Delivery

Krystal looked around the shop with mixed feelings. While excited about the items for sale-everything from linen and kitchenware to nicknacks and paintings-she was quite mindful of peoples' reaction to her. Fox, right by her side as usual, could sneak under the radar by wearing his aviators, a baseball cap and an old padded jacket. She didn't have that luxury, but neither did she want to dye her unique fur a different colour.

She had spent most of the past few months holed up in Fox's apartment, not venturing out into Corneria City much, because she often ended up the centre of attention for two different reasons, and she didn't know which was worse. Many still held a grudge against her, while others had started seeing her as a hero, practically worshipping her, just as they had Fox. They could be nearly as persistent and annoying.

Therefore, it was nice to escape the city, and luckily the little store was practically empty. She found a pile of towels with intricate prints, picked up one featuring maple leaves and a setting red sun, squeezing the soft material in her paws.

"Nesting, are you?" said Fox, peering over her shoulder with a smirk on his muzzle. A quick jab by her elbow in his stomach resulted in a muted grunt, but then he just sniggered anyway.

Krystal was just about to poke her nose in the fabric to feel it properly, when a voice said, "May I help you?"

A middle aged and somewhat stout Shiba Inu appeared by their side, eyes growing large behind the wire-rimmed glasses adorning her face, when she recognised Krystal. The shopkeeper's gaze shifted downwards. Luckily, peoples' attitude tended to soften when they saw the bump on Krystal's belly.

The McClouds are having a family? Surely, there are lots of things they need, thought the spitz, her curly tail wagging behind her, completely unaware that the telepath was scanning her. "We also have luxurious dressing robes with the same design, and porcelain dinner sets and..." She pointed to goods with ever increasing price tags. Yes, that was the third type of reaction-the notion that fame equaled money to spend.

Why can't people just pretend I'm an ordinary person? Krystal thought, letting a silent sigh out through her lips.

The shopkeeper suddenly stopped talking, as if she had lost her train of thought. I bet they're tired of being treated differently.

A shiver ran up Krystal's spine. She had discovered a couple of years ago that she was capable of more than just reading thoughts. If she was careful enough, she could let her thoughts mingle with those of others, and even make them feel a sensation or two like heat or cold. But she was surprised at how quickly and easily she had guided the woman's mind, just by unconsciously asking a leading question. She wondered if powerful Cerinians, like Kamuy, were in fact capable of mind control. The idea frightened her.

"It's a traditional design from Yamaria," said the shopkeeper, referring to the local area. She held up the towel for Krystal to see better.

"It's lovely," said Krystal with a smile, receiving a feedback of the dog's good mood over the telepathic link. "I'll have a set, please."

The Shiba made some smalltalk about local arts, while they completed the transaction. Fox took the bag and held the door for Krystal as they exited the little shop. She rolled her eyes at him, yet was grateful since she was carrying some extra weight already, a weight that had decided it was playtime and kicked her in various internal organs. Six months had passed already, so she only had one trimester of the pregnancy to go.

"Dinner should be ready." Fox disappeared into a noodle bar. While waiting, she took the opportunity to look around. The town centre consisted mainly of older buildings-some a little worn, while most were carefully renovated-mixed with some newer constructions, replacing the few structures that had been destroyed in the wars. Rows of maples and elaborately carved wooden archways lined the town square, which had a fountain in the middle, its water running over large stones and between miniature trees.

It was so different from the concrete and steel giants of Corneria City with their climate control and automated glass doors. Krystal thought the town was pretty, quaint, and with a beautiful backdrop of snow-capped mountains. Still, it took Fox less than an hour to get to work at the Academy via the sky-rail. They had searched for a new home for a long time, but the wait had paid off.

Fox returned, holding two bags in one hand, while gesturing over it with the other. "Now, where's that car?"

He fiddled with the controls, obviously not friends with his new civilian communicator, designed like an old school watch but full of modern tech. While he drew a blank, Krystal spotted the right menu options and poked a finger into the hologram.

