A Swelling Belly [Plot/Private]

Lexi groaned as she picked up the bundle of animal skins, holding her back. Her belly had swollen quite a bit and she could now feel the baby inside moving around. It was quite active, interrupting her sleep as it did flips and performed kicks. It was strong, often able to knock her breath from her if it kicked her in the right places. She had been restricted to helping out around the village, Onyx unwilling to let her go out hunting. She was a bit irked by his restrictions, but she could understand his worry. They had lost so much already, their entire tribe killed by a slave ring, he didn’t want to risk her losing the baby.

Her brother was almost more excited about being an uncle than she was about being a mother. She was nervous, she had lost her parents at a young age and she was still mostly a pup herself. Shana had done her best to help the young woman ease her worries, trying to tell her what to expect as her belly grew larger and more cumbersome. Lexi was glad they had settled with the Canis tribe, after all, it took a village to raise a child. Without her own tribe for support, at least she knew she would have someone willing to help in her struggles.

The father of her child was still a mystery to everyone but her, not even Onyx knew who the father was. Initially, he had assumed he was the father, the activities she had described to him were something they had done, but given the timing, Shana assured him there was no possible way for him to have fathered the infant. Based on the timing, Lexi would have become pregnant before she had arrived in Reim. Lexi knew Onyx was upset by the idea of someone else touching her in that way, but she had eased his fears, assuring him she had not been forced against her will, she had simply been quite drunk and had no clue of what she was doing.

One day she might reveal what little she knew about the parentage of the child, but for now, she would simply do everything she could to keep the baby safe. Her sickness had settled down the more her belly swelled and she found she had a voracious appetite. When she was not helping with the butchering or weaving, she found herself making clothes for the child. She had no clue if it would be a boy or girl, but Shana thought it would be a little girl based on how she was carrying the weight. There was, of course, no guarantees until she gave birth, but Lexi did not care what it was, as long as it was healthy. She did find herself wondering if it would have the traits of their tribe, given the father was not one who suffered the combined curse and blessing of animal features. There were not many tales of their tribe marrying outside of their unique features, but the few she knew of also tended to give birth to an infant with tiny ears and a tail.

Rubbing her belly, she carefully lowered herself to the stool Tak had made for her, working on preparing a dinner as she waited for the men to return from the hunt. She missed going out with them, but until she gave birth, Leo would have to take her place. She gave her belly a small smile as she saw a tiny bump stick out from the skin, the baby kicking at its confines. Feisty little bugger.

Lexi gave a loud cry as pain cut across her belly and back, eyes widening in fear. Was something wrong? Was she losing the child? What was happening? At the sound of her cry, Shana came running over, giving Lexi a critical once over to determine what might have caused the pain-filled cry. When she saw Lexi curled over on her belly, she wasted no time in trying to get Lexi to lay back.

“Lexi, have you been cramping?”

Lexi nodded, gritting her teeth through the pain. And then, as suddenly as it had begun, it disappeared. She was even more confused, her eyes swimming with innocent fear to Shana.

“Since yesterday, I was having small cramps every so often. I assumed the baby was just kicking in weird places. Is it okay? Tell me it’s going to be okay!”

Shana hushed the panicking mother-to-be, pushing her gently down on the ground and carefully feeling around the swell of Lexi’s belly. Lexi winced as Shana pressed on a sensitive spot, giving a soft grunt.

“How often has it been happening?”

“Well, yesterday it was every couple of hours, but this morning, it has been a couple of times each hour. This one was the worst so far… What is going on?”

Shana turned a beaming smile up to the confused young woman.

“It is time, Lexi. You are cramping because the baby was shifting around and your body is telling you it is time for the baby to come out.”

Lexi’s eyes widened, the news slamming across her mind before she began hyperventilating. It was time? She wasn’t ready! She still didn’t know what to do or how to give birth! And how was it supposed to get out of… there? Shana had told her that her body would let her know what to do, but she had a hard time believing something that large could come from… that place. Shana saw her look of panic and soothed her, brushing her hair away from her face.

“Don’t worry, Lexi. I have done this a few times. It will be fine. I am going to go let the healer know to prepare and then I will get Onyx for you, okay?”

