Explanations

Acting on instinct, she picks up two of the tiny creatures and puts one to each breast, where they immediately start to suckle (fortunately the Crystallic has thought to bring in her milk). "That would be more convenient if you were in your full fox form," an unfamiliar voice says. "You'd have enough nipples to feed them all at once then. Now that you're no longer pregnant, you aren't stuck in your intermediate form."

Astra looks in the direction of the voice, and sees a demifox woman, like herself in the intermediate form. "Hello," she says. "Who are you?"

"I'm Synizn. I used the Crystallic to transform myself into a demifox. Being a werebear was pretty hellish, and becoming more so with every month that passed. This is much better."

"I see. But why a female demifox?"

Synizn does a rather comical double-take, such that Astra can't help giggling. "You mean you didn't realise?" she asks incredulously. "Surely it's rather obvious?"

"I only transformed myself just before you came round, so I didn't have a chance to really take a look at myself, and I just kind of assumed..." He - or rather she - breaks off, then resumes. "Though it's a shock, oddly enough I find that I don't mind. I suppose the Crystallic must have ensured that I would feel comfortable with my new form. I'll have to be more careful next time I use it, though, and not leave it any leeway. I don't think that it's malicious, but it's decidedly mischievous. It had never occurred to me that it could have a personality, but I think it does."

"Have I been asleep for a month or more? I can't see how else my babies - it doesn't feel right to call them cubs or kits, somehow - could have been born. That means I'm stuck as a demifox, then. Why did you do that? By rights I should be angry with you, but right now I feel too happy."

"Don't worry. You've been out for well under a day. After I made you unconscious, it occurred to me that I could use the Crystallic to accelerate the pregnancy, so that the kits could be born whilst there was still time to change you back to human. There's still the better part of four days remaining in which to do that. Once I get you and Fred together, it should be possible to deal with all eight of you - yourself, Fred and the infants - simultaneously."

"I see. Excuse me a moment." A couple of the kits have begun mewling; it's because they are hungry, Astra is sure. She concentrates, and succeeds in morphing into her full fox form. A moment later, all six cubs are contentedly suckling, apparently not in the least disconcerted by their mother's abrupt change.

"Now," she continues, "where's Fred? Too embarrassed or squeamish to want to witness the birth?" Thanks to the magical golden necklace that Malachi gave her, which she still wears, even in her full fox form her yapping would have been understandable even by a human. Now that she is a demifox herself, Synizn naturally wouldn't have had a problem in any case.

"I'm afraid that he hasn't returned from that walk that he went out for just before I bespelled you to unconsciousness. That was about five hours ago now."

"What! In a rough town like this he could have gotten into all sorts of trouble. Why didn't you go and look for him?"

"I did, but I couldn't find him. And I didn't dare leave you on your own for very long. But now that I'm fairly confident in my use of the Crystallic, I ought to be able to use it to locate him."

1. "Good. Please would you do so at once."
2. Meanwhile, what of the afore-mentioned Fred?

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