Within a minute, a sleek but deceptively large family wagon emerged from a laneway a short distance down the street, where the vehicle's automated parking function had found a spot. It pulled up to the curb and stopped right in front of them, Fox holding the door again and Krystal stepped inside, grateful for the slightly raised seating position.

"Drive home," said Fox as he hopped into the driver's seat, leaving the car on auto-drive.

In less than ten minutes, the car turned into their street, a benefit of living on the outskirts of a small town of only fifty-thousand people. Set in a white stone wall somewhat overgrown with ivy, a pair of wrought iron gates swung open. The security cameras and motion sensors were cleverly hidden, but she knew they were there, and they needed them. As former mercenaries, they had many enemies. The vehicle rolled onto the gravel path leading to a garage attached to an older style double-story house, which sported a curved tiled roof, and white walls with dark timber corners and window trim. It was unassuming but large enough. Krystal took a deep breath as she stepped out of the car. The cool spring air and delightful scent of cherry blossoms filled her nostrils, the rays of the setting sun filtering through the tree branches.

The interior had been tastefully renovated, keeping the character of the house with exposed beams and wood trim, while adding some modern amenities. Krystal removed her shoes, partly so she wouldn't have to listen to the footfalls on timber floors echoing throughout the mostly empty rooms as they walked to the kitchen. A moving company had delivered the furniture from Fox's city apartment, as well as some new purchases, but it was far from enough to fill a house. Boxes in various sizes were scattered throughout the ground floor, waiting to be unpacked.

Fox put the bags down on the granite kitchen bench and started dishing out the takeaway food, while they parked their rumps on a barstool each.

"Where's the sushi?" she asked. He promptly passed her a container, while tucking into a bowl of ramen himself. Expecting a child came with side effects, and lately Krystal's cravings had been for salmon. She picked up a piece of the tender and sweet flesh stuck to balls of brown rice, and dipped it in a mix of soy sauce and wasabi, before popping the morsel into her mouth. Wanting to savour the flavours, she found that she had added too much of the green pepper root. It went straight to her nose, and Fox chuckled softly at her grimace.

She wolfed down the rest of the sushi and helped herself to some chicken curry katsu. They ate in silence-a comfortable silence, content with each others' company-but she soon filled up. The growing kit took up a lot of room, so while she was literally eating for two, she had to eat little and often.

After dinner, she moved to the spacious living room and looked out the large bay window, enjoying the view of the fields beyond the neighbouring houses, before flopping down in Fox's worn but comfy couch. Fox made a beeline for the open fireplace, fitted with a new automatic fire-lighting system. Soon, the flames were licking a couple of sturdy logs, spreading their warmth throughout the room. Smug about his work, although he had merely touched a couple of buttons, Fox sat down beside her. Krystal put her tired feet in his lap, and while they watched an old movie, she enjoyed a lovely massage, Fox's strong paws working their magic on his wife.

The movie was a romantic action comedy of sorts, with just enough twists to keep them both interested, but Krystal stretched and yawned as soon as it had finished.

"Do you want to shower first?" said Fox and looked at her with bags under his own eyes.

"Nah, I think I'll just have a good brush," she replied. Moving homes was tiring at best, even more so when expecting.

The upstairs master bedroom had a large ensuite. Krystal sat down on an ottoman next to the bathtub, meticulously working through her pelt, while gazing at the night sky outside, the moons and stars visible through the one-way window. She also stole glances off her own Star Fox, as he undressed and stepped into the shower. She knew he knew she was watching, but luckily he was no longer as shy as he used to be.

While she didn't moult twice a year like him, she still shed some, and soon the brush was full of white and azure hair. Fox finished his shower and turned on the fur drier. Krystal moved out into the bedroom to escape the noise. An aluminium crate had been dumped in a corner, awaiting a more permanent home. She sat down and fingered the locks, wanting to open it but hesitating. She had seen it stoved away in the walk-in robe of Fox's apartment, and assumed it was special to him.

