Title Unknown
Darkness had fallen upon the quiet secluded mountain village, the only light coming from the moon which shone dimly above them. The few children in the village were put to bed, while the women and elders stayed up waiting for the men to return.
A few nights before there had been a vicious attack on a neighbouring village. Houses were burnt down, crops were destroyed and the people were slain. As soon as they had seen the smoke rise over the tall trees, the men had all left to help stop the fire before it spread to their own village. They had to protect their families, one of the few things that they charished in the world. For once in their life, they were glad their home was so remote from the rest of China. Few people knew about it, and if they did they told no one about it. There was really no reason to anyways, they had nothing that the people wanted.
Dasista looked towards the doorway, hoping that her husband would return soon. His father Trall, the village elder, sat in his armchair, also awaiting the return of his son for he was eager to hear any new news about the attack on the neighbour village. There hadn't been any lately, except for the fact that the once peaceful village, now looked like a bloody graveyard and there were no survivours.
The door opened with a start and Jyuu entered, a bundle of blankets cradled tightly against his chest. There was soot covering his face and clothes and his breath was harsh and quick, as if he'd been running.
"Dasista! Father! Come here quick!" he called out as he went to the kitchen, not even bothering to take his shoes off. Dasista and Trall hurried in after him, and gathered around the table as Jyuu set the bundle down and pushed the blankets back, revealing a small child that looked no more then two.
The child lay listless, short laboured breaths escaping from his partially open mouth but his chest barely appeared to be moving. His head was covered in thick raven-black hair which was coated with grime like the rest of his pale body.
"We found him under some debris just a little while ago. It's a miracle that he's still alive," Jyuu said breathlessly as he looked over at his father. "Father, you're the medicine man of our tribe, is there anything that you could give this child to help him?"
Trall looked solemn for a moment, racking through his tired memory for something, anything that could help this struggling child. After awhile he nodded, then shuffled back to his room to prepare the medicine.
"Do you think there's anything that can help?" Dasista asked as she took a small tub out from under the sink and began to fill it full of water from the basin they had collected earlier that day.
"If my father can come up with something, then I'm sure it will work. He's never let anyone in the village down before. This child is still fairly young, a mere baby. He has alot more life to live an~" Jyuu said when he was interrupted by one of the bedroom doors opening. He turned, noticing the door to his son's room opened, then looked down into a pair of curious amber eyes, framed by scruffy dark hair. "Lei... what are you doing awake, son?" he asked as he bent down to scoop his three-year old into his arms.
Lei yawned and rested his head on Jyuu's shoulder. "I heard you..." he said quietly, his eyes starting to drift closed but then they immediately opened back up when he saw his mother set the tub on the table and carefully start to clean the baby with a washcloth.
"What dat?" he asked as he pressed his hands against his father's shoulder and pushed himself up so he could see better. It was obviously a baby, but where had it come from? It wasn't there's so...
"It's a baby, Lei. We're going to keep it until it's well again and then... well, we'll decide what to do with him later, once he's healthy again."
"Baby?" Lei repeated, and was about to ask where it had come from when his grandfather returned, holding a small vial in one of his hands. Lei immediately cringed, thinking that the medicine was for him again, so he was relieved when his grandfather gingerly lifted the baby's head and poured it down his throat.
The baby didn't fight it or cry. He couldn't move. His body so frail and weak from malnutrition keeping the tiny boy from even making a sound.
Trall stood silently over the baby, before gesturing for Dasista to stop washing him. Once she set the cloth down, Trall reached out and lightly pressed his palm over the baby's forehead as he hummed a few verses of an ancient Chinese prayer. The rest of the family watched in silence until Trall removed his hand and started back towards his room. "It will take awhile for him to regain his strength, but the baby will survive..."
"What a relief," Dasista said as she picked her cloth back up and gently began to clean between the baby's fingers. "It's a miracle that he's even alive. All the people in his tribe were killed, but why not him? I mean, it's been almost four days since the attack and he's managed to stay alive this whole time. Despite being sick and hurt... this boy has a strong spirit..."
