Here we have the next work in the Defective Magic prequel series, this time involving Tak! Don't worry, I haven't abandoned the main work, hopefully, I'll have the next chapter up next week or so.
Enjoy!
Trik had gotten her hands on every text and writing about smeets the moment she learned she was pregnant. She read every article about the gestation period, foods to avoid, breathing exercises, and many others. She'd even bored Wasabi to sleep with some of those lectures.
"If there was a prize for the universe's most dedicated mother-to-be, you'd certainly win it, love." He'd tease her.
As months went by and her stomach grew rounder and bigger with each passing day, Trik started writing down potential names and then cross them out later. She settled on the name Takayla not long after once they learned they'd be having a baby girl. She'd make clicking and purring sounds as she stroked her tummy.
But none of those books nor medical consultations prepared her for labor pains.
"Milady, what is it?"
Trik winced, gripping the nearest curtain as liquid trickled down her legs. "The smeet… It's time."
Aya and the other handmaidens helped unto the bed before the former sent the younger ones to fetch warm water, towels, and everything they'd need, also ordering them to inform Lord Phynxak that his wife was going into labor.
Trik breathed in and out just like Aya had taught her, but it became difficult when the pain turned unbearable. A few whimpers and pained yelps escaped Trik as she gripped unto the blankets. A handmaiden would dab a humid cloth on her face every now and then while another gave her sips of water to drink. As hours went by, however, there were no signs of the smeet coming out at all. Trik had read that's often a bad sign.
"Aya, w-what's going on?" she asked upon noticing a worried look on the older Irkenette's face.
"The smeet seems to be in the wrong position, milady. She's stuck!"
Trik's squeedly-spooch sank. "Aya, listen to me carefully! Do what you must, but do not put my smeet on jeopardy! If you have to choose, I ask you to save Takayla!"
"Don't think like that, milady! I will save the both of you!" Aya assured, briefly squeezing Trik's hand. "I'm going to try and turn the smeet to a proper position, but it's not going to be pleasant."
"Do it, Aya! You must save my smeet no matter what!"
"Bite this down, milady." Aya placed a white cloth in-between Trik's teeth. "You're a very strong woman, Trik. For Tak's sake, you must hang on. She's going to need her mother when she comes out."
The following half an hour was agony. Aya would press down hard unto her abdomen, slowly running her palm to shift the smeet to the proper position. Trik would have probably bitten off her tongue if it weren't for the cloth in her teeth.
"She's coming! The smeet is crowning, milady! When I tell you, push with all of your might!" Trik managed to nod tiredly. "One, two, three, push!"
With a final scream locked in her throat, Trik dug her claws into the mattress as she pushed as hard as she could. The Irkenette felt as if something had just been unclogged from within her body.
Her lekku stood on end as she heard a loud, tiny wail. Trik raised her head a little just as Aya approached with a smile on her face and a small, squirming bundle in her arms.
"You have a healthy, beautiful daughter, milady."
Trik carefully cradled the tiny smeet in her hands and lay down on her side, placing the little one next to her face. Tears of joy intermingled with the sweat and pained ones as she took in her child's scent and looks. Little Takayla was just like her regarding skin color, she even had the beauty mark on her right cheek, but Trik could see the shape of Wasabi's head in their daughter too.
"My little Tak…"
The wailing diminished as Tak's lekku flicked wildly at the sound of her mother's voice, which she recognized from the warm, safe place. With her eyes still closed, Tak blindly tried to crawl closer to her mother, but only managed to squirm onto her side.
With an exhausted giggle, Trik gently surrounded her smeet's body with both hands and kissed her forehead before pulling her down towards her chest, near the temporary teat her body had grown for this. Tak looked for it with her lekku, following the scent of her mother's molk, and latched on to suckle in her first meal ever. Trik felt a little odd at first, but soon she found herself enjoying the ticklish sensation, especially when Tak started purring.
She felt embarrassed when she recalled that she was not alone and pulled the duvet over her shoulders to hide her smeet from view, her maternal instincts taking over. Their job done for the time being, the handmaidens retreated out of the room to give the new mother space.
Trik was so immersed in watching over her smeet that she didn't realize hours had passed until a knock on the door brought her out of her trance just as Wasabi poked his head in.
"Trik?"
Trik looked up at her husband, smiling. "Come meet your new daughter, Sabi." The Irkenette carefully raised the blanket so that Wasabi could take a look; Tak had fallen asleep by then and was happily snuggled against Trik, face buried into her mother's chest.
"She's beautiful, just like you." Wasabi smiled, stroking his wife's head. "Are you alright? Aya told me that you had complications…"
"I'm fine, love. Just a little tired and sore, but we're both fine. Besides, it was all worth it, just look at her." Trik looked down at Tak, smiling tiredly. "She's dreaming."
"I guess I can wait a little longer to hold her, then. I wouldn't like to disturb her when she looks so cute." Wasabi laughed. "By the way, you won't believe what I just found. You friend Miyuki-"
"Is pregnant. I know, she told me just yesterday when she came to visit. She was so happy." Trik said gently. "She didn't know how to tell Reddok, though, she wanted it to be special. Speaking of which," she looked up at Wasabi. "How did you find out?"
"Purpurous isn't very good when it comes to keeping secrets." Wasabi chuckled. "I'm happy for Miyuki and Reddok, though. Having a child is the greatest experience one can have."
Trik tenderly kissed Tak's forehead. "I couldn't agree more, love."
* Headcanon: When an irkenette is meeting, she produces molk, 'a substance similar to humans' milk but Irken, and the smeet feeds through a temporary teat its mother grows for this purpose. Funny fact, the number of teats is always the same as the number of smeets the female gives birth to.