Harvey sat in his apothecary, meticulously working on a new tonic for Rhea. He had successfully made contraception, but now he was attempting to create something that would temporarily pause her estrous cycle. The various herbs and ingredients required his full concentration, and he was completely absorbed in his work.

"Harvey?" Rhea's voice was weak, almost a whisper.

"Rhea?" Harvey called out, turning around just in time to see her collapse onto the floor. Panic surged through him as he rushed to her side, seeing her body drenched in sweat and burning with an inhuman fever.

"Curtis!" Harvey shouted, lifting Rhea's limp form into his arms and carrying her to her room. The urgency in his voice brought Curtis running, his eyes wide with fear as he took in Rhea's condition.

"What happened?" Curtis demanded, his voice trembling.

"She just collapsed in my apothecary! I don't know what happened. Let her cuddle with you; your cold body might help cool her down," Harvey explained, his voice shaky.

Curtis complied, wrapping his cold tail around Rhea's feverish body. He could feel the heat radiating from her, and it scared him. He held her close, his heart pounding with worry.

Harvey checked her pulse and then gasped. "She's pregnant?"

"What? Is that why she is sick?" Curtis asked, his eyes wide with shock.

"I don't know. I've never seen anything like this!" Harvey was beginning to freak out. "We need to go to Beast City. They have more experienced healers who can help."

Curtis looked down at Rhea, her face contorted in pain as she groaned softly. "No, she can't withstand the journey. You need to go and bring back a healer. Find Winston and Muir. Ask them for help, and we will pay in crystals."

Curtis handed a pouch of crystals to Harvey. "You need to go and come back quickly. I will watch over her. This is all my fault."

Harvey nodded, determination replacing his fear. He left immediately, knowing that every second counted. He made his way through the valley and into the forest, moving as fast as he could.

.

As Harvey sprinted through the dense forest, his mind raced with worry and determination. He couldn't lose Rhea. She was the anchor that held their lives together, and the thought of something happening to her was unbearable. He pushed his body to its limits, his muscles burning and lungs aching, but he didn't stop.

Hours later, he finally reached the outskirts of Beast City. The grand, sprawling city loomed ahead, its towering buildings and bustling streets a stark contrast to the wild, untamed forests he had traveled through. He didn't waste any time marveling at the cityscape. Instead, he headed straight for the central square, where he hoped to find Winston and Muir.

"Harvey!" a familiar voice called out.

Harvey turned to see Muir approaching, his wings tucked neatly behind him. Relief washed over him at the sight of the eagle beastman.

"Muir, I need your help. Rhea is very sick. We think she's pregnant, but she's burning with fever. We need a healer from Beast City," Harvey explained quickly, his voice urgent.

Muir's expression turned serious. "Follow me. Winston and the best healers are this way."

They hurried through the streets, weaving through the crowd until they reached a large building with a sign that read "Healers' Guild." Muir led Harvey inside, where Winston was speaking with a group of healers.

"Winston!" Muir called, catching his attention.

Winston turned, his eyes widening as he saw Harvey. "What's going on?"

"Rhea is very sick. She's burning with fever and pregnant. We need your best healer to come with us immediately," Harvey explained.

Winston's expression turned grave. He nodded to the healers, and an older female healer named Elara stepped forward. "I will go with you," she said, gathering her supplies quickly.

"Thank you," Harvey said, relief evident in his voice.

Elara, Winston, and Muir followed Harvey back through the forest, making the journey as quickly as possible. By the time they reached the valley, the sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows over the landscape.

The heavens were not on their side. The roar of colossals... several colossals were heard, and the group stopped their journey.

Winston realized there was no way they would all make it back in one piece. He pushed something small into Harvey's hands. "Go ahead. Muir and I will fight them off!"

Harvey didn't need to be told twice. With Elara on his back, he left the two to fight the colossals.

.

The battle was intense. The ground shook with every step of the massive creatures, and the air was filled with the sound of their roars and the clash of claws. In the midst of the battle, Winston sustained a ghastly scar across his face, a deep wound that bled profusely. But he fought on, refusing to let the colossals get past them.

Meanwhile, Harvey and Elara pressed forward, pushing their way through the forest with a single-minded focus on reaching Rhea. By the time they reached the scorpion clan's territory, Elara was already preparing the necessary herbs and potions to help Rhea.

Elara immediately went to work, assessing Rhea's condition with a practiced eye. "It's a bad pregnancy," she said gravely. "We need to act quickly."

Korrin stepped forward to offer his assistance. "Tell me what you need. I will get it for you," he said, his voice steady.

Harvey was wary of Korrin's intentions, but Elara nodded. "I need these herbs and clean water. We don't have much time."