Lexi nodded, slightly numb from the idea of giving birth. The numbness did not last long as another contraction struck her. It seemed she was having a baby whether she was ready or not.

Lexi panted heavily, sweat pouring down her face as she gave a loud groan of pain. She had been in the healer’s hut since the morning and it was now dark outside, the moon just beginning its journey through the sky. For hours, she had tried to breathe and cry through the painful contractions wracking her body. She was in too much pain to give thought to hunger, though she thirsted greatly. Shana let her sip water occasionally, but would not let her sate the slaking thirst drying her throat. The more experienced woman knew that if she allowed Lexi to drink her fill, she would simply vomit it back up from the force of the cramping muscles and so she was insistent on only giving Lexi the smallest of sips. Onyx was pacing the hut, kneeling beside Lexi every time she gave a scream of pain before resuming his pacing. He knew there was not much he could do to help his sister, aside from simply being there for her.

The healer lifted Lexi’s skirt, checking on the position of the baby. Lexi’s water had broken over an hour ago and the baby had dropped down to nudge its way down, but the head seemed to be somewhat stuck. The healer gave Shana a worried look. Shana had suffered a difficult pregnancy with her second child and understood the worried look of the healer. Shana squeezed Lexi’s hand as another contraction struck the young woman, the blonde looking even younger as she was wracked with pain. The girl was just a pup herself, and trying to give birth. When the contraction passed, the healer shook her head to Shana. The older woman pressed her lips into a thin line, trying to think of what could help. With a grunt, she called Onyx over.

“Onyx, help me. We need to get her on her feet. She simply isn’t strong enough to push it out this way.”

Onyx did not question the woman, knowing better than to ask questions. The hut was full of people that knew far more about birthing than he did. Lexi was too exhausted to ask questions and simply allowed Shana and Onyx carefully lift her to her feet. She was too tired to even stand on her own and it took both of them to support the laboring woman. Shana’s voice rang out through the tent.

“TAK, GET IN HERE!”

Shana’s mate appeared, immediately assessing what was going on. When he saw Lexi on her feet, he instantaneously knew what he was needed for and he moved to take Shana’s place beside Lexi. He was better able to support Lexi as she panted and groaned. Shana and the healer each stood near Lexi, the healer in front and Shana behind while Onyx and Tak held her up. Shana’s voice was stern but encouraging as she gave direction.

“Lexi, I need you to squat.”

The blonde woman gave a squawk of disbelief.

“How in bloody hell am I supposed to… AAHHHHH, squat? MAKE IT STOOOP!”

“Let the men support your weight, just lower down. Onyx, Tak, kneel down and support her. This should make it easier for you, Lexi, just squat and push.”

Lexi was too tired to argue and let her weight slump against the men as they both lowered themselves a bit, Onyx mirroring Tak. He was thankful for the other man, Tak seemed to know exactly what to do and was calm, despite the thread of desperation in the tent. By the time the next contraction struck Lexi, she was in a squatting position.

“PUSH, LEXI, WITH EVERYHING YOU HAVE!”

Lexi mustered up as much strength as she could at Shana’s shout, doing her best to shove the baby from her body. An immense pressure build, like before, but suddenly, with a tear of pain and a scream that echoed through the entire village, the pressure was gone. As the baby finally left her body, the healer was ready with several soft cloths. She swaddled the tiny, silent bundle before she handed it to Shana. As soon as her hands were free, she helped Lexi through the rest of the process, trusting Shana to handle the infant.

Lexi almost lost consciousness for a moment as the great pressure was gone. As she finished with her part, she kept a sharp ear turned to the bundle Shana was working on cleaning off, waiting to hear the cry of a startled, healthy baby. Worry grew as she finished and she still heard no scream from the infant. She could barely see Shana as the older woman wiped and pressed at the bundle of cloths. At last, her part was finish and her body could not handle it any longer, collapsing and dragging her into unconsciousness, still not hearing the cry from her child.

