Mama Fox

<Zuri>

Time was quite the fickle thing.

Staring at the diced vegetables in front of him, Zuri quickly strayed in thought.

Two months had passed since they first arrived.

A whole seventy days were lost living in this nowhere, backwater countryside. It was hard to believe, but the truth was undeniable. A new daily routine had even been formed, and although his mind hated it, his body was swifter on the uptake. Tasks that once felt rather daunting were now slowly becoming easier. No longer did his eyes water when he entered the village, nor did his legs tire when they walked up to the Albacus grove. Small improvements within themselves but notable ones.

Pouring the vegetables in the well-oiled, well-seasoned pan, Zuri continued his reflections.

Perhaps he should’ve been happy or at the very least grateful for the improvements, but the only thing he felt was a pervasive emptiness.

One that had been quietly building up ever since they left.

…Frankly speaking, Zuri’s longing for the Palace grew greater every day they spent here.

He missed everything about it.

He missed the glimmering, glittering jewels that adorned his body; he missed the numerous servants waiting on him hand and foot, and he even missed his treacherous family.

There was a certain wrongness in lacking all of that.

‘Oh, for crying out loud!’

A foul smell suddenly assaulted Zuri as he motioned to stir the food.

He rapidly rushed to cover the pan the moment the food was adequately stirred.

‘Ugh’

Taking a seat on the small stool in the kitchen, he sighed.

The wrongness he was feeling wasn’t only limited to the lack of his comforts.

… There was something seriously wrong with his body. A fact that wasn’t too surprising given that he was… pregnant. Everything that felt off, down to his odd taste and random flare-ups of fire, could be explained easily by this. It was a terrible embarrassment that it took him going to the village to figure this out. If not for those mothers there, he would’ve been stumbling blind longer than what was acceptable.

But.

As bad as that incident was, it served as a rather important lesson. One that was impossible to ignore. Up until now, Zuri had mostly been operating as normal. He hadn’t made any serious changes to routine. And this was despite knowing he was pregnant. Something completely unacceptable given the circumstances.

Zuri lightly rubbed his stomach.

Was it bigger, or was that just his imagination overacting?

‘Damn it’

He knew, logically, that he was pregnant, but this was the first instance it felt real.

And that realness was terrifying.

Ignoring all of the dreadful expected physical changes, what did pregnancy mean? It meant one was carrying a child, or in this case, children in their body. Children who would one day turn into kids, then teens and finally adults. Children who would require food, shelter, clothing and the things needed for one to grow. Children who would require parents in order to raise, love and nurture them.

An important question needed to be asked.

Who would raise these children?

After the pregnancy is over, three new lives will be welcomed into the world. Who would be the persons responsible for guiding these new lives? Who would be the ones to mentor them, provide for them and care for them? If you were to ask any ordinary Joe such a question like that, they may look at you funny, raise a brow and answer simply, ‘Why, the parents will look after the children, of course! It’s only natural.’

Oh, how Zuri envied such simplistic thinking at times.

If only his case was that easy to resolve.

Unlike most who may have wanted to be parents, Zuri still had no desire to do such. He has never desired children in his lives and that wasn’t going to change just because he’s pregnant. Although he may have agreed to carry them, raising them is a whole separate issue. Zuri simply wasn’t cut out to be a parent. He was lacking severely in every way that mattered. He wasn’t nurturing, kind, or caring enough to take a single child, not to mention three. A future where he would be expected to do such was not just impractical; it was impossible.

Standing up, Zuri walked back to the pan.

After a short check-in, he opened the cabinets and pulled two plates and cups along with a few utensils and napkins.

Walking over to the dining area, he began setting up the table for dinner.

The problem of that uncertain future weighed heavy in his mind.

He wasn’t prepared for this and knew damn well Cleodora wasn’t either, despite her words. She couldn’t even prepare a half-decent meal; expecting her to take care of children by herself was unrealistic. Considering all these factors, there was one clear option to be taken. One that could be considered distasteful at the best of times.

Leaving the children in the care of his family.

Contrary to Zuri, they knew exactly how to properly raise a child. And that was a truth Zuri could personally speak to. His childhood had been nothing short of dreamlike. Filled with all the love, attention and care a person could personally wish for…. In fact, if it were not for his past experiences, Zuri might’ve been inclined to actually start a family. The positive associations his family created were that strong. It was lucky then that he had that past life. Only he knew how shitty things could get due to family.

Finished arranging the table, Zuri passed by a certain room, knocked twice and then left to plate the food.

It would be best to leave the care of the children to his family.

Yet.

Even as Zuri thought that, he cringed a little inside.

Not only would doing so sink his family’s already low opinion about him, but there was something inherently sinister about abandoning your biological children regardless of reason.

Zuri wet his lips.

He hadn’t planned on staying past the pregnancy, yet he had no real plans beyond doing so.

