Blackfeather Woods the ones that we love.

They had been adamant inside her womb, and now that they existed terrestrially she thought they'd be different. They slept as much as she did, rolled, kicked, complained with their tiny lungs and greedy mouths. Parvati was no longer lost in her delerium but she felt only a vague sense of connection to these whelps; she wanted to love them, was desperate to, and thought upon their birth that a switch would be flicked and she'd be so enamored - her sisters had always spoken so fondly of their role as mothers. Yet as her strength grew, her love dwindled. She didn't seek to comfort the crying babes or to reposition them when they escaped from beside her. Thus when Maegi brought one roaming baby back to Parvati's breast, the woman took a breath and loosed a drawn sigh.

The woman corrected her, shuffling one of the trio close so that they could stay warm against her round belly. Parvati felt them there but didn't move to inspect them; there was no need, Maegi was mothering them enough, keeping them safe while Parvati was their incubator and warming blanket, buffet, all rolled together. Eat these, Maegi instructed, dropping something by Parvati's cheek that smelled strongly aromatic - but also enticing, which was a shift from her usual reluctance when faced with meat. Pregnancy had made food repulsive for a while but now she was starved, so she took to the meal without thought.

The meat was tough, old, but didn't bother her much as she tore in to it and worked at it with her molars. Eventually the whole mess was downed, and Parvati busied herself with a cat-like grooming routine of her paws and muzzle while her precious babies wriggled nearby. Maybe it was the full belly, maybe it was the slow, sluggish warmth that descended upon her by way of the children's bodies crowding her, but soon Parvati began to feel sleepy and so she let out a yawn - her mouth sliding open while a second deep breath pulled from her, blocking her ears for a moment. As she licked her lips and blinked away the sleep as best she could, she focused on the cave's mouth and thought she could see -- no, nothing. A trick of the light.