Dragoncrest Cliffs In my blood

A bout of heartburn and accompanying nausea roused Wildfire in the wee hours of the morning. She had spent the night alone in the hollow tree and stepped out into the dark stillness of dawn with a mild grimace. She didn't feel like she was going to be sick, yet she could really use a drink. Maybe she should eat as well. The Bandrona began to walk slowly, moving toward the distant cliffs. Some fresh ocean air sounded good too.

Long before she reached the coast, Wildfire felt a flutter in her middle. Her mouth began to water simultaneously and she had to swallow several times and take deep breaths to stave off the sudden urge to vomit. She slowly lowered herself to her hindquarters as a strange sensation gradually built inside her. It took her a minute to put her finger on what it was and why it was so familiar; it was the feeling of having the wind knocked out of her.

Thankfully, it went away after another moment. Wildfire climbed back onto her feet but stilled at another movement in her abdomen. It felt a little like her stomach was bubbling, though now the she-wolf recognized it for what it was (most likely): the puppies were on the move. Her lips parted, though she barely realized what was happening before she was suddenly forced to squat again to answer an intensely demanding urge to urinate.

She peed noisily with a smile on her face.