Chapter 77: Don’t Do As I Do!
His mother shot him a look that could have peeled bark. "We are strengthening our cubs."
"But you look like you are doing a mating—"
"GO PLAY."
The cub fled.
Tera pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. The movement caught the attention of the other females, who immediately tried to copy her suppressed smile, resulting in a row of very strange, very strained expressions.
"Don’t copy my face!" Tera blurted.
"Why not?" Yara asked, still smiling that weird, frozen smile. "Is it not part of the movement?"
"No! The movement is the movement. The face is just—" Tera gave up. "Never mind. Let’s try something else."
The next simple workout led to several of the pregnant females nearly losing their balance. One grabbed the female next to her, creating a domino effect that ended with three of them in a heap on the ground, laughing and tangled together.
Tera rushed over to help them up, her heart pounding. "Are you all okay? The cubs—"
"We are fine." The female at the bottom of the pile was giggling, her face flushed. "This is the most fun I have had in weeks."
The others nodded in agreement, dusting themselves off and immediately getting back into position for the next movement.
Tera stared at them, slightly alarmed. Were the ones that had fallen down really alright? They all waited eagerly for her next instruction, convinced that these strange movements would make their cubs stronger and healthier.
’What is my life?’
[Host is building a healthy and active clan]
[This system congratulates Host on this latest development]
[Please continue the exercises]
[The males are very entertaining when confused]
[.·°՞(≧ᗜ≦)՞°·.]
Tera glanced over and stiffened. All the males had actually gathered, with the exception of Feron. Kiri still watched from afar, baffled. Ermin and Xavi were both standing with their arms crossed, and watching with identical concern.
Ermin’s tail was twitching with the urge to intervene. Xavi’s jaw was tight.
They had seen how those females had collapsed.
They also looked like anxious fathers at a sports day.
Tera turned back to her class to see some of them already attempting squats.
One of the females, a lynx beast named Rinn, suddenly let out a sharp gasp. "I felt it! The cub moved!"
Every female froze.
"What? Where?"
"Let me feel!"
"Did it really move?"
Tera watched in amazement as the exercise class dissolved into a cluster of females pressing their hands to Rinn’s belly, cooing and chattering with excitement. Rinn looked absolutely radiant, her face shining with joy.
The beast men at the edge of the clearing were no longer confused. They were staring at the women with expressions of pure adoration.
One of the males stepped forward shyly. "Can I... can I also do the movements? To make myself stronger for my mate and cub?"
Tera stared at him. Then at the other males, who were perking up with interest.
’Oh no. This is getting out of hand.’
[The Great Pregnant Beast-Woman Exercise Movement has expanded to include males]
[This system is witnessing history]
[(≖⩊≖)]
’The fuck are you on?’
’Omg. I should have just done this in private! This is chaos!’
But it was too late. The males were already approaching, led by the shy one who had spoken first. They lined up near the females with the serious expressions of warriors preparing for battle.
Ermin and Xavi watched in silence as the entire clan assembled for what was now undeniably a group exercise session.
The sight was so funny that Tera temporarily forgot about her dismay.
She wanted to see Xavi and Ermin making the same pose, and she nearly laughed when she tried to envision it.
Tera took a deep breath. "Fine. Everyone stand with your feet apart. Follow me."
And so it was that Tera, shiftless outcast, accidental leader, and very pregnant female, found herself leading the entire Dow clan in an afternoon exercise session.
"Join us!" Tera called out to the two.
Ermin looked horrified and slightly amused at the same time. He shook his head firmly.
Xavi, however, stepped forward and moved to Tera’s side.
"I will exercise with you," he announced. "To be strong for our cub."
’I swear you of all people do not even need it, but yesssss!’
Tera fought back a laugh as Xavi squatted.
Ermin watched for another minute before sighing heavily and joining them. He positioned himself on Tera’s other side, his expression resigned. "I am only doing this because I do not want him to be stronger than me for the cub."
’These two are so silly.’
Tera laughed.
The exercise session continued for a few more minutes until the entire clan was sweaty, exhausted, and oddly euphoric. The females were already asking when the next "strengthening time" would be, while the males were comparing their movements with competitive pride. The cubs had collapsed into a pile, their energy spent.
Tera leaned against Xavi, breathing hard. "That was actually... really nice."
"You should eat," Xavi said immediately.
Tera rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.
Ermin appeared with the fruit he’d brought earlier, holding it out to her. "Eat. Then rest."
Tera took the fruit and ate them, following the females to go wash themselves off. When Tera returned, she let her mates escort her back to her shelter. Tera didn’t even complain when Ermin draped a fur over her shoulders.
Tera had slept peacefully, her body humming with a pleasant, familiar ache.
- ※ - ※ - ※ -
The surplus of meat should have been a blessing.
It should have meant full bellies and satisfied cubs and a clan that no longer had to ration every slab of meat like it was the last food in the world.
And for the next few days, that was exactly what it felt like.
Xavi, Ermin, and the other males would return from hunts with arms full of dead animals, their tails wagging at the potential meat and fur.
And this would happen day by day.
The hunters brought back more game in a week than they had caught in the entire previous month. The beast folk ate well, and the pregnant females finally had meat to fill their bellies on a daily basis instead of surviving on fruits and whatever tubers were ready to harvest.
The cubs were also growing rounder, and Xavi looked extremely proud every time he dropped another kill near Tera’s feet.
Tera should have been happy.
But something felt wrong.