Two weeks went by, and the relentless pursuing did not stop. The bear beastmen named Carl was persistent beyond reason, camping outside our home with pathetic dedication, but he was not the only one. In the span of the first week I had ten approaches, each man more desperate than the last, cornering me in the garden or waiting by the well with flowers and promises I did not want. My mates decided it was best if I stayed home from noon on, not try to go outside where I could be accosted, turning our sanctuary into a gilded cage.
By the second week I had nearly fifty men coming to our home, some bold enough to knock on the door with wilted flowers clutched in their sweaty hands, others scaling the walls like thieves in the dead of night just to try to get a glimpse of me through the window. One particularly determined wolf beastmen tried to disguise himself as a servant from Lisa and Raon’s home, wearing an ill-fitting fur cloth and carrying a basket of berries that he clearly stole from our own storage. Another attempted to court me by leaving a dead rabbit on our doorstep every morning for three days straight, as if I needed more proof of his hunting prowess or wanted rotting meat as a gift. A group of three rabbit beastmen tried to tunnel under the wall using sharpened sticks, only to emerge directly into Aureon’s training pit where he was practicing his spear thrusts. They did not try that again.
They all ended up getting beaten to a pulp by my mates, who had developed a rotating schedule of guard duty that seemed to bring out their most competitive and violent tendencies. Leon had taken to keeping count by stacking stones near the entrance, adding one for each suitor he threw into the mud with almost gleeful enthusiasm, his pile growing higher every day. Caelion had instituted a three strike rule that nobody ever reached because he struck on the first offense, his quick fists sending men flying before they finished their pleas. Ravin simply stared at them with his princely glare until they felt compelled to leave, and when that failed, his knuckles did the talking. Aureon had actually started enjoying the daily workouts, claiming it was the best training he had ever had and that he was getting quite good at tossing men over walls. Their bruised bodies were dragged out and thrown into the village square as warnings that seemed to go unheeded, piling up like a heap of rejected suitors that the village children had started placing bets on, wagering which suitor would last longest against my mates.
And all the while during this time, I started getting cranky and unsettled, my nerves frayed to breaking. I snapped at Leon for chewing his meat too loud while he sat by the fire, yelled at Caelion for stacking the firewood in what I decided was the wrong order after he had spent an hour arranging it, and threw a wooden spoon at Aureon for asking if I wanted more crowhen soup for the third time in one hour. When Ravin suggested I take a nap in the sleeping furs, I may have hissed at him like one of Soryn’s kin and threatened to bite his nose off. My patience worn thin to the point of transparency, especially now when I am stuck in our home not being able to go anywhere, not even to feel the sun on my face without an escort of five armed men treating me like fragile cargo that might break. It was frustrating to say the least, this imprisonment born of protection, and I was one more interrupted trip to the garden away from climbing the walls myself just to escape the chaos, consequences be damned.
Two and a half weeks went by when our door burst open with a force that made the hinges groan, and then came Soryn, my serpent mate, his presence filling the room with the scent of rain and forest. His scales were like shimmering emeralds in the sun, catching the light and throwing prisms across the walls, beautiful beyond words. He brought me his shed skin, a gift of renewal and trust, held carefully in his hands. But when he got near me, his emerald eyes furrowed, nostrils flaring as he scented the air. Then he smiled, a radiant expression that transformed his face entirely. Tears then fell from his beautiful eyes, sliding down his cheeks like liquid diamonds.
"What happened? Soryn, why are you crying?" I asked, going to him, my heart clenching at the sight of his tears.
"Krys... you are carrying my clutch... I can smell them on you. You are pregnant with my clutch," he whispered, his voice breaking with emotion.
I was too shocked to say anything, my hand flying to my stomach as if I could feel them already, this new life growing inside me.
Soryn dropped the shed skin onto the wooden chair next to us and pulled me into his arms, his coils wrapping around me in a gentle embrace. His tears wet my skin, but his laughter was the most joyous one I had ever heard him make, bubbling up from deep within his chest. So this is the laugh of someone who is extremely happy, unburdened and free?
"I am so happy, Krys. I have never been so happy in my life," Soryn cried joyfully, his whole body trembling with the force of his emotions.
I hugged his face into my arms, stroking his scales tenderly. "I am glad I could make you happy like this. This is the first time I have seen you this happy. Should I be jealous of our babies since you seem to like them more?" I laughed jokingly, though my own eyes burned with tears.
"I am thankful. I finally have my own babies," he cried happily, nuzzling against me with desperate gratitude.
"Will daddy not love me anymore?" Jasper came, his little voice small and vulnerable, his eyes tearing up as he looked between us.
Soryn looked at Jasper, his smile warm and loving, full of infinite patience. "No, Jasper. That will never be the case. Daddy loves you so much. We are just adding more to the bunch, that is all."
Jasper lit up, hope blooming in his young face. "Really?"
"Yes. Daddy will always love you. All of you guys," Soryn let me down and picked up Jasper, wrapping him in his coils securely, protectively. "Daddy Soryn will always love you."
Jasper wrapped his arms around Soryn’s neck, burying his face there. "I love you, daddy Soryn."
Ravin came to our side, his expression soft as he watched the exchange. "Do you not love me too, Jasper?"
"Yes, of course I love you, daddy," Jasper smiled, turning to include him. "I love all my daddies."
I touched my stomach, feeling the subtle warmth there, another pregnancy, more life, more love to give.
"How long do snakes take to be born?" I asked Soryn, curious about what to expect.
"From my tribe growing up, I think about four and a half to five months? You lay our clutch after about a month, and incubate, making sure they stay warm, for about two months, and they hatch between four and five months," Soryn said, his tail twitching with nervous excitement.
"So I am only pregnant about a month? Before giving birth?" I asked, shocked at the brevity.
"Yes," Soryn said, not so certain, worried I might be disappointed.
Wow, this might be the shortest pregnancy in history then. Well, that is okay with me. I smiled, feeling complete.
All my mates came to us then, drawn by the commotion and the sound of Soryn’s joyous laughter, each entering the room with curiosity that quickly turned to understanding as they saw the tears on his face and the way his coils wrapped possessively around me. They offered their congratulations to Soryn, clapping him on the back, the rough affection of warriors who understood exactly what this moment meant, welcoming him back home after being gone for nearly three weeks to complete his shedding. Even Ravin, who usually maintained his princely reserve, embraced the serpent with genuine warmth, murmuring words of welcome that made Soryn’s chest puff with pride.
The older cubs came rushing in then, tumbling over each other to hug him, their small arms wrapping around whatever part of him they could reach, some climbing his coils like a tree while others pressed kisses against his scaled cheeks. Soryn kissed Levy gently on her furry forehead, and she responded with a loud, rumbling purr that vibrated through her tiny body, her golden fur standing on end with happiness at seeing her daddy Soryn return to them. Niku and Sikai joined the chorus of joy, nipping playfully at his tail while Jasper regaled him with stories of everything he had missed, talking so fast that the words tumbled over each other.
It was definitely a happy occasion, this gathering of my strange and wonderful family, the room filled with warmth and light and love so thick it could be felt against the skin. And despite all the annoyance these past weeks, the confinement and the crankiness and the endless parade of fools at our door, today is my happiest day, standing here surrounded by those I love, feeling new life growing inside me, and knowing that I am exactly where I am meant to be.
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