"I... I see...", Brad was still a bit stunned by these recent events, and of course the fact that he was still inside her and unable to pull out. "Well, this is a bit awkward now.", he chuckled as they weren't moving.
Violet smiled, "Well, we still can do something. I'm cold.", helping Brad to scoot forward as she crawled backwards, coming back into the hot pool, hisses of pleasure as the heat enveloped them both, and found an underwater ledge to sit and wrap their legs around each other in a huddle.
Brad chuckled, "This is so much better, Vi...", feeling his rod finish yet he's still inside her for a bit more, "I guess the reason of knotting is to block any runaway sperm from leaking out of you, huh?".
Violet kissed his cheek, "More chances of making sure that I'm to be a mother...I'm sorry I didn't say anything, but I was unable to explain for it's a family instinct secret, and it only is then free for me to say anything then when we mate...Knotting is extremely important for male wild griffins and griffin shapeshifters...Tony didn't care...", sighing as she nuzzled into his neck.
"Well, I care.", Brad smiled as he kissed her cheek right back. "I'll always care, Vi... no matter what.". Violet looked at him, and saw the love, the adoration, the devotion in his eyes, and smiled as she tenderly hugged him and kissed him passionately on the lips at the same time, and Brad held her, returning the kiss happily and surely.
They made out slowly and tenderly for the next 15 minutes while he was knotted inside her, and finally, Brad felt his rod changing back to normal, and he pulled out successfully. They got out of the hot pool, to get dressed again, with thoughts of hoping that they are successful from tonight, but knowing they can try again anytime, they happily enjoyed dinner, and ignoring the extra tent, they went to bed together for the first time.
Brad soon found out the joys and tribulations of being a griffin shapeshifter, with Violet teaching him. Before, it was basketball Brad taught to Violet, and now being a griffin shapeshifter, Brad had never imagined anything better than this until it changed one day.
He noticed that Violet was feeling moody and tired on his birthday and ignoring her protests that she wanted Brad to have fun, that she's fine, he managed to convince her to see Haku.
"I'm saying it's okay!", Violet huffed as Brad was next to her. "Probably, but let's just be sure with Haku, you know?", Brad told her as she sighed. "I think we're probably thinking the same thing.".
"That I might be pregnant?", Violet looked at him. "Perhaps, would explain your recent behavior.", Brad nodded.
Violet exhaled, wiping her eyes that swelled of tears, "Oh, I'm both scared and nervous to find out!", and Brad squeezed her hand, "Hey, Vi, I'm right here, and look, if we find out that you're pregnant...it makes my day...On my 20th birthday...", reaching to rub her belly with his other hand, "I'm nervous and scared to be a father, but I promise I'll do my best...And you, you will be a fantastic mother...".
"Oh, Brad...", Violet whispered in amazement and joy to have her mate, her true love at her side like this, and nodded as they waited in the room of one of Andalasia's clinics that the United Talons also 'invented', with Haku's help, having portal doors from every clinic in every region...
They were currently planning to visit Violet's family for Brad to be included in a birthday hunt which is a tradition for the Parr family when Brad had noticed that Violet was off this morning in the inn only a day from Violet's cliff home.
There's plenty of healers in the clinics, and there are head healers, and Haku is the president healer, much to his embarrassment, but he took to love it anyway. Haku walked out with a smile, "Ah, good morning, Brad and Violet. Come with me.".
Brad and Violet got up from their seats, following Haku to one of the private rooms, and as Haku closed the door with a warm smile, "Alright then. The other healer has told me that you were asking for me. What can I do for you?".
"Well, Vi's been a bit off as of late, and we're sort of thinking that she might be pregnant.", Brad explained. "I see. Any morning sickness?", Haku asked Violet.
Violet shook her head, "Not really, but I have been feeling quite moody and tired, and I don't know if it is normal, but I have been eating more meat than usual.", and Haku nodded, "Not all women have morning sickness. But those other things sound like a sign of pregnancy. Would you please lay back in the chair and give me permission to check?".
Violet nodded, moving to sit in the comfortable chair, leaning back as she moved her shirt upwards, and spoke, "You have my permission to check, Haku.", while Brad sat beside her, holding her hand with a reassuring smile. Haku walked closer, smiling warmly, and his hands glowed, "It'll be a tingle when I touch you, okay?".
Violet spoke, "Alright.", and Haku gently, politely touched her belly, closing his eyes for a few minutes, seeing the womb in his mind's eye, and a soft laugh came out of his lips. Brad asked curiously, "What is it? Is she pregnant?".
Haku opened his eyes, smiling, "I know I talked with many griffin shapeshifters and all, but to be clear, you know that throughout the pregnancy, griffin shapeshifters carry eggs from one to rarely seven, yes?".
