Whitebark Stream Open heart

Saena felt like any day her stomach would implode. Two weeks ago she wouldn't believe a claim that she would continue growing until she felt ready to burst, but it was indeed the case. In the past few days everything had ballooned, from her already heavy belly to her legs that were normally quite slender. The edema was natural, but Saena didn't know that and spent her time wallowing miserably.

As the morning began to fade into noon, Saena grew bored with practically rolling in and out of her whelping den. It was a prime location. Near to a babbling stream and in the heart of the maple wood, she would have easy access to water and the safety of her entire pack plus miles of claimed territory to serve as a buffer. Unfortunately, it looked like the rest of the woods and so the view left something to be desired. Seeking a respite from her misery and a change of scenery, Saena heedlessly headed for the pack's eastern border.

The last thing she expected to see as she left her territory and headed into the aspen-littered Whitebark area was a wolf, and the last wolf she expected to see was Wildfire. When she caught a glimpse of red fur through the trees, her thoughts flew immediately to Fox and her hackles bristled as her face contorted with a wild fury. She stutter-stepped (read: awkwardly waddled) several paces with that ferocity, forgetting all about her pregnancy in her haste to kill the bitch at last, but then she caught sight of the tail. Black as the ace of spades.

Smoothing her features from fierce to confused, the alpha female slowed and asked, "Wildfire?"