'Ugh... What time is it?'

Bleary brown eyes peered through a thick tangle of flat brown hair. The alarm clock upon the bedside table beside the bed screeched and whined in the most obnoxious way. Twelve o' clock flashed and flickered repeatedly with no sign of changing. Apparently the power had gone out in the night and this was technology's lovely way of letting her know it had returned. With a creak and a groan, the girl slipped out from beneath cotton sheets and carelessly lifted the electronic over her head. With a great deal of effort, her muscles flexed and contorted themselves as she slammed it toward the ground. Despite her efforts the clock screamed on, but now the resounding 'thud' from her actions was making her head spin. In frustration, she kicked the damned thing into the wall. Another resounding crack later, there was silence. Now there was just the searing migraine brewing behind her eyes left to remind her that her sleep had been anything but restful.

'Why do I feel like shit? I didn't drink anything alcoholic last night, and I don't remember doing anything out of the ordinary...'

Pale, calloused feet dragged their way across the hardwood floorboards of her modest attic room. The girl lifted her arms and reached for the gauzy curtains that rested still against her solitary window. As her fingers gently grasped the porous fabric, more light filtered in, making her squint. It was well past a 'former's rise' outside, probably around eight or nine in the morning. Pain spiked once more with vengeance making her toss the curtains back into place and stagger backwards. Her calves met firmly with the edge of her bed and she fell back hard on her ass. More pain brought with it nausea. Yet the nausea - odd as it was - seemed to give her something else to focus on other than her pain. Suddenly, though she felt like crap, she remembered vaguely why she felt the way she did. Last night, she had been abducted. Her breath came in with a gasp, though it only made her discomfort worsen. Trying now to calm herself, the girl took in slow, wavering breaths in through her nose. It was all she could do to keep the rage building up within her at bay. Last night, she'd been kidnapped.

Did no one even notice? After all, she still lived at home with her parents. Surely someone noticed her absence during the night. But that would need to be something to look into later. Any time she made the attempt to move even an inch, the pain would surface again. Closing her eyes, the girl tried hard to remember fully what had happened. At least it was something to distract herself with. Minutes passed, and perhaps eventually a half-hour, but still all she could recall was a dark room and a searing pain in her arm. That, and the feeling of being hot; uncomfortably so. There was something just stifling about the scene she could recall that made her uneasy. In fact, it was a feeling that was creeping up on her now. Underneath the now waning pain and nausea was irritating warmth all over her form. She had never felt anything like it before. If she had to compare it to anything, it was like having an itch she couldn't scratch. It made her shiver because some part of her knew that it wasn't real. Or, at the very least, it was too surreal to be actually real. Whatever had happened last night couldn't have happened, she reassured herself. It just couldn't have happened. Someone would have noted her absence. After all, her family didn't hate her or shun her. They just weren't always forthcoming with their praise... or their affections... or the time of day half the time.

No, everything lately was centered on her little brother Caiden. Once he was old enough to register in Pre-K and start his Pokemon education, it seemed like the world had done a flip. Where once her parents had been supportive and encouraging toward her actions, now it was as though they had all but given up on her. It wasn't her fault she had stopped pursuing becoming the region's next and greatest Pokemon Champion. Or, you know, a trainer period. Pokemon just really weren't her thing. They were strong, powerful creatures with terrifying attitudes and often times rotten dispositions. She had only ever met one good Pokemon in her lifetime and he was the Pokemon she started with. She had grown up with the Growlithe and, it having been the run of a litter they raised on the farm, she doted on him and took care of him. It only made sense to start their journey together. That was when the honeymoon phase ended, though. Starting out was rough for the both of them. She didn't know what she was doing in the slightest. Beyo, her Growlithe could only do so much on his own, but the continuous losses were heavy on his spirits. One day, he just ran away. Sometime later, she had been out walking down a nearby route when a youngster challenged her, not thinking she was serious when she said she didn't have any Pokemon with her. Then, out of nowhere, a giant canid with flaming fur and stripes as dark as pitch leapt in front of her and burnt the challenger's Raticate to a barely-breathing cinder. The boy ran off, leaving a trembling, weeping girl with brown pigtail braids in the dirt on her ass. The Arcanine turned toward her, a menacing growl in his chest, and then simply stalked off. He wasn't even angry at her. To this day she knew what it was that growl meant; disappointment. Her own Pokemon and essentially her only real friend at the time saw her as nothing.

