Chapter Eleven
Castor
Axlin was right. Everyone did want to see our sonograms. The Council of Healthy Hatchlings had put up a website where flight members could submit theirs and they posted them on a website for everyone to see. It wasn't as private as things were back home on Earthside, but I gave Axlin the go ahead to submit ours too. Mostly, because I figured it would stop them from asking us on the street to see it.
A member of the Council of Healthy Hatchlings stopped by the Medwin 2 three days after the sonogram went up on the website. They were at a loss for what support we'd need to raise a wolf, but they were bound and determined to get to the bottom of it. The council member was tall and broad. He introduced himself as Hansel and told us that he had twelve children of his own, most of which were grown and had given him a total of forty grandchildren so far. He and his mate were expecting their next egg within the next few days. He was mostly concerned about the live birthing part and was visibly relieved when Izora assured him that he delivered over a thousand live births back on Earthside.
Together with Hansel and Izora we made a list of what we thought we'd need before Hansel took his leave. He made sure to tell us that if we kept careful notes, we could help the next flight member who gave birth to a live baby. He didn't say it was our duty, but as he handed Axlin the notebook I knew it was. If more folks came from the outside, more live births would occur, and Izora couldn't be on three worlds at once. He walked with Hansel outside and from the murmuring I knew they were discussing who else might learn to deliver a baby. Izora was a willing teacher as long as it didn't compromise my comfort as his patient and captain.
Our nesting pack arrived the following day. We could have probably gotten by without it, but Axlin looked so damn excited to put the thing together that I didn't mention that most wolves didn't live in nests as far as I knew. Axlin finally got his tour of the whole ship as we decided the best place to put a nest. In the end, we moved the dining room tables into one of the spare bedrooms and took over the area. It gave me a chance to ramble on about how the floors are all made to hold everything into place and not allow items and furniture to slide all around outer space. We left the one small table and a chair for Casimir. Sure, we were fine eating at the nest or in the actual kitchen, but I didn't want to take away his ability to eat comfortably in his own home.
He'd moved back into his bedroom shortly before we found out I was pregnant. He took the news well and teared up in his own way when I told him he was about to be a godfather. Some nights Casimir didn't come home at all and despite requiring the rest of them to check in often, I let him have his fun with Melon. They weren't true-mates but they weren't hurting anyone either.
Axlin insisted on setting me up on a comfy pile of pillows to watch him build the nest. I would've been more than happy to help. I built the Medwin 2 after all with minimal help, but sometimes it's nice to put your feet up and watch your alpha's ass as he plays cave dragon. Axlin turned out to be a natural nest builder and didn't bother to glance at the instruction that came neatly folded in the pack. By that evening we had a fully functional nest that was both secure and soft and cozy. We spent as much time as possible in it over the next few days making it smell as much like us as possible. Part of that was the instinct that every dragon had to mark and claim their territory. The other part was that Izora informed us, while a dragon egg wouldn't have a nose to smell with before it hatched, that live born babies often wanted to be in safe spaces that smelled like their parents. The shell of an egg provided that as a built-in experience for those who hatched.
Climbing into the nest every evening to hang out before bed became part of our routine. No matter how late he stayed out for work, I always waited up for him. He mostly worked days or evenings, but sometimes liked working the night crowds. We both agreed those days would be over for a while once the baby came, but for now I was happy to let him have the world at his fingertips. Hell, until I got too pregnant, I was happy to go with him.
As my belly grew so did my love for Starscale 1 and the purple district it housed. I came to know the regulars of Sprinkles and some of the other spots in town. After word got around that I was pregnant, the staff made my drinks virgin without my asking. Everyone asked about the baby and if I needed anything. I worried that once I started showing the world would want to rub my belly. That happened all too often to pregnant carriers back on Earthside. Only, I needn't have worried. Their concept of personal space extended to my belly and the only one to even ask was Melon.
She and Casimir swore they weren't dating and I, unlike the rest of the crew believed them. Though, besides Casimir I spent the most time in the purple district and knew a lot of romping happened without any strings attached even with continuous playmates. Whatever they were doing, I was happy for them as long as they were happy.
I let Melon rub my belly even if Axlin watched as if she was some mythical creature that could eat our baking bun through my navel. She'd been around the ship enough with my cousin that both me and my inner beast started to consider her a friend, if not family.
She moved from the friend to family category a week before our big ultrasound – the one that everyone considered the most important back home. I wasn't too caught up on if we had a boy or a girl. I was more worried about keeping them healthy and giving them a sense of self on a world full of dragons. Every day I poked at Marsin and Elio to see if any of the submitted ideas were promising. I may have made the speech at Sprinkles, but Elio was committed to the project long before I was. Naturally, he took over. Perhaps he just wanted to meet his mate's adult children who still lived on Earthside.
We were resting in the nest in the late evening when Casimir walked in looking like death warmed over. Only he didn't smell as stressed out as he looked. I squinted at him, wondering if he and Melon had a falling out or something.
"Is this a good time?" Casimir asked.
I was stretched out on my side with my head on Axlin's lap. I was too pregnant to lay on my back anymore and I silently mourned my favorite sleeping position more than coffee. It'd be worth it in the end, but each day as my belly grew the end of pregnancy seemed further and further away.
"For what?" Axlin yawned before I could answer.
"A serious conversation that can't be put off long," Casimir said, and I managed to flail an arm to sit up right quicker than I thought I could.
"Is everyone alright?" I asked, slipping easily into my captain's voice.
"Everyone is fine," Casimir flashed me a sheepish smile.
"You're tired. Did you sleep last night?" I asked.
