in my time of need

curled up in a pit a few feet down, she kept a protective hold on her swollen belly. if the others of the band saw her, she didn't acknowledge them. she was done with them. no one had raised a paw to help her or challenge Valkyrie's reasonings to keep a pregnant woman as a captive. fucking Vikings she thought they had some honor but apparently not. she should have clawed that bitch when she dared raise her teeth to her and her pups, but her instinct was too overwhelming. she didn't care who bought her or if Hannibal was informed. he didn't owe her anything, and she would tell him to take the pups and leave her if possible.

her body still refused to birth. maybe it was stress. maybe it was her rage to never birth her children in such deplorable conditions. so there were no pups to take, no extra lives to gamble on. if there were one or two pups, Dutch would know Valkyrie's greedy eyes would ask for more. a flash of pain shot through her body and she gasped loudly, feeling some weak contractions. there was still time, and she hoped whoever was her children's rescuer would hurry up. she could be enslaved if she wanted, but her pups were innocent. at least them see the sun, the moon... all the beauty of the world offered them.

she'd pause as she scented the familiar tang of her... brother? oh ancestors, Thoren. she forgot to go back to collect him when she left. "T-Thoren? is that you?" she called upward, lifting her head to hopefully see him.