Fox joined her, kissing her neck and wrapping his arms around her, his paws brushing her bosom, which were beginning to fill out. Intimate encounters had been few and far between lately. Pregnancy came with complications and exhaustion. She was content with just leaning back into his strong chest, letting the embrace warm her. His paws found her round belly, as they always did.

"Don't wake the kit up. It was practising martial arts before," she whispered, a smirk on her muzzle as she looked over her shoulder at Fox. "Boisterous just like its father."

"You wouldn't want it any other way." He kissed her neck, followed by a teasing nibble. "Go on and open the chest."

He didn't have to ask twice. With eager paws she undid the clasps and opened the lid. On top lay a folder containing a stack of papers, letters in a sprawled handwriting, each signed James.

"They're my most precious childhood memories." Fox sighed, the corners of his eyes getting moist.

Krystal removed more artefacts from the box, and Fox explained as they went along. There were his first drawings, including a rather wonky Great Fox, model spacecraft-a Cornerian Bottlenose fighter of the type James had to learnt to fly in, and the first generation Arwing used by the original Star Fox team-and to Krystal's surprise a blue fox plushie that looked decidedly girly.

"Aurora Lightning," said Fox and blushed brightly. "It's a character from a kids show I was glued to. Mum didn't want me to just play with boys' toys."

"See, it's destiny," Krystal teased and rubbed the plushie in Fox's nose so that he sneezed. "Careful with her, Foxy!"

He reached around Krystal and pulled out a framed photograph of a red fox in a white dress holding a little kit in her arms. She had seen copies of the picture of Vixy and baby Fox before, but this was the original. A spectrum of emotions from Fox washed over Krystal's mind: love, grief, happiness, longing for the mother who was taken from him much too soon. Krystal found a small velvet pouch containing a necklace. A stylised fox head was delicately carved into a jade pendant attached to a gold chain.

"It was mum's." A smile crept back on his muzzle. "It's from Papetoon and had been in her family for many generations, passed down to the eldest child."

Krystal turned it over... and froze. She sensed his surprise as well, and her hand instinctively went to her thigh. Fox's hand was already there. The symbol carved into the back of the pendant looked exactly like the tattoos on her legs, only surrounded by six triangles instead of four.

"Don't you think it's odd that two people from different systems can conceive, when people of separate species in the same system can't?" She turned around and met the gaze of Fox, whose maw hung wide open. Playfully she put a finger under his chin and pushed his mouth shut, before continuing in a more serious tone, "There were foxes, dogs, large cats and many other Lylat species on Kew. We both saw them. Yet there are no records of Lylat ever having traded with the Quango system. Isn't that strange?"

"There are legends about the Cornerians coming from somewhere else, while the Venom people were already here." Fox swallowed. "But no evidence was ever found."

"Maybe no-one looked in the right places." Krystal gently closed her paw around the pendant as the consequences began to sink in. "The symbol, the Krazoa, the wormhole or however I got to Sauria... Maybe there's a link to Cerinia after all."

The sun rose over the horizon, spreading its light over the surrounding jungle. The rays hit the ornaments in the open temple, playing tag with the shadows as they bounced off gilded surfaces. The scene was strangely distant to Krystal, who received it in pieces: sleek spaceships gleaming in the sunrise outside, vines creeping up granite pillars stretching towards the temple's high ceiling, a circle of foxes dressed in loincloths, their faces diffuse, while the gemstones in their staffs glistened. Yet she felt present and lucid. The cool morning air chilled through the thin Cerinian pelt on her back, while heat from a fire in a large copper basin warmed her face.

Two foxes lay prone on a stone table each. A female with light azure coat whimpered with eyes closed, while a stocky male with a deep blue pelt stared straight ahead, not uttering a word, but his fingers shook as they cramped around the edge of the stone. Two older women dressed in togas worked on the younger foxes' backs with large bone needles. While having no recollection of where she had learnt it, Krystal knew that this was the traditional way of making tattoos, permanently removing pigment from the follicles, so that the fur would regrow white.

A red vixen rose from her work and Krystal recognised her face. It was Kayuq, but she looked younger, and that's how Krystal realised she was dreaming.

