A Ballad of Sacrifice

Caedes' lips pulled into a hard line as he watched Aurelia gasp out the words, her strength waning with each contraction. He could see the exhaustion etched into every line of her face, the spark in her cyan eyes dimming by the second. Too long. After midnight. Two stillborn. Ah. Of course. She was a healer herself. She would have been fine on her own unless something horrible had gone wrong. His eyes narrowed, and he knew, with a sinking certainty, that she might not survive the night. But he wanted her to live.

Swallowing his dreary thoughts, he moved closer, his touch as gentle as possible. “Aurelia,” He began softly, trying to keep his voice steady and reassuring. “Hold on. Just a bit longer.” Longer than she already had? He hated to ask it of her.

As another wave of pain crashed over her, Caedes carefully placed his hands on her abdomen, trying to assess the position of the pups. His fingers moved with precision, feeling for any signs of distress or abnormality. He could sense one of them might be turned, complicating an already dire situation. This was the only viable reason, if she had already birthed two. Time was of the essence, if the pups still within her womb were to survive.

“Okay.” He murmured, his voice betraying a hint of the worry he tried so hard to suppress. “I need to check on the pups. This might hurt a little.” Her shallow panting and the occasional guttural cry tore at his composure, but he forced himself to remain focused. Caedes shook his skull, trying to reorient his thinking. He needed to be calm, to be detached. Professional. Why was it so hard? His hands, usually so sure in their work, trembled as he palpated her swollen belly. He felt the faint movements of life, but one pup's position seemed off. Damn it.

“You have to trust me,” He whispered, almost to himself as much as to her as he sought her eyes. “I will do everything I can to help you and your pups.” He repositioned himself, trying to gently manipulate the pup into a better position. Aurelia's cries of pain cut through him, each one a knife in the gut to what he must do, but he kept going, knowing it was their best chance. Her only chance.

As he worked, he spoke to her, his voice a steady stream of quiet encouragement. “Just a little longer. Breathe through the pain. I am right here.”