so this is it

Poor dainty Siren was given very little reprieve between the birth of her first child and the coming of the second. It seemed as soon as Dalila placed the small slate girl at her mother's stomach, the contractions returned in full force. Siren's cries of pain were much more intense this time, and with ears folded in worry, Aliana realized that this pup would likely bear a more striking resemblance to its sire in terms of size. Siren thrashed in agony and Dalila tried to keep her steady and hold her leg and hip to alleviate some of the pain and stress birthing such a massive pup from such a tiny lady. Blood began to spill from Siren before the pup made its appearance, and Ali's heart dropped. Siren was in danger, the child was in danger. They had to act quickly!

Ali exchanged a scared look with Dalila, but instantly and silently took over supporting Siren's leg and hips while Dalila scrambled to gather some more supplies. Ali tried to sop up the blood with the cloth she had to keep Siren clean, but it was futile. She silently hoped this was just from delivering the pup and not an indication of something more serious happening within Siren's womb. She'd never had to operate on a wolf before, and the notion of having to perform a lifesaving surgery on the queen of her pack as her first patient scared her to death. "Keep breathing, my Lady. You're almost there," she spoke softly, trying to comfort Siren through the suffering while also keeping a countdown in her head for how long the pup was stuck without air for. Dalila returned a few minutes later with some more concoctions and cloths, taking back over while Ali began to prepare to receive the second puppy.

After what felt like an eternity of watching Siren scream and bite into Chimera's leg, a bloody scream and white crown appeared, followed by the rest of the pup's body. He was a sizable one, significantly larger than his sister, and struggling to get breath into his lungs, no doubt from getting stuck in the birth canal for longer than he should have been. Ali swaddled the boy in the cloth immediately, gentle paws wiping away the blood and viscera from his face to clear his airways. Gods, not again... Why is it always the boys...?! "I've got you, little one," Ali whispered and lay down with the pup in her paws, turning the child gently in his swaddling cloth so he was on his belly and she could lick and rub his back to stimulate his lungs. The pup gagged, gagged again, then spit up the blockage in his throat. Ali wasted no time in checking the boy's mouth and cleaning out what she could from his maw and nose. The pup heaved, then swallowed a deep breath and began mewling and crying. Another sigh of relief. That made two for two.

Aliana glanced up at Siren and Dalila, the latter already cleaning Siren up and trying to stop the bleeding from her injuries. Ali looked up at Chimera, approaching cautiously with the boy and settling him down beside his sister at their exhausted mother's stomach to feed. "Congratulations, you have a son as well!" she said to the new parents, offering them both a small smile before she stepped off to the side to give them some space. She waited and watched Siren recover until Dalila looked at her with a thankful smile. Ali dipped her head in silent acknowledgement; she had been happy to help the wolves that had saved her from a lifetime of slavery. Doing her best to avoid eye contact with Chimera so she might slip away unnoticed, Ali waited until the three wolves were focused elsewhere before wordlessly turning and sneaking out of the room to give the Klein family their privacy.

Ali made it a few paces down the corridor before she let herself come undone, the stress of the birthing process taking its toll. She'd kept herself calm and composed throughout, but the thought of how things could have easily turned out terrified her. What if she had failed? What if one of the pups or Siren hadn't made it? What would Chimera do to her for her failure? What was he going to do to her now that he undoubtedly knew she was in heat? Swallowing hard, Aliana hurried back to her wing of the building, wondering if it would even be worth it to try and hide from Chimera when he inevitably came to find her.

"Aliana"