Violet nodded, "Yes, I know. Mom has told me everything she knew, and she laid my egg and my brothers' eggs in her griffin form when she was told that she was expecting triplets. Only griffin shapeshifters give birth in their human forms if it was only one or two eggs as they can handle that.".
Haku smiled warmly, "Well, I have to say that Emma is going to be jealous...Congratulations, Violet. You are expecting six. I am mighty surprised to find out as I said that you were able to get pregnant for one in five chances, but this, you have proved me wrong.".
"S-six...", Violet muttered as Brad; similar to his Uncle John before him when he got news of his five children, just passed out. "Guessing it seems to run in the family.", Haku pointed to Brad with a smirk. "John did the same when he found out he was to be a father of five.".
Violet slowly sat up, resting a hand on her belly as Haku washed his hands, and Violet spoke, "How far along?", and Haku smiled warmly, "Just over a month. As it's six eggs, you're clear to walk as human for another month, but after that, the weight of them will be too much on the human body so you'll have to stay in your griffin form then for another month and half...You need a quiet, secure, warm place to lay them after all that waiting.", with a chuckle.
Violet nodded, "Don't worry, I think I know the perfect place for that...", before glancing at the passed-out state of her mate, and giggled, "You have smelling salts to wake him up?".
Haku smirked and snorted, "I have a better way.", taking a cup of cold water, and poured it down on Brad's face, and the shock of the cold water woke him up instantly.
"I'm up! I'm up!", Brad shouted as he quickly sat back up. "Sorry for the news to shock you like that... better you knew it now though rather than waiting...", Haku chuckled.
Violet and Haku both explained what was said in the past few minutes, and Brad was amazed yet terrified, and Haku can see that, promising to check on Violet every week for the remaining month, knowing when Violet goes to stay in her griffin form, she will be even more standoff-ish, and Haku couldn't then check on her.
Still, the couple were awed to know that they are parents-to-be to six children in the future, and they realized that six children is literally a slap in Tony's face for he had forced Violet five times, and caused her to lose a fetus, and now it is good miracles changing from bad troubles.
"It's not going to be too much for you, is it, Brad?", Violet asked as Brad took a deep breath, "I'll be alright... still need to get used to the idea. I always thought if I was going to be a father, it would only be a child or two and some fairly decent time between them.".
Violet nodded, squeezing his hand as they walked out of the clinic, "Don't worry, there's still time to get used to it...We will give them so much love and show them the world...", and Brad smiles softly, "You're right about that, Vi. They will have a big family...Boy, birthdays and Christmas will be crazy...", with a chuckle.
Violet giggles, "Indeed. Well, looks like we are going to have news to tell my parents and brothers. Dash and Jack-Jack will be so psyched to be uncles...", with a smile, and Brad laughs, "I can see that. And my parents will be so happy to have more kids to spoil...and my siblings will be in the teasing mood...", with a playful roll of his eyes.
"Very true.", Violet chuckles, and they head to look for a carriage to take them halfway to Violet's cliff home before shifting into griffins to fly carefully. Indeed, for the next month, Haku checked on Violet, happily seeing that with a great appetite and rest, the eggs are growing quite healthily, with the babies inside, having strong heartbeats.
After that, Violet then went to stay in her griffin form, getting picky about food, shelter, and space as she went to her mother's favorite mountain, picking a respectable cave not too far off from her mother's old cave, weaving a gigantic, cozy, secure nest of branches, hay, old flag pieces, and mud, only bringing a portable, replenishing, magical fountain of water, a magical bag that held many books, and a cot for Brad to sleep in his human form sometimes.
She hunted most of the time before she got too tired to keep going, and then it was Brad's turn to hunt for her as she then rested in the cave, either sleeping or eating or reading. As the due date of laying came closer, Brad didn't stray far, bringing water and guarding the cave.
Brad and Violet knew there aren't many dangers anymore, but there are still wild, dumb bears and mountain lions to watch out for. Wild animals and Talking animals have different scents and auras to tell apart.
There was also the threat of some stragglers of the armies of darkness; the final defeat didn't mean the end of them all. Some survivors quickly broke apart and hadn't been a true coherent threat, at least an organized way like they were before. But it still was a great threat if a small band of them roamed around which had been the occasional issue since peace flowed through the lands.
Of course, several kingdoms had taken care of making wanted posters and succeeded to capture and kill some of the band over the past two years since the end of the war, but there are still some people left, a bit smarter in hiding and all.
Either way, griffin shapeshifters are nasty to mess with, and if there's anyone who dares to steal a griffin egg, oh, watch out. You don't want to mess with Papa Griffin or Mama Griffin.
