The whispers in town started immediately. Though Ironsteel and Andi's homes were outside of town, they had to venture in town for errands frequently. And Andi, of course, had to continue her work as a wetnurse. On one such trip, Andi overheard the latest rumor.
"Ironsteel got another mate. Apparently her old one got sick of her and sold her off so he could buy a new one."
Andi sighed. Poor thing, whoever it was.
Then she saw her. Standing in the general store was a gillwoman she immediately recognized as Amphibia, previously Mark. Ironsteel stood beside her, an arm around her shoulders. Amphibia had a bag on her back with three eggs in it, and when she turned, Andi could see she was visibly pregnant with more. No doubt they would be laid soon.
Right now, actually. Amphibia excused herself to Ironsteel and hurried outside. Andi followed. She found Amphibia squatting and grunting in an alleyway.
"Mark, what are you doing?" she hissed. Amphibia stared at her. "It's me, Andi." Amphibia grunted again. A large egg popped below her onto the ground. She panted.
"Providing Ironsteel with the calves he wanted." She strained again. A second egg appeared. "It's my duty as his mate."
"Yes, but..." Andi trailed off at the third egg being laid, with no sign of stopping. "Are you happy about it? If not, I can help you escape."
"Oh, don't worry," Amphibia laughed. A fourth egg joined the others. "I'm really happy! My old mate, he wanted me to stop having children. But I don't want to! So I'm happy my new mate wants plenty."
"Yeah..." Andi sighed. A fifth egg was laid. Amphibia finally stood, finished. "Well, if you need a break, Hayford and I would love to have you visit."
"I'll definitely take you up on that!" Amphibia chirped. She scooped up her eggs and went back to Ironsteel. Andi shook her head and continued on her errands.
A few days later, Amphibia dropped by Andi's home to chat. But...