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The brisk mountain air was cool and crisp, the sky above a brilliant blue and as vast as the rolling hills, deep valleys, and towering peaks around the ancient temple. The glorious monument to the mother of fertility herself, was as grand as it was intricate, with delicate carvings covering endless walls that flowed like water frozen in chiseled stone, to the literal channels of gently trickling streams that wound around the regal architecture. Towers loomed like narrow summits, their tips laced with snow that gleamed like brilliant gold in the sunlight, while trees, ferns, and winding vines snaked around the many aqueducts and arches like some kind of neatly-kept jungle.

Yet for all of its glorious majesty, and gorgeous formations, the temple was only as lively as those who dwelled within it, and given it was the center of all new life in the realm, that atmosphere was practically blooming. Couples would come from far and wide to seek the help and advice of the temple’s priestesses, on everything related to reproduction. From pregnancy to conception, birth to lactation, everything a mother needed was within the grand walls, and more!

Many of the patrons were dragons, or brood mothers. Dragonesses who's bodies swelled so vastly while gravid they were unable to move. It was to those mothers that many of the small, serpentine kobolds that occupied the halls tended, and to where one cheerful priestess happily trotted her way toward, claws tapping neatly on the tiles under her.

[i]Oh, there's so many appointments today, this is so wonderful![/i] Kalyee thought to herself giddily, trying not to outwardly giggle in excitement as she tugged on her hood. [i]So many mothers, so little time, I've really got my work cut out for me.[/i]

The young priestess was rather new in the temple, having only been there a year or two at most. Yet she didn't let that fact, or what it entailed, slow her down one bit. Her body was sleek and slender, her slim legs digitigrade, her clawed hands like dainty feathers. Her neck was arched and marked by a cobra-like hood and her rounded muzzle was equipped with fangs. Unlike mammals, she bore no breasts, only light lumps in her otherwise curved figure that was rather smooth despite her smaller stature. Below that, was her flat tummy, covered in the most silken of her scales, its texture akin to delicate silk from across the oceans.

[i]Not that I'd mind having breasts, or a tummy full with a large brood. Urg, I see so many mothers here and I'm still stuck with no mate.[/i] She thought to herself, not that she was bitter or jealous of others, she just longed to know how it felt, to study it in a new way. [i]Plus, having a mate to care for me while I swell with his young...[/i] She ran a claw over her smooth belly.[i] It would be so sweet![/i]

Even so, Kalyee was not a romantic, no matter how lovely-dovey some of her ideas felt. She was a priestess, a scholar, she liked to learn, discover and study. She cared for the ones she treated in the temple, of course, but she also loved to learn about them. Therefore, that was exactly what she did as she walked into the small nesting chamber containing the next mother she was due to meet.

"Hey there, how's it going here?" she chirped happily, as she walked in on the rather large dark-scaled dragoness lounging on the bed of straw, her belly gurgling and growling like a hungry wolf. "Oh my, you have become so big, your brood must be huge."

The dragoness's belly was almost as round as Kalyee was tall, her under scales taught around the hundreds of eggs as the kobold could hear them rolling within like stones. One of the single mother's claws lay atop it, rubbing the brood gently as the swelling made it almost impossible for the sluggish dragoness to move.

"Urg, you don't have to remind me, this thing is so damn big!" The dragoness huffed, blushing hard as Kalyee rested a claw on her belly. "I never thought I could be such a broody dragoness when I mated."

"Awww, it's okay, it often comes as a big surprise to most mothers. When they don't stop getting bigger after the first few months..." Kalyee informed, one of her hands on the dragonesses belly, as the other rolled in the air dismissively. "Belly gets so big it touches the ground, you can hardly walk before you know it... Yeah, it's a pain in the tail."

"Oh, you don't have to tell me twice, I'm going to go for the longest flight ever once I lay," the dragonesses announced, only for her look to soften as she glanced at her belly and purred. "So, how are all my little ones doing?"

