Chapter 172: Snake babies

Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Snake babies

Her silver-white hair stuck to her forehead.

Her ears were flattened.

Her tail had long since stopped being cute and was now lashing against the bedding every time another contraction came.

Nahla crouched between her legs.

Kael sat behind Swanly, supporting most of her weight against his chest.

His arm circled her shoulders.

His other hand was currently being murdered.

Swanly squeezed.

Kael’s face twitched.

"You can break it."

"Don’t tempt me."

Another contraction built.

Nahla looked up.

"Push."

Swanly inhaled.

Pushed.

Pressure.

So much fucking pressure.

Not the unbearable torture she had imagined.

The contractions hurt.

Her back hurt.

Her entire lower body felt stretched and exhausted.

But she could handle it.

Until the baby’s head started coming.

Then Swanly’s eyes nearly left her skull.

"FUCK!"

Kael kissed her temple.

"You’re doing it."

"Nahla!"

"I know."

"WHY IS THE HEAD SO BIG?!"

Nahla looked.

"It is a normal head."

"IT DOES NOT FEEL NORMAL!"

"Again."

"No."

"Swanly."

"No."

"Push."

"I resign."

Kael almost laughed.

Swanly turned her head.

"Do you want to be single?"

His face became serious.

"No."

"Then don’t fucking laugh!"

Another contraction hit.

Her body pushed almost without asking permission.

Swanly screamed.

Nahla’s voice sharpened.

"That’s it. Keep going. The head is almost through."

"I CAN’T."

"Yes, you can."

"I CAN’T!"

Kael wrapped both arms around her.

His voice dropped right beside her ear.

"Swanly."

She shook her head.

"I can’t."

"You already are."

Her eyes filled.

He pressed his forehead briefly against hers.

"Just a little more."

Her grip tightened.

"I’m tired."

"I know."

"I want it to stop."

"I know."

"Please."

That word nearly destroyed him.

Kael’s golden eyes burned.

"I know."

Nahla looked up.

"One more strong push."

Swanly sobbed.

Then pushed.

The burning pressure peaked.

For several horrible seconds, she thought she might split in half.

Then suddenly:

Release.

The head passed.

Swanly collapsed backward against Kael.

"Oh my God."

Nahla’s hands moved.

"Do not stop yet."

"WHAT?"

"The hard part is through."

Thank every god in every universe.

Swanly pushed again.

The shoulders passed.

Then the little body slid much more easily.

A tiny pale tail followed last.

Silence.

One heartbeat.

Two.

Swanly’s eyes flew open.

"Why isn’t she..."

WAAAAAAAH!

The cry exploded through the shelter.

Swanly froze.

Kael froze.

Nahla lifted the tiny wet newborn.

A girl.

Small.

Red-faced.

Furious.

Alive.

Her tiny pale snake tail curled weakly.

Swanly made a sound that was half laugh, half sob.

"My baby."

Kael stared.

His face crumpled.

Not his blood.

Not his daughter.

He knew that.

His heart apparently did not care.

Nahla wrapped the newborn quickly in a clean hide and placed her against Swanly.

The baby cried harder.

Swanly touched her cheek.

Tiny.

Warm.

Real.

"Oh..."

Everything disappeared.

The battle.

The screams.

The fear.

For one second, there was only this furious little face.

Her daughter’s mouth opened.

WAAAAH!

Swanly laughed through tears.

"You’re loud."

Kael touched one tiny fist with the tip of his finger.

The newborn curled her fingers around him.

Kael stopped breathing.

Swanly saw his face.

Her heart broke open.

"Kael."

He swallowed.

"She’s strong."

"She’s screaming."

"Exactly."

Swanly laughed.

Then Nahla said:

"Do not get comfortable."

Swanly’s smile died.

"No."

"There is another one."

"I changed my mind."

"You cannot."

"I am done."

"The second child disagrees."

"Nahla, please."

The ground moved.

All three froze.

Kael’s head snapped downward.

CRACK.

Swanly stared.

"No."

The floor beside the wall split.

A hand punched through.

Nahla stood.

Kael moved faster.

He gently lowered Swanly back against the bedding.

"Stay."

