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The main character in this series of stories I am currently writing will be Chris, a young river otter. In the main storyline that I will eventually get up to, he will be 17years of age, but that is still along the road up ahead. This first chapter takes a look at the difficult and dramatic beginning his life got during the long and exhausting birth his mother had to go through.

Storyline for this chapter; A young couple of river otters is finally due to have the pup they have dreamed about for years. But what was assumed to be a safe and normal birth, turns into a 6hour long, exhausting birth, that gives their son a brutal and harsh entry into this world. This chapter follows the new family starting from the birth, and three days afterwards. ", "writing": "Tales from Øfrstralv - Intro: The beginning\n\nImagine a world, that looks quite like our own. Imagine a world, where the continents are nearly perfectly alike what we see in our own world, with only minor differences separating these two worlds. Imagine a world, where humans, never evolved. Imagine a world, where the mammals, evolved to dominate the world. This is the world of the mammals. Mammals, big and small, have evolved to the point of near human-like behavior. They walk around on their hinds, they have an intelligence level which is around the same level as that of a human, and they have evolved to live far longer than their distant feral ancestors. For tens of thousands of years, the mammals were at war with one another; predators would hunt prey, and prey would hunt down the predators to protect their own kind. But 2.500years ago, that all changed. A lion, Zakram, and a Zebra, Laylayla, led the charge in forming a new peace treaty. The Treaty of Khalamar, the first ever peace treaty between the mammals, in which prey and predators agreed to live together in peace, and without harming one another. And from there, it quickly spread out to cover the rest of the world, creating a new world for future generations of mammals, a world where cubs would no longer have to live in the extreme fear of being taken by a predator. And it is in this world, that we can find the city of Ofrstralv. Located in the kingdom of Lope, essentially a country located where you would find the kingdom of Norway in the human world, it is considered the mammalian capital of the north, with a population of just under 300million mammals. The city is divided into several districts, each an artificial ecosystem meant to provide living conditions especially made for specific species. It is in the biggest of these districts, the Rain Forest District, that a new life is about to emerge. \n\nTysvald and Avayana Otterstad are a young couple of river otters. Residing in the northern parts of the rain forest district, they have been married for just over one year, though they have been a couple for closer to ten years; they are high-school sweethearts, having first met one another when they were pups; they were both 9years when they first met. Their friendship would evolve over the next couple of years, until they made a vow never to leave one another at age 13, effectively becoming a couple. But it would still take them 9years to be married, and another year to have their first child. Heavy panting and breathing can be heard from the underground den that the two of them purchased just 2years prior. The den has been dug into the ground underneath a huge tropical tree, the tree being nearly 2metres across. Despite being dug into the ground, the den contains all the comforts you would expect from a human home, including a living room and a bathroom. About the only thing that would take you by surprise, is the room in which Tysvald, Avayana, and a fennec dressed in all white, has decided to reside in for this special occasion. Avayana and Tysvald has been trying to have a child for five years now; being both 23years old, they are more than ready to start a family and bring new life to this world. But having the child they so desperately want, proved easier said than done. Avayana would only go into her heat once ever 8months, and regardless of how much time they spend together in the privacy of their home, her body just would not cooperate. She had gotten pregnant a year ago, but the pregnancy ended after 2weeks with an abortion; the veterinarian concluded the fetus had died because of a blood poisoning but could not determine where the poisoning originated from. He did however find out that the poisoning had spread to Avayana, and she had to spend two months in the hospital before the poisoning cleared. So even though Avayana had cleared all her medical checks, including the 3, 6, and finally 9week mark, they were both still nervous about the birth. Especially because Avayana was way overdue with her delivery; normally, otters would give birth after a gestation period that would be 70days at the very most. Avayana is one of those rare instances where the pregnancy has stretched into the 90day mark, at the very least. Therefore, the two of them had made the decision to call for a veterinarian to oversee the birth; Avayana had wished for the birth to be performed in their home, in their river room. It is a room located in the basement and is built with an artificial river that gives the two easy access to the local river, that serves as the primary method of travel for the district's population of otters. The veterinarian had started to become nervous over the past 2hours, despite all the efforts Tysvald and Avayana had made to prepare for a natural birth, and to make the room as stress-free as possible to Avayana. Avayana's contractions had started six hours ago, and they had not seen the slightest hint of the sole pup that Avayana had been confirmed to be pregnant with. Given Avayana's past pregnancy that ended in an abortion, the vet knows all too well that this birth could very well end the same way with the death of the fetus, but he does not share his concerns with either of the two expecting parents. He also knows that calling for medical backup will only cause Avayana to put two and two together, and thus he has made the decision to let her be for the time being. But he knows deep down, that if the pup does not come soon, he will have no choice but to declare an evac. It is not the first time he assists otters in giving birth, so he knows that their birth can lasts for hours, but six hours is an abnormality. 