"Nagare and Seiru," said a female voice, measured yet commanding.

The two foxes rose from the stone tables, were handed their staffs, and walked up to face a group of more formally dressed Cerinians. Krystal recognised Kamuy in the panel, but was not alarmed. It somehow felt natural that she would be there. In front stood a proud blue vixen, a generation older than the others. Every square inch of her robes were decorated with elaborate symbols. A silver tiara with one large and two smaller gems adorned her forehead, prongs on the headpiece rising through the woman's silver-blue hair like a crown. Her face was somewhat drawn and wrinkles surrounded her eyes, but the flames from the fire pit reflected in her alert turquoise irises. Somehow, Krystal knew she was important, a leader definitely.

After scrutinising the pair in front of her, she made a slight gesture with a hand, and they obediently turned around to show the freshly branded tattoos-shaped like two squares with one side missing-just above the base of their fluffy tails.

"I hereby proclaim you Protectors of Cerinia," said the leader, raising her staff slightly and letting it fall again. Instead of causing a quake when its base hit the ground, its blue gemstone flashed brightly and a booming sound echoed throughout the temple.

It was barely perceptible, but the old vixen's expression changed ever so slightly, and her was a hint of affection in her eyes as she met Krystal's gaze. A smile seemed to tug at the corners of her mouth as she spoke, "It is your turn, Krystal."

Krystal took her place atop one of the tables, trying not to gasp from the touch of the cold marble. Gentle fingers spread the fur on the small of her back, just above her loincloth. An intense pain seared through her spine as the bone needle pierced skin.

She yelped and sat up straight. Eyes accustomed to the darkness, she took in the sights of the bedroom: the still bare walls, a dresser with photographs on top, and Fox's treasure chest.

He stirred next to her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah... I'm fine." She pulled the duvet over her chest, still shivering from the imaginary sensation of the cold stone.

"A bad dream?"

"No... it was very specific, but not whacky like dreams often are," she said. "I think it was a memory."

"The burnt village and the old wolf in the clearing again?"

"Not this time. It was a ceremony, a ritual, when I got my tattoo, the one on my back. It means..." She bit her lip, feeling very uneasy. "I'm a Protector, just like Kamuy."

"I've told you before." Fox put a strong arm around her and she laid back, letting herself be wrapped up in his embrace. "You're not like her. You may be a defender, even a warrior, but she was a delusional leader."

She looked at him. Even in the darkness, her keen vulpine vision could see his face clearly. His eyes glowed in the moonlight. There was not a shadow of a doubt in them.

"But how can you be so sure?" she protested. "I need to know, I... I need to go to Papetoon."

His eyes widened, fear briefly flickering in his face. "But you've spent the whole week in front of the computer, ever since you saw the amulet."

"But I haven't found anything in the Cornet archives." Frustrated, the words came out in a firmer tone than she had meant them to. "I need to have a look at the old ruins. The historians didn't know what I know. They weren't looking for the same things. I need to see for myself."

"Please, Krystal. It's too dangerous," Fox pleaded. The alarm in his voice was tangible. "Remember..."

She huffed and rolled on her side, tears threatening to well up, as she tried to push away a particularly painful memory. Foxed moved closer and ignored her squirms as he pulled her into a tight hug.

"Let's go later, when our kit is old enough to travel," he cooed as he rubbed her belly. "I promise."

She pressed herself closer, letting him spoon her. He gently licked under her muzzle. In return, she reached up, petted behind his ear and whispered, "I love you, Foxy."

Lightning illuminated the living room with its stark white light. Fox counted to thirty before he heard a deep rumble. Ten kilometres away, meaning the thunder was approaching, rolling up from the warm seas towards the mountains as it often did in the hot months.

"These sweet chilli roasted cockroaches are delicious." Slippy, unfazed by the summer storm, offered the bag to Fox. "Wanna try?"

"Eh... no thanks." Fox took a sip from his alcohol-free beer, which probably only tasted marginally better, before continuing, "Too spicy for me."

