Mentions of death, depression, and jealousy. (Referenced glass child as well.)

{Lethal Cub Mother POV} [Lioness] laid on her side, facing away from her pride-mates. Ever since her last litter of cubs had been born she found it hard to get up in the mornings. It was only a matter of days before her beloved [lethal] would die. Her heart shattered as she looked at them for the first time. No mother wanted their child to have… that mutation. All day she would lay with [lethal], snarling at any lion who dared to get to close to her baby. The only time [lethal] seemed to be at peace was when they slept, and so [lioness] forced herself to stay awake late into the night to see her cub at ease. She wouldn’t dare fall asleep, as she knew she only had few precious days with [lethal]. Too exhausted to do nothing but rest with half open eyelids.

{Lethal cub litter mate POV} [Cub] had never liked [lethal]. Everyone always fussed over them and gave them more love than they gave all the other cubs combined. [Cub] was also terrified by [lethal]. That.. thing… could’ve turned out to be them. What if [cub] gained that mutation instead? It was hard to imagine. [Cub] sometimes denied being from the same litter as [lethal] because of how much they freaked her out. Why would their mother love a monster more than them?Guilt constantly clawed at [Cub]’s heart for having such thoughts. For saying such things. [lethal] was a living being. They had a mind, a heart. They didn’t even have that long to live. Yet during that short time [lethal] was alive, they managed to give their mother life long depression. Even years after [lethal] had died, [cub] resented them for even bothering to exist in the first place.

{Lethal POV} [lethal] whimpered and gasped, trying their hardest to stay awake. It hurt so much. It had always hurt, and it always would. “Stay strong for mama,” they thought, blinking away tears. They couldn’t die yet, not until they saw their mother smile. She was always so sad and [lethal] never knew why. They had tried so hard to make [lioness] happy but it just wasn’t enough. Nobody was ever happy around [lethal]. In the distance they saw two cubs playing and laughing as their mother watched with a smile, unknowing of what was going on in the back of the cave. [lethal] wished they were born right so that they could make their family smile as well.
Finally they realized that as long as they were around, they would never make anyone happy. [lethal] reached a paw out before dropping it, letting their eyes flutter shut for the last time.