Chosen

For those of you out there that like smaller bellies ;D Those are cute too. I just realized I like them but I hadn't posted a drawing of one yet.

Also a bit of foreshadowing for a story I hope to one day develop.

"It had been nearly a full day since the incident but only now had she allowed herself to check up on how she was fairing. Feigning a small detour on her work routine, the young maiden immersed herself in a thicker part of the jungle. Small branches and brambles tugged at the hem of her skirt, making it that much harder to walk but she toiled determinedly through. Soon enough she emerged at a clearing with a sigh of relief.

She set her basket down on the floor and just breathed for a second. Normally this walk to her secret spot wouldn't have cost her much but her current... condition, had her heart beating a little bit faster and a thin sheen of sweat covered her body. Heaving one last sigh and preparing herself for what she would surely see, the elf screwed up her resolve and pulled her blouse up to her chest and looked down.

Sure enough, the sight of her slightly distended middle greeted her. It had grown somewhat overnight, it was a miracle no one had noticed the day before, let alone this morning. Her thin grey blouse did little to conceal the fact that she looked to be about three months pregnant... which she was not.

She ran a hand experimentally over the swell. It was hard; her skin was taut and was giving off a much more pronounced heat than the rest of her. Her body had grown accustomed to the pressure that had seemed unbearable the day before, but not the weight, or the small bit of movement she felt from time to time. Stroking her bloated belly in earnest now, the young maid wondered just how long she could keep this hidden from the rest of the tribe. It had been years since the last woman was chosen to bear this burden, but she still remembered what happened to the last one when the tribe found out. Both her hands closed over her womb as worry descended heavily over her features. She would just have to deal with it, pretend like nothing was wrong, for now."