Chapter 14: Little Prince or Princess
Nick thanked Tony and promised to pay him with meat later. Tony responded, "No payment necessary. I gathered some crocodile meat yesterday, and today I learned a new healing technique. I feel like I owe you something!"
Amber replied, "If you want to pay us, I will take some of your edible herbs." Tony knew that she liked to cook meat with herbs and gathered the ones that tasted good.
He wrapped them up in a banana leaf and tied them with a small vine. He handed it to her and told her, "You can get more any time you want." As he handed it to her, he felt the pulse on her wrist was faster than normal.
He asked, "May I check your pulse?" Amber was hesitant and looked toward Nick. Nick nodded at her in encouragement. Tony was the best doctor he knew, and he would let Tony check on his mate.
Amber let Tony check her pulse and was quiet as Tony's eyes widened in surprise. He exclaimed, "Congratulations my queen, you are pregnant!"
Amber's eyes widened in surprise. She was not expecting to become pregnant so soon. She had just lost her virginity a few days before and didn't know how Tony knew. She didn't feel any morning sickness.
She gently placed her hand on her stomach and Nick hugged her. He was so happy! He knew she was a virgin when she mated with him, so it had to be his cub.
Oliver looked dazed for a moment and then smiled. She had also mated with him, so he might have been the father of her unborn child.
Tom was happy for them but jealous. He wanted Amber to mate with him and lay his eggs. He would raise them and teach them just like his father taught him.
Amber was still in shock when Nick hugged her and bent down to listen to her stomach. He didn't hear anything and looked at Tony.
Tony laughed and responded, "It's still too soon to hear anything. I could only tell by her fast pulse."
Normal doctors couldn't tell so soon, but Tony was a special beast world doctor. He had a gift for telling when a female was pregnant.
They also had a slightly different smell. Tony told Nick, "Her scent is also different." He looked at Oliver and explained, "I can tell she also mated with you. It is too soon to tell who the father is."
Amber came out of her daze and asked, "When will you be able to find out?" She wanted to know who the father of her unborn prince or princess was and what to expect.
Tony replied, "In a few months we will see how you are showing. Cheetah males are usually born in 3 months, while females can take up to 10 months. I'm not sure about monkeys."
Oliver stated, "I'm a Lesula monkey. Our pregnancy usually lasts 5-6 months for males and up to 10 months for a female."
Amber looked between Nick and Oliver. This was awkward! She never thought she would be pregnant and did not know who the father was.
She hoped Nick wasn't mad. She squeezed his hand, and he looked up at her from his knees. He answered her unasked question, "No matter who the father is, we will love the baby because it is yours! As Cheetah queen your child will be the village prince or princess!"
Amber smiled and gave him an appreciative glance. She loved the way he could read her facial expressions. She didn't even have to ask.
Oliver also seconded Nick's response, "I will also help raise the baby no matter who the father is! Anything you want, just tell me and I will get it for you!"
Amber hoped she would stay in the beast world long enough to have the baby here. Her mom would kill her if she found out she was pregnant at such a young age!
Last time she disappeared for a year and this time she had been here for almost a week. She hoped the time would be the same before she woke up in her room.
This was such a beautiful dream! She got to be a queen and a pampered mother-to-be! She just hoped nothing would go wrong!
The 4 of them went back to the cave together. Nick's cave was starting to feel crowded. He was planning on building a castle for his queen! For now, they would be a little bit closer together.
Tom waited outside since he was not an official mate yet. Oliver hesitated and then followed Amber when she gestured toward him.
Amber thought she should get to know Oliver better since he was her mate now and possibly the father of her child. She asked, "When did you start to learn medicine?"
He looked happy to answer her questions! She wanted to know more about him. He was happy to tell her.
He answered, "I was adopted by our healer when my parents were killed by a behemoth beast migration. They couldn't get away fast enough. I was tossed into a tree hole and the healer found me after the behemoths were gone.
Amber looked sad and apologized, "I'm sorry to hear that! It sounds awful!"
Oliver smiled at her and informed her, "No need to be sad. Death is a part of life. I'm just lucky to be found and raised by our healer. I tried to learn from him."
Amber was happy that Oliver had such a positive outlook on life. She thought he was a good addition to their family. It was always a good idea to have a doctor nearby.
Especially now that she was pregnant. She asked, "What are baby monkeys like?"
Oliver looked happy that she was asking questions. He hoped she was pregnant with his baby. He responded, "Baby males are curious and playful. Females are fragile."
Amber hoped she had a male. She wasn't sure how she was going to take care of a female baby. She also didn't want to be pregnant for too long.
She looked toward Nick and asked him, "What about baby cheetahs?" Nick smiled and responded, "Those cubs you saw the other day were male cubs. They are about a month old. Baby females of all tribes are almost the same."
She looked confused and asked, "How will you tell who the father is if it is a female?" Nick replied, "The smell will be different. The female usually takes the father's hair and smell."
Amber thought they all had similar hair. Oliver's hair was a little bit darker than Nick's hair. Tom had the darkest hair, but she hadn't mated with him yet. She blushed at the thought.
She never expected to have more than one husband or baby daddy at the same time. She asked Nick, "Are you sure you are ok with our new family?"
Nick smiled and responded, "It is normal in the beast world for females to have many mates. It helps to make sure the female is protected and well provided for. Females are so rare in our world that it also helps to keep the population from going extinct."
Oliver looked confused that Amber didn't know about the basic rules of the beast world. Amber saw his confused expression and explained, "I am not from this world. I came over in my dream." Oliver and Tom widened their eyes in disbelief.
Nick confirmed, "It's true. She came out of a lake in strange clothes and then disappeared for a whole year!"
They looked scared that she would leave again. They didn't want her to leave. She was the nicest, prettiest female they had ever met.
Oliver looked curious and asked, "What is your world like?" He hoped to find her if she disappeared again.
Amber replied, "I'm our world no one can change into a beast. Men don't have ears or tails. We live in big houses with modern clothes. We have more food available."
She tried to think of other things she could tell them about. Tom asked, "So, you don't have any animals in your world?"
Amber replied, "Of course we have animals. They just don't turn into beast men. They are either wild animals or pets."
Nick asked, "What is a pet?" Amber responded, "A pet is an animal that you keep with you and raise it. You don't eat it. Some people keep cats or dogs. Some keep birds. I used to have a mouse."
The males looked at her in surprise! Why would anyone want to keep a pet mouse? They were small annoying animals that made a mess.
Tom looked surprised when she told them she kept birds as pets. He tried to imagine living with someone else who took care of him.
Oliver asked, "What about monkeys?" Amber thought about it and replied, "They have monkeys at the zoo!" He asked, "What is a zoo?"
She replied, "A zoo is a big place with many different animals all separate in different areas. People go to see the animals."
Oliver looked surprised. He couldn't imagine someone just going to watch animals.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
-- Power
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