As Hanako returned to Mochi and Barrhead’s saferoom, she carried with her a pet carrier, from witch faint sobbing could be heard. Mochi, ever oblivious, dashed up to her exclaiming, “Han-ah-co! Specha fwend otay?! Babbehs otay?!” Hanako paused. She wasn’t sure if Mochi could handle knowing what had happened.
This was Barrhead’s second litter. The previous litter had been quite large with eight foals. Hanako regretted telling the pair of fluffies to expect all their future litters to be around the same size.
As Hanako lowered the carrier to the floor, Mochi continued prattling on. “Specha fwend! Hab babbehs?! ‘Ou otay?!” a pair of teary emerald eyes peered out from within the carrier. A faint sound of suckling cold be heard.
Hanako opened the carrier door. Barrhead slowly emerged, teary-eyed and carrying a single peeping foal on her back. “Babbeh! Daddeh wub babbeh!” Mochi cried excitedly, but then… “Bu’… whewe ‘udda babbehs specha fwend? Han-ah-co sed dat dewe shud be wotsa babbehs.”
Hanako walked over to the chalkboard again.
Martha had just entered the cafeteria, when she spotted Hanako sitting alone by one of the windows looking sad. She took a deep breath, and approached the older woman, “How’d the c-section go?”she asked. Hanako turned to Martha, and said “I can’t decide what’s worse; explaining what a c-section is to two fluffies, or watching a mare scream in horror at the sight of all but one of her new litter fused together in a grotesque twitching ball of nightmares…”
Martha stood there in silence for a few seconds, then, “Do you want me to get you something to help take your mind off of it? Maybe some chocolate or a coffee?”
“Make it a double double, please.”