Slippy didn't pick up on the lie. Fox eyes were drawn to another spectacular flash over the plains in the distance.

"You've got a good view from here," said the toad and followed Fox's gaze out the large bay window. "Have you ever seen the permanent storms around the equator on Aquas? They're visible from Amanda's family home. It's an amazing sight."

"How come your family's not with you?" Krystal asked, leaning back in an armchair, which was strategically placed right under the ceiling fan to cool her down in the warm summer night. "I thought you usually only spent the Corneria City winter months on Aquas."

"Well, Gemma will start kinder soon." Slippy emphasised his eldest daughter's name, knowing it would flatter Krystal, who inspired it. "So we're planning to move there permanently. Amanda is looking for work in a local hospital, preferably near her parents, and Fara will let me work remotely. I'll only need to come to Corneria for a few weeks every quarter for special projects."

"Ah, that's good," said Krystal.

"Thanks again for inviting me here." Slippy popped some more snacks in his mouth. "It beats sitting alone in the city."

"No, thank you! You brought the pizzas." Krystal tried to pull herself and her large belly out of the armchair.

Fox practically jumped to his feet. "I'll get it, whatever you need."

"Thanks, love, it'd be great if you went to the bathroom for me." Krystal huffed as she managed to stand up, yet smirking at Fox. "Nah, I thought so."

Maybe we shouldn't have invited him, thought Fox watching Krystal waddle out of the living room. It's getting late.

You worry too much, Krystal replied in his mind. Besides, I'm not due until next week.

"Ah, yes, all the strange things pregnancy does to a woman's body," said Slippy with a mouthful of toasted bugs, "including the bladder. I should know. We have four children after all."

Does he ever shut up? Krystal disappeared from view, but kept the link open.

You know he doesn't, Fox replied and sat down on the couch again.

"Kids are a worry." Slippy's hearty laugh contradicted his statement. "Bella was chasing a blow-fly around the house, but didn't look where she was going, and tumbled down the stairs like a bouncy ball. She knocked herself out, but in the end only sprained two toes."

You're not helping, Slippy, thought Fox. He wondered if amphibians had an especially sturdy build, considering the number of times Slippy had fallen in and out of his Arwing and whatnot without hurting himself seriously.

Fox! It wasn't quite like Krystal to reach out like that, and something about her feelings over the mind link put him on edge. Just stay calm, but can you come to the bathroom... now.

"Eh..." Fox jumped out of the couch, startling Slippy. "I forgot the laundry."

"When did you do laundry?" Slippy paused with his hand in the bag of snacks, looking at Fox like he didn't buy the lie.

"Um... earlier... I just need to throw the clothes in the dryer," said Fox and tried not to run out of the living room. What's wrong?

The contractions started a while ago. I didn't want to alarm you and thought it could wait until Slippy left... but now...

Pain briefly hit his mind before she withdrew the link. When he opened the bathroom door, he found her grunting and leaning on the wash basin with one hand, while holding her stomach with the other. His gaze followed a wet stain on her dress down to a small pool of liquid on the floor.

"Oh, the waters broke. How exciting!" Slippy poked his head around Fox, wearing a head-splitting smile. "Don't worry, you have an expert at hand. I've been through this four times."

Fox and Krystal looked at each other in disbelief. You know what to do, she reminded him.

"I'll get the bag." Fox rushed back to the living room but stopped in his tracks. They had everything prepared, a bag packed with clothes and things Krystal would need for a couple of days' stay at the local hospital, which had been informed about the baby's due date. Still Fox panicked and drew a blank, before recalling the obvious location. He ran up the steps to the master bedroom on the second floor, grabbed the bag from the walk-in robe, and rushed downstairs. Frantically searching the kitchen and living room for his communicator, he remembered that it was on his bedside table, and ran upstairs again, three steps at time. After a quick message to the hospital, he hurried to the garage, only to turn around and retrieve the car keys from the kitchen bench.

Slippy had kindly helped Krystal to the car.

"I'll drive," he said after one look at the worked up Fox, snatching the fob out of Fox's hand.

