Amora-Tae crouched down beside the mother, setting the back of her fingers against the woman's arm, her brown skin darkening as she panted heavily. She glanced over to the Keeper, who nodded urgently. Returning the gesture, she set her palm against the hot cheek of the mother, who would alternate between letting out a guttural growl and hissing through her teeth. Amora-Tae took a deep breath, urging a calming rush through her hands into the woman; not enough to remove her from the labor, just enough to focus her on the efforts as she pushed, mouth parting in a silent scream.
The Jir's two daughters, seven and sixteen, knelt behind Amora-Tae, uttering prayers to the All-Mother, Ortaea, while her son, a young man of nineteen, stood guard outside with a curved blade. The woman had made a nurse-home of the cave, as the women of their Clan often did, and her screams were almost certain to attract unwanted attention; already an easily-deterred pair of amber eyes had gleamed from the trees.
Now, the mother bared her fangs, lips pulling back into a snarl that could rival the nightstalkers creeping closer to her new den. Amora-Tae looked to the elderly woman, speaking in a hushed voice, "Tora-Wen, I cannot hold like this forever. When do I release her, Keeper?" She threw a look to the mouth of the cave, looking for any sign the boy only two years her elder had heard her.
It was another minute of snarls and gasps before the old woman spoke, "Now, Amora-Tae! She must do the rest on her own." Tora-Wen could see the exact moment Amora-Tae began to pull back her powers; the woman's fists pounded furiously against the furs she had piled, teeth parting and gnashing repeatedly as the pain increased. Finally, Tora-Wen could tell the mother was on her own. She pushed, muscles contracting as she gasped for breath, and with one final, massive effort, the child slid out into Tora-Wen's waiting hands, where it was quickly separated from the mother. The old woman held him up briefly, taking in his wailing body before passing him up to the sweating woman.
For the first time since her younger daughter had been sent to fetch Amora-Tae and the Keeper, the mother spoke the traditional words for welcoming a child. "Ortaea, watch over this Jir, brought into Sauruld in your name. From this day forth, he will serve you in your plan, All-Mother, in whatever roles your ultimate will sees fit." With that, the mother nestled the small baby into her chest, brushing her knuckles against the red-brown skin of the infant. "Hush, little one. Mother will protect you. Come now, let's see those siiral, my sweet." She slipped two fingers carefully into the baby's mouth, propping it open to see the two tusks protruding from her upper jaw. She released the child's mouth, nestling him close to nurse as she ran a hand over the fuzz atop the small head.
Amora-Tae rose slowly, sending a numbing pulse down to her knees, stiff from the cold stone floor. "I must return to the Clan. Bring the child forth if he makes the first night, and we will hold the celebrations." She turned and walked out of the cave into the darkness, nodding to the woman's son as he saluted her passing.
Glancing up at the trees towering high above her, the short ones easily five meters tall, Amora-Tae let her shoulders relax. The child had seemed healthy, and, come tomorrow, the son would not again speak of the way she had soothed his mother, if he even knew. Almost none of the men in the Clan, nor did any members of neighboring Clans, knew what she could do. Her parents simply knew the mothers preferred her for births. Lamruk-Ral was the only male whom she had told, and even then she had not told him so much as she had held her friend calm and steady when the Keeper had removed an arrow from his side.
Amora-Tae walked through the dense jungle for at least twenty minutes before she reached the Clan, but she could feel the eyes of scouts on her well before. None of them approached her, of course; she had every reason to come and go as she pleased without being questioned. None of them had to know what she had done for the mother, only that she had been called upon to serve her Clan.
When she reached the edge of the camp, her parents stood facing away from her, and Amora-Tae was hesitant to approach them just yet and interrupt their moment. However, a massive Jir beat her to it; carrying his equally impressive blade, he lumbered up to her parents, clapping a hand on her father's shoulder. Satisfied she would not cause the interruption, Amora-Tae stepped forward briskly, bringing her right fist to her heart in a salute. Her elders nodded to her and she relaxed slightly, glancing over to her father's best friend. "Ysral, Thagorn-Ral, where are Kamdul-Ral and Lamruk-Ral?"
The giant jerked his shaved head toward his hut, running his free hand over his thick, coarse black beard. "In bed already, Amora-Tae; you all have to be up early tomorrow." He set a massive hand on her shoulder, saluted her parents, turned, and lumbered off toward his hut.
Amora-Tae turned her head to her father, loose dark purple hairs falling around her face while the bulk of her braid thudded lightly against her back. "Why, father? What's tomorrow?" She tilted her head, glancing between him and her mother.
