Bramblepoint (M) Old wounds leave big scars

Her instincts urged her to reclaim the lost nutrients, though Towhee recoiled at the thought of consuming her own offspring. That left her to bury them. Should she do that right here, in some random part of Bramblepoint, or carry them home to the caldera? Her insides clenched when she realized she should ask Reyes what he wanted to do with them. They were his children too, after all...

Towhee didn't move, not even when Rye pressed against her with sympathetic words. She just kept staring at the two pups, wondering now if they were the only ones. Were there others inside her? Were they dead too? Was it possible to miscarry part of a litter and carry the rest to term? Eljay would know. Why hadn't he come?

She felt sore, sticky and a little weak, though she managed to slowly climb back to her feet again. "I need," Towhee began to say to Rye when she stopped abruptly. She bent down her head to sniff at her dead young, then began to clean them, after all. They were so, so small, it didn't take long to dry them. For a few beats, she stared again.

Eventually, she lifted her head to look at Rye. "Sorry," she said awkwardly, not really sure what she was apologizing for. Ruining their reunion by miscarrying right in front of him? She shook her head. "I need to find Eljay. Come with me." It was neither a command nor a question. Maybe it was a plea.

It felt very strange to do, yet Towhee gently nipped her premature babies into her mouth, evidently channeling her inner crocodilian as she carefully closed it around them. She exchanged a look with her companion, then began moving steadily toward the caldera.

I'm going to tag you in a followup thread if you're interested!