Lexi woke up to Onyx giving her a worried look as he rested a bundle on her chest. It took a moment for Lexi to remember what was going on and the sudden rush of memories had her desperately looking at the bundle she had been handed. There, amidst the furs, lay a tiny infant with shocking red hair staring at her in wonder. Lexi gave a gasping sob as she clutched her child to her chest, rocking it from side to side. Suddenly, a small sound came from the bundle, a soft gurgle as the baby tried to signal it was being smothered. Lexi hurriedly pulled the baby back before looking around her in wonder. Onyx was sitting at her side, a dopey smile covering his face. Shana and Tak were watching with smiles of understanding, remembering their own wonder at bringing a life into the world. The healer was still cleaning up, dipping bloody cloths into boiling water before glancing up with a smile. Shana moved forward, crouching to touch a finger gently to the baby’s nose.

“She is happy and healthy. Very quiet, but that is not a bad thing. She still hasn’t cried, but you can see she is alive and well. Adorable fox ears hidden in all that hair. She is one fine looking baby. What are you going to name her?”

Lexi gave another sob of happiness, overjoyed that the baby was healthy. She pushed the furs back so she could see the animal ears that adorned so many of their tribe, giggling as the tiny fox ears wiggled at her from a nest of brilliant red hair. Tiny crimson eyes blinked up at her before the girl’s mouth opened wide in a yawn and Lexi gave another giggle. While the infant had the animal traits of her tribe, the hair and eyes revealed some of the lineage of her father. When Shana asked about a name, Lexi gave a small smile.

“Nymeria.”

The first week after Nymeria was born, Lexi was in a constant state of awe and fear. It was such a tiny life that had come from her own body and she was terrified she would break the young infant. Moving around was difficult for her, but Shana assured her it would help her recover faster, so she pushed herself to her limits each day. It took almost three weeks for her to be able to move around in a relatively normal fashion, though she did have to change what ‘normal’ was for her. Shana had given her a sling and shown her how to be able to strap Nymeria across her body so she could move more freely through the village. The other villagers were extremely helpful, offering to babysit so she could get rest, bringing by food so she did not have to cook and making all sorts of useful toys and clothes for her and Nymeria.

Onyx was almost too scared to touch the tiny head of red hair, but once he got past the fear, he was the proudest uncle anyone had ever seen, toting Nymeria everywhere to show her off and helping Lexi when she was too tired to function. By the end of the first month, they had settled into a somewhat normal pattern, tending to the baby and still keeping up with duties around the tribe. Nymeria still had not cried, content to communicate with coos, giggles and gurgles of happiness. As protective as Lexi was, Nymeria went everywhere with her, strapped either to her chest or bundled up and strapped to her back. Lexi even began trying to learn to shoot her bow again with the tiny infant bundled to her, having to relearn the way her body moved about.

She was still not allowed to hunt yet, Leo filling her spot in the hunting parties, eager to provide for his ‘mother’ and what he saw as a new sibling. The tiger was ridiculously protective of the infant, curling around Nymeria as she slept and growling at anyone that handled her too roughly. Lexi never feared for the infant around the tiger, the beast never showing the slightest aggression towards Nymeria. She, Leo, Onyx, and Nymeria had formed the family they had lost and Lexi did not think she could ever be this happy again.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans for the small family that had settled with the village.

Lexi awoke to the sound of terrified screams and a telltale crackle that meant fire. In a panic, she immediately grabbed for Nymeria before shaking Onyx awake. Leo was already on his feet, pacing in front of the door, his head swinging between the entrance flap and his mistress. Onyx opened his mouth to ask why Lexi had woken him up before another scream tore through the air. Her brother tensed, grabbing his daggers before holding a finger up to his lips. He held a hand up to Leo, signaling to the tiger to stay before he slipped out of the door to investigate. Leo obediently stayed, guarding the two precious people huddled at the back. Lexi hurried to strap Nymeria to her chest before reaching for her bow, her face morphing from fear to determination. Nothing would harm her child.

All around, Lexi could hear sounds of terror and violence. As much as she wanted to look outside, she did not want to draw attention to herself and so she waited for Onyx to return. Leo stopped in his prowling, crouching at the sound of someone approaching the front of the hut. When Onyx ran in, the tiger relaxed but only slightly. Lexi gave Onyx a questioning look, silently asking what was going on. His voice was haggard and he was covered in blood and soot.

