Redhawk Caldera This castle is in unacceptable condition!

Raven was so exhausted that she could sleep through any manner of disturbances now, which could be both a good and bad thing. It was good because she might otherwise die if she didn't get some rest, what with all the demands being put on her body. It was bad because sometimes she slept right through it when one of the puppies needed her attention, like right now.

She was dreaming that Fox was yelling at her. Then Wildfire appeared and yelled at her too. The Gamma whimpered and twitched in her sleep, then suddenly snorted awake. She barely had time to think of her mother's loss lately, though it washed over her in cold, dreadful waves as consciousness restored. She knew her sister was close by too and was sad that she couldn't visit with her. There was just no time right now.

Realizing that one of the pups was being particularly loud at the moment, Raven reached over and grasped him around the midriff, then gently set him beside one of her teats. She winced when she realized it was the little nipple nibbler. She couldn't decide if it was good or bad news when he refused to latch on but instead kept squirming and squalling. There was a note of discomfort to the noise, though obviously it wasn't hunger pangs.

Guessing that he might be gassy—the pups produced an extraordinary amount of both flatulence and feces—Raven gingerly rolled him onto his back and then used her snout to push his back legs toward his bloated belly. She knew he might make a mess but she had already adapted and become quite impassive to dealing with those. Raven might have gone crazy otherwise.