Why Do You Care For Me

Viper growled and snarled, but didn't do anything to otherwise force the two healers away from her. Chimera tried to soothe his mate as she struggled to birth the last pup. A few more moments of pushing, and then Ali saw the crown of a russet and black head, and then the pup's body slipped into the world, caught and received by the clouded monochrome fae. She suddenly wished she had some furs to help dry the small child off with, but Viper had clearly not been planning on giving birth right now. Actually, Viper hadn't planned for anything throughout her pregnancy! That was likely why one of her children lay dead, and the other...

Ali's heart stopped beating when she realized the pup in her paws wasn't making any noise. Panicked aqua eyes looked down at the little potato of a wolf, watching as it gave shallow, weak gasps, its chest rising and falling rapidly, but otherwise unmoving. Oh no no no no! Ever so carefully, Aliana turned the pup in her paws, bringing her muzzle to his and proceeding to clean his nose and mouth with quick licks, removing any excess viscera from his airways. When that didn't help, Ali gently lay the pup down on the softest grass she could find, licking and rubbing the pup's back to try and stimulate his lungs. "Come on, little one, you can do it. Nice, deep breath now," she murmured quietly to the pup in her paws. "Please, sweetie, please breathe..."

Chimera asked what was wrong with the pup, but Ali didn't answer, far too focused on caring for the child. Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes for the boy, only minutes old, born to parents that hadn't even wanted him and had done nothing to protect his development in utero, with a sibling that had never taken a breath. She refused to let him die as well. If it took everything she had, she would make sure this child came into the world knowing one wolf had cared enough to keep him alive. Just as the timer in Ali's head began to reach worrying numbers, the stimulation did the trick, and the boy in her paws gave a gagging cough and spat up the last blockage. The shrill cry that immediately followed brought Aliana a relief like nothing else ever had.

Ali's eyes slowly closed, her body tense from the stress. She released a long, slow breath, letting some of the tension go with it. He had survived. The tears fell from her cheeks as she cried with relief. With a gentle nuzzle behind the boy's neck to welcome him to the world, Ali very delicately lifted the pup in careful jaws and set him down nestled into Viper's stomach, where he began to feed greedily, his grunting whines silenced by milk. "Congratulations, you have a son," she said softly to Chimera and Viper. Her nerves still jittery with the adrenaline of saving a life, Aliana stepped back to give the new parents some space, watching them from the side with a small smile on her lips.

"Aliana"