30minutes goes by, and still there is no sign of the pup. The vet knows that if the pup does not arrive within the next hour, he will be forced to call it a quits and evacuate Avayana to the hospital, where they will most likely have to deliver the pup surgically. He decides to check the situation, before making a call. But when he checks Avayana's birth canal, he realizes that the situation is far more severe than he could have imagined. The pup is halfway through the birth canal but is stuck. As he prods the head of the pup with his paws, he can feel the contractions from Avayana's birth canal as it desperately tries to push the pup out. He had been keeping a close watch on Avayana, and the last time he checked an hour ago, the pup was still not to be seen. The vet knows that he cannot wait any longer. He hits the alarm button he keeps on his medical suit, notifying the emergency central that he must evacuate the birthing otter. But he cannot merely wait, he knows that if the pup is not delivered immediately, it will die. He warns Tysvald that what his about to do will look gruesome and tells the otter to leave the room; with what his about to do, there are no guarantee that Tysvald will be able to suppress his paternal instinct to protect his mate and pup. His small size and stature had always bothered the fennec veterinarian in his youth, but now, his small size would be what he needed to save a life. His paws are just barely small enough, and flexible enough, that they can squeeze between the pup stuck in the birth canal, and the contracting walls. He feels the pup up close; it is fully formed, and it reacts to his touch. Perfect, the pup is still alive. But whether the pup has suffered any brain damage, he cannot know until they are at the hospital. The vet feels around the pup, trying to find its arms, so that he may get a secure grip on the pup, and drag it out the birth canal. Finally, he does, and grabs a hold. He gives a few gentle tugs, to ensure that he won't harm the pup when going for the final push. He begins to talk to Avayana, who by now is exhausted from the birth, though she tries her best to hide it from the vet. He can see she is exhausted still, but nevertheless tells her that they need to get the baby out right away and asks her to give it all she got one last time. He counts to three, and on the count of three, he begins to pull on the pup. He has to be very careful so as not to harm the infant, yet he has to pull hard enough that he may get the pup out. He spreads his arms out, in an attempt at widening the birth canal a little, and it works. He can feel the pup slide forward. But it still takes another three pushes from Avayana and a lot of tugging and pulling from the vet, before he is able to get the pup far enough through that the pup's head begins to emerge. By now, the ambulance had arrived, and the paramedics began to assist by supporting Avayana. Now having access to a wider selection of medications, the vet ordered the paramedics to administer a drug known to give vigorous contractions as a side effect, and to give new strength. The drug is not supposed to be used for giving birth; in fact, it is not even meant to be administered on female mammals. But the vet knows that if they do not get the pup out now, it may die before they reach the hospital. With one final, powerdul contraction from Avayana, and a firm pull from the vet, the pup finally slides out into the world. Avayana is just barely able to thank the Mother and the Father for giving her strength, before she passes out, completely exhausted and worn out from the birth. The young pup immediately begins to squeal and cry out, and the vet cannot help but shed a few tears. Even though he had assisted dozens of females with their births, it was still very emotional to him, especially because he himself was infertile and would never have a pup of his own. The young pup clings onto his paws, as he removes the birth sack, and clears the pup's muzzle, to make it easier for the infant to breath. By now Tysvald had heard the crying of his pup and had broken through the paramedics trying to keep him away. <> the vet says as he turns to Tysvald to show him the newly delivered, and still bloody, otter pup. Tysvald does not say anything, he just opens his paws and holds the tiny, little boy in his paws, tears already starting to form in his eyes. Five years of waiting and longing, had come to an end at last. They had gotten the child they had always wanted. The pup was crying by now, giving out a high-pitched hissing sound. Tysvald's deepest of instincts immediately told him what to do. He carried his newly born son to his wife's side, and carefully placed the little one onto her belly, the pup immediately latching onto one of her teats, and desperately suckling for milk. The sensation wakes Avayana up from her slumber, and she looks down at the pup now clinging to her for dear life, and smiles, tears in her eyes. But they are not out of danger. There is still the risk of the pup having suffered brain damage while in the birth canal as a result of a lack of oxygen, so the vet orders the paramedics to evacuate the family at once, and to go directly to the delivery hospital, in downtown Ofrstralv; there are doctors there who specializes in emergency care of newly delivered mammals, and their mothers, and they have the equipment that is needed to determine if Avayana and her pup requires any additional care. The paramedics bring in a trolley, specially rigged for the transportation of delivering mammals, and carefully move Avayana and her newborn onto it. The trolley has been specially designed to give as natural of an appearance of what the den of a small mammal would look like, and Avayana quickly finds herself comforted by the soft, dirt-like texture in the artificial den. Her son is still suckling her. The fennec doctor approaches the parents as they are guided into the ambulance, with a clipboard with a piece of paper. <> he asks the two. Tysvald and Avayana looks at one another. They had long since agreed on the name they would give their pup. Up until the delivery, they had not known the gender, but had decided on both a boy's name and a girl's name. <> Tysvald tells the doctor, and proceeds; <>. ``Thorson'' was in memory of Avayana's younger brother; he had died when he was just 3years old due to sudden infant death syndrome, and Avayana had always wished to name her son after him if she were ever to have a son. The doctor nods in approval and fills out the form in his paws before he gives it to the paramedic. He wishes the three-good luck, and slams the doors shut. The ambulance turns on its sirens and begins the drive to the delivery hospital in downtown. Tysvald had been seated in a seat with seatbelts by the paramedics, but around the halfway mark to the hospital, his instincts became too strong to suppress any longer, and he bit over the seat belt, and joined his mate and son in the artificial den, curling up alongside them to keep them warm. His mate is still without even a thread on her body, so he finds a blanket, that he uses to cover the three of them. \n\nThe doctors at the hospital ran numerous checks and tests on both the mother and the newly born otter pup, and after extensive examinations, they concluded that the pup had not suffered any brain damage, and that he was a healthy, albeit bigger than what was expected from a river otter. A blood sample collected from Tysvald revealed a possible answer; his DNA showed faint traces of a sea and river otter mix far back. Tysvald was not even aware of this, and once things had calmed down enough for him to regain his full composure and to come back to his senses, it made him sick to the stomach to know that he could have lost his mate and his son. It is very well known that river otters that have sea otters in their family line, can give rise to otter pups that are abnormally large. Which would explain