Feline Foaling
And last but definitely not least... my favorite of the trio being uploaded tonight. ;w; I love Eden, he's a good boy. And yet again for my last upload, old FA/Weasyl desc:
Back at it again with the cleverest titles!! This one from September 2022~ish? And one I'm more nervous about sharing but... gotta share it if I want critiques!
Brief tearing and blood mention, but not enough I felt it worthy to toss in the thumbnail.
Sorry for not uploading for a while! January was... rough. Money's been tight, with neither me nor my signif able to find work, so we had to be crafty for a while. We'll be fine! Just hard to motivate myself to do anything when I'm worried about things like eating.
Anyway! Another live birth, and my first attempt at tackling characters that are part of my story's main plot! They aren't quite the main group, but close behind in the secondary character group! And it's not directly mentioned in the story (need to do character write-ups mutter mutter) but Eden is a unicorn, specifically, hence the lavender child! Genista is a snow leopard.
My furry story leans more towards "elevated animals" than "people with animal faces" 'cause I like interacting with the fun things animals can do that we can't, so my world "logic" (lol) is as follows:
Same species is obviously the most common. Eg, two panthera uncia.
Intra-familia pregnancies are the next most common. Eg, panthera uncia x felis silvestris.
Cross-familia pregnancies within the same order are uncommon and usually require help. Eg, felidae x canidae.
Cross-order pregnancies are extremely rare and almost always require help. Eg, carnivora x perissodactyla.
Cross-class pregnancies never happen(... organically). Eg, mammalia x amphibia.
What makes the pairings "work" is sorta arbitrarily based on how "compatible" their "genes and reproductive behaviors" are... to keep it extremely brief. I have a Whole Thing about it but... I've already made this desc way long and I'll just try to do a proper write-up later. :'3 The concoction mentioned for these two cross-order lovers in this story is a placeholder though - I had something else written there but it would make no sense due to my... lacking context LOL. It fits enough! But I really need to start writing things down for you guys if I'm gonna try writing whole chapters n such.
I hope to write more for this story this year though even if just one chapter! Anything is better than what I've been doing. And per usual, suggest tags if you see an obvious one missing!
Genista panted heavily as she laid sprawled out on her side, spreading herself out across the rather accommodating bed Eden had procured for her in preparation for the birth of their daughter. It had been a grueling year for Gen up to this point, and though having a child was her idea, she was so glad for it to finally be nearing the end. The almost fourteen month pregnancy she had endured was way more than she originally bargained for, and though she had a wonderful support group behind her along with the best healthcare, there was nothing anyone could've done that would have been able to help her body adequately prepare to deliver a foal.
The concoction worked its miracle already, allowing a snow leopard like Genista to conceive Eden's child in the first place, but rarely did it ever manage to linger completely through a longer pregnancy like hers. She went in knowing the risks, and accepted them, but she did have hopes that the concoction would have at least blessed her with a small litter of kittens, just like her. She would have had to deliver up to five or six then, but at least the pregnancy would have been a simpler three months, and something intended for her body to handle.
She swore under her breath with every contraction as her husband pet her hair. He low-key had also wished for kittens - having a few children every few months sounded so much better to him than one - or if he was extremely lucky, two - that would take almost five times as long. He had wanted a large family, but now found himself worrying for his wife if they were to ever try again. Reality had hit them hard with this pregnancy. What if they were unlucky, and all they had were foals? What if they did happen to have twin foals, however unlikely?
He was scared to think about what that would do to his love, and found himself these last few months having come to accept that one child would be enough for him. He looked down at his wife, her head rested in his lap as he leaned against the headboard. They had gone into this pregnancy so enthusiastically and with such high hopes! Yet here they were, terrified to try again, wondering if both mother and child would even make it through her first labor.
Nurses, doctors, and specialists were bustling in and out of the room at all hours of the day as their shifts started and ended. The birth could happen within minutes, it could still be a few days, but Eden was determined to help his ladyship no matter the cost, and had demanded there be at least a small group not just on call, but in the room and ready to go whenever it happened. Her labor was progressing slowly so far, but everyone knew once it started going, it was probably going to be hectic.
Genista laid there with her eyes closed, ignoring everyone around her to try and get as much sleep as she could both to conserve her energy and be well rested for the main event. Every few hours, she had been offered food, which she nibbled on despite having no appetite. Every scrap of energy they offered up to her was appreciated. Eden refused to budge or even eat, determined to stay with Gen through to the end, bitter or sweet.
