C Call of the Wild [michime]

[SimonBrownMpreg]

Thanks to the root, the pain dulled into a strong pressure instead. It was a far cry from birthing Embersoul's eggs. Khell scooped water up over his belly to help soothe the strain of his muscles. Another heaving contraction, but this time, he pushed with it. Since the eggs were so small, nearly a dozen of them came out at once. He relaxed and caught his breath. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Each contraction brought another dozen or more eggs with it, swept away in the stream's current. While small eggs meant easy passage, it also meant there was a staggering amount of them in his womb. Khell pushed hundreds upon hundreds of guardian eggs from his body. His legs shook and he panted heavily as the last of the contractions rippled through his belly.

[michime]

Thundermouth rubbed Khell's back after the last contraction passed. "They will grow and serve the mountains. Thank you."

He watched the last of the eggs flow down the water. He held out his hand for Khell then helped the alien balance. "You can ride on my back. I'll bring you back to the warm water."

[SimonBrownMpreg]

Khell nodded. He hoisted himself out of the water, both palms pressing against either of his hips. Already he could tell they were wider, curvier, from carrying the weight of mountain eggs. Yet another change endured by his body. He actually looked forward to seeing Embersoul again for the nectar that would help restore his figure back to something more manageable.

Since Thundermouth offered the invitation, Khell got on the beast's back, sitting with his legs crossed and tail draped across his lap-- at least the part of his lap not occupied by his belly. "Can the planet sustain that many of your offspring?" he asked. "You're huge and if all those hundreds of eggs hatch and become as huge as you, will there be enough resources to go around? I guess I'm wondering the same thing about Embersoul's offspring and any other guardians who breed with me." In the back of his mind, however, Khell suspected that not all eggs hatched and not all young made it to maturity. That was nature after all, right?

[michime]

Thundermouth's slow speed gave him plenty of time to discuss just how temperamental Celbrion could be.

"Some eggs don't hatch at all. The ones that do produce offspring, most will not make it to maturity, and those that do some will not find a mate." He explained with a slight shrug of his body. "Of this batch, no one more 20 are expected to survive to maturity but those 20 will not grow as large as me. Guardians are always the biggest of their kin."

He turned his head and looked at Khell. "How does it work on your planet? Do most of the young survive to adulthood?"

[SimonBrownMpreg]

Yellow eyes widened a bit. Only twenty out of hundreds? So, his assumptions were right. "I see..." Khell hummed, and then he turned his attention back on the question Thundermouth asked. "A majority of our young survive, yes. Historically, it's not been a problem because my species only produce one or two offspring at the most per gestation. There are very rare cases of three offspring in one gestation, but medical experts can count those events on two hands." He rubbed his belly, meditating on its unconventional size. "In a lifetime, some of my people might never have children due to infertility or by choice. On average, a couple might produce up to four children in a lifetime. The rate of death and reproduction has always been equal, but lately..."

Khell's tail twitched and a worried line creased his forehead. "Over the past few decades, the longevity of the Zioruta is increasing. My people are living longer. Naturally, people are glad to hold onto their loved ones for longer, but people are still having just as many children. Zioruta are being born faster than we can die. It's turning into a problem."

[michime]

Thundermouth made a soft rumble sound in this throat. "Your kind produces few young since most survive to maturity. Long lives are a gift and a curse in a variety of ways."

"Why haven't your kind tried to establish a colony with other worlds? I know there are more worlds." They came to the warm stream and Thundermouth slid into the water with a loud groan.

[SimonBrownMpreg]

Khell floated off Thundermouth's back and found a ledge where he could sit. The warm water felt good on his muscles, and he looked forward to getting some sleep before Embersoul came to get him. "Well there are lots of factors to consider," he answered. "There has to be suitable vegetation and water in order to sustain life, which is why we can't colonize just any moon or other orbiting objects. The atmosphere also has to be breathable. Not to mention the distance between Zeostea and any world we colonize. The time it takes to travel between the locations has to be reasonable. If it takes half a lifetime to travel between point A to point B, then there's not much point."

[michime]

"When you're ready, you can go exploring," Thundermouth offered as he let the water support his mass. "There's still plenty of time before the rainy season ends. You can visit more valleys. I'm sure you would like to walk around a bit."