Karin closed her eyes and rested her hand on Grimmjow's head, absently scratching him behind the ear in that spot she knew he favoured. It helped to relax her, and keep her warm, as she worked at trying to see if she even had access to Quincy abilities and powers. In the dark, the Quincy couldn't see if she managed to absorb some of the sand in their cell. Now that they had all witnessed Hashwald using his abilities in the pit, they were certain that all the Quincy could. Karin was less certain as she was at least familiar with things like light swords from the various TV shows she caught on occasion. There hadn't been a handle that she'd seen, but Kisuke could, and did, invent some fairly bizarre crap. It might have just been a light show, no pun intended.
One thing she could frequently find with ease while meditating was Grimmjow's pool of power, sitting right there beside her. It was bright and blue, like all those pictures she saw of tropical oceans or lakes in the rainforest. Lakes in a rain forest was the best description she could think of for how his reiatsu felt to her.
"Grimmjow," she whispered.
"Hmm," was his lazy reply.
She licked her lips, then decided to just share her thoughts. "We know that Nanao has been able to access Starrk's reiatsu, only that it burns her because it's too strong, so we know that my original suggestion will work," she pointed out. She felt his body give off a deep sigh beside her own, but at least it didn't tense or show any signs of anger at her daring to bring the subject up. She decided to press on. "If we can get out of these cells, you will be able to access your own reiatsu again quickly. Nanao and I could do so as soon as we were in the hallway. One good blast to the doors and we would be out. After that, it would be Quincy brunch."
"Too bad they taste like shit," he grunted.
He lay there silently as she spent the time just scratching the spots on his head he couldn't reach easily. She did her best to ignore the way he leaned into her hand whenever she did so.
"Very well," he huffed in annoyance. "If anything, it will give you something to defend yourself and our cubs with. I can't picture we would be immediately moved into a room with full access to our powers after the transformation anyhow. For all we truly do know, those transformed are killed right after anyhow and the whole thing is just a show to get us to breed little fighters for that jackass. Nanao did mention she hadn't seen any new Arrancar on the front lines."
Now that was a gloomy thought, one she put away for now. If it were true, there was nothing they could do about it anyhow. They would have to just wing it and play by ear. With permission, she finally dove into that pool of blue reiatsu, marvelling at the rough feel of it against her skin as she played with it. Of course, now that she was holding it, she had no idea what to do with it. Normally she just fused the power into an object and kicked or threw it towards an opponent, but there was nothing here to do such a thing with, save her bone weapons, and throwing them at the wall would be pretty obvious to anyone even pretending to watch. Even if she knew how to use Kido, that took the more refined power of a shinigami. It would be like trying to knit a sweater using two random sticks found on the forest floor.
"Um, I have it, but I don't know what to do with it," she admitted.
"Try a small bala out into the pit," he suggested.
"Um, okay. What's a bala? I know what a cero is, dodged those on a good number of occasions, but I have never heard of bala."
"It's a small ball of energy that charges and strikes faster than a cero."
"So, it's basically a pot shot version of a cero, got it. Let me see if I can figure this out. Wait, does it give off any light?" she asked worriedly.
"Yeah, maybe not a good idea to fire one into the pit. Fire it into the hallway. They are not strong so shouldn't cause much in the way of damage so long as you keep the energy low," he suggested instead.
She concentrated on the energy beside her, pulling a small amount of it into her hands until a small ball of light appeared. It took a lot of effort and the light poofed out almost as soon as she had made it. Biting her lip in concentration, she tried again, pulling a bit more energy this time. Once more the ball of light formed in her hand, but it was clearly unstable, and a moment later it exploded in her hands, scorching them a little.
"Shit!" she cursed. "I think I can do this, but I am going to have to learn how to control hollow reiatsu first. It's a lot more chaotic than what I am used to. It feels kind of 'rough' or 'unrefined.' I am going to start smaller, see if I can't make a small ball of stable energy."
"Until then," he let out a big yawn that was half mild roar, before resting his head on his paws, "I am going to get some sleep."
