Sawtooth Spire i'm ephemera, see my 'use by' date

Ordinarily, Wylla would've pushed away anyone who dared invade her private space, but the vulnerable places of her heart were thorny only to those who didn't share her blood. For Phaedra and Thade, even Tiercel whom she'd mistreated in her youth (though, given the frequency of their passionate fights, she would never admit it out loud), there was always room at her bosom for a hug and a cuddle. She could feel the plip-plop of Phaedra's tears on her legs, which she cinched tightly around her daughter's hindquarters, slinging her muzzle comfortingly over her head.

A bolt of resentment cut through her heart. She'd warned him of this, long before any of his children were conceived. Mahler believed he could be a suitable father to all his cubs, but Mahler was a mortal man. It was impossible. Just as Phaedra now wept for the absence of her father, to which she was wholly unaccustomed, one day his new daughters would pine for him, as well. Without meshing their families together as one, there was no reasonable way for him to fulfill his obligations to both without depriving the children on both sides of his undivided attention, she believed.

And Wylla would sooner throw herself onto the sharp foothills below than allow it, for the weight of his thinly stretched responsibility was not her burden to bear.

Yes, papas can be very bad, Wylla affirmed, and make very silly, stupid choices. Your papa loves you with all his heart. How to put it delicately, without lying about the truth of it? Mahler would try to smooth his childrens' opinions, no doubt; he would tell them how he did what he needed to do for the pack and now he was doing what was right, but Sagtannet could've boasted many children, and he the father of only one litter, and prospered just as well. But your papa made a bad choice and now he has other little girls and boys to take care of, too. That means he can't be here all the time.

Damn Mahler, she seethed, for forcing her to be the bearer of his bad news while he slunk about in another woman's den, welcoming another woman's babes into the world, while his sweet daughter cried. She should've added something else, told Phaedra that he wished he could be here with her, that he regretted his decision, but Wylla herself wasn't even sure of that. Phaedra was only a little girl, but Wylla couldn't bring herself to lie even to a pup.

But, she whispered, we don't need him all the time, right? Anytime you're feeling sad or lonely, all you need to do is come to mama for a big cuddle. She gave her arms a squeeze, puffed up her cheeks and aimed a loud raspberry for the side of Phaedra's pudgy cheek, hoping to cheer the girl up a little without completely letting her father off the hook for not being here.