Emergence

         The kicking baby reminded Ramora that she was past her due date. I saw her look over at me and I stared back. We gave each other a nervous smile, but she could see something lurking behind my eyes. I could tell by the way her gray eyes narrowed, she was definately suspicious.

         Ramora had been pregnant for over 9 moons now and the baby still hadn't come. Naturally, because of our condition, she had not seen a doctor. There's no telling what kind of results the doctor could find from testing her or her baby. Werewolves always have this problem when it came to wanting a family which is why it was such a risk for us.

         Reaching over, I grabbed her hand and squeezed, again flashing her a nervous smile. Ramora smiled again but looked even more suspicious. Tonight's full moon would be the tenth of Ramora's pregnancy and if she didn't give birth before it appeared a tragedy might occur. A tragedy I couldn't possibly divert. The clock continued to move forward and the sun continued to move downward. Shortly before sunset Ramora seemed to jump.

         "Quenten, my water broke," she exclaimed.

         The possibility of it all working out enlivened me and made my mate practically glow. I carried Ramora to the bedroom and laid her out over the bedspread, giving her a clean gown and a towel before pulling a chair over to the bed. While I waited my thoughts drifted back.

         "Ramora, I don't think having this kid is such a good idea. You know how dangerous it is for our kind."

         "Quenten, I love you and I can deal with this life you forced on me, but I'm still human too. I want to be a mother. I need to be a mother."

         Ramora started contracting but the episodes were almost 5 minutes apart. I looked toward the window. "Honey, it's almost time."

         She looked up at the tears on my face and I saw her own eyes swell. "Quen, I'm sorry. I didn't believe life could be cruel enough to come down to this. Just promise me you'll love the child as much as you've loved me."

         "I will love taking care of this child," I promised, hoping she didn't see through my hedging.

         I kissed her passionately and hugged her hard. I was still holding her when the last vestiges of the day's brightness gave way to the moonlight coming through the window. At last the change had begun. Leaning in for one last kiss, my face started to grow longer. Looking down I could see Ramora's face begin to change as well, and her eyes were bidding farewell.

         With Ramora's change came the change of the full term baby. Inside Ramora's body, a smaller body was growing larger and sharper. Ramora started to scream, but it came out as a howl in the end.

         Natural childbirth could bring agony to the mother but this was supernatural and it was super agony. The howling continued as Ramora's middle stretched outward. Suddenly, with a spray of blood, a paw emerged from Ramora's lower abdomen. She picked her head up enough to see the baby werewolf emerge and smiled before dropping back onto the pillow. She lay still as her lifeless eyes shut one final time.

         The baby clawed the rest of the way out of his mother's shell and I quickly picked it up in my jaws to carry it outside, to bathe at least once, in the fullness of the moon. I had refused to lie to my lover on her death bed. In wolf-like fashion I took out my anguish on the cause of my broken heart and pain and quickly devoured the infant, taking care of it once and for all as I had promised. Barely satiated, from such a small morsel, I turn toward town for a fuller meal. After that, my search for a new mate would begin.