Ivan's eyes shifted to the side, his hair shimmering in the moonlight. "Promise first," he said his eyes flicking back up at Nym, before he sighed and said "It's for the kits, but... I know Ky would disapprove. I just-" His eyes flicked to the ground again and he curled in on himself protectively over his huge belly. "I can't do it again. I can't..." he choked on a sob, "I can't loose anymore."
"Whoa..." Nym blinked a few times. He hadn't seen Ivan get upset like this before. "Hey, it's okay." He bent to reach a hand and placed it on Ivan's shoulder. He wasn't sure what Ivan was going on about kits, and Ky not approving, but Ivan had become his friend over the past five weeks, and he wanted to help. He didn't like seeing him distraught. "I promise, I won't tell him..." He said firmly. "What's going on? What are you talking about, not losing any more?" He glanced to Ivan's belly. "The kits?" It had to be the kits, that was always the issue on the edge of everybody;s mind. Once kits were born, how long before they were ripped away? "You're not due for another week."
"Yeah." Ivan stood up straighter and brushed at his face. "Thanks. That's actually what I need your help with," he said heading to the path up the cliff side. He held out a hand with some bright red berries. "I found some of these a month ago. They induce labor. I don't think the humans know what it does. Probably just thought it was pretty. I'm planning on taking some at Ivy's nest and your going to help me give birth." It wasn't a question.
Nym's eyes almost bugged out of his skull. "Ivan, what?" He gaped wordlessly for a moment, suddenly wishing he hadn't promised not to tell Ky anything. This sounded dangerous. "Ivan, where did you even get those." He pointed at the berries. How had Ivan even figured out what they did? He glanced back to lock eyes with Ivan. "Are you sure? I mean... Isn't this dangerous? I mean, I want to help, but what if the scientists find out or-" Nym stopped himself, He was being dumb, and rambling. Ivan seemed deadly serious, and needed his help. Nym finally let out a heavy sigh. "What do I do?"
"Yes, it's dangerous, but that's why you, Ceral, and Ivy are going to help and the scientist aren't going to find out. As far as they know I miscarried." Ivan didn't talk again until they reach Ivy and Ceral's nest. Ivan was breathing heavily by that point.
Ivy woke up at the sound and glanced over at Ivan and Nym. "So you're really going through with it?"
"Yeah," Ivan laid back in the nest and popped the berries in his mouth swallowing quickly. "Okay. Now we wait I guess."
(Poor Ceral I don't think that Ivy or Ivan has told him what's going on yet. Lol.)
Shit, this was happening. Nym watched as Ivan downed the berries and then waited, nervously as if he were expecting Ivan to suddenly be instantly in the throws of labor. He glanced to Ivy next, certain that Ceral wasn't going to be far away. He and Ivy seemed to be almost inseparable lately.
"Alright... So-" Nym started. "How long before things... You know, begin to work?" He hoped this all ended up the way Ivan was imagining, it was making Nym's heart race, and he was simply a bystander, a helper if he could be.
Ivan spread his legs wide, breathing heavily. "Not too long. I think."
Ivy held his hand and it felt all so familiar. Like last time and having Ivy there comforted him, though he wished Ky was there this time. He whimpered when he thought of how mad Ky was going to be. "Ky's never going forgive me," he whispered unconsciously.
Ceral had been sleeping contentedly next to Ivy, still passed out for the most part until he'd heard Ivy's voice through his haze. He hated being woken up, but he hated missing the party more he guessed. What was everyone else doing at their nest? Had they done something wrong? He rubbed tiredly at his eyes, peeking up and frowning when he made out the forms of Nym and Ivan in front of them. "Okay..." he said groggily, pushing himself up to better see what was going on.
"What'd I miss?" he queried, eyes narrowing as his gaze flicked between the trio. Unless this was just some huge sleepover, his mind was cloudy right at the moment and he couldn't quite come up with any reason why they'd all be over in his and Ivy's nest.
"Ivan's being an idiot is what," Ivy hissed rubbing Ivan's belly soothingly. "He's decided to induce labor in a half-brained scheme to hide his kits." She glared at Ceral daring him to ever try this.
"Last time," Ivan gasped feeling a contraction start. "They took half my kits while I was still recovering. That's not happening again." He could remember it. He was so exhausted after pushing out eleven eggs, half out of his mind in pain when Reva had simply taken his eggs, saying she was going to 'clean them up' and Ivan, naive as he was, believed her. He'd gone to sleep while six of his kits were auctioned off and sold. When he woke Reva had only returned the last six. He'd cried for two days straight.
