"You know I wouldn't rush into anything with Shuixing," Nate then finished, "that wouldn't come until after we're married and she consciously wants a child."
"And that's good," Ulysses spoke with some relief in his own voice.
"And how is she?" Blueberry wondered from her seat beside Ulysses on one side and Meryl on the other and with Nate opposite her.
"Nervous and worried... particularly all the stuff that's been going on," Nate answered, "and to a degree wishes she could be here... because in a way she IS family. And when I said she'd regret missing out on this... I was referring to the conversation and being happy about you being pregnant, Bl... mom."
"And what about me?" Meryl asked with her long ears sitting erect and alert, "if we're all to be family of mixed Animalians, shouldn't she be happy for everyone?"
"And she would be," Nate answered, "though I must ask... you say "missed period..." I'd thought Animalians had a lot of their reproduction more like species of animal they were based on. Like mom coming into season in the fall at around the same time we've brought in a bull from one of the adjacent farms."
"Sorry... that was just sticking to old thoughts," Meryl admitted, "though to an extent... I wasn't consciously thinking about being in heat when I came into heat..."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Meryl could already hear Ulysses and Blueberry going at it Ulysses' room with a few faint "moos" and moans coming through the door and the wall. The house was well insulated against cold Wisconsin winters, but that didn't necessarily soundproof the Bowman home and Meryl had found that becoming a Mule Animalian had not only solved her issues with hearing loss but actually improved her hearing a bit. It was better now than it was before she began losing her hearing and that let her pick up on a good many things going on in the house. Some of it was new and alerted her to things and some of it were old songs that Meryl actually found herself having some sentimental memories over.
"Well... Ulysses and Blueberry are trying hard for a calf," Meryl announced as she came through the door and then shut it behind her and looked to her bed where she found Olly laying there on top of the bed and the sheets, fully naked with his own large shaft at full attention and Meryl found herself licking her lips at the sight of it.
The growth in her sex drive after becoming an Animalian was a bit of a surprise, but it also wasn't something she was going to give up on. Some of it was that her own stubborn streak was not something that just appeared when she got older. She'd driven a fair number of potential suitors over the years with firm opinions and rarely turning into anything more than a casual conversation, and then when she got older, she found that her landlord didn't want to put up with her, and that lead her back to the Bowman farm and her family. Ulysses had always been understanding and in a way she'd found Nate to be growing into a fine young man and she settled into that rather well as they held things together. But she was still alone...
Until the last Thanksgiving in 2019 where she met Olly for the first time and found love at first insult. The two traded barbs and banter that Meryl found intriguing in that Olly could keep up with her and seemingly had the same stubborn streak. The fact that Olly seemed attracted to it made Meryl even happier, as it also triggered old memories and in its own way gave her the option for a real partner that she never had as a Human. Thus she became an Animalian and enjoyed every bit of it, from their first time together and every time after. It was something that Meryl loved and she wasn't going to give up on. Olly was very well endowed and dedicated and still found her attractive and she loved it. Thus despite the surprise at feeling her lust grow after becoming an Animalian, she had no complaints, and in fact with Blueberry trying to get pregnant, Meryl had found herself feeling rather warm as well.
"And you're waiting for me as I like you to be waiting... at full attention," Meryl teased as she reached down to wiggle her bond mate's very erect penis, getting Olly to breathe in deep.
"Well... I must admit privately that in addition to your generous curves, keen wit, and other charms... I must say that you've been carrying a rather attractive scent the past few days, and I really can't resist it," Olly admitted, "I was tempted to close down the shop this afternoon just to show you how much I love you."
While Meryl casually and flirtatiously went about removing her clothing and exposing more of her furry body to him, as she was looking forward to enjoying the large rod between Olly's legs, she did narrow her eyes to him. For the shop was one of those things that she wasn't going to just give up. Retiring due to age and starting to lose her hearing had been something that had hurt Meryl in the past. She had to accept it back then, but now she didn't have to accept it and while Ulysses and Blueberry had the farm and the other uplifted cows worked to help run it and did various odd jobs around town, Meryl wanted her old shop back and together with Olly, she got it back and had done reasonably well, but this year and the issues with Covid ultimately left that in a fragile place. The shop did business, but Meryl knew she couldn't afford too much of a hit if she could manage it. Thus, regardless of how much she loved sex with Olly, she couldn't and she wouldn't allow the shop to be closed during normal hours.