"Yeah, me too. No point in trying to do delicate work when I am exhausted. Last thing we want is for me to accidentally draw too much power from you and blow us both up. That would royally suck, not to mention alert them we are playing about with ways to escape."
"Or draw enough to leave me hungry enough to eat whatever I can. Or regress."
She'd forgotten about that part, and barely held back a shudder. Instead, she curled up beside him in the nest, letting out a soft sigh as he curled up around her, his heat seeping into her. If this was what it was like owning a large breed dog, she was going to look into it when she got back home. Dogs were non-judgmental, you can tell them anything, and she could use the companionship.
(TIME)
Screaming woke her up halfway through the night. She jerked awake and jumped to her feet, bone in hand and ready to kill whoever was threatening them. Grimmjow was nowhere to be felt, but he did speak up a moment after her heart stopped pounding so hard.
"Labour," he grunted.
It took her a moment to understand what he'd meant. The lights came on, causing her to wince in pain as it stabbed at her eyes. Hana and two others moved into the centre pit with armloads of supplies. The two larger men moved over to the cell where the scream had presumably come from. Hana was setting up, laying a blanket down on the sand where the births would presumably take place and double-checking stacks of small blankets and towels. The cell door opened and the two men helped the labouring woman out into the centre of the pit and onto the blanket. Karin's eyes almost bulged out of her head as she looked at the very round abdomen of a woman who had to be carrying triplets! She was so big she could barely waddle. Judging by the fluid dripping down the naked woman's legs and leaving a wet trail in the sand, her water had already broken. The door to the cell was closed once more and she guessed the Sire must have been moved to the security cage before they had gone in to get the woman.
Karin didn't recognize her, not that she expected to. The woman seemed to be in some pain, but let out a sigh of relief as the two men helped her incredible bulk down onto the blanket. No doubt her back, hips, knees, and ankles had to be in pain with a belly that big. There was some heavy panting and one of the men started to mop her brow with a damp cloth while Hana settled between the woman's legs. The last man sat to the side and picked up a small blanket.
The labour was surprisingly quick, and other than a few cries from the woman as she pushed, didn't seem to be nearly as painful as a normal labour. Karin had attended enough of these in her father's clinic to be able to make a judgment in that area even from a distance. The offspring seemed to be far smaller than a human baby, she would guess maybe three to four pounds max. Hana received them, dried them off with a fresh towel he discarded after each one, and handed the baby over to the man waiting for them with a blanket. She couldn't see what they looked like. Between bent legs, towels, and blankets, there was little to see of the babies from this position. The babies didn't cry either but seemed to be giving off little grunts and whimpers reminiscent of puppies.
Each birth was met with a howl of what she presumed was welcome from many of the hollows in the pit, with the loudest coming from the Sire. Grimmjow and Starrk remained silent, but Grimmjow, at least, was watching the births intently. Six were delivered in the end, which gave her a shiver and she glanced down at her own stomach in worry. Shinigami women did not give birth to that many offspring, that much she knew, which meant that something else was going on here.
When the woman was cleaned up, moved to a new blanket in the centre of the pit, and dressed in a fresh yukata, Hana and the others retreated from the arena with the dirty laundry. Once the main gate was closed, the cell was opened once more. The hollow that emerge was easily larger than Grimmjow, but nowhere near the largest she'd seen in this pit. He appeared to be some sort of cross between a bird and wolf with the back half having the tail feathers and talons of a bird and the front half having paws and the head of a canine. He trotted eagerly up to his offspring and nuzzled his nose into the pile of four cubs while the last two nursed on a breast each. The woman had her back to them, so it was impossible to see what kind of expression she had. He pulled his head from the pile of wrapped babies and let out a loud howl, one everyone in the pit, including Starrk and Grimmjow (who roared instead of howled) matched. It was quiet the cacophony of sounds that included roars, howls, screeches, and other noises she couldn't quite put a name to.
The floor vibrated and a moment later a section in the centre rose, bearing sire, mother and offspring up. Sand fell from the platform like a waterfall of earth. There were several Quincy lined along the ledge and Yhwach stood on his special little platform.