… It was all so infuriating.

Done plating the food, he walked out to the table.

And there, waiting with an anxious look, was Cleodora.

She smiled brightly at him the second he stepped out of the kitchen.

Placing the food on the table, Zuri took his chair.

It’s been a month since their agreement.

So far things had been going rather steadily between them, and beside the extra dates she had pleaded for, Zuri could confidently say they were looking sound.

…Almost sound anyhow.

There was that small matter of her unilaterally deciding to inform the whole damn village about the pregnancy!

Watching Cleodora quickly add food to her plate, Zuri narrowed his eyes.

It had been about a week since he found out.

Normally, he would speak out the day of the event, but this time he held out. For once, he took the time to really think about what he should do. Repeatedly making rash decisions was a mark of immaturity he needed to discard. And now that he was no longer in a dangerous spot, it was the perfect time. So, over the week, Zuri thought about what to say. Analysing the pros and cons of a direct confrontation.

After a lot of deep thought, he came to a very simple conclusion.

The villagers knowing didn’t matter enough to confront her about it.

What mattered, what was important, was whether or not his family knew about it. Zuri was not close to being in the right headspace in regard to telling them. For some inexplicable reason, the mere thought of them knowing felt like a humiliation ritual. Him getting pregnant so quickly would be the premium validation of their decision. Hell, it's seen as a blessing or some absurd sign that it was meant to be. In a culture where babies were rare, having three at a single time wouldn’t be taken lightly.

‘Alright, okay. Let’s get this over with’

With Cleodora still agreeable, the best thing Zuri could do was ensure she didn’t tell his family.

Berating her over the unimportant villagers would be a waste of breath.

“Thank you for the food!” (C)

And like that, dinner started.

“I’m going to head in early. Got a busy tomorrow!” (C)

“Ah, I see.” (Z)

Cleodora picked up her plate and napkin in a cordial manner before standing up and disappearing into the kitchen.

Staring down at his plate still full with food, Zuri pursed his lips.

They hadn’t talked about the pregnancy announcement.

They hadn’t talked about anything actually.

‘Something is up with her… again’

And whatever it was, she didn’t seem keen to tell him… again.

Zuri sighed as he watched her wave goodnight and vanish into her room.

One step forward, two steps back.

Throughout the whole of dinner, Cleodora didn’t try to engage in conversation. She just sat there quietly while munching away at her food. Zuri was at least expecting her to start the conversation, so he waited patiently, but before long her plate was empty.

‘At least this time there’s no mess…’

A stark improvement from the last time she did something like this.

For a while, Zuri sat at the serene soundless table.

An hour passed, maybe two, as he debated standing and going after her.

Eventually, he decided to move; this was too important not to.

Getting up from the table, Zuri carefully and silently walked to Cleodora’s room.

He had been aware she was acting weird for a little while beside her normal run of nonsense. But, for the most part, she seemed to be in control of whatever it was. He had hoped whatever it was would just go away with time, but it appeared that wouldn’t be the case. A direct intervention may be necessary at the rate it was going. Zuri still needed to inform her not to tell his family, and he couldn’t exactly do that with her being out of it.

Peeking through the ajar door, he decided to force a chat with her.

But.

Before he could knock and alert her of his presence, Zuri came to see something rather regrettable.

There, kneeling naked on the ground with a dazed look on her face, was Cleodora.

With two hands lowered to her crotch and knees pressed tightly together, it swiftly became apparent what she was doing.

“Zuri….” (C)

A soft moan escaped her lips.

Immediately, Zuri bolted back to the dining table as quietly as possible.

Sitting down in the loud silence for a moment, he calmed his rapidly beating heart.

Right.

It had been over a month since the agreement was made.

A month since Cleodora had last even touched Zuri.

The effects of which were now showing.

It was no wonder she kept it secret.

‘Horny bastard…’

Mumbling a curse, Zuri felt flickers of doubt start to erode his mind.

‘Can this agreement even last?’

The fact that it relied on Cleodora’s famous lack of control was a massive failure point. She had been rather diligent so far, but everything has a limit. From the looks of her, it seemed she was reaching her. At this pace, it would only be a matter of time before she loses control and they end up at square one again.

‘No, I refuse!’

Taking a deep breath, Zuri quickly dissected the problem at hand.

Things couldn’t go back to as they were. Something had changed. That namely being Cleodora herself. If this were two months ago, she would’ve already come down on him. The fact that she was actively trying to manage this without involving him was a sign of progress. She was still trying to keep the agreement, which meant there was still hope.

‘Right, Right!’

That pesky libido was just in the way.

Zuri straightened in his chair.

It wasn’t an impossible challenge to get such a thing out of the way.

As a person with some modern knowledge, doing so shouldn’t be too difficult with the right techniques.

He can manage this little crisis.

He can make this work.