Korrin moved swiftly, gathering the required materials with efficiency. Harvey couldn't help but question his motives. "Why are you helping us?"

Korrin met Harvey's gaze, his expression unreadable. "I am prideful, not cruel. Your queen has earned my respect, and I will not stand by while she suffers."

Elara worked quickly, administering the herbs and potions to stabilize Rhea's condition. Curtis remained by Rhea's side, his tail wrapped around her protectively, his eyes never leaving her face.

Hours passed, and finally, Elara sighed with relief. "She is stable, she needs rest and care."

Harvey and Curtis exchanged a look of profound relief. Curtis's grip on Rhea tightened.

"Thank you, Elara. We owe you everything," Harvey said, his voice choked with emotion as he stuffed the bag of crystals into her hands.

Elara smiled gently. "Take care of her well, no sex for at least 2 months. If you don't take care of her she won't heal properly." She instructed them strictly leaving a list of things to help her with daily and then she was shown to a room for her to stay in.

As the night settled in, the atmosphere in the hut had finally relaxed. Rhea's fever had broken, and her breathing had steadied. Curtis held her close, unwilling to let go, as long as he could feel her heart beating.

Harvey stepped outside for a moment, needing to collect his thoughts. He found Korrin waiting outside, his expression unreadable.

"Thank you," Harvey said, whether he was suspicious or not, the fact of the matter was that Korrain helped, this was his opportunity to take back his title but he didn't.

Korrin nodded. "This is the least I can do."

Harvey watched as Korrin walked away, feeling a growing respect for the scorpion leader. He returned to the hut, where Curtis was still holding Rhea.

"She's going to be okay," Harvey said, his voice filled with relief. He looked at the emerald in his hand given to him by Winston and popped it in Rhea's mouth.

Curtis nodded, his eyes never leaving Rhea's face. "We can't let anything happen to her. If you weren't here, Harvey, I—I don't know what I would do."

Curtis's voice trembled, and his eyes teared up. He was so scared. She said she didn't want to get pregnant. He should have listened; he should have listened.

"It's not your fault, Curtis. This can happen at any time. I just haven't seen it before. It's because she gets her cycle monthly," Harvey tried to reassure Curtis.

"I know that logically, but I hate myself for not waiting for you to make the tonic first. If I just waited, this wouldn't have happened."

"We can't dwell on our mistakes, Curtis. We will all make mistakes. I've made my own fair share. It's how we grow from them that matters more than anything."

"Some mistakes are too costly, Harvey."

Before Harvey could say anything, the door swung open. Winston and Muir stumbled in, bloody and exhausted.

Harvey immediately got to work helping them clean up their wounds. He couldn't help but wince at Winston's scar. It was ghastly and spanned his entire face.

"Is it bad?" Winston asked, well aware of the situation.

"It will heal," Harvey replied, trying to sound reassuring.

Winston laughed bitterly. His face was already intimidating before this, and now he had another scar.

Even Harvey didn't have any words of consolation. The atmosphere in the hut was heavy with tension and exhaustion.

Winston looked at his reflection in disgust, it was really over for him. He had to resign to remaining alone for the rest of his life.

It will heal.

But his face would forever be like this.

.

Rhea woke up, her body was knackered. She noticed Harvey and Curtis fast asleep by her side knocked out completely. Quietly, she slipped out of the hut, craving the warmth of the sun on her skin.

She wandered outside slowly, her entire body feeling like she was hot hyba truck. She spotted Winston sitting alone, watching the sunrise.

"Winston?" she called softly.

He turned away from her, as if trying to hide his face from her. "Rhea, you should be resting."

Ignoring his words, Rhea reached out. "Let me see," she said softly. She wasn't fully sure why he was here or what happened to his face but he shouldn't hide it like he was shameful.

Winston hesitated but then allowed her to remove the bandages. He expected her to gasp and cower away, but nothing. Instead he felt her warm fingers traced the scar with a sad look in her eyes.

Was she disgusted with him?

Was this the end.

Rhea only wondered how he got wounded this badly. She saw his eyes, deep insecurities, a look she was too familiar with. She frowned, her heart felt stuffy, memories were dug up in an instant, memories she never wanted to remember, no one deserved to feel like that.

"You're beautiful," she whispered, her touch gentle and reassuring.

Why was she crying?

While calling him beautiful?

Winston felt a lump in his throat.

Who would call a fierce, disfigured warrior beautiful?

...

If he kissed her would that be selfish?

'Do you even realize what you've done to me Rhea?'

He had so much he wanted to say, but all he could do was let the tears in his eyes drop down his cheeks as he struggled to breathe while his voice betrayed him, and he cried in her arms that morning.