Karin tuned out the speech the Quincy King was giving and Grimmjow gave a few snorts of derision during it. Her focus was on Yhwach as he continued to blather away. She wanted to see if she could see what he did when he worked his 'magic.' If she could see Quincy abilities in action, without needing to fear for herself or others, she might get an idea on how they worked and if she could use said abilities.
"He's being long winded this time," Grimmjow grunted in annoyance.
"I noticed that," Starrk agreed.
"He doesn't usually speak this long?" Nanao asked curiously.
"No," Starrk answered.
Karin frowned as she watched Yhwach. She never would have noticed that his posture had been slightly slumped if it wasn't for the fact she was watching him so intently and thus noticed him slowly straighten up. It was like watching someone wake up from a slumber and by the end of his speech, he was almost a completely different person than the one that had first started it.
Power radiated from him now and she watched intently as he used that power to warp and twist the reiatsu of the Adjucus on the platform. It seemed to be painless for the hollow didn't make a cry of pain. When the transformation ended, a naked man clutching a katana kneeled next to the woman and their six offspring. He gathered the children up in sets of two and leaped from the platform to land on the outer edge of the pit, bringing his progeny, and finally his female slave with the last two, out of the pit where they were escorted out of sight.
The platform was lowered back down and other slaves came to finish the cleanup while Hana delivered her morning meal.
"Is that how most deliveries go?" she asked him.
"The babies are smaller, so even though there are more of them, they are much easier to push out," he answered honestly. "We usually see four or five babies, with six being the largest litter I have seen so far."
"Does Yhwach always do the conversation during the daytime?" she asked, a hunch pricking at the back of her skull.
Grimmjow and Hana shared a look of surprise, then seemed to think about the question before Hana answered. "He does. I never really noticed before."
"There is no night and day in Hueco Mundo, so I never really tracked the time as it would flow for shinigami or humans. Now that you mention it, all transformations are made during the 'lights on' hours," Starrk mused from his cell. "I wonder if that means something."
Hana had to continue his rounds and Karin brought her tray to the front of the cell. "Did you notice he seemed to gain in strength as his speech went on?"
The other three gave negative responses. All three of them had been focused on the now former Adjucus with Nanao trying to get a better look at the offspring. At least it turned out that Nanao didn't recognize the woman.
"It's hard to believe that so many have been her so long. Nine months in this place must really wear on the soul," Nanao sighed unhappily.
"What makes you think she was here for nine months?" Starrk asked curiously.
That caused a feeling of dread to crawl up Karin's spine and she whipped her head to stare at the sandstone wall that separated her from Starrk. Nanao answered the question too quickly and calmly to have reached the conclusion Karin had.
"You said conception was pretty much guaranteed, or was she the one that took two tries?" Nanao asked confused.
"How long was she pregnant for?" Karin asked, forcing the words out through a throat suddenly gone dry before Starrk could answer Nanao's question.
"Sixty-five days," Starrk answered easily. "Canines have a quick gestation period after all. My own heritage is just slightly less, usually not longer than sixty, whereas wolves can be as long as seventy. Sixty-five is rather good."
Karin turned a look towards Grimmjow, who was doing his best to stare out of the pit and pretend to ignore her before sighing and answering the question she was silently demanding. "Jaguars have a ninety-some day period," he answered reluctantly.
"Well at least we won't go into labour at the same time," Nanao commented dryly.
Karin stared at her stomach, trying to gage if it was bigger that it was a week ago. Ninety days would mean a rather quick growth rate. Of course, something else bothered her deeply.
"Despite the race of the Sire, we only have one egg at a time to fertilize. While multiple young do occur on rare occasions, it is certainly not the norm. So why is three considered a small instead of a large number?" she questioned.
"Probably because ovulation is being forced," Nanao answered. "If they can force that, there is no reason to believe they cannot also set it up so more than one egg is in the womb. With such short gestations, and the ability to force ovulation, they could breed an army in a few years." Nanao's voice cracked a little at the end, and Karin didn't blame her. The thought was horrendous.
"Not all gestations are so short," Grimmjow grunted. "Horses damn near take a year," he grunted.
"Elephants, two," Starrk added.