"But I'm completely sober."

"Look, it's natural to be stressed in a situation like this." Slippy ignored Fox's protest. "You're in my safe hands, so you just look after your wife."

A feeling of Krystal's amusement tickled Fox's mind, as he helped her into the front seat, making sure the seat belt sat neatly around her stomach, before hopping in the back himself.

"Yamaria Family Hospital," he commanded the navigation system, while leaning forwards between the front seats. It found the address immediately, while Slippy eased the car out of the garage. As soon as the gates had opened enough, he hit the gas and Fox was slung into the backrest.

"You know, it is a self-driving car," said Fox with a grunt and buckled up his own seat belt tightly.

"You need to get to the hospital fast but smoothly. The autopilot isn't programmed for that," said Slippy with confidence and right on cue hit a large pothole, causing Krystal to yelp.

I hope he doesn't drive like he flies, thought Krystal to Fox, but they both soon found out that he did: surprisingly fast, but more on the wrong side of the road than on the right. Fox tried to distract himself by looking at the electrical storm that was about to descend upon them. A spectacular flash arced over the town, lighting up the buildings around them, and the shockwave shook the car mere seconds later.

"Cars are actually the safest place to be in during a thunderstorm, but it's not cos of the air filled rubber tires, as many people believe," said Slippy and honked at another driver, who was happened to get in the way when Slippy ran a red light. "It's because the metal body acts as a lightning rod, unless it's a carbon fibre car of course. Actually... what's this one?"

Again, you're not helping, thought Fox.

Luckily, the drive to the hospital was not long. The car briefly mounted a curb when Slippy raced into the parking lot, before coming to a screeching halt right in front of the main entrance. Rain belted down as they got out of the car, and Fox threw his jacket over Krystal's head and shoulders. She leaned heavily on him as he helped her inside, while Slippy brought up the rear with the bag. To Fox's relief, a midwife was already waiting for them.

"This is useless." Krystal tossed the mask with laughing gas beside her on the bed in the birth suit.

"I can give you some pethidine," offered the midwife. Apart from her curves, the middle-aged bulldog reminded Fox of his old friend Bill Grey.

Krystal just shook her head and leaned forwards, grunting as another contraction hit.

"She's had a bad reaction to it before," said Fox, recalling a particularly painful memory, an incident before the Anglar Blitz. The pain killers had messed with her Cerinian mind that time.

"What about... epidural?" Krystal asked in between panting, looking quite miserable where she sat on the edge of the bed changed into a simple hospital gown.

"I'll call an anaesthetist." The midwife swiftly tapped a message on her communicator, before returning her attention to Krystal.

Fox had never felt so useless. All he could do was wait and let nature have its course, doing whatever he could to comfort his wife, which wasn't much. The contractions ebbed and flowed every few minutes, and she buried his face in his chest, letting him pet her while she trembled in pain. Her mind had been unusually quiet since they had arrived at the hospital. He suspected that she couldn't hold back the pain if she opened the mind link, still caring for him despite her own misery.

Finally, their obstetrician arrived with the anaesthetist in tow, who set to work right away. With a syringe ready in one hand, the racoon felt along Krystal's spine with the sensitive fingers of his other hand. Krystal whimpered and wrapped her arms tightly around Fox, as he contractions kept coming ever closer together. The anaesthetist waited while Krystal squirmed, then continued his search for the right spot again, deep furrows on his brow.

"I'm sorry." He shook his head. "You're moving too much. I can't risk damaging the spine."

Krystal mumbled something muffled about "trying" into Fox's chest, who asked, "I thought you had a motion tracking robot for injections?"

"We do..." the anaesthetist sighed. "It was on charge when there was a massive power surge a couple of hours ago. I'm told lightning struck a transformer station nearby." Fox remembered the immense flash on their way to the hospital. "The robot won't boot up since."

They should put Slippy on it, thought Fox. He can fix anything.

"Is it meant to... hurt... this much?" Krystal grunted in agony and squeezed Fox harder.

