Her call splits the air like no other; it is a call I have known since birth and even now I am not hesitant to follow its sound. I follow it as if it is but an instinct; it leads me deep into the mainland of the territory, far from the sounds and smell of the ocean. Here, the foliage grows thicker and more resiliant than the eastern outskirts by the shoreline. I know what it is she brings us - Ayal, too - here for this day. It is indeed something I have been curious about for some time. It seems my intuition had been correct about her condition, though I do not ponder it anymore than need be done. She will bring new siblings into this world; potential competition, such is how I see it, or perhaps potential allies.

Her secondary call brings forth a haste, my body weaving its way through the tangled weeds and bramble. It does not take me long to arrive at her den, her form already having slipped below into the earth asunder. I let forth a short sound of greeting, an indication of my arrival, before I come to the den's mouth, breathing in the latent scent of birth. I know it well enough. It is the same blood tinged scent that Achlys had been drenched in. I watch keenly into the darkness until my eyes adjust, my mother's wild eyes staring out with a peculiarity to them. I have not seen her in such a state. There is a subtle vulnerability to her, or perhaps it is merely the way she growls with discomfort that leads me to believe this is not the easiest of chores for her. How unusual. I have never expected to see my mother in such a state.

It is a grueling thing, it seems. Time passes slowly, the air rampant with blood and exertion. I stay idly by the den's mouth, reluctant to approach at such a time though I will have no issue with Ayal if she desires to do so. Perhaps she is more... knowing of such a thing. Despite my own children, there is little knowledge to be had with these things. It is my mother's battle this day just as it had been mine against the white female that had come seeking this land. We all have our battles. I simply cannot help but wonder if hers will be worth it. I watch her closely, having taken a seated position by the den's mouth, though I often find myself assessing the environment around us. It is safe here, perhaps, and yet who can know for certain. There is an unpredictability to the other predators of this region, after all.

It is when her voice snarls in our mother tongue that I come to stand, lowering half into the den out of both curiosity and a desire to support her through this setback. However, she is quick to do so herself and I watch as the child is lowered to her stomach. There, two others feed. I can see their forms pressed against her, squirming and making unusual sounds. I cannot help but stare at them wearily at first, my hackles twitching with uncertainty as my eyes land upon the third child's twisted limb. Even now, it is a hideous thing that is obvious in its deformity. My eyes turn to my mother in those split moments - I seek for her approval to remove the stain and yet, it does not come. Rather, her appearance is something more akin to Achlys' own. Bloodied and exhausted. Even my paws feel warm with the blood of my mother, its crimson sinking into the darkened earth below us as I gather closer to her, instinctively sharing whatever warmth I have.

And then she is silent. The lack of sound is almost unnerving it its suddenness. My mother merely lays herself down after one final pained movement and so, she falls into an unusual quiet. Her chest still rumbled with breath, however, and yet even as I nudge at her, there is little response. I cannot help but instantly blame the children at her stomach and whichever wretched fool put them into her in the first place. Would they truly be worth all this blood? They should hope she survives lest I dig into them to find out where she went wrong. For now, however, I ignore them. I simply press myself against her form, giving her my warmth and letting out a cry to summon the healers of Glorall. There is a definitive urgency. They shall come and she shall live. I have no doubts.