the difficulties Avayana had giving birth; under normal circumstances, the female would undergo contractions for maybe an hour, and the delivery itself would be over in ten minutes for single-up deliveries. Doctors however told him there were no way he could know; the traces of sea otter DNA were so faint, that it would have had to be at least 20generations or so into his family past. And when they checked his family's history, they could find no reports of abnormally large pups anywhere; his mother, his grandmothers, and his great-grandmothers, had all given birth without any problems. In fact, his grandmother on his father's side, had given birth to pups that were unusually small, and she even held the ``record'' for the quickest birth ever recorded in otters; from her contractions begun, until she had delivered all three of her pups, it only took her 27minutes, a remarkable achievement to say the least. Even still, it left him with a bad feeling, but that bad feeling quickly left him as he was reunited with his mate and son. All worries seemed to just vanish, as he saw the two of them. Avayana had been given medications and solutions that helped her restitute after the exhausting delivery, and she was significantly more awake and present now than she was back home. The nurses had moved her from the artificial den into a hospital bed, and Tysvald wasted no time in joining the two there, curling up next to his mate, with their son in the middle. Chris Thorson Otterstad, had come into this world...\n\nThree days later, they were finally allowed to leave the hospital. Avayana kept her son tightly to her body as they waited for the express train back to the rain forest district. And as if having a son was not enough, Tysvald received a phone call; he had applied for a job position as the head of department with the Landscapers, basically the public services that oversaw maintaining the Rainforest district. It is a prestigious position, and there were 300applicants for it. And Tysvald was offered the job. He accepted it on the spot; he had dreamt about working with the Landscapers for as long as he can remember, and this was a real dream come true for him. He had gotten the family he had always wished for, and now he also had a well-paid job that would settle him and his new family. The express train arrived, and it took them only five minutes to arrive back in the rain forest. But before they would head home, they had one more thing to do. Their son had to be sworn in at the local church. Though the pup is still completely blind, and can barely even hear anything, it is something the two of them had agreed on years ago, that their children would be sworn in immediately after birth. They had called ahead, and the High Priest was therefore expecting them. He greeted the two of them and let them into the church. There is a single, circular room inside, and in the center of the room there is a circular platform, covered in paintings of mammals of many different kinds of species. But there are two mammals that stands out above the rest of the mammals pictured; a zebra, and a lion. The Mother, and the Father. Laylayla, and Zakram. They were the first mammals to take the initiative to write a permanent peace Treaty between the mammals. And the first ever treaty that would be between predators and prey. Known as the Treaty of Khalamar, the Treaty was etched into bones and pieces of animal horn, and it created the first ever tribe where predators and prey would live together in peace. Zakram and Laylayla would obtain near God-like status after their deaths, but more importantly, they left behind a series of scriptures. These scriptures include many different stories and details, but the most important ones, are the Mammalian Oath. It is a collection of four different oaths. The biggest one, commonly referred to as merely the Mammalian Oath even though it is just one part of the oath, is the one that all mammals must swear when they reach 9years of age. They swear not to harm other mammals, to protect others, to put an end to wildlings (wildlings are mammals who consciously choose to live like their feral ancestors did) and savages (savages are mammals who, for any reason, medical or otherwise, has reverted to their feral state), and a range of other things. They also swear not to give birth to young that will harm. But the specific oath that they are to swear today, is the Parental Oath. The High Priest welcomes the two of them and allowthem to go into a section of the room where covers had been set up, so that they could change into ceremonial robes in their own privacy. The ceremonial robes are white, covered in thousands of paw prints. The High Priest signifies for them to cover over to him in the center of the room, where he stands with a bowl of red dye. <> he asks the two of them. Avayana answers and presents the little pup to the High Priest. The High Priest looks at the boy, his paws gently lifting his head to get a closer look at the pup's face. Though he says nothing, the parents both know that the High Priest is looking for signs of the boy being a savage. The High Priest finds no signs of the boy being a savage and writes down the boy's name on a piece of paper. He motions for the parents to come closer to the bowl. He then presents the two with a piece of animal horn. The two needs no instruction; they have practiced this many times at home. Without hesitation, they both take a hold of the horn with their right paws. Tysvald's left paw goes over his heart, while Avayana is busy keeping her pup safely in her grip. In unison, they begin to speak the Parental Oath;\n\n<>\n\nThe priest dips his paw into the bowl of orange dye, and motions for them to come closer to him. Avayana moves the young pup in her paws so that his face is facing the priest. The priest begins to speak as he uses the orange dye to draw stripes into the thin fur on the pup's face;\n\n<>. The priest finishes dying the pup's fur, and proceeds by bringing the bowl of dye closer. With the help of Avayana and Tysvald, he dips the right paw of the pup into the bowl and pushes the paw onto the piece of paper from earlier. Now having formally sworn their son into the sacred Mammalian Oath, the two otters change back into their own clothing, and leaves the church. The journey back home is uneventful. It was the middle of the day when everyone is at their work, so there were not many mammals out walking the paths leading from the church and the 20minutes back home. The two otters chose to walk home, rather than use the river or the bus. But as relieved they were when they arrived back at their den, they were also nervous; at the hospital, they had well-trained staff to assist them in the event anything should happen to their young son. Now, they are on their own. A terrifying thought to the young parents, knowing very well that the next weeks will be fraud with dangers, sleepless nights, and the constant fight with their own internal and natural instincts. But for now, the two focus on their son, and leave the worries about what tomorrow will bring behind...\n\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Tales from Øfrstralv - Intro: The beginning

