Ch. 5

It's been about a month since we've gotten to the castle. With the help of Damien's father, he was trained to hunt more efficiently and bring home more meat. Comac goes out most nights and gathers nuts and fruits for us.

Damien is about to put some meat on the fire for lunch and I'm smoothing out the bedding. I check on Comac and he's sleeping in another room. Suddenly I smell the worst thing that has ever crossed my nose. I run to the main room to find Damien cooking the meat he brought back. The smell is worse in here. "What is that?"

He looks at me confused. "This is just rabbit, why? What's wrong?" "That smells so awful! My stomach starts to churn I want to throw up.

Damien stands. "Are you all right? Do I need to call for a doctor?"

I hold onto the open window sill for support. "I'm going to be sick."

He picks me up and we leave the room. He runs downstairs and we bump into a young man with Tiger stripes in his hair.

"Is everything alright?" He asks. He looks at me with holding my mouth and my stomach.

"She said she was going to be sick. I came to see a doctor."

The man touches my forehead and my wrists. "Hm. Was this sudden or has your female been sick for a while?"

"It was sudden, she just came into the room and wanted to vomit. I was in the middle of cooking meat."

His face softens. "Do you still feel sick, miss?"

I take a deep breath. "No, the feeling is going away."

He smiles. "Well, that means only one thing."

Diamen stiffens. "What's that?"

"Your spouse is pregnant, Congratulations on that." He winks at Damien and walks away.

Damien blushes and we stand there in shock.

He sets me down as I caress my stomach. "I'm pregnant?"

Damien drops to his knees, in tears.

My first thought is that he wasn't happy about it at all. "Damien?"

He looks up at me and smiles. "I'm going to be a dad!"

I wrap my arms around him and we both cry tears of joy.

The next few days roll by and Damien has more energy than ever. He's been smoking a lot of meat and cooking it somewhere else so I don't get sick. Even Comac is excited, he loves kids and can't wait to teach them how to find fruits.

"How long do you think we have until the pups get here?" Comac asks, tail wagging.

"I don't know, but I'm sure it'll be soon." I started to show, my gut wants to say I'm half done.

Everyone I see in the village congratulates me and hopes at least one is a girl. It's a shame that girls are so rare in this world. Girls tend to run in the family, so who knows what we will get.

Damien and I are in the local market trading hides for seeds.

"We do you want these again?" He asks.

"So we can build a garden next spring. We can also teach our children so they'll have extra food in the Winter. I already know the boys will be great hunters like their Dad." I smile at him.

He blushes and kisses my forehead. "Let's not be out too long, we don't want your feet to hurt too much."

"I am rather capable of walking, mister." I poke his nose and he stares at me for a moment.

It's almost like his brain is resetting.

I giggle. "You're funny, you know that?"

"Really? Most people think I'm too serious."

"Well, I think you are. Oh, that reminds me. Have you seen the doctor lately?"

He hesitates. "Uhm, I don't know. I haven't seen him." He scratches his head.

I nudge his arm. "Come on, I saw the way he looked at you. He likes what he sees." I smirk.

His face turns beet red in embarrassment. "He's good, we like to hunt together when we can. A lot of females are pregnant this time of the year so he's rather busy."

"I'm sure you'll get more time with him." My back starts to hurt. "Let's head back, my back is starting to get sore."

He nods and we head back to the castle.

I wrap the seeds in a spare hide to keep them away from the birds.

Comac starts a fire while I sit down.

Damien changes to wolf form and lays his head on my lap.

I lean against the wall and relax. I place my hand on my belly and gently rub. Suddenly I feel a kick against my palm. "Damien."

He looks up at me, curious.

"Give me your hand." I reach out to him.

He hands me his paw and I place it on my belly. We wait a minute or two, then we feel another kick. His eyes light up, then he holds his ear to it.

I raise my eyebrows. "Do you hear anything?"

He listens for a moment. "Just movement."

"Can you tell how many we're having?" I ask nervously.

He closes his eyes and focuses. "It sounds like… Maybe three?" He looks at me, worry in his eyes.

I smile. "What about names? We should think of boy and girl names just in case. What do you think?"

