This is a re-upload of the initial chapter, slightly different because I never saved it last time – big learning moment there – so while the overall outline is the same, some of the finer details might be different.
If the admins manage to save the original chapter, then I’ll just delete that and use this one going forward so there’s no discrepancies in the canon.
Chapter 18: The Best Day Ever
Over the next few weeks, Angel did all she could to teach Travis about feral living, since her pregnancy would soon make her immobile and since they didn’t want to cut too far into their food supply with the hot-times rolling in soon it made sense to the pair that Travis become the primary gatherer.
Travis took to the role with gusto, ready to do anything he had to for his new family, although Angel noted he was still too trusting of humans, his only interaction with them had been Big Mummah who he loved and Francis who was more apathetic than anything. Travis had never had that abusive experience, that kick in the gut to teach him how horrible humans could be to Fluffies. It took him some time to break the habit of running to every new human he saw and begging them to be his nyu mummah or daddeh and even now he still had to fight his natural instincts.
About two weeks into Angel’s pregnancy, she led Travis to a nearby park where humans would take their Fluffies to play and socialise under supervision. It was a safe place – well mostly safe as Travis swore he saw two red stallion pulling a fat blue Fluffy into the bushes – filled with playing families, happy laughter and a massive, for a Fluffy, sandpit where human children were playing ‘The Digging Game’ with their Fluffy friends.
Angel looked at her mate, seeing the wonder in his eyes at the joyous times around him. This was an important lesson, one she needed to ensure Travis understood as Angel could already feel her extended tummy making walking a chore.
“Nyo wememba speciaw-fwiend, onwy wan ask hoomins fow wittew nummies fow tummeh-babbehs, nu wan nyu mummah ow daddeh.”
Travis nodded, he still questioned Angel’s aversion to humans, but he knew it was a sticking point for her, he wanted to make her happy and had been working on ignoring his natural instincts for a human home ever since Angel announced her babbeh feeling.
Looking around the park, Travis saw a number of humans doted all over, most with Fluffies, some without, some were just one human and their pet, others were whole families. Angel saw the uncertainty in Travis’ eyes and nudged him, pointing towards a family by the sandbox, a mum, dad, two human children and two Fluffies not much older than Travis and Angel.
“Dewe, big hoomins wiv hoomin babbehs wess wikewy tu gib huwties coz babbehs nu wike see Fwuffies hab huwties. Wun hoomin wiv Fwuffy maybe nice, bu nu can be suwe.”
“Dat am smawt, Angew am smawtesh speciaw-fwiend.”
The two Fluffies nuzzled each other before making their way over to the family. They looked happy, mum and dad sat on a picnic blanket beside the sandbox whilst their two children, a boy and a girl, neither of them over the age of eight, buried shiny treasures in the sand and watched their Fluffies dig them out again. The Fluffies were a lilac Pegasus female with a white mane, and a blue earthie male with a green mane.
Travis couldn’t help but stop and think of his siblings, Iris and Tom were nearly identical in colour to the Fluffies in front of him, it had been many forevers since he saw anyone in his family, he hoped they were ok and that they would meet Angel one day.
Putting the past behind him, Travis moved forwards towards the family. As he got closer the two Fluffies in the sandbox noticed him first.
“MUMMAH, DADDEH WOOK, NYU FWIENDS!”
The two young Fluffies – less than a year old each – instantly tried to climb out of the sandbox and rush towards their new friends, Travis saw the two big humans looking at him and Angel apprehensively so he stopped further back than he planned to be.
“Hewwo nice hoomins, am Twavis, dis am speciaw-fwiend Angew, she am soon-mummah. Fwuffies wan knyo if can hab wittew nummies fow tummeh babbehs?”
The two Fluffies began to nervously shake in the arms of their young owners, the Pegasus looked up to the human mother. “Mummah, nyu fwiends hab tummeh-babbehs, nu wan babbehs tu hab huwties.”
The mother looked towards her husband. “She’s right, but we can’t really help ferals like this can we?”
The father shrugged. “Maybe we could take them to a shelter, see if they can help.”
At the mention of a shelter, Travis felt Angel tense up beside him. “Fank yu bu Fwuffies am ok, hab gud homesie cwose by. Jus wan wittew nummies, dat aww.”
The father thought about it for a moment, before reaching into his picnic basket and pulling out a small bundle of grapes.
“Here, that should hold you over for a little while.”
“Fank yu nice mistah, Fwuffies hab biggesh heawt-happies nyo.”
Travis took the grape stalk in his mouth and nodded a thank you one more time before turning and leaving with Angel before they overstayed their welcome. Angel took a moment to wave goodbye to their new Fluffy friends before joining her mate.
“Yu du gud speciaw-fwiend, nu ask hoomin tu be nyu daddeh. Yu be bestesh daddeh fow tummeh-babbehs.”
