What Lurks in the Grass 

Ceres’ family had lived on the edge of the Sunfire Prairie for as long as any of her grandsires could recall. A clay bank of a long dry riverbed served as foundation for their burrow, carved out with rooms, entrances, vents, and windows by generations of her kin. The Rattata doe had been born here alongside her siblings, fur as royally purple as any king’s cloak, though her family’s station was more stewards of this land rather than its rulers. 

From their embankment, the family of Raticate and Rattata, a force composed of Ceres’ father, brothers, and uncles, tended to the small patch of woods to the north, cultivating the grove of ancient trees that were occasionally harvested for fine timber in the big cities of the east. To the south was a small plot of land where her mother and aunts all tended a garden that overflowed with vegetables, beans, and leafy plants the entire growing season. A steady creek, the final remains of that ancient wide river that had formed the clay bank, flowed alongside the southern edge of the garden plot, as if cradling the productive land like a newborn child. 

Life was good and simple for the young Rattata doe, now a few seasons past being a pup. She grew and learned from her parents and elders, and played in the woods with her siblings and cousins who were her best friends. Other Pokémon would visit from time to time from the small village of Claypit to the east, but only to cart away the felled lumber her family would harvest from their tended woods. Her family kept to itself, but that was fine by Ceres. It meant uninterrupted days spent exploring and playing in the woods, helping her mom and aunts weed their garden, fetching water from the stream, and helping dig out more rooms once she was old enough. She had the tall emerald woods, the boundless blue sky, and the babbling stream as her domain, and on long summer days she would fall asleep under the eternal vastness of the night sky with its twinkling stars and pale shards of Verus’ broken moon. 

Ceres was given few rules to live by. She knew to be a polite and decent ‘mon. To help others when she was able. To work hard before play. To love and cherish family. To be back home for dinner. She could roam the woods and anywhere north of the stream. 

But caution was always given to the sea of tall, golden grass that stretched beyond the horizon from the south side of the stream. The Sunfire Prairie was not a place to go without her father or uncles. It was a big deal when her parents and family would cross the stream to harvest the golden grass: her mother and aunts would weave the leaves into baskets, turn the grain to bread and seedcakes and use the stalks for shoring up the burrow walls. No one ever went alone into the Prairie. 

‘When you’re older, we’ll tell you.’ They told her as she asked why she could not play and run in the swaying sea of rustling grass. ‘You must never go there without someone strong and who knows the way home.’ It was the way of things.

Until one day in early summer, when the southerly winds blew hot, Ceres could find no relief from the oppressive heat. The woods were stifling, the burrow was sweltering, and the garden made her feel as wilted as the thirsty plants. The creek, barely flowing now, was her only relief. Cooling her footpaws in the warm, sluggish water, the young Rattata sighed and let herself snooze, partly on the bank, with her hindquarters in the water. She had seen a few summers so far, though none were as hot as this one. Her aunts all claimed rain was due soon, a feeling in their whiskers and teeth, but it was not a sensation any of the younger generation knew to recognize yet. 

Orders of the Goddess of Storms from deep under the Eternal Ocean were not to be disobeyed; Kyogre's will would be heeded. Ceres barely stirred when the sun became shaded to her closed eyes, the ever-present daylight giving way to clouds of increasingly darker hues, brought in by mischievous western winds. The sounds of her kin splashing around her ebbed away as the telltale ‘plink’ of fat raindrops on parched earth began to grow. Still, Ceres snoozed on, her body fatigued from the long, hot day that had begun with strenuous chores, and from the changes that were slowly underway inside her. The purple rat was still young, yet she was maturing, her lithe form developing in ways her mother and aunts had barely begun to explain. 

‘You're not quite ready to hear that yet, Ceres. Next season.’ They told her when she'd gone to them complaining of soreness in her underbelly and of warmth in her core, manifesting in dampness under her tail at times. She would occasionally find her brothers or her buck cousins staring at her in different ways, or sniffing the air as she went by with her long tail curled down to cover her nethers. ‘It's something for grown-up females, Ceres. Enjoy being a kid for a little longer.’ They had said, attempting to mollify the young rat. 

So, that blazing summer day, Ceres dozed with the heat of the ground and that of her core both radiating. Until the rains finally unleashed. The restrained patter of droplets became a deluge in the blink of an eye. Ceres was wide awake now, but the storm was upon her. The creek bank turned into slick mud she couldn't get purchase on with her claws, no matter how frantically she scrambled. Behind her, the sluggish creek roared to life with all the rain that drained into it from the parched land that could not hope to drink it all. 

The rush of water hit the young Rattata doe and bowled her over, sending the poor girl tumbling head over tail through the churning, muddy water. Sweeping her downriver. Her swiping paws found a spinning branch and clung to it for dear life, barely keeping her head above the angry current that threatened to drag her below forever. Soon she passed the furthest she'd ever explored with her brothers, then even her beloved woods gave way to unfamiliar territory on her side of the creek. Ceres felt as though she went on for an eternity, getting tossed about by the raging, rain-swollen river until her log finally caught. 

One end jammed into the thick mud of the bank and held fast. Ceres, on the other end of the branch, became a projectile flung hard by the sudden stop, her momentum hurling the young rat headlong into the wet stalks of grass on the southern shore. She tumbled for a bit until skidding to a stop along the wet ground. Groggy, terrified, and half-drowned, Ceres coughed up muddy river water and curled up into a tight, shivering ball. Rain continued to pelt at her from above, but she was in no danger of getting swept away here. That sleep which comes after utter exhaustion overcame the doe in mere moments. 

When Ceres finally opened her eyes again, it was light once more. The afternoon sunlight was filtered through the dense canopy of swaying grass that danced and cast strange shadows around her. With a start, the rodent realized she was on the wrong side of the river. Ceres was in the Sunfire Prairie and all alone against whatever threats it held. For a long while, she hardly dared to even breathe, terrified that whatever horrors her family warned her of would descend upon a helpless Rattata female. 

However, nothing came. The golden grass swayed, the sun became hotter, and Ceres soon found herself becoming aware of her body's needs. Food and shelter, for she was still good on water, were needed before night fell. Creeping forward on trepidatious footpaws, Ceres began to venture into the Prairie. Her sense of direction was utterly useless in the swaying sea of grass where all directions looked equal. Even guessing which direction was west and towards her home was difficult with how tall the grasses were, the short Rattata couldn't quite see which direction the afternoon sun was sinking. ‘Maybe at true sunset I will be able to tell...?’ She thought with minor hope. 

