Claws

Aspen

The day I was dreading grew closer and closer. Time marched on despite my pleas for it to cease. Blizzard tried her best to ignore it, but I could tell the passage of time was getting to her as well.
We laid in her bed, my head on her heavily-pregnant belly. Aspen let loose a little kick, and we both chuckled at the sensation.
"I never want this to end." I sighed. We held onto the moment as long as possible before there was a knock at the bedroom door.
"Apollo?" Luka called out for me, "It's almost time for dinner."
A tiny kiss was placed on Blizzard's belly. As I got up, I couldn't shake a nagging sense of impending doom. It was pretty much constant these days, so it didn't bother me too terribly much this time.
My right hand was held out for my mate, who took the gesture happily, using it to help get out of bed after me.
The walk to the dining hall was slow. We took it easy on account of Luka's recovery, Joan's disability, and Blizzard's pregnancy.
"My feet hurt." Blizzard whined. Next thing she knew, she was being hoisted into my arms and carried bridal-style. The bird was a little bit heavier these days, but I didn't mind— I was getting in my strength workout for today.
"Thank you." Blizzard hummed, nuzzling against my collarbone.
Another little kiss found its way to her forehead. "No problem, love."
Dinner would have been a tiny bit awkward had I paid any mind to Atlas, who was staring daggers into Roomba and I. But what was he going to do surrounded by our humans? Nothing.
Blizzard stole some downtown-style meatloaf from my plate after finishing hers. She hadn't so much as touched her fried liver or pickled eyeballs, though. I went ahead and transferred the rest of the meatloaf to my mate's plate—she needed it more than I did.
It was about five minutes later when I first noticed something was wrong. My mate was sporadically letting go of sharp, low whines.
"You okay?" I asked my other half.
"I've got a killer stomach ache." Blizzard grimaced as she spoke.
My heart dropped. "Is it—" I began, but was cut off by the other bird.
"No, I'm okay." She convinced me, going back to picking at her meatloaf with disinterest.
It wasn't until after dinner that things started to ramp up.
Blizzard hesitated to make her way down the front steps of the mansion, so again, I carried her. An excruciated hiss sounded out from my mate as we reached the bottom.
"No, no, no, no, no!" She whimpered as I set her down.
It was then that I realized exactly what was happening. If I hadn't been clued in by Blizzard's acute stress, the trickle of fluids down her leg was less of a hint and more of a giant neon sign.
"Oh my god!" I was being completely useless; I had no idea what to do. Onlookers stared with equal parts terror and confusion.
Joan walloped me in the side with her cane to get my attention. "Take her to Dr. Lawerence!" She commanded, and for the third time today, Blizzard was in my arms.
The flight to Kye was incredibly difficult— my wings worked overtime to lift the weight of two in the air. When we arrived after two minutes that seemed more like thirty, I banged on the doctor's door with my free hand.
"Kye!" I screamed out, "Blizzard is in labor!"
The door opened nearly immediately, and the educated human ushered us inside.
"How far apart are contractions?" He questioned.
At my mouth-agape-fish-out-of-water look, Kye turned to Blizzard, who had an answer for him. "A minute and a half."
"How long did you wait to get here?" Kye asked incredulously.
"I don't know, maybe thirty minutes?" I answered, and the doctor looked flabbergasted.
"Well, Blizzard, I hope you're ready to push, because this baby is coming out whether you like it or not." Kye remarked.
I don't think I'd ever seen Blizzard burst into tears so quickly in my entire life.
"I don't want to!" She caterwauled, and my heart broke into a million tiny pieces.
"Blizzard, look at me!" The human commanded, and the bird did as she was told. "You have to do this. You are one of the strongest lionhearts I know. You can do this, Blizzard!"
My mate simply sniffled and nodded her head, tears still rolling down her face.
Kye quickly scampered off towards his bedroom, returning with a fully-assembled hospital bed on wheels.
"Apollo," Kye addressed me as he helped transfer Blizzard onto the bed, "Help me get her pants off."
And so I did. Thank god she had decided on yoga pants and not skinny jeans today.
Joan and Luka were next to arrive, about ten minutes later, having power-walked from the dining hall. When the entered, Blizzard was mid contraction, screaming and clawing into my arm like there was no tomorrow.
     "You're doing great, Bliz!" I groaned through the pain of ten claws piercing my skin.
     "I don't feel like I'm doing great!" She sobbed, "I feel like I'm doing pretty shitty, actually!"
     "You've got this, Blizzard!" Kye reassured her.
     Blizzard just kept crying. Snot and tears poured down her face, and I couldn't tell if it was because of the agony of birth or of losing Aspen.
     Several hours passed this way. Crying, screaming, pushing, squeezing, until finally, we met Aspen.
     "It's a girl!" Kye announced after examining the now-shrieking fledgling, and both Blizzard and I looked thoroughly flabbergasted until Aspen was set in our arms.
     Everything in me ached as I finally held her for the first time. Tears welled up and flooded my eyes. I loved her with every ounce of my being.
     Blizzard cried too, but not happy tears. She sobbed and sobbed, holding onto her newborn tightly, and it was all I could do to hold both of them and whisper to my mate, "It's going to be okay, Bliz, I promise."
     "No, it's not!" She wailed, "Nothing is ever going to be okay again!"
     Aspen was so small. Not a single thing differentiated her from a human— not a claw, nor a feather, nor a fang. She was all normal, as normal as we could only dream of ever being again.
     Kye stepped out while dialing a number on his phone. I knew exactly what he was doing, and I had half a mind to cut him down on the spot.
     After about fifteen minutes, Blizzard and I's tears dried up. We focused now on spending as much quality time with our newborn as we had left.
     Unfortunately, that wasn't much, because George slithered through the front door of Kye's house not five minutes later. At the sight of him I physically puffed up, a low growl emanating from my chest. Luka put a hand up to stop me. I paid no mind to my Master.
     "Restrain your birds, please." George requested ever-so-politely.
     Wordlessly, my Master approached with my binds. Hissing and spitting at the human did nothing to stop him. When he was within striking distance, I let loose a bluff swipe, which he completely disregarded.
     Quick as a whip, a muzzle was fastened over my mouth and nose. Next were two reinforced gloves to contain my claws. And then, I was helpless.
    Blizzard did not go down as easily. She yowled and spat at Joan, who raised her cane threateningly. When my mate shied away at the threat of force, her Mistress affixed a black-wire basket muzzle over her her mouth and nose. Instead of gloves, Blizzard's claws were restrained with mitts, which rendered the one-handed punches she threw at Joan obsolete.
     Aspen began to cry even more boisterously at all of the commotion.
     George shushed the fledgling. "Shhhh, it's okay, little one. Come to Master."
     I saw red.
     As I charged at George, not much ran through my mind except for a bloodthirsty rage. That was until, however, I thought: Is that a cattle prod?
     Sure enough, eight thousand volts of electricity were soon coursing through my body at breakneck speeds. I gasped and sputtered and coughed at the sensation of pure agony. When I came to, I was on the floor, breath heaving in and out of my body.
     George simply stepped over me, regarding my Master. "Please leash your lionheart, son."
     My human produced a four-foot lead from his pocket. It was black and braided with a nickel closure, and soon, it was connected to my collar. Rather than holding the leash, Luka stepped on it, effectively trapping me at ground-level. Not that I could get up in the aftermath of being electrocuted with a cattle prod.
     Blizzard's sounds of warning were nothing to George— he simply pried open the bird's arms and took our child.
     He took our child.
     And just like that, George stepped back over me, opened the front door, and left. He left with Aspen.