It was a few minutes, but they soon were back in his room as Perla took a deep breath. "Must have been exhausting... helping give birth to those children.", Beast said.
"Certainly much easier than being the one birthing... know that one from Carlo...", Perla replied with a soft chuckle. Beast nodded, "Of course, through you have to admit that Leila went through it before, so it was both hard and easy on her in a way...right?".
Perla smiled softly, "Oh, believe me, the first time can be scary for anybody, but it gets less scary within the next pregnancy and so on, but of course, the risks are the same, still...through I can't say if it's true for me this time...", biting her lip, waiting for her beast, her Adam to connect the dots...It's a wonder why he hadn't noticed the change of her scent, but maybe Leila's scent was more powerful as Perla is much earlier than her in retrospect...
"Wait...", the realization hit him. "N-no...", he muttered as she sighed and nodded. "I... I'm expecting again... and I think it's twins...", Perla said.
Beast heavily sat on the bed, breathing deeply, and Perla looked at him worriedly, "Adam?", and Beast chuffed roughly, "I...I should have known that you were smelling a bit off while we were...", hearing his primal side roaring in joy that he successfully impregnated his mate, expecting a litter.
"This...I'm...I don't want my own children to be cursed...I did this...", Beast choked out, and Perla whispered, "Adam, please...They're all ours...They aren't just yours, they're mine! If you think they'd suffer for being innocent, little children who are different, and they...they're not of rape, they came from our love and passion, if you dare to say that their lives are forbidden to continue, to force me to abort, you have another thing coming!", tears steaking down her face as she began to cry, the hormones hitting her all at once, instinctively curling her arms over her baby bump.
"No... I...", Beast stammered. "No, please... don't... don't think I want you to be rid of them... I...".
"You didn't curse them, Adam... I promise you... I... I don't know what the future holds for us... but I promise you, they won't be cursed. Not when they have two parents that love them... am... am I not alone in that?", Perla asked; somewhat worried that he might not actually say the answer she wanted to hear.
That it was too much for him and that he would wish that they stay away from him... that he wouldn't be able to look them in the eyes without feeling guilt about the monstrous looks.
Beast heard his primal side snarling at him, telling him to apologize to his mate, and he knew he felt the same way, and he gently wrapped his arms around her, "You're not alone...I'm scared to be a father, but I will love them as a person...You're right, they're both ours...", putting his paw on her baby bump ever so lightly, feeling so humbled, feeling a connection, "I'm sorry to make you cry, Perla...Gods, do we even know when they'll come?".
Perla gently enveloped over his paw, sniffling happily, relieved to hear his sincere words, whispering, "I'm scared too, Adam, but human or beast or in between, they will be safe with us...And Leila said that I am a long way of being pregnant obviously, but it's hard to say...But one thing for sure, I'll be well fed and healthy, I promise. After all, spring is to be here very soon, and comes plenty of new vegetables, grain, and such.".
"You have never been wrong before, Perla...I hope you're right...", Beast nuzzled her neck, and Perla smiled softly, "We're a family, Adam, within the bigger family...you, me, Carlo, and our little ones...".
Beast exhaled, realizing the impact of that word...Family...He's going to have a family again...a new family...He smiled genuinely for the first time since he got the news, "Yes, and our little ones will know our family...They got many aunts and uncles...Oh, gods, you're even more beautiful like this...", nibbling on her skin, wanting so badly to ravish her, to pleasure her, to hear his beautiful and pregnant mate scream to oblivion in pleasure.
Perla moaned softly, realizing that Beast is getting into the mood, and she chuckled, turning around to look at him, "I want you too, Adam...but I got to get herbs for Leila now before the daylight runs out. When I get back, I'll let you ravish me all you want...", with a smirk.
"You...I can't let you go alone in your condition, Perla!", Beast bit his lip, and Perla stroked his cheek, "Relax, I have been here long enough to know that anyone's not allowed to be alone, Adam, I'll ask Jiminy to accompany me, okay?".
"Are you sure?", Beast asked. "Maybe I should come with you... I mean... there's...", looking anxious. "I'm not worried about the wolves. Right now, they're probably all sleeping. After all, they always seem to come out during the night...", Perla reminded.
Beast exhaled, "I suppose you're right.", and Perla smiled, kissing him on the lips tenderly, "And besides, I can't risk you being seen in the daylight since it's the end of winter, and spring is barely starting to bloom, any hunters of the village would be around to restock their food stores. Carlo and our little ones need their father...And I'm harmless to the villagers as much with Jiminy by my side in retrospect, probably saying that we're nomads of a sort.".
"Hopefully they'll buy it...", Beast said as Perla nodded, "More than likely, we'll not run into anyone. I'll be back soon.".
