It wasn’t long since Oa conceived her first children. However, the process to truly raise them was prolonged and rather dull for the couple. The reason is that the little ones are currently seen suspending from within the transparent layers of colorful cocoon. It is a process that Wiel was familiar with a degree, as most avian waits for the hatchling to be fully developed in a similar manner. What he isn’t familiar with was Oa’s specie. There was no prior indication for how long it takes for her eggs to hatch, and even more so with Oa’s case.

“How peculiar” said Wiel, observing the larves up close “I was expecting a mix of eggs and larves in the bunch, but turns out all of them are larves. It is most impressive dominance in your specie.”

“Huff… goodness…” said Oa in a drowsy state “I wouldn’t mind either way, as long as I gather enough oxygen and enough energy…”

“You definitely push them out in haste”

“Easier said than done” replied Oa, as she was more stable in her speech “This… burden I had in me did put a lot of strain in my poor canal.”

“You did say it didn’t hurt much.” Replied Wiel confidently

“Still, it was up most uncomfortable.” Oa sighed heavily

“Relax, the first experience are usually the hardest part to deal. You will probably get used to it.” Console Wiel.

“Are you suggesting another bunch?” if Oa had eyebrows she could have raised one of them.

“It’s best not to think about it, Oa.” Wiel then kisses her in the cheek “You been through a lot for the last few hours, and I don’t want you to worry for more children to come. At the moment, these five larves will suffice.”

“They are precious, sweetie.” Oa faintly smiles.

“Despite their current indistinctive appearance, let’s hope they will grow up becoming colorful individuals”

“Heh, who knows” Oa sighed in a pleased manner “They will probably have some form of features from you.”

“Hmmm, yes.” Replied Wiel “So far it’s too early to say, even if we can partially see them. “

“8 months inside of me and these little guys are still not ready to see the world” Oa laughed lazily “I wonder how long they will remain so…”

“Another mystery we have yet to learn.” Wiel replied with haste “With the little we know about your condition, it can be unpredictable at the moment. For my kind I know it takes a few days for the eggs to hatch, but I am certain you don’t follow the same length even your own specie.”

“For Zauxir, it takes a few hours or days for the larves to hatch.” said Oa, but there was a catch in that “Although I could say the same her pregnancy, and it was definitely shorter than mine. According to her pregnancies doesn’t last more than 2 or 3 months I believe. I cannot imagine how long it takes for our children to leave the shell…”

This slightly discourages her likelihood to become a mother. After waiting and feeding her never ending appetite, she still has to wait a bit to have the kids in her arms. There was no sense of worried from her. Oa was annoyed by it in fact. She really wants to feel the small, warm, bodies and see them clearly without the shell. And she remains upset until Wiel meddle with her little trouble.

“I shouldn’t be too bothered if I were you” said Wiel “If anything the extra time can help us prepare for their arrival. We still need the final preparations for their bedroom.”

“Ah,” Oa then remember but instantly forgot what it was “What for?”

“Well now, I think you need a refresher.” Wiel then laugh, as he approaches her gently “I was thinking… What if we could raise this first batch as OUR children instead of drones?”

“O-oh…” Oa was almost sounding reluctant of the idea “I thought you were joking that time.”

In a not so comical fashion, Wiel slightly tilted his head, giving her a ‘really’ expression “Oh, right.” said Oa with a nervous laugh “You don’t joke, at all.”

“Zauxir told us that at a certain point the children will develop a drone like behavior that for the most part follow their mother like their lives depends on it or something.” Said Wiel and later added “But there’s away to break the behavior.”

“Oh right!” Oa said as she remembers what it was “You could probably change their behaviors if you teach them out of it, right?”

“Exactly, at least that’s what Zauxir said.” he said before continuing “She did so with one of the children, I believe it was Zell?”

“But that was one ozkvin.” said Oa with a nervous tone “Can we do it with f-five?”

That was a good question. Wiel ponders for a moment, before finally responding “We could at least try.”

“I… um…” Oa’s words shutter until Wiel relaxes her.

“No, no, don’t feel stressed from it!” Wiel then console her “For a while I wanted to raise a family, and this is the chance to do so! It may be a handful, but together we can handle it. If anything we can always ask the help from our friends and family. Is that okay with you?” Oa nodded, and hugs him tightly “Just one thing, Oa.”

“Yes?” said Oa curiously.

“Promise me that you will also do the best of your ability to raise them as well.” said Wiel with a tender smile.

