I really want Phoenix to have a cat so I gave him one. He’s name is Merlin, he’s the kitty of both Phoenix and Edgeworth. He’d be like 8 in aa apollo justice, I think?? Uh he’s like dumb as rocks and I love him.
The sunrise greets Cat with pain. Her lower back feels ten times worse, and her thighs burn. Not to mention the baby had been kicking her nonstop all night. Another long day of traveling ahead of them. At least she can look forward to the evening massage she gets.
Its shortly after breakfast that her water breaks. Walking towards Simon who's doing dishes in the river. As she hands her plate to him she feels it. Her pants soaked in seconds. They share a look and before she can even say anything hes yelling for the others.
They try to make her comfortable, all the blankets they had piled on top of each other. Shirts ready to be used as towels, and Johnny surprises them all by pulling out an actual baby blanket he'd found a few weeks back. It had little yellow ducklings on it. Cat cries and clutches it like a lifeline.
Its been two hours and Simon has paced the grass flat around them. Hearing Cats pained groans fueling his anxious pacing back and forth. John ever the calm one is making sure Cats comfortable, well as comfortable as she can be in the wilderness. Johnny is holding her hand, letting her crush his fingers every time its a bad contraction. Kyle tries to get her to eat something small to keep her energy up.
Four hours in and she vomits. She constantly apologizes while they help her undress and slowly move to a different, cleanish, spot. Johnny is quick to drag the soild blankets to the river, cleaning them and hanging them to dry. Kyle takes his place holding her hand while John and Simon talk quietly.
By the fith hour Simon heads deeper into the forest in the direction of the farm, hoping that John was right. Meanwhile John has Kyle and Johnny pack up the camp, leaving only things being used. He keeps watch for any sign of Simon.
Cat's pained wail greets Simon and the strangers. A big wagon pulled by two equally big horses stop beside the laboring woman. Simon jumps down, his knee cracking as he stands, and starts loading their things in the wagon. Kyle and Johnny quickly catch on and help as John greets the plump woman and young boy stepping down from the driver's seat.
When everything was packed up they carefully load Cat into the back of the wagon. The young boy, who introduced himself as Elias, jumped into the driver's seat along with Simon. The others piled in the back, the women, Maya, talks calmly with a crying Cat as the wagon races forward.
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König steps outside the shed at the sound of horses and his sons yells. The grip on his knife only loosening when his wifes voice thunders through the yard, "Kö! Get a pot of water boiling now!" He wastes no time, running to the house.
Maya takes over every thing. Barking orders like a seasoned general. She send Elias to fetch every blanket in the house. They get Cat moved inside slowly, her cries of pain cut into the men like a knife.
Maya kicks them all out of the bedroom as Cat lays down, their complaints silenced with a glare from her as she shuts the door. König is tense, unused to having visitors. Let alone four other men. They all hunker down and wait. That's all the can do.
Its a little over an hour later when they hear Cat scream. Not a wail or cry but an actual scream. It makes the hair on Kyle's skin raise, Johnny's face drains of color. Simon and John both jump to their feet, worry and fear claw at their hearts.
Soon a shrill baby's cry rings out and its like the house itself lets out a breath of relief. Then the bedroom door slams open.
Maya's face is panicked, hands covered in blood, "König clear off the table quickly! There's two!" He promptly sweeps a big arm across the table, sending things flying.
"Any complaints if I cut the cords gentlemen?" Maya asked as she grabs kitchen shears. Before they had anytime to answer she raced back to Cat as she screams again.
König had the table cleared off and the blankets piled into a soft pile just in time for his wife to bring out a small bundle wrapped up in a towel.
"You lot get to work cleaning this little one. Be gentle and wash your damn hands before you touch him." She gently set the baby down on the soft covers before returning to Cat.
Its König who immediately gets to work. Testing the temperature of the water with his hands before soaking a cloth. He looks at the others and scoffed.
"Snap outta of it and get to work." His voice cutting through the shock of the group. Its König that shows them how to clean the little boy. Instructing them to mind the boys head and how to put on the cloth diaper.
Its Johnny who gets to finally swaddle the baby, safe and snug in the duck blanket. Cooing at the wee thing. Then it goes quiet, all heads turned toward the bedroom.
The door cracks and Maya comes out with another little bundle, her face worried. "Shes on the small side, she will need more feeding than her brother."
She hands the girl to John who immediately gets to work cleaning her, while König supervises. Simon's voice stops Maya from going back, "Is Cat alright?" The anxiety in his voice clear.
She gives him a quick nod, grabbing more blankets. "She needs to deliver the after birth now. Then when shes ready, you can see her. Meanwhile you watch those babies like a hawk you hear me?" She shuts the door without waiting for an answer.
Kyle scoops the little boy into his arms and places a gentle kiss on his little dark forehead. Simon pulls him into a hug. "Looks just like you Kyle." Kyle nods, leaning into Simon. They both smile down at the little boy.
John has the little girl cleaned and swaddled up in no time. Him and Johnny huddled together, heads resting together as they look down at the little girl. Johnny's bright eyes stare back at them.
König shakes his head with a sigh and gets started with supper. He sends Elias to the cellar for some meat cuts. With so many mouths to feed and a new mother, he makes massive portions.
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Two days have passed since the birth of her children. Shes sore, cranky, and overly emotional. Her men have taken to the role of parenthood perfectly. A strict schedule was set in place, one of them would stay with her and help her. Meanwhile the other three, with the help of König, went to their portion of land to finish it up. Helping till the fields and building the chicken coop.
His wife makes him give them 4 hens and a young rooster. When he grumbles about it she softly says, "Shes gonna need the protein Honey, feeding two babies will wear her out quick." He helps them so they're out of his house sooner.
Fun fact: for some reason, butterflies really repulse me (more than many other insects). A swarm of butterflies is a deeply unsettling image to me. And I'd love to use it again...