All the while, she only had the sound of rustling grass as company, unaware that a pair of piercing eyes watched her every move. Where her paws scurried along dead, damp grass, a pair of large, black and blue paws made no noise. Ceres scampered in a direction, hoping it would take her back upriver to her burrow and family. Her stalker closed the distance without a sound. The winds were blowing at Ceres’ front, masking the scent of the creeping beast and unfortunately taking the scent of her maturing body right to its keen nose. 

Ceres popped into a small clearing and stopped, going up on her hind legs to try and get her bearings in the ubiquitous grass. That was all the opportunity the hunter needed. Quick as lightning, Ceres was pinned on her back underneath a huge paw, sharp claws pressing on either side of her head. Her wide, terrified eyes beheld a feline form four times her height and vastly heavier. Even with her entire family at her back, Ceres doubted they'd last long against the menacing Luxray that loomed over her. 

The beast leaned in and sniffed at her front and cheek, staying just out of range of Ceres’ formidable incisors, though not that she'd have thought to fight back through her terror. Eventually, the hunter spoke in a deep tone. 

“I've stalked you for over an hour, small morsel... Did you not notice?” The Luxray, a male by his voice, seemed to chortle with mirth. “Young rodents should know better than to wander the Prairie alone without protection and wits...” he growls and licks a rough tongue over her chin and snout, making Ceres gag. 

“... P-Please, sir... Please... Don't... Don't eat me...” the Rattata whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut as his paw kept her limbs pinned down. 

“Why not? I hunger for prey. The storm has flushed you into my domain...” He snorted, mane crackling with small sparks of electricity. “Some of my kin retreat to cities and towns to forget their true nature... But I remain. The Old Ways remain. Deep in these sun-blessed lands, they thrive. The strong conquer the weak and eat their fill...” The Luxray pressed down, blocking Ceres’ throat bit by bit, causing the young doe to faintly squeak and tremble. 

“... I have seen your clan often. Propagating along the old riverbank... So long have I wished to cross the stream to drag your fat relations off to be my dinner...” He licked his lips with another bemused snort. “But that would bring the Steelclad... Those royal soldiers would torch this place to put me down...” The hunter breathed out into her face, his breath hot and acrid. 

“I've watched all the same... Your grandsires, your parents, you... It seems your kin are content to remain with themselves... Breeding more from yourselves... You won't be missed, except perhaps by your brothers or sire. Not so many females around to claim in your generation.” Ceres wasn't sure what to think; this predator had been watching her family for a long time. It even knew she'd been the only female born of her mother or aunts.

A wicked smile crossed his features. “... Perhaps I won't kill you... Your clan could use some fresh blood after all.” He murmured while sniffing deeply of the air. “And you... You are just barely ready... Yes. I'll spare your life. But you may end up wishing I gulped you down instead...” 

The Luxray lifted his massive paw enough for her to breathe. 

“Twitch a whisker and I'll change my mind, you hear? You'll find out exactly what it means to live the old ways...” The hunter warned while lifting his paw fully. Ceres, petrified with fear, remained where she was, the Rattata splayed out on her back. 

With a snort, the Luxray leaned in close, maned head between her trembling legs, and dragged his tongue right over the doe's plump folds. The rough organ made Ceres whimper, though her toes curled in from the brand new sensation. It was a relief she didn't know her body had been craving. He lapped again at her tender nether lips while a low growl rumbled in his chest. From her vantage on the ground, Ceres could spot another organ come twitching to life between his hind legs. 

Abruptly, he paused his licking and shifted himself directly over the young Rattata. 
“Ripe enough... You'll take. Bit young, but your body's ready...” He murmured. The bobbing pink erection the Luxray sported was thick and lined with feline barbs. Pearly white liquid collected at its twitching tip. 

“Stay still, girl. Otherwise I'll snap you up...” He threatened and Ceres barely dared to breathe while the electric predator lined himself up. Ceres, while largely oblivious to the way of intimacy, knew exactly where the cat intended on putting his pulsing penis. She wished she could just close her legs, but doing so would risk her life.

There was little hesitation from the hunter. Ceres felt his wet tip prod at her hot petals a couple times before he felt ready. She got neither warning nor gentle entry as he speared his length into her vagina. Stars flashed in the Rattata doe's vision while the Luxray shoved his thick, spined cock deep into her virgin canal. He let out a yowl of satisfaction. She let out a squeak of pain. Nether noise was heard beyond the rustling grass. No one was coming to save her from this unasked for breeding.

With a deep purr, the Luxray got into a rhythm and cared not for how it hurt his much smaller prey. His penis stretched her vagina incredibly wide, threatening to tear her delicate tunnel, all the while his barbs scratched and caught at her tender, formerly-virgin insides. Tears built up and ran down her cheeks, yet there was a certain part of her mind that was finding victory in the carnal act. As if it was pleased such a strong male was claiming her heat, rather than one within her family. 

Time seemed to pass in a blur for Ceres, her small form being jostled by the massive Luxray with every thrust he made. Their hips connected with wet slaps, damp purple fur colliding with damp black fur. Ceres felt the tomcat's plump balls swaying and smacking into her rear with every push he made, forcing his rod deeper and deeper inside her. The few times she opened her eyes, Ceres saw his grinning form staring down, eyes seemingly piercing straight through her. 

Ceres only knew her ordeal was over when the Luxray growled deeply and gave a few, final and frantic thrusts into her sore canal. Holding himself deep, tip wedged against Ceres’ inner wall, he let out a relieved purr as a glut of thick, cool fluid filled the young Rattata's abdomen. She squeaked in discomfort, pushing futilly against his paws, as his seed made her barely-mature womb bloat, making her stomach look like she'd eaten a hefty meal. Ceres felt stuffed, but not in the same way a good dinner did. 

The Luxray tom held himself inside her for a time as the sun grew dimmer in the sky. By the time his erection waned and finally slipped out of Ceres’ poor slit, the stars were starting to shine. His rough tongue again dragged over her cheek. “... Stay like that until the dawn's first rays... I want nothing to spill out before then...” He ordered while tracing a claw along her sore nethers. Ceres gulped, but nodded. As uncomfortable and bloated as she felt, she wouldn't move to try to drain his excessively cum until tomorrow. 

“Sleep. When you wake, I'll have made a trail for you to follow back to your burrow. I spared your life... And gave you one instead. Be grateful I did not simply eat you... I will be watching. I'll want to make sure you treat my gift well.” Confused, Ceres merely nodded. Anything to get him to leave her alone.

With that, the large cat melted into the darkness and Ceres was left alone. Given her orders to remain on her back with her hips tilted up, she sniffled and did her best to get some sleep. Rest was impossible, but the young doe tried. At least she didn't feel uncomfortably hot in her core after the Luxray came inside her belly. Small blessings. 

