Stone Circle afraid of what's inside

Leynille (Secret Creek)

It was hot today — the air had been steadily thickening with humidity as the days passed by, and today felt like the worst. It was hard enough for Sanja to keep herself cool, being darker-toned, but now she had the added stress of excess weight upon her belly.

She'd sought out the creek for a drink after waking, and now lay in the shade of the trees. Her paws draped over the edge of the creek, so that they could soak in the crisp flow of it; although even that was not cold enough. In the shallow sections she could see a thin misting of the ground - which was more likely steam from the stony bottom.

With a sigh the woman tried to adjust herself. Nothing felt comfortable anymore; but she knew why, by now. It wasn't illness that plagued her — she was very, very pregnant. After one such adjustment her belly continued to writhe a little bit, as something inside kicked back.