Walk About
By 18lzytwner
Chapter 1
"I feel like a house," Lea said as she sat on the Med Bay table. Pumyra was checking her out. The lioness was six months pregnant and while she did not say it, the puma could not disagree with her friend's assessment. Though weight gain was normal, Lea had put on more weight than the puma had expected.
"Well, this is your first baby. Everyone's body reacts differently. How are your eating habits?" Pumyra asked, worried that the lioness might not be happy with the question.
"I have weird cravings, but I'm not eating past seven pm. Well, I'm snacking past seven pm but nothing big. Panthro makes sure that I'm not eating enough for another meal," Lea admitted.
"Ok, well we should see if we can cut down on that. I know you're eating for two, but when you stop eating for two, it will not be a good habit to be in," Pumyra said as she helped her friend lay back on the table.
"Yes, I can see why that would be an issue, but is that really why I've gained almost fifty pounds?" Lea was getting testy.
"Honestly, most lionesses tend to gain more weight during their pregnancies than other Thunderians do, exception being tigers. Timur was smaller than he should have been considering he was part tiger. Of course, he was also two and a half months early. So, there was that. But typically, the order of cub size goes tigers, lions, panthers, pumas, leopards, cheetahs, and lynxes," she was trying to keep the lioness calm, but it didn't seem liked it worked.
"So, what you're saying is, my child is half lion and half panther, so I'm supposed to be as big as a house," Lea frowned.
"Look at it this way – the likelihood that you'll have complications is much lower than other groups. Cheetahs and lynxes have trouble because their babies tend to be small. Tigers can have trouble because their babies tend to be the largest. Can you imagine giving birth to a baby that could be as small as Timur, but they've been born at the nine-month mark? That's how small cheetah and lynx babies can be. While a tiger baby could be around eight to ten pounds and can be difficult to birth naturally," Pumyra was hoping the facts would help and distract her a little as she lifted up Lea's shirt so she could put the ultrasound gel on her.
"So, what are you thinking about the weight of the little one I'm carrying?" The lioness's voice was small.
"I'd say about six to eight pounds, which is why I wanted to check on your eating habits," the puma smiled slightly. She had warmed the gel in her hands and started to apply it to the curvature of the pregnant woman's stomach area. That's when she noticed how puffy the lioness's ankles were. Not unusual but something to be monitored.
"Where is Panthro? He knew we had this appointment," Lea was starting to get annoyed.
"Today is the day they are dedicating the Vault. It's possible that he's making sure everything goes well," the puma reminded her.
"Oh, I forgot. Poor Snowman. It has been a rough six months," Lea heaved a sigh as Pumyra used the ultrasound machine to get a clear picture of the baby.
"That is has but Bjorn was right. He needed to get it all on the record. Then today, there will be a permanent monument to him and his people. All of those artifacts we saved from Hook Mountain will now be visible to the public and they will not be forgotten," the puma nodded, liking what she was seeing with the baby. The team had created a building large enough to house all of the items rescued from the mountain and the recordings that were made of Snowman's interviews with Lynx-O. The lynx had insisted that he be the one to do the interviews and no one objected.
"Things are looking very good. Let's get you cleaned up," Pumyra told her. Lea just silently nodded and let her friend get the gel off and help to sit back up.
"We haven't picked a name yet," the lioness suddenly admitted.
"Well, you said you wanted to be surprised on the sex of the baby, so you have two lists to get moving on. I'm sure now that the Vault is finished, you'll have time to pick one," the puma smiled. Her friend didn't answer but they were interrupted by Panthro entering the room.
"Am I too late?" He asked.
"Afraid so. Everything is looking good," Pumyra smiled.
"I'm so sorry. It was very emotional today at the dedication ceremony. I don't think I've ever seen Snowman like that. We had to practically prop him up. Snowmeow did the bulk of the work though," the panther said.
"The poor man. Has he decided if he's going to stay in the Lair?" Lea asked, she was close to tears. Panthro figured her hormones were acting up as he'd rarely seen her cry prior to being pregnant. He pulled her close.
"He said something about going for a walk about. I'm not sure what that means but it might be a good idea," Panthro explained as he helped Lea down from the table.
"Well, I suggest that you two do the same – just to your quarters though. I'd like Lea to get off her feet and rest for the next week. I'd like to see if the swelling in her ankles goes down. Should give you lots of time to pick a name," Pumyra winked.
"Yes ma'am," Panthro winked back and the two headed out of the Med Bay.
To Be Continued…