Beast growled huskily, "I'll hold you to that, my pearl, and after you give the herbs you have to Leila, you're all mine.", kissing her on the neck, and Perla giggles, "No doubt about it, Adam. Now, I really need to get going.", before getting off the bed and swaying her body as she left the room.
Beast took a deep breath and waited. Meanwhile, Perla headed back downstairs and got Jiminy to come with her as they walked outside the main castle doors. "Nice afternoon for once...", Jiminy said as Perla chuckled, "Indeed it is.".
Jiminy smiled, "You know, there's something about you today.", as he adjusted his bow and holster of arrows. He prefers the natural way of hunting, probably due to his past as a cricket, since he has a respect for nature, while Jules prefers the way of using a gun as he likes to be effective, and for Ray, a crossbow, though he could maybe wrestle a bear with his height and strength.
"I'm just happy, you know? After all, the family just got bigger with the twins, and the castle is sure going to be wonderful, even with the spring cleaning soon for the staff.", Perla hummed, as her cape is hiding her pregnancy, and she hadn't heard Adam say anything about announcing the news, so she figures that he would want her to stay careful, and maybe if she's out of the danger zone within her pregnancy by next month or so, they could then announce the news...after all, this is way different than a normal pregnancy.
A chuckle, Jiminy replied, "That's true...I have been hearing rumors by the staff that they are going to clean up the ballroom, hoping that a day of dancing would do just the thing to celebrate the beginning of spring.".
Perla smiled warmly, "Dancing, huh? Wow, we hadn't done that in a long time since...last year...", and Jiminy replied, "One thing for sure, the staff is too loyal to Beast, and they all adore us, and besides, I think Jules and Leila deserves a wonderful day of dancing again without all the drama, and the twins would have their first time of seeing their parents dance.".
"That's actually a convincing way to think of it. I can talk to Beast tonight about that. Hard to believe that I hadn't danced with him, but it sounds like it would be perfect...", Perla nodded, and Jiminy smiled, "Brilliant.", before glancing ahead to the forest, "Which way?".
"Let's go that way.", Perla pointed to the left, and they headed into the forest several minutes later, with Perla searching for the herbs with a sharp eye, heading deeper, and she found them, "Ah, found them!", leaning down between berry bushes to pluck the herbs carefully, with the roots and all.
A sound of an arrow, "Perla, don't move!", Jiminy's voice replied in anxiety, and Perla glanced back at Jiminy in confusion before hearing a low snarl, and looked up, to see a towering bear, and she gasped before seeing teats, and realizing something, and looked around, her eyes widening when she saw them.
"Shit, Jiminy, we're standing between her cubs!", Perla warned hurriedly, and Jiminy gasped, looking back, to see two bear cubs plucking at the berry bushes, whimpering, and looked back to see the mother bear snarling as she's about to charge, "Move, run, Perla!".
Perla froze with fear until Jiminy shouted for her to run once more before her feet finally started to move. Hopefully all that she would need to do is to just get enough distance away from the cubs that the mama would then leave her be. After all, the bear clearly was only protecting her young and would, more than likely, return to them when the supposed threat passed.
Jiminy exhaled in relief for a second to see Perla running as the mama bear snarled, charging at him, and he ran, knowing that his arrows can't kill a bear up close, and he wouldn't even leave those cubs to the world if he killed their mama like that, so it's best for him to find a tree that she can't climb with her weight, though he might have to wait a bit for the bears to leave the clearing.
Perla panted heavily after some minutes, listening for any sound of the mama bear or Jiminy, stopping to take a breather, murmuring softly to her baby bump as she stroked it, "It's okay, little ones, looks like the mamas of the world are out today...Well, let's see if we can find the way out to the grounds...After all, we can reunite with Jiminy there.".
She looked around, and sighed, "Oh, boy, the forest looks different without the snow...or even the mostly leafless trees in the autumn...Okay, the sun is going down, so it must be that way...so, the castle is there then...I think...", frowning, "Okay, just follow the light...", before her ears caught a faint voice, a familiar voice, "Mama!".
Freezing at once, Perla blinked in both confusion and concern, knowing that she had seen Carlo at least an hour ago, and that he was playing with Chip...Did he slip away under Ray's watch?
"C-Carlo?", Perla whispered before she spoke up. "Carlo! Sweetie... are you out here?!", she shouted as she started to head towards the direction of wherever she was hearing Carlo's voice. Something was very wrong.
Carlo's voice called out, "Mama! A scary cat scratched me! It hurts!", and Perla shouted, "Hold on, Carlo, I'm coming!", thinking that it must have been a lynx, starting to sprint a bit faster.
