Anija was reading a book full of wisdom, curled up still on the wicker couch in front of that little home where she lived with her family. She lay with her body openly naked, still thinking of herself as an animal and not as a person. As a dragoness, she also remained obedient to her Rider, Vaestro, although Vaestro indulged her by filling her world with many hundreds of scrolls, books, manuscripts, maps, and even some rare things that the Dragon Rider Corsairs had found on some of their travels. Also, Vaestro would have contended that the statement that she was obedient was an outright fabrication.
One thing they had found was an intact and functional Antikythera mechanism that had somehow been preserved from antiquity. If you don't believe that this is a truly wonderful thing, then you should look it up. Anija was, at the moment, reading a manuscript that someone had written on how to use it and how to adjust it. Since dragons were far more cunning and intelligent than humans, assuming they could ever be tamed enough in order to teach them, she was quickly mastering the device.
However, her studies were soon to be interrupted by a pang that ran over her entire body. She was beginning to go into labor, she realized, and this was the first of her labor pains. She yawned, though, and instead of panicking, she put the more intensive book aside and picked up some lighter reading, this one being an old romantic poem. "Rider, it's starting," she said calmly through the partly opened door.
Vaestro appeared wide-eyed and worried at the door. "Are you sure?" he said in a panicky tone. "It's happening now? Oh, shit! Avelia is out gathering berries for a custard pudding! She won't be here in time! And Vrackie is in town! We were so misguided to let them both be gone!"
Anija laughed a beautiful laugh. "Oh, Rider! Labor can last for hours!" she said. "Just let me lie here, and you can go and get the supplies ready. You have birthed a calf before, haven't you?"
"That's different!" Vaestro wailed. He was the father, after all, and he was therefore panicking. However, he soon had the supplies ready, those being a bucket full of water, some clean towels, and all of the other appurtenances that are associated with midwifing.
Anija was right. She had time to get through the best part of that romance before her contractions got to be too close together for her to concentrate. As she finally put the book aside, she finally positioned herself on her back, in the birthing position, to allow her body to deliver new life into the world. To help herself open up, she looked Vaestro deeply into the eyes. "I love you," she said repeatedly.
"I love you," he said back, squeezing her hand.
With that, Anija's eyes flew open, and she let loose a primal howl. "AHHHHH!" she cried out.
Worry flew across Vaestro's face. "Something is going wrong, isn't it?"
As the contraction backed off enough for her to concentrate, she squeezed Vaestro's hand back. "Just trust me," said, smiling proudly up at the father of her soon-to-be-born offspring.
Thanks to a couple of messages sent magically by Anija, Vrackie and Avelia didn't take long to make it back, and they were home long before the contractions were coming in such rapid succession as to forbid further conversation.
"Oh, thank goodness you are back!" Vaestro said as they arrived. "Did I do everything right?"
Avelia patted him on the shoulder and urged him to get up. "You did wonderfully, Vaestro. Go and take yourself a rest."
"But..." he started to protest.
"It will be a while," Avelia responded. She smiled brightly, and she had an idea. "I know what you can do. Go and make us some drinks, would you?"
Vaestro started again to protest, his nerves making him confused. "But...the baby..." he sputtered, gesticulating ridiculously, as if the adults not in labor having a little bit of mead could possibly harm a baby.
"Remember, I like my mead spiced with some nutmeg! YUM!" Vrackie said brightly, clearly very glad to hear talk of alcohol.
"Some honey and water for me, not really more mead than you need to flavor it," Avelia said, wanting to remain sober for now.
Vaestro nodded nervously, and he walked, stiff-legged, into the house, just glad to have some clear instructions and someone willing to take charge.
After the labor kept going on and on and on for hours and hours longer, Vaestro did eventually fall to sleep, leaning up against the wall of the house. He was awakened by a rush of excitement and some shouts as his new offspring began emerging into the world. "She's crowning! She's crowning!" Vrackie shouted triumphantly. "It's here! It's here! The new baby is here! Awake, Vaestro! Come and see your new prodigy! Oh, sie's so beautiful!"
"'Sie'?" Vaestro echoed, not sure if he heard correctly. He wandered over, still foggy in the head from sleep, to look. It was true! His new child was a two-sexed little herm, just like Vrackie! "I didn't know that kilin could be herms," he said, his mouth dry.
Vrackie giggled. "I thought you knew, Vaestro!" sie said brightly. "Kilin born to dragons are always herms! It's ones born to humans that must be male or female!"
Anija, who was being comforted by Avelia, was too tired to respond, but she was able to muster enough sensibility to give him an apologetic look. She had not thought to tell this to Vaestro, even though she realized belatedly that she probably ought to have.
"And furthermore," Vrackie said, "Dragon-born kilin, as you can see, don't look like humans at all, but they are anthro dragons!"
And there before Vaestro was a tiny baby kilin, an anthro dragon herm with scales of a soft, gentle shade of orange.