[Enclave] Dekilicious Disorder (Azira)

by **Lavira** on September 15th, 2013, 8:03 pm

What unfairness was this which the gods saw fit to thrust literally into the teens lap. The bloody mess upon and before her was horrifying, and this coming from someone who'd seen their own bones sticking out of their body! It was terribly cruel and her sensitivity to it only underlined this fact.

Clenching her eyes shut, Vira tried to focus and distract her mind from the fact that her friend was no more. During those moments, the child still in her hands had finally begun to cry. The sound tugged at her heart and forced her back to the present as her eyes opened. The gold-rimmed emerald stared upon the wriggling, slimy babe as Azira asked what needed to be done. Vira pulled the babe closer, the umbilical cord dangling between mother and belly button, and reached behind her to fumble with the leather thong that was attached to her vinati.

"Do what must be done; Val!" She called to the gatekeeper who watched impassively from his place at the entrance. "Where are the healers?" The elder looked back down the tunnel, the sound of footfalls now heard coming from the warrens. It couldn't be much longer. Grit your teeth, lass, grief can wait. And that was exactly what she did now, the pretty eagle feather dangling from the thong catching in the first light of the morning before Vira bit the stem of the plume and yanked the string off.

She had this vague sense that the cord had to be cut and tied or something and that's what was to be done with the thong. With extreme care, Vira handed the feather up to Mohya who plucked it up gently with her beak while the young woman cradled the babe and attempted to work the strip around the cord and pull it taut. The knot was poor, however, and came free several times before her slick fingers finally managed to secure it. Now to cut it...but with what? Vira had no knife on hand; how was she to separate mother and newborn now?

by **Azira** on September 16th, 2013, 8:38 am

The Endal didn't appear to have heard her. She was too caught up in her grief which was plain to see. It was understandable, the woman having just witnessed the death of a friend. It was equally hard for Azira but for different reasons. She'd only seen one person die before, her mother, and this experience was bringing it all back. It was truly horrifying to witness the death of another person, regardless of whether you were close to them or not. Anybody who witnessed such an event was sure to end up changed by the experience.

Lavira seemed to have kept some of her sense in the face of grief. She yelled at Val about the healers, whose arrival seemed imminent judging by the sounds of footsteps coming from the warrens, and then her face cleared. A look of grim determination set on her face and she set to work tying off the baby's cord. The teen's hands were covered in slime from the birth and so she struggled to tie a knot. The Avora just sat and watched her. She knew it wasn't a good idea to intervene. The woman needed this. She needed to do this alone, to keep herself occupied, to keep her mind busy so she wouldn't think about what had happened.

When the teen had successfully tied off the cord, she looked a little lost as if she had no idea what to do next. Azira realised that she wanted to cut the cord but she seemingly had no knife. The Avora never went anywhere, even when not hunting, without a dagger. She unsheathed the blade at her waist and handed it to the Endal woman silently.

by **Lavira** on September 21st, 2013, 8:19 pm

Vira took the blade from Azira and with a quick slice cut the cord from mom and baby, sliding back on the bloody stones beneath her. Her face was awash in turmoil as the newborn wailed in her arm, the knife still in her other hand. What were they supposed to do?

It was Mohya who answered, her voice a firm chirp to draw the girls attentions and point her beak to the stone entry where several Chiet nurses and one of the Avora healers now appeared, out of breath and aghast at the bloody scene. For one, it was a Dek that they had been sent running for; for two, why was an Endal and Avora dealing with the likes of her? It was very unusual, but then, so was the fact that a handicapped was capable of becoming Endal.

The healer approached Azira to barrage her with questions and get her away from the body. The body...that's all Insurq was now, a body that would unceremoniously be dumped into the fires of the mountain. That thought stirred Vira out of her saddened reverie to look at the Avora who suggested it in disgust. "Don't you dare do such an awful thing to this woman who worked her life literally away making sure these birds thrive. Don't you dare dishonor her for having being of lower caste."

That passionate fire blazed in the young woman's eyes and she looked down upon the child still crying in her arms. The sound broke her heart anew; bad circumstances had brought this babe into this world, forged because her friend just another face to service some fool. Disgusting. "I will see to the cost of a proper ceremony. You may deduct it from my income this season..." She thought about hiring a wet nurse to see to the child so that she would not need to be sent to the nursery for rearing, but Vira knew that would be illogical; she would not really have the time to raise a child right now let alone care for it in the way it needed.

Rubbing her thumb against her fat and slimy cheek, the Endal finally raised her monocular gaze to peer disheartened at Azira. "Eh...you can go Avora...We'll- we'll work something out later so you can pay me back. Maybe." Her gaze drifted back to the infant finally starting to quiet. What a miserable start to the day. Not only were her clothes ruined now, but the teen reeked. She wanted nothing more than to sink into a bath and cry and scrub and cry some more.

Softly, she murmured, "Maybe Kovac's home..."

OOCGetting close to a close, I imagine

Sorry that my last few posts were somewhat lacking; been a trying couple of weeks and I'd been struggling to find inspiration a little. Really great thread, by the by!

by **Azira** on September 22nd, 2013, 4:24 pm

OOCYeah it can't continue for too much longer I shouldn't think. And if you think those posts were lacking then I'm officially scared of how you perceive writing standards

The Avora was filled with dread when Lavira cut the baby's cord. She was holding the knife out and looking lost about what to do next. She knew that she should take the knife from the Endal and remove the other child from its mother but she didn't want to. The idea of butchering the woman's still warm body made her feel ill. The fact that the woman was already dead was no consolation to the teen; it would still be cutting into a person! It was a truly horrific idea but she had the unborn baby to think of.

