Weavers of the universe

Her last litter had been normal, so she knew this time that something was abnormal. Her thrashing had dragged her through the familiar glowing ooze that smelled like petrichor and must. Like earth and sky. Natural, but supernatural, and the glowing spots in the corner of her vision were all it took to throw her back in time. What had she done that was so terrible as to be cursed like this? Was this a gift from her mother's gods? A price to pay for a debt outstanding? She wouldn't put it above the old bitch to curse her like this for daring to leave in the first place.

Anxiety pooled in her belly as the desire to push came on. She could feel her children fighting to find their way out but this first one... something wasn't right. She gathered her senses, and ceased her thrashing once she was able to get her elbows beneath her to lift up her head and focus on her breathing. Fuji held something in a bowl under her face and her teeth pulled back in a snarl. Like she wouldn't know that scent... But a quick glance at the wreckage she had left in her bout of flailing and the weary way Otis looked at her... Wait, what was in her mouth? She dropped the rabbit skin toy, coated with blood from where she had bitten her own tongue and looked into the unyielding eyes of her daughter. Maybe it was for the best?

As the urge to push began to come in steadier waves, she drank down the bitter draught and let her mind zero in on the task at hand. Everything else faded to fuzzy distraction at the peripheries. As the first child slipped free she expected her daughter to bring it closer for her to see, but instead after a few quick prods it was handed to Otis, ready with a scrap of short skin. The scent of fear amplified again and her worried growl was cut short by the next wave of need. This time things felt better and the baby was rapidly scooted closer to her chest, where she could clean and encourage it to nurse without too much fuss. "Show me the first." It wasn't a question or a request, and she hoped her daughter would know as much without her having to force the issue.