Disclaimer: Only Ali/Albany, Rose, Nathan, Cougara, and Opal are mine. This is the final substory in the Timedancer plot. It's been fun writing these stories and I hope you enjoyed reading them. So, without further ado, I present the final chapter.
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I woke up to a sickening feeling in my stomach. Throwing back the covers, I stumbled over to my door & opened it. From there, I headed to the bathroom & lost last night�s supper in the bowl. I wiped some sweat off my face as I rinsed my mouth. This was the fifth time in one week that I couldn�t hold down my dinner. It wasn�t a stomach virus. My temperature was at the human & gargoyle norms.
I remembered feeling like this when�I was pregnant with Albany. Crouching down, I dug through the cabinets until I found what I was looking for: an extra pregnancy test. I carefully read the instructions & then proceeded with the test. I felt nervous as I waited for the results. When the + sign appeared in the square, I stared at it hardly believing it. I was pregnant. My mind drifted back to three weeks ago:
Three Weeks Ago- July 7th
�Do you really want to ?�
�It can�t hurt to try.�
�But it might hurt you. Even kill you.�
Tygra & I were seriously thinking about having a child of our own. The only problem was our different species. I wanted to change to a Thundercat, but the memory of when I was a Thundercat, made me feel uneasy all over again. So, I adapted to try as a human. Except Tygra didn�t want to do it if it would kill me.
�Jasmine, you know I love you.�
�Yes. I do.�
�Then, believe me when I say that I would rather have you & the two children we have now then have two children & not you.�
�I understand.� Tygra held me close to him, even though we were the same height. Our height reminded me of Brooklyn & me. The two of us were the same height also.
�So you two long for a child of your own, huh?�
The voice was familiar. I�ve heard it before on Avalon. Tygra & I looked up & to the left. There, floating in the air, was a man in his thirties with dark hair, wearing black jeans & a black leather jacket over a white shirt. He floated down to our level & studied us intensely. I recognized this man instantly.
�Coyote!�
He smiled at me. �What a nice welcome. Different from the greetings Puck receives."
�But,� he continued. �I didn�t come here in hopes of getting a warm greeting. I came to help the two of you in conceiving a child.�
�How can you do that?� Tygra asked.
�By making your reproductive systems compatible for say, the next forty-eight hours.� Coyote smiled again as he chanted a language the must have been Hopi. I felt the magic swirling around my love & myself. The magic dissipated as quickly as I had felt it.
�You have forty-eight hours to conceive Go to it.� Coyote began to fade.
�Wait. Why did you help us?� I called.
�You�re a part of the Maza family even though it�s through mating rather then blood.� Coyote was gone. I didn�t dwell on it long because Tygra took my hand & led me to my room.
Present Day-July 28th
I walked out of the bathroom, feeling nervous. I had to tell Tygra & ask Cheetara about Thunderian pregnancy. I wasn�t sure if I would be giving birth in more or less time than I had with the other two.
I stood outside of the room that Tygra, Lion-O, Panthro, Lynx-O, Wily-Kat, & Bengali were in. I breathed deeply in order in calm myself down. Exhaling, I knocked on the door. I heard Lion-O say to come in. I opened the door & stepped inside.
�Hello Jasmine,� Lion-O greeted. His warm smile soon became a frown when he saw my thoughtful expression. �Jasmine, is something wrong?�
�No. Nothing�s wrong. Tygra, can we talk alone for a moment?�
�Of course, we can.� He led me back into the hall, closing the door behind him. �What did you want to talk to me about?�
�I just discovered that I�m pregnant.�
�That�s great news.� Tygra hugged me, which was followed by a sweet kiss. �Now, how long does it take for humans to give birth?�
�Nine months.�
�That�s about how long it takes for a Thunderian female.�
�Really?� I was relieved. I didn�t have to worry about asking Cheetara after all.
�Yes.�
�I can hardly wait. I wonder what the baby will look like.�
�So do I. We�ll have to pick a name as well.�
�We can write to each other with suggestions & we can make a choice after I have an ultrasound.�
�What�s an ultrasound?�
�It�s a device that determines the baby�s gender. It�s perfectly safe.�
�But, right now, let�s tell the others.�
�All right.� Tygra & I shared a brief kiss before breaking the news to the clan & the Thundercats. The kiss was sweet, Tygra�s lips were soft & warm. I could still feel them hours later.
