SWAT Kats: Joining a Pride, Ch 29
#29 of SWAT Kat: Joining a Pride
Chapter 29: The Twins Arrive Early
Jockeying the jet into the best angle for Razor to fire at the vines, T-Bone wasn't aware of Feral's plight. Razor fired the Mega-Beam Laser and finally succeeded in shredding the vines down to the root.
As they backed off to see if they got it all, that was when T-Bone spotted the other vine on the building just two blocks to their right.
"Razor, another one at three o'clock. I'm bringing us around!" He shouted as he turned the jet and went to where the other vine was just pulling away from the building it had attacked.
Through his targeting scope Razor caught something else on his screen beside a vine. He looked away from his screen and searched the area through the cockpit window to see what it could be.
"Crud! T-Bone that vine has Feral!" Razor shouted.
"What?" T-Bone blurted in shock. He too looked out his window and was angry when he saw the vine carrying the helpless and very pregnant Feral down to the street where he could plainly see Dr. Viper.
"Razor!" He shouted.
"I'll get him!" Razor growled angrily. He aimed his Mega Laser toward the ground. Taking careful aim, he blasted the ground in front of Dr. Viper, sending the mutant flying back against a building then switched to the Mega-Beam Laser and waited until the vine had deposited Feral on the ground before blasting it to bits.
Suddenly a swarm of plantimals surrounded them and headed for Feral's helpless form laying on the ground below.
Hissing furiously, Razor sent out a brace of spider chain missiles from their upper missile launcher since the lower one was blocked by the Mega-Beam. He's reinforced the missiles to withstand acid for several minutes past the point when they should melt and took out several of the creatures temporarily to get them away from Feral first then switched to a new freeze ray he'd developed to take them out permanently.
"Razor, look out ... Viper?" T-Bone hollered as he saw Viper get to his feet again and make for Feral.
They weren't close enough and if Razor fired anything he would hit Feral. He'd have to wait for his opportunity.
"I have you now, Feral!" Viper hissed down at the Commander in triumph.
Feral was panting in pain but glared up at the lizard. "No you don't!" He growled, as he fired his blaster he'd pulled from his coat while he rested, catching his breath. It was hidden at his side.
His shot struck Viper squarely in the chest, sending him flying once more against the building.
Snarling in fury, Viper leaped to his feet yet again and charged but was immediately pinned to the wall with an octopus missile fired by Razor the moment the mutant lizard Kat was clear of the dark tom.
Looking quickly around their airspace, both SWAT Kats could see the danger was finally over and with great care due to the attached Mega-Beam Laser, T-Bone landed the jet on a street over from Feral where there was cleared space. Shooting the canopy back, they jumped down and ran down the street till they reached the still down Kat.
T-Bone knelt down to Feral's side. The Commander was panting hard and moaning, his paws gripping his belly.
"Commander, were you hurt?" He asked in concern.
"No!" The dark tom managed to gasp. "Uh...contractions...ohhhhh...bastard pushed me into labor..." Feral said through gritted teeth as another hard contraction struck.
"Crud! We've got to get him to a hospital fast, buddy!" Razor said worriedly.
"Yeah, but how? We can't just pick him up. He's heavy and with that extra weight, we'll cause him more pain." T-Bone worried, looking around for something that might help them.
"Don't worry, we'll handle getting him off the ground!" A breathless voice shouted.
A doctor, Ten, and Kunto with four other pride members had finally gotten out of the building and had reached them. The doctor ordered the pride members to go back to his office and get a gurney asap. They took off running while the doctor dropped to his knees to check his patient's condition.
Tendaji had also dropped to his knees and was holding his mate's paws in his. "Open to me, my love. I'll help you with the pain." He urged softly.
"Uh...oh Ten it hurts..." Feral moaned in his mind.
"I know love, easy, I'll help you in just a second." Ten soothed him as he concentrated and did what Dubaku had shown him to do to handle pain from his mate and how to disperse it before it could incapacitate him as well.
While Ten worked to ease his mate's pain, the rest of his pride finally returned with a gurney. While he kept his paws on his mate, the others carefully lifted the dark tom to the bed and strapped him in.
Soon they were moving down the street hurriedly toward the Turbokat. Razor signaled the cargo door open. They reached the ramp and pushed the gurney inside. T-Bone insured it was latched into the floor cleats and that their passengers were secured before he and Razor went back to the cockpit and lifted off.
In less than fifteen minutes, they reached the hospital. Ten had succeeded in easing some of Ulysses' agony as labor progressed fairly rapidly.
The Pride witnesses had arrived just days before and Kunto notified them to hurry to Megakat Hospital then contacted Dubaku who was on a security job elsewhere in the city.