“Traders. Lots of them. They are setting fire to the huts to flush us out. You need to get out. Take Nymeria and GO!”

Lexi was about to argue but the look on his face told her he would not allow it. He moved to the back of the hut and used his dagger to slash through the leather, making a flap for her to escape through.

“Run. Run as far as you can, Lexi. Leo, protect her!”

Leo immediately stood, following as Lexi ducked out the back of the hut, her eyes darting around to make sure she would not be ambushed. With Nymeria strapped to her back and her bow in her hand, she ran into the surrounding woods, Leo flanking her to make sure she was protected. She did not know how long she ran, but she kept moving until the sounds of terror in the village had faded. Her heart pounded as she finally stopped running, out of breath and panting heavily. Leo was prowling in circles around her, understanding there was danger and wanting to make sure his mistress was safe.

Lexi looked down at Nymeria, the precious bundle peering up at her, keeping silent as though she understood how important it was to stay hidden. Fear for Onyx made Lexi look back to the village with a worried look. She needed to go back and help him, but she couldn’t risk taking Nymeria into the madness that awaited her. Biting her lip, she unstrapped the infant and found a hollowed out tree nearby. She nestled Nymeria into the hollow of the tree, using the sling and blankets to make a nest for the infant before she moved some branches to partially cover the baby. Kneeling in front of Leo, she gave him a stern look.

“Leo, protect her. I will return, but you need to protect her. Guard her with your life, please.”

The tiger nuzzled her face as though accepting her order. When she stood and gripped her bow tightly, he whimpered softly, pacing between her and the tree. He knew she wanted him to stay, but he also wanted to protect her. At her firm look, he huffed softly before moving to sit in front of the tree. If he could only protect one, he would stay where Lexi told him to stay and protect his sister with every fiber of his being. Feeling assured Leo would guard Nymeria, Lexi headed back to the village, bow ready to inflict damage.

The sight that greeted her made her freeze for a moment. Most of the village was in flames, the huts burning as people ran around, trying to defend their home. The women were hurriedly trying to rush the children into the woods to escape the carnage as the men did their best to hold off the assault. In the middle of the village, Lexi could see Tak fighting off three of the slavers while Shana slipped into the woods with her two children. Her eyes darted around to find Onyx, unwilling to lose her brother a second time to the traders. He was near their tent, his deadly daggers swiping out at one of the invaders, leaving deep slices across the other man’s face.

Lexi wasted no time, notching an arrow and pulling back the string, an arrow flying through the air with deadly intent and embedding itself in the slave trader’s eye. As the man fell to the ground, Onyx turned to see where the saving arrow had come from. Spotting Lexi, he tried to wave her back into the woods. Lexi ignored him, notching another arrow and letting it fly to take down another slave trader. She did not know how they had organized such a large group, but she was not losing her family again. Arrows flew, not just from her, but from the other hunters as well, trying to pick off the enemies one at a time. The archers were trying to buy time for the remaining villagers to retreat into the safety of the woods, already realizing the village itself was a lost cause.

Lexi gasped as she saw Tak fall under the blades of two traders, the men slaughtering him and she heard a cry of despair from the woods and she knew Shana had seen her mate fall. Two more arrows flew to take down the men hacking at Tak. Onyx ran towards her, shouting at her to just run, to escape. Lexi was about to turn and retreat, satisfied that Onyx would be just behind her, when the world seemed to slow down. From one of the huts, a man emerged, murderous rage in his eyes as his large blade came out swinging towards Onyx. She tried to scream out a warning to her brother but the warning came too late and the trader’s blade cut cleanly across Onyx’ neck, removing his head from his shoulders.

A boiling rage erupted from Lexi and arrow after arrow flew from her bow, burying into the man who had moments before taken Onyx’ life. When an hand grabbed her arm and began to drag her, she spun around, ready to kill whoever had touched her. Just before the arrow in her hand found flesh, she saw Shana’s tear-stained face, making her freeze. The woman sobbed and pulled Lexi again, tugging her from the carnage.

