The Magnificent 7th

Compared to her previous two pregnancies, Aliana’s third had been mostly (and thankfully) uneventful. The clouded queen had suffered from the usual and expected bouts of morning sickness and fatigue in the first few weeks, but after her body had accustomed to her fluctuating hormones, the queen whose belly grew more round (though notably less round than last time) by the day found no troubles or issues ahead of her. Every so often her nights would be rendered sleepless by the fussy, squirmy pups growing in her womb, or her everyday tasks would be interfered with by a strong kick to her insides, but none of it was anything that brought worry to the young queen. Quite the opposite, every bit of movement filled her heart with joy and stretched a wide, loving smile across her muzzle. Compared to the worrying pains she’d felt when she lost her first litter, any little signs of movement or life reassuring her that the precious lives within her were healthy and well.

As her pregnancy reached the end of its final trimester, Ali began to feel the telltale signs as her body prepared to birth the lives within her. The pups within her became more active and she began to experience infrequent contractions, coming more often as the days went by. She knew what to expect and had prepared plenty of motherwort and trillium potions to keep on hand for when the time did come. What she hadn’t expected was for that time to come when she least expected it. It was just before dawn, the world still dark and silent. Aliana, plump with pups, lay curled up against Chimera’s stomach, nuzzled peacefully in his embrace. She didn’t remember what she had been dreaming about when the contractions started, all she knew was that suddenly she was very awake with her muscles contracting in a painful yet familiar way. Aliana gasped, paws clutching around her midsection as the contractions continued, ebbing and flowing every few minutes until it became constant enough for the master healer to recognize the patterns.

"Chimera!" she whispered between laboring breaths, nudging her mate’s chest and gritting her teeth against a particularly strong muscle contraction. "Chimera, it’s time!" Aliana shifted in the monochrome brute’s arms, trying to make herself more comfortable as she prepared to bring their newest children into the world.

"Chimera & Aliana"