Never in her life had Golde slept so soundly. When she'd fallen into deep slumber, her body was debilitated from hours of agony and constant attention she provided the wailing pups. It was dawn then, and now, as she awakened from her repose, the sun seemed to be setting. She'd slept the whole day away—and for once, she was fine with that.

If anyone in the pack deserved to sleep for the entire day, it was a new mother. Even she could admit that.

The wolfdog raised her head and shifted her body, careful not to jostle the babies who were nestled against her belly. Golde swore she could feel her legs creaking like rusty hinges as she extended her hind limb over the nest. It was certainly an uncomfortable way to stretch her muscles, but better than nothing, right?

Wrong. She could feel her thigh cramp up. Stiffling a yelp, she unraveled her body being coiled around the whelps to stand, limping through the den with a sigh.

She didn't stray far from the children, simply walking a few steps to peek outside the den. An ear twisted back to attentively observe their sounds. It was her duty as their parent to protect them now, and she wouldn't let anything get in the way.

But... she could feel pangs of hunger twisting her gut, and a trip to the food cache sounded extremely tempting...

A sigh slipped through her lips, and Golde shook her head, turning to retreat into the nest. If anything, she could ask Hexx to get her some—surely he was still nearby? A few seconds of contemplation and back-and-forth movements later, she poked her head out from the den to search for him.