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Her body was changing. It was difficult for her to understand what, exactly, was going on- but there was no disguising the weight she was steadily putting on around her middle, regardless of how diligently she tried to hide it, or the increase in her appetite. Siya wasn't used to being so hungry. Usually, she was greedy for pretty things like gems and somebody else's belongings. However, Siya had always thought of food as something to trade for anything more shiny, more precious. Of course, she'd always enjoyed a good meal now and then- but this was different.

Very different.

The cheetah suspected that she might be ill. Yes, that had to be it. She was coming down with something.

Poor Xana would be so worried about her when he found out.

A smile, despite the slightly sour mood she was in, danced on her lips. Siya had begun to enjoy the other cheetah's company more and more recently. He was still kind of pathetic, but she'd also come to think of him as almost (but not quite) cute.

The pale blue girl lazed in the sun where she'd first met the male, with her eyes closed. A stranger might have thought she was sleeping, but anybody that knew her at all could have seen, by the gentle and rhythmic swaying of her tail in the grass, that she was very much awake.

"As well as can be expected," Siya lied easily, with her golden eyes still hidden beneath their lids. She was content to stay lying where she was, in a position that she hoped would keep her slowly growing belly out of site, for the time being. The last thing Siya wanted (or needed, for that matter) was for Xana to think that she'd gotten fat and ugly. Then, she would be the truly pathetic one- not him.

"Actually, I think I might be coming down with something."

It was so hard to tell. Besides the increase in her appetite and a couple of mood swings (which were arguably quite normal) Siya felt like she always had.

So, what then, could be responsible for all of this change?

Deep down she knew that there was only one other possibility, but she refused to admit. Xana was infertile.

Wasn't he?

Of course he was. He wouldn't lie to her.

Would he?

All of a sudden, Siya wasn't so sure. She knew, though, that she simply couldn't be pregnant. Motherhood was not meant for her. Being overweight was not meant for her.

Comfort was the last thin in the world she wanted right now. She was fat, and he, of all things, was grooming her. The cheetah wasn't sure why Xana's actions made her so angry, but there was absolutely no denying the fact that they had. Why did he have to be so kind, so concerned? Why did he care so much?

"I'm definitely not hungry," she lied forcefully, as her appetite begged to differ. Siya did not want to admit that she wanted more food because, if everything was right and everything was normal, she wouldn't need anything more to eat. The gazelle she'd had earlier would have filled her right up.

"It's been going on for awhile now."

Much too long to be any mild illness. Either she was pregnant, or she was mortally ill. At the present time, it was impossible to tell which might be worse.

Suspicion bubbled up inside of her so quickly that she could not contain herself; "How often do you lie, Xana?"

She tried to keep the question as casual as possible, but even an idiot would have recognized the venom laced within. If he had, in fact, lied to her before, Siya swore to herself that she'd murder him.

"I think you've done enough," Siya's words were a mixture of fire and ice as she stood up like a flash, well out of his reach, and spun around to glare furiously into his eyes, "and I don't need you to hunt for me."

She was shaking angrily from the moment when he'd moved his paw around to her slightly swollen belly, which had only confirmed in her head that he had, in fact, lied to her about his infertility. How else could he have known?

Siya couldn't recall a moment in her life when she'd been more upset with anybody ever. She hadn't wanted this. She didn't deserve this.

Fat didn't look good on her, dammit!

"Don't talk to me about love, Xana," she spat venomously, "You and I both know that what happened had nothing to do with something so stupid as that."

Cooling down wasn't likely. Not when she was ready to tear his head off. She was fat and she was pregnant, but the extent of her anger went farther than that. Siya was certain that she didn't love him and that he didn't love her. If he'd love her, he wouldn't have gotten her into this situation in the first place. No, she was pissed off because he'd gotten the better of her and nobody had ever done that before. He'd lied, as far as she was concerned, and she'd been sucked in all because of her stupid curiosity.

He'd taken her virginity, he'd lied to her and he'd hurt her pride.

"I do not know much about love, Xana," she growled at him, "but I'm quite certain that lovers do not lie to one another. Not like you did. How can I forgive you? How can I trust you to take care of my children?"

Because they were her children and not his, regardless of whether she wanted them or not. Siya would not share- not with somebody who'd duped her like he had.

"I'm pregnant, yes," Siya snapped irritably, and turned her head in order to gaze up at the sky, "but I wish I were ill instead."

An illness, at least, could be over and done with during a certain amount of time. Babies, on the other hand, were permanent obligations and not something she was particularly looking forward to.

"Oh, joy!" she gushed exaggeratedly and batted her eyelashes at him, "You know, I always wanted to be somebody's fertility angel."

Then the cheetah rolled her, took a couple of steps away from him and said coldly, "Give me a break, Xana. The only reason I did anything with you in the first place was because I thought this wouldn't happen. I preferred you infertile. If you weren't lying, in the first place, which I believe that you were."

Until now, Siya hadn't paused to consider exactly what she intended to do with the children but now, as she gazed at his insanely happy face, the answer came to her like lightning.

Eta. Eta would help her.

"I will manage, but I suppose we could try and work it out."

Lies. Lies. Lies. As soon as he left on one of his little adventures, she would be gone and he would probably never see her again.

Filthy?

Slut?

Siya's golden eyes widened in astonishment as his words sliced through the air like a meat cleaver and tore, unforgivably, at her heart strings. Why couldn't he see that she was the victim here? He was the one who had lied to her.

She had never said she loved him. It wasn't her fault he was a fool and gave his silly little heart away so recklessly.

Whatever. Hurt, pregnant and feeling very much taken advantage of, Siya turned away from him and marched off into the sun with her head held high and her tail erect. She didn't have to listen to him talk to her like that.

How dare he? Who did he think he was?

She hadn't asked for this!