After singing the Norse funeral song, I needed to be alone for a little bit.  Coran ran to my side as I walked back to the house I've been using.  I think she realized my mood, because she didn't say anything.

Jennifer had a horrible day.  Quadruplets without any anesthetic, and only a few home remedies that barely worked.  That girl suffered more than anyone should ever have to.

I know Greta told me that the children not making it is normal, but I am having trouble accepting it.  I walked through the door, and lay down on the furs making a bed.  After I calmed down some I felt Coran rest her hand on my back.

"This is hard for you isn't it?"  She asked, barely more than a whisper.

"Yes.  On top of the two girls, we almost lost Jennifer several times today.  The only reason we didn't was because I somehow knew what to do."

"I learned a lot today, and the five of us can help better next time."

"Yeah, but what makes me nervous is when it's time for you three do be in that position,  who can help you?  I know that I will be just as much of a mess as Greg was today."

Coran leaned down and kissed me lightly on the cheek, "Jesse, you leave that worry to us.  You have been 'asleep' for a long time.  And it's time for you to get ready for your feast, old man." She said teasing me.

~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~

I had never seen or heard of the things that boy did.  We women have born the burden of childbearing on our own for as long as I could remember.  I was glad that we lessened Jennifer's pain.  

I have given birth twice, and I know what it's like.  I want nothing to do with what that poor girl went through.  Once Jennifer was handed her new daughter, Jesse told her about the name Independence, and she quickly gave the name to the girl.  But then pain showed on her face, and Jesse handed the girl to Coran, and sat back at Jennifer's feet, and said another one was coming.  

After the son was born, Jesse asked about how children were usually presented, so we al told him, and in the rare cases of multiples like this, the youngest was presented first.  He then told Jennifer a few things about cleanliness, some things we already knew.  And then he had Gina use her needle and thread.  And spoke to all of us about why it was important.  

I'm really glad Coran was allowed to go on that trip this morning.  We now have another Matron for our village.  

~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~

After hearing Jesse's song, I ran after him.  I felt like it wasn't just for those two girls, but also for himself.  It was his first day awake in a world he knew nothing about.  The feeling in his words could be heard easily.  

I wanted to comfort him.  I wanted to ease this burden that I'm responsible for.  I know that my presence is why he woke up.  I pulled him out of that dream he was in, and exposed him to this cruel, dying world.  

When we got back to our house, he let himself fall into the bed, and buried his face into the pillow, and I heard him cry.  I know we just met, and married today, and he probably doesn't even think of me in an intimate way, but I leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek as only a wife is allowed.

I might be the third wife, but I was his guardian first.  Cassie can scold me later, I don't care anymore.  I climbed into the bed and curled up to him, if only to give him comfort.  An hour or so later, just as the last of the sun disappeared, Casie and Gina came in; when they saw me like that, they didn't speak, and just joined us.  In a short time we all fell asleep, none of us had the energy left for the birthday feast.  

As the sun rose, the Scout's horn sounded through the woods.  Another tribe had come into our territory.  The horn that called back was from the Nixa Tribe.  They had a few more women than we did, but no matrons, and we now had two.

I needed to get Jesse ready to go outside the walls, as the future chief, he would be required to be present for any negotiations, and he is an elder,  even if he doesn't want that revealed.

~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~

Coran pulled me out of bed shortly after the two horns blasted me awake.  The girls darted pulling me through the village, and they all changed their hairstyle so that their new earnings were displayed.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

When we arrived at the poor excuse for a gate, I realized why, a trading group had arrived.  Cassie started walking in front of me, and Gina explained that it was because it was her job to introduce me to the Nixa Tribe.

Wait.  Nixa, that word, it's from the Midwest, If my hunch is right, then their tribe is south, and slightly West from us.

As the four of us approached the new arrivals I sat on the ground behind Cassie's father and listened to the two gentlemen talk about various plants they had found, and then a mutual warning about a heavy red fruit that grew on a vine.

I asked Cassie to explain what they meant.  Apparently over the time I have been asleep, some Tomatoes had become wild, and an old recessive gene had let some of the plants turn into their poisonous cousin: Nightshade.

I saw the man pull a strawberry out of a pouch and said that he had managed to find a patch of the little things.  Through the discussion I figured out that this little fruit hadn't been seen in at least a generation.  So at this point I spoke up.

"May I see that?"  I asked, the man looked upset until the three girls set one of their hands on me.  His eyes flicked straight to their ears, and the rage that had been in his eyes disappeared.

"If you bite it, you agree to trade two women for one of them." He said as he handed it to me.  I made a show of keeping it far from my mouth as I nonchalantly picked the seeds off of it.

Trading women for a fruit, and one that is easy to grow.  I think not!  I hand the fruit back, half the seeds now missing from it.

"Something this trivial is not worth trading a dog for."  I retorted.  The men in front of me looked to question me for a moment, but with a quick shake of her head, Gina signaled not to question at the moment.  She had seen what I had done.  Greta and Jennifer, who shouldn't be out of bed, repeated my sentiment in nicer words.

"Young one, why are you present in this? You can't be out of your thirteenth year yet." He said.  I had been told about this while helping Jennifer deliver her children.  He was challenging her position in the Tribe.  But it was Greta who spoke up.

"Chuck, you have known me for a long time," he nodded. "I've been a Second Matron since my daughter Gina was born." She pointed at the girl on my left, then back to Jennifer on her right.  "As of yesterday, this is Fourth Matron Jennifer."

The man's eyes went wide as he looked at Jennifer seated in the chair.

"I have never seen her before, and now you tell me she is a Fourth Matron?"

"She gave birth to four little ones yesterday.  Only a boy and a girl made it past the night."  The man in front of me said.   Chuck's eyes went wide, and I could tell he didn't believe them.  Guess it's my turn again.

"Matron Jennifer allowed my wives an I into her home, to try something to ease her childbirth.  It worked, however, she should still be in bed."  I said while turning to look at her.

The man stood up, signaling the end of the negotiations, everything that had been discussed would then be carried out.  As we closed the gate behind us, I saw the look in Chuck's eyes: greed.  It seems some things haven't changed.

I looked at Cassie, as her father was the chief, which I had learned during the negotiations, "Cassie, is there a way to get people to fix that gate, before the day is out?"  She looked at it, then to me, but it was Gina who spoke.

"Father, our husband wishes to fix the gate, can you spare some carpenters for him."

Gina's father didn't speak, he made a quick motion with his hand and six men appeared in front of me, I hadn't even seen them approach.  The three girls drug me back to the gate and Gina asked me to point out where the gate was wrong.

As the men started to work I noticed that all their tools were stone.  So we couldn't do any fine carpentry in a short amount of time, but we could greatly improve things.

In two hours a solid wooden gate hung where pieces of scrap wood had been.  The men even fell a log and shaved it down to fit in the blocks I had shown them, none of the weapons I had seen earlier would be able to breach this gate.  

I had this horrible feeling that my second night in this town was going to be a lot less enjoyable.