This shocked Oa “I…” she can’t say no to him. Besides, she manages this far in her life thanks to him and the help from her friends. It is time for her to be positive of her future and take responsibility of her young. She breathes deeply, and soon her nervousness subsided “I promise.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear from you.” Wiel then gave her a heartwarming hug “The younglings will appreciate the warm welcome from both of us!”

“I suppose so” said Oa “I just hope they don’t take too long! There is this feeling that I want them now. And boy is it strong!”

“I can imagine” replied Wiel with a faint smile on his face. It’s quite apparent that her motherly instincts are bombarding her mind, formulating ideas and emotions that Wiel couldn’t entirely understand yet. It will take some time for the strong feeling to wither, and once she has the kids, she will remain constant and alert “And in the mean time, we deserve some rest.”

“I guess we should.” replied Oa, as the drowsiness gained strength on her “Still, I will sleep more soundly if I could see them without that colorful larve egg”

“You will” said Wiel, giving her a positive view in the situation “And before we sleep, I just want to say I am so proud of you.”

“I… Thank you for everything.” Said Oa “You made this life of ours very enjoyable”

“I could say the same to you”

Eventually the larve eggs hatch one by one until every single new born were in each parents arms. To them, having them this way for the first time was one of the most precious moments of their lives. And who is to judge them, before hand nobody knew if it was possible for them to have children. Yet here they are: 5 healthy ozkvins newborns in all their, literal, shiny glory. That’s not all the reason why they were so happy. Besides being ozkvins babies, their characteristics surprised both the parents.

“Wiel!” Oa said with such joy “You see? They do have some of your features!”

“I say” Wiel was quite baffled, and to think there was any chance for a hint of his DNA on this supposedly dominant specie, although some were more prominent than others. “Almost all have a beak like a bird.”

“And this guy’s hands.” Oa then show one of the kids with an unusual hand shape “Look rather tubby, don’t you think?”

“Same as this fella” said Wiel, showing another kid in his arms “I doubt is baby fat.”

“They kind of look like…”

“Wings?” Wiel interrupted her.

“Yeah, something like that” said Oa, noticing more of the little one’s unusual body structure. What surprised her are the unusual spots around his neck, resembling feathers of an avian. The most peculiar is the child’s feet, as if they were a mixture of both ozkvin and avian characteristics, although more towards its father’s size. Out of all five children, one of them looks the most avian of them all. A special case indeed, in which Wiel was content to hear about.

“What should we name this one?” Oa asked to at least give him the honor for such likeness to him.

“How about Joshua?” said Wiel replying to the question “A fitting name for this little guy.”

“It does sound nice” said Oa, showing a wide smile.

The two then looked at the least avian of the five, with most of the baby girl’s coloring were muted at a young age. Her body structure was similar to Oa, especially the leftover bat wings. It made Oa ponder a bit, as she was considering naming her next.

“I believe you have something in mind?” Wiel could easily guess with the look on Oa’s expression.

“Ah, I do!” said Oa “And I think Mariam or Mavy will suit her, but I can’t decide which. Both names sound nice in my head”

“If I could voice my opinion, I believe Mariam is the better option of the two.” said Wiel.

“Goodness!” Oa laughed “If you say its good then I don’t see why not.”

“Doesn’t have to be the case” Wiel added “As long as you favor that name more I am more than pleased. Do you like the name?”

“Of course, sweetie” replied Oa “I am sure we are now in the same page for this one.”

“And only three left to name.” Wiel added, glancing the five of the children in their arms.

Soon they name the other three. The other three names were Sheila, Omri, and Lim. It turns out Omri was the smallest of the bunch and Oa feared his small and fragile state could hinder him in the future. But as always, Wiel insisted that Omri will grow up fine. Despite that, they took more care of him for the following weeks until his growth was steady and in most cases healthy.

As the months passed in Wiel’s manor, the children had grown quite fast. Some were even starting to learn to stand up at an alarming rate. Others if not all of their incomprehensible chatter begin to shift into a speech pattern that is most recognizable to the parents. The quick rate of the youngling’s development fascinated Wiel.

However his fascination was only temporary once he notices their subtle new behavior. The five were beginning to be more attached to their mother, with Omri being the last to do so, leaving Wiel with little quality time with them. When Oa was expecting another clutch, the little guys help their mother the best of their abilities. Although they do them in such a way, they don’t seem to be children at all. It was a sign for the parents that they have to try teach them out of the mentality.