When she next woke with the light of dawn, Ceres rolled onto all fours and immediately felt her poor, bloated womb sway. At least gravity would start draining her distended belly. Blinking tired eyes in the gray morning light, Ceres found there was a path to follow through the grass. Sore, hungry, violated, and exhausted, Ceres didn't even question the new path that had been made for her. As she walked, paws pressing into muddy soil or damp grass, the Luxray's insidious gift was beginning to take form. 

The young Rattata doe had been in the depths of her first heat when the rains had swept her away. Her fertile cycle had likely saved her life when the Luxray had found her, though the consequences of that bargain wouldn't become apparent just yet. Within her bloated womb, a fierce battle was underway as countless Shinx sperm all sought to be the one to claim Ceres’ first egg, a race only one would win, but a contest Ceres would lose. 

By the time her weary paws found the calm stream just across from her mother's garden, the battle was decided. Ceres was to become a mother herself at her tender age. After a quick dip in the river, Ceres returned to the burrow, all evidence of the hunter's breeding erased save for the fertilized egg implanting itself into her uterine wall. Her family swarmed the exhausted girl, all asking how she survived and found her way home, but Ceres only wanted to sleep. 

Ultimately, she got her wish. Curled up in her own soft nest of hay, Ceres fell into a deep slumber while the first divisions of her unwanted child took place, unknown to the Rattata. 

The impacts were subtle at first. Ceres, eager to put the events of that summer day behind her, returned to her usual routines with gusto. Chores around the burrow, playing in and exploring the woods with her brothers and cousins, splashing in the stream on warm days. The young Rattata noticed almost right away that her brothers were a bit less attentive than they had been before the deluge. Her heat no longer imploring any nearby males to mount her; that part was taken care of. 

Still, life seemed good. Her family was thrilled to have her back safe and sound; Ceres didn't tell them of her encounter with the Luxray. She didn't want them to worry even more for her. Soon, the young doe could almost pretend that the stormy day had been a terrible nightmare. Though, after about a week, a fierce nausea gripped poor Ceres. A queasiness like she'd never known descended upon her like that sudden summer storm. 

So rebellious was her stomach, Ceres barely left the burrow. The young Rattata was put on bland biscuits and water by her doting family. It was her mother who came to her on the third day of her intense morning sickness to talk with Ceres. The Raticate eased herself down beside her oldest daughter, the brown-furred rodent having to be careful; her abdomen was rounded yet again with another litter of Ceres’ siblings. No doubt her aunts were the same way, such was life for their family's colony. 

“Ceres, love... You came to me complaining about being warm under your tail, didn't you? Almost two weeks ago?” The pregnant Raticate asked softly as her paw stroked along Ceres’ side. The Rattata let out a soft grunt at her mother's paw as it passed over her abdomen. While it was her upset stomach that stole the show lately, the grand process of new life was working overtime in Ceres’ womb. 

So early on, the effects were not readily noticeable, but Ceres’ mother had experience with every aspect of pregnancy. Her paw pressed down a tiny bit and immediately felt the firm, unyielding spot of her daughter's womb. Sign of her first heat having been claimed. 

“... Did someone climb on top of you when you were hot, Ceres? One of your brothers or cousins? ... Or was it your father? Or uncles?” Her mother asked and Ceres merely looked away. 

“Um... Y-Yes...” Ceres eventually answered, though she said nothing more. Her mother asked if a male had been on top of her, which was true. Ceres felt flustered at trying to explain that it was a hunter, not someone in her family. 

Her mother clicked her prominent teeth and stroked a paw behind her daughter's ears. “It's okay, Ceres... You don't have to say. It's all the same.” The Raticate smiled and placed Ceres’ paw on her own swelled belly between two plump teats. Ceres could barely feel the unborn Rattata inside, her siblings just beginning to test their limbs. “I was just a bit older than you when your father and I...” 

“You're going to help our family grow, Ceres. Little earlier than we expected, but we'll manage. We'll manage~” She pulled out some dried Pecha berries for her daughter. 

“Pechas help with morning sickness. Eat those with every meal and it should get better, dear.” With that, she left, leaving Ceres to ponder what exactly she meant. The dried Pechas did help, and soon Ceres could get up and move about the burrow once more. 

Days came and went, summer heat slowly giving way to autumn's cool winds. The Rattata doe had stubbornly tried to keep to her routines and frolicking, though such activities were becoming hard on the young rat. Around midsummer, she couldn't avoid acknowledging that she had put on weight. Her normally flat and lean underbelly was sporting a distinct outward curve. Ceres’ mother and aunts gave approving nods whenever they saw the young doe, and often told her to be careful. 

The young Rattata wasn't sure why they told her that so often lately. Though, she did try to heed their advice. She didn't climb the tall trees with her brothers and cousins, nor leap into the deep swimming hole of their stream from high on the bank. She felt a subconscious aversion to such dangerous activities, her maternal instincts kicking in for the unready mother-to-be before she even understood what was happening. 

By late autumn, her belly had grown even more. Ceres felt uneasy. The truth had been finally explained to the young doe: she was pregnant and she'd be having her litter soon. Her mother had told her after Ceres had come waddling in, concerned by movement she felt inside her growing belly. She'd felt her litter quickening, her mother said, and it was a sign of healthy babies. Though, the Raticate, immensely gravid by now, still thought her eldest daughter had been claimed by one of her siblings. Ceres didn't contradict her, though it left the poor girl to worry about what was actually growing inside her from the Luxray's seed.

As the days continued to grow shorter and the nights cooler, Ceres’ belly steadily grew as well. Her brothers and cousins still played with her, though they excluded the sole female from their games which required speed or high jumps, neither of which Ceres could do with her womb weighing her down. So, the doe remained closer to the burrow, tending the garden with her mother and aunts. It was on the day of the equinox that Ceres was weeding when her mother let out a pained gasp. Looking up from her task, the Rattata saw her Raticate mother clutching at her swollen belly, a damp puddle on the ground between her legs. 

“Aaah! Nghh! C-Ceres! Come! Help me inside, love... Your new siblings are, hooo... They're coming...!” 

Gardening forgotten, Ceres escorted her mother back to the burrow. The young ‘mon lead her mother to a room prepared with a soft grass nest and water skins. Instead of being sent out as was typical when labor was beginning, her mother demanded Ceres stay and watch. 

“You'll be... Feeling this... Next season... Best understand what you're in for...” She huffed, offering her oldest daughter a pained, yet reassuring smile before it transformed into a loud groan. Ceres watched in wide-eyed horror as her mother's large belly tightened from a strong cramp. “Hhhaaa... That was... A contraction, love... It's your body trying to... Nnnghhh! Push your babies out!” 

