Blackfeather Woods sinnasaik

When she’s given a little while by herself, she takes the time to adjust to her new life. Whether there’s more to come, the next few months the are dedicated solely to them. She’ll see them learn to see and hear and play. They have aunts and uncles to keep them all safe and teach them everything they need to do. After discovering herself pregnant, she hadn’t expected all this. Her siblings hadn’t been here. If she hadn’t gone out looking for Maegi, they may not have even found her and she’d be doing this alone and that’s a scary thought she doesn’t want to entertain.

A commotion stirs outside and her ears cup forward, trying to listen to the muffled voices. Somehow, it surprises her Siarut is there with how they’d been with one another. He’d stuck around closer the rest of her pregnancy despite her angry words not to but he’s never been one to turn back on family without good reason. But he defended Tomkin and his mistakes only to turn around and berate her for hers. Maybe, one day, he won’t feel the same but he deserves to be with his family just as the others.

Gently, she kisses the puppies’ crown. Their gusto for feeding has slowed, getting their fill and growing tired. She wishes she could close her eyes and sleep but her body reminds her she is not done and there is no time. In her sister’s brief absence, another contraction takes over and she whines quietly to herself. It hurts more than the rest but it’s short lived and passes without the need to push.

Tahani slips back into the den and she releases a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. To her question, she nods, but she doesn’t have time to answer for what she needs when a grimace paints across her face. Anything about Kove goes ignored for the time being. She’s so tired, certain she can’t bear another wave. Whether or not Tahani gets her anything, she can’t stop another contraction and her efforts are draining the last bit of energy she has left. It turns out not enough and the puppy is stuck in her canal, nearly halfway out. Any effort to push does little and panic swells in her chest. Their mother had complications, once, and while she came out on the other side fine, Shivali can’t stop the feeling something’s wrong. She’d wasted so much energy on a non-viable child that her possibly third surviving puppy isn’t going to make it.

Shivali tried to prop herself up to investigate, attempting not to squish the children though one paw hits Aningan, causing a squeal and she lays back down with a labored breath and torn between consoling her first born and going back to the task at hand, glancing up pleadingly for Tahani.