Midori just stared at the shifter and sighed, "That means…if the research was correct…your birth would be between 63 to 67 days!"
"No, I am a shifter, a human's pregnancy can last for nine months. The human gene in me is making sure my kittens stay within my womb for that full period, though after that, I'll have to watch myself because the cat gene will kick in and I'll have to be kept in bed for another 63 to 67 days. After that the labor will begin. Trust me on this, I knows what I'm doing."
Midori sighed in relief but still the worry was seen in her face. "Does Faithful--" she was cut off by Nicole's answer.
"Yes he knows, what do you think I am? Of course I'd tell the father first!" Nicola's tone was stern but her eyes sparkled with happiness. "He was enthusiastic when I told him."
Midori grinned and shrugged off the thought and turned to the window. "I'm sure he was."
Nicola sat on the cot and shifted to a cat, curling up for a nap. "Never mind me. Just wake me when supper is ready."
"Alright." Midori replied, absentmindedly watching, from the window, as Kalen practiced his staff work, his movements swift and smooth. Getting an idea, she grabbed her glaive and ran outside to the practice courts.
She brought her glaive up with Kalen's staff and he backed off slightly and grinned, "I could use some competition." He sidestepped and lunged as she parried and stepped back. The late afternoon sun beat down on them as they fought, parried, lunging, sidestepping and dodging.
Sir Bennel of Tyra watched them from the sidelines, with raised eyebrows as Kalen ducked a rather deadly blow and caught the woman in the stomach, but jumped back as she recovered and stabbed. These two were rather—no very good with staff work and clearly showed it. He would have to speak with Sir Owen about moving the woman-squire to knighthood. If she proved to be this good, then her skills would benefit the realm greatly, as would Kalen's. Standing from his seat, he inquired a servant of Owen's whereabouts and went to find the knight.
Once outside Owen's rooms, he knocked and waited for an answer. When Owen did appear, Bennel cleared his throat: "Sir Owen, I have just had the pleasure of witnessing your squire and mine duel, and, by the gods, she is a wonder with that glaive!"
Owen chuckled, "You should thank my friend Sir Lady Keladry for the glaive practices, I've just helped her along the road to knighthood. Come on in."
He let the knight inside and closed the door. "I have a feeling this conversation isn't just about my squire's wonder with weaponry."
Sir Bennel chuckled, "No, Sir Owen, have you considered letting Midori take her shield early?"
"But she's only sixteen!" Owen protested, "and besides, I believe she wishes to take it with her other friends."
"Has she ever mentioned her shield to you?" Bennel asked, his tone light.
"No, but she has…" Owen suddenly trailed off and an almost-shocked expression crossed his face. Smoothly he replied, "Sir Bennel, do you know that Kalen and Midori are courting?"
The other knight's brows rose, "Courting? I heard no such thing."
Owen put his head in his hands and shook his head, "That girl has a lot of explaining to do."
Sir Bennel clenched his fist and mumbled, "Curse it boy, you had to fall in love, didn't you?"
Owen looked up, and Sir Bennel stood and began pacing round the room. The two men turned away from each other and as Bennel left, Owen gazed at the two squires now fighting with practice swords and sighed heavily: "What will I do with you, Midori. You don't really want to earn the shield now, do you?"
Midori surrendered, as Kalen paused to catch his breath. "Gods your good, Midori" he gasped, he held out his hand and Midori took it, raising a skeptical brow. "Good? We're evenly-matched, I have yet to find a better swordsman whose willing to duel a woman."
Kalen nodded and sat on the bench and, looked down at his hands, which flickered and before his eyes he saw the sleek black feathers of the hawk with the red markings of blood. Shaking his head to clear it, he looked again and only saw his own palms. A voice, distinctively female, whispered in his mind: "You saw your blood, boy. You, a pure tribesman of the Bloody Hawk, will you taint it now, with the blood of a Queenscove?"
Kalen turned to Midori who was speaking with a knight and sighed, "Shut up." he thought fiercely, "She's the only true love I've ever known!"
The woman laughed, a harsh cackling sound that hurt his ears, "Would you give her up if you knew your tribe would never think her a proper wife? Would you leave her for a tribeswoman of the Bloody Hawk?"
"No!" "My parents would approve. My foster-mother was taught by Alanna the Lioness herself, and the tribe would have never let me train if they'd known, and look now, I'm only a year away from knighthood!" Kalen thought angrily.
"Yes, true, but once you return home, will you permit her to stay a Tortallan?" "Will you force her to drop all Tortallan beliefs and turn your way?" the voice replied in a daring tone.
But Kalen didn't get a chance to reply, for the voice had suddenly disappeared.