However, it never happens. Oa actually liked this behavior and made her days easier during her pregnancy. She insisted of keeping them that way for a while. And as the days passed, their behavior worsens. This concern Wiel in such a way, he had to discuss it with Oa.

It was a summery afternoon. Oa was about to prepare supper, despite looking as if she was bearing a full grown child in her womb. The kids were beside her like obedient little soldiers awaiting orders. Wiel was seen on the left side of the doorway, with his attention towards Oa and the kids. Soon afterwards Oa notice his presence.

“Ah!” Oa yelp “Silly me, I did not see you there. Supper isn’t ready until a few hours, sweetie.”

“I know, but I didn’t come for that” replied Wiel, as he approaches her.

“Ah, that’s great!” her tail wags excitedly “Then why did you came? Aren’t you supposed to be in your studies working on that ancient tablet? You were dying on deciphering its content ever since the museum lends it to you a few days ago.”

“It can wait for tomorrow.” said Wiel, as he lay his right palm on her shoulder “We need to talk, now.”

Oa’s antennas spasm. She hasn’t seen Wiel this serious unless the discussion is as bad. There’s nothing more dreadful than bad news or the talk from her husband. But this time she was somewhat more tolerate to hear it. Even if she doesn’t know what he’s about to say.

“It’s about the kids.” said Wiel, in a cold tone.

Somehow Oa was relief by it “Ah! What about them?” she asked “They seem rather splendid to me. They even help me with a few things that become difficult for me as of late. Isn’t that right kids? As she said these last words the kids nodded in synch.

“That’s the issue.” A sense of bother can be seen on his face towards them “When the kids started to behave like drones we were suppose to teach to behave like this. Why did you hesitate?”

This alarm Oa’s attention, she knew what he was talking about “I don’t see nothing wrong with this whole drone behavior” she said with a faint smile “They say raising a child can be a shore, and it was for us a few months ago. But now everything has gotten so much simpler and so much easier for us.”

“At least for yourself” replied Wiel, looking at Oa in heartbroken look “It became hard for me to spend time with them not because of my work, but their lack of interest in me. I want to be part of this big family we are going for, but if they don’t see me as their father, I don’t know why I should even bother be part of this.”

“Don’t say that” Oa lament, as she tries to reason with her husband “You are the father of these children. If it weren’t for our intimate relation I wouldn’t conceive these adorable little ones, right kids?” once again the five younglings nodded in synch, and this bothers Wiel even more.

“How can they be children if they don’t behave like one?” Wiel lost his temper for a moment, and frighten Oa. “They respond as if it was a command. How can they be kids?”

“I-I don’t know.” Oa replied whimpers “It’s not my fault that they became this way.”

“Then why didn’t you help me?” asked Wiel angrily “You promise me that you will help me raise these kids! Our kids!”

“I-I… I don’t know!” she then collapses on the floor wanting to cry but she couldn’t. Then the kids cover their mother as if they were protecting her.

Wiel realize what he had done, as he tried to calm her “Oa, I am sorry.”

“N-no, I am the one that is sorry.” Oa then responded “I-I just got carried away with this whole drone thing… because I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to properly raise them.”

“Oa…” said Wiel, as he then rush to her for a hug “Why should you be afraid? You have been doing very well for the last few months with me and with the kids, and I know for a fact that you are a good mother because of it.”

“R-really?” Oa then asked with a shy tone “You really think so?”

“Of course!” affirmed Wiel “All I wanted is to raise these children with you. That way we could be a big happy family, just as we planned.”

“I-I know” said Oa, sounding sad in her tone “I am a bit sorry that the plan will be a bit hard to achieve now.”

“It is not too late” said Wiel with a positive attitude.

“Is it?” said Oa rather curious.

“No doubt there is!” Wiel then tried to lift her up from the floor “We may have a few months of delays, but we can still try to teach them out of the mentality.”

“But that will mean…” knowing that it was possible, Oa was rather afraid of losing a few helping hands.

Oa’s words were soon shunned by Wiel’s “Yes, I know. But let’s them be kids for a while. Let them have their own choice in life. Which includes the next batch as well” Wiel then places his hands on Oa’s womb, stroking it in a fatherly manner.

After feeling Wiel’s caring touch, Oa felt happy again “I guess is for the best. It will be quite difficult soon” she added, laughing after pointing her swollen middle.

She was only one month in her pregnancy and already she is showing more than her previous clutch. This almost concern Wiel, but he did ask for a big family. Wiel sighed and said “No big deal. If we manage with five, we’ll probably manage with what you have in there” Wiel chuckled, stroking Oa’s tum a bit more. And this made Oa even happier.