Nine Months Later-April 19th (nighttime)
I was writing another letter to Tygra & the Thundercats. It was filled with the latest news from the clan, the Thunderian/human hybrids, Brooklyn�s occasional drop-ins, & of course my pregnancy. Earlier, on my fourth month, I learned I was expecting a girl Thunderian/human. Tygra & I traded suggestions back & forth before deciding to name her Opal.
I had just sealed the letter in the envelope, when I felt my water break. A wave of panic washed over me. There was no one with me to help. I had to try to get to the infirmary on my own. I stumbled out of my room & hurried the best I could down to the infirmary.
The labor pains were getting worse as I got closer to my destination. At one point, the pain forced me to my knees. I stayed in that position until it passed. I struggled back up & went a few feet before I was back on my knees.
I heard the sounds of a heavy footfall behind me. But, I was in too much to glance over my shoulder. It didn�t mater because I heard a voice say, �Jasmine, what�s wrong?� It was Goliath. I couldn�t get in much of an answer, only a tense growl.
�Is it the baby?� my leader asked.
This time I managed to get a �yes� out. I felt myself being lifted & the hallway rushing past me. There was a push of the double doors & I was in the emergency room. Goliath placed me on one of the beds & called for Dr. Wolfe. While he was calling for the doctor, I was mentally calling for Coyote. �Coyote it�s time. I need Tygra here. It�s time.�
�I�m here Goliath. You can take it easy & get the rest of the clan.� Dr. Wolfe�s voice interrupted my mental message as he shooed Goliath into the waiting room. He turned to me & said, �Let�s get this show on the road.�
About half an hour later, I was following Dr. Wolfe�s instructions. I was pushing as hard as possible without hurting my soon-to-be-born daughter. The strange thing was that I was pushing, but I didn�t feel any major pain that I felt during the first two births. What was going on?
�I�ve got the head. Keep going.�
I pushed more & more. With almost every push, the doctor announced the part that came out. I gave one last push & the doctor called, �I�ve got her!� Silence occurred after his announcement.
I felt a wave of worry. �She�s not crying! Is she dead?�
�Hold on.� The doctor gently thumped one of newborn child�s feet a few times. His attempts were rewarded with�mewing!?! That shot my worry up another notch. �Why is she doing that?�
�I�don�t know. But, I�ll take it that she�s alive.� Dr. Wolfe cleaned her up & cut the cord before handing her to me. �I�ll go announce the birth & hopefully have the father come in.� He stepped out into the waiting room.
I was filled with a load of worry. Did Tygra forget to mention some things to me? Maybe it was my fault for not bringing it up because I didn�t consider how different it might be.
The double doors swung open & Tygra came in, looking concerned. His concern turned to relief when his eyes landed on me. He came up to me & hugged me before sitting down in the chair beside the bed.
�I was worried when I didn�t hear you crying out,� he said.
�It wasn�t hard to get her out. I was worried when she didn�t start crying. And she mewed after Dr. Wolfe thumpd her feet.�
�I�m sorry. That�s how Thunderian cubs act after being born.� With the explanations done, we looked at our daughter.
Her eyes were brown & cat-like. The majority of her skin was orange with black striped. The parts that weren�t like that was the color of my human skin. Her hands & feet were clawed. She had Tygra�s mane on her head, except the back of her head indicated the start of black hair. She was beautiful.
�Our little Opal,� Tygra said softly. He stood up. �I better let someone else come in.� He kissed me before he left. Goliath was the next one to come in.
For the next half an hour, the clan & the Thundercats came in one at a time to look at Opal & talk. The Thundercats each told me of the activities they planned to do with me. For example, Panthro planned to teach me to drive the Thundertank, which he guessed, wouldn�t take long.
After the last guest left, my daughter & I relaxed as we prepared to go to sleep. As I drifted off, I thought, �Thank you Coyote. You�ve given Tygra & me a beautiful daughter.� Just before I completely slipped away, I thought I heard Coyote say, �You�re welcome Jasmine. My half-sister.