Life and Death
Disclaimer: All of Tamora Pierces characters are hers, not mine. Any characters not in her books I made up, anyone is welcome to use them if they want, I let my characters have their own life.
A/N: Alright… I haven't done anything on ff.net for years, so now when I tried to add to this I ended up deleting it… and then I wasn't able to connect and delete it, and everything got messed up. Sorry to those of you who reviewed, I couldn't find a way to keep them. So here is the first part, hopefully followed by the second, and then the third.
A large dog staggered through damp, cold woods. An owl hooted, and the last insects of the year chirped as fallen leaves crunched under her feet. At last, she dropped to her knees and laid down as sharp pangs drove through her. When they ceased, she flopped her head around and, despite how tired and near to death she was, she began to lick the thick birthing fluid off of the black bundle at her feet with steady, rhythmic strokes.
Gradually, though, they slowed, her head drooped down, and her eyes closed. She drew one last breath - and returned to the goddess.
Next to her, eyes still tightly shut and nearly hairless, the little one rose unsteadily to his feet. He wobbled over the ground, tripping and falling several times in his new surroundings. When he reached her, he began to nudge her stiff, cold form as if she could still feed and care for him.
Disclaimer: All of Tamora Pierces characters are hers, not mine. Any characters not in her books I made up, anyone is welcome to use them if they want, I let my characters have their own life.
A/N: Alright… I haven't done anything on ff.net for years, so now when I tried to add to this I ended up deleting it… and then I wasn't able to connect and delete it, and everything got messed up. Sorry to those of you who reviewed, I couldn't find a way to keep them. So here is the first part, hopefully followed by the second, and then the third.
A large dog staggered through damp, cold woods. An owl hooted, and the last insects of the year chirped as fallen leaves crunched under her feet. At last, she dropped to her knees and laid down as sharp pangs drove through her. When they ceased, she flopped her head around and, despite how tired and near to death she was, she began to lick the thick birthing fluid off of the black bundle at her feet with steady, rhythmic strokes.
Gradually, though, they slowed, her head drooped down, and her eyes closed. She drew one last breath - and returned to the goddess.
Next to her, eyes still tightly shut and nearly hairless, the little one rose unsteadily to his feet. He wobbled over the ground, tripping and falling several times in his new surroundings. When he reached her, he began to nudge her stiff, cold form as if she could still feed and care for him.