A rhythmic knock at her door brought her from her reverie. A heavy sigh made her average-sized chest rise and fall slowly. She knew what would follow. She was just glad that her head was no longer swimming. "Gracey! Grace, dear. It's time to pack up and move 'em on out, darlin'!" The voice was shrill and oddly droning. You wouldn't have thought it was possible, but when you have lived with it for the total span of your lifetime, I suppose some things can happen. "Caiden's tournament's in an hour and we can't be late!" Grace rose to her feel and dragged her feet all the way to the door where she knew her mother was tapping her feet impatiently. It was amazing how her voice could carry. "Gracey! GRA-CE-Y!" The drawn out vowels was her cue to finally twist the knob and stare blearily back at the round, matronly woman outside her door. "Oh, there you are, honeypie. Just had to make sure you hadn't died in your sleep. Didn't make hardly a peep at all last night and usually you're up periodically with them night terrors..." Grace stood lazily still pretending to listen to her mother drone on about her daughter's sleeping habits and nightmares. Grace had heard it all before. If she portrayed any inflection on her face it was because of her mother's complete ignorance to her disappearance last night. Then again, it would be typical behavior. "The emergency numbers and the numbers for our poketch's is on the refrigerator. But, Grace, do try not to call. You know how important these tournaments are to your baby brother." And with that, the woman turned and hustled back down the stairs. She called to the rest of the family - another daughter, Caiden, and another daughter- and soon the rest of the family was piled into an old van and on their way.

Pokemon Grande Tournaments had become surprisingly popular lately with new regions being added to the map and new Pokemon being found. Mountain passes were opened, new passages were found in the sea, and now it seemed as if the entire world was connected. Grace, at a young twenty, could still remember when people thought finding the connection to Kanto was hot news. Now there were five regions in all and over six-hundred species of Pokemon to be researched, befriended, or tamed. There was a sort of coliseum in each region, centered in the respective region's central city. Her parents were taking Caiden to Goldenrod City this year for his first real try at the games. It was an elaborate spectacle to say the least; a hybrid ordeal that mixed battling with displays of fashion and skill and aesthetic. He was bound to take some sort of prize with his Kirlia Daine. Not that Grace cared at all. In fact, she could care less. All their trip meant to her was that she would be alone in the house for a good few days, although left in charge of the Moo Moo Ranch.

She didn't really mind it. The Miltank were docile and mostly peaceful beings, though they still required milking and to be fed daily. As she heard the car start up and drive off, Grace walked over to her closet. A loose sweater and a breezy cotton skirt found their way onto her body as she made her way back to her door. Carefully, she took the stairs one at a time all the way down, taking two twists and turns to end up at the bottom floor. With a silent sigh, she took the next doorway into the kitchen. She took from the wall cupboard two pails and filled them both with generic brown, lumpy pokechow. The smell of it made her nose twitch; musky hay and a variety of dusty grains. Setting them both on the counter, she poured herself a tall glass of water, taking small sips to ease the dregs of her nausea away. She was actually feeling much better than she did an hour ago, the nausea and headache nearly gone altogether. Another glass of water did the trick, though, and with a pail in hand she headed out the door that leads to the side-yard. The small flight of steps was easily traversed one by one and in no time at all, Grace was out on the ranch. The contented mooing of their farm's pride and joy greeted her. Hungry mouths drooled when they smelled their breakfast coming. Careful not to let any of them touch her, she emptied the pails into the feeding trough and went on her merry way.

