It's like childbirth but different

[prototypical_dave]

[Dave has been scarce for the past few weeks, but things like swords and pillows have been disappearing in his wake. He's built himself a large nest, large enough for him to curl up in the bottom of the soft interior with some room to spare, but with a fortress-like perimeter made up of swords, branches, rebar, and anything else vaguely sticklike that he could find.

He's curled up on the pillows (some ripped to shreds and their feathers or fluff lining the nest and some left intact), gritting his teeth and whimpering in pain. Perhaps the biggest change that he's undergone is that his stomach is swollen, bulging out from his lithe frame like he's carrying a basketball underneath his skin. He's gripping his stomach with taloned hands and writhing, his sprite tail coiling and uncoiling restlessly.]