“Lexi, he’s gone, they both are. We can come back for them later, for now, we must protect the babies!”

The mention of the children made Lexi’s blood run cold and she dashed for where she had left Nymeria. Shana was quick on her heels and the two women flew at a dead run through the woods. Lexi’s head turned from side to side, trying to get her bearings on where she had left Nymeria. Finally, she caught a flash of white fur and she ran towards it, only to fall to the ground with a loud cry. In front of the hollowed out tree, Leo peered up at her in pain. The tiger gave a small mew at seeing his mistress and tried to move towards her and that was when she saw the gash along his side. A few feet from the large tiger was the body of a trader, his throat ripped out, but it seemed that before Leo could kill the man, the slaver had managed to drive his sword into Leo’s side. Lexi could see more of the tiger than she had ever hoped to see, the wound deadly. She rushed forward and knelt beside the tiger, Leo giving her hand a reassuring lick. From the hollow of the tree, she could hear Nymeria’s gurgles of curiosity and Lexi leaned to pull the infant to her, heart in her throat as she checked for injuries. The baby was free of any harm and Lexi collapsed in relief beside Leo, the tiger nuzzling Nymeria. The baby gave a happy coo, hands flailing out to grab the tiger’s ear.

Lexi sobbed as she scooted closer to Leo, the tiger laying his head on Lexi’s lap as he looked up at her, as though asking if he had done well. Lexi smoothed a hand over his head, crying as she comforted the tiger.

“You did great, baby Leo. You saved her. You were a good boy. Such a good boy, mommy is proud of you.”

The tiger gave a soft purr as the light faded from his eyes, seemingly satisfied that he had done his duty and protected his family. Seeing Lexi and Nymeria both safe seemed to comfort him, allowing him to relax. With no more immediate danger, the last of Leo’s life bled from him and he gave a final sigh before his eyes slipped shut. Lexi sobbed, rocking Nymeria as she let her grief flow down her face. Shana rushed forward, crying out at seeing Leo on the ground, defeated. Though she knew Lexi would need to mourn, there were still slave traders searching through the woods, hoping to pick up the injured villagers that had not ran far enough. With a heavy heart, she forced Lexi to her feet. Lexi tried to fight to stay near the tiger, knowing her precious pet had protected her child from the slave traders, he had given his life to make sure Nymeria was safe. Shana crouched in front of her and suddenly her cheek stung as the other woman gave her a firm slap. Shooting Shana an angry look, she found her anger was met with mourning and determination.

“We have to keep moving, Lexi. We will mourn later, right now, the children must be taken someplace safe. We have to go. Now.”

Anger welled up in Lexi’s chest, but she knew Shana was right. Protecting Nymeria was the most important thing right now. Giving Leo one last pet, she pushed to her feet before following Shana. Shana’s children were further into the woods, the kids old enough to run on their own. They caught up quickly and continued to run, knowing it was not safe to stop yet. They ran for the rest of the night, not stopping until the sun was lifting over the horizon. Several other families were with them and they stuck together as they ran, knowing there was strength in their dwindled numbers. When they finally came across an empty cave, the group settled the exhausted children inside before the adults rested in shifts. There was always at least two people watching the mouth of the cave while the others rested and they switched off regularly, making sure everyone would have time to rest. Lexi and Shana sat in the back of the cave, surrounded by their children as their mourned their losses. Shana’s children were old enough to understand what had happened and were crying quietly at the loss of their father. Nymeria stayed quiet, not even giving a coo or giggle, as though understanding something horrible had happened.

Anger was burning in Lexi’s chest. Once again, slave traders had torn her family from her. While Nymeria had been spared, she had lost both Onyx and Leo. She knew her daughter would never be safe, not as long as the slave trade was alive and well. She wanted revenge, she wanted to punish those that had taken her family from her. While she had killed the man that had taken Onyx’ life, it was not enough. No, she would not be satisfied until all of them were dead. She hugged Nymeria to her chest, rocking the infant to sleep. One way or another, she would find a way to make the world safe for her baby.

[exit]