A sly grin crept across Ra-Tae's face, setting off both apprehension and excitement in Amora-Tae. "Well," the older woman began, "your father and I assumed you would like to come with the war party to clear out the garrison tomorrow." She reached forward and swept the flying hairs behind her daughter's ear, watching the smile spread across Amora-Tae's lips.
Amora-Tae nodded eagerly, "Yes mother, I would be very happy to! When do we leave? Can Rasa come?" Amora-Tae realized she had not seen her cat the entire day, save for when she woke up; the delivery had taken longer than most Jir births did, from sunrise until almost midnight. Fortunately for the mother, the baby only had to make it through that night before they would be welcomed into the Clan again.
Gaul-Tae nodded gently, "Yes, of course Rasa can come, my cub. Faro would miss her too dearly otherwise." He winked at his wife, refrencing her own treestalker. "Now go, get some rest, we leave at dawn." He set a large palm over his daughter's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. His mate set one hand against her swollen belly, running the other against her daughter's face.
Amora-Tae leaned into her mother's hand for a second before stepping back slightly, a soft smile playing across her lips. "Well, I had better head to bed. I will see you tomorrow." She stepped past her parents toward their hut, leaving them standing close together, three hands cradling her future sibling.
Amora-Tae ducked into their spacious hut, an excited trilling coming from her right side. Amora-Tae grinned and hurried to her pile of furs on the floor, dropping to her knees beside the massive cat, lounging on its back on her makeshift bed. Amora-Tae ran her hand through the black-green fur of its stomach while it thumped a massive carmine paw against her shoulder. "Get off your tail, Rasa, I need to sleep too!" Amora-Tae gave the treestalker a hefty shove, rolling her onto her side. Amora-Tae settled in beside the cat, facing her and draping a thick arm over her rib-cage while the cat returned the gesture, tossing a mammoth forelimb over Amora-Tae and nestling close as though nuzzling into her own mother.
Amora-Tae's hands shot up, left hand burying itself in the hair of the face hovering above her, right hand clamped tight over the mouth, careful of the two particularly large pairs siiral. Her right knee came up instinctively, landing one fast blow to the body's side before planting itself in their chest. Amora-Tae opened her eyes and found herself staring up at Lamruk-Ral, could feel his grin spread under her hand. She rolled her eyes and released him, shoving him away. "When will you learn? You've yet to sneak up on me, no matter how often you try." Amora-Tae hauled herself to a sitting position shoving Rasa with her left hand, "and some guard you are, Rasa!"
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The cat yawned lazily, licking her paw and drawing it over her ear. Lamruk-Ral let out a hearty laugh, bringing a smile to Amora-Tae's face. "Ah, come on Amora-Tae! I'll get you eventually, I have to!" He dropped back to sit beside his friend, fingers playing mindlessly with the furs in front of him.
Amora-Tae stretched slowly, twisting to crack her back as she came fully awake. "Well, then, next time don't breathe. Or bathe, first." She punched her friend in the shoulder, standing from her furs. "Where is Kamdul-Ral? Who all is coming in the party?" She nudged Rasa gently with her heel, urging the giant to her feet, before stepping past Lamruk-Ral to her bag full of clothes. Trusting him not to look, and not exactly caring if he did, she pulled the wrinkled cloth shirt over her head, wrapping a fur-padded linen cloth around her chest and slipping on the metal breastplate over it. "Buckle me."
Lamruk-Ral rose and stood behind her, pulling the chest piece's straps taut around her and buckling the single strap over her left shoulder. "There. The three of us, our parents, a couple of the senior warriors, and the Fen brothers are going. I heard whispers of Senres-Hal coming as well, but I'm not sure. Get ready, I'm going to check on the others." He clapped Amora-Tae on the shoulder before turning and ducking his wide frame through the flaps of the tent.
Once he was gone, Amora-Tae made quick work of changing from the loose linen pants she had worn the full day prior and into her leather skirt. She took a quick moment to flatten the leather flaps covering her before clicking her tongue to summon Rasa and grabbing her own pair of axes from beside her bags. She strode out into the open, taking in the scene in front of her: Jir bustled around, almost all wearing leather or iron armor, the males with nothing over their heavily muscled torsos as the Clan worked to prepare the raid on their own garrison. Amora-Tae slipped past Jir, making her way to her parents in the center of everything.