Imagine a world, that looks quite like our own. Imagine a world, where the continents are nearly perfectly alike what we see in our own world, with only minor differences separating these two worlds. Imagine a world, where humans, never evolved. Imagine a world, where the mammals, evolved to dominate the world. This is the world of the mammals. Mammals, big and small, have evolved to the point of near human-like behavior. They walk around on their hinds, they have an intelligence level which is around the same level as that of a human, and they have evolved to live far longer than their distant feral ancestors. For tens of thousands of years, the mammals were at war with one another; predators would hunt prey, and prey would hunt down the predators to protect their own kind. But 2.500years ago, that all changed. A lion, Zakram, and a Zebra, Laylayla, led the charge in forming a new peace treaty. The Treaty of Khalamar, the first ever peace treaty between the mammals, in which prey and predators agreed to live together in peace, and without harming one another. And from there, it quickly spread out to cover the rest of the world, creating a new world for future generations of mammals, a world where cubs would no longer have to live in the extreme fear of being taken by a predator. And it is in this world, that we can find the city of Ofrstralv. Located in the kingdom of Lope, essentially a country located where you would find the kingdom of Norway in the human world, it is considered the mammalian capital of the north, with a population of just under 300million mammals. The city is divided into several districts, each an artificial ecosystem meant to provide living conditions especially made for specific species. It is in the biggest of these districts, the Rain Forest District, that a new life is about to emerge.

