Broken Boulder oh, give me a break already

As Delight approached, Queenie's lips curled and her eyes squeezed almost shut. Behind her, her tail twitched, warning him to take a few steps back. While she wouldn't have acted this way under most other circumstances, instincts had taken a hold on her; for now, and for the weeks to come, the whelping den would be strictly off limits. Yeah, she said, finally able to tone down her defenses, We did okay. 

Before Delight could have possibly replied, Queenie was drifting off to sleep while the three newborn babes suckled happily at her side.