Blacktail Deer Plateau Beyond the veil

By now, Pied was used to the discomfort of pregnancy, yet when she woke in the wee hours of the morning to a sharp, stabbing pain in her abdomen, she knew it wasn't normal. Blinking herself awake, she sat up with a quiet moan, only to find herself alone in the burrow. Kisu, where the hell are you? she thought. Her mate was an early riser and, judging by the faded purple light filtering down from the den's entrance, it was just about dawn. He was likely out hunting or patrolling.

Gingerly, the dappled Xi rose onto all fours and moved toward the short tunnel that led aboveground. A hiss of pain tore loose from her mouth and she slid backward, plopping on the hard, cool ground of the lair. "Well, that's not happening," she muttered to herself, worry coloring her voice. She sucked in a noisy breath when another pain wracked her body and Pied realized with a start, "I'm in labor." These pains were contractions.

Trying not to think about how it was still far too early for her to deliver, Pied circled and lay on her side, whining as the labor progressed. In what seemed only minutes, she felt something small and slippery glide between her legs and she strained forward to lick the freshly-birthed puppy clean and dry. It was very small but healthy and lively... and it was a girl. "Saēna." Nudging the pale blob of fur toward her flank, she then lay back again, panting as she struggled through a fresh wave of contractions.

Perhaps ten minutes later, another pup slipped into the world. Again, Pied bent forward to swipe her tongue over the puppy, its fur darker than the first. This one was a boy and the name Kisu had chosen for a son was, "Pura." She pushed him toward her belly too, where he began to suckle beside his sister. Pied wanted to look more closely at her children, memorizing every little detail of their tiny faces, yet the pain caused her to collapse again, her cheek resting against the earthen floor as her body prepared to deliver another puppy.

An hour passed and Pied felt as if her body was being torn open by fearsome claws. She cried out, writhing there alone in the dim burrow, her hind legs kicking at the near wall. Abruptly, she felt a savage pain slice through her abdomen, followed by a loosening sensation and a gush of blood, which looked black and oily in the gloom. Pied whimpered low in her throat when she leaned forward and saw the enormous puddle pooling at her hindquarters... but no puppy to show for it.

Suddenly, she felt woozy. "Oh, god," she gasped between paling lips. Too much blood...! she thought. She wanted to call out for Kisu or Blue Willow or somebody. Yet the strength had abruptly drained out of her and Pied could barely lift her head now, much less call for help. Even as panic caused her breath to catch in her throat, she sprawled on the den floor, the two pups suckling at her breast and the pool of blood spreading further around her pale, dappled body...

She heard footfalls just outside the den and tried to shout. Only a dry whisper escaped her muzzle. "Please... take them... Hawkeye..." Hopefully whoever it was had heard her. Weakened, the young mother sighed and grew very still, her cheek still flush with the floor. Her vision dimmed even as daylight strengthened beyond the tomb-like den. Before long, Pied's world completely faded to black, though her eyes remained open, staring unseeingly at the den wall.