Rise Of The Beast Queen: Elizabeth

Ch 44 Cubs!?!?

"Wha... Did you say... Cubs?" Liz stuttered out as her legs went weak and the only thing keeping her upright was the firm grip Jin had on her waist, though he didn't realize since he was turned into a stone statue from the surprise. Beau looked wide eyed from Hank to Liz, down to her belly, back to her face, then back to her belly again, before he dropped to his knees and began sniffing all around her stomach and crotch, he smelt something but didn't know what it was, since he'd never actually been around a newly pregnant female before.

The embarrassment of Beau trying to stick his face in her crotch in public snapped Liz out of her shock, she squealed and  held onto Beau's shoulders, while she tried to push him away, her face turned bright red with a fiery blush. Beau looked up at her with a shameful expression in his eyes, he felt like a failure as a healer since he couldn't even identify his females pregnancy. For a moment Beau thought Liz was pushing him away because she was disappointed in him and didn't want him any more, but then he saw the flush of her cheeks and the panic in her eyes, he quickly jumped up, cupped her cheek with one hand and began petting the side of her head with the other.

"Shh... It's ok, little Liz. It's alright. I was just checking but I'll stop. Don't be upset." Beau cooed softly trying to reassure and calm her down, which in turn also pulled Jin back from his petrification.

"I... I... Am I..." Liz began to stutter as she clung to Beau's wrists and stared deeply into his eyes while hers glistened with unshed tears. "Is it true... Am I... P... Pregnant?"

Beau hesitated answering for a long few moments, sure he didn't know the word 'pregnant' but deduced it's meaning, more than that is he wasn't sure how to take her reaction, she didn't seem happy. And since he wasn't 100% sure either way he didn't want to be responsible for upsetting her or telling her wrong, so he looked up and locked eyes with the male who started this mess.

Hank stared at Liz for a little while, until she started to become uncomfortable, then he asked, "Can I check?"

"Your not going to sniff me like Beau did, are you?" Liz asked with a visible grimis showing her discomfort.

"No." Hank said with a slight smirk lifting his lips. "I am an ape beastman." He stated like it explained everything, before he confidently but slowly stepped up to Liz, though he kept a wairy eye on Jin and Tairen and was also partially blocked by Beau. If Liz was more knowledgeable of the beastmen in this world she'd know that his simple answer does infact answer everything because ape beastman have a unique set of skills, which makes them the best healers. Unlike typical beastmen, ape males gain mental abilities instead of physical strength when they gain stripes and it is excessively difficult for them to gain stripes in the first place since they have to train both their bodies and minds, think monk training.

***
Of the three healers we know by name; Beau, Hank and Dylan. Beau is the most physically strong because he's a two striped fox, but he is the least skilled healer. Between Hank and Dylan, both being ape males, Dylan is the older of the two but surprisingly Hank is stronger. Dylan's life has not been entirely perfect or completely safe, but Jamina's family is large and strong, they have always kept him protected because his skills and knowledge are invaluable.

Hank on the other hand wasn't so lucky, living under the tyranny of Tabby's family. Tabby herself wasn't usually too difficult to avoid unless she was actively looking for a fight, but that usually just ended with her mates beating up someone else's mates for her entertainment. The worst though was actually having to live under Kinkade, highly intelligent, bored and sadistic, not a great combination for someone who's finagled their way into a position of power. In fact Kinkade practically ran the tribe, usually only from the background, but he had a special interest in bullying Hank, because Hank was the only person in the tribe who could engage him on an intellectual level.