Stone Circle You are proof that love before first sight is possible

I need me a pregnant @Nanook thread!!!

Sia had been over the moon when Nanook told him she was pregnant. His heart beating faster than he had ever remembered, and a wide smile dawn on his features. Of course it also kicked his protective instincts into high gear, and the man had been running himself ragged trying to prepare. It wasn’t the first time he was helping a pregnant female, being the eldest of many pups meant he had helped his mother prepare for his younger siblings, and his sister had of course given birth in the fateful Blackfeather Woods. But this, this was much different. They were his kids!

So everything had to be perfect. He had been hunting to ensure the caches were full, and he must have circled the territory a million times. He had heavily scented their den area, making sure everyone was aware of the pair that lived there. The only thing he hadn’t done… was check on his mate. Waking with the sun, and coming home well past its setting, Siarut honestly hadn’t had much chance to speak with his wife. And so his task at the moment, was locating her.

Nanook felt kind of like the moon right now, incredibly round, but nowhere near as pretty. The skin around her abdomen had swollen to what felt like astronomical widths (though in reality, her pregnancy would have looked certainly average to any passerby), and though her waist had trimmed a little, she hardly noticed. Patrolling was still increasingly difficult. More cumbersome than anything, with the added weight and girth. She looked very much forward to the day when the kids would be able to trot their way around the perimeters with her on their own four or eight or sixteen legs (divided between the lot of them, of course).

This morning found her well away from the borders, and nearer the stream, gnawing at a scored up piece of fallen tree. The surface etched with previous marks, all similar to the one she made now -- 56 in total. Her current work would click that number up to 57, which meant if her calculations were correct, and if she was just like any of the other females she'd tracked the pregnancies of over the years, then she'd be popping any day.

Oh joy. As much as she wanted to meet her kids and get back to moving like something less like a buffalo, she wasn't looking forward to these next few days it would take for her to get there.

Of course he was glad to find his mate safely tucked away deep within the border. Her warrior spirit had lead her on patrol a few times, which in turn drove Siarut mad with worry. No no, he would prefer she stayed in their den, away from all prying eyes. But alas he also knew the woman, and knew her soul. Despite his desires, Siarut knew he could never confine her in such a way. Nor would he truly wish for her to feel trapped especially by him. So in the end, it was his poor heart that took the beating every time her turned home to find his wife wandering about.

“Nanook?” Sia called softly, coming up behind her. He inspected her nawed branch, a quizzical look in his eye. “What are you doing?” Siarut was highly amused to see the round woman marking the fallen tree.