Tysvald and Avayana Otterstad are a young couple of river otters. Residing in the northern parts of the rain forest district, they have been married for just over one year, though they have been a couple for closer to ten years; they are high-school sweethearts, having first met one another when they were pups; they were both 9years when they first met. Their friendship would evolve over the next couple of years, until they made a vow never to leave one another at age 13, effectively becoming a couple. But it would still take them 9years to be married, and another year to have their first child. Heavy panting and breathing can be heard from the underground den that the two of them purchased just 2years prior. The den has been dug into the ground underneath a huge tropical tree, the tree being nearly 2metres across. Despite being dug into the ground, the den contains all the comforts you would expect from a human home, including a living room and a bathroom. About the only thing that would take you by surprise, is the room in which Tysvald, Avayana, and a fennec dressed in all white, has decided to reside in for this special occasion. Avayana and Tysvald has been trying to have a child for five years now; being both 23years old, they are more than ready to start a family and bring new life to this world. But having the child they so desperately want, proved easier said than done. Avayana would only go into her heat once ever 8months, and regardless of how much time they spend together in the privacy of their home, her body just would not cooperate. She had gotten pregnant a year ago, but the pregnancy ended after 2weeks with an abortion; the veterinarian concluded the fetus had died because of a blood poisoning but could not determine where the poisoning originated from. He did however find out that the poisoning had spread to Avayana, and she had to spend two months in the hospital before the poisoning cleared. So even though Avayana had cleared all her medical checks, including the 3, 6, and finally 9week mark, they were both still nervous about the birth. Especially because Avayana was way overdue with her delivery; normally, otters would give birth after a gestation period that would be 70days at the very most. Avayana is one of those rare instances where the pregnancy has stretched into the 90day mark, at the very least. Therefore, the two of them had made the decision to call for a veterinarian to oversee the birth; Avayana had wished for the birth to be performed in their home, in their river room. It is a room located in the basement and is built with an artificial river that gives the two easy access to the local river, that serves as the primary method of travel for the district's population of otters. The veterinarian had started to become nervous over the past 2hours, despite all the efforts Tysvald and Avayana had made to prepare for a natural birth, and to make the room as stress-free as possible to Avayana. Avayana's contractions had started six hours ago, and they had not seen the slightest hint of the sole pup that Avayana had been confirmed to be pregnant with. Given Avayana's past pregnancy that ended in an abortion, the vet knows all too well that this birth could very well end the same way with the death of the fetus, but he does not share his concerns with either of the two expecting parents. He also knows that calling for medical backup will only cause Avayana to put two and two together, and thus he has made the decision to let her be for the time being. But he knows deep down, that if the pup does not come soon, he will have no choice but to declare an evac. It is not the first time he assists otters in giving birth, so he knows that their birth can lasts for hours, but six hours is an abnormality. 30minutes goes by, and still there is no sign of the pup. The vet knows that if the pup does not arrive within the next hour, he will be forced to call it a quits and evacuate Avayana to the hospital, where they will most likely have to deliver the pup surgically. He decides to check the situation, before making a call. But when he checks Avayana's birth canal, he realizes that the situation is far more severe than he could have imagined. The pup is halfway through the birth canal but is stuck. As he prods the head of the pup with his paws, he can feel the contractions from Avayana's birth canal as it desperately tries to push the pup out. He had been keeping a close watch on Avayana, and the last time he checked an hour ago, the pup was still not to be seen. The vet knows that he cannot wait any longer. He hits the alarm button he keeps on his medical suit, notifying the emergency central that he must evacuate the birthing otter. But he cannot merely wait, he knows that if the pup is not delivered immediately, it will die. He warns Tysvald that what his about to do will look gruesome and tells the otter to leave the room; with what his about to do, there are no guarantee that Tysvald will be able to suppress his paternal instinct to protect his mate and pup. His small size and stature had always bothered the fennec veterinarian in his youth, but now, his small size would be what he needed to save a life. His paws are just barely small enough, and flexible enough, that they can squeeze between the pup stuck in the birth canal, and the contracting walls. He feels the pup up close; it is fully formed, and it reacts to his touch. Perfect, the pup is still alive. But whether the pup has suffered any brain damage, he cannot know until they are at the hospital. The vet feels around the pup, trying to find its arms, so that he may get a secure grip on the pup, and drag it out the birth canal. Finally, he does, and grabs a hold. He gives a few gentle tugs, to ensure that he won't harm the pup when going for the final push. He begins to talk to Avayana, who by now is exhausted from the birth, though she tries her best to hide it from the vet. He can see she is exhausted still, but nevertheless tells her that they need to get the baby out right away and asks her to give it all she got one last time. He counts to three, and on the count of three, he begins to pull on the pup. He has to be very careful so as not to harm the infant, yet he has to pull hard enough that he may get the pup out. He spreads his arms out, in an attempt at widening the birth canal a little, and it works. He can feel the pup slide forward. But it still takes another three pushes from Avayana and a lot of tugging and pulling from the vet, before he is able to get the pup far enough through that the pup's head begins to emerge. By now, the ambulance had arrived, and the paramedics began to assist by supporting Avayana. Now having access to a wider selection of medications, the vet ordered the paramedics to administer a drug known to give vigorous contractions as a side effect, and to give new strength. The drug is not supposed to be used for giving birth; in fact, it is not even meant to be administered on female mammals. But the vet knows that if they do not get the pup out now, it may die before they reach the hospital. With one final, powerdul contraction from Avayana, and a firm pull from the vet, the pup finally slides out into the world. Avayana is just barely able to thank the Mother and the Father for giving her strength, before she passes out, completely exhausted and worn out from the birth. The young pup immediately begins to squeal and cry out, and the vet cannot help but shed a few tears. Even though he had assisted dozens of females with their births, it was still very emotional to him, especially because he himself was infertile and would never have a pup of his own. The young pup clings onto his paws, as he removes the birth sack, and clears the pup's muzzle, to make it easier for the infant to breath. By now Tysvald had heard the crying of his pup and had broken through the paramedics trying to keep him away. <<Congratulations, it is a boy.>> the vet says as he turns to Tysvald to show him the newly delivered, and still bloody, otter pup. Tysvald does not say anything, he just opens his paws and holds the tiny, little boy in his paws, tears already starting to form in his eyes. Five years of waiting and longing, had come to an end at last. They had gotten the child they had always wanted. The pup was crying by now, giving out a high-pitched hissing sound. Tysvald's deepest of instincts immediately told him what to do. He carried his newly born son to his wife's side, and carefully placed the little one onto her belly, the pup immediately latching onto one of her teats, and desperately suckling for milk. The sensation wakes Avayana up from her slumber, and she looks down at the pup now clinging to her for dear life, and smiles, tears in her eyes. But they are not out of danger. There is still the risk of the pup having suffered brain damage while in the birth canal as a result of a lack of oxygen, so the vet orders the paramedics to evacuate the family at once, and to go directly to the delivery hospital, in downtown Ofrstralv; there are doctors there who specializes in emergency care of newly delivered mammals, and their mothers, and they have the equipment that is needed to determine if Avayana and her pup requires any additional care. The paramedics bring in a trolley, specially rigged for the transportation of delivering mammals, and carefully move Avayana and her newborn onto it. The trolley has been specially designed to give as natural of an appearance of what the den of a small mammal would look like, and Avayana quickly finds herself comforted by the soft, dirt-like texture in the artificial den. Her son is still suckling her. The fennec doctor approaches the parents as they are guided into the ambulance, with a clipboard with a piece of paper. <<Have you guys decided a name for the newlyborn?>> he asks the two. Tysvald and Avayana looks at one another. They had long since agreed on the name they would give their pup. Up until the delivery, they had not known the gender, but had decided on both a boy's name and a girl's name. <<Chris.>> Tysvald tells the doctor, and proceeds; <<Chris Thorson Otterstad.>>. ``Thorson'' was in memory of Avayana's younger brother; he had died when he was just 3years old due to sudden infant death syndrome, and Avayana had always wished to name her son after him if she were ever to have a son. The doctor nods in approval and fills out the form in his paws before he gives it to the paramedic. He wishes the three-good luck, and slams the doors shut. The ambulance turns on its sirens and begins the drive to the delivery hospital in downtown. Tysvald had been seated in a seat with seatbelts by the paramedics, but around the halfway mark to the hospital, his instincts became too strong to suppress any longer, and he bit over the seat belt, and joined his mate and son in the artificial den, curling up alongside them to keep them warm. His mate is still without even a thread on her body, so he finds a blanket, that he uses to cover the three of them.