Ceres had no choice but to watch between her mother's legs, acting as spotter for the laboring doe. She didn't have time for embarrassment at staring at the folds she had been born from, especially as they began to part from within. The small, purple-furred head of a Rattata made her mother's vagina bulge and part wider still. Her mother was an expert, having given birth to over a dozen children before this latest litter. Even with experience and knowing her body's response to labor, the Raticate struggled for over an hour to deliver the four Rattata kits. 

All girls this time. As they nursed at her mother's plump teats, Ceres heard her remark that four does were a miracle. It was looking problematic for their family's next generation with so many males. Now, there'd be mates available to carry their lineage on. 

Ceres waddled outside, needing fresh air after that ordeal. Dusk was settling in over the burrow, but the air hadn't yet cooled down. With careful steps, the young mother made her way to the stream and dipped into the clear, flowing waters. She washed the stains in her paws from helping guide her siblings into the world. Standing on her hind paws, Ceres poured water over her distended uterus, the cool sensation causing her swelling rows of teats to stiffen. From within, she felt strong movement against her strained uterine walls. 

“Finally. Close enough to check...” 

Ceres froze, paws moving protectively to her belly. That voice, deep and menacing, was one she hadn't heard out loud in months. It haunted her nightmares often enough. From the dense grass thicket on the southern shore, Ceres could see a silhouetted form with gleaming, golden eyes fixed directly upon her. “So long as you don't move or scream, I won't have reason to pounce, girl. Stand still... I am merely wanting to check how you are doing with my progeny...” The Luxray snorted. “Do they even know? I'm sure your idiot parents think you're carrying a few inbred rats... If only you were so unfortunate.”

His eyes glowed and Ceres felt an electric tingle come over her, making her damp fur attempt to stand on end. She whimpered, though couldn't move without provoking the hunter's ire. After a moment, the tingle faded and the beast's eyes stopped glowing. 

“... Hmph. I'd have hoped for more than one Shinx cub, given your species. But I caught you early.” The Luxray flashed a grin of sharp white teeth her way. “Take care of my son, girl.” 

With that, he was gone. And Ceres was left in the river with the burden of knowing she carried a male Shinx in her womb. A son, identical in every way to his cruel father. Ceres slumped in the cold water and shivered. The Shinx cub inside her belly reacted to being submerged and kicked out with growing limbs. A tingling sensation seemed to radiate from her core, like her unborn son was testing out his electrical abilities. And the feeling was both weird and stimulating to the young mother-to-be. 

She grit her incisors tightly as she settled onto a submerged rock as a seat. The internal stimuli from her son, both his subtle electricity and occasional kicks, were having an effect on the Rattata. Her teats, only just beginning to grow plump and round with milk, grew stiff while her nethers felt incredibly sensitive. Akin to when she had been in heat and had gotten knocked up with the Luxray's cub. Ceres lowered a paw between her legs in the cool current and rocked back and forth over her digits. Soft moans and aroused escaped the young rodent's mouth, amplifying the impacts her son was unwittingly producing in his mother. 

The more he squirmed and tested his energy, the more aroused Ceres got, which only agitated the unborn Shinx even more. It was a positive feedback loop that left the girl with little choice but to dig her digits deeper into her slit and rock her hips in desperation. That need built and built until the doe's tense body shuddered, pushing her over the edge and into the first real orgasm in her life. Toes curling tightly into the silt, Ceres chittered and rubbed her paws over her rounding belly. Which tightened unexpectedly under her paws. She breathed in deeply, hoping against hope that it wasn't a true contraction. 

When it didn't repeat, the heavily gravid Rattata let out a sigh of relief. “Gotta... Be careful...” She huffed and gently patted her womb. “You... You made your mama feel nice... Better than your sire ever did...” Ceres muttered to her unborn son before she slowly trudged out of the stream to shake herself dry on the bank. Stretching her damp, glistening form out in the cooling night, moonlight catching on her purple fur, Ceres knew the Luxray was watching. Yet that didn't bother her as much now that she knew she had a Shinx growing inside her. 

If he wanted to hurt her, he'd have killed her a season ago. The Luxray wanted to see his son come into the world. And Ceres had no choice but to see it through. Though, after today, she felt a deeper love for her cub than before. Knowing what they were, Ceres could visualize the curled up form of the Shinx in her belly. Her paw traced over where she imagined his head would be, his body, his legs... “I didn't ask for you, but I'll care for you all the same...” 

The autumn came and went like a chilled breeze, turning the woods shades of red, gold, and orange for a brief time. Ceres wandered through the dazzling forest as colorful leaves twirled about in their descent to the forest floor. To the mostly burrow-bound girl, it was a relief to be outside and see more than the clay walls of her room. It was some of the only relief the young doe got as her Shinx son only grew bigger and bigger, and her womb was struggling to hold him. She thanked the gods above and below that she only had one baby her first heat and not a litter; otherwise she might have actually burst. 

Her family had taken in stores of food and water during the autumn season, ready for the land to turn white and icy in winter. Ceres tried to go outside as often as she could, but eventually the gusting snow and wind were too much. It was time to retreat to the burrow to await the spring. Some ‘mon hibernated through the cold months, sleeping the winter away. Her kind didn't do such a thing, though Ceres wished she could simply sleep through the dreary months. 

The confinement to the burrow brought attention to Ceres from her family. With how big her belly was, they suspected she would be giving birth imminently to her purebred litter. Ceres did her best to keep wandering paws off her taut swell, to keep her kin from discovering the truth of what she carried. Her family was eager to help prepare her room with a larger nest of soft grass, providing a similar supply as was used when her mother and aunts gave birth. The gravid young Rattata spent the days in her room, softly talking to her unborn son and thinking about how her family was going to react to her birthing a predator. 

Despite the days creeping along, turning into weeks, Ceres didn't feel the rhythmic tightness of labor pangs her mother told her to watch for. Her womb bulged out wide and her plump teats rubbed at the clay floor despite her best efforts. Moving was a chore, the size of her belly and weight of her son making walking difficult. Her family grew concerned that she hadn't broken her waters yet; she was well past due for even a large litter of Rattata. 

But Ceres knew the truth in her bones. Shinx took longer than Rattata to grow. Her body was in a tug-of-war with itself, one side desperate to keep her cub in for as long as he needed, the other desperate to birth the cub that had stayed inside longer than any Rattata kit should have. Cramps gripped the poor girl's womb often, but they were erratic, not coming with any rhythm. As urgently as her strained womb wanted to evict its tenant, it could not just yet. Her son needed time to become stronger; Ceres wished she had evolved prior to getting pregnant. That would have given the large Shinx cub even more room in her womb. 

