Kota recognizes the uncomfortable signs of labor early on. This will be the third time she’s given birth – hopefully to a live child this time. There is hardly more heart left to break after leaving that little black lump in the rising tide, lifeless in the sand as the foam embraces it to drag it out into the sea. The memory makes her gut twist, or maybe its her uterus trying to expel a whole child. Either way, she winces, sweating against the chilled air. The darkness keeps even the usually warm, dusty place in a cold state. A sharp pain shoots from her abdomen down her legs and makes her almost buckle. It was time to find a spot, it was happening now. With the world swallowed by darkness and the undead demons released from the underworld, Kota finds herself giving birth. 

Her intuition brings her to what sounds like an alleyway with walls of rock reaching sky high on both sides. She follows the pull of her instincts and hears trickling water, presumably a small waterfall working its way down the cliff face into the depression of canyon she’s found. If she could see she would be able to observe the large archways over the enormous crack in the sunbaked stone she’s found. It is a perfect refuge, she can feel it, even if she cannot see with her eyes. The pain comes strong once she’s decided this is the place and labor happens quite fast for her this time. From beginning to end it is about thirty-five minutes and she’s bending over a live child, cleaning the bits of afterbirth off of her soft fur. Relief webs through her sweaty, pained body, finding the baby underneath her nose to be in perfect condition. The little filly calls out, knowing nothing but darkness before, there is nothing strange to her to see darkness – but the cold, the little thing shivers, still wet, and calling out desperately for some comfort. Kota knows what to do, rubbing her, and guiding her to nurse. The filly is not weak or bent, or broken, she is whole and alive and breathing – her heart beating strong as the mother presses her pink nose to the baby’s chest.