"Can you slow down a bit, Harleth?"
"Is everything OK, Erin?"
"Yeah, but I'm not that fast anymore with the little one growing..."
The two lovers walked through the forest on a warm day late in spring. The heath surrounding them was in full bloom, filling the clearings with fields of violet flowers. The songs of birds filled the air, and some sheep with their lambs were grazing in the distance. But the two lovers were expecting some new life of their own as well. Erin's rump, covered in soft beige fur, had grown quite large, much larger than her usual chubby self. For a centaur, the brunette was rather short, even at eye level with most humans. Harleth, on the other hand, was much taller than her, towering more than two heads above her. His posture was quite lanky, not the most intimidating figure despite his size. His glossy black manes and coat shone in the light of the sun. Over the past few weeks, Erin had more and more trouble to keep up with Harleth's pace. Even standing up was getting more troublesome with that belly of hers. But they knew their effort would soon be rewarded...
"The heath fields are beautiful at this time of the year," Harleth said. "I feel like I never truly appreciated what I had here close to home as a kid."
"I hope to see this many times, together with you."
"Well, I was hoping for a bit more..." he took her hand.
"Oh, you mean the kids, Harley?" she blushed. "Oh, I can see it right in front of me, little Solnan prancing through the fields."
"He'd love it, and I think his new brother or sister also will."
Erin laid a hand on her rump. "Yeah, I think they will. It won't be taking long before they come."
"You still like the names we picked, dear?"
"Yeah, I've grown to like them even more over time," she chuckled. "So, it will either be Riana, after your great-grandmother ..."
"... or Meldan, after your great-grandfather."
"We'll see in a month or two," she chuckled. "But I can't wait to get to know them."
Harleth held both her hands and bowed down next to her to be at eye level. "Will you promise me one thing?"
"Anything, my dear."
"Won't you please give Solnan enough love even after the new child is born?"
"Always! I may not be his mother, but he'll always be my son."
"And you, my sweatheart, will always be the shepherd of our herd."
Erin chuckled, and Harleth raised his eyebrow, giving her a questioning look.
"What?" he asked.
"You're exaggerating a bit now with the niceties, Harley..." Erin blushed.
____________________________________

This is a scene of Harleth and Erin when they were much younger. Meldan wasn't born yet, but he's still in this picture in some way...

This illustration is drawn by the wonderful  reigohoo, for whom centaurs are their speciality.
Check out the original!