*Many Turns Ago*
A Song For Silentmoon
By Ami E. Bowen aka Skayda
"Hurry, Glimmerfall!" Nightbreeze gasped and lurched forward as far as her extended belly would allow, gripping the wolf's tawny fur hard as another wave of pain engulfed her, "I don't think..."
**Shh!** Came the gentle one's calm-waters mindtouch, brushing past the pain like a soothing breeze, **Send. Save your strength.**
** It hurts so! ** Nightbreeze sent, red-haze agony shooting through her side, where her fingers held gaping wound somewhat closed. Blood oozed between torn leather and between pale fingers, ** The cub...I don't know if she's...**
They had been out picking wildberries, Nightbreeze and her friend-turned-lifemate Glimmerfall. The daystar had thought to stay hidden behind a clutch of cloud, graying the already dismal day into shades of drabness. The pregnant Nightbreeze realized that she would have at least another dance of the moons before the cub was born missed the nightly hunts and romping through the forest without a care and grew restless just sitting about the holt all night.
She couldn't rest this afternoon and so had sought out the company of the willowy silver-maned elf-woman from her and Preyhowl's den. Even after recognizing the hardy elf hunter and now carrying his cubling, Nightbreeze chose to sleep by herself, in her own den and wrapped snug in pelts she had acquired herself. She chose to do most things by herself.
They had been caught unawares by a human child and his sibling. The little one cried when Glimmerfall made an ugly face at it, but the older one, who seemed tall, even for a human cub, stood up to them and shoved Glimmerfall down. Leaping to protect her friend from any further harm, Nightbreeze had wielded her short dagger threateningly. Spitting out the human words for; "Go! Leave us!" She snarled and stabbed with her blade, a motion meant merely to frighten away, "Or die!"
The older one had kicked out a foot faster than skyfire and before Nightbreeze knew it, she was sprawled on her back on the ground. A wave of pain and nausea came over her as she looked up and saw the older boy had her dagger and that it was dripping crimson with blood. Her blood. A dull throbbing ache in her side told her as much, even when she gingerly touched her fingers to the torn clothing and the open rip in her skin.
Glimmerfall had hurried to her feet and knocked the boy down with a hard slap to the side of the head. She had barely eluded his weapon doing this. Surprised more than hurt, the boy's eyes welled up with tears and he dropped the knife, running away sniffling and wiping at his eyes with a dirty arm. The little one scurried after him, none to keen on being left behind with a couple of hurt and angry forest demons.
Glimmerfall howled for Sienna, her wolf-friend and the brown-gold female came at a dead run, worried creasing her wolfen brow. Without sending or speaking, Glimmerfall had carefully moved Nightbreeze into position across the wolf's broad back. **To the holt, Sienna!**
"Glimmerfall!" Nightbreeze cried, a strangled moan escaping her lips, "There isn't time!"
"What do you mean?" Glimmerfall asked, silently bidding Sienna to hurry! Hurry!
"We must stop now!" Nightbreeze cried, "The cub! The cub wants out now!"
"But...your not due!" Glimmerfall said, even as she bid her wolf-friend to slow and then stop, "For at least another month!"
"I know." Nightbreeze said in a wind-choked voice, "Help me...I can't..."
Glimmerfall helped Nightbreeze roll from the wolf-back and onto the soft forest loam. The rain washed away most of the blood and dirt from her wound. Glimmerfall quickly dressed it as best she could from tearing bits of leather from her tunic and leggings before assisting Nightbreeze into leaning back against an oak trunk. Fortunate, the bleeding seemed to have stopped and the wound, upon closer examination, didn't seem to be as grave as they had feared. It must have been the shock of falling to the ground so hard that had jarred the cub into an early birthtime.
"How much longer?" Glimmerfall asked as she loosened the ties holding Nightbreeze's breeches up. Nightbreeze groaned in anguish as she lifted her hips momentarily, allowing Glimmerfall to slide her pants off of her, "I've never been around a birthing before..."
"Neither..." Nightbreeze puffed, wailing as another hard contraction shook her, "Have I..."
"I've never even had a cub." Glimmerfall whispered, "I don't know what to do, Nightbreeze."
"Just..." Nightbreeze breathed, panting hard, "Do what...comes naturally.."