Even before the new clutch’s arrival it was a difficult few days for the couple. The younglings were reluctant to stop following their mother in a strict servant manner. Wiel’s lecture were hardly in their interest until their mother told them to do, and even struggle to act without her mother’s presence. Days if not weeks work were almost in vain. Their mother’s persistent to continue was affected because of it.

It was only in the end of the month were the children’s mentality shifted. They were less in synch in commands and were becoming curious with their father’s lecture. Eventually they were really fond with their father than ever before, and Joshua, the most active of the bunch, even play with his father for endless fun. For the following months the five develop their own ways of thinking. Soon they acted like children.

It was a winterly evening, were Wiel was reading a children’s book to four of his younglings in his study room. The place was lit and warm by a fire from a chimney, with them feeling on the wide sofa. Mariam, Joshua, Lim, and Sheila were fascinated by the story and they all wonder what will happen next. Wiel was content seeing their stockstill faces.

“The bear look up in the sky and saw the lonely. But then he was something strange” said Wiel out loud from the passage.

“Daddy, what did he swa?” asked Lim.

“What was strange?” Joshua then asked.

“Well, I will tell you soon enough” Wiel replied and continue reading. Then someone slowly came from the doorway without them noticing. The one who came was Oa, waddling towards them with Omri, still the smallest of the five, sleeping on top of his mother’s womb. And there was plenty of space even for the five children, since her womb was almost twice the size than her previous pregnancy. It was a surprise for both the parents once they heard the news.

It wasn’t a complete shock to say the least. The baffle Wiel was astonished to learn the ozkvin capabilities up close and personal. Although Oa was nervious at first, she quickly manage to adapt her growing body and situation, even if she hold some difficulty to move as time passed. The children in particular were excited to see her mother growing with life, which for them means they will have more brothers and sisters to play with. The so much care and passion from the kids and Wiel made Oa feel embarrass at time, but she usually the special care and love.

“I like the story, daddy” said Sheila, once Wiel told the ending.

“Yeah, it is goofy and funny and and very very swweit” said Joshua very excited.

“Can you read another story, daddy?” Lim then asked.

“Pretty, please?” Mariam beg kindly “I wanna hear the story about the butterfly and the… and the… what’s it called?”

“The phoenix?” replied Wiel knowing what she was referring.

“That one!” Mariam added while clapping “Can we finish that story this time?”

“But I wanna hear the one with the giant bumpkins, swa!” Joshua said, fraught with energy.

“Hehe, I think you heard enough stories for the day” said Oa, before sneezing.

“Bless you!” said Wiel.

“Ah, thank you!” Oa then answered rather drowsy “It’s getting late right now, and your father need to work on a few things.” This disappointed the kids a bit, but they know they have to do.

“You heard your mother, but she’ll read you something before sleep.” The last few words from Wiel cheer up the kids “Why don’t you play a bit near the chimney while I talk to your mother. Just remember not to stay too far away from the fire or you might get a cold like your mother.”

“Yes, daddy!” replied Joshua, with the rest playing or drawing near the chimney, as they wait for their mother.

Oa sneezes again, in a violent way than before “I hate winter” she said; surprisingly it didn’t wake up Omri “It gets cold in this time of the year.”

“And that is why you should wear warm clothes” Wiel smirked, he did warn her about it couple of times in the past, but she still doesn’t listen.

“It doesn’t help that my womb is so massive, most of my cloths won’t fit.”

“I did buy you an oversized sweater the other day” Wiel added.

“I don’t like that sweater.” said Oa in an annoyed expression “It just look plain ugly.”

“Well, it’s the only size that can fit you well at the moment.” replied Wiel “Is either that or sneezing all winter” Wiel then chuckled.

“Fine.” Oa speak softly as she then teases him with her long tail “I could easily out grow that sweater if you give me some time.”

“With only one month left, who knows?” Wiel then smile “You are expecting decuplets inside after all” he then stroke her taut womb in a playful manner “It’s more than I could ever hope to have in our growing family”

“That means there’s no shortage in the family tree.” said Oa, snuggling Wiel for a while.

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I could have sworn I posted this. I couldn't find it in the gallery, so I guess I haven't.

So anyway, here you can see Oa's first batch of children, and still expecting the other batch from the donation drive. I did drew their design on paper, but that's about it really. Which is the reason why everything is black and white in the cover art. Who knows, I may actually colored the little ones eventually.

Art and story by  Derrysome

Characters belongs to  Derrysome