After the company of her tawny subordinate had gone, she found her stomach rolling once again. The female had been throwing up more than she felt she probably should have been, and her strength was depleting. Her limbs were shaky and she felt the meat on her bones slowly fading from lack of nutrition. What little she got went straight to her children, that much she knew, which left little for her. She knew that it would be over soon, but while it lasted it sucked quite a bit. Looking around quickly she made a bee-line for a fern bush, wrenching the meal she’d tried so hard to keep down into its roots. After she was finished she backed away with a sour taste in her mouth, a frown placed on her lips and a shudder in her body.
With her head low the queen shuffled her way into the den, flopping herself down onto the soft bedding. She winced as the children, who seemed to be very active that day, kicked within her belly enticing a sharp pain. It was a precious thing, she knew, but how she wished they wouldn’t do it so harshly. Turning her head she gave her stomach a soothing lick, nuzzling it tiredly and whispering sweet nothings to her young that resided there. She wished she had something to make it less miserable, perhaps the siblings would be able to bring her some stocks to keep around for herself while they were gone. They’d done a good job of bringing her herbs that at least settled the nausea for a time, but it was only for a time and when they left, always together, it wore off and she was left to wretch her entrails into the undeserving forest floor.