The doctors at the hospital ran numerous checks and tests on both the mother and the newly born otter pup, and after extensive examinations, they concluded that the pup had not suffered any brain damage, and that he was a healthy, albeit bigger than what was expected from a river otter. A blood sample collected from Tysvald revealed a possible answer; his DNA showed faint traces of a sea and river otter mix far back. Tysvald was not even aware of this, and once things had calmed down enough for him to regain his full composure and to come back to his senses, it made him sick to the stomach to know that he could have lost his mate and his son. It is very well known that river otters that have sea otters in their family line, can give rise to otter pups that are abnormally large. Which would explain the difficulties Avayana had giving birth; under normal circumstances, the female would undergo contractions for maybe an hour, and the delivery itself would be over in ten minutes for single-up deliveries. Doctors however told him there were no way he could know; the traces of sea otter DNA were so faint, that it would have had to be at least 20generations or so into his family past. And when they checked his family's history, they could find no reports of abnormally large pups anywhere; his mother, his grandmothers, and his great-grandmothers, had all given birth without any problems. In fact, his grandmother on his father's side, had given birth to pups that were unusually small, and she even held the ``record'' for the quickest birth ever recorded in otters; from her contractions begun, until she had delivered all three of her pups, it only took her 27minutes, a remarkable achievement to say the least. Even still, it left him with a bad feeling, but that bad feeling quickly left him as he was reunited with his mate and son. All worries seemed to just vanish, as he saw the two of them. Avayana had been given medications and solutions that helped her restitute after the exhausting delivery, and she was significantly more awake and present now than she was back home. The nurses had moved her from the artificial den into a hospital bed, and Tysvald wasted no time in joining the two there, curling up next to his mate, with their son in the middle. Chris Thorson Otterstad, had come into this world...