She was about halfway back to the house when the awkward itching sensation from that morning returned. She felt tired, suddenly, and like her body was aching, but on the inside. With great care, she brought herself to the fence nearby, nearly falling to her knees. They trembled, still, as she fought to keep herself upright. She didn't know what this feeling was. Her flesh was hot one second and then cold the next. Her muscles ached and cramped up tight sending waves of sensation all over her. A strangled moan forced its way through her lips as the sensations seemed to center on her breasts and her groin. 'What the hell?' She moaned again, shifting her body to try and get comfortable. 'What is this... this feeling?' Sure, she'd been horny before, but it had never been like this. She grappled with the wooden beams behind her, trying to fully right herself with her weight now distributed on her arms but mostly the fence. Her legs, however, still felt like wet pasta. Long, shaking breaths filled and evacuated her lungs making her chest heave and swell. The suddenness of the sensation was fleeing, now, leaving her with an annoying need in her blood.

"Oof. You've got to be kidding me." She sighed audibly this time, something more like a groan pushing through her lips. With great irritation her eyes surveyed the scene around her. There were tall trees all around the farm, sheltering the house - but more importantly her - from the nearby route and any passersby. 'Nope. Nope. Not going to do it.' She reasoned with herself, pushing against the railing with her arms to right herself onto her feet. Her knees buckled and she fell flat on her ass. Her skirt blossomed around her before landing haphazardly and high up on her thighs. Rather than pain, the extreme pleasure welled back up and flowed back out again, leaving her still with that itch. Pearly teeth found a scarred patch on her lower lip and gently worked the soft tissue. What she was considering was obscene and wrong in all sense of the word. She couldn't possibly do that out here, out in the open, out under the sun and skies. Oh, but that infernal itch! With a huff, her chocolate eyes turned to look down at her rumpled skirts and her lush thighs. The trees weren't too far off. If she could at least crawl, at least then she could feel at least somewhat sheltered. As a sign of confirmation, she rose up onto her hands and knees and, albeit slowly, took a few shaking lengths forward.

She hadn't gone far when she heard the footsteps. She had heard them before but her brain hadn't registered what they were until now. Idly hands hovered in the air before her as the footfalls came close enough to feel in the earth and a shadow fell upon her. A gruff, solitary inhalation met her senses next. For a moment the feeling of dread escaped her, only to come back stronger when she realized who - or rather what - was next to her. Knowing she shouldn't, she craned her neck to look up toward the source of the shadow. "Hey, Beyo. W-who's a g-good boy..." Her voice caught in her throat. After he returned, her parents decided he'd make a better guardian than a pet and put him to work keeping watch over the fields. At least, that's what they kept telling themselves. In truth, the Arcanine was impossible to control. He was hostile and extremely violent towards humans. The only person he ever let close enough to even feed him was Grace, but she was too afraid of him. Having him staring her down like she was lunch left her shivering with fear. Strangely, though, her need still flourished. She felt her lower lips trembled although she didn't know why. Now, facing this beast, was certainly not the time to be hot and bothered. Another huff passed in through the large black nose as the fiery beast lifted his head to the wind. Grace winced when the massive square head lowered to face hers, and squeaked with great apprehension when his hot, slick tongue grazed her neck. "Egh... Beyo, what-?" Fretfully, she brought her face up in time to see him pace around her body, his large fluffy tail grazing her cheek.