"KAEL?"

Black fur exploded over his body.

Bones shifted.

Muscle thickened.

In a breath, the man disappeared.

A massive black panther stood between Swanly and the breaking floor.

The Veilkin pulled itself out.

Its eyes landed on Swanly.

Then the crying newborn against her chest.

Its nostrils flared.

Kael’s roar shook the shelter.

The creature lunged.

The panther hit it in midair.

They crashed through a basket.

Swanly clutched the baby.

"Nahla!"

"I have her."

Nahla took the newborn and tucked her safely into a lined basket beside Swanly.

Another contraction hit.

Swanly stared at the ceiling.

"You have got to be fucking joking."

Then another crack appeared.

Kael heard it.

So did Swanly.

A second Veilkin climbed through.

Kael turned.

Two.

His ears flattened.

His lips pulled back.

No.

Absolutely fucking not.

No one touched his female.

No one touched those babies.

The first Veilkin jumped.

Kael met it.

Claws tore flesh.

The second came from his side.

Its claws opened his shoulder.

Blood sprayed black fur.

Swanly screamed:

"KAEL!"

He barely reacted.

He spun.

His jaws closed around the creature’s forearm.

Crunch.

It shrieked.

He threw it into the wall.

The first attacked again.

Kael was fighting both.

Nahla grabbed Swanly’s face.

"Look at me."

Swanly was staring at Kael.

"LOOK AT ME."

She did.

"Your second daughter is coming."

"My mate is fighting two fucking monsters!"

"And he is doing that so you can push!"

Kael slammed one creature into the ground.

Nahla pointed.

"Do not waste what he is doing."

That hit.

Swanly sucked in air.

Another contraction.

Pressure dropped low.

Nahla repositioned.

"Good. Push."

Swanly pushed.

"Oh Lord."

Kael roared.

A creature screamed.

The baby beside Swanly screamed.

Ironwood screamed outside.

Swanly started laughing hysterically.

"This is insane!"

"Push."

"I AM!"

"Again!"

She pushed.

This one moved faster.

Maybe her body understood now.

Maybe everything had already stretched.

Maybe the second baby was simply in a hurry to join the apocalypse.

The head descended.

Swanly’s face twisted.

"There."

Nahla nodded.

"Yes."

"I can feel it."

"Good."

"No, not good!"

The pressure burned.

That was the painful part.

The head.

Fucking heads.

Swanly bore down.

Her thighs trembled.

Her whole body shook.

"Kael!"

The panther looked toward her for half a second.

His muzzle was bloody.

She saw his golden eyes.

He was still there.

She pushed.

The head passed.

Swanly cried out.

Then relief.

Again.

Shoulders.

Body.

And then another tiny pale tail slipped free.

A second cry filled the shelter.

WAAAAAAAH!

Swanly collapsed.

"Done?"

Nahla was already wrapping the infant.

"Done."

"Both?"

"Both."

"Alive?"

"Both."

Swanly started crying.

Actually crying.

Not fear.

Not pain.

Relief so strong it felt violent.

"My girls."

Nahla placed the second newborn beside her sister.

Two tiny faces.

Two tiny pale tails.

Two furious little mouths.

Swanly stared.

"I did that."

"You did."

"I pushed two people out."

"Yes."

"Holy shit."

Nahla almost smiled.

Behind them:

SNAP!

Kael broke one Veilkin’s neck.

It dropped.

The second looked at him.

Looked at the dead creature.

Then decided it had developed survival instincts.

It ran.

Kael roared and chased it through the entrance.

"Kael!"

Gone.

Swanly was too tired to even argue.

Her entire body felt hollow.

Heavy.

Warm blood still soaked the hides beneath her.

Her legs trembled uncontrollably.

But the babies were alive.

That was all she cared about.

Nahla checked both girls.

"Healthy."

Swanly smiled weakly.

"You did it," Nahla told her.

Swanly’s eyes closed.

"I never want to do that again."

Nahla snorted.

"You say that now."

"I mean it."

Nahla turned briefly toward her medicine basket.

Behind her, something moved.

Swanly’s eyes opened.

The Veilkin Kael had killed?

Its fingers twitched.

No.