Emberwood chimerical

Cambria didn’t think it would ever lose its novelty: the sight of @Odessia full of pups, his pups. He watched her swollen sides rise and fall in the deep, slow breaths of sleep. He was happy she had been able to get comfortable enough to catch a few winks. He knew it was difficult at this stage.

Nature called and he finally tore his eyes away to rise and pad away from the “den” they’d scratched out among the exposed roots of an aspen tree tucked deep in Emberwood. He found a sun-dappled clearing among the conifers and lifted his leg, dousing the carpet of needles at his feet.

His tongue darted out to lick his nose as the Dragonling peered around the quiet woods. There was nobody here but the two of them at the moment. His pale tail switched until a bird’s cry broke the silence. It made Cambria think of Wyvern. He sometimes wondered what had become of her, though he didn’t really miss her. Not when he had Odessia (and @Etienne?).

Lips twitching into a faint smile, Cambria padded back to rejoin his companion, who was snoring heavily now. He chuckled under his breath and settled down to keep watch. Sometimes he swore he could see the puppies kicking—what else could those little twitches between her ribs be?—and though the thought of being a father still frightened him, he realized he felt ready to meet them soon.

The days were long, hot, and uncomfortable. Odessia wondered why nature had decided summer was the best time to be carrying around all of this extra weight. Would it not make more sense to let the cubs be born before it was insufferably hot out? She stuck to the den during the day to avoid the heat, sleeping as much of the hottest part of the day away as possible.
An uncomfortable cramp in her rear hip roused her from her snoring slumber, and she groaned as she blinked herself awake.
"Has the sun gone down yet?" she asked.

He lost himself in speculations about them, which eventually led to a light drowse. Cambria perked up the instant he sensed movement, his ears twitching at the sound of Odessia’s groan. It was as familiar as her snoring, sounding less painful than simply uncomfortable. The Dragonling frowned sympathetically.

At her question, he tipped his head and squinted at the sky, trying to gauge the hour. The glare was pretty killer, which was answer enough, but golden hour meant that the sun would go down soon. He licked his lips idly as he dropped his head, turning it toward her and catching her eye.

Not yet, he reported, but soon. Can I get you anything, Mrs Dragonling?

The name just slipped out. Cambria’s mismatched eyes blinked, his head rearing slightly. They hadn’t spoken much of surnames, though he suddenly remembered thinking about them just before he’d slipped into his catnap earlier. He’d been wondering if the kids would take his last name or their mother’s. Did Odessia even have one? That had been his last conscious thought and, apparently, his subconscious had decided she did have one: his.

She blinked at the name, not remembering hearing it before. The concept of surnames was still new to her, having grown up without them entirely. It seemed silly to her. But, she supposed, it could be useful to know who was related to whom. Odessia had no concept of what a dragon(ling) was, so it was a name like any other to her. She decided it would work just fine for her.
"I am fine for now," she said.
"When it gets a bit cooler, will you walk with me to get water?" she asked.
It was not that she needed an escort there and back, but it was nice to spend time with Cambria. He had been an ever-loyal and attentive companion over these past few weeks.

She batted exactly two eyelashes at the name, then asked if he would walk with her to get water when the air cooled a little. Cambria felt something flutter in his chest as the corners of his mouth twitched upward. He nodded his head, then stepped toward her and dropped it to gently butt it against hers.

Yeah, of course. It’ll probably be another hour or so, he guesstimated. He paused, then asked haltingly, Do you… are you alright, taking my name? Being my— Cambria struggled to articulate for some reason, though he eventually forced out, —mate?

His head butted against her own, and even as hot as it was, she did not pull away. Instead, she leaned in, letting the length of her body press against his. When he spoke, the vibration of his voice was soothing, and she twitched an ear at his comment followed by the questions. She could have sworn she felt his heart beating more quickly, but perhaps it was only her imagination.
"We became mates the day we conceived the children," she confessed with a look of mild confusion. Apparently, Cambria had been raised differently.
"Odessia Dragonling has a nice ring to it," she said, answering his second question with a contented smile.

We, Cambria said, head rearing a little in surprise. what? That’s… Not how it works, he almost said before catching himself and biting his tongue. Okay. Well, he said, a little taken aback, though in the next breath, he could only agree, It really does.

He gave himself a moment to wrap his mind around this idea they’d been mates for a couple months now, at least in Odessia’s eyes. Cambria was pretty sure it didn’t work that way—that a bond like that required knowledge and consent—but he quickly came around to it. What did it matter at this point? It didn’t. It made no difference at all.

I guess that’s the custom where you’re from? I don’t really have any of my own, considering, but I’ve seen some places where two wolves throw a whole party for themselves, he said, eyes searching her face as if trying to suss out whether she would want any of that showiness. I kinda like this low-key approach, though, he had to admit.

He laughed under his breath, quickly coming to terms with this shift in his reality. He bumped his nose against Odessia’s—his mate’s—muzzle, then nipped at her whiskers in a way that could only be called affectionate. Cambria then withdrew a pace or two, idly gazing around.

I was thinking about names again. I don’t know if I like Chimeria anymore. It doesn’t sound quite right. What about Claudia instead? Or Olivia? Or Victoria? Oh, wait, you already suggested that one, didn’t you? he said with a chortle and shake of his head.