"That's non-negotiable," Meryl said firmly, "and you know that."
"If you were paying attention, I told you've had a very attractive scent of late," Olly answered as Meryl undid her bra and let her generous breasts bounce and with her nipples poking through her fur and with a droplet of milk at the tip of the nipple, "and the idea was tempting."
"Yes," Meryl answered as slid off her panties and let them fall to the floor before beginning to climb up onto the bed, forgetting about her birth control pill... and in fact she'd actually forgotten about taking it over the past few days. But she also figured that Mules were normally sterile and that there wasn't much worry... forgetting that some mules and hinnies were on occasion to be able to conceive or sire young and that for whatever reason, the Animalia Virus seemed to fix that problem. Thus she climbed up to Olly and kissed him passionately. "But as much as I love playing with your sex pistol, that shop is important. And we can't just close and lose money for a few hours."
Olly returned the kiss and then added more of his own, picking up more of that arousing scent from Meryl, wondering if she was just aroused because Blueberry was aroused and in her mating season or if Meryl was also coming into heat. He managed to work his kisses down to her bosom and softly suckled on one teat and drawing some milk from her.
"Well... we could make it a paying show," Olly offered as he lifted Meryl up and then lowered her wet vagina onto his erect penis and she gave a low moan as he did so, "I'm sure that would be profitable."
"You perverted ass," Meryl answered as she thrust her hips forward and taking all of Olly into her and moaning as he gently massaged both her breasts as they began building a steady rhythm as Olly began to practically piston his penis in and out of his bond mate.
"Only half," Olly answered while rolling Meryl onto her back and giving a firmer thrust while she wrapped her legs around him.
"Ohhh... when it comes to pleasing me..." Meryl managed to moan out, "you definitely aren't half assed. You go all in!"
It wasn't long before she and Olly were braying to answer the bellowing "moos" from Ulysses and Blueberry's room.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Aunt Meryl?" Nate looked to his aunt as her eyes seemed to go distant for a moment.
"Hmm... what?" Meryl asked back.
"You kinda zoned out there for a moment," Nate commented.
"Oh... just thinking over what was likely the night your niece or nephew was conceived," Meryl answered, "nothing wrong with that..."
"Yes... but that doesn't answer my question you explaining how you sensed being pregnant..." Nate spoke.
"Does it matter?" Olly asked, sounding a bit defensive of Meryl.
"Well... I suppose not... it's just..." Nate said slowly.
"Yeah, I didn't expect to be pregnant, either," Meryl answered, "I mean your father and step mom were looking to start a family. For Olly and me... it just seemed to happen..."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It was a slow morning at the shop and there weren't too many people in, of course with Thanksgiving coming up, Meryl figured some of that was more due to people rushing to get food items or things that would relate to the Thanksgiving feast. In fact Ulysses and Blueberry both had errands like that after Blueberry's trip to a doctor and mostly trying to confirm that their mating season had ended successfully. Meryl had expected that, given that in Blueberry, Ulysses had found a woman that was more than the woman who had been Ulysses' first wife. They were actively trying to have a family, and in her own way, Meryl accepted that. While she might not say it out loud, she was happy for them.
However, over the past few weeks or so, Meryl had found herself showing some of the same base symptoms that Blueberry had noticed. The others didn't notice, as Halloween and then the election had come during the course of the week that Blueberry was in season and that was soon followed by the work to then check on the cattle to make sure the "stud" had done his work to keep the Bowman farm running. This gave Blueberry and Ulysses plenty to worry over, and lingering worries over Gooseberry catching Covid 19 added to those worries, even if the other uplifted cow recovered from the disease. In all of this there had been a fair amount that went in before the fall mating season and plenty that came in after it that Meryl feeling hungrier and having to pee a little bit more than usual was not fully noticed, at least not by Ulysses and Blueberry... and Nate was still at the University of Wisconsin for the moment. Ulysses wasn't expected to pick him up for Thanksgiving break for a couple of weeks yet, and thus he couldn't possibly know.
