Six: First Steps
Doktor Schmidt had seen quite a lot, being a roving medic for a large
number of little villages full of creatures that - were they seen by
outsiders - would have been called freaks by the cruel. He'd seen to
Centaurs, large and small, he'd seen to Whisps, delicate humanoids who
had an unfortunate habit of glowing in the dark, and he'd seen to the
deformed.
This bright little lad was almost normal by comparison.
And, he had to face it, there were whispers that Elves lived in secret
places somewhere above the snowline. Mayhap this boy was one of them,
lost or abandoned by his people before he became adopted.
"Heartbeat's - interesting," he said. "Fascinating rythm... I'd have
to say it's fairly normal. Very strong. Lungs nice and clear."
Kurti's long little legs managed to catch him in the stomach.
"Ooof! Fine muscles."
Kurti tried to eat the stethescope. "Teething well?"
"Oh yes," said Astrid Wagner. "He's got seven of his teeth. He's
working on the eighth."
"How's he walking? Most babies are practicing on becoming toddlers by
now."
Johannes Wagner wrestled Kurti back into his clothes. He may have had
fewer fingers to tangle in his clothes, but he had more limbs to catch
and fight.
"Well. Apart from his shots, of course; that's what we wanted to talk
to you about," said Astrid.
"He's not really walking," added Johannes. "He can stand, and he
furniture-walks *fine*."
"But the minute he takes a step on his own, he falls flat on his
face," finished Astrid.
"Well, let him go, and we'll see if we can't find what the problem
is," Doktor Schmidt advised.
They set him loose on the floor.
Kurti didn't really crawl. He walked on all fours - sort of. He only
used the balls of his long feet - and the front toes, of course - to
walk at the back. His hands were used just as every other crawling baby.
He moved like an animal, long tail gleefully whipping about in joy.
Kurti reached the desk, and pulled himself up. Again, he only stood on
the balls of his feet. He laughed at the Doktor.
Schmidt smiled back.
"He only really uses the back toe when he's hanging off the top of his
playpen," supplied Johannes.
"Or our ceiling," said Astrid.
"Ceiling?" Schmidt quoted.
"He can *climb*," said Johannes. He plucked Kurti away from the desk,
where he'd nearly reached its summit. "Here, lad. Climb that," and
placed the boy against a sparse wall.
Kurti did, laughing at his accomplishment.
Now *that* was something new. Schmidt's eyebrows shot up as Johannes
gently lifted the boy away and put him back down.
"He'll do that a few more times before he tries to walk," said Astrid.
"It happens all the time at home."
"Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba..." murmured Kurti. "Mmmmmm...
Brbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbr..." and he climbed the wall again.
"Keeping you awake?" asked Schmidt.
"He's started sleeping the night at *last*, thank *God*," said Astrid.
"He's a very active baby. We've had to take turns keeping an eye on him,
and he's so *curious*..."
"Into everything," said Johannes. "We've had to child-proof every
cupboard and door in the house."
"And if he gets *outside*..." Astrid rolled her eyes, summarising
months of anxiety in one simple movement.
"Aaah!" Kurti said. He was standing up, and looking eminently pleased
with himself. "AAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
His stance instantly caught Schmidt's attention. He was standing with
his legs in a digigrade attitude, with the ankles acting as a second
'knee'.
Kurti took a step, giggled, wagged his tail, and promptly fell over.
"It's the tail," announced Schmidt. "And his digigrade stance." He
scooped the baby up and flexed a leg. "Yes... those heels were never
meant to touch the ground. If he tried to stand as we do, he'd put
tremendous pressure on his ligaments. He can only do it when he's
upside-down because gravity's working for him and not against him." He
set Kurti loose and watched him clamber into the lap of his Mama. "He'll
figure out his balance, soon enough. I wouldn't fret."
"...ab ba am ma ab ba..." said Kurti. "Mmmm*mmmm*mmmm... Ma. Ma ma...
ba."
"And I wouldn't be too surprised if he starts talking, soon, either,"
said Schmidt. "Now. Let's get these dreadful needles done with, eh?"
He *nearly* had it, but every time he got close, his traitor tail
would express his delight and send him down. Of course, Kurti was well
used to this, and caught himself before he could get hurt. It was the
*fall* that annoyed him.
"Keep at it," said Papa. "You'll get there."
"Mu ma bub bub ba," said Kurti, a little upset. Words would come to
him, too. He was getting closer to real ones, instead of just making
noise.