Her mother came into view first, one hand over her belly, the other on her mate's shoulder. It can't be long now, two months, at the most, Amora-Tae thought cheerfully. She stopped beside them, bringing her fist to her chest in salute. When her parents nodded at her, she set her arm and axe back at her side, glancing around at the gathering Jir. "When do we leave?" Rasa rubbed against Amora-Tae's parents, shoving her massive head between them, a deep purr booming from her sturdy chest.
Gaul-Tae turned his face toward the Keeper's hut, weak sunlight bouncing off his several scars. "As soon as the Keeper is ready. The Reader has seen tragedy in the entrails, so both will come with the war party, and those who stay here will be on high guard." He patted Rasa between her shoulders before running a hand the size of Amora-Tae's head over his beard, done by his mate into a secure braid to match the one trailing down his back.
Amora-Ta nodded grimly, sending a quick prayer to the All-mother for safety. Before she could finish, a high-pitched scream tore from the forest behind her, and she felt herself take off in the direction of it, Rasa on her heels. Moments later, another screech followed, one that chilled Amora-Tae to her core, one she felt down to the bones in her toes. One of a mother.
Amora-Tae, Lamruk-Ral, Kamdul-Ral, and Senres-Hal tore through the forest, Senres-Hal constantly fighting to pull ahead of Amora-Tae. Behind them, Amora-Tae could head the thunder of her Clan, could feel the Fen brothers catching up. Nodding to Lamruk-Ral and Kamdul-Ral, Amora-Tae whistled at Rasa, who pulled up beside her Jir and matched her pace. Amora-Tae passed each of her friends an axe before leaping onto Rasa bareback. She caught her weapons when the brother and sister threw them back, and Rasa peeled off, leaving a growling Senres-Hal in her dust.
Even on her treestalker, it was another five minutes before Amora-Tae found the mother. Rasa had smelled them first, and dropped to a trot, then a walk, as they drew close. When Amora-Tae could see them between the trees, she dismounted Rasa, glancing up at the trees; the stench of blood hung thick and metallic in the air, certain to draw unwanted attention. Amora-Tae held her arms out at her side as she approached, moving slowly toward the sobbing mother, bent over a shape in her lap.
"What's wrong? Who is hurt?" Amora-Tae did her best to keep her voice calm and steady, but as she got closer, she could see the blood pooling under the mother's knees, and a long arrow beside her.
The mother's head shot up, teeth bared as she clutched her child. "Get away!" Her words came out in a quick snarl, right hand flying to the ground in front of her to grab a jagged knife, a mean serrated thing for deadly blows.
Amora-Tae crouched low to the grass, quickly strapping her axes onto her back. "Tell me what's wrong. I am Amora-Tae of the Treestalker Clan. This is Rasa." She extended one hand to the cat, who strode forward, taking her place beside her Jir. "Tell us what happened. Let me help," Amora-Tae implored.
Looking defeated, the mother dropped the blade beside her lap, shoulders sagging as she ran her hands over her child's head. "They shot him, shot him down like a deer. An arrow through his gut, as if he were just... nothing. Not a boy, not a living breathing thing. Shot him like he was nothing." She didn't move as Amora-Tae and Rasa sidled up to her, the large cat shimmying her head under the lad's arm. He gripped her thick fur loosely, head lolling to the side to look at the treestalker. Blood bubbled up around his mouth when he tried to speak, gurgling the only sound he made.
Amora-Tae placed a hand softly on the mother's knee, throwing a cautious glance over her shoulder. The others would be here in mere minutes, but the boy would not last that long anyway. "Who? Who shot your son?" Amora-Tae asked, though the sinking pit in her stomach told her she already knew, her grandmother's voice scolding her for such a stupid question.
The mother didn't answer right away, her voice small and bitter once she found it. "Vilejaws." She spat on the ground when she spoke the name.
Amora-Tae bit back a growl, keeping her eyes on the boy and Rasa, who lapped gently at his head. Of course it was them, are you dumb? Born with a stone for a brain? Who else would it be? This arrow likely held their poison, before this lad held the arrow. Amora-Tae heard her grandmother's voice scold her in her mind. Amora-Tae pushed back against it and, throwing one last look over her shoulder, let a pulse of calm flow from her fingers to the mother.
At first, the woman looked as though she might resist. Shock bloomed over her features, thick black brows furrowing and her already flattened nose scrunching up in confusion. Then, though, her face relaxed significantly as Amora-Tae's magics seeped into her bones. When Amora-Tae gestured to the dying boy, asking permission, the woman gave a gentle, slow nod.
Amora-Tae ran her hand over the boy's frizzy hair a few times before settling her