Heron Lake Plateau sleeping children are still flying

This post was surprisingly heartbreaking to write. But welcome to the world, our beautiful @Vasa! <3

In some distant part of her memory, she recalled the dream she'd had when she danced with death only a week prior -- three dark stars in a cluster of six. Did that mean there were more? As she gazed down at her limp babies, she studied their little faces. One was pale grey, with a dash of white on his chest. Little white feet. The other was white, her tiny black nose and fine little lips the only blemishes on her otherwise perfect palette of snow. Fragile little pink claws. Their tiny ears were folded down on their round little heads, and the soft fuzz of their bodies was beginning to fluff out like cotton as they dried.

They were so perfect.

She tore her gaze away from them to look up at her mate with eyes full of broken anguish, and knew in that moment that she couldn't bear to bring forth any more silent, motionless perfection. Tiny as they were, their tragedy weighed ten thousand pounds in her arms as she hugged them closer to her breast and felt the beginnings of a sob that threatened to destroy her. The pain of labor was but a candle to the inferno of her grief just now.

Her lower lip wobbled as hot tears filled her eyes, but she didn't know what to say. Kill Screech, perhaps? This was his fault, after all. At least in her mind, it was. "I don't—" she began, before she was abruptly cut off by more agony. Fear and dread overwhelmed her as she braced herself against the pain, burying her face in the soft fuzz of the lifeless children in her arms. Moments later another little form entered the world, and she hesitated, terrified to look.

She felt a movement, though -- a tiny little nudge against the fine hairs on the fringe of her tail. Her heart leapt and she spun quickly to clean the newest arrival: a baby girl of pure sable, just like her parents. She wiggled and cried out at her mother's nuzzling and bathing, and as Raven gently pushed her into place to nurse, the alphess felt a sudden surge of relief and love so profound it made her lightheaded. She glanced up at her mate again, shock and wonder illuminating her face. "Our first daughter," she said in a soft voice, feeling that lip-wobble again for an entirely different reason this time.