CHAPTER 8: BEGINNINGS

Seasons shifted, and so did the offspring in Nidoqueentwo's belly beneath Briar's probing, the armored flesh shivering under her touch. Briar, the female and her mate noted, appeared weary to the bone, even a little pale, as if sickening. Over the past several weeks as she had gone about her tasks, assuring herself that the clone's pregnancy was progression well, the others had speculated on her unlikely decline. In truth, it made no sense for their human companion to be growing ill—the chill of winter was fading, food and water plentiful again, the sun peeking from behind the clouds…and Mewtwo would hardly allow her to sickened if her could do anything to prevent it.

It was not as if the clone was wearying his partner out…the others were aware of the number of times Briar and their alpha came together, the amount being few and far between. It wasn't that they didn't crave one another…their mating was quite affectionate and passionate…but they had little opportunities to be so indulgent in their bond. They had a duty to perform for the others, and it reduces their courtship and evidence of their relationship to a few moments of lingering gazes, to an occasional gentle touch or warm word. Even once in a while, the others stumbled upon them in more intimate moments…an embrace, a caress, a full kiss exchanged. Yet again, this was not common—they were not acting as new lovers would, thinking of nothing but their newfound joy…they held back from such displays of adoration, keeping the others in mind before their own wants and dreams.

And the bothered the pack to no end…for while they could respect and even admire them for their strength and thoughtfulness, this was not how it should be. They, after all, were not children…the two should not have to devote all of themselves to them as a couple of parents would. No…they should have something for themselves. Their acts deep within the hot springs did not change their views on the matter—the issue needed to be rectified….

And that justification for departing stirred among their thoughts of discontent…but it was a weak force, for now, easily ignored.

But Briar's current state could not be do easily dismissed. Worry suffused the clone: what was happening to her? Mewtwo's concern was evident each time he gazed upon his dear one…and when she finally reached a point where the illness was too much to bear, he followed her as she fled out onto the island shores and fell to her knees, throwing up her recently consumed breakfast. He knelt down besides her, wrapping her form in his arms…she was sweaty, cold, trembling, breathing hard. Nausea was an undeniable force gripping her…finally, she murmured, "I…Mewtwo, I need to go…please, take me to the bus station at the base of the mountain…there's a researcher there, a media…she can help me understand what's happening to me."

He didn't not like that idea…but for her, he would take the risk. That night he bundled her in warm cloaks and flew her to the cabin…and watched from the trees as she knocked on the door and was welcoming into the building. Then, with reluctance, he returned to the pact, fretting over leaving her there all the while….

Briar herself received no scrutiny from the woman. Only a soft bed, a mug of cocoa, and some sorely missed human food. Her body was too starved to resist the sustenance now…but she did gag once or twice. Luna, the woman who ran the station, expressed her concern, but gave the woman what she needed on her stay to discover the identity of the health condition gripping her body.

After a few days had passed, she called for Mewtwo to bring her back home, trusting he would hear her thoughts. He did…and she was all too happy to return with him. She had felt like an alien in that house…she had changed now, become something feral and inhuman in her time spent away from civilization. That was fine…as long as she was welcome somewhere, she was content….

As Mewtwo set her down on the plateau, the moon glowing onto them, he contemplated her in full…and with insight gleaned from her mind, aura, and body, he murmured the astonishing truth of the situation back to her. "You're pregnant?"

Briar nodded, touching her navel with a word…there was no doubt that it was his. A child between them was improbably, even miraculous…and she considered it a blessing, even with her quiet fears. She had never thought of herself in terms of being a mother, not had Mewtwo of being a father. Yet now they had made precious new life between them…that was what they would be to the babe growing in her womb.

Mewtwo pressed his hands to her belly…he could feel the energy of the little being moving inside of his lover. What that made him feel could not go into coherent words…but he drew his Briar close, sighing into her hair. Come whatever may, he would be beside her, and the creature she would bring into the world…that was the vow he's made in taking her as his mate, and one he would not take back.

"Are you afraid, Briar?"

She buried her face into his neck. "Of course. But that doesn't mean I'm not happy, too."

The feeling, he conveyed, was mutual.