Kalyee smiled as she ran a claw from the peak of the vast brood bump, to the base, eliciting a pleasurable moan from the swollen dragoness as small liquids leaked from her packed vent.

"Well, as far as I can tell, you're doing great. The brood is in there so tight I expect they'll drop in a day or two. After that your water will break, then it's labor." The snake-like kobold cocked her head, scratching her chin with a claw. "I'd say it would take you at least a day to lay all of them, maybe a little more."

The gravid dragoness sighed, her wide hips shifting and her one belly-rubbing claw flopping to the floor beside her loose wings as her head rolled.

"That will be a hard day then, urg." She huffed smoke. "But I'll be glad to have them out of me, this feels good but I want to move. I've had such bad nesting instincts, but I'm too fat to make a damn nest!"

"Don't be silly, you're pregnant, not fat," Kalyee assured her, rubbing the dragonesse's belly reassuringly. "You shouldn't think that way."

"Ha, I'll try telling you that if you're ever in this position," The gravid dragoness responded, and Kalyee's face fell flat.

[i]Oh, I'll make sure I'm in this position soon enough, just have to find the right guy![/i] She thought boldly, as she rested a foreclaw on her own flat tummy. [i]I'll take a brood twice this size, you'll see.[/i]

Regardless, the kobold outwardly smiled, not letting any of her internal conflict show as she giggled and purred happily.

"Oh, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it." She glanced away with a slight chuckle. "If I can fit over it."

"It would have to be a very large bridge for me, that's for sure," the dragoness responded, and the two shared a chuckle as Kalyee finished her check-up. "So is everything okay in there?"

"Yep, you're looking perfectly fine down there, so is your brood," she assured again, washing her hands off in a bucket of water. "Like I said just call if you feel like labor is coming and I'll be right here."

"Awww, thank you so much, Kalyee, I'm glad I have you to help me through this," the dragoness offered in a moment of sincerity, rubbing her bump. "Goddesses know their father was useless."

"Well, it's what we're for here, so don't mention it," Kalyee added, and with that, she turned and made her way out into the halls.

[i]It's all I do, tending to so many but never getting a brood myself[/i]. She huffed as she passed by mothers with very full bellies, some waddling, others dragging their broods. [i]Urg, one day I'll have that.[/i]

It was hard for her to watch, but nonetheless, she made her way to see her next patients, and called happily as she entered.

"Hey there, you two, might I say you are both looking beautiful today!" She told the pair of broody dragonesses, their bellies little more than large bumps that didn't hamper them half as much. "I trust you have been enjoying your new exercise routine?"

The two dragonesses were obviously twins, their faces and markings were exactly the same, right down to eye colors. The only stark way to tell either of them apart was scale colors. One was black and white, the other white and black. Yet just like their identical bodies, their bumps were also the same size, only one was far grumpier about hers then her sister was.

"Awww, yes I have been enjoying it so much, it really helps keep my limbs nice and spry," beamed the dark-scaled dragoness, standing up and stretching her legs, flaring her wings and rolling her shoulders, tight bump lulling under her. "The brood does make it a little hard, but I'm enjoying movement all I can before I get too large."

"Well, I hate it. I don't want to be this fat, let alone like a balloon!" hissed the paler of the two siblings, a foreclaw on her tummy. "I never wanted this, I just wanted a good rutting."

[i]That's an all too common theme. Urg, why can't they just appreciate it?[/i] Kalyee thought, but nonetheless, she went on with their checkups. [i]One day, I will be glad for it, I know I will. I'll carry a brood and I will love it! [/i]

[center]********[/center]

The evening air, thick with bracer smoke and buzzing fireflies, hung heavily over the quiet temple walls. Naught but the buzzing of insects, the rustle of trees and the trickle of water audible in the stillness. Yet the tapping of claws on polished stone broke the tranquillity as Kalyee made her way back to her bed-chamber.

