you are my sunshine

Halo feels guilty about Mort needing to leave, feels guilty about having lied to him. Still, it was a healer's lie. It was a lie for his own good, and one that she'd stand by. They would talk about it later, Halo was pretty sure. Dizzy, lightheaded, but grateful for Fuji and Sedna and how much they were helping. The conspiring from Fuji, too, brings a pained smile to her face. Mort cares, and that's what matters. He cares, he would try to care for her, just sometimes... sometimes it's hard to navigate all of it.

The next pups come more quickly, though the bleeding was still immense. Three little girls, making their way into the world. Halo could barely hold her head up by the end of it. It seemed that they were all in one piece, by all accounts. Still, one was concerningly smaller than the rest. Her littermates had all taken up so much space, and this one seemed to have gotten the short end of the stick. Halo feels guilty, her small size having led to this. Led to all of this. She'd caused so much trouble for them, and for what?

And then there was the question of the bleeding. Halo had survived, but there was just... there was so much blood. Exhaustion weighed heavily on her, but at least the pups had all made it into the world.

"Halo" & "Mortis"