I'm not ready for this (birth)

The next pup slipped from her body with much more ease, but the rush of blood that accompanied him - for it was a male - was beginning to take its toll on the white warrior. She was beginning to feel sluggish, lethargic despite the painful contractions that still seized her, her limbs and mouth feeling strange and buzzing. Her body gave her a slight reprieve after the boy slipped free, and she was able to lean with some effort to seize him and pull him across her front paws, cleaning him roughly with a tongue she could hardly feel through the spreading numbness. Everything around her had vanished as she concentrated what little consciousness she had on this one pup, the pup that blurred in her exhaustion and pain and confusion with the pup who had - unbeknownst to her, been taken away as she gave birth to this one. Had she thought of a name? She couldn't remember if she had. "M-m-miksa?" she finally spoke aloud, plucking from her memory the name of a younger brother who had been killed when her pack was destroyed. Yes, surely that was the name for this pup. She swayed, and finally tucked the newborn against her side, guiding him to nurse as pain once more crashed through her.

Was the healer who had offered her assistance even there still? She didn't know and right now she was beyond caring. This pup was stubborn, refusing to exit in a timely and efficient manner, and her body weakened more and more as it struggled. But finally, as the last light of consciousness left her, the pup was freed, slipping into the world to join his brother.

It took only a handful of moments for her to struggle her way back into consciousness, to pull the second pup toward her as she had Miksa, cleaning him slowly despite her weary shaking. Feeling a wave of dizziness passing over her she hastily pushed the mostly clean pup to join his brother before slumping back into the darkness.




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