Suddenly, he was behind her. All she could see from her angle was the end of his tail swishing through the air. Confusion took its place upon her paling face. Why had he stopped, rather than leave her be and walk awa-- "Ah!" Her thoughts came to a grinding halt when she felt her skirt being yanked down off her rump. A chill breeze across her cheeks and exposed nethers brought some clarity and fire to her thoughts, though even they were stopped cold. "What the hell are you do- Ooh!" A cold canid nose was pressed up against her swelling lips, sending a spark through body. She shivered as the foreign feeling of the Pokemon sniffing her now unguarded sex coursed through her. Goosebumps traveled up the entire length of her body. What in Arceus' name was going on, and why was her mind suddenly awash with hot, unwarranted thoughts? Panicking, Grace tried again to move. With great effort, she managed to lift a knee and drag it across the plush grass before she found her movements restricted. Her skirt had been pulled down between her knees. A soft whimper passed through her pursed lips as the nose pressed up against her again. In vain, she tried to move again, but found she needed all four limbs on the ground to brace herself for the sudden weight on her back.

What was happening had not truly reached her frantic brain until she felt a great deal of external heat between her legs. After trying and failing to crane her neck around to see, she dropped her chin to her chest. Although her baggy sweater blocked most of her view, she could see through the loose collar and between her breasts all the way back. What her eyes took in sent a deep-seated pulse through her sex. A bouncing, throbbing, cherry red cock hung grievously from the Pokemon's cream colored sheath. The heat that radiated from it made her squirm. Two large fire-orange forepaws on her hips, however, kept her firmly in place. Reality started to sink in more rapidly and she felt Beyo shift his weight. She was alone - on a farm with empty acreage all around her - and no one would hear her screams for help except the Miltank. Grace clenched her teeth and her chin quavered. The thick rod teased its way in between her plush lips as it missed the target once, twice, and then a third time. The whole length rubbed against her clit, the tiny knob becoming stiffer, tugging tighter and tighter against her hood with every pass. A broken gasp brought the girl's head up, her eyes wide. "No, Beyo, please- Angh!" Beyo lunged forward, the rod plunging deep within her folds, furry balls rubbing up against her clit. Tears welled up in her deep brown eyes, slowly trickling down her cheeks. The pain was immense. He was huge! She could feel the tip pressing up against the most unfathomable depths of her body. As her folds clenched and tugged at his throbbing member, trying to expel it from her, the Arcanine adjusted his footing once more. Backing up, only slightly to tease her inner cavern, his member pistoned back inside over and over again. Each drag brought the tapered tip within a hair of her entrance. As his thrusting continued, Grace's folds continued to react. Her hot honey slicked up his shaft for more stimulation. More of it founds its way out between her legs an trickled down her thighs. Her walls seized and fluttered as the rod within rubbed and massaged every strange wave and crease within her. As his ministrations continued, she could feel a heat spreading through her body. Suddenly, the pain was more manageable. In fact, the pain was nearly gone entirely, replaced by a glowing pleasure. She crooned, her mouth opening slightly. It was wrong, so very wrong, but the more he kept on thrusting, the more pleasurable this act became. It was starting to feel good. Really good.

Soon, Grace couldn't help herself. Sure, in her head, she knew it was wrong and she tried to get her body to stop, but it was a futile game. Her body rocked back into his thrusts, somehow pushing him deeper than he'd gone before. It wasn't long at all before she felt an odd sense of pressure deep within her lower abdomen which elicited a deep growl from the fire type. She had never had a partner this large before, so she wasn't really sure what was going on, but he sure did. She had no idea that his cock tip was poking at her cervix. All she knew was that it made her feel like she was going to burst. The pleasure welled up higher and higher within her, making her walls grip tighter and harder. Thick sloshing sounds reached her ears as her ass slapped against his groin, sopping wet with her juices. "Oh Gods! Aaaaaagh!" Very suddenly, she came. The orgasm hit hard and from almost nowhere. Wave after wave of bliss passed through her making her gasp. She became more sensitive and every inch of her being felt like it was on fire.

