musician wren companion harmonized with from a tree branch, Ali snapped a jasmine flower from its vine and drew in its sweet scent, tucking the flower behind her ear, then catching movement from the corner of her eye.

Glancing up, Aliana spotted Chimera across the garden lying in a spot of shade, watching her with a smile on his face. Ali gave him a smile back, feeling her heart flutter at the way he looked at her. When the brute gazed at her with that affection in his stare, he made her feel like the only woman in the world. It still turned her world upside-down to think this highborn wolf could ever have eyes for her, but it did wonderful things to her heart. Carefully rising to her paws to protect the precious cargo she carried, Aliana made her way over to Chimera, settling herself in against his side with a gentle "oof" while she adjusted her weight to make sure her stomach was moved with care and always guarded. Ali reached a dainty paw up to rest on Chi's head, stroking soft touches over his crown, between his ears, then over each mismatched appendage, showering him in tender affections. "Long day, my King?" she asked, voice soft as if she dared not disturb the calm of the evening.

"Aliana"