The fresh smell of incense met her nose, broken as she glanced into some of the medical chambers to pick up on the scene of sweat. It was by those halls that she also heard the howl and grunts of labor, as many mothers of the day reach their time. It was the more she thought about that, the more she wondered what it would feel like fighting to push life out of her body. The more she longed for it more and more.

Almost reflexively, she rested a hand on her belly, rubbing the sleek scales like she were a mother herself, as she pouted and marched on. It was not her time to help with the mothers to be, her shift was tomorrow night. Yet she'd have done it every day if she could.

[i]So many mothers, so much laying and birthing, and I'm still stuck here and pretty much the only one who's never had kids![/i] She inwardly huffed, knowing it was true that most of the priestesses had also been pregnant, either as surrogates or mothers themselves. [i]What I would not give for someone to pick me to carry their brood, even just as a stand-in mother?[/i]

Even so, she couldn't help but feel like she was being too short-minded with the idea. One part of her longed for a loving companion, while others just wanted to carry a brood of her own. Her mind was a mess in that regard, she didn't know what she wanted, or how she could get it, and as she walked that feeling did not fade. Yet something did catch her attention, the clopping of hooves on tiles, and she looked up to catch sight of a blue-coated kirin, with a flowing mane and a very, very large belly.

The mare was sleek and slender, save for her swollen bump, a bulge so wide she struggled to get through many of the temple's smaller doorways. Moreover, her belly growled and gurgled like she was starved, a testament to just how much the foals squirmed and wriggled within, their kicks visible from the outside as writhing bulges. That bulk was only rivaled by the sheer mass of the mare's teats drooping below, the dark blue sacs more like a cow's udders, leaking milk across the tiles as the mare stood nervously outside one of the birthing chambers.

[i]What is she doing here, I'm pretty sure her foals are not due for another month at least? [/i]Kalyee thought, glancing around for anything that may be out of the ordinary, before approaching the mare. [i]I hope she's okay, pregnancy really makes her glow, I'd hate for anything to happen![/i]

"Hey, everything okay here?" The kobold asked tentatively, almost causing the mare to jump, if not for the weight of her foals. "Hey, whoa, didn't mean to scare you."

Kalyee waved her arms in an attempt to calm the mother, and the kirin slumped against the wall with a huff, her belly shifting to the right as she did so, almost blocking the hall

"Oh by the moons, sorry, Kalyee I didn't expect anyone to be out here," The mare responded with a blush, before adding. "I was just well..."

As her words trailed off, Kalyee cocked her head and began to wonder. [i]Why is she here, is she feeling contractions? No, looking at her belly those foals haven't even dropped yet and her tail's not raised?[/i]

"Don't worry about it, I just take this route back to the bed chambers," Kalyee dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand. "No one ever really expects me."

"Awww, no, I'm sure that's not true, you're a wonderful healer, Kalyee," the mare assured, then sighed as she glanced back into the birthing chambers. "I just come here to... Well, I guess, get ready, to see it, listen to it. I'm going to pop soon, I can feel it, and I want to go in with all I can."

[i]Oh, so she's nervous about going into labor, that's understandable?[/i] Kalyee thought, ignoring how much she'd love that anticipation if it were her as she added.

"Oh, I see." The kobold glanced around before whispering. "It's just, well... You shouldn't scare yourself like this, it could halm the foals. Your labor will be fine, you're in good claws here."

"I don't do it to be scared, more respecting it... Ooof." The mare was cut off by a kick, and Kalyee lurched forward, only to pull back as the mother let out a happy sigh and added. "Either way, I'll be glad to have them kicking on the outside."

[i]What I would not give to feel babies kicking inside me.[/i] Kalyee inwardly sighed. [i]Not that I could, my kind lays eggs.[/i]

"I guess it must feel a little good though? Having them so close to you, I mean?" the priestess asked as she was invited to rub the mare's bump. "Oh my, they're so strong."