Beyo continued thrusting as her honey slicked him up more and more. His tip pressed past her cervix in gentle, tugging increments. His thrusts became more sporadic and increased in speed. A low growl built up in his chest as though filled with some sense of foreboding. She could feel her walls being pressed out more as his cock became even thicker. Between the glistening lips of her opening, her juices stopped trickling down her legs and she could feel the base of his member inflating and spreading her walls for a tight, impassable fit. The temperature within her pussy grew hotter as her assailant tried harder and harder to press his rod deeper and deeper. Grace no longer cared what was going on. She rocked and bucked in a constant rhythm, tied to her bestial lover by his knot. She felt hot all over. Her orgasm before just hadn't been enough to sate her passions, her need. She couldn't describe the feeling burning within her. Maybe it was the fact she was being fucked by a fire-type, With one final mighty thrust, their hips locked together and a thousand embers filled her aching womb. The arcanine howled long and possessively, making the wild birds flee from their roosts in the trees. His virulent seed washed over her stirring organ flowing deep into her ovaries. The sensation of another orgasm spreading over her body made Grace scream out in pure ecstasy before the whole world went dark. Her elbows and knees buckled out from beneath her and she fell on her bloated belly to the grass beneath. Beyo crouched down with her, still bound to her with his engorged knot. He supported his weight above her, gently licking her neck and her shoulders until his shaft deflated enough to pull out. Standing gently as to not disturb her, Beyo paced his sleeping mate in two tight circles. He stopped twice; once to press his nose up against her slightly distended tummy, and the other to lap at the mixture of his seed and her nectar on her lower lips. Once thoroughly satisfied, the canine let out a sated huff and trotted away into the tree line.

----- +++ { Some Time Later} +++ ---

"Hmph... Whah?" Graces eyes fluttered open under the soft light of the late afternoon. The sun hung lazily in the sky, approaching its decent into evening. A great and powerful stretch overtook her body, causing her to roll onto her back. A soft moan escaped her lips as she tried to move, every joint stiff and creaking. "Mmm... Man, I feel... I feel fantastic." With lazy motions, her eyes took in the scene around her. She was lying in the grass just outside her house. Idly mooing Miltank grazed somewhere off in the distance. With vague attention, she realized the itch that had been bothering her since she woke up that morning was gone. All that was left was a gently pulsing warmth between her legs, pulsing up to her lower abdomen. Bliss was the only real thing on her mind. She couldn't be bothered to care about what had happened to her mere hours ago. For whatever reason, she was sexually assaulted by a Pokemon, and she didn't care. Everything seemed so clear, now. Everything seemed sharper, more detailed and full of vibrancy. Her skin tingled as a warm Summer breeze caressed her, bringing some inkling of a notion that her skirt was still wrapped around her knees. The dainty lips between her thighs burned with recent use. An idle contraction of her inner walls caused her to twitch, a soft moan to escape between her lips. Sure, she's had sex before, but it was never anything like that. Her previous lover hadn't been anywhere near that well-endowed and certainly lacked stamina. Plus, he never got her to climax. Beyo had managed to do it twice. Or, at least, that's what she remembered. But that wasn't possible. Pokemon and humans couldn't do that, right? Twice, in rapid succession, her walls clenched, although this time it was a little less pleasurable. Nausea rippled over her, making butterflies dance in her stomach.

Suddenly, Grace knew something was wrong. It was as if the nausea made everything real. She hadn't just woken up from a strange and surreal dream, she really had just been raped by a Pokemon! Panic crashed through the blissful fog that had settled over her mind. She sat up in a whirl and hastily tried to climb up to her feet while trying to pull up her skirt. The world tilted slightly on its axis and she lost her footing. Staggering hastily, she managed to make it over to the side of the barn. One hand flew to the big red wall for support while the other clutched at her stomach. Soft, supple flesh began to harden beneath her palm. She could feel something inside of her growing, pushing firmly up against deep within her- her uterus? "That... This can't be right. I've barely just come to terms with what just happened as being reality. This... Oooh!" Another tight clench of her abdominal muscles made her gasp for air. Her belly began to expand in minute increments, the flesh becoming oddly taught beneath her palm. Soon it became swollen and actually brushed up against the front of her baggy sweater. "Oh no. Oh no, no , no, no, no... So I just got fucked I can accept that now. But this just isn't possible- AH!" Her knees buckled in together, pressing her swollen lips together. Another, more forceful contraction made her belly swell out more. With numb hands, she lifted her sweater to fully take in the sight below her. Her breasts showed a slight increase in size, but her stomach was much more visibly distended. However, the growth seemed to have stopped. Needless to say, she was confused. In school, she had seen pregnant before and they had been twice the size in the belly-department as she was now. Naturally, it must be because of her height and stature, but it really only looked like she'd put on a few. "M-Maybe it's just gas?" She moaned hopefully. For the most part, the pain had stopped. The expansion certainly had, and she found herself able to take slow, measured steps.