Three days later, they were finally allowed to leave the hospital. Avayana kept her son tightly to her body as they waited for the express train back to the rain forest district. And as if having a son was not enough, Tysvald received a phone call; he had applied for a job position as the head of department with the Landscapers, basically the public services that oversaw maintaining the Rainforest district. It is a prestigious position, and there were 300applicants for it. And Tysvald was offered the job. He accepted it on the spot; he had dreamt about working with the Landscapers for as long as he can remember, and this was a real dream come true for him. He had gotten the family he had always wished for, and now he also had a well-paid job that would settle him and his new family. The express train arrived, and it took them only five minutes to arrive back in the rain forest. But before they would head home, they had one more thing to do. Their son had to be sworn in at the local church. Though the pup is still completely blind, and can barely even hear anything, it is something the two of them had agreed on years ago, that their children would be sworn in immediately after birth. They had called ahead, and the High Priest was therefore expecting them. He greeted the two of them and let them into the church. There is a single, circular room inside, and in the center of the room there is a circular platform, covered in paintings of mammals of many different kinds of species. But there are two mammals that stands out above the rest of the mammals pictured; a zebra, and a lion. The Mother, and the Father. Laylayla, and Zakram. They were the first mammals to take the initiative to write a permanent peace Treaty between the mammals. And the first ever treaty that would be between predators and prey. Known as the Treaty of Khalamar, the Treaty was etched into bones and pieces of animal horn, and it created the first ever tribe where predators and prey would live together in peace. Zakram and Laylayla would obtain near God-like status after their deaths, but more importantly, they left behind a series of scriptures. These scriptures include many different stories and details, but the most important ones, are the Mammalian Oath. It is a collection of four different oaths. The biggest one, commonly referred to as merely the Mammalian Oath even though it is just one part of the oath, is the one that all mammals must swear when they reach 9years of age. They swear not to harm other mammals, to protect others, to put an end to wildlings (wildlings are mammals who consciously choose to live like their feral ancestors did) and savages (savages are mammals who, for any reason, medical or otherwise, has reverted to their feral state), and a range of other things. They also swear not to give birth to young that will harm. But the specific oath that they are to swear today, is the Parental Oath. The High Priest welcomes the two of them and allowthem to go into a section of the room where covers had been set up, so that they could change into ceremonial robes in their own privacy. The ceremonial robes are white, covered in thousands of paw prints. The High Priest signifies for them to cover over to him in the center of the room, where he stands with a bowl of red dye. <<What is the name of the boy?>> he asks the two of them. Avayana answers and presents the little pup to the High Priest. The High Priest looks at the boy, his paws gently lifting his head to get a closer look at the pup's face. Though he says nothing, the parents both know that the High Priest is looking for signs of the boy being a savage. The High Priest finds no signs of the boy being a savage and writes down the boy's name on a piece of paper. He motions for the parents to come closer to the bowl. He then presents the two with a piece of animal horn. The two needs no instruction; they have practiced this many times at home. Without hesitation, they both take a hold of the horn with their right paws. Tysvald's left paw goes over his heart, while Avayana is busy keeping her pup safely in her grip. In unison, they begin to speak the Parental Oath;

