Keaton Island was once an isolated island with no inhabitants except for excessive vegetation and numerous insects. It’s hard to believe that’s what it once was now. In the past 5 years, the island has transformed into a small town with all the necessary infrastructure to maintain itself, thanks to the efforts of Tom Nook, Isabelle, and their mayor. It is complete with a post office, a few stores, a town center, some docks, a museum, a hospital, and numerous houses for all of its villagers. It’s a wonderful place to go to for an escape from all the hustle and bustle. In the case of Mineru, however, Keaton Island is a place to start again.

Mineru is the newest resident of Keaton Island; she has only been here for several months. She came here in hopes of finding a small community in which she could start a new life. Surely enough, she did. The Zonai made friends with the locals, found a new career in crafting, and even found a lover with the island’s mayor, Shade. It was love at first sight for Mineru, and when Shade asked her out, she had to say yes. Dating went by smoothly for the two, even after discovering that Shade had been dating others on the island. It didn’t bother her or the others; they are perfectly fine being in a polyamorous relationship. Nonetheless, Mineru and Shade managed to maintain an intimate relationship.

That intimate relationship has now begun to bear fruit as Mineru is pregnant. Mineru is around 5 months pregnant and sits in the waiting room at the maternity ward awaiting her appointment. She tries to keep a clear mind to focus on what crafting project she has planned after this, but the movement of her kids (though she thinks she's carrying one right now) distracts her. She attempts to calm them down by stroking her belly with a hand. She glances at a nearby poster explaining how mothers will typically feel fetal movement starting at around 16-20 weeks. This allows her to reflect on her pregnancy as a whole. That seems about right in her case. While she has been feeling kicks for several weeks now, it’s still a strange sensation to her. She never felt anything like this before, so the feeling of her moving kids is a relatively new one. It felt like a growling stomach, but stronger and… nice feeling for lack of a better term. It’s not an unwelcome sensation, but it does annoy her a bit. In fact, she could say this about her pregnancy experience in general; it’s not an unwelcome one, but does come with some annoyances.

For the past 5 months, she had to deal with morning sickness, cramps, a lot of mood swings, cravings, increased appetite, and, of course, her body swelling up as her children grow. Morning sickness was the worst of it as she would wake up almost every morning to vomit and would remain nauseous throughout the whole day. It was misery. Before discovering she was pregnant, she thought that she had a virus. So often, she wanted it to end. Thankfully, that side effect had subsided in favor of her expanded frame. Her swollen stomach obstructs her crafting projects and has compromised her agility a lot. She struggles with getting out of bed as is. However, the trade between having a big belly and morning sickness is one she is thankful for on a daily basis because at least she doesn’t feel like she’s dying. Despite these drawbacks, she can’t help but…

Then a voice interrupts the expecting Zonai’s thoughts. “Oh, hello there, Mineru. I see Shade is starting a family with you, too.” Mineru turns her head to see her friend (and another one of Shade’s girlfriends), Whitney. The white wolf politely waves as she sits by Mineru. She lifts her shirt to reveal a bump the same size as Mineru’s. Whitney gives her own belly a few strokes, seemingly to soothe the movement of her litter, which is visible on her belly. “It’s so good to see you again,” she says. “I see you’re pregnant too. I presume you’re here for a checkup as well?” Whitney gives Mineru a toothy grin.

“You too?” Mineru asks, a bit disconcerted. Her attention focuses on Whitney's gravid figure briefly before returning to her. Composure returns as she remembers how close Whitney and the mayor were. With how intimate the mayor was with Mineru, it shouldn't be surprising that he was with Whitney. The only surprising thing is that Whitney was pregnant. Mineru then speaks as if answering questions whilst involuntarily rubbing her belly. “As for me, the doctor says the baby's perfectly healthy…” She glances at her belly once more as her previous train of thought runs again. “...I've wanted this for so long.”

Whitney then also speaks as if to answer questions she was prepared for. “Yeah. Same day. First Appointment.” She briefly glances at the gravid Zonai's midsection. A swish of her tail shows her excitement towards their shared pregnancies. Holding her belly, she comments, “I guess we're really doing this together.” The white wolf chuckles. “Our boyfriend really knew how to make it happen.”

“I'll say. He didn't kid around when he said he wanted a big family.” Mineru responds as her mind reflects on Shade. That Keaton was always such a charmer to the women on the island. It is probably why he dated them all, because everyone liked him. Right before discovering the pregnancy, Shade left the island to go on vacation. Mineru hasn't seen Shade since, and didn't want to reveal her pregnancy to Shade until he returned. This desire is why she didn't formally reveal her pregnancy to his other girlfriends in case they decide to reveal it to Shade for her. She looks upward and stretches her back as her mind ponders Shade's whereabouts. “I wonder where he is. I just can't wait to show him this.” Mineru says with a pat of her belly.