**Smell cub.** Sienna sniffed between Nightbreeze's legs, **Cub coming soon**
"Yes," Nightbreeze agreed, "Cub couldn't come soon enough...now!"
"Oh, High Ones!" Glimmerfall cried, shoving Sienna gently away, "I think I see something!"
"I think I feel something!" Nightbreeze cried at the same time. Before either elf could act, a tiny head began emerging from between Nightbreeze's legs, then, with supreme effort, shoulders, and the rest just slipped out fairly easily.
"Oooh..." Nightbreeze sighed as, a few moments later, after the arduous passing of the afterbirth, Glimmerfall placed the oddly silent babe on her stomach, "Why...why is she so still? Is she all right, Glimmerfall?"
Panic coursed like ice-water through Nightbreeze's veins, chilling her to the core as she waited for Glimmerfall's answer.
"She is fine, Nightbreeze. A bit small...But that is to be expected as she came a whole dance of Mother Moon early." Nightbreeze could hear the smile in her lifemate's voice, "Preyhowl will be proud...She is a quiet one..."
"She'll make a good huntress." Nightbreeze breathed, smiling. She gazed down at her daughter and positioned herself so that she might nurse the newborn. Blood still caked upon the babe's head and limbs, but the softly pouring rain washed it away like gentle High Ones' tears of joy. "As silent as the moons...gliding along...spear in hand..."
"Nightbreeze?" Glimmerfall asked, afraid to interrupt this most private of moments, "Has she a name?"
Nightbreeze looked up at the fair-haired elf through her own dark, damp locks and grinned, "A beautiful soul-name...in here..." She tapped her heart with her fingers, "And here." The side of her head. "But, we may call her Silentmoon."
"Because she is quiet." Glimmerfall said, touching the cubling lightly on her head, "Like the moons at night?"
"Just so." Nightbreeze said, and, to the tiny infant suckling her, "Welcome to the pack, little one."
As if to commemorate the event, Sienna let loose with a full-bosomed howl that soon had Glimmerfall joining in and Nightbreeze smiling, too weak to howl just yet, listening to the other wolves, all from their pack, and then the elves from back at the holt, raising voice to the song as well. All sang a welcoming song. A song for Silentmoon.
~End~
A Song For Silentmoon
By Ami E. Bowen aka Skayda
"Hurry, Glimmerfall!" Nightbreeze gasped and lurched forward as far as her extended belly would allow, gripping the wolf's tawny fur hard as another wave of pain engulfed her, "I don't think..."
**Shh!** Came the gentle one's calm-waters mindtouch, brushing past the pain like a soothing breeze, **Send. Save your strength.**
** It hurts so! ** Nightbreeze sent, red-haze agony shooting through her side, where her fingers held gaping wound somewhat closed. Blood oozed between torn leather and between pale fingers, ** The cub...I don't know if she's...**
They had been out picking wildberries, Nightbreeze and her friend-turned-lifemate Glimmerfall. The daystar had thought to stay hidden behind a clutch of cloud, graying the already dismal day into shades of drabness. The pregnant Nightbreeze realized that she would have at least another dance of the moons before the cub was born missed the nightly hunts and romping through the forest without a care and grew restless just sitting about the holt all night.
She couldn't rest this afternoon and so had sought out the company of the willowy silver-maned elf-woman from her and Preyhowl's den. Even after recognizing the hardy elf hunter and now carrying his cubling, Nightbreeze chose to sleep by herself, in her own den and wrapped snug in pelts she had acquired herself. She chose to do most things by herself.
They had been caught unawares by a human child and his sibling. The little one cried when Glimmerfall made an ugly face at it, but the older one, who seemed tall, even for a human cub, stood up to them and shoved Glimmerfall down. Leaping to protect her friend from any further harm, Nightbreeze had wielded her short dagger threateningly. Spitting out the human words for; "Go! Leave us!" She snarled and stabbed with her blade, a motion meant merely to frighten away, "Or die!"
The older one had kicked out a foot faster than skyfire and before Nightbreeze knew it, she was sprawled on her back on the ground. A wave of pain and nausea came over her as she looked up and saw the older boy had her dagger and that it was dripping crimson with blood. Her blood. A dull throbbing ache in her side told her as much, even when she gingerly touched her fingers to the torn clothing and the open rip in her skin.
