Heron Lake Plateau sleeping children are still flying

Aaaand a loving welcome to our beautiful @Phoebe!

It was getting slightly easier with each delivery, so by the time the final wave of pain gripped her, it was only a matter of minutes before she was methodically cleaning her youngest arrival. A girl, inky-black with a smear of snow on her underside, wiggled and mewled restlessly as she blindly sought her mother's breast. Raven nudged her toward her three siblings, and that was when she noticed that the littlest girl seemed to be having difficulty remaining latched on. She felt a flutter of anxiety; she didn't want that tiny light to flicker out. More than anything else in the world, she wanted that little candle to blaze up into a roaring fire, so she gently pushed the child closer to her belly and repositioned herself so it was easier for them all to access her teats.

Quixote's form filled the mouth of her den and again, she felt that aggressive fear rise up inside her. She pushed it away, though, chiding herself for being paranoid, and her voice was exhausted and drained when she answered him. "Three girls and one boy. Come in and meet them." There was plenty of room in the little shelter he had dug her, and after the heart-wrenching arrival of the first two, she thought her mate could use a little joy.