Reaching out tentatively, Azira took the blade from her fellow teen. Taking a deep breath she was about to tell Lavira that she should go so that she wouldn't see when the healer and nurses arrived. Breathing a sigh of relief, she moved out of the way gratefully but was stopped by the healer who began to ask her questions about the dead drudge. Why she was the one being questioned was unknown to her; she wasn't even the higher caste member here.

The huntress looked to the other woman for some sort of aid but was taken aback by the fire in her eyes; she was livid. She began to rant at the healer and Azira took a hasty step back to avoid the girl's wrath. It was terrifying to behold but her gaze finally returned to the child, earning a quiet sigh of relief from the healer beside her. The Avora wanted to feel relief too but that wasn't possible as long as she was here. As if reading her mind the eagle rider looked up and dismissed her.

Sighing with relief herself, she turned away and went to leave but her conscience got the better of her. Lavira was clearly distraught having just witnessed the death of her friend. She glanced back at the woman with the squalling babe in her arms and realised that she couldn't just abandon her. Azira returned to the teen's side.

Petch my life!

"Um...Lavira?" she murmured, cautiously placing a hand on the woman's arm. "I know it's a stupid question but...are you okay?"

She found herself unable to meet the woman's gaze, instead staring down at the child. Frowning, the huntress realised that she didn't even know if it was a boy or a girl. The Endal's arm hid the baby's sex and it didn't seem a good time to ask.

How on earth did I end up in this situation? she mused.

by **Lavira** on September 22nd, 2013, 4:45 pm

Her heart ached and above her, Mohya clucked in sympathy for the girl below, bending her head low to bump against Vira's back, helping her rise with the child. The nurses now sought to take the infant from her, a blanket ready and waiting. Azira was likewise standing nearby, looking between herself and the newborn.

"No, Azira." She murmured, turning into her eagles sleek face and pressing her own into the snowy feathers of her head. "No, I'm not alright." At least she was honest about it.

~Vira, you mustn't berate yourself. These things happen, you know this.~

But she was my friend, Mohya...it could have been me in her shoes...

~But it's not you, child. Chin up now, let's get back to the Aerie and get you cleaned up.~

Vira turned her head to the left so that her single eye could peer out at the busy-bodies. Another pair of Dek had arrived and were picking the dead Insurq off the ground. They hadn't even bothered to worry about if there was a second child...they were just going to dispose of her. And the tears came, clouding the Endals vision as she moved to undo the straps on the carrier they had ridden in and free her bird of its cumbersome form. She wiped her eyes on her shoulder from time to time and tried not to sniffle or sob.

As soon as Mohya was free of it, Vira climbed achingly onto her back, clung to the feathers and let the eagle take to the air again, her ebony mate rising soon after. They disappeared around the mountains corner as the eagle flew her charge back to their shared home. The teen would then simply strip from her clothing as she walked, leaving it messily on the floor, as she went to the bath chamber where the hot spring waited, beckoning to wash her hurt away...

by **Azira** on September 22nd, 2013, 5:10 pm

It had been a bad idea to return to the Endal's side. She was better off being left alone with her eagle, better left to grieve in peace. The huntress nodded to show that she acknowledged the woman's words and again went to go. This time she didn't look back. She walked faster and faster until she was running, sprinting through the near deserted Inner Warrens. She must have been a terrible sight, covered in blood and gods knew what else but Azira paid no attention to the people who stated at her as she passed.

The Avora had no idea where she was going. All she knew was that she had to get away from what had just happened, away from the pain, the death, the misery. It was something that seemed inescapable. Everything bad in her life always came back to haunt her and she had to wonder what she'd done to offend the gods to make them torment her so. Perhaps in a past life she had done something unforgivable and was still paying for her indiscretion in this life. She had no idea.

Pausing, the girl wiped away the tears that had streamed down her face without her notice. Blood smeared on her cheeks from her still soiled hands and she knew her destination: the baths. Glancing around to get her bearings, Azira took the right passage and headed to the baths, hoping to clean away all reminders of the horrible incident.

OOCThink we can leave it here but it's up to you

by **Wrenmae** on October 22nd, 2013, 6:44 pm

XP Award!

Name:Lavira
XP Award:

Body Building 2
Animal Husbandry 2
Teaching 2
Medicine 3
Observation 2
Leadership 3

Lore:

Mistaken for a Dek
Azira: Rude Avora
Azira: Clumsy Help
Mohya: Voice of Reason in a Time of Panic
Insurq: Unexpected Delivery
Being a Midwife: Trial by Fire
The Process of Birth: Disgusting
Insurq: The loss of a friend
Insurq's Death: Blood loss
Midwifing twins: One saved, two lost
Tying off the umbilical cord (basic)
Insurq's Second Child: Left to Die

Consequences: One outfit ruined. I'm not sure if you held a thread for Insurq's death, but if not, and Lavira means to go through on the expenses for her funeral, you should deduct that from your ledger.

Name:Azira
XP Award: