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[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

A delicate bloom

Timestamp: 46th Day of Fall, 515 AV
9th Bell, Morning


Seirei carefully stripped Lukar out of his swaddling clothes. Then she dipped a cloth into a bowl of water. She had heated some water up earlier, then poured it into the bowl to cool down to an acceptable temperature while she changed and fed the twins. After squeezing the cloth to get the excess water out, she began bathing her son with the now slightly warm water.

Starting with the tips of his toes, Seirei slowly worked her way up. Lukar squealed in delight, and babbled at her as she bathed him. It was obvious to the young mother that he was enjoying the experience as much as she was. It was a bonding experience as much as it was a task to clean her son.

"Ma! Ma ma! Ba, na, wa, ka, ma!"

"Yes, I am your mother, little one. And you are the cutest little boy in the world! Yes, you are."

Finally, she got to his face. She dipped the cloth into the water once more, and squeezed out the excess. Lukar chortled, and babbled excitedly as Seirei gently wiped his face with the damp cloth. When she was finished, she dried him off with another cloth, then carefully wrapped him up in his swaddling clothes.

Then it was Lira's turn. By then, the water had cooled, and Lira fussed as Seirei bathed her, not liking the feel of the cool water on her skin. Most of the time, she did not have time to heat the water twice, and allow it to cool enough that she could use it. So she took turns with which child got the first bath. It was the only truly fair thing she could do. That way, each of her children could get the warm water some of the time. It hadn't mattered quite as much during the heat of the summer. Back then, the cool water had come as a pleasant relief to the twins. But now that the weather was getting cooler, the twins were more sensitive to the cooler water. Seirei wasn't certain what she would do when winter came.

When Seirei was finished, she watched her children play for a while, lost in thought. In less than a year, they would have a younger brother or sister. Would Lukar and Lira like their younger sibling? Or would they resent him or her? Would she be able to love the new child as much as she loved the twins? Or would she resent it for the act of violence that began its life? As bad as being raped by Lian had been, in some ways, being violated by the group of adolescents had been worse. There had been a deliberate cruelty in that attack. Where Lian's had been more of a causal cruelty as he treated her like the brood mare he saw her as. Was it better or worse that she didn't even know which of her attackers was the father of her unborn child?

Seirei forced her dark thoughts to the back of her mind. Those fears would have to be dealt with later. But there was a more immediate concern. Naiya and Shahar had done so much for her already. A new child would be even more of a burden. What if they started to feel that she was a source of bad luck, the same way the caravan she'd grown up with had?

Lukar yawned, and Seirei went through the motions of settling the twins down for their nap. Once they were sleeping soundly, Seirei left the tent in search of her friends.

[Naiya]

The rain had thundered all morning, beating on the cloth of the tents and causing unease in the youngest members of their herd. Naiya had gone out right away, braiding Satalu into the hair of the most nervous. If the rain caused the creatures to run off, they would find their way back to the Dawnwhisper pavilion. Or at least, that was what Naiya hoped.

The cold weather was concerning, without a better, larger space for the herd to take cover, the rain posed an issue. The full blood zibri were better off, their longer coats protecting them better than the shorter or nonexistent coat some of the new additions had. None of them seemed too cold, though, so for the moment the concern was less urgent.

The last of the milk was gone, the fire had long lost the battle against the rain, grooming the animals now would only ruin what little chances they had left of staying warm and mostly dry.

Shahar was near, the rain would have sent many animals into their shelters, today would be a day of rest more likely than not, and if the rain continued in the coming days they would forge onward despite the troubles it caused.

There was other work that could be done, more satalu crafted, clothing sewn for the children, food put together for the afternoon meal. The tents and the covered wagon would need weather proofing soon, yvas pads and horse blankets needed inspecting to see that they were in good repair.

All of it seemed to only cause more problems in the rain. Wet blankets, wet yvas pads, they needed places to dry, and they did not have much room. The approach of her feline companion gave her an answer, because in her mouth was a small brown rabbit.

The cat dropped her catch at Naiya's feet, and Naiya thanked the cat, petting her head and scratching her behind the ears.

Without a fire blazing at the center of their camp, there was no cooking the entrails for the feline. Naiya took her blade and forced the tip through the skin at the throat of the rabbit, sliding it through flesh until she reached the tail.

The rabbit was warm, the entrails steaming slightly as she pulled them into the cool, storm-laden air. "Good hunt, Banti", she praised, placing the pile on the ground in front of her so that she did not have to avoid the hunting cat's sharp teeth.

With the feline rewarded, Naiya had time to inspect the pelt, the creature had the sharp marks of four teeth at its neck, the vertebrae there broken if the flopping of the head was any sign. There were also a set of teeth in the back leg of the rabbit, where she had carried the catch, perhaps, or maybe it was a first grab of escaping prey.

She pulled a section of rope, hanging the rabbit to drain out of reach of all but the most persistent of the pavilion's carnivores. Although, with the way she was growing, Snow would soon be able to reach anything she desired.

Children played inside, Naiya could hear their soft laughter and baby babbles. She washed her hands in some of the sitting water that had gathered in the rain, returning to her seat beside the tent with the satalu string and resignation. If she couldn't work with the animals, she would have to work for them.

She took the first two threads, tying them together at the tip. It was the first of many steps towards the pattern of the satalu. String under, then over pulled towards the inside. The pattern was easy by now, and she fell under its sway quickly.

Her hands worked steadily until Seirei emerged from the tent. The gentle shape of the woman looked tired, and Naiya set aside her work to address her concerns. Greetings she signed to the woman, her hands shaping the word clearly. "The rain has stolen my desire to work alone, perhaps you will join me for a while?"

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

A delicate bloom

aaa

Seirei found Naiya sitting beside her tent working on...something. Something that was made out of colored string. Seirei returned her friend's greetings, and nodded. She sat down beside Naiya, raising her knees up to her chest, and folding her arms across them. Her body was tense, reflecting her anxiety, and troubled mood. But although she had left plenty of space between them so they would have space to work, she wasn't sitting far enough away to suggest that she was afraid. She wasn't. Not of her friend, at least. But she was worried about what Naiya would think about her being pregnant.

She knew that she was a burden on her friends. She and her children added three more mouths to feed. That alone was a considerable burden. Especially with winter approaching. Fall was a time of gathering enough food and supplies to last the winter. Seirei and her children had nearly doubled the number of people living in the camp. That in turn increased the amount of food and supplies that would be needed, as well. Fortunately Lukar and Lira were still nursing. But providing food for even one more person had to be a burden on Shahar.

It was hard not to feel useless. Just like anyone else, Seirei had things she was good at doing. But working with wood wouldn't bring food to the camp. She knew nothing of hunting, and little of foraging. She couldn't help make warmer clothes, or blankets for the winter because she didn't know how to sew. She couldn't even offer to take over the cooking and free someone else to do something else, because her cooking skills were laughable at best. She knew a few things when it came to cooking, but she was far from confident that she could produce an edible meal. What she could do, she could do well. But she was painfully aware that she couldn't do most of the things that were vital to life as a Drykas. She was happy to learn anything she could so that she could carry her own weight around the camp. Seirei wanted to do anything she could to help. But teaching her the things that people in Endrykas probably learned as young children would take time. It would also be yet another thing that had to be dealt with...another burden. What if her friends decided that yet another child would be too much of a child to deal with?

Seirei stared pensively at the colored string Naiya had been working with for a few chimes. Then she looked up at her friend.

"What are you making?" she asked softly.

"Is it something I can help with?"

Seirei knew that she needed to tell Naiya about her pregnancy. But she needed to find the courage first. Partly because she would be adding yet another burden on her friends. But it was partly because by telling her friends, she would be forced to accept it herself, too. She knew that she was pregnant. It wasn't as if she believed that Pearl was wrong about that. But telling other people about her pregnancy would make it more real somehow. And Seirei wasn't certain that she could handle that.


Word Count14,275 words

[Colt]

When days were sunny, Shahar was capable. He could hunt and protect and provide, like he was made to, and he could come up with all manner of ways to bring joy and warmth to his family.

When days were rainy, though, he felt barely better than useless.

There were some Drykas, he knew, that believed it only right for a hunter to rest if it was raining; they risked their lives to provide for their pavilions, especially the honored and experienced ones, and if there was meat to last, a rest was earned.

But Naiya was not given days off because of the rain, and it felt unfair to expect one for himself if she continued to work. So he was left to come up with his own plan to contribute while the animals hid in their holes.

He’d tried carving, but was so bad at it he felt embarrassed to be seen attempting––particularly by Seirei. He was just as useless at sewing and cooking, and there was only so many times he could check the herds to see that everything was in order. Eventually, he’d just decided to groom as many horses as he could and stay out of everyone’s way. Akaidras appreciated it, as did Drelah, Aani and the rest.

When the horses were groomed, Shahar was relieved but impatient. Not for the first time, he wished himself talented in some handicraft that might be useful on days just such at this; he didn’t expect their luck to strike down and give them clear skies tomorrow, but wishes were just that––wishes. He decided to find Naiya and see if she had something he could help with.

The hunter arrived back at camp to find his wife-of-fire sitting by their tent, intent on something in her hands. Beside her sat Seirei, who was empty-handed and watching with interest. That made Shahar feel less embarrassed about not having something to do.

He flashed a warm greeting to them both as he approached, intent to join on his hands. He set down his tools and unstrapped his javelins from his back––not that they’d really been necessary today––and settled contentedly at Naiya’s side opposite Seirei. He too watched her work with interest, although more because of the fact that it was Naiya than because of the work itself.

“Your fingers move like snakes,” he said, fully intending to flatter. “You make a whole satalu in the time it takes me to understand the pattern.”

[Lale]

PLace holder