Glimmerfall had hurried to her feet and knocked the boy down with a hard slap to the side of the head. She had barely eluded his weapon doing this. Surprised more than hurt, the boy's eyes welled up with tears and he dropped the knife, running away sniffling and wiping at his eyes with a dirty arm. The little one scurried after him, none to keen on being left behind with a couple of hurt and angry forest demons.
Glimmerfall howled for Sienna, her wolf-friend and the brown-gold female came at a dead run, worried creasing her wolfen brow. Without sending or speaking, Glimmerfall had carefully moved Nightbreeze into position across the wolf's broad back. **To the holt, Sienna!**
"Glimmerfall!" Nightbreeze cried, a strangled moan escaping her lips, "There isn't time!"
"What do you mean?" Glimmerfall asked, silently bidding Sienna to hurry! Hurry!
"We must stop now!" Nightbreeze cried, "The cub! The cub wants out now!"
"But...your not due!" Glimmerfall said, even as she bid her wolf-friend to slow and then stop, "For at least another month!"
"I know." Nightbreeze said in a wind-choked voice, "Help me...I can't..."
Glimmerfall helped Nightbreeze roll from the wolf-back and onto the soft forest loam. The rain washed away most of the blood and dirt from her wound. Glimmerfall quickly dressed it as best she could from tearing bits of leather from her tunic and leggings before assisting Nightbreeze into leaning back against an oak trunk. Fortunate, the bleeding seemed to have stopped and the wound, upon closer examination, didn't seem to be as grave as they had feared. It must have been the shock of falling to the ground so hard that had jarred the cub into an early birthtime.
"How much longer?" Glimmerfall asked as she loosened the ties holding Nightbreeze's breeches up. Nightbreeze groaned in anguish as she lifted her hips momentarily, allowing Glimmerfall to slide her pants off of her, "I've never been around a birthing before..."
"Neither..." Nightbreeze puffed, wailing as another hard contraction shook her, "Have I..."
"I've never even had a cub." Glimmerfall whispered, "I don't know what to do, Nightbreeze."
"Just..." Nightbreeze breathed, panting hard, "Do what...comes naturally.."
**Smell cub.** Sienna sniffed between Nightbreeze's legs, **Cub coming soon**
"Yes," Nightbreeze agreed, "Cub couldn't come soon enough...now!"
"Oh, High Ones!" Glimmerfall cried, shoving Sienna gently away, "I think I see something!"
"I think I feel something!" Nightbreeze cried at the same time. Before either elf could act, a tiny head began emerging from between Nightbreeze's legs, then, with supreme effort, shoulders, and the rest just slipped out fairly easily.
"Oooh..." Nightbreeze sighed as, a few moments later, after the arduous passing of the afterbirth, Glimmerfall placed the oddly silent babe on her stomach, "Why...why is she so still? Is she all right, Glimmerfall?"
Panic coursed like ice-water through Nightbreeze's veins, chilling her to the core as she waited for Glimmerfall's answer.
"She is fine, Nightbreeze. A bit small...But that is to be expected as she came a whole dance of Mother Moon early." Nightbreeze could hear the smile in her lifemate's voice, "Preyhowl will be proud...She is a quiet one..."
"She'll make a good huntress." Nightbreeze breathed, smiling. She gazed down at her daughter and positioned herself so that she might nurse the newborn. Blood still caked upon the babe's head and limbs, but the softly pouring rain washed it away like gentle High Ones' tears of joy. "As silent as the moons...gliding along...spear in hand..."
"Nightbreeze?" Glimmerfall asked, afraid to interrupt this most private of moments, "Has she a name?"
Nightbreeze looked up at the fair-haired elf through her own dark, damp locks and grinned, "A beautiful soul-name...in here..." She tapped her heart with her fingers, "And here." The side of her head. "But, we may call her Silentmoon."
"Because she is quiet." Glimmerfall said, touching the cubling lightly on her head, "Like the moons at night?"
"Just so." Nightbreeze said, and, to the tiny infant suckling her, "Welcome to the pack, little one."
As if to commemorate the event, Sienna let loose with a full-bosomed howl that soon had Glimmerfall joining in and Nightbreeze smiling, too weak to howl just yet, listening to the other wolves, all from their pack, and then the elves from back at the holt, raising voice to the song as well. All sang a welcoming song. A song for Silentmoon.
~End~