Stary, Stary Night

The days seemed to be passing too quickly. She had the normal ailments of being with child, but added to that she had evidently eaten something that did not agree with her, and that had seemed to drain the strength from her. She had even welcomed Birmmah's help around the wagons. The woman had chided her on getting pregnant so soon, and told her that they would need to wait a bit longer after this one, before trying again. To be very honest, this had surprised her coming from a woman that had given birth nine times, but she had explained that after the first couple, they had allowed her body to regain its' strength between each subsequent child, and it did make sense.
Aamon had even came around to check on her, partly because that is where he found his mate, and partly because he seemed to be a bit excited about his first blood-born grandchild. They were good people, and she did appreciate all that they did for them. Aamon had taken Tug with him one afternoon, giving her some relief, and Birmmah had taken Another one. She had spent most of that afternoon resting and napping off and on. For some reason, the heat was bothering her too. But it all passed, she was feeling better, and back up busy with her little family.
Rook and Trilok had returned, none the worse for wear. Rook had a few minor wounds, bumps, bruises, things of that nature, and said that her nephew was fine. He had brought the bosk and kaiila they had taken from the Kassar for her to look at. They bosk did not hold her attention like the kaiila did. They were actually fine animals, well cared for and sturdy. She would have to speak to Trilok, for one of them looked to be a good beast to breed to BlueSky. It was always good to have a new strain of blood among the kaiila. One of the things she watched very closely was to not breed the beast to animals of the same close bloodline.
She held a great deal of pride in her nephew, and now a great deal of happiness that he drew closer and closer to his objective of mating Noya. They were good together, and they were good for each other. Soon perhaps, they would see the mating take place. She knew Bo, and how protective he was of Noya. He had been almost as protective of her when she was under his guardianship.

Ba'atar had come in from the herds to find her alone at the fires. His dinner was ready and he ate, then told her he was going to take a bath, and for her to get ready, they would go for a walk. And walk they did. He held her hand and they walked through the lanes of wagons, stopping to speak to people from time to time, and at one point, stopping to watch a group of children at play. It was just comforting to watch their people going about the normal things of day to day life. It was reassuring.



Walking down to the stream, they had found a spot of soft grass and lay for a long time just watching the skies, enjoying the night, and enjoying each other's company. Each day they grew closer and closer, in spite of what many thought. They had common thoughts on their people, the tribe and family. They were content, and in love. What more could either of them wish or hope for?

They lay for a long time, staring up at the stars. He had slipped one arm under her head, and with the other, he caressed her middle,which had began to swell with the evidence of their love. He hummed in her ear, which made those small bumps run along her flesh. Was it the timbre of his voice, or his nearness, or the fact that he did it just for her? She was not sure, all she knew was that she loved it. She had fallen asleep, and when she roused a bit, she realized that he had her cradled into his arms and was going up the steps of the wagon. She whispered softly that she wished to sleep beneath the stars.

He had laughed as he lay her on the furs, undressed her, then himself, then had reached up to open the vent flap at the top of the wagon, revealing the night sky to her. Crawling into the furs beside her, again those arms went around her, his head nuzzled into her neck, and they slept.

Baking Again.........In a Manner of Speaking.

Well, there was no longer a question about it. That morning, her eyes had fluttered open, and a wave of nausea hit her. Crawling out of bed as quickly and as quietly as she could, she grabbed a fur, wrapped it around her and ran out of the wagon and down the steps, and found herself bent over, vomiting.


It passed fairly quickly, and she stood up and took a deep breath of the cool, morning air, then wiped the tears from her eyes. Not the kind of tears of joy or sadness, but the one that sometimes come when you lose the contents of your stomach. Waiting until she was sure that it has passed, she turned around and started back to the wagon, only to bump into kasra, who was holding up a cup of water for her. Nothing had ever tasted so sweet. Putting a finger to her lips, she exhaled a soft.......ssshhhh. She did not want a word said until she had told Ba'atar.


It seemed that she could not put it off any longer. Soon the morning sickness would be worse, then her body would begin to show other signs. She was smiling to herself when she crawled back into the furs and snuggled up against him. He reached to draw her in closer, but never woke fully..


Well, tonight she would have some news that would probably get his full attention.

The Sadness and Pain of Loss and Disappointment

She was just at odds as to what to do for him. The pain and disappointment was clear in his eyes, and the faint tears of loss, and she had no idea how to fix it. All she could do was to let him know that she was there for him. She would not press him to speak of it. When the time was right, he would, or he wouldn't. She was prepared for either choice of his..


He had lifted from that brace of furs, the baby cradled in his arms and walked towards the wagons, and she had followed. Turning, he had kissed the boy on the head, then had leaned to kiss her cheek as he handed him off, telling her that he needed time to think. All she could do is tell him gently that she would be here, if he had need of her.


Preparing the baby for bed, tears came to her eyes as she held him close, cooing to him. He was so beautiful, so innocent, so perfect, and had no idea of the storm that was swirling around him. And she would try to protect him from it, at all costs. Once he was asleep, she sat for a time just watching him, the pain in her heart so severe at times that it took her breath from her.


