Nova Peak gentle reader

her breath shudders softly when his paw finds her belly, and for a moment, her throat tightens with something tender—too raw to name. she had felt the change in her body long before it showed; the ache in her bones, the constant nausea, the gnawing exhaustion that never quite relented. but his touch… it made it all feel worth it.

her eyes flutter shut when he kisses her nose, his words soothing against frayed edges. strong. he says it like it’s indisputable, like fate,
as if he doesn’t see the cracks in her foundation—her legs trembling when she rises, her appetite near nonexistent despite her growing belly.

still, she nods, because she wants to believe it too. "they’ll be like you," she whispers, "fearless." a faint, wobbly smile tugs at her mouth as she presses closer to his touch, craving the steadiness of him. "you’ll teach them… won’t you?"

her stomach gives a sickly lurch then, sharp and unwelcome, and she grimaces through it, refusing to mar this moment with her own weakness. "they should know where they come from. your blood. your strength." she doesn’t realize how fiercely she means it until the words leave her mouth. "i want them to be proud." proud of him. proud of themselves. not cursed to follow in his shadow, but emboldened by it.