Whitney sighs as her thoughts follow her friend's example. Besides the occasional text, the wolf doesn't hear from Shade much now. She remembers their last chat and tells Mineru, “Oh yes, Shade texted me last night. He says he'll be returning soon. I told him we got a big surprise waiting for him~” Whitney giggles, preceding telling Mineru some news. “That's right, all the others are pregnant too, snappy!”

Mineru couldn’t help but smile at the news. Like Whitney, she is good friends with some of Shade’s mates. She got along with Mitzi in particular, as the two of them were well educated and enjoyed crafting together. She just hasn’t spent too much time with the others because she wanted to wait for Shade to return to reveal her pregnancy. That ended up taking too long. It’s probably time that she became more social. “Well, add me to that list then.” She replies. “Since we’re all doing this together, there’s no point keeping this a secret. Besides, I do plan on going to the Able Sisters to get Maternity clothes. The large clothes just aren’t doing it. By the way, are they also…?” She rubs her belly and hesitates to say the next word. She isn’t comfortable saying the word “pregnant” yet. She did just find out all her friends are expecting after all.

Whitney nods, knowing what Mineru was going to ask. “Yep, Mabel’s pregnant too. Not sure about Sable… She was close with Foxy Boy, but I doubt she made love with him. She just doesn’t seem to be the type to do that. Though I haven’t seen her in a while…” The wolf strokes her fluffy chin in thought. “Maybe she is, but I’d have to see her first.”

Mineru nods. Mabel’s pregnancy does put her at ease. The hedgehog’s pregnancy suggests she’d know how to make lovely maternity clothing. Thinking about Sable, she couldn’t help but think about the other sister, Label. She tilts her head and asks herself, “I wonder how Label feels about all this? Or all of Shade’s mates, for that matter. How do they feel about this?”

“Label’s not pregnant if that’s what you’re thinking about. She and the Mayor never got along, despite dating before. As for everyone else… why don’t you ask them yourself?” Whitney suggests with a smile. “I plan on having lunch with Ankha after my check-up. You can join us if you’d like. It’d be a good opportunity to catch up, snappy!” Whitney giggles and sighs thoughtfully. Everyone and Shade are going to have quite a future to look forward to. It will come with a big family and possibly more to come. That is just crazy to think about.

Mineru’s name is then called for her appointment. Both ladies’ ears perk up and turn to the Doctor, Shino. Ever since the hospital was built on Keaton Island, Shino was appointed the Doctor as she was attending medical school. She isn’t quite a Doctor yet; she is still studying for her M.D. However, because she’s the only medical professional on this island, all the locals refer to her as Dr. Shino. Besides, she will be a doctor soon. In addition to being the Doctor, she is also pregnant. As for the Doctor herself, Shino smiles at seeing Mineru again. Not only is she seeing Mineu again after months, but she is excited nonetheless that Mineru is pregnant too. So is Whitney, but she already knew that. She was the one who first found out the wolf was pregnant after all. A few moments pass, and she calls to Mineru again. “Mineru, it’s time for your appointment. I take it you want prenatal care, complete with Ultrasound and measuring?” Because of Shade’s antics, she’s been doing a lot of prenatal appointments lately and is always ready for the next one.

Mineru nods with a chuckle. “Of course, Dr. Shino. I see Shade got you, too. He really has impregnated all of his mates.” She stands up with a huff and waddles to the Doctor’s office. Before entering the turn, the Zonai turns back to her friend, who was waving at her. She asks, “I’ll be waiting for you once it’s your turn. We can share pictures with Ankha while catching up.” Whitney nods in response. “I’ll see you later, Whitney. I hope you’re as excited as I am about motherhood.”

“I am Mineru. I’ve wanted to be a mother since I was a pup, and now it’s all a dream come true.” Her eyes glimmer with happy tears. “I’m excited for you, Mineru. Enjoy your appointment!” The wolf wipes away her tears, then gasps as one of her pups gives a strong kick. “Oh, it seems one of my pups is excited for you, too, snappy!”

Mineru laughs and waves at her moody friend. Mood swings must be no joke if they can bring Whitney to tears like that. She hardly ever cries. “I’ll see you later, Whitney, construct.” Mineru then enters the door with Dr. Shino, looking forward to the appointment and seeing her children for the first time.

---

So I recently commissioned art of this and thought to write a short story for it. I must say, I like how they both turned out. It's always a good day when I finish a story and see two beautiful mothers. I might even make a sequel or two...

Do note that this is an AU, so none of this is canon to Shade's story.

Art is by  NerDroid

Story is by me

Shade is owned by me

Mineru, Whitney, and all other characters mentioned are owned by Nintendo