"Don't I know it," the Kirin responded, wincing as another strong kick struck her ribs. "Especially when I want to try and sleep."

[i]This feels amazing![/i] Kalyee thought as she ran her claw over the mare's soft coat, feeling the little ones wiggle under her skin. [i]They're kicking like wingball champions![/i]

Regardless, the kobold drew back with a warm giggle. "And you feel okay, no serious cramps or anything? Your labor could come sooner than we thought?"

The mare shook her head.

"No, no, not that bad, I've already been seen to by a few other priestesses," she reassured, and Kalyee nodded, yet that was when something caught both of their attentions.

It was the tapping of claws on smooth stone tiles, and as it echoed through the halls, both creatures looked to see a tall, large figure loom around the corner. Sallandra was the head priestess, she was a large dragoness, with no wings, and dull golden scales. Her slender neck was marked by a mane, and her snake-like head flanked by a pair of large, drooping ears.

Yet what she lacked in the ability to fly like other dragonesses, she made up for in her fertility, as Sallandra was mother to many broods, some so huge it was a wonder the dragoness could even walk afterward. Yet for all that was worth, Kalyee had to admit she was both highly respectful and a little envious of her mistress at the same time. She wanted to be that fertile monarch, chosen of the fertility goddess, and yet here she was, not even someone who'd been picked for a brood. At least, that was what she thought.

"Ah, Kalyee there you are, I've been looking for you," the head priestess announced in a stern, yet smooth tone. "I understand that you have been quite busy as of late?"

Taking a step away from the pregnant Kirin as the dark-blue mare nodded and waddled off, Kalyee nodded eagerly.

[i]Busy, she has no idea! I've been working my tail off![/i]

"That's right, mistress, I've been tending to about twelve mothers a day in the past few weeks. It has been a lot to handle, but I'm coping pretty well," the smaller kobold elaborated eagerly. "I was just about to call it a day and head to bed, was there something you needed?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, there was," the dragoness responded, then grinned as she went on. "I understand that you are very keen to be filled with a brood of your own, and after your time here you have proven yourself more than worthy of motherhood."

At those words, Kalyee's heart soared, and she almost jumped up and down on the spot like a giddy child in a candy store as she stammered.

"R–really, mistress, you have no idea how much I want that! I'd love to be a brood mother like you!" Sallandra bore a maternal smile as she looked down at the excited kobold and added.

"Maybe not quite as big as I've gotten, but a mother you will be." At that she stepped aside, to reveal a stranger standing behind her, a blue-scaled dragoness, with sleek sapphire hide and a slender form, save for a small, glowing-green bump in her belly and a pair of emerald eyes. "Kalyee, this is Xeno, they are the last of their kind and with brood. Though they need a host to carry that brood for them."

"H–hi..." stammered the dragoness shyly, as she took a step forward to shake Kalyee's hand. "Sorry if I scare you, this isn't my true form... I just wear it in public."

"That's right, they are a shapeshifter, but we can deal with that later. Question is, are you up for this, Kalyee?" Sallandra asked again, glancing between her priestess and the disguised dragoness.

[i]A pregnant shade shifter in need of a host to impregnate?[/i] Kalyee was growing wet under her tail at the mere idea she could be stuffed with Xeno's brood. [i]This is all I want and more![/i]

"I'll do it!" she announced giddily, waving a claw in emphasis as she added. "I'd gladly carry your brood, Xeno."

The shapeshifter blushed hard, ducking behind a flared wing, as the head priestess smiled warmly and observed.

"Oh, Kalyee, I knew I could count on you." She glanced at Xeno. "Now come, we can make the proper preparations for the fertility ritual, I trust you've been keeping up with the research for it, Kalyee?"

The kobold nodded rapidly, and at that, Sallandra lead on back into the depths of the temple, Xeno close behind, and all thoughts of sleep were forgotten by Kalyee as she eagerly scampered after them.