Horizon Ridge Nothing can stop us, even the night that falls all around us

Immediately upon rousing, Pied leaped from the den, barely making it outside before last night's supper came rushing up her throat to splash on the grass. She heaved a few more times before her belly emptied completely. Although the experience was far from pleasant, the Gamma smiled grimly over her puddle of sick. It's really happening! she thought. She'd been positive they'd conceived, yet here was the first tangible sign of her pregnancy.

After washing out her mouth in a nearby pool, Pied picked her way down to the beach, feeling a little lightheaded but none the worse for wear after her bout of morning sickness. She paused when she reached the foot of the ridge, a frown slowly creeping over her face as she wondered where her mate was this morning. The mere thought of him made her stomach pinch again, though it wasn't nausea. Something hadn't been quite right ever since that night on the beach, as had become increasingly clear to her in the last two weeks.

Because she couldn't bear the thought of their children's lives starting in anything but a perfectly happy relationship, Pied pushed these niggling worries to the back of her mind and plodded forward onto the soft, pale sands. She gave the surf a wide berth but otherwise enjoyed the waterfront, her two-toned eyes scanning the horizon even as ugly clouds began to gather there.