Redhawk Caldera hold onto your heart.

The past week had passed slowly and grimly. Each day, they inched closer and closer to the birth of their pups -- and while that was something that normally would have filled Elwood with anticipation and excitement, he felt only dread. Finley's ominous prediction hung over him like a dark cloud; she would deliver this litter, but she feared that she wouldn't live to see them grow. She had said as much, and that had been the reason that she had shared her long-hidden secret with him.

So Elwood scarcely left her side, for fear that he would miss out on any opportunity he had to spend time with her. Sleep didn't come easily for the Beta male, but somehow, on that particular night -- of course -- he was out cold next to her, slumbering so hard that his nose wrinkled with each soft snore. When she awoke him suddenly, he bolted to his feet, bewildered; only to be chased out of the den by Finley's snapping teeth. She didn't even have to say the words -- he knew it was time.

He was banished and given only one task, and that was to call for Eljay. He did so dutifully, even though his stomach was in knots. The young caregiver was quick to arrive and slipped past his father without a word, entering the den and leaving Elwood to pace restlessly outside as time liquefied and slowed.

From within, he could hear the hushed voices of his mate and son coupled with gasps and whines. He ground his teeth together, succeeding only in wearing a path in the dirt outside the burrow; the tiny new sprigs of greenery didn't stand a chance against the pounding of his paws. Finally, when it seemed almost too quiet inside, he paused in the entrance, allowing his eyes to adjust to the shadows as he took it all in. Finley, curled around three small bundles of grey and black fur. His heart swelled, then pinched painfully when he realized that Eljay was hovering over Finley, his voice rising in pitch as he licked at her face. She was unresponsive.

"Fin..." Elwood said, the single syllable leaving him breathless as he moved to her side. Eljay had pressed himself against her, was murmuring into her neck, and two of the three puppies were wiggling at the curve of her stomach. One of them had lost his place, and Elwood nudged him gently back towards Finley. "Tiarnach," he said, his eyes filling with tears before he steeled his jaw. He looked to his eldest. "Eljay, we have to take care of the babies," he said. His voice cracked, but he made no move to separate the grieving boy from his mother; not yet.