But that wasn't how life had played out. She was stuck as a small Rattata and had been knocked up before her body should have had to endure a pregnancy. Ceres often pondered how it would have turned out if she had truly been bred by one of her brothers or father instead. Would she have had just one Rattata? It seemed incredulous, given how bloated she was with her Shinx cub. 

Her body ached. Belly stretched and sore, teats dripping milk at the slightest provocation, her son moving about more and more, kicking his limbs and testing out his electricity. Ceres felt that overwhelming, arousing sensation often of late, that same feeling that had come over her in the river. It was incredibly difficult to reach her nethers now with her belly in the way, but Ceres tried. It was the only relief she got these days, and the young rat got creative. When her paws failed to reach her needy slit, she enlisted one of her brothers to come help. 

Adwin had been the one who had been eyeing her during her heat. Had things gone differently, Ceres had no doubts she'd be gravid with his babies instead. In the privacy of her room, Ceres didn't have to ask. Adwin's penis was already hard and twitching between his legs. Compared to the Luxray's rod that violated her seasons ago, Adwin's was considerably less impressive, but Ceres made use of it all the same. She let Adwin mount her heavily pregnant form, finally doing as her mother thought had happened months ago. 

Her brother took a few tries to find her slit, but with her guidance eventually the siblings were going at it with gusto. Ceres squeaked with raw delight, an itch she'd been unable to scratch finally being satisfied as her brother's penis pushed into her vagina, stretching her canal. The Shinx cub kicked up a storm within her womb, and Ceres found herself moaning even louder when his paws pushed at her taut belly and put pressure on her hips. Adwin's efforts were necessary, but once again it was her own pregnancy that carried Ceres over the edge. The young Rattata shivered, her orgasm rocking her body as her brother desperately bucked his hips into her. 

Adwin rutted her as rough as he could, seemingly not caring that his sister was very overdue. The pair of Rattata grunted, squeaked, and moaned between gasps. This would have been her life had she not been swept away by the river. Pregnant still, yes, but from a male she knew and loved, rather than a hunter that had come close to killing her for food. Ceres imagined that would-be life while Adwin thrusted into her soaked nethers, a life where she had a belly full of Rattata kits ready to be born. A life where she hadn't been swept off into the Sunfire Prairie and fallen victim to a nameless Luxray. 

Adwin's thrusts made Ceres groan and her belly tense, his plump balls slapping at her rear. Teeth gritted, she endured her brother's frantic lovemaking as his tip jabbed forcefully at her cervix, prodding at the doorway that held her Shinx from coming out. Her brother bit at the scruff of her neck right before he finally blew his load; the sticky rush of incestuous cum pooling before her sealed cervix. If any seeped through to her womb, they'd only find it very occupied by an irate Shinx with no room for any new babies. 

“T-Thank you... Adwin...” She murmured while her brother gasped atop her. 

“W-Was real nice...~ Good to finally mate someone my own size,” Adwin replied with a gentle pat of Ceres’ rump. “Call me any time.”

Ceres spent the long nights of winter with her brother's attention, using him as a means to satisfy herself, or at least rile her unborn son to get her off that way. She almost wished she wasn't so pregnant, if only so she could give Adwin's eager seed a chance to make a litter with her. Ceres wasn't sure if he'd want anything to do with her once he discovered the predator cub that lurked in her belly, right on the other side of the inner wall his cock continually jabbed at. Would her whole family be repulsed by the fact she'd been carrying a hunter instead of a litter to grow their clan?

Her cub, her hefty Shinx son, only grew a little bigger during those long weeks of winter darkness. The Shinx got stronger with every passing day, testing his limbs. Ceres’ womb was at its limit and threatened the young Rattata with the onset of labor multiple times a day. She had no knowledge of how long Shinx cubs took to grow inside their mothers, but the poor rodent was going on a month past when she should have dropped a litter of Rattata. Her family was very worried that she hadn't gone into labor and were discussing summoning a healer from the village of Claypit once the roads thawed. Ceres felt in her core that her son would finally come once the first spring days arrived. When her family would learn of the terrible secret she held in her overdue belly. 

Waiting those final days until spring was agony for the young mother-to-be. Ceres barely left her room, and when she did manage to waddle about her family’s burrow, she did so while holding back tears and anger. The young Rattata's emotions were running high in the lead-up to her son's birth, causing Ceres to snap at anyone. She even threatened to bite Adwin's jewels off after he attempted to mount her during a particularly sore night. The last thing she wanted right then was his cock rapidly jabbing at her bloated, squeezing uterus. Tears were just as common as anger to the barely-mature doe, sadness for the fact she'd been raped into this pregnancy and for the chaos her son was going to cause to her unsuspecting family. 

The Shinx was going to upend the deep bonds her family had, and there was nothing Ceres could do to stop it. Even if her parents let her stay, she couldn't stay in the burrow with her cub. He would be a hunter, and he wouldn't be satisfied with his mother's milk forever. He would need to hunt, and she couldn't allow her beloved clan to get hurt by her cub. Ceres would brave life in the Sunfire Prairie as soon as her boy could walk on his own. Just her and her son, whom she had decided to name Dion. The sole companion she'd had in this journey since the day Ceres got bred and Dion began to take form in her womb. 

Ceres went into labor almost three days before the end of winter, though the process was not going to be quick for the small Rattata doe. Contractions, rhythmic and powerful, seized upon Ceres’ bulging womb. There was the urge to push and Ceres’ maternal instincts knew that Dion was ready to be born. However, now it was time for her body to turn on the young rodent. After being forced to keep the Shinx in her belly for a month past the point it should have given birth, her womb was going to make her and Dion wait. Despite the occasional cramps and the overwhelming urge to lay in her nest, Ceres dragged herself over to her mother’s den in the sprawling burrow. Tears in her eyes, Ceres sniffled wetly and, wincing with each step, shuffled her way over to her mother. The Raticate matron paused her quilt knitting to embrace her oldest daughter. 

“M-Mama... It hurts... It hurts s-so much...” Ceres whimpered while the older Raticate placed a paw on the purple rat’s swollen stomach. Ceres blinked, though it didn’t help much with the tears. If her mother had any indication that her womb was not, in fact, filled with Adwin’s litter, she didn’t show it.She pulled Ceres gingerly into an embrace, her daughter’s overdue womb and teats brushing against her own raised swell. Not a month on from her prior litter and the Raticate was already baking another batch in her oven. It was her duty to the family. As if to accentuate Ceres’ suffering, a contraction hit the young Rattata mother and nearly made her double over against her mother. 

