Night Fury's Wrath

Chapter 41: Surprise, Surprise

-Here's another chapter for ya'll. Just as a warning, I'll have to skip a Monday again for the next chapter. I'm struggling with writer's block and a few problems in real life, so I need extra time for chapter forty-two.

Enjoy!

-NFD

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The problem became apparent the very next night. I woke up like the previous night, feeling like crap, then got up to relieve myself. It went well until I squatted to do my business, strangely feeling 'clunky,' for lack of better words. I wasn't as flexible as I remembered, so my squat became something similar to a lopsided crouch.

That was concerning, but my bladder demanded attention first and foremost, forcing me to wonder anxiously about the cause. Was it another symptom of whatever illness I caught? That possibility sounded unrealistic, but it wasn't as if I had encountered this before. For all I knew, this was a new type of disease. 

Once I was finished, I took a cursory look down my body, suddenly feeling light-headed at what I saw. Oh... that's a... a...

"Aurora? Aurora?" I groaned and blearily opened my eyes, greeted with a brown face full of worry. Did I faint? "What are you doing?" Myrkr warbled worriedly. "You wouldn't fall asleep out here on purpose, right?"

Recent memory flashing through my mind, I twisted to lay on my side and peek at my belly, making my heart pick up speed as my anxiety spiked. Oh, no. I swallowed and nervously looked Myrkr in the eye. "T-There's, uh... something really important you should know," I whispered waveringly.

He slowly pulled back, recognizing the instability in my voice. "It's okay," he crooned softly. "Whatever it is, I'll always be here to help. You can tell me." Could I? This wasn't just another insecurity of phobia that we could work on; it was life-changing news. What's more, we had taken steps to prevent this, but it still happened! Could I truly rely on him to stay when the one thing he was apparently not ready for had happened anyway? What if he ran away? What if he blamed me for it?

Myrkr bumped noses with me, knocking me out of my spiraling thoughts. He looked concerned. "Aurora? What's the matter?" I couldn't lie to him. That would be wrong and against every promise we made to each other.

So, I spoke before I lost what little courage I had, simultaneously praying that Myrkr wouldn't freak out. "I-I'm pregnant," I whimpered. His jaw dropped open. I couldn't tell if his reaction was good or bad, but I hoped it was the former, or we'd have a big problem. Talking about having an egg was one thing, but throwing it in his face that we actually have one was something else entirely, especially when we thought we had time to think about it first. 

It was impossible. Hybrids shouldn't be able to have eggs—I had only rationalized that after we mated—, and I ate the egg-preventing plant, but I couldn't deny the obvious.

It explained the vomiting, which I now recognized as 'morning sickness.' The fatigue, sore stomach, mood swings, picky eating, and increased appetite were common pregnancy symptoms, and I felt stupid for not recognizing them for what they were. Gathering soft moss was a maternal instinct; I made a nest to lay my egg into without even realizing it, then kept getting more moss every time we dismantled the half-finished nests I made. The lost flexibility came from the dense egg hampering my movements, which, in hindsight, should've been obvious.

It shouldn't have taken me so long to put everything together, but it did, and it took me by surprise. I wasn't prepared for the onslaught of fear, anxiety, and shock that came with that revelation. I merely laid there, staring at Myrkr apprehensively, and hoped that he would be the level-headed and composed dragon I had come to rely on.