He pulled himself up, let go of the chair, and tried again. Arms, stay
still. Tail, stay still. One step. Two step. Three...
Wag wag wag wag wag *thump*.
Traitor tail! Kurti swatted at it and hurt himself. "Waaaaaaahhhhh..."
he cried, "Waaaaahhaaaaaahhaaaaaa... Ma ma bub ma..."
Papa scooped him up and held him high. "What's the fuss about, eh? You
just need to try again."
Kurti settled into Papa's hug and tried again to say his name. "Ah pa
pa pa pa..." He sighed. Still no good.
He *wanted* to do things. He *knew* how they were done. He just had no
real way for working them on him.
Once Papa was done cheering him up, he put Kurti down again. Kurti
instantly pulled himself up on Papa's leg and had another try. Arms stay
still. Tail stay still. One step. Two step. Three...
Wag wag wag wag wag wag *thump*.
"Wwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..."
"I think somebody's tired," said Mama. "Come on, Kurti. You'll feel
better after a nap." Mama fed him and brushed him to sleep.
Kurti woke up and climbed over to the window. Mama and Papa were
outside, playing on the wire things. The rig, they called it. It looked
like fun, but Kurti wasn't really allowed outside.
His window was loose.
Kurti played with pushing and pulling before he climbed outside and
four-walked over to Mama and Papa.
It *did* look like fun.
Kurti made it up to the rig and investigated the wire. He could hang
on to that with his toes, easy, even if he lost balance. He'd have to
stand, though. He could do that on his own.
Kurti tried, and his tail wrapped itself loosely around the wire.
Good. It couldn't wag.
Arms out, just like Mama and Papa, Kurti tried.
One step. Two step. Three step. Four step. He did it! "Mama!"
Mama turned. Papa gasped.
"Mama mama mama mama mama!" Kurti walked across the wire to her. "Mama
mama mama mama."
She picked him up and laughed and cried at the same time.
"He's one of us, love," said Papa. "Walking the wire before walking on
the ground."
"It was always an expression, before," said Mama, covering Kurti with
kisses.
He was right. It *was* fun. Kurti laughed.
"Ach! How did you get out?" said Mama.
"Mama," said Kurti.
Doktor Schmidt had seen quite a lot, being a roving medic for a large
number of little villages full of creatures that - were they seen by
outsiders - would have been called freaks by the cruel. He'd seen to
Centaurs, large and small, he'd seen to Whisps, delicate humanoids who
had an unfortunate habit of glowing in the dark, and he'd seen to the
deformed.
This bright little lad was almost normal by comparison.
And, he had to face it, there were whispers that Elves lived in secret
places somewhere above the snowline. Mayhap this boy was one of them,
lost or abandoned by his people before he became adopted.
"Heartbeat's - interesting," he said. "Fascinating rythm... I'd have
to say it's fairly normal. Very strong. Lungs nice and clear."
Kurti's long little legs managed to catch him in the stomach.
"Ooof! Fine muscles."
Kurti tried to eat the stethescope. "Teething well?"
"Oh yes," said Astrid Wagner. "He's got seven of his teeth. He's
working on the eighth."
"How's he walking? Most babies are practicing on becoming toddlers by
now."
Johannes Wagner wrestled Kurti back into his clothes. He may have had
fewer fingers to tangle in his clothes, but he had more limbs to catch
and fight.
"Well. Apart from his shots, of course; that's what we wanted to talk
to you about," said Astrid.
"He's not really walking," added Johannes. "He can stand, and he
furniture-walks *fine*."
"But the minute he takes a step on his own, he falls flat on his
face," finished Astrid.
"Well, let him go, and we'll see if we can't find what the problem
is," Doktor Schmidt advised.
They set him loose on the floor.
Kurti didn't really crawl. He walked on all fours - sort of. He only
used the balls of his long feet - and the front toes, of course - to
walk at the back. His hands were used just as every other crawling baby.
He moved like an animal, long tail gleefully whipping about in joy.
Kurti reached the desk, and pulled himself up. Again, he only stood on
the balls of his feet. He laughed at the Doktor.
Schmidt smiled back.
"He only really uses the back toe when he's hanging off the top of his
playpen," supplied Johannes.
"Or our ceiling," said Astrid.
"Ceiling?" Schmidt quoted.
"He can *climb*," said Johannes. He plucked Kurti away from the desk,
where he'd nearly reached its summit. "Here, lad. Climb that," and
placed the boy against a sparse wall.
