There was a rustling sound coming from somewhere to Lizzy's right and she felt her eyes pop open. She hadn't recalled falling asleep on the wonderful king sized bed, but when she woke up it was to Phantom's return.
The light had faded in the cavern, casting shadows in the darkest recesses of the stone. Only a small sliver of light was stretching it's way across the main chamber where Phantom had prepared the skylight. She rubbed her eyes, sitting up with a grimace. The exhaustion felt like it had saturated her bones. "What time is it?" She mumbled as Phantom entered into their bed chambers.
The wolf glanced around the room, eyes widening upon seeing Lizzy in the mess of green blankets. "It's moonrise. I went through all the tunnels. There was still a strange odor coming from the one with the stream that cuts through it, but I found no traces of predators." He approached her, sweeping some hair behind her ear. "I sealed off one of the tunnels that I could not find the end for. The other two I explored quickly come to an end but we can use them to create more rooms for the den if you like."
Lizzy considered what they would do with more rooms at the moment. The system was offering a weapons room as a reward for one of the quests which led her to believe it could also offer other rooms in the future. The question was if she could survive until then. "Let's wait. I want to get this place in order as soon as daylight comes." Right now the only thing their room had was the basic bed and the pile of furs on the floor. Honestly, she would kill to be able to buy some lighting and basic creature comforts. She did have 10 system store coins left and with a thought she brought up the interface.
[System Store]
[Items: Identification Skill x1 coin, 10 pounds of rice x100 coins, Upgraded BeastWoman Armor x 1000 coins, Fertility Pill x 10 coins, Fetus Improvement Pill x 20 coins.]
Those had been some of the basic items in the system store since the beginning. In addition, there seemed to be an unlocked random skill gacha and other things that did little to interest Lizzy at the moment. What did interest her, however, was a new tab appearing like a glittering beacon of hope. "Base building items..." Lizzy mumbled, mentally opening the tab.
Modern conveniences from Earth combined with older technology for exorbitant prices met her eyes. She grimaced, seeing that a single lantern would cost the remainder of her coins and based upon the "sale" sticker it was a one time purchase. Damn, this system is stingy. She thought, nibbling on her lower lip. She purchased the item anyway, relieved when it came with two containers of oil. Knowledge on how to use the item was also downloaded into her brain and she sighed in relief. The oil containers could last them a week and hopefully that would be enough time to work on other quests.
"Join me in bed, Phantom. It's time to rest. We will have a lot to do in the morning." Lizzy slid closer to the wall, patting the mattress and watching as her wolf hesitantly slid under the blanket to join her. The pair fell asleep for the remainder of the night.
Day Four. Lizzy thought with a wince. That left three more days until shit hit the fan. She climbed out of bed after finding Phantom's spot once again empty. It wasn't until her feet hit the floor that she registered the changes to both the space and her body. The furs that she had dumped in the corner upon arriving had been laid out on the floor to create a kind of carpet. A small table had also been set up in the room with stools.
Her body had the biggest changes, though. Lizzy winced, her breasts tender and larger than she remembered them being when she went to sleep. Her stomach was also larger. She gasped, her hands moving to cradle the bump at her waist as she panicked. When the system had said the timeline would be shortened, she didn't think it would be this short. System, how long do wolf pregnancies here take? She questioned mentally, trying to avoid cursing.
{Members of the Wolf BeastClan have short pregnancies of three months. You mated a member that shows great magical potential, took the [Fetus Improvement Pill], and are in the 7-day kickstart window before the start of the Games. This has greatly affected the gestation period of any pups that you may be carrying. Good luck!}
Lizzy felt dizzy, sitting quickly on the mattress top. She didn't look like she had just gotten pregnant. She looked around three months pregnant. She needed to have a talk with Phantom and hope that he would not only stay but understand. This most likely meant that she didn't have as much time as she thought she did to get this place as defensible as possible. She took a deep breath, standing and squaring her shoulders. The Games would not beat her. This System would not beat her. Lizzy may not know who she was before, but she most certainly could feel an unwavering spirit that led her to believe it wasn't someone that would give up so early. She walked into the main cavern, her eyes piercing until she found Phantom seated in the center with a campfire going. She marched towards him, resting her hand on his shoulder. "Phantom, we need to speak."
He looked up at her, ears flicking in interest as he rotated a piece of meat over the fire. "We already speak."
Lizzy pointed to her stomach. "There's something that you need to know. You're going to be a father."
Phantom looked at her stomach with wariness. "We mated only two nights ago." He stood, approaching her with sniffing nose. He leaned in, pulling her towards him and inhaling the scent from her neck. "You don't smell of anyone else, so I think the pups are mine. But, my mate, you are so much larger than the other she wolves get."
"That's what we needed to speak about." She had considered for a few moments what to tell Phantom. He didn't seem to be a stupid beast, and she knew he would notice any differences eventually. The more she thought about it, the more she questioned how long this ability would last but even if it were to diminish after the official start of the Games, she would still be faster than other women. "I was blessed with not just the Heavenly Space, but also with the ability to produce pups fast."
A thoughtful look crossed Phantom's face before he bent down to kiss Lizzy's lips gently. "That's why you wanted a den away from everyone else. Our family will grow quickly at this rate. Thank you for sharing this with me." His fingers trailed down her shoulder until he gripped her hand, eyes questioning. "Can I get you anything?"
Lizzy nodded. "I had some ideas..."