But with these things going on for a few weeks now, Meryl did notice and was paying attention. Thus during one lunch break, she made her way across town and picked up a pregnancy kit. However, that day had been busy and Meryl had to wait to use it, and she didn't actually want to use it at home. That would run the risk of Ulysses or one of the others finding out before Meryl was truly ready to confirm anything, and thus she'd bought the test and went about that day. However, after another day or two, and getting to a quiet day in the morning, Meryl figured now was the time to take the test and confirm something that she was suspecting.
"Olly... I need to run to the bathroom for a few moments, if you could mind the register," Meryl said to her bond mate and partner, who was presently sorting some things by one of their displays, "I'll be back in a few moments."
"Okay," Olly said quietly.
Meryl nodded and then made her way back to the break room/office that was behind the register area and collected the pregnancy kit from her purse and then made her way out and to the bathroom. That then followed with a standard bathroom visit along with following the instructions for the pregnancy test. After that, Meryl set about washing her hands and using the liquid pump soap that would work better with her fur than most bar soap would and then moving the pregnancy test back to the break room. From there all she could do was wait for the appropriate time to pass for the test to be completed. And that went fairly well through the course of a quiet morning, however after closing for lunch, Meryl came into the beak room to find Olly standing their silently and holding the pregnancy test, his eyes wide.
"Meryl... what's...?" Olly began nervously.
"It's a pregnancy test," Meryl answered, "the pharmacy didn't have many of them for Animalians... but they did have some."
"But why would you have Blueberry's test?" Olly wondered, thinking of the appointment that Blueberry had.
"It's no Blueberry's test," Meryl answered and took the test from Olly, "the doctors are doing hers... This is mine." She then looked down to it and with one hand drifting to her stomach as she saw the blue plus in the display box, "and it says I'm pregnant."
"You're pregnant?!" Olly spoke loudly and with some surprise, "that... can't be... it's too soon..."
"Too soon?" Meryl asked.
"I mean Horizon said that it was likely that when my sister and I were uplifted the Animalia Virus would make us virile... that we could sire or have children," Olly said, "but I didn't think it'd happen so soon... I mean we just met, and we'd already told that guy in Animalia that's interested in Nelly that we won't be competing to start a family..."
"Thanksgiving isn't too far away," Meryl answered, "and I think I was feeling a bit friskier than normal around Halloween..."
"You smelled nice then," Olly commented.
"Yes... and I'll admit, I got a bit distracted on some things... that I kinda forgot to take my birth control pills during that week," Meryl admitted, "and well...at first I kinda thought things would be fine... since Mules are hybrids..."
"Animalia fixed that... at least with regard to Mule Animalians," Olly said.
"Yes... and well when some of the "symptoms" of pregnancy began coming in for Blueberry... they came in for me too, and that got me a bit more concerned," Meryl answered, "thus the test."
"And the pregnancy..." Olly said slowly...
"I want the foal..." Meryl spoke, "I hadn't planned on having one now... but... it is what it is. I'm sure we'll love him or her, regardless of the planning."
Olly could only smile.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"If what you say is true," Blueberry said as she glanced over to Ulysses, who looked almost as surprised as Nate did at first, "then we likely conceived on the same night..."
"Or around the same night," Meryl commented with a chuckle, "unplanned... and will probably make for a good argument with Nelly, but we'll love our foal and I'm sure she'll love being an aunt."
"Well... I'm happy for both of you," Nate spoke, "though, while I'm not sure about arguing with Nelly... I'd think everyone should have plenty to be thankful for this year, in spite of everything."
"And by the time they're born, hopefully we'll have vaccines ready and things will actually be moving back to normal," Ulysses commented.
The others all agreed to that. That was good news to be thankful and even hopeful for.