Kurti did, laughing at his accomplishment.
Now *that* was something new. Schmidt's eyebrows shot up as Johannes
gently lifted the boy away and put him back down.
"He'll do that a few more times before he tries to walk," said Astrid.
"It happens all the time at home."
"Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba..." murmured Kurti. "Mmmmmm...
Brbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbr..." and he climbed the wall again.
"Keeping you awake?" asked Schmidt.
"He's started sleeping the night at *last*, thank *God*," said Astrid.
"He's a very active baby. We've had to take turns keeping an eye on him,
and he's so *curious*..."
"Into everything," said Johannes. "We've had to child-proof every
cupboard and door in the house."
"And if he gets *outside*..." Astrid rolled her eyes, summarising
months of anxiety in one simple movement.
"Aaah!" Kurti said. He was standing up, and looking eminently pleased
with himself. "AAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
His stance instantly caught Schmidt's attention. He was standing with
his legs in a digigrade attitude, with the ankles acting as a second
'knee'.
Kurti took a step, giggled, wagged his tail, and promptly fell over.
"It's the tail," announced Schmidt. "And his digigrade stance." He
scooped the baby up and flexed a leg. "Yes... those heels were never
meant to touch the ground. If he tried to stand as we do, he'd put
tremendous pressure on his ligaments. He can only do it when he's
upside-down because gravity's working for him and not against him." He
set Kurti loose and watched him clamber into the lap of his Mama. "He'll
figure out his balance, soon enough. I wouldn't fret."
"...ab ba am ma ab ba..." said Kurti. "Mmmm*mmmm*mmmm... Ma. Ma ma...
ba."
"And I wouldn't be too surprised if he starts talking, soon, either,"
said Schmidt. "Now. Let's get these dreadful needles done with, eh?"
He *nearly* had it, but every time he got close, his traitor tail
would express his delight and send him down. Of course, Kurti was well
used to this, and caught himself before he could get hurt. It was the
*fall* that annoyed him.
"Keep at it," said Papa. "You'll get there."
"Mu ma bub bub ba," said Kurti, a little upset. Words would come to
him, too. He was getting closer to real ones, instead of just making
noise.
He pulled himself up, let go of the chair, and tried again. Arms, stay
still. Tail, stay still. One step. Two step. Three...
Wag wag wag wag wag *thump*.
Traitor tail! Kurti swatted at it and hurt himself. "Waaaaaaahhhhh..."
he cried, "Waaaaahhaaaaaahhaaaaaa... Ma ma bub ma..."
Papa scooped him up and held him high. "What's the fuss about, eh? You
just need to try again."
Kurti settled into Papa's hug and tried again to say his name. "Ah pa
pa pa pa..." He sighed. Still no good.
He *wanted* to do things. He *knew* how they were done. He just had no
real way for working them on him.
Once Papa was done cheering him up, he put Kurti down again. Kurti
instantly pulled himself up on Papa's leg and had another try. Arms stay
still. Tail stay still. One step. Two step. Three...
Wag wag wag wag wag wag *thump*.
"Wwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..."
"I think somebody's tired," said Mama. "Come on, Kurti. You'll feel
better after a nap." Mama fed him and brushed him to sleep.
Kurti woke up and climbed over to the window. Mama and Papa were
outside, playing on the wire things. The rig, they called it. It looked
like fun, but Kurti wasn't really allowed outside.
His window was loose.
Kurti played with pushing and pulling before he climbed outside and
four-walked over to Mama and Papa.
It *did* look like fun.
Kurti made it up to the rig and investigated the wire. He could hang
on to that with his toes, easy, even if he lost balance. He'd have to
stand, though. He could do that on his own.
Kurti tried, and his tail wrapped itself loosely around the wire.
Good. It couldn't wag.
Arms out, just like Mama and Papa, Kurti tried.
One step. Two step. Three step. Four step. He did it! "Mama!"
Mama turned. Papa gasped.
"Mama mama mama mama mama!" Kurti walked across the wire to her. "Mama
mama mama mama."
She picked him up and laughed and cried at the same time.
"He's one of us, love," said Papa. "Walking the wire before walking on
the ground."
"It was always an expression, before," said Mama, covering Kurti with
kisses.
He was right. It *was* fun. Kurti laughed.
"Ach! How did you get out?" said Mama.
"Mama," said Kurti.