Perla sprinted on for five minutes before she saw Carlo standing with an injured arm, "Carlo!", and suddenly, Carlo looked at her with black eyes, and then became mist, vanishing away.
She froze, widening her eyes in horror and confusion, "What's going on?!", before she saw someone come from the shadows, revealing a rich brown skinned man, with black hair, purple eyes, dressed in a black, purple, and dark cream outfit, having a black staff with a purple orb, striking the ground, and a purple shield came over both of them.
Perla frantically turned around to get out, but the shield stopped her hands, and she gasped in horror, "Who are you?! Are you the one who cursed Adam?!", turning around, standing up despite being scared.
"I'm Facilier, at your service. And no, I am not the one who cursed your pathetic beast, though I would have done it better by changing those servants into more beasts than enchanted objects...More prizes, at least...So, you're the one who is breaking the curse...and of course, carrying the spawn of the beast.", the shadow man introduced himself.
Perla certainly got upset hearing him calling her children spawn like they were monsters. She took a step back as she gritted her teeth at him, "Stay back... I'm warning you... you'd be smart to just leave while you have the chance.".
Facilier raised an eyebrow, "Hmm, looks like the Beast is rubbing off on you. Hmm, now that's an idea.", before flicking his staff, and Perla felt stiff, unable to move, her eyes flickering in horror to see the purple aura on her.
"And of course, a copy... Good thing I got just the perfect object.", Facilier hummed as his top hat twirled off his head, and a doll, a doll that is suddenly growing in size, color, and more, becoming a copy of Perla right to the very last strand of hair, having a baby bump, becoming a literal breathing woman.
Facilier laughed as Perla widened her eyes in even more horror, "Knew making voodoo dolls paid off! Now, let's make you a beast, since your Beast clearly infected you.", as he nodded to the copy-Perla, who walked like she was lost, holding a swath of herbs, and then a trap, an old trap from one of the hunters years ago before the curse, sprung from a spot near a rock, catching the leg of the copy-Perla, but blood or emotions didn't come as copy-Perla didn't react yet.
"Now, let's make you feel what your beloved Beast felt all those years ago.", Facilier grinned before his purple orb shone out, and Perla screamed into pain as her legs, arms, everything changed, with her white magic diving to protect her babies, enveloping them in love and determination as tears flew everywhere.
Perla screamed, "Adam!", thinking that she's going to die, losing her babies, never seeing her family, her son, and her beloved Beast, her Adam, never getting the chance to tell him that she loves him.
Facilier watched with glee as Perla was forced into a unique beast of his creation, thanks to his dark magic, becoming part lioness, part bear, part alligator, part frog, and part horse.
Perla was terrified of what she had become... in a way... though actually more of rage was now filling in her. This was the second time now she had been cursed into being something she wasn't before. First from a puppet boy to a young woman, now from a young woman to an amalgamation beast similar to her cursed mate. If she could just break free of the magic, she'd tear this dark wizard into nothing but scraps for the wolves.
Facilier dropped the purple aura down as soon as he sees that Perla was completely transformed, and Perla panted heavily, tears falling down on her face and snout, and her claws clenched from the aching pain and such through her new body, and she looked up at Facilier, and roared as she charged at him, "You bastard!", thinking that the whole complete force of her body changing has brought pain to her babies, maybe losing their lives.
Facilier was quick, and blasted his purple orb at her, zapping her into a disappearance as she screamed in pain again from the dark magic, as he sent her far away from here, where she would find herself in the wilder, and more dangerous part of the mountains while copying her past memories of her fear and suffering.
He glanced at Copy-Perla with a grin, "Now, let's see the Beast suffer.", zapping the memories of the real Perla at the copy, nothing about Facilier or the newfound curse, but the pain, fear, horror, and such of the memories as the shield came up, with the Copy-Perla finally having blood, attracting a few stray wolves in the distance.
Facilier faded away into the shadows as Copy-Perla screamed into the air, scrambling like she was searching for anything to break open the trap on her leg, executing Facilier's plan very well, as the illusion was set, now, it's time to hook the Beast.
Facilier only had one goal... to break the Beast. His end goal was to have the ferocious monster as a loyal pet, necessary to the future plans of his. Of what? Even he was unaware at the moment, wherever his friends on the other side would take him. And he was making the most out of the Enchantress's curse of things, though Perla clearly was putting a snag on things for the moment but that should change fairly quickly.
Jiminy was beyond worried when he didn't see Perla in the agreed spot to come back together and blaming himself for not going with Perla her way, or that she had any vague idea of where the castle is since the forest is clearly changing with spring everywhere blooming and was halfway across the grounds when he saw Beast at his balcony.