It was a little past midnight when things started moving, and the moment Gen went from breathing heavily and swearing to audibly groaning with each contraction, everyone aside from Eden jumped to their feet. Gen rolled from her side to her back, and instinctively spread her legs apart, resting a hand on her womb as she fought to breathe. Her stomach visibly tensed under her hand and caused her toes to curl, her claws extending as far as they could before retracting as her contraction ended. She struggled to push herself up, but Eden swiftly scooped his arms under her and helped as she tried to sit herself upright, leaning into Eden's chest instead of his lap.
Once she settled, he wrapped his arms around her, resting them gently on her stomach as he kissed at her neck. She was about to reach up and pat his face to return the favor when she had the unbearable urge to push and instead gripped both his thighs, rotating her hips forward with a grunt. She pushed for ten solid seconds before she could take a breather, but didn't have long until the next caused her to do it all again.
After a few intense contractions, Gen was hit with a sudden, unbearable contraction that caused her to involuntarily thrust her hips forward with a scream. The doctors and nurses stood at their stations, anxiously ready to act at the drop of a hat should anything happen. She collapsed back onto Eden and only had a second to breathe before her body immediately forced her to push again. She slid back down into Eden's lap, incapable of holding herself up and overrun with the need to keep her hips elevated through contractions.
She writhed between pushes, trying desperately to get comfortable, but unable to escape the pressure building, and with contractions too close to actually get a break between them. Incapable of relaxing for even a second, Gen had to resort to open-mouth breathing, her chest heaving with every gasp for air and her tail thrashing in response to all the over-stimulation. During the next contraction, the baby gave a single kick, presumably agitated by all the commotion and her mother's stress, causing Gen to momentarily seize and stop pushing mid-contraction. The pain that came with her body fighting itself caused her to grit her teeth, whining the whole time before her muscles finally let go and she could breathe again.
Eden was just starting to debate with himself if he should get someone to intervene when Gen gave a long, excruciating push that ended with her water breaking, so much gushing out at once that her womb visibly shrank by a quarter of its original size almost instantly. Her thighs, tail, and the blankets they had laid out were coated in amniotic fluid and blood within seconds, and for the first time in months, Gen felt like she could breathe again.
With each shallow breath she took from there, a foot slowly eased its way out with the second following suit not long after - which was as good a sign as it was concerning. It was obviously breech, but that both feet had shown up at least meant it wasn't askew. With this news, they were confident that mother and child both at least had a chance, even if it would be difficult. Around her, the doctors and nurses started talking, but she couldn't make out any of it. She was too far in her own head to be concerned with what they were doing. She rested a hand on her belly, gently petting it as she tried her best to enjoy the brief window she was given to recoup.
Even without Gen actively pushing, the feet slowly worked their way out of her as she panted until they barely reached the ankle and stopped. She wasn't quite ready to push yet, and shooed away a doctor that got too close to her, unaware of what it was they even wanted. They could touch her in a moment, but for now, she needed this.
Eden looked around the room as the medical staff started talking and gesturing at each other, preemptively getting things ready. It was obvious her water had broken, but their delayed and sudden reaction after the fact lead him to believe something else was happening right now - so he leaned to the side as carefully as he could to peek around her abdomen, where he was greeted by the first glimpse of their daughter.
He, too, became lost within himself in an instant, suddenly hit with reality - that was his daughter being born. That was their daughter being born. He had known, of course - but up until this moment he was so wrapped up in his concern about the situation, he hadn't allowed himself to even consider their daughter would make it. But to actually see her, even if it was just her little feet..?
He gently picked up Genista's head and extracted himself from under her, replacing his lap with a couple plush pillows. Once he made sure she was settled, he held her hand for the brief second it took to kiss her forehead, then went around to the other side of the bed to get a better view of what was going on, exactly. The amount of blood concerned him, but the doctor beside him assured him that some tearing was to be expected with a baby this big. As long as it wasn't excessive and constant, it should be okay. He inquired about what course of action should be taken, and while they pondered a few situations, Gen finally started to push again.
Eden quickly climbed back onto the bed and cupped each of her thighs, pushing them both up and apart while delicately petting her fur with his thumbs. As she rode out her contraction, the ankles slowly made their appearance alongside a bit more fluid before receding again. Eden put her legs back down as her contraction ended, then asked instead how he could help. They instructed him to grab ahold of her feet and pull gently and only during contractions while two of the nurses took to holding her legs up.