“Yes, my love... It always does... Such is the burden all girls like us must bear if we want families...” Mama whispered, brushing a paw over Ceres’ large purple ears. “Your body is doing things a little differently than what I know, but you need to trust that it knows what it’s doing...” 

Ceres whined softly, burying her face into her mother’s chest. Some of her first memories were of nestling into her mother’s warm, brown fur alongside her brothers, feeling the soft thumps and shifting of the newest batch of unborn siblings. Here she was again, doing the same thing, cheek pressed to her mother’s belly for comfort. Yet this time, Mama could only do so much to relieve her daughter of the pain. 

“Don’t suppose you’ve asked Adwin to help soothe his litter, hm? Sometimes that can help... I swear, sometimes your father is the only one capable of calming one of his litters...” Mama smiled gently and nuzzled the top of her daughter’s head. “It was the only way I got your litter to calm down enough so I can sleep back when he and I were your age.” The motherly Raticate chuckled while thinking back on memories of seasons past, when she and her brother had just evolved and were trying for their first litter. 

“I... I tried... But he always goes too hard, Mama,” Ceres said, enjoying the brief reprieve from labor as her cramps faded for the time being. “I can’t do it. He’s also heavy when he lays on me. It makes them squirm...” She explained, narrowly avoiding giving away the secret that only her son was within her sore womb. 

“That boy... He'll need to learn to be gentler. I'll make sure to remind him of that next time he's in here with me. Trust me, he thinks he can do the same with me,” Mama huffed with a stroke of her daughter's ear. “You'll need to be brave to get through this, my love. But on the other side awaits a wonderful, long-awaited litter~” 

The last full day of her long labor, Ceres pulled herself out of her nested room and, despite her family offering help and caution, waddled out into the woods. The cold air made her plump teats stiffen as her belly nearly dragged on the dead leaves. Snow was confined to a few shaded patches while sunlight streamed through the bare branches above. Ceres adored these woods. The Rattata put her paws to her eyes while attempting to mask her sobs. She knew in her heart this would be the last time she was welcome in her family’s treasured forest. Dion pushed a paw out, making her stretched globe of purple fur bulge out. 

Ceres placed a paw over her son's and smiled faintly. “... You'll always be here... You and mama, Dion... It'll be you and mama...” She whispered to her unborn cub while her belly rippled with a tense cramp that passed up through her uterus from bottom to top. Ceres winced, curling her tail in tight and nearly doubling over. The contractions were growing more frequent and rhythmic. At last, after over a month past her body's desired due date, Dion was ready to be born. “... I'll hold you soon, Dion... I promise...” 

She didn't yet retreat to her den. Ceres savored her final day before becoming a mother; waddling about the woods, admiring the creek that had thawed through in the warming spring air, and speaking softly to her boy. The Rattata girl watched the expanse of dead, brown grass across the creek as the sun began to set. The sky above the endless fields was seemingly set alight with the most vivid pink she'd ever seen. Sunfire Prairie had earned its name well. 

With the fading light, Ceres stared at the grass stalks, scanning for any sign of Dion's sire. Unlike a few weeks back in the river, Ceres saw no trace of the Luxray. She doubted she ever would again; he was confident his son would be born healthy. Anything else was irrelevant to the nomadic hunter. She dearly hoped she could teach her son better. To care for his mates in life. 

At last, the light failed. No moon had risen to illuminate the night. Dion would be born without that eye of the great gods staring down upon him. It was best that way; no one needed to see a rodent birth her own predator. Ceres sniffled, both from the fact her idyllic, pastoral life was about to end, and from the labor pains her son was putting her through. Looking up at the sky, Ceres could pick out a few constellations on this late winter night. The Tauros. The Mother of All. The Huntress. 

She whispered a quiet prayer to the Pantheon, the gods above and below, before finally waddling back to her room. Sleep was fitful and came in spurts around particular harsh cramps that gripped Ceres’ globe and held tight. It felt as if powerful, unseen paws were squeezing her belly all around. It was a thoroughly miserable night for both Ceres and Dion, with mother and baby kept up late into the night by her body's efforts to evict its tenant that was long past due on rent. The young Rattata held her paws around her swollen abdomen, tearfully reciting lullabies to her squirming son between gasps of pain. 

The Shinx was thankfully positioned correctly, with his head wedged painfully on her sore hips that had been forced to widen in the last few months. One of the many changes forced upon her maturing form to prepare for motherhood. Cramps came with regularity now. Back to her pile of hay, Ceres panted heavily and bit back groans of pain and discomfort. Her legs were spread, her slit of pink flesh visible through her purple fur. It had swollen with her impending labor, growing damp and sensitive, yet in a way that no amount of pawing could relieve. The pressure in her belly felt like a kettle poised to boil over. 

“Haaaa... Hoooo... Nghhh!” Ceres whimpered, her paws grabbing at her gravid uterus. Her footpaws dug into the piled hay and into the clay beneath her birthing bed. Ceres’ family was asleep and she'd built her nest far from the main sleeping dens. She had prepared to do this alone, just herself and Dion, as her life dictated it was to be. “O-Okay, Dion...” 

Eyes scrunched shut, the unready Rattata let out an involuntary squeak. She arched her back into the air just as a massive contraction took hold, her womb shrinking around the feline form of her son. If anyone had been watching, they'd have just about seen the outline of the Shinx within Ceres’ overtaxed belly. Throwing her head back, the too-young Rattata stamped her footpaw and pushed with the cramp. The pressure released with a rush of hot fluid from her nethers and Ceres let out a gasp of joy. It was only the first step, but at last she could truly labor at last with her waters broken. 

Panting heavily as hay shifted beneath her taut belly, Ceres whimpered and massaged at the squirming form of her son. His head pressed hard into her narrow hips, forcing her cervix to dilate. All the while, Dion seemed to be using his powerful back legs to add more force. The Shinx cub wanted out of Ceres’ womb just as much as she needed him out. The young Rattata stuffed a twisted cord of dried vines into her mouth to muffle her inevitable screams; the last thing she needed was her family to crowd and witness Dion being born. It hurt so much. 

Her body, while technically mature enough to endure a pregnancy, had realistically needed to wait for evolution to best handle carrying a Shinx cub. Had it merely been a litter of Rattata from Adwin, Ceres would have been much better off. Rattata kits were naturally smaller and she'd have welcomed the assistance of her experienced mother and aunts during labor. But Dion was big, strong, and taboo. Like when he had been conceived, Ceres was on her own. And so, she kept her focus on seeing her son, the Shinx she'd endured so much for. Contractions ripped across her heavy womb, adding their strength to her son's pushing while coaxing her cervical wall to spread further. 