Travis smiled proudly as he marched home, he was still young, but he was ready for fatherhood.
Just as well because fatherhood was ready for him whether he wanted it to be or not.
As Angel’s pregnancy relegated her to their little home-hole in the wall, Travis worked even harder to provide for his mate and their impending foals. Food was plentiful with the growing hot-times seeing more and more people about the city which meant more dropped food and more chances for Travis to keep the food supply well-stocked. He still missed the comforts of domesticated living but he was growing to enjoy the feral lifestyle.
After a long day finding food, Travis lay down next to Angel – her increases size made fitting them both into the wall-hole nearly impossible – and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of meeting their babbehs, of playing with them, teaching them everything he knew, telling them about Glen and the sacrifice he made to protect his family. When suddenly…
“BIGGESH POOPIES!”
Travis shot awake, it was barely even morning, the low light of dawn made things difficult but Travis could just make out the straining form of Angel as she struggled with something trying to rip out of her.
“Speciaw-fwiend, wha wong?”
“Hnnnggghhh. Babbehs comin… AHAHAHHHAAAH!”
Babbehs? BABBEHS! Travis began to panic, he wasn’t ready, why did he ever think he was, what was he going to do? Not really knowing what his option were Travis gently rubbed his hoofs on Angel’s side, the only part of her that he could reach, and stroked her as she fought with the pains of childbirth.
“It ok speciaw-fwiend, Twavis am hewe, nu wet anee-fing happen tu Angew ow…”
“GGGAAAHHH!”
Travis jumped back just in time to see a small form peeking out of Angel’s special-place, thinking quickly, Travis moved some of the cardboard surrounding their home towards Angel’s behind, just in time to catch the first foal as it dropped out of her.
Travis looked down at the foals, his foal, his first born babbeh. It was a unicorn colt, cotton white like his mother but his mane green like Travis’ Fluff. Travis looked down at the tiny little thing, his heart bursting with joy.
“Hewwo babbeh, am yuw daddeh, yu am bestesh, pwettiesh babbeh Twavis eba…”
“MOWE BABBEHS!”
More? Travis darted forward to grab the first foal, then just as quickly gave it to Angel, parenthood was new to both of them but he knew Angel was smart enough to know what to do. The Alicorn happily held her first born in her arms as she pushed out another babbeh, then another, then another.
Angel would end up giving birth to five foals in total, barely having enough time to lick them clean before the next one was making their way into the world. But here they all were, all wriggling and chirping and alive, Angel held them all close to her body to keep them warm while they took turns feeding from her teats.
Alongside the white unicorn colt there was a blue Alicorn colt with a white mane, a yellow earthie filly with a blue mane, a green Alicorn filly with a yellow mane, and a yellow unicorn colt with a green mane.
Travis looked at his family, he had a family again, this was the happiest day of his life and he overjoyed that he got to share it with Angel, someone who understood him and loved him. He kept nuzzling and licking her whenever he could.
“Dis am bestesh bwite-time eba, Twavis wub speciaw-fwiend an babbehs, bestesh babbehs eba.”
Angel smiled and nodded, Travis saw that she was utterly exhausted from the effort and gently licked her head.
“Speciaw-fwiend hab gud-sweepies, Twavis find gud-nummies.”
“Angew nu am… tiwe…”
Angel dropped herhead and was out like a light, Travis smiled at the sight and gently moved the newborns up to rest under their mother’s Fluff, they were all so peaceful, so beautiful. Travis thought he couldn’t be happier as he trotted off, looking for the best nummies to celebrate the best day.
Angel didn’t know how long she’d been asleep when she suddenly woke up, but she knew it wasn’t long, Travis wasn’t back yet and the sun was still rising in the sky. However it had risen high enough that there was a warm breeze blowing through their home and Angel felt safe enough to leave her babbehs alone for a moment while she grabbed a quick drink of water from across the alleyway.
Her babbehs, it warmed her heart tot hink of that, she was a mummah and she had the best special-friend ever to help her. She knew Travis still had a lot of heart-hurties to work through, but she was ready to help him in any way she could. She loved him so.
Angel was mere feet from her nest, her tired and still aching body relishing the cool water from her repurposed bowl when she noticed the world suddenly getting a lot darker. Then she was sharply yanked off the ground.
“Goddamn you are a hard little bitch to find, almost though Josef was lying to me. No matter, I got you now.”
The mean mister threw Angel into the carrier cage so fast that she never even had time to think, it took her a moment to align herself and then her thoughts were immediately on her foals.
“BABBEHS! NU TAKE MUMMAH, BABBEHS AM TUU WITTEW, NEED MUMMAH!”
She cried and shook and wailed but the man either couldn’t or didn’t listen to her. Angel could only watch as her babbehs grew smaller and smaller into the distance before she turned a corner and they were gone.