With the next contraction, Eden gently grabbed both legs and pulled, then continued to hold when Gen stopped pushing to prevent them from losing ground, as he was told to do. The pushes to get the legs out went predictably easily, but once they got to the hips, Gen sank her claws into one of the pillows beside her and grit her teeth as she pushed. Even if their daughter was average for her dad's species, she was still an extremely large baby compared to her mom's.
Gen switched between frantically panting, then pushing, then panting again, then pushing again a few times in quick succession, desperately trying to deliver and get the whole ordeal over with. After a while of no new progress being made, Gen pled to Eden to help her more, even if it meant she had to suffer for it - anything to get this over with was worth it to her by this point. He hesitated at first as she started pushing again, but as her agonizing groans started elevating into long, drawn-out, keening whines, he braced himself better, swallowed the lump in his throat... and pulled.
He wasn't trying to get everything in one go, of course, but he was doing his best to heed her wishes and held taut, even when she wasn't pushing. One of the nurses climbed onto the bed beside Genista and reached down to try and help massage her opening as they started making progress again, however slowly it was.
Everyone in the room jumped when the hips were finally delivered with a pop that made Gen yelp. No one could celebrate the progress made, however, as Gen now had no choice but to remain stretched around a wider part of the baby while still working to deliver the rest. Her poor lips were pulled so tight, and she couldn't stop herself from writhing in agony between pushes, her ragged breathing accompanied by her crying out for Eden with each breath. He reassured her that he was still there with her as she cried, determined to bring an end to her misery as swiftly as he could, yet without hurting her more than was necessary.
He spent her brief downtime getting a better grip and waiting, and waiting... until he saw her womb tighten up with another contraction, and pulled yet again. The screaming hurt his ears, which had folded flat against his head by this point, but he figured compared to her pain, this was nothing. He couldn't even fathom how much she was enduring at this moment, and made no effort to cover his ears as he needed both hands available to help her. Agonizingly slowly, progress was being made, and after ten uncertain minutes, Gen bore down with as much might she could muster, and finally the shoulders were delivered with another scream.
From there, the head and arms were easy enough to deliver, and only required Eden pulling without even a single push from mom, and just like that... Eden was holding their daughter. A miracle child, and one worked very hard for. She started squirming in his arms, and in that moment no one else existed. He looked her over, their adorable, lavender-hued child, and brushed her little mane with his hand. He held her against his chest, her head resting on his shoulder, as his eyes started to water.
The doctors and nurses were tending to Genista first, to stop the bleeding and ensure that she would make it, before finally one of them moved to scoop up the baby out of his arms, while another took to wiping the gunk off him. He handed her over, knowing full well it was to make sure she was healthy, but still with a bit of reluctance. Now that he had met their daughter, he wanted nothing more than to hold her. They directed his attention back to his wife after he was clean, and assured him that she was also in need of his love. He took their suggestion and stepped around the bed to sit beside her, taking her hand in his while he leaned down to kiss her. He assured her she did a wonderful job, that it was over now, and that she could finally rest.
She smiled up at him, utterly exhausted, and closed her eyes while giving his hand a weak squeeze. He laid beside her, rested her head on his chest, and wrapped both arms around her, nuzzling her hair. She was incapable of moving for a while, still being doted on by doctors and cleaned up by nurses, but afterward everyone helped her scoot back towards the headboard, so both of them could sit up and lean against it. The pillows, blankets, fitted sheet and plastic sheet protecting the mattress were pulled from underneath them and replaced while she was being moved, and with it all refreshed, Eden sat back down with her, and finally they laid the baby that caused so much commotion on her stomach.
Eden rested a hand on her, while Gen helped guide her to a teat so she could take her first drink, then closed her eyes and fell asleep almost instantly, despite her original intentions of simply relaxing. Once everything was settled and everyone was done with their duties, the medical staff all clocked out for the day, and in their place a single doctor took to reading a book quietly in the corner of the room, while two nurses remained nearby on call, but out of the room to maintain slightly more privacy.
With the doctor reading under a dim lamp to keep the room dark, Genista already asleep, and their child yawning after a good first meal, Eden finally felt he could relax, and yawned as well, placing a hand on their daughter's back and closing his eyes.