A Shifting Land

Chapter 26

Swift landed, her wings curling in on themselves against her back as her feet met sand hard. She stumbled slightly, her head up even as her ears twisted forward. She came up off the ground in a spin, her tail sweeping the ground to throw a cloud of dust high. 

Tawny fur passed inches below her feet, her claws reaching for that pristine coat as she perched herself there like the queen of the lands. 

Sunny bucked, throwing herself to the side in a desperate roll, her body heavy with kits. She flopped, letting the lithe feline hop to the side. "Good catch. I thought I had you there for a moment with your stumble."

Swift ran her tongue across her chest, hiding in the rumpled fluff. "Thanks... Did I hurt you at all? I landed a bit heavily even for my own tastes."

Sunny turned, giving her belly a shove, "Can't exactly say I blame you. You're nearly as low as I am. You're due in what, just over a week? Is that foxy friend of your excited for them?"

She turned, casting a scrutinizing eye across herself. She swelled slightly, skin tight like a drum. Her stomach rolled, light flutters shoving against her sides hard enough to be visible. "Illandria. Why did neither you or Bladen mention I was carrying?!"

Sunny stepped away, her eyes widening at Swift's blank expression. "You.... You didn't know?"

She shook her head mutely, still trying to process it. "I was trapped off planet a couple weeks back. Someone non Dukari.... Drugged me to mate with me I guess. Kiri isn't the father, I.... I wasn't with it when he showed up but I thought...." She trailed off, staring down towards the water.

Sunny pulled her close, wrapping her chin across Swift's shoulder. "It's ok. Half breeds aren't bad, and the bigger packs will have the supplies to keep you ok."

She blinked back tears, "Sunny. I can't. Alpha Firestorm attacked me for returning her daughter! A daughter she barely gives a second glance to. What might she do if she finds me pregnant? I'm the alpha intruding on her territory. I'm the one that would be 'infiltrating' her packs..."

"Little one... It doesn't work like that, not for us. You were welcomed. You didn't manipulate your way into this place." She pulled back, steadying the little cat. "How old are you exactly?"

Swift pulled away sharply, her form wilting. Baby fuzz lined her cheeks, her head low. Long and gangly, all legs with patchy fur, scars clearly visible through her thin fur. "5 and a half months. I think. I haven't really paid attention this last bit... I just tried to live."

Sunny sucked in a sharp breath. "Swift. You can't keep pushing yourself to train."

She spun, her voice cracking. "Why not?! This won't last. It can't be a home for long, not when your elders are already pushing to contact my mother. And-"

Sunny sank her claws into the sandy floor. "I thought you said you were an outlander. Your mother?" She spun, catching Swift by her shoulder with a harsh nose poke. "You're the lost heir?"

Swift dropped, her shift back in seconds. Her eyes darted, flicking up the trees. "I have been an outlander for the majority of my life and that's how Kiri was born. I should go..."

Sunny pounced, pinning her down. "Don't. I'm not telling anyone. I promise. Stay. Even if it's just in this pack. If nothing else, we can lend you strength when the time comes. Please stay."

She tensed, coiled so tightly that a single nudge might break her. "How? I have only ever trusted myself and Kir. You ask me to trust you, you ask me to believe in you... What happens if they're red eyed. My abilities are flame based."

Sunny flinched back, her tail slapping down against the ground. "We are supposed to call for Alpha Firestorm. She takes them away... To die."

Swift pulled herself to her feet. "Exactly."