Droplets of milk dripped from her teats as Ceres’ belly was squeezed. She groaned loudly into the vine, grateful for the way it muffled her as Dion's head moved inexorably through her pelvis into her straining birth canal. After three long days of ramping up, it was finally going to happen. Ceres’ cervix had dilated as much as it could, and her poor pelvis was slowly, but surely allowing Dion to pass. Every inch the Shinx moved was a battle, first with the cub's large head, then the rest of his feline body. 

The past three days had left Ceres exhausted even before active labor had started, but the Rattata still had a job to do. Ceres pushed alongside the next contraction, for what more could she possibly do? ’I'm going to get you out, Dion. I promise. Mama's going to get you out and hold you and love you forever...’ Thoughts raced in her mind during her ordeal. Now that she was at such a crucial phase, did she call Mama or Adwin over? ’And have them scream as they see a Shinx head pop out of me? No. Do this alone.’ 

Legs spread, Ceres felt her vagina blazing with pain. The rat's nethers bulged with the impending head of her large cub, a tuft of  damp blue fur poking out as it crowned. Back and forth the cub's head went, spreading her vagina wide before retreating back into her canal once Ceres’ push ended. Her furry cheeks were streaked with tears and the nest beneath was a scattered mess from her thrashing. Nothing about this had been easy, and it seemed the gods found amusement in watching the young mother struggle. Just when Ceres felt her strength appearing to give out, she would find another burst as if she ate a Sitrus fruit. Ceres had no doubts the Pantheon was watching and ensuring she finished the journey that started with the Luxray. 

Her sharp incisors bit through the cord of vine, leaving the mother-to-be with nothing to mute herself with. It was just as well, since no scrap of dead plant would have been able to mask the scream that came next. Dion's head stretched her petals to their limit while the bulk of his body was right between her hips, utterly filling her canal. Ceres threw her head back and let out a high-pitched howl that echoed through the burrow as she pushed down on her huge son. 

“AAAAAGGHHHHHH!” 

Ceres could vaguely hear sounds of disturbances in the other parts of the family burrow. Given the late hour, she'd likely woken up a fair few members of her large family. But she couldn't hold back any longer, not with the pain demanding an outlet at this tense moment. Her ears twitched: footpaws on dry clay. Someone, maybe two, was coming. Ceres sniffled wetly and gingerly reached around her swollen abdomen to her burning nethers. She let out a joyous, gasping laugh amid the pain and sorrow. When her family arrived, they'd plainly see Dion's snout and know he was no Rattata. 

“Ceres, my dear? We heard your scream and came to check!” Her mother's voice from outside. Ceres groaned. The pregnant Raticate waddled in, followed by a curious Adwin. Judging by the musky scent that arrived with her twin brother, Ceres suspected he'd been enjoying the night with Mama, his seed basting the litter he'd made in her belly. Ceres made to close her legs to hide the truth from them for a little longer. But Mama's paw kept them spread. There were a pair of gasps from both her mother and brother. 

“That... That's not one of our kind...” Adwin whispered, the young buck standing close to his mate and mother. 

“I... I assumed she was heavy with your litter too, son...” Mama replied, her eyes fixated upon the electric blue head that stretched Ceres’ folds. The pregnant Raticate sighed and gingerly rubbed at Ceres’ thighs. “We can talk once this is over... For now, this baby needs to come out. Adwin! For gods’ sakes, get your erection down, son, and fetch the labor supplies! It'll be good practice for you!” Mama snapped, causing the stunned young male to go scampering off with a “Yes, Mom!” 

The matriarch of the tight-knit family clicked her teeth once she was alone with Ceres. One brown paw rested on the Rattata's straining womb that still had most of Dion's form inside. “... I had hoped and prayed to the gods that one of our kin had bred you. Now, I see what happened. One of the hunters found you. That day you were washed away... Oh, honey...” Mama said softly. “That cub won't be able to stay here. It belongs on the other side of the river. It'll be a danger to the family here...” 

“M-Mama...” Ceres sniffled as she felt the Shinx cub kick his hind legs. “H-He's family, too... He's mine... I carried him! I'm--AAGGHH! I'M PUSHING HIM OUT! HOW ISN'T HE FAMILY?!” Ceres roared amid a cramp that tightened her taut belly; the head bulging out from her vagina shifted further out and one blue ear poked free from Ceres’ birth canal. 

“He isn't a Rattata, Ceres. He's a hunter. He will need to hunt once he comes off your milk. He may be partly of our blood, but he can't be family like you, or like my coming grandchildren...” Mama replied calmly while stroking her own raised womb that held her son's litter. “I'm sorry, Ceres. He can't stay, we can't feed him properly. One of the villages could. Or, he can live in the Prairie, where his kind thrive...” 

Ceres’ chest heaved with exertion and emotion, the tears in her eyes sourced from frustration and agony. A deep glare was aimed squarely at the Raticate, who bore it without complaint. Her mother knew what she said was cruel, but it was the truth. “F-Fine... Dion and I... We'll live in Sunfire Prairie...! And we'll be happy! We'll be our own family! We won't need anyone else-nnnnnggghhhaaa!” Her tirade trailed off into a scream as Ceres pulled her legs back. She bore down on her son's huge form, not even noticing as Adwin returned with a basket of supplies nor as her mother crouched between her legs. 

With her mother's paws helping shift the Shinx's large head, it soon popped free of Ceres’ canal. The feline shoulders were next, and Ceres felt her strength beginning to ebb more severely at this stage. The Rattata's head lolled, though she felt her brother's paw upon her cheek. He had her rest her head on his lap while their mother helped her weak body finish the job. Ceres sniffled, grateful for the help, but dreading what would come next. What would inevitably come next as her family banished her and Dion from the burrow. 

Ceres cried bitter tears into Adwin's lap. “... I... I wish they were yours...” She whimpered to her littermate, who only slowly stroked her cheek in response. Adwin loved her, but he wasn't going to dispute Mama's wisdom. He had to protect the family, especially the portion he'd sired. 

“AAAGGGHHH!” Ceres’ scream filled her room within the burrow, the small Rattata giving her all to a final push. Everything hurt so much. Days of cramps and pushing had left her exhausted. 

“Almost... They're almost out, Ceres...” Came her mother's voice as the Raticate's paws gingerly twisted the damp Shinx's body and eased the cub's shoulders free of Ceres’ canal. Everything happened fast after that. Her squirming son slid out into the world with a rush of amniotic fluid, spilling out in a heap onto the soft hay. Ceres groaned as the pressure and weight she had carried for far, far too long finally left her overburdened body. 

