Redhawk Caldera hold onto your heart.

Sorry to skip you, Iris! I just wanted to give Lucy life before her birthday was over :)

Fin glanced to Eljay and the other pup as often as she could manage, but her attention was shortly consumed by puppy number three. This one proved rather quickly that it was going to be the most difficult of them, for Finley strained and strained and felt no change at all within her. With a grunt, she pulled herself away from little Tiarnach and stood, hoping that it might somehow make a difference. But, try as she might, the last little wolf would give no ground.

It was over quarter of an hour of straining when finally, Finley dropped to her haunches again to clean herself and give her stomach (ehm.. privates) a pleading look. "Oh come on, little one," she whimpered as she panted, "Come on. Please." She rested for only a few seconds before standing again and resuming the struggle, all the while wondering to herself if perhaps this was how she would die - by the eventual implosion of her intestines by the force of her pushing. She was tempted to laugh at the thought, but it came out as a frustrated yowl, which she used to fuel her latest push.

When finally @Lucy came free, it took Finley every last ounce of strength she had not to collapse into the bedding right on top of her. She staggered, then pushed herself safely back away from the little cub. The mother thought then that perhaps she would just let herself go; it would be so easy to just close her eyes and let the entire world slip away. But somewhere, the sound of teensy cries brought her to open her eyelids and crawl forward to clean the little bean.

This one too was responsive, and soon enough Finley had tucked her against her side where shortly after, she placed her brother. She dropped her head to the ground then in exhaustion while her sides quaked. In her mind, she knew that she needed to check on the pup she'd left in Eljay's care. She needed to look at her firstborn to see if he was alright through this ordeal. She needed to gaze at the boy and girl at her side at least once before death took her.

But instead, Fin closed her eyes while her breaths came slower. She'd done it. She had given her family this incredible gift that they had so longed for. She hadn't failed them. Finley Blackthorn had finally not screwed up in a moment where it truly mattered.

And so, it was with the faintest of smiles upon her muzzle that she lost consciousness.