Keeping a hand on her belly to make sure nothing else changed, she slowly made her way back towards the house. She took the stairs up one at a time and extra carefully but still found herself winded after she reached the top of the small flight. The door opened easily with a turn of her free hand. Within minutes she was walking across the sleek hardwood of the living room toward the stairs which would take her to the attic. That, however, was an obstacle she wasn't ready to face. Tired from the walk, Grace huffed and slumped down onto the couch. Exhausted, chocolate-colored eyes stared blankly at the television's sleek flat screen, looking at her reflection. She was visibly unchanged. Unless she really slouched, you couldn't really tell that she was bearing anything extra. There was just, maybe, some extra filling in her bust. "Maybe I've imagined it all." She mumbled to herself, probing her belly with a finger idly. The buildup had stopped and she didn't feel the pain anymore, so much as just a stagnant discomfort. Her rational mind worked up a different solution. Standing carefully, Grace's feet carried her to the bathroom just down the hall. Once inside, she turned on the tap and let the water run until it was hot. Splashing her face to clear her head, she reconciled that her previous suspicious couldn't be true. There just wasn't a way that it could be. It just wasn't physically possible. If it were, surely that sort of news would have hit the papers or the television by now, right?

As she silently belittled herself for being so naive and immature, she felt her body warming up again. Thinking it was just the running water over her hands making her hot, she turned it off and sat on the edge of the bathtub. Nothing, however, is ever that simple. Very evidently, the pressure within her dropped, like a solid mass. The distended part of her belly shifted downward making her truly look like she was smuggling something underneath her skin. She moaned and the pressure built up inside her; she could tell gravity was not working on her side here. As a reflex, she spread her legs. Clearly distracted by the minute waves of pleasure and pain washing over her, Grace began to lean backwards. Leaning too far, she fell backwards into the tub. "Ouch!" She yelped. Her legs still draped over the side, she leant forward to try and regain her perch, but that was a poor plan. The contortion of her lower body created a pushing motion and there was a very clear movement of something inside of her. "Ah! Oh, no." She muttered to herself, gasping for air, doubling over now because of the seizing contractions of her muscles. Every motion of her body brought the foreign body within her further and further down. Sweat ran down her face in delicate rivers as she felt the last of it pass through the deepest barrier in her body.

"Ah, this is -is torture!" She moaned, feeling the walls of her inner passage stretch around the escaping form. "There's no way this is really happening to me! Hngh!" Another sharp contraction brought her head between her knees. With one great push, she felt the smooth body slip down to her shimmering opening. A hysterical bark of laughter erupted through her lips, thinking the worst was over. She could feel her lower lips being spread further, further, and further still and bore the pain and pleasure with gritted teeth. Then the object stopped. In dismay, Grace threw back her head and released a deep moan.

