Janelle was down by the stream that ran past Andar’s tree when it happened. Her belly, large and round, made picking mushrooms and berries difficult but she enjoyed the task. It gave her a chance to be out in the fresh air, to enjoy the brilliant sun and stretch her cramped, aching muscles.
A rush of wetness made Janelle panic. She glanced down at her thighs and saw the beads of water pooled there. She knew that it was happening. She had been expecting the birth of the young for the past few days.
She grabbed for her basket of berries but a sharp pain bent her in half. She gasped, waiting until it passed. She scooped up her basket and half walked, half hobbled, stopping and doubling over when the pains came.
They were so close together that it was hard to believe they had just started. She imagined that if she’d been carrying a human child, this would have been considered an advanced stage of labor.
“Andar!” Janelle cried as she reached his tree. The walk there, normally a short one, had seemed to take forever. The agony ripping her apart was overwhelming, and blackness threatened the corners of her vision.
Andar came rushing out of the house. He took one look at her and knew what was happing. He picked her up gently and carried her into the house.
“Stand here,” he said, motioning for her to support herself against a wall. “Don’t lay down. It won’t bring you any relief. The young will come much easier if you’re standing. Try not to fight the pain. I’ll make you a tea to ease you and then I’ll go for the Wise Female.”
“No! I want you to stay with me” Janelle said desperately.
Andar clutched her hand. “It’s all right Janelle. It won’t take me long. I’ll get Maslar and send him here to be with you until I can return. Don’t be afraid. This is going to be a very happy day.”
Janelle nodded through tears of pain and sorrow. She was excited to see the young that had grown in her body for the past three months, but she had also dreaded its arrival. She knew that it meant that her time on Klaskar was at an end.
Andar made her the tea, which she drank in one long swallow, and then rushed out the door. She gasped, her chest heaving with ragged breaths as she tried to ignore the pain. A few minutes later Maslar crashed into the tree.
“Janelle!” He rushed to her and helped to support her, wrapping one strong arm around her shoulders and another around her waist.
“Oh god, Maslar! It hurts. I can’t do this!” Another wave of pain seized her, threatening to tear her in half and Janelle bore down with it. The urge to push was so strong she couldn’t deny it.
“Just hang on, Janelle. Help is coming.” Maslar looked pale, even through his blue-hued skin, and it frightened Janelle.
She was about to say something to him when the Wise Female, a beautiful blue-skinned woman rushed through the door. Her eyes were kind and knowledgeable, and Janelle relaxed. Andar was close on the female’s heels. He rushed in and joined Maslar in supporting her.
The female checked Janelle quickly and nodded. She smiled widely and placed a hand on Janelle’s stomach. “Everything is fine. The young will be here soon.”
Janelle screamed as another pain tore through her. She bore down again, pushing. The female’s hands guided her, her words of encouragement and instruction soothing her.
“That’s it. You’re so close. The young is coming. Push again and it will be here.”
Janelle did as she instructed, waiting for the pain and the urge to push. She cried out and leaned into the strength of the two males on either side. They held her upright. One more push and a tiny blue bundle fell into the female’s hands.
She held up the young, wiping the goo away from its face. “A male,” she whispered. Janelle wanted to look at the young, but another pain tore through her.
She gasped and clutched at Andar and Maslar, who were still holding her. A look of concern came over the female’s face. She rushed forward, and balancing the young in one arm, ran her hand over Janelle’s belly.
“You have another young inside of you,” she said in awe. “Push when the next pain comes and your other young will soon be here.”
Janelle bore down again, working with the pains. Sweat beaded off her forehead and rolled into her eyes. She cried out and pushed hard and her second young was born.
She was shocked at the way the pain suddenly ceased. There was a rush of something warm and bloody that trailed down her thighs. She felt weak and shaky, and just wanted to see the young.
The Wise Female cleaned the young and then quickly worked at wiping away the afterbirth and cleaning Janelle.
Janelle watched everything as though in a haze. She saw the wonder on Andar and Maslar’s faces as they each cradled a young. Soon the Wise Female was giving her a tea that she drank. It helped to revive her enough that she soon regained the strength she had before the birth. Her renewed energy gave her a new determination and she was able to stand. She was still sore and her legs unsteady, but she made her way across the room to see her young.
Andar and Maslar presented the little bundles to her. She stared at the blue-hued faces, the sweet, large purple eyes, the tiny ridges of skin on the forehead and cheeks. One of the twins had a fuzz of dark hair on his head but the other was bald. They looked at her with their serious, sweet faces and Janelle fell instantly in love.
Her heart broke at the thought of leaving them. These were her babies that she had carried in her body for the past three months. She’d felt them grow and move, develop and thrive. She’d been through the pain of their birth and now they were here, in their fathers’ arms.
“Can I hold them?” Janelle asked hesitantly.
“Of course!” Andar gently handed over the baby. It was a little female.
Janelle took the bundle, wrapped in the brown, satiny fabric she now knew so well. “Little one,” she crooned. “They are so perfect,” She whispered, looking at Andar and Maslar.
“And strong,” Maslar added. “You’ve done amazingly well, Janelle. Twins are rare. I couldn’t dare begin to hope for the prospect, though it has happened more often with multiple males.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “I remember being told that was the reason it happened.” She raised her head, doing her best to blink the tears away from her lashes. “I love them. I love them both so much. Promise you’ll take the best care of them.”
“I promise,” Maslar and Andar said at once. “We will protect them with our lives. We swear it to you.”