“... A boy, Ceres. They're male. The image of their sire, I suspect...” Mama announced while she checked the newborn over. Hay clung to his damp fur, but Dion was otherwise healthy after the long, arduous labor his mother had been put through. The Raticate placed the cub by her daughter's chest, and Dion latched onto one of Ceres’ swollen teats in her deflating middle. 

Mama smiled sadly down at her mewling grandson and exhausted daughter. “... I'm proud of you, Ceres... And we love you. But once the summer warmth rises, you both must leave. To the village or the Prairie... You just can't remain here...” 

Ceres heard the words as she curled around Dion, stroking her son's electric blue fur as it dried. He aggressively suckled at her filled teats, guzzling down milk meant for a litter all by himself. She hated her mother's ultimatum, but she knew it was the truth. Dion would seek prey. Would he pounce upon one of her mother's babies at night? Her family couldn't take that risk. Painful as it was to hear, it was more painful to accept. 

“Okay...” 

*** *** *** 

Spring came with a flurry of new life to the brown forest and fields. The wildfires of the winter had burned the dead grass to ash, leaving the Prairie ready for the next generation of tall grass. Ceres recovered from her difficult birth while Dion grew like a sturdy sapling. His body was strong; the Shinx cub could stand, wobbling, on his own mere days after birth. Teeth grew in, pointed and capable of piercing flesh. Still, Ceres nursed him as long as she could. 

Her mother checked on her and Dion daily, even as the Raticate grew rounder with Adwin's litter. Ceres could feel the passing of days more acutely with the growing of her mother's belly. How the purebred litter within began to move and kick at her highly experienced womb. Mama would give birth at the start of summer; Ceres and Dion would have to leave that same day. 

She'd never get to meet Adwin's first children, not up close. So, Ceres took the chance to befriend them while they grew in her mother's womb. Dion too was curious of the squirming forms within his grandmother's rounded belly. The Shinx would gently knead at the Raticate's swell, as if playing with his unborn cousins. Ceres could see the sadness in her mother's eyes whenever this happened. The Raticate truly seemed to love her first grandson despite his species. But her duty as matriarch meant she couldn't let him stay. 

It was dusk when her mother's labor pains began, one night at the end of spring. Ceres left the burrow with Dion scampering at her side. She left with eyes clear and fixed towards the dim expanse of the Prairie; the young mother's tears had already been shed for the family she couldn't be with. Now, Ceres only had one family member to focus on. 

“... We'll find a home out there, Dion. My wonderful son...” She whispered as both Rattata and Shinx crossed the river. 

‐-‐----------- The End ----------------

Epilogue

A glorious spring morning lit the Prairie ablaze with golden might reflecting off the fresh stalks of tall grass. This year was promising to be a fruitful one. Ceres was awake long before the early light, though that was expected when one had a son that loved to sleep the days away and prowl their territory at nightfall. Dion was due back soon from his patrol and would be eager to join her in their den built into the roots of a lone savanna tree. 

The Luxio had grown strong in the seasons since she left her family. They were close by, but the distance might as well have been infinite; she could never cross the river again. Ceres had come to terms with that, and her life out here in the Sunfire Prairie. The first summer she'd spent out here with her son had been harsh, but she was determined to find food for her fledgling cub and not become food herself. Evolution had come upon Ceres far earlier than it did for her family, who were not used to fighting for their lives on a routine basis. The Raticate was slender and quick, a far cry from the plump, round forms her wood-tending family often took. She was no hunter herself, but she could kill if need be. Anything for Dion. 

Ceres stood watch on the mound of roots at the base of the tree, lifting herself up a bit further on her powerful footpaws. She steadied herself against the tree trunk; her center of gravity was off thanks to developments over the dark and cold winter. The brown-furred rodent sported a baby-filled swell that was rounding out nicely on her sleek, muscular frame. With Dion as an example, Ceres was confident that this next litter would be just as healthy and strong. She just hoped they wouldn't take as long as Dion did to be born. 

Movement in the grass to the northeast caught her attention and Ceres positioned herself to observe. The wind was nonexistent this morning, so she couldn't pull a scent from the air. The gravid Raticate hid herself by the trunk, sharp buck teeth gritted in anticipation; it wouldn't be the first time she would have to fight off intruders looking to claim the prime territory she'd carved out for her family. The rustling grew closer and closer until she was able to pick out a flash of blue and black from between the grass. 

Ceres let out a small squeak of relief. Scampering down from the perch, Ceres rushed up to meet the Luxio as he entered their clearing. She gave Dion a loving nuzzle, whiskers brushing against his own. 

“Good patrol last night, Di?” She asked, sitting on her haunches while her taller son sat beside her. 

“Not bad, Mom. Fought off a Manectric! Did you hear our thunderbolts? We were loud!” Dion exclaimed with a flick of his star-tipped tail. “Oh! And there was a cute Poochyena girl I saw by a pond to the west... You think she'd be interested in joining my pride?” 

“I heard you plenty, dear. Woke the cubs up with them, I'll have you know~” Ceres tousled the fur on Dion's head. “Were kicking up a storm in me demanding to know what their daddy was up to~” She laughed while, as expected, a hefty feline paw pressed gingerly to her growing swell. Almost immediately the Shinx cubs within began to shift in response to Dion's presence. 

“And as far as that cute pooch... Why not just introduce yourself? No doubt she'll fall in love with such a handsome boy like you~” Ceres lightly tweaked one of Dion's whiskers. “Just so long as she's fine sharing you~” 

“Moooommm... Stop it... You're making me blush...” Dion murmured while keeping a paw on his mother's belly. “Wow... They're really moving in there...~” His gleaming eyes met her own and he let out a soft, sensual purr. “End of summer? That's when we'll meet our babies, Mom?” The Luxio asked with an almost impatient whine. 

Ceres nodded. “Best guess I have, Dion. Be patient. They'll come when they feel ready. I learned that with you, young ‘mon. You took your sweet time in being born~ I didn't rush you. So don't rush your cubs either.” 

She let out a small yawn and again nuzzled her feline son and partner. One needed a pack, or pride, to survive out in the Prairie. When the time came for her son to start building his own, Ceres was ready to guide him through the process. And now, by the sound of it, Dion was expanding his horizons. 

“Back to the den with us. You'll rock these cubs of yours to sleep before you doze off. And maybe tell me more of this Poochyena girl, eh?~” Ceres nudged his side with a chuckle while the family took refuge in their den just as the sun fully broke the horizon. 

She had always lived by rules in this Prairie. Ceres became strong to survive. She would cherish her new family and keep it close so she would never face the Prairie's dangers alone. And she had made a new home here, one she returned to every dawn with the family she'd been given.