Puppies!

[lissla_lissar]

Today Ash has been quite uncomfortable and restless - pacing, shivering and panting. She probably has not eaten and she vomited once, early on. There has been a persistent whine, which has Lissar pacing around the house, until Ash heads out to the lawn. Then Lissar paces the lawn

Comments

[not_toothfairy]

Ironhide's been busy much of the day, for reasons beyond his control. As the six hours are drawing to a close, he pulls up in the driveway. "Lissar?" he asks, transforming and peering her way. "What's-"

There's a silence.

"... your dog is exploding," is all he can think to say.

[lissla_lissar]

"Ash is giving birth." Lissar explains, leaning on him when he slows to a stop, "This is a good sign. It means that the puppies will be soon."

[not_toothfairy]

"But she- that's not a normal fluid, is it?" says Ironhide. "It doesn't look like lubricant and it definitely doesn't smell like blood." He pauses and amends that to, "Much. I think."

[lissla_lissar]

"That is the fluid which has held the puppies as they grew." Lissar says with a cringe, "Look, you can see the head of the first coming."

...

"Slag, that looks uncomfortable."

[not_toothfairy]

"You took the words right out of my capacitor," mutters Ironhide. "Primus. Is that normal? It looks... compressed."

[lissla_lissar]

"Yes, this is normal." Lissar assures him, "Fleethound puppies look very small and...squishy...for a while. It will be perhaps two months before they look like miniature fleethounds."

It only (hah!) takes about ten minutes for the puppy to be born. At that point Ash takes a rest from pushing in favor of licking the new puppy clean. Right now the puppy is dark, although what color the dark will resolve to is very indistinct.

[not_toothfairy]

>___<

"If a fluid's escaped from its normal channels, it's not supposed to be returned to service until it's been filtered," Ironhide feels compelled to point out here.

[lissla_lissar]

"That is how she makes sure that the heart is beating and the blood is pumping." Lissar offers, "If she were not licking the puppies clean I would have to rub them with cloths to do the same thing."

She then pauses, "I do not think that anyone has ever filtered birthing fluids."

There are about two hours worth of puppies; four squeaking little sausages in all.

[not_toothfairy]

"That's a big drop in fluid volume for a creature that size," Ironhide says absently. "This doesn't look like a very efficient recovery method. Ratchet could probably make a better... are her sides supposed to be spasming like that?"

Gonna be a long two hours.

[lissla_lissar]

"She created those fluids just for the puppies." Lissar informs him, "Those are the spasms that push the puppies out."

A very, very long two hours.

"Four puppies. Two to the Grey Wolf, and I think I shall offer one to Prime."

[not_toothfairy]

"The discharges are gonna be interesting," Ironhide says. "How many of its functions're gonna be online? Humans take a long time before waste removal works properly."

[lissla_lissar]

Lissar thinks back and says "No longer than two months before they are completely able to live on their own. Perhaps sooner, but we shall keep them the full two months to be certain that they have learned everything from Ash...and to give them some basic training before giving them away."

[not_toothfairy]

"Less time than humans, then," Ironhide says with some relief. "Okay then."

[lissla_lissar]

"Far less." Lissar agrees, "Dogs live even shorter lives than humans do, Ash has...oh, perhaps another six years? And she would be aged beyond the point of giving birth at all if not for the Moonwoman's gift."

[not_toothfairy]

"Huh," says Ironhide, who by now has managed to ignore the anomalous fluids and biological stinks enough to start looking at the puppies- from a safe distance. He is not getting any closer, thank you very much.

It is lucky that he's not a human. The look that crosses his face at the sudden realization that Mojo's kind of dog has proportionately small and wormy offspring is... off-putting.

[lissla_lissar]

Lissar pats about as high up on his body as she can reach, "The rest of my dogs are only a bit over a year old." she points out gently, "These will be full-sized before they are a year."

Then, even more gently, "I do not plan on keeping any of them. Two to the Grey, one for Prime, and I shall find a home for the last. You need not worry."