Thankfully for the two of them, no real issues happened thankfully aside from a mountain lion that was quickly driven away and would have to find another cave to call home.
As another evening approaches, Violet senses that it is time to lay the eggs and goes into the nest as Brad marks the boundaries of the cave ridge, and claws/rubs the outside walls of the cave before going to rest straight across the cave entrance, with his eyes able to look back and forth, guarding as he listens to Violet's sounds of pushing, growling, screeching, and more, only seeing Violet's top half as the nest hides her bottom half from sight, with the eggs taking their time to come across hours of laboring.
Brad made sure that everything would be alright for her while she was laying the eggs. Last thing he wanted was something to go wrong with it. He hopped that whatever damage that Tony had caused in the past wouldn't cause issues with her in terms of the laying.
By the time the moon was high in the sky, Violet gave out a victorious cry after she pushed out the final egg, and panted as she shifted back to human, an exhausted yet tearful smile on her face as she called out, "Brad! Come look at our eggs!", shakily standing up on the edge of the inside, looking at Brad.
Brad went over to her and looked at her, seeing her expression. "Everything go well?", Brad asked her as he shifted to human himself a few moments before.
"Not just well, but absolutely perfect!", Violet laughed happily, smiling tenderly as Brad looked over the edge, and saw six perfectly oval, pearl white eggs, more or less the same size by inches or width, big as a sleeping, tucked newborn horse foal, and if the moon heard her, the moonbeams, through tiny crevices, shone through from the ceiling, beaming on the eggs, showing shadows of curled, tucked infants, seeming like they're sleeping.
Brad breathed speechlessly, "Oh...", his heart falling in love so instantly, "They're sleeping.", and Violet smiled, kissing him on the lips before shifting back into griffin form, and went to tuck and nudge the first three eggs underneath her, laying down gently and snuffling as she got comfortable, and crooned to Brad with a gesture to the last three eggs.
"Ah, okay, I'll keep these three warm for you, alright?", Brad asked before he shifted right back and got into position to keep the remaining eggs warm.
Violet purred and nuzzled Brad, and Brad crooned happily, nibbling her softly on her head feathers, and Violet leaned her head on his back as Brad leaned his head on her back in a huddle-hug, feeling the eggs underneath them as they fell asleep, content.
Sometime earlier, Violet explained to Brad that the eggs are to stay warm for three more months as the babies inside has to grow and evolve to the age where they can hatch and breathe in the fresh air. And so, the couple alternated between keeping the eggs warm within their fur or covered with molted feathers and hay while one or both of the couple needs to go hunt and drink.
Of course, Brad was worried that he or, worse, she might go a bit stir crazy with the waiting, especially since they had to pretty much keep an eye, 24/7, on the eggs.
Sure, hunting or reading books from the magical bag was a bounty for breaks, with one of them staying behind, while the other one goes out. And of course, talking about baby names, and feeling the eggs tap or hearing their heartbeats helped out to distract them.
Finally, after so much waiting, the eggs is ready to hatch, and it happened upon a cool, misty day. Brad woke up at a croon from Violet as she returned with a nice catch of a wild deer, and he purred as he didn't move, keeping his three eggs warm, with the other three eggs keeping warm in hay and feathers.
Brad watched Violet sway towards him, tearing a piece of meat from the deer, and mouth-fed Brad, and Brad crooned, eating the piece with pleased approval, nuzzling her when he felt something kicking from underneath him.
Screeching in surprise as the kicks got harder, Brad got off, and looked down to see one of the eggs moving earnestly, hearing chirps and fierce taps.
Violet moved as fast as she could over to him as she wanted to see her children as soon as possible after waiting so long for them to grow and hatch. This moment was something she always dreamed of and would seem so unreal... it almost seemed like a lost dream with Tony, but with Brad, it couldn't be any more perfect as the first egg continued to twitch and crack.
Brad and Violet watched with anticipation as the first egg kept cracking, the fierce taps becoming louder and louder before it finally popped open, chirping and crooning as the hatchling was revealed to be a female griffin with Brad's dirty blonde feathers on her tiny wings, and dark brown fur on the pelt, and wide sky-blue eyes.
She squeaked, wobbling on all fours, and Brad purred, licking her clean as Violet nuzzled their first daughter before Violet shifted to human, murmuring, "Hello, little one...I shall call you Hannah, Hannah Maisy Fischer-Parr.".
Hannah blinked at her before squeaking, shifting into a crawling 6-month-old baby girl with freckled tan skin, still having the dirty blonde hair and sky-blue eyes, and climbed into Violet's lap, reaching for her breasts.