"Ivan's in labor." Nym said quickly to Ceral, not quite sure how to explain the whole situation, though Ivy seemed to be doing it just, though bluntly. This was a rather insane idea.... Bur he felt like he needed to do something, but ivy seemed to already be holding Ivan's hand. The poor water dragon already looked like he was starting to feel some pain, or pressure, or something, he definitely didn't seem comfortable. Until things progressed further, Nym figured the best thing he could do was offer comfort as well.
"Ky will forgive you... He shouldn't be mad anyway." Ivan was doing this for the good of the pair's kits, that was merit worthy, wasn't it? "Don't worry." Nym plopped down criss crossed behind Ivan and pulled his head into his lap. "Just breathe."
Ceral was tempted to ask why, because wasn't it still too early for Ivan? Didn't he have another week or something? He wasn't really sure, he hadn't been keeping track of any of the pregnancies in the enclosure, even his own. He just knew he tended to be a bit crankier than usual, but he wasn't counting days. "Oh?" His brows furrowed when Ivy finally explained. It sounded like an alright idea in theory, but Ceral didn't think the scientists were dumb enough to miss this. Even if they didn't catch it right away, Ceral thought they'd find out soon enough.
With that being said, he wasn't sure what else he could do other than sit pretty and watch. He didn't have any experience with this, but maybe he should take note of what was happening if he were going to go through it ultimately.
Ivan nodded. He was right Ky would have to forgive him.... eventually. They were mates or whatever. Ivan hissed through his teeth counting the contractions.
Ivy looked at Ceral "Don't ever do this," she hissed. Her eyes practically glowing. "We'll find a different way to keep them." Ivan could tell that by different what she really meant was smarter.
As Nym held Ivan's head in his lap, and watched as he contracted, he couldn't help but feel a sudden sense of fear, not only for the situation at hand, but for his own ordeal he was going to have to suffer through in five months... Was it going to be as fast as this? These berries seemed to be speeding things up maybe? If Ivan had let the scientists intervene again, would he have been given some medication? Was everything going to turn out alright with this? He didn't know... He supposed that there wasn't anything he could do but watch and wait.
Minutes seemed to turn into what felt like hours, thought Nym really wasn't aware of how long it had really been. Eventually Ivan's contractions did force closer together, and Nym's heart went out to him, watching the way the water dragon tensed up every time, and now that he wasn't getting any breaks it seemed even worse.
"I think you're close, Ivan. Keep breathing." That was really all the advice he could give as Nym straightened up a bit to peer down at the other end of the water dragon. He debated for a moment, and then gently left to leave Ivan's head resting against the floor of the nest so he could shift and see what was going on. He touched one hand to one of Ivan's knees and nodded. He was sure Ivy knew better how to gauge this, but to him seemed like the first of Ivan's eggs meeting the world was imminent.
The first egg could just be seen peeking out through Ivan's clenching folds. Ivan tried to breath the way Reva had told him to the last time he did this, squeezing Ivy's hand until he was sure he was going to break bones. "I ugh....." he clenched his teeth, riding out another contraction.
"Ivan," Ivy said stroking his face with her free hand. "It's time to start pushing Honey. You can do this."
Ivan nodded and started to push. He couldn't wait to meet his kits for the first time. He pushed thinking about Ky and wondering if they would look like him.
Nym's eyes widened as he caught sight of the egg. It was so strange... That this was real, that this was happening, that within hopefully not too long Ivan would have his eleven kits out in the world somewhere safe, and he'd no longer be pregnant. That was going to take some getting used to. Nym hadn't seen or known Ivan any other way... The water dragon suddenly missing his round belly would be... Odd.
"Holy shit-" Nym never usually cursed, but now seemed like an appropriate time to start as he watched, both in awe and what could only be explained as mild terror (Maybe some anticipation as well.) as the first egg started to crown while Ivan pushed. "Ivan! It's almost out!" He shouted maybe a little too loudly, though he couldn't help it. He was becoming excited. It didn't look as if it would take much longer for it the egg to be completely free... And made Nym wonder how long until the next one would arrive.
Ivan groaned and pushed, feeling the egg slide further. He was sore everywhere and this was only the first one. He panted feeling the egg start to slip out his entrance and yelled "Nym! Grab it!" as another contraction hit. As the gold speckled egg popped out, Ivan was already giving out orders. "Ceral! Take my egg to the nearest bottom and start incubating it!" He groaned feeling another egg drop. "Please," he added belatedly.
Nym quickly obeyed, and before he could even think snatched up the speckled egg. If he was a younger, more immature dragon, he might have been repulsed by all of this, and most certainly by way the slimy egg felt. But as Nym held the egg in his hands for a moment, he was simply stunned, amazed at the warm little flutterings he could already feel against his fingers through the thin shell. There was a tiny dragon in there, thumping away.
