Chapter 14
Inner Struggles
~~~~~~~~~~
"You!" Thonolan shouted, "you ruined the prairie, and almost killed my brother and Ayla!" He stalked over to the taunting veejia and drew back his fist and let fly. "Ahh," he exclaimed, shaking his stinging hand. Lumio lay sprawled on the ground, tenderly feeling his cheek. Thonolan wasn't sure who was surprised more, the other veejia or him.
"Where did you learn to do that?" Lumio other demanded, "no matter, I'll show you how to do it properly."
Lumio sprang into a fighting stance. He swung and caught Thonolan on his left cheek, but his next throw was blocked. Thonolan had instinctively learned the rudiments of touching physical and non-physical matter, and his learning was quickly expanding. Thonolan threw a jab, but it only partly landed. The two circled each other, and traded blow for blow.
Goov was staring at the bush in fear. It had moved, and some of the leaves were broken! He hadn't seen anything touch it. Another leaf fell at his feet, what was happening? Vorn was noticing other things, such as rocks tumbling his way, straight across the ground. Uneasily, they both backed away from the clearing and headed toward the cave.
"Goov!"
The intensity of the cry seeped through Thonolan. Someone was in trouble, he thought to himself. Desperate to finish the fight quickly he sent a silent plea to the mother.
"It would seem we were at a draw," the other veejia panted out," I'd love to stay and wrestle with you, but I've got far more important things than a bunch of animals to attend to." Giving a meaningful glance at Brun, Lumio turned away and disappeared.
Thonolan leaned against a tree in relief. The fight had drained his emotional strength more than he thought possible. The other would have beaten him if he hadn't left. Why had he left anyway? What other important things did he need to do? Thonolan shuddered; perhaps he should follow and find out.
"Goov! Aga is giving birth, but it is not going well. Droog sent me to find you."
Thoughts of the strange moving bushes were pushed to the back of Vorn's mind. The spirits were restless and if something happened to Aga or her child, he'd know for sure that they were unhappy.
Uba was preparing a medicinal concoction, drawing on her vast healing knowledge to aid in this birth. Aga's condition was not good, but Uba was helpless to do more than she already had. The baby was breach, and would not come out. Ona hovered near her mother, relieved when she saw Vorn and Goov return with Brun. Goov quickly shuffled to his place at the back of the cave to convene with the spirits. He sensed they were already with him, but whether they were evil or good he did not know.
"We need to get her to a squatting position while I break her water," Uba motioned to Ona and Oga. Sending a silent prayer to her totem, she motioned for the woman to drink the decotation.
Aga was completely exhausted, and knew her chances of both her and the child surviving were slim. She drained the cup and struggled to get to a squatting position with the help of the women.
"I'm going to break your water, so you must push as hard as you can," Uba explained.
Aga nodded, unsure if she had the strength to do even that. Uba took the slippery elm stick and the birth waters flowed down Aga's legs. Aga tensed as another contraction over took her.
"Push now!"
The woman bore down as hard as she could, with little result. "You must push, or your baby will die. You will die too, Aga," Uba pleaded.
"Great mother, help this woman!" Thonolan whispered.
He laid his hands on her abdomen, feeling the struggle within. For some reason, he knew this child had to live. Slowly, he sensed a shifting within the womb. Aga kernelled what little energy she had left into the next push.
"I see the feet!" Ona exclaimed, "keep going, you're doing it!"
A blossom of pain exploded within Aga as she continued to push. The delicate skin around her opening was torn and bleeding. Quickly, Uba grasped the tiny feet and pulled.
"Just a little more," Uba encouraged.
A keening wail sounded as Aga pushed the head of the baby out. The men had gathered at Vorn's hearth, uneasy with the unusually hard birth. Droog's only expression was the tightening of his grip on his cup.
A hearty wail rose up in the tense silence of the cave. Uba gently held the baby as she encouraged Aga to expel the afterbirth. Wearily, she motioned Ona to wrap the afterbirth in a hide to be taken care of later.
Oga turned to tell the news to the leader, but was undecided. Who should she tell first, her mate, or Vorn? Tradition won out, and she made her way to her hearth. "This woman is grieved to inform you that Aga's baby is a girl." She made a sign of sorrow, but inwardly she rejoiced. After being dismissed by Broud, she walked to Vorn's hearth and repeated the news.
Goov nodded to Vorn, glancing at Broud's reclining figure. Vorn got up and followed Goov to Droog's hearth, performing his first task as leader.
Wearily, Aga uncovered her daughter and held it up for inspection, her eyes cast downward.
"This child is normal," Vorn motioned.
Broud sat seething as he watched Vorn take command of the situation. If he wasn't so afraid that his movements would cause serious damage to his burnt parts, he would have marched over and taken his place.
Thonolan hovered over the women, in awe at what he had witnessed. He'd never seen a woman give birth before, not even Jetamio. Jetamio; she hadn't been able to...he stifled a groan. Needing to get away from the happy mother and her child, he slipped out, knowing the danger had passed.
~~~~~~~~~~ * ~~~~~~~~~~ * ~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks again Rubber Duck, and to the rest of the nameless faces who are still reading.
