A Ballad of Sacrifice

Caedes' mind warred between his professional detachment and the deep, conflicting emotions he felt for Aurelia. She was begging him to save them. Her pups. Fuck. Fuck! He knew he had to act quickly. Caedes gently adjusted the position of the pup, feeling it shift into alignment. Yes, finally! Relief washed over him momentarily, but he knew it was far from over. Aurelia's pain was still unbearable, and he couldn't stand to see her suffer any longer. She needed a reprieve. And he instantly knew what would help her.

“Aurelia, I will be right back,” He said softly, his voice betraying a hint of the worry he tried so hard to suppress. “Hold on.” He left her side briefly, moving quickly to prepare a crude epidural. Procuring one of the stonefish spines, he filled it with the anesthetic tincture. His hands trembled slightly as he worked, a vast contrast to the usual steadiness he prided himself on. Damn it. No! Stop! Please! He took a deep breath, and forced his hands steady. He reigned himself in, for her. This wasn’t just any patient; this was Aurelia, his packmate, someone… he cared for. A friend if ever he had one. Impossible as it might have seemed to an outsider, but they were too similar for him to deny it. She was standoffish and antisocial — so was he. And somewhere within that truth was a connection. A vague and now painful one. One he did not want to see vanquished.

Returning to her, he knelt down and gently lifted her, exposing her spine. “Aurelia,” The dire brute whispered, his voice steady but filled with an unspoken urgency. “This will ease your pain.” Caedes gently inserted the needle along her spine, administering the anesthetic. His hands were steady, his touch as light as he could make it under the circumstances. As he withdrew the needle, he murmured soothing words, trying to offer her some comfort amidst the storm of her agony. To tell her she was doing well, that she would live, that this was a task she would easily supersede.

“Just a moment more,” He said softly, his voice carrying a tenderness that he rarely showed. “It will help. I promise. You will not feel the pain any longer.” It was his final option, and with the uncertainty of her fate looming over him he had to give her at least one final reprieve from the horrid circumstances she’d been dealt by life. By Sephiran.

The minutes dragged on as the anesthetic began to take effect. Caedes felt her muscles relax under his touch, the rigid tension easing. He continued his assessment, heart pounding with a mixture of concentration and determination — his focus sharp. He supported her through the next contractions, guiding her body through the process of expelling the pups now that she was properly numbed.