"I'm afraid it's very individual," said the obstetrician, a tall and lanky greyhound who was always attentive to the McCloud's concerns. "You do have a sizeable kit in you, and your body is taking its time to get ready." He consulted his data pad hooked up to sensors around Krystal's waist. "But so far the baby is doing just fine. The vital signs are great."

"It might be painful now, but it'll be worth it," the midwife cooed and helped Krystal to lie down on the bed. "Trust me, I have four pups."

Fox knelt beside the bed and took his wife's hand gently. "You can do it, Krystal," he said in his most comforting voice. "Billions of women have done this before."

"What do you know?" she growled at him, and he immediately realised it was the completely wrong thing to say. She stared him down, with cold hard eyes and a snarl on her muzzle, a face he'd seen once before; on Kursed, just before she had beaten the proverbial out of him.

You did this to me you bastard!

This time she opened the mind link without holding back, letting him feel... everything.

Invisible knives stabbed his abdomen and he had to hold on to the side of the bed not to crumble onto the floor. He imagined hearing the bones cracking in his other paw, stuck in the iron grip of her bionic hand. A severe case of constipation didn't even begin to compare with this pain.

After a minute, it eased off, letting him catch his breath, but not for long. All too soon, the contractions returned in force. Like the swells from a storm, the waves of agony washed over him, relentlessly with ever increasing intensity.

His vision was blurry, the voices around him muffled. Panting and moaning in rhythm with Krystal, he tried to endure, wishing for it to end, but it didn't. He clung on to a piece of hope, a memory of a Cerinian easing someone's pain by sharing it telepathically. If this was half the pain, he wouldn't wish all of it on his worst enemy. But if it helped Krystal, it was worth it, he tried to tell himself.

The moments of respite between contractions became shorter, the pain even more intense, and something pressed on his pelvis, as if trying to split him in half.

"One more push," said a distant voice. A distant scream echoed through his mind, and he vaguely recognised Krystal's voice as a final stab of pain-stronger than any before-made him collapse on the floor. Another scream filled the room, a shrill cry from a pair of healthy little lungs, a protest from a life which had just been brutally expelled from its comfortable home.

He felt a sudden change. Through the torment, a warmth flowed over the mind link, a most extraordinary feeling of... instant love.

Pulling himself up, he was just in time to see the midwife put a bundle of blue fur on Krystal's chest, little paws fumbling for a bosom to nurse. She looked exhausted with ruffled hair and streaks of tears down her cheeks, but there was still a smile on her muzzle as she held their kit.

Isn't he beautiful? She met Fox's gaze and while the dull pain was still there in the background, there was so much happiness over their psionic connection that it made him dizzy. He reached out and touched the damp fur with his fingertips, very gently, afraid to break their little blue miracle. For minutes, they just sat there, unable to take their eyes off their newborn child, who settled down in his mother's embrace.

"It's time for mother and baby to have some rest," said the midwife. She had to help Fox out of the room.

Fox found Slippy in the waiting room, where he had fallen asleep on a sofa, snoring loudly with his cap askew. Fox hobbled over, feeling like he'd just had a double hip replacement, and slumped down next to his friend. Slippy startled and woke up with a snort.

"You look a bit worse for wear," said Slippy with concern and sat up straight. "Is everything all right?"

Fox only nodded in reply. Still too shaken to talk, he shut his eyes and rested his head in his hands.

"You're really a big softie, aren't you, can't stand to see your loved one suffer." Slippy straightened his cap and leaned back on the couch, all smiles. "Amanda saw a lot when she was a nurse, and I'm not envious about mammal births, those genetics of yours keeping the baby inside as long as possible. I sure wouldn't want to go through that pain."

Can't he just shut up? Fox clenched his fists hard to stop them from strangling the rambling toad.

"Women are amazing," said Slippy. "The things they go through for us and our families."

Fox could second that. If possible, his respect for Krystal had grown even more, much more.

"Well?" Slippy looked at Fox expectantly.

In his current state, it took Fox a moment to catch on, but then he smiled, a proud smile. "It's a boy."