Meanwhile, Feral was taken up to the maternity ward where he was stripped, cleaned up and checked for any possible injures from the attack (there were only some ugly red marks on his upper thighs which they treated), an IV was started then he was taken and placed on another bed in a large delivery room.
The pride had already set up the procedures required by their culture with the hospital staff so much of the preparation was completed when the witnesses with Dubaku finally arrived.
During all this, Feral was firmly linked with Ten who was doing much to ease him through the agonizing contractions.
"Ohhhh...God...I never want to go through this again!" He growled.
Ten just smiled gently to himself. "I can certainly understand that, love. This is pretty painful and I think you are very brave and strong." He murmured warmly.
A tap on his face made Ten pull back a bit from his mental link with Uly to see who was trying to get his attention.
"Ten, you need to direct Ulysses to touch the kittens minds and soothe them. They will be scared by what is going on and it will make Uly's delivery more difficult." Dubaku said urgently.
"Oh, right!" Ten said then reconnected with his mate. "Love? You need to touch our kitten's minds. They need to be reassured that what's happening is okay. That the pain is only a moment then gone and that they'll see us soon and to not fight the pressure they are feeling." Hetold Uly.
Ulysses blinked mental eyes in confusion. "But they can't really think. How will I be able to make them understand that?"
"Don't worry love, you'll be able to make them understand. Just reach for them and try! You'll know what to do!" He reassured his mate.
Still confused, Feral did as he was told. He sent his mind toward the two warm emotions he could feel. Instantly, he was struck by loud emotions of fear. Immediately, he reached out and soothed his kittens. He tried to convey warmth, love, and the urge to just go with what was happening. At first his kittens resisted but with Feral's continual encouragement, they stopped fighting the pressure shoving on them.
Feral tried to keep his tie with the kittens as he felt the need to push. It was soo distracting but Ten joined him, helping him maintain his link with their kittens. A sharp pain disrupted his concentration and he felt the first kitten try to resist.
He cried out in pain and grunted as he pushed hard. It seemed like forever but suddenly he heard the sweet sound of a kitten's wail with his ears. He relaxed for a bit and caught his breath.
"It's a tom. What a beauty!" Dubaku said with joy. There were murmurs of congratulations from the rest of the pride witnesses observing.
Ten spared only a moment to glance at his new son before renewing his link when he felt new pain coming from Uly.
Feral groaned as he felt new contractions press him hard. He felt the last kitten react in fear and he struggled to reach out and soothe her. Somehow he knew it was female. "It's alright my little one. Keep going!" He urged her.
Ten added his own encouragement and tried to hold back some of Uly's pain as his mate pushed hard to deliver his last twin. Some fifteen minutes later, the last kitten wailed her anger at the cold air.
Feral sighed and relaxed in exhaustion. His twins howled their objections to the treatment they were receiving from the doctors and nurses. Over it all a chanting was heard. He knew it was the pride witnesses doing a blessing on the new arrivals. He listened in tired fascination.
Ten leaned over and kissed his mate's sweating brow. "I love you. They are beautiful, my love."
Feral could only make a tired nonsensical sound in his mind in answer. He could hear Tendaji chuckle at that and give him a warm mental hug that felt so good right now.
Sometime later, Feral was drowsing in a comfortable bed in a quiet room. His twins were in a double size bassinet next to his bed and they were blessedly asleep. Tendaji had left to speak with the witnesses and would be back soon. He sighed and allowed himself to succumb to sleep. It might be the last time he got any for awhile.
Outside Ulysses' room, Ten was thanking the SWAT Kats for their assistance and for rescuing his mate.
"Hey, just glad we were on hand in the first place." T-Bone said with a shrug and a smile.
"Tell Feral that was a great idea using the Mega-Beam Laser. We'll go return it now so Pumadyne doesn't worry too much about it." Razor assured him.
"And I'll try and find out what the heck Viper wanted with my uncle." Felina said. She had arrived only a little while ago after she'd learned of her uncle being in labor. "See you tomorrow." She told Ten as she and the SWAT Kats left.
"You are very fortunate, Tendaji. They are a healthy and beautiful pair." One of the elders said with a warm smile.
"Thank you. Will you be returning to the Pride compound tomorrow?" He asked politely.
"Yes. The King and Queen will be anxious to hear the news. Remember, you must present the kittens as soon as they are allowed to fly to complete their introduction to the Pride." The elder reminded.
"Yes ma'am. I won't forget. See you soon. Have a pleasant evening." Ten said politely.
Dubaku gave his friend a warm smile and a congratulatory slap on the back before leaving with the others.
Sighing happily, Ten turned and returned to his mate's room. He smiled tenderly when he saw Ulysses was asleep. He moved to stand over the bassinet.
He reached down and gently touched the sleeping cheek of each twin. "Welcome, my little ones. Daddy loves you." He murmured softly.