She had to settle down. Thinking back to her last pregnancy when she had became so upset, and had put her baby in jeopardy due to it, she knew she had to calm down. Nothing was worth getting so upset over that she lost her babies. Babies. She was still trying to get her head around that thought, twins, two babies, more than one. The very thought of it made her smile.
Gathering her wits about her, she continued with her work until late in the afternoon. There was so much going on. Pregnant mares to be tended to, foals to be ringed, older beasts to be checked on, then there was the training that needed to be done. She spent a great deal of time with members of the clan discussing all of these things, and assigning tasks. She had a very good relationship with her clan. Many of them could remember her from when she was a child following her father around the pens like a sleen pup. They had watched her grow and most had respect for the way she had with the animal. Of course, it was human nature that there were others that did not always agree, but that is what makes life interesting. She always tried to spend extra time with these, listening to their points of view, and explaining her own. Sometimes, they did have a better way of doing something, and she was not so unbending as to not see that, and give it a chance.
She ended her day at the pens by checking on Tone again. She had to laugh. Poor Ba'atar and his luck with pregnant females. He would never admit that Noya may have simply out ridden him that night, poor Tone would bear the brunt of that loss, but that was fine, they now knew why she was a little skittish of the jumps on the course. Maybe the mare was smarter than they gave her credit for.
Slow steps took her back to their wagons, and she had to admit that she was weary. A smile lifted as she saw her boys gathered around Rook, listening to one of his stories. She lowered to one of the wagon steps to listen as well. Two was asleep, so it was Also that climbed into her lap to lean against her and listen. Soon she felt Another One move closer, his grimy little hand moving to lay on her skirt, gathering the soft leather into his grasp, working little fingers just to rub it back and forth. He had always done that, it seemed to be a comfort to him, and why would she take that from him? She allowed her gaze to lay on her eldest son. She knows that he has had a busy day, and one that surely brought some questions and some answers. In that particular moment, it almost took her breath away to see how much he looked like Tayco. Bittersweet memories flood through her for a time, bringing a smile and a mist of tears, but she says nothing.
Rook's low, rumbling voice was almost hypnotic in his telling of the story. It was not so much the story that held her there, but the simple time spent with her sons, and the old warrior that had become such a fixture in their lives. When the story was finished, all of the larls dead, all of the warriors heroes, she had smiled. One had stood up and told his brothers that it was time to clean up for their evening meal. The other two only hesitated briefly. Even in her own little Or of warriors, there was a commander and a pecking order. Each of the boys kissed her cheek, received a hug, then pounded small fingers to their throats in salute to the elder Oralu and almost marched away, right up to the point where suddenly they broke into a run, to see who could get to their wagons first. Watching she laughed and shook her head as One ran past Another, picked him up and held his little kicking, laughing form, until Also could overtake them and win the all important race. Now, that was brotherly love, wasn’t it?
As she sat on that platform she simply watched the activity around her, saying little. That was one thing about Rook, they did not always feel the need for constant chatter. It was in this moment, that she came to the realization, that the things that had happened earlier in the day, were not the most important things in her life. The disappointment was still there, but the anger had flowed out of her in the course of her work. The situation could not be helped at this point, and for her to waste precious energy worrying over it, was the classic exercise in futility. What was more important was this. This time spent with her family, watching her sons grow into little men. Everything else pales in comparison.
Her hand moves to lay on her middle and her voice is soft when she speaks to tell Rook of the twins. The old man threw his head back and laughed, then leaned over to hug her, to tell her …….. Daughter, you have done well. A soft laugh comes from her, finally someone that admitted that it was not all Ba'atar, that she had a small part in it too.
All things considered, it had turned out to not be such a bad day after all.
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