"Like me, Mama?" Lei asked, causing his mother to smile and lean forward to kiss him softly on the cheek.
"Of course, just like you Lei," she smiled before turning to gaze to her husband. "We're going to need some bandages to cover his wounds and we'll need to fix him up a bed. Something with high edges so he won't roll out."
"I doubt he'll be moving, let alone rolling anywhere tonight," Jyuu observed. "But I could fix up the laundry basket for him. It would be just the right size and we could put it in Lei's room until we figure things out in the morning. Is that alright with you, kiddo?"
"Yep!" Lei chirped, feeling pleased that his parents would leave him the responsibility of watching the baby through the night. Maybe if he was really good, then they could share a room. He had always wanted a little brother and now it seemed like he finally had one. The three year old barely even realized that the tiny boy was very sick and wouldn't be able to play for awhile, all he cared about was that he was here. Finally, someone that he could watch over just like the adults watched over him. It was his turn to prove just what kind of a person he was.
Lei's parents then went to work. Dasista finished up washing the boy then bandaged him, bounding his swollen and cut wrists in white cloth and wrapping another cloth around his head, covering the deep cut on the right side of his forehead. While she worked, Jyuu turned the laundry basket into a bed, lining it with thick towels, then placing a warm blanket inside to wrap the baby up in.
Lei watched as his mother carefully picked the baby up then lay him down within the basket, tucked the blanket snuggly around his small form. She then lifted the light load and followed Jyuu back to the bedroom, setting the basket down on the small wooden play table as Lei was tucked into bed once again.
Once both his parents had left the room, Lei scrambled out of bed and went to the basket, peeking through the holes at the baby's face. Very slowly he reached out, sliding his hand through one of the holes and stroking the baby's cheek. He smiled when the baby's head moved slightly towards his touch, and his fingers slid over the soft skin again, before he pulled back and headed back to bed, not wanting to get caught. The young boy couldn't fight back his smile though. This was what he had always wanted. This was -his- baby and it was up to him to make sure it got better as soon as possible.
Darkness had fallen upon the quiet secluded mountain village, the only light coming from the moon which shone dimly above them. The few children in the village were put to bed, while the women and elders stayed up waiting for the men to return.
A few nights before there had been a vicious attack on a neighbouring village. Houses were burnt down, crops were destroyed and the people were slain. As soon as they had seen the smoke rise over the tall trees, the men had all left to help stop the fire before it spread to their own village. They had to protect their families, one of the few things that they charished in the world. For once in their life, they were glad their home was so remote from the rest of China. Few people knew about it, and if they did they told no one about it. There was really no reason to anyways, they had nothing that the people wanted.
Dasista looked towards the doorway, hoping that her husband would return soon. His father Trall, the village elder, sat in his armchair, also awaiting the return of his son for he was eager to hear any new news about the attack on the neighbour village. There hadn't been any lately, except for the fact that the once peaceful village, now looked like a bloody graveyard and there were no survivours.
The door opened with a start and Jyuu entered, a bundle of blankets cradled tightly against his chest. There was soot covering his face and clothes and his breath was harsh and quick, as if he'd been running.
"Dasista! Father! Come here quick!" he called out as he went to the kitchen, not even bothering to take his shoes off. Dasista and Trall hurried in after him, and gathered around the table as Jyuu set the bundle down and pushed the blankets back, revealing a small child that looked no more then two.
The child lay listless, short laboured breaths escaping from his partially open mouth but his chest barely appeared to be moving. His head was covered in thick raven-black hair which was coated with grime like the rest of his pale body.
"We found him under some debris just a little while ago. It's a miracle that he's still alive," Jyuu said breathlessly as he looked over at his father. "Father, you're the medicine man of our tribe, is there anything that you could give this child to help him?"
Trall looked solemn for a moment, racking through his tired memory for something, anything that could help this struggling child. After awhile he nodded, then shuffled back to his room to prepare the medicine.
"Do you think there's anything that can help?" Dasista asked as she took a small tub out from under the sink and began to fill it full of water from the basin they had collected earlier that day.