"Not really helping our situation here," Karin grumbled. "I suppose on the upside, it means we will only spend three months in this hellhole instead of nine at the latest. Honestly, I hope to hell we can get out of here before that."
"Getting out of the cell is only the first part, getting away from the complex will be the hardest part," Nanao pointed out. "We have no idea where in the complex we are. We could be below ground even. This place could be the size of a division or as big as Las Noches."
"Che, once we are out of the cells, we can blast a hole right to the ceiling, jump out, and book it. It won't take Starrk or I long to find a way into the forest, and once there, we can lose any pursuit," Grimmjow scoffed. "None of the weaklings down there would dare look at us twice either, so that is at least one less danger."
"Well, we had better make the break sooner than later, or Nanao and I are going to be too damn fat to travel," Karin grouched.
"Assuming we find a chance before being changed. It might be best to wait until that point. We would have more power," Starrk pointed out.
"You want to drag cubs on an escape attempt?" Grimmjow asked with a raised eye.
"Not really," Starrk sighed.
"I think I can access your power without it burning me, but I need to get out of the cell first," Nanao reported.
"Didn't you say Harunobo told you we should be taken out soon to be tested?"
"It's been a bit over a week, and as much as I have been trying to deny it, I am definitely getting a bump already. Now I know why." Karin could practically see Nanao glaring at Starrk, despite the solid wall that separated them.
"I can access Grimmjow's power, but it's really rough control at the moment."
Lunch came around, interrupting the conversation for now. When Hana came back around to collect her dishes, she dared to fish for a little information.
"Hana, you wouldn't happen to know if we are underground, would you?" she asked as nonchalantly as she could.
He glanced up and down the halls before moving close to the bars. Karin leaned forward as well and Grimmjow swivelled an ear their way. "The ground level is about equal to the balcony. The whole complex is about the size of a division," he answered quickly before scurrying away with her dishes.
She had no idea how big a Division was, but Nanao did when enquired. The news was promising for while it was a good size, it wasn't as big as a city. Maybe a university, which made sense when you put in dorms, training grounds, and this central entertainment pit.
A thud dragged her attention to the centre of the pit as an Adjucus landed heavily on the sandy floor. It looked wounded, but not heavily. It staggered to its feet and let out a grunt, giving his body a shake and sending splotches of blood flying from its multiple wounds. It looked like some kind of stag with some really twisted and branched horns.
"The replacement," Grimmjow grunted. "Didn't take them long at all, did it?"
"No doubt they knew she would be due soon. Looks like he won the right to live," Starrk sighed.
"At least we should be fed well tonight."
"What do you mean?" Nanao asked.
"They often catch a good number of Adjucus while patrolling the sands. When it comes time to add one to the pit, the prisoners are set against each other and the survivor is placed here," Starrk explained solemnly.
"Why didn't they replace anyone after the feeding frenzy?" Karin asked confused.
"They well today," Grimmjow grunted. "As soon as he goes into his cell, a few more will be tossed down as the trials finish until all the cells are full once more. They do this every time a birth occurs. It is, after all, a cause for celebration."
True to his word, four more hollows were tossed into the pit throughout the day to pick out cells. The last one didn't really get a choice in accommodations, not that Karin thought it mattered much as all the cells were likely the same. After the last one was in their cell, dinner was delivered. The creaking of a wheelbarrow was a new addition and while Hana delivered her tray and waste bowl, two others heaved a huge chunk of bloody meat into the safety cage as well. Once every meal was delivered, the centre bars were raised so they could dine. Grimmjow settled into his meal as she pulled her tray onto her own lap.
"Anything useful?" she asked when he was down to the bones.
"No," he answered.
Karin winced a little when his fangs easily snapped the bones in half and he started to suck the marrow out. It was just a reminder that his jaws were strong enough to crush her skull if he wanted. By the time he was done, there was nothing left save for a smear of blood on the ground. She had saved half of her water and used it to give him a wipe down once he was done licking most of the blood off. He let out a small sigh as she worked the damp rag over his hide. The lights clicked out shortly after the empty tray and waste bowls were retrieved and they settled into the nest.