Bearclaw Valley 'Cause you might enjoy some madness for a while

none of this made sense.
athalia had tried to come into the den several times, only to be met with the flash of teeth and the cold, bitter taste of rejection. what was so important about pregnancy that meant she must be excluded, on this day in particular?
so, she'd waited outside the den beside ancelin, watching his behavior closely with sharp eyes. a thick feeling of discomfort began to rattle athalia as ameline began to shout. she'd never heard these otherworldly sounds from a wolf before, and the way it curled at her eardrums was — icky, very icky! startled, she began to slink away to avoid this increasingly unpleasant event before stopping short, pausing to stare down at her feet. she realizes something in that moment.
she didn't like that ameline was hurting.
slowly, she begins to turn back around, this time lowered almost to her belly with her tail tucked between her thighs. right as she does so, her name is called, and so she crawls through the denmouth, squinting as her eyes adjust to the lack of light. another sound takes her by surprise — it is the cry of a child.
she peels back with hackles bladed up in sheer confusion, lip curling defensively as if this newborn was about to reach out and latch onto her face. why did it make that sound? why did it look like that? it was so frail and fragile, dark as night and squirming like a bug. athalia ponders squashing it. it's so smooth-looking; it'd certainly be satisfying, but something stops her.
it reaches out for milk. ameline cleans the birth from its face and limbs. a warm, weird feeling spreads in the girl's chest as she watches this tender, intimate interaction unfold; she is here to witness it.
the jealousy she once held seems to dissipate, at least for now, replaced by a dazzling concoction of amazement and fascination. she settles comfortably in the corner of the den, prepared to watch as the other three sisters make their own grand introductions to the world.
and at some point amid the chaos and the beauty, to herself she whispers; family.