Stepping out to sit on the platform, she gazed up at the skies, her thoughts crushing in on her. She loved Tarra so much, the woman had always been a big part of her life since coming to these wagons. And she loved Ba'atar, a man that she found had great personal honor, and a capacity for love and life that probably all did not see in him as she did.


Ba'at was her mate, had become a father to her sons, and had shown her depths of love and compassion that no one knew about. She honored him, loved him, and would stand beside him always. Any that truly knew her, would know this is how it would be. And it hurt her deeply to see anyone show disdain and dishonor towards him. He was a warrior of the first wagons, who wore the scar of courage upon his cheeks, and for that, he deserved respect. And for her, it was not the place of any woman, no matter who she was, to show such for a scared warrior of the first wagons. It angered her, but first and foremost, it disappointed her. Perhaps that was what hurt her the most, the loss of respect for someone that she had cared for so much.


If there were those, that though to make her choose, the choice was made. She would stand by her mate. It was that simple.


When he had taken his time alone, he had walked up to the platform with the sleeping Tug in his arms, , said nothing but held his hand out to her. Taking it, she had smiled, stood and walked into the wagon with him. He had placed Tug into the furs, then went to gather Another One up from his bed and brought him to the furs too. She had lay there,watching him with the boys and how he caressed them, the love in his eyes clear. Why was it that others did not see this, or perhaps it was that they just did not choose to see it. And this is how they slept, as they did on many nights, with the boys between them, his arm stretched over them protectively. No, if there was a choice to be made, it had been made already.

Of Bees and Beads

She had ridden out with Rook earlier in the day in search of the hives. There was a bit of disappointment that she had never heard back from T'zuri, but perhaps the young woman was not in the mood for company, or perhaps she just did not like bees.


Today was simply what you might call a scouting mission, to see if the hives were where she had remembered them. And, they were. The girl juneau became over excited and had run towards them and had to be called back. They did not have the protective clothing that were needed to harvest the honey, and she did not want the girl laid up by bee stings. And, it was early in the season, and not time yet to gather the honey, but she was pleased to see the swarms of bees all over the fields of wildflowers that were around. This should be a good year for honey when the time was right.


She had been surprised when Ba'atar had offered to watch the boys while she made this ride. She had intended to leave them with the girls, but he had shooed them all away, telling her that this was his time with his sons. But he did remind her that she would need to not be gone long, that Another One would be hungry, and that was one thing he was not equipped to do. He should have no fear of that, for she would also know when it was time to feed the baby, by the heaviness of her breasts filling with milk.


But, she did enjoy the ride. It was a glorious day, warm, the skies clear, and the signs of life all around them. Several times Rook pointed out small animals to her, that were trying to hide in the grasses as they passed. And there was a time or two, when flocks of birds took flight from the safety of the brush at their approach. She also made mental notes of patches of wild herbs, that she would gather later in the season. It was never too soon to start planning for the colder months, especially now that her family was growing.


On the ride back, she and Rook spoke of Trilok, and his upcoming quest for the bride price. It was not the first time they had talked of this, and Rook in his wisdom, said that he would go on the raids, but the actual taking of the items would be up to Trilok. His role would be to help keep him safe, to make sure he brought the items back as instructed. See. This was what she needed Rook for. Often her decisions were made with her heart, and not her head. She needed him to give her perspective on things, especially things that had to do with family. His advice always proved to be invaluable.


Arriving back at the wagons, the first thing that she did was to search for Ba'atar and the boys. Her body told her it was time to feed the youngest of the two. With the baby fed, cleaned up and settled. She set to making their evening meal and to getting Ba'atar and Tug, or One rather fed and happy. After the meal, Ba'atar said that he had business to attend to in the herds, and he would be back late. Such was not unusual, and she had simply lifted her face for his kiss, and whispered that she would still be awake.


The dishes were done, the camp tidied up, and Tug was bathed and settled for the evening before she had a moment to herself. Rook had wandered off to speak to someone, and the girls were sitting quietly by the fire, doing some mending, and the evening was peaceful.


She ducked into the first wagon, and pulled something from inside a box. It was a leather thong with beads strung along it's length. From the box, she took another of the loose beads and strung it onto the strip of leather. One, only one.


There were year keepers that kept the passing of time for her people, but this was her own private calendar, so to speak. Each of the carved beads represented a day to her, and each night, she slipped into this wagon and added a single bead to the string. Tying the end off in a loose knot, her fingers moved along the strand as she counted the beads. There were seventy-two. Each single bead represented one day since her last bleeding. Seventy-two days. She sat for a time pondering this. Should she tell Ba'atar yet, or should she wait? The decision was made to wait a few more beads.


Seventy-two. That told her much, and she smiled.

Going Visiting

Ba'atar asked if she had seen T'zuri. The question puzzled her somewhat, for she had been thinking of the young woman just a few days earlier. We should see about her, see if she is in need of anything with her mate gone. She had been thinking the same thing, but somehow with the boys and various other things going on in her life, she had been remiss in not following through. That would change.


