Dr. Evans arrived within fifteen minutes, her face darkening as she stepped into the dimly lit stall. "Her vitals are crashing, Ben," she warned, dropping her medical kit into the straw. "She won't survive another hour like this." They managed to calm the thrashing mare just enough for a physical examination.
Dr. Evans knelt down and gently pressed her hands against Felicia’s distended lower flank, searching for the foal's alignment. Suddenly, the vet froze. Her professional composure vanished, replaced by sheer shock. "What is it?" Ben asked, his voice cracking.
Dr. Evans didn't answer right away. She pressed harder, her fingers digging deep beneath the taut hide. Beneath the soft tissue, she wasn't feeling the single, fluid position of a normal fetus. She was feeling an tangled, rock-hard mass of limbs jammed firmly against the birth canal.