Inner Struggles
~~~~~~~~~~
"You!" Thonolan shouted, "you ruined the prairie, and almost killed my brother and Ayla!" He stalked over to the taunting veejia and drew back his fist and let fly. "Ahh," he exclaimed, shaking his stinging hand. Lumio lay sprawled on the ground, tenderly feeling his cheek. Thonolan wasn't sure who was surprised more, the other veejia or him.
"Where did you learn to do that?" Lumio other demanded, "no matter, I'll show you how to do it properly."
Lumio sprang into a fighting stance. He swung and caught Thonolan on his left cheek, but his next throw was blocked. Thonolan had instinctively learned the rudiments of touching physical and non-physical matter, and his learning was quickly expanding. Thonolan threw a jab, but it only partly landed. The two circled each other, and traded blow for blow.
Goov was staring at the bush in fear. It had moved, and some of the leaves were broken! He hadn't seen anything touch it. Another leaf fell at his feet, what was happening? Vorn was noticing other things, such as rocks tumbling his way, straight across the ground. Uneasily, they both backed away from the clearing and headed toward the cave.
"Goov!"
The intensity of the cry seeped through Thonolan. Someone was in trouble, he thought to himself. Desperate to finish the fight quickly he sent a silent plea to the mother.
"It would seem we were at a draw," the other veejia panted out," I'd love to stay and wrestle with you, but I've got far more important things than a bunch of animals to attend to." Giving a meaningful glance at Brun, Lumio turned away and disappeared.
Thonolan leaned against a tree in relief. The fight had drained his emotional strength more than he thought possible. The other would have beaten him if he hadn't left. Why had he left anyway? What other important things did he need to do? Thonolan shuddered; perhaps he should follow and find out.
"Goov! Aga is giving birth, but it is not going well. Droog sent me to find you."
Thoughts of the strange moving bushes were pushed to the back of Vorn's mind. The spirits were restless and if something happened to Aga or her child, he'd know for sure that they were unhappy.
Uba was preparing a medicinal concoction, drawing on her vast healing knowledge to aid in this birth. Aga's condition was not good, but Uba was helpless to do more than she already had. The baby was breach, and would not come out. Ona hovered near her mother, relieved when she saw Vorn and Goov return with Brun. Goov quickly shuffled to his place at the back of the cave to convene with the spirits. He sensed they were already with him, but whether they were evil or good he did not know.
"We need to get her to a squatting position while I break her water," Uba motioned to Ona and Oga. Sending a silent prayer to her totem, she motioned for the woman to drink the decotation.
Aga was completely exhausted, and knew her chances of both her and the child surviving were slim. She drained the cup and struggled to get to a squatting position with the help of the women.
"I'm going to break your water, so you must push as hard as you can," Uba explained.
Aga nodded, unsure if she had the strength to do even that. Uba took the slippery elm stick and the birth waters flowed down Aga's legs. Aga tensed as another contraction over took her.
"Push now!"
The woman bore down as hard as she could, with little result. "You must push, or your baby will die. You will die too, Aga," Uba pleaded.
"Great mother, help this woman!" Thonolan whispered.
He laid his hands on her abdomen, feeling the struggle within. For some reason, he knew this child had to live. Slowly, he sensed a shifting within the womb. Aga kernelled what little energy she had left into the next push.
"I see the feet!" Ona exclaimed, "keep going, you're doing it!"
A blossom of pain exploded within Aga as she continued to push. The delicate skin around her opening was torn and bleeding. Quickly, Uba grasped the tiny feet and pulled.
"Just a little more," Uba encouraged.
A keening wail sounded as Aga pushed the head of the baby out. The men had gathered at Vorn's hearth, uneasy with the unusually hard birth. Droog's only expression was the tightening of his grip on his cup.
A hearty wail rose up in the tense silence of the cave. Uba gently held the baby as she encouraged Aga to expel the afterbirth. Wearily, she motioned Ona to wrap the afterbirth in a hide to be taken care of later.
Oga turned to tell the news to the leader, but was undecided. Who should she tell first, her mate, or Vorn? Tradition won out, and she made her way to her hearth. "This woman is grieved to inform you that Aga's baby is a girl." She made a sign of sorrow, but inwardly she rejoiced. After being dismissed by Broud, she walked to Vorn's hearth and repeated the news.
Goov nodded to Vorn, glancing at Broud's reclining figure. Vorn got up and followed Goov to Droog's hearth, performing his first task as leader.
Wearily, Aga uncovered her daughter and held it up for inspection, her eyes cast downward.
"This child is normal," Vorn motioned.
Broud sat seething as he watched Vorn take command of the situation. If he wasn't so afraid that his movements would cause serious damage to his burnt parts, he would have marched over and taken his place.
Thonolan hovered over the women, in awe at what he had witnessed. He'd never seen a woman give birth before, not even Jetamio. Jetamio; she hadn't been able to...he stifled a groan. Needing to get away from the happy mother and her child, he slipped out, knowing the danger had passed.
~~~~~~~~~~ * ~~~~~~~~~~ * ~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks again Rubber Duck, and to the rest of the nameless faces who are still reading.