"Here, Ceral-" Nym gingerly transferred the first born egg to the smaller, purpleish dragon, sure that he'd be careful with it. Watching until to make sure he had it stable in his grasp, Nym turned back to Ivan who was already pushing again. Nym could already see the signs of the next egg coming and gasped again as the tip of it appeared. He was amazed at the way Ivan was handling it all, barking orders, breathing through all the pain he was obviously feeling. Nym was sure that he would be a shaking, screaming mess when it was his time to be doing this... He'd never handled pain very well.
"Oh Ivan, the second one is almost here, keep pushing!" Nym encouraged, hand gripped to the top of Ivan's knee as he spread the water dragon's leg a bit. He was sure Ivan didn't need much coaching, as it was obvious he knew what he was doing. He'd obviously done it before, but when the second egg crowned Nym was shouting again, all words of encouragement and only fell quiet as the egg was fully born. He snatched it up like he had done with the first, held it for a moment and then looked around to hand it off to Ivy. "You're doing wonderfully, Ivan." Nym patted the laboring dragon's leg lightly.
The third egg came similarly. Nym kept focused on Ivan's pushing and his breathing, and while he was scared out of his mind listening to the way Ivan moaned, (Guttural, almost primal) it seemed as if they were luckily not going to run into much trouble with this egg either. As it dropped out, Nym again repeated his motion of picking it up and handing off, and waited in anticipation for the fourth, which he was sure would be arriving soon.
Ivan closed his eyes, breathing heavily, as he took a small breather. He was so exhausted. He just wanted to go to sleep. "Ivan, Honey," Ivy said patting his cheek "breaks over, you gotta keep pushing." Ivan whimpered having barely taken a couple of breaths, gripping Ivy's hand tight again. He wish Ky was here. He wanted Ky to be the one holding his hand, telling him how good he was doing, how pretty their eggs were. He groaned pushing the forth egg out and then feeling the next drop. His chest hammered and he started pushing the next one, feeling that it was slightly larger than the others. He cried out the egg stretching his poor hole before it popped out.
He was so grateful to all of them. He knew he couldn't do this alone.
The sixth and seventh eggs were easier, his passage already stretched and slick with blood and other stuff.
"Ivan, you're splendid, you're doing so well." Nym said breathlessly as he watched the fourth egg come, though he winced a bit at the fifth when Ivan actually cried out with some distress. It was indeed a bit larger than the previous eggs, though the next two seemed to be the same size as first few. He continued their little assembly line, giving each egg carefully to Ivy.
The eighth egg was fastest one yet, it seemed to crown immediately after the seventh, apparently eager to press out and into the world. Nym barely had time to catch it it as he dropped out.
"Just a few more, Ivan." Nym tried to comfort. Only three if they had been counting right. "You're almost done."
Almost as on cue the ninth egg bulged and then began to crown, coming a little slower than the last. "Push, Ivan, push hard." Nym nodded, holding one of the water dragon's shaky legs. "One more push. Here it comes!" Ivan seemed to give a sound of distress at that, but despite it Nym couldn't help but grin as egg dropped into his hand. "Wonderful. Just two left. Breathe, Ivan, keep breathing."
Ivan was breathing, and Nym was probably being slightly overbearing, but he wanted to make up for the fact that Ky wasn't here. He knew that it was going to be hard for the forest dragon to know that he wasn't here... Especially when Ivy had been. He knew it was probably hard for Ivan not to have Ky. "Oh here we go again, Ivan." Nym spoke up again, watching as Ivan tensed and his belly hardened in preparation to expel the latest egg. "Push, push, yes- Good job, now blow." Nym tried to coach having found with the last eggs that if one simply breathed through the larger part of the egg's crowning that it seemed a little easier to manage. A few struggling minutes later the tenth egg was in Nym's hands and as he handed it off, he was eager for the eleventh.
"Last one!" Nym looked to Ivy to make sure he was correct and then back to Ivan. "Just need to push a few more times, it's coming fast."
Ivan really just wanted to pass out, but Nym said there was only one more so he used the last of his energy to push feeling the egg slid out. He was breathing hard, his skin slick with sweat. "All done Honey," Ivy said, brushing his sticky hair out of his face. "You did so good. Now just shift and you can come over here and incubate your eggs while Nym and I take some to Ceral." Ivan nodded, almost sobbing with exhaustion as he shifted, pulling his pretty gold, green, and white eggs under him. Ivy and Nym each took two to take to Ceral. "We'll be right back. They're all safe, you're all done. You can sleep now."
Ivan shook his head. He couldn't sleep. Not until they were hidden and out of reach of the greedy hands of humanity. The corners of his vision started to darken, but he shook his head, pressing his belly to his eggs, reminding him of what he had to loose if he let himself drift off.