<<We are mammals.

Born to this world.

With this Oath

We acknowledge our Parental ascension.

We shall raise our young

To the best of our capabilities

We shall not let them harm others.

We shall defend them with our lives.

Our child shall live in this world.

Protected by us, guided by the Mother and the Father.

He shall grow up strong and healthy.

He shall honor the Sacred Treaty.

He shall never harm.

He shall not give rise to wildlings.

He shall not tolerate savages.

He shall put an end to savagery.

With this oath

We swear our son to the Mother and the Father.

May the Father give him strength.

May the Mother give him courage and wisdom.>>

The priest dips his paw into the bowl of orange dye, and motions for them to come closer to him. Avayana moves the young pup in her paws so that his face is facing the priest. The priest begins to speak as he uses the orange dye to draw stripes into the thin fur on the pup's face;

<<Chris Thorson Otterstad, I hereby give you the blessing of the Mother and the Father. May their spirits guide you into your life, and may their presence protect you from harm. May the Father give you strength, and may the Mother give you courage and wisdom. May they guide your paws, may they grant wisdom to your choices, may they help you in times of peril.>>. The priest finishes dying the pup's fur, and proceeds by bringing the bowl of dye closer. With the help of Avayana and Tysvald, he dips the right paw of the pup into the bowl and pushes the paw onto the piece of paper from earlier. Now having formally sworn their son into the sacred Mammalian Oath, the two otters change back into their own clothing, and leaves the church. The journey back home is uneventful. It was the middle of the day when everyone is at their work, so there were not many mammals out walking the paths leading from the church and the 20minutes back home. The two otters chose to walk home, rather than use the river or the bus. But as relieved they were when they arrived back at their den, they were also nervous; at the hospital, they had well-trained staff to assist them in the event anything should happen to their young son. Now, they are on their own. A terrifying thought to the young parents, knowing very well that the next weeks will be fraud with dangers, sleepless nights, and the constant fight with their own internal and natural instincts. But for now, the two focus on their son, and leave the worries about what tomorrow will bring behind...

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