Foreword: Hey guys I know I promised an Epilogue and it's been like a month - sorry it's been a very eventful and busy month and I just haven't found the time. So here it is! Hope the wait was worth it ;-;" EPILOGUE Swiftflight shook out her shaggy tan fur and stretched out a little further, yawning luxuriously. Next to her, her mate, Pheasant nudged her rounded flank, looking anxious. "Swifty... Try not to strain yourself... The pups..." He licked the side of her neck gently. Swiftflight felt amusement bubble up her spine. She nipped him teasingly. "Ow, the wind it hurts me!" She feigned pain and threw a paw dramatically back, making it twitch as if she were dying. "Stop teasing me!" Pheasant yelped, nibbling her ear in mock rage. Swiftflight gave a bark of laughter. It seemed to ripple through her body... her fur stood on end... And pain tore through her belly. She let out a screaming howl of agony and muffled excitement. "Pheasant the pups, they're coming now!" Pheasant's deep, sapphire eyes were wide with panic and joy. "Quick!" He barked at Lynx who was padding along a passageway inconspicuously, ears flicking left and right. "Swifty- I mean Swiftflight's pups are coming!" Lynx's deep, good-natured brown eyes widened. "Help me carry her to the Healing Cave!" He yelped. Pain blurred Swiftflight's vision and she let out a strangled yelp as another powerful spasm shook her body. She could feel small paws twitching within her and she jerked in pain again, twisting in the gentle grip of her mate and the healer. She hardly noticed when Pheasant and Lynx gently spread her out on a mossy bed and Pheasant's caressed her jaw lovingly. "It's going to be okay," he murmured in her ear before stepping back and watching wide-eyed. Lynx placed a paw on Swiftflight's flank and pressed a little harder. Swiftflight gritted her teeth as the first small, wet bundle slid onto the cold stone floor. "Go on - lick it," Lynx yipped to Pheasant, who fell upon the tan-and-cream bundle, fiercely licking life into the small sodden creature. The little pup let out an indignant yap and squirmed under Pheasant's touch. "Feather..." Swiftflight gasped before she spasmed again, her head flinging back and her paws flailing. A second, motionless bundle flopped onto the cave floor. "Lick it-" Lynx commanded Pheasant again, who turned away from the small tan-and-cream pup to rasp fiercely the tiny cream-and-brown bundle which added its tiny yowls to the ones of the tan-and-cream pup. Swiftflight watched through a haze of pain, and slowly her vision cleared. "That's it, I think," barked Lynx, his hazel-coloured eyes sparking excitedly. As both males turned to watch the squirming, screaming pups, Swiftflight shuddered again, closing her eyes in pain. A particularly small, brown-and-tan pup plopped onto the moss, already squealing wildly. Both Pheasant and Lynx turned around at the yips and both let out barks of delight. "Another pup!" yipped Pheasant, sounding very similar to the trio of howling pups. "That's definitely all," said Lynx firmly, but still checked Swiftflight for any signs of swollenness or pain. After he had confirmed Swiftflight wasn't giving birth to any more pups, he turned to examine the squirming pups. "The first pup - female - strong and healthy," he announced. "The second pup - female - slightly smaller but no less strong or healthy. The third pup - male - a real fighter. Smallest but obviously dominant." He jerked his head to where the third pup seemed to be nibbling his siblings into line. Swiftflight pushed herself into a shaky sitting position and watched blearily, joy welling up in her heart. "Got any names for them, Swifty?" Pheasant asked, nudging her snout with his own. Swiftflight pointed a wobbly paw at the first pup. "That one is Feather," she croaked. Then she pointed at the second pup. "That pup is Hazel." Lastly, she gestured to the bossy third pup who was still nipping Hazel. "And that is Sandstone." The three pups let out a chorus of small howls as if agreeing. "They are beautiful pups with beautiful names," Pheasant rasped emotionally, caressing Swiftflight with his tongue. Then he turned to Lynx, who barked. "Swiftflight needs to stay here overnight to recover with her pups. You can stay if you want to." "Yes, I'll stay," Pheasant said decisively, looking at Swiftflight lovingly. Swiftflight found herself thinking, Obsidian would have loved our pups. Sadness constricted her throat and she let out a choked whimper of grief. "Hey, Swifty, what's wrong? Another pup?" Pheasant asked alertly, his sky-blue eyes darting to her no-longer swollen flank. As Lynx left and Pheasant moved closer, Swiftflight felt herself sobbing into his shoulder. "Obsidian didn't deserve to die! Never! It's so UNFAIR! I wish she could see our pups and our pups would know what an amazing Alpha she was-" "I know it's unfair," said Pheasant seriously, gazing into her eyes deeply. (cont)
(cont) "But she will see our pups. I know she will. She's watching us now - in Lupus' Hunting Grounds." "You really think so?" Swiftflight whispered, tears still rolling down her muzzle. "I do." Pheasant confirmed, licking her again. "And we will rule this Pack together. Alpha and Beta. Forever." "Forever," Swiftflight confirmed as she snuggled up to Pheasant and rested her snout on his flank. Stay tuned for some extra chapters!
