It was almost strange how the scrawny cheetah ‘knight’ had grown on Aeron, who had found himself in her company more willingly now than it had been before, watching the young female as she played in the grass as though she were a mere cub and being greeted in the morning with a lick across his snout.
Certainly the affections weren’t something he was able to reciprocate as willingly as he would have liked, but he had found that just closeness had been enough to appease Verdandi. Verdandi had loved it. Snuggling up against Aeron’s side when it got cold at night and being spoiled with surprises of not having to hunt! It was quite the little blooming romance, or so her mother would have said.
But closeness was closeness and it had eventually led to other things between the two of them. Things that left her awkwardly trying to hide changes in her body. Aeron was clueless as to what it was his love had been pulling with her shuffling steps and awkward movements.
“Verdandi..” he said, watching the cheetahess as she shuffled along at his side, as though trying to hide the fact that her lack of activity had been causing her to put on some miniscule amount of weight – nothing worth noting, really. It simply seemed to him he needed to let her go out and hunt a bit and eat LESS so she’d be back in her normal shape if it was bothering her that much!
Verdandi frowned at him and dropped her head just a little bit, ears flattening back as though she’d just been scolded, causing Aeron to frown more and try to figure out what the hell he’d just said to put her off so much!
AUGH.
“.. You don’t need to be ashamed of a little weight..” he said, trying to be a little more ‘gentle’ with his words. However, that just caused her to cringe guiltily and lean against his side a little bit and whine.
Aeron stopped in his tracks at the sound, ears flattening back with a touch of annoyance at her insistant whimpers at his attempts to make her feel BETTER about whatever vanity issue it was she was having. HE thought she was beautiful, why was it bothering HER so much? REALLY. It was borderline fur-ripping annoyance really.
“Okay, what the hell is it that’s bothering you? You look fine even with the little bit of weight, you’ve been shuffling about in an attempt to hide it for the past two weeks… And don’t try to lie about it, since I caught on early.” Aeron said, expression rather deadpan.
Almost hilariously so, actually. But not really. Ha ha.. ha…
However, Verdandi sunk under the questioning, ears drooping as she shrunk away from him to sit.
“It… wasn’t that…” she said, her voice going small.
Aeron sighed and planted his own butt in the dirt next to her, sidling over to lick the fur on her cheek and ear, earning the female’s head snuggled up under his chin for his efforts, causing him to frown ever so lightly at her forwardness.
Huh, that was a little unexpected.
“Then what was it?” he asked once she seemed to be contently settled in her place. Verdandi sighed deeply before looking up at Aeron with a slightly terrified look on her face, as though she didn’t want to tell him, before she looked away awkwardly.
A moment of silence passed before Aeron’s ears flattened right back up against his skull in a sort of pseudo irritation. “… Well?”
Verdandi sighed in answer, waiting a moment before she started to fumble with her words, eventually just coming up with: “Well…. It’s… uh…” she sputtered and stuttered a bit before she continued on, “It’s…
….
Not my weight.”
Aeron’s eyes narrowed a bit. Okay, hadn’t she just established that wasn’t the problem? However, she continued on to explain, or rather reemphasize her wording: “It isn’t MY weight.” She said, putting extra emphasis on the fact it wasn’t HER weight bothering her. Which of course only prompted the male to look down at his own belly with a light frown. Uhhhh, okay?
Verdandi laughed a bit at the gesture and licked his nose.
“Not your’s either, love.” She purred, before sighing and leaning right back up against his side. “It’s theirs…” Aeron’s body stiffened a little bit. ‘Theirs’? Who was the ‘they’ in that sentence? HE certainly didn’t know, and he looked to Verdandi expectantly. She, however, giggled a bit at his confusion.
“I’m pregnant, Aeron.”
She.. wa… what? Th-… Whatttt???? His expression was every which degree of ‘baffled’ it could possibly be, causing him to sit like a stuffed cat in the most uncomfortable position possible while he tried to put her words in context. She h..
“You were trying to hide the fact that you’re going to be a mother from me?” he said, seeming baffled as hell, then of course he went to add- “Fatherhood shouldn’t have to come as a surprise to me, Verdandi.”
Hmm, those words seemed to elicit quite a reaction from the cheetah, who purred and snuggled herself right up against his body, head resting under his. Hmmm…
…
What had he done now?
“I was just afraid you’d leave me with them…” she answered, which of course caused Aeron to frown, despite that the female wouldn’t be able to see it. SIGH. “Why would I run away from you when I took the time and work to run back just to find you again, Verdandi?” he asked. Verdandi shrugged against his chest but didn’t answer.
Which was just fine by him.
He wouldn’t just sitting there with her like this for a while and letting the sun go by.