Weeks later, Mewtwo stood on the ledge which overlooked the healing spring, watching Briar play with Vaporeontwo and Squirtletwo in the shallows. Every once in awhile her hand resting on her stomach, which faintly seemed rounded beneath her cloak. Perhaps he was merely imagining such a thing, after all, it was still quite early in her pregnancy. Still, she was quite conscious about her state…as were the others, careful not to be too rough with her. Not that she and Mewtwo had told the others that they were expecting, but it was hardly something they could keep a secret for long—and on an island, news travelled quickly.

Pikatwo and Meowthtwo came to sit at his feet, watching the females with interest. Upon spying how their alpha's gaze lingered in the human, Pikatwo commented quietly, "Soon enough, you're going to have far more important things to worry about than us, my friend."

Mewtwo closed his eyes. "Yes, I shall. However, you all will never escape my concerns…you need not worry about that."

"That wasn't what I meant. Mewtwo, we…this arrangement isn't fair to you or to Briar. You should be thinking only about your…your baby, not us."

It was the first time a fellow clone had brought up the fact that he'd impregnated Briar before…his tail lashed, eyes growing glazed and unfocused. He watched Briar then…watched her smile, laugh, play…he did not wish to ever lose her, and his friend's point was valid. However, essentially, all the other clones were his children, if only due to the fact that he'd been responsible for their making. As such, he doubted he could ever turn his eyes fully from them.

So he changed the subject, his voice low as he spoke of his mate. "Tell me…does Briar seem happy to you?"

They looked. "Well yes, but—"

"As long as she is happy, there need be no changes to the lifestyle we possess. Unless the outer world intervened…we should be more than content with this paradise and the blessings we have been given. In time, things may change…but for now, we should enjoy the present. A peace like what we possess now can only last so long before it is broken by fate…."

But it would last a bit longer before it reached that breaking point.

In Briar's sixth month of pregnancy, Nidoqueentwo at last gave birth. The two females isolated themselves in a cavern with plenty of bedding and boiled water, and covered the entryway with cloth, refusing to let any of the others, even Rhyhorntwo in to witness the spectacle of birth. As the hours passed, the group waiting anxiously for new, Mewtwo tried to assure the fretting father that things were going well—there was no panic, only steady determination, some pain and discomfort, and mostly an unwavering calm as the process took place. However, he couldn't help but feel sympathy for the other male…after all, in a few months, he would be enduring the same wait. To himself, he made a vow not to allow himself to be separated from Briar as she brought their child into the world, no matter her preferences. Yet still, it was an eerie feeling, the déjà vu in reverse. He shrugged it off silently however, not allowing it to worm its way too far under his flesh….

Finally, after half a night of waiting, Briar emerged from the den, going straight to Rhyhorntwo. In a soothing voice meant to carry, she stated that the birthing had gone well, with mother and children currently resting. The father was to join his mate, for this was essential bonding time for the new family, so the others would have to wait a little while before being introduced to the offspring. As the clones filed their own ways, Briar drew her mate into the den…they had been requested to join the new parents for a time.

Upon entering, Mewtwo spied Nidoqueentwo sprawled out on her side in exhaustion, her mate nuzzling at her face affectionately, both their gazes warm and focused around the little ones she'd curled herself around. The alpha did a quick count: five Rhyhorn and four…Nidoqueen? Not Nidoran? It was a curiosity he chose not to comment upon…but the concepts it suggested concerning his fellow clones' reproductive systems, even his own, disturbed him. Would their children, even born naturally, still be cursed with a lack of normalcy? No…he would not think of it in such a way. They had merely come out unique, as all creature do when they are born…and no matter their forms, they were still babies. And as he had with their parents, he would guard them from harm.

The warmth their expressions held struck him deeply then…and as Briar's hand slipped into his, he gazed at her, noticing the slight apprehension on her face as she touched her belly.

He kissed her cheek. It would be alright.

"To think," she whispered, "that I'll have to go through the same thing in a few months."

She said it slightly wryly, as if in humor, but Mewtwo could tell the thought made her nervous.

"Don't worry…I promise you, I will be beside you as you give birth. You will do well. I am certain of that."

She smiled, believing his words as he did.

But in the end, when that time finally came…he would not be able to keep his word to his mate. For fate would intervene, as it always did…for nothing, no matter how wonderful, last forever.