The next morning, she was up and packing baskets. It was a new day, and she was on a mission. With the baby hanging from her back in the carrier, she was laden by two baskets when she approached the Ubar's wagons. Why was it that these wagons had a way of making her nervous? She laughs softly at a memory as she walked.

When she and Trilok were children, on a dare, they had run to the first fires, and lay a rock on the steps of the Ubar's wagon. They were running away, when Trajen stepped out from behind the wagon, and bellowed at them to stop! She will never forget how he towered over them, glowering down at them. At that moment, she had actually hoped that the ground would open up and swallow her. Somehow, they had managed to stammer out that they had only wished to leave gifts of rocks on his steps. He was Ubar after all, and people left him gifts. He did not find this amusing at all and told them to git, and git now! They did not have to be told twice. And that fear had somehow hung on in her memory. Since that time, she had only been near the Ubar's wagons once, and that was the night Sahli had been paying the bride price for Jaella. But today, as was said earlier, she was on a mission.

Approaching, she nodded to one of the slaves that seemed very busy, then asked for T'zuri. She was told that the Mistress was not here at the moment. Frowning, she still approached and saw an older woman there. She was not sure of her name, she had only heard Fonce call her Aunt once. With T'zuri not here, this would be the woman she would leave the baskets with. Lowering down beside where the woman was, she greeted her, then introduced herself. The old, dark eyes appraised her, then the woman allowed that she knew who Cana was. She was the honey woman. Laughing she had nodded. The old woman had tapped her shoulder for her to turn so she could see the baby. Shrugging out of the cradle board, she had taken the baby from its' confines and delivered it o the old woman. What is it about a baby that can soften the features of anyone?

As the woman held the child, she began to speak to her of her mission. She knew that Fonce was away, and had felt remiss at not seeking T'zuri out sooner. She had brought some small gifts for those of the Ubar's wagons. Lifting the covers off of one of the baskets, she revealed three jars of honey, that she asked be saved for Fonce when he returned. There was also some of her honey cakes that were to be shared by all, and several bags of her salty, honeyed nuts.

The other basket was for T'zuri, and contained more of the cakes and nuts, along with a small pouch of her treasured hard cinnamon discs, and two bottles of scented oils. The old woman rocked the baby as she looked into the baskets and nodded.

Cana then told her a message to be delivered to T'zuri. She wished for the woman to tell her she was missed at the central fire, and that she hoped to see her there soon. She also imparted her plans to ride out to see if the bee hives were in the same place, and would enjoy T'zuri's company if she had time to ride out with her. The woman promised to deliver the gifts and the messages.

In a way, she hated to leave, but she still had much to do. Settling the baby back into the carrier, she slipped it on and smiled to the woman, allowing that she had enjoyed the visit. The woman said nothing, simply nodded.

Walking away, she was smiling. She was concerned about Fonce, as they all were, but she did wish to try and connect with T'zuri, for she knew how lonely it could be with your mate gone.

The Brewing Storm

Sitting on the platform, her knees were drawn up, arms wrapped around them and her chin propped on one of the upturned knees. You could often see her in this position when she was deep in thought, as she was tonight. The events of the past few days marched through her memory, and she was trying to marshal them into some semblance of order.


The events at the fire, when Tarra had expressed her hurt and displeasure with her, still haunted her, and puzzled her. She had proclaimed that she had to find out about the baby's birth from an out rider. An out rider? She considered Rook much more than an outrider, and the night of the birth, he had gone to spread the word. Then there was talk of Loch's wishes. Lock had not made any statements about the baby. When she had told him, he had smiled, then drew his last breath.


So many things bothered her about that evening. But what truly bothered her the most was how emotional Tarra was. This was something new to her, she had never seen the woman this emotional. Even on the night her son did, she had not shown any emotion. The night his pyre was held, the woman had been stoic, not showing any outward signs of what she was feeling. But on that night, her emotions were in a fury, just as she was. Over all the time she had known Tarra, she had never seen her disrespect a warrior of the first wagons in the manner she did Ba'atar that evening, and that bothered her. She felt trapped in the middle between the man she loved, and the ones she considered family, and it was an uncomfortable spot to be in. Something was wrong, very, very wrong, and she had yet to puzzle out what exactly it was.


Later that evening, she and Ba'atar had talked about it. He told her to keep the baby near the wagons, and he would be the one to take him, and introduce him to his grandmother. She made him this promise. As much as she loved Tarra, she would not go against the wishes of her mate. Just as she would never have gone against Loch when he was alive. It was just how she was.


This was something that would have to be worked out between Ba'atar and Tarra, and she would not put herself in the middle of it. It did sadden her though, that the baby, which should be drawing them all closer, seemed to be casting them all asunder.


But will all the turmoil, there was some happiness, at least for her it was happiness. Kam had taken his great grandson, burned the sage and offered him again to the skies. It touched her, probably more than he knew, considering all that followed.


There was a storm brewing, a bad one, and she didn't know any other way to take shelter from it, but to stay close to the love her of mate. She had a feeling they would have to draw upon each other's strengths to weather what was ahead.