"If my father can come up with something, then I'm sure it will work. He's never let anyone in the village down before. This child is still fairly young, a mere baby. He has alot more life to live an~" Jyuu said when he was interrupted by one of the bedroom doors opening. He turned, noticing the door to his son's room opened, then looked down into a pair of curious amber eyes, framed by scruffy dark hair. "Lei... what are you doing awake, son?" he asked as he bent down to scoop his three-year old into his arms.
Lei yawned and rested his head on Jyuu's shoulder. "I heard you..." he said quietly, his eyes starting to drift closed but then they immediately opened back up when he saw his mother set the tub on the table and carefully start to clean the baby with a washcloth.
"What dat?" he asked as he pressed his hands against his father's shoulder and pushed himself up so he could see better. It was obviously a baby, but where had it come from? It wasn't there's so...
"It's a baby, Lei. We're going to keep it until it's well again and then... well, we'll decide what to do with him later, once he's healthy again."
"Baby?" Lei repeated, and was about to ask where it had come from when his grandfather returned, holding a small vial in one of his hands. Lei immediately cringed, thinking that the medicine was for him again, so he was relieved when his grandfather gingerly lifted the baby's head and poured it down his throat.
The baby didn't fight it or cry. He couldn't move. His body so frail and weak from malnutrition keeping the tiny boy from even making a sound.
Trall stood silently over the baby, before gesturing for Dasista to stop washing him. Once she set the cloth down, Trall reached out and lightly pressed his palm over the baby's forehead as he hummed a few verses of an ancient Chinese prayer. The rest of the family watched in silence until Trall removed his hand and started back towards his room. "It will take awhile for him to regain his strength, but the baby will survive..."
"What a relief," Dasista said as she picked her cloth back up and gently began to clean between the baby's fingers. "It's a miracle that he's even alive. All the people in his tribe were killed, but why not him? I mean, it's been almost four days since the attack and he's managed to stay alive this whole time. Despite being sick and hurt... this boy has a strong spirit..."
"Like me, Mama?" Lei asked, causing his mother to smile and lean forward to kiss him softly on the cheek.
"Of course, just like you Lei," she smiled before turning to gaze to her husband. "We're going to need some bandages to cover his wounds and we'll need to fix him up a bed. Something with high edges so he won't roll out."
"I doubt he'll be moving, let alone rolling anywhere tonight," Jyuu observed. "But I could fix up the laundry basket for him. It would be just the right size and we could put it in Lei's room until we figure things out in the morning. Is that alright with you, kiddo?"
"Yep!" Lei chirped, feeling pleased that his parents would leave him the responsibility of watching the baby through the night. Maybe if he was really good, then they could share a room. He had always wanted a little brother and now it seemed like he finally had one. The three year old barely even realized that the tiny boy was very sick and wouldn't be able to play for awhile, all he cared about was that he was here. Finally, someone that he could watch over just like the adults watched over him. It was his turn to prove just what kind of a person he was.
Lei's parents then went to work. Dasista finished up washing the boy then bandaged him, bounding his swollen and cut wrists in white cloth and wrapping another cloth around his head, covering the deep cut on the right side of his forehead. While she worked, Jyuu turned the laundry basket into a bed, lining it with thick towels, then placing a warm blanket inside to wrap the baby up in.
Lei watched as his mother carefully picked the baby up then lay him down within the basket, tucked the blanket snuggly around his small form. She then lifted the light load and followed Jyuu back to the bedroom, setting the basket down on the small wooden play table as Lei was tucked into bed once again.
Once both his parents had left the room, Lei scrambled out of bed and went to the basket, peeking through the holes at the baby's face. Very slowly he reached out, sliding his hand through one of the holes and stroking the baby's cheek. He smiled when the baby's head moved slightly towards his touch, and his fingers slid over the soft skin again, before he pulled back and headed back to bed, not wanting to get caught. The young boy couldn't fight back his smile though. This was what he had always wanted. This was -his- baby and it was up to him to make sure it got better as soon as possible.