"Hm,"

We discuss names for a while and even comae had some suggestions.

Damien gives him a look.

Comae puts his hands up. "They're only suggestions. I leave the final decision up to you guys."

I laugh." I appreciate the suggestions Comac."

"You're welcome, are you hungry?"

I nod. "Yes, I am."

He grabs some dried meat and cuts up some fruit. He lays it on a board for me and sets it next to me. "Here you go."

I eat most of it, though I might get hungry again later.

"Knock, knock." A woman with long silver hair and tan skin stands in the doorway.

Damien perks up. "Mother!" He changes to a human and runs to her. They wrap their arms around each other tightly.

"Oh, I missed my baby boy!" She kisses his forehead. "How are you?"

"I'm great, I'm so excited to be a father!"

Her eyes widen as he gestures to me.

"Congratulations to both of you." She looks at Damien concerned. "Does she know?" She whispers.

He nods. "Yes, and she's okay with it. She loves me for who I am and just wants me to be happy."

"Did she force you?"

He shakes his head. "Mother, no. We have a plan in place. Don't worry, we only mated for the mark. The pups are a gift."

She sighs. "Okay." She comes over to me and sits down. "How do you feel?"

"Well, nervous. This is my first pregnancy, so I don't know what to expect."

"I see, will your mother help you with the birth?"

I hesitate, my family doesn't exist here. I'm all alone in this world.

Before I could speak, Damien chimes in. "She was abandoned by everyone."

She nods. "I'm sorry to hear that. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to find me." She gets up, places a hand on Damien's shoulder, and leaves the room.

To fill the awkward silence, Damien tries to lighten the mood. "She told me the house will be done in a few weeks. Isn't that amazing?"

"I'm going to take a nap." I get up and walk to the bedroom. I lay on my side it's the most comfortable right now. I wonder how my belly has gotten big so fast, is it because of the triplets? What if I give birth sooner than I think? I shake the thoughts out of my mind and get some rest.

I wake up in the middle of the night. Damien is behind me, holding me close. Comac is laying next to me in fox form.

I sit up and look around, then it hits me. It feels like an intense cramp, I wince and attempt to breathe through it. Once it releases I take a deep breath. I stand up and walk around for a bit to see if it will go away, but it doesn't. It seems to get worse as time goes on. I do my best to control my breathing and time them, but every time one happens my mind goes blank. I sit back on the floor and a groan escapes from me.

This wakes Damien and he rushes to my side. "What's the matter?"

'It hurts." I manage to say as a cramp starts. This pain is intense and I end up yelling from it. Sweat beads on my forehead.

"It'll be alright, Fae." He looks around and grabs a cloth, dabbing at the sweat. "Comac!"

He jumps awake. "What happened?"

Damien sighs. "Fae is in labor, I need you to get a bowl of water."

"Got it!" He runs out of the room at lightning speed.

I look at Damien. "I don't know what I do, I'm scared."

He grabs my hand and gently squeezes it. "You can do this, just listen to your body. I'll breathe with you, but first, you need to find the most comfortable position."

I nod and lay on my side, it takes the weight of the babies off. "This feels a bit better, can we draw a bath?"

"I can see, but we have to wait for Comac."

Comac comes back into the room. "The rope won't let me go to get the water!"

Damien gets up and rips the rope apart. "Go get Nobu, and help him bring water."

He nods and runs off.

"Damn Fox." Damien sighs.

"He's doing his best." A cramp comes. "Ah!"

"Breathe honey." He breathes with me and it helps me relax.

Comac comes back with the tiger boy we meant a month and a half ago.

They bring me to the small private bath house on the castle grounds.

I slowly step in and the water eases my pain a bit. The cramps seem to hurt more as time goes on, and I think my water broke in the process.

"Fae, I need you to get up for a second alright?" Nobu asks.

He helps me stand up and sits me on the edge of the tub. He places his ear on my belly and listens. "It's time." He dabs my head with a small cloth. "When a contraction hits, I want you to push as hard as you can. Once it ends, deep breath and repeat."

I take a deep breath and start pushing.