"Not well. I've gone and partially pulled a Sunny. At least, what you thought Sunny would do," Casimir said, leaning his elbows on the edge of the nest.
"She's pregnant?" Axlin got the words out before my brain wrapped around what my cousin had said.
"She is and I wanted to tell you right away, Cas," Casimir said. "Straight away, but it was complicated. We're always together. So there was no question that it was mine, but she had to think about it – think about what she wanted to do. Think about how her future true-mate would feel about it all, I guess. We talked a lot. We're never going to settle down together. We're not going to take up being romantic. We have nothing in common besides you, great sex, and the love of mixing the sex with great liquor."
"Is she keeping it?" I asked gently. "You know me. Body equals choice. There's no other bodily autonomy without that."
"She is. We are. Today we visited the Council of Healthy Hatchlings because they're the ones who set stuff like this up. We will co-parent even if we don't live together after the baby is a bit older. Basically, they said to do what we wanted and if there is a point in the future where we need mediation to come back to them."
Leaning back against the side of the nest I took in the information. Casimir was going to be a daddy. He'd never hear the end of it from Sunny. Hell, I wasn't going to hear the end of it from Sunny.
"Cas, say something," Casimir said.
"I'm not mad," I shook my head. "I'm imagining you walking around with a baby on your hip. It's sorta great. Our kids can grow up together. You'll have to handle Sunny. My dragon may take a chunk out of him if he gets too snippy about it."
"Cas, he didn't even hook up that night you gave the speech. I'm not sure what they got up to, but I was here when he and Teddy came back. They didn't smell like sex."
"Why do you worry about him so much anyway? Besides him being on your crew?" Axlin asked.
"He's my good friend's youngest son. So, I have to balance the fact he is an adult with the fact that Medwin would like to meet his grandchildren and not have them scattered everywhere over here."
"Medwin? The guy the ship is named after?"
"Yep," I nodded.
"Melon shares a house with her sister. They're fiery at each other at the best of times," Casimir said.
"So, you're hoping you can nest here?" I asked.
"Well, not in your nest. Melon's not testy now, but I don't want to be in the spot where I have to get between you two over nests or some shit, Cas. There would be no winner and even if one of you were right, I couldn't take sides. Not while she's pregnant or her dragoness believes she's defending our hatchling. So, here, but our own nest."
"I like Melon," Axlin said, running his hand over my knee.
Casimir made himself a cup of coffee while I thought everything over. In the end, I decided to let Melon and Casimir nest in the dining room with us. We were different genders, and she was an alpha while I was an omega. There were enough differences between us that reasons to fight would be few and far between even for our inner beasts. Sure, I liked having Casimir's doting attention while I was pregnant. He was my best friend and cousin, but I had Axlin and the support of the whole crew if I needed it. From the sounds of it Melon didn't have a support system like that and she was now carrying Casimir's baby.
Two days later, the second nest went up in our dining room and Melon moved into one of the spare bedrooms on the ship. Her sister wasn't thrilled about her nesting on a spacecraft, but that was just one of their many bickering points. Melon didn't want her near the ship and we promised not to let her in. I didn't know her sister and from what I knew of the Starscales suspected it was more a clash of personalities and siblings not knowing how to give personal space than an actual feud.
Melon, like most pregnant carriers, practically lived in her nest only leaving to shower or stretch her legs and wings. Casimir was a doting sire. He brought her food and took up hunting for fresh deer, dragging Axlin along with him. The deer here had pelts of what would've been called unnatural colors back on Earthside. Melon swore the ones with the soft pink hues running through the sandy brown tasted the best. I couldn't really taste a difference.
Sunny didn't show his ass the way I feared. We talked here and there outside of meetings. As much as he had wanted to see the purple district it ended up not being his scene. I wasn't surprised. Sunny had a big personality and loved to talk. Hook ups could be fun, but sometimes you needed your brain stimulated before your dick caught up to everything else. He wanted to see Starscale 2 and perhaps compete in a couple of gladiator matches. Medwin wouldn't like it, but I thought Sunny would do well in them. He was even tempered and strong. Both of those qualities made for a good fighter.
"Can you give me some time before you do that?" I asked, resting a hand on my belly. "To see Starscale 2 and make sure it's as safe as the purple district. You can't go over there alone. We need to stick together as much as possible."
"I wasn't saying right now. None of us would leave while you and Casimir are both expecting kids," Sunny sighed. "Besides, Teddy doesn't want to be that far from Minter yet, either."
"You and Teddy?" I finally asked the question everyone wondered about.
"Maybe in a different life," he shrugged. "True-mates and us both being alphas notwithstanding, we'd kill each other as mates. We want such different things from life. We make good friends, though."
"Sometimes friends are better than mates," I shrugged. "We all need connections that aren't based on blood or sex."
Sunny nodded, leaning back against the edge of the nest.
"How much longer until your big ultrasound?" He changed the subject away from his relationship with Teddy.
"When Axlin gets home from work, Izora will come do it," I said.
"I'm excited for you guys. The first wolf born on a Starscale planet."
"The only wolf so far. I'm worried the baby will be lonely. Wolves are pack animals."
"Yeah, but they have a pack. They have us," Sunny grinned. "Sometimes it's not what you shift into but who has your back that matters."
"I hope that's the case for our kid. I sorta hoped when Casimir told me Melon was pregnant that she'd have a live birth too. I mean, we share that grandparent who was a wolf."
"Eh, you'll be fine. The baby will be fine. They'll grow up and order all the dragons they know around because they'll inherit your leadership drive."
I laughed and shook my head. I thought it was a compliment from how Sunny grinned, but I wasn't sure if he meant that I was a good leader, or he was calling me bossy. Perhaps good leaders had to be a little bossy.