"Damn it! WHY?" Fingers shaking with frustration and fatigue reached down to her slit but were met with something firm and smooth to the touch. Wide eyes cast downward revealed her suspicions to be true. She was laying an honest-to-goodness egg and from the looks of it, she was stuck at the widest part. Biting her lower lip, she released a low hiss. "I don't know how this is possible, but when I find out... Ngh-"Another spasm wracked her abdominal muscles and the egg budged just a little bit further. The girl released a growl and pushed once more of her own accord. Her ample chest heaved with labored breath as sweat beaded up anew on her forehead. "Come on! You little wretch..." She growled into the next push, trying to snake her fingers around the body into her inner passage to give it a pull. After what seemed like eons, the egg slid all the way out, a soft splash of her dammed fluids sounding on the tub's floor.

A loud moan of relief passed through her. The sensation left by the exiting egg left her feeling hollow and tingly. She, however, was glad for the feeling of emptiness. It meant that she was done. No more surprises for the day. After a day of chaos, she was finally done. With brows slated back, she rested against the far wall of the tub and hoisted the hefty egg between her hands. It was a pale orange all over with a white base. Black stripes wrapped around the smooth sides in jagged zig-zags. "A growlithe egg... Well, I guess that's not really a surprise. But how could I have seen this coming, even? First I'm overcome with... passions," She coughed. "And then I'm taken from behind by a Pokemon I thought wanted nothing to do with me ever again. Now..." She looked at the egg in her hands, turning it over gently once before resting her arms on her propped knees. "Now I've laid an egg - his egg." The words alone brought a blush to her cheeks, though she quickly shook the lewd thoughts away before they could rise.

"No. Bad, Grace. This is just- Just wrong!" She huffed, rolling forward and struggling enough to situate herself back on the lip of the tub. After a minute or two of steady breathing, she hefted herself up onto her feet. Doing her best to ignore her sensitive, tingling flesh as her lips slicked together with the residual juices, she made her way back down the hall and back into the living room. Working on muscle memory, she traipsed down another path towards the stairs which lead to her attic room, brown eyes focused on the egg in her hands. The sight of it still perplexed her as her feet made their way up the steps one by one. Some part of her conscious told her that it really wasn't possible for it to be real. The ache in her muscles, however, quickly dissolved that thought. She didn't know how, but it was real. The proof still warm, cradled gingerly in her hands. Transferring it under an arm, she opened her bedroom door and walked all the way across to her bed. In a single fluid motion, she twirled and flopped onto her back, the egg bouncing on the mattress just beside her ribcage.

"Man, what a day..." her voice was soft, subdued even, as she tried to get her eyes to focus on the patterns in the wood grain on her ceiling. The light of the sun setting over the ocean filled her room with a warm orange glow and she felt herself being pulled deeper and deeper into sleep. She was exhausted; there was no argument for that. Try as she might, she was asleep before the sun's head fully disappeared beneath the horizon line. Her dreams spanned a number of wondrous things, from hot, balmy nights with Beyo beside her in a breezy plain, to riding upon his back free through the fields with the wind on her face and his heat beneath her. They were soothing, calming dreams and she found herself wrapping her body around the egg almost protectively. She found herself caring for it as if it really were her own. Maybe this was natural. Maybe Beyo had finally forgiven her for her past failures as a trainer and this was his way of getting her back in the saddle, so to speak. Maybe... just maybe, this was supposed to happen, for her own good...

As her body relaxed into the blissful realm of sleep and dreaming, a shadow approached her high, circular window. Discretely, as to not wake her, a stout, feathered form pushed open the glass and gracefully landed below. With webbed feet tap-tapping gently on the paneled floor, it made its way to the edge of her bed. With curious eyes a beady-black it watched her steady breathing before slipping a red flipper under the egg in her arms. Carefully it was lifted out of her arms and cradled against a white, downy chest. With a spare flipper, the trespasser reached behind its back and revealed a sealed envelope, placing it where the egg once was. "Deli..." It crooned gently before pacing backwards and back into the shadows. The egg was slipped back into a hidden pouch in its tail and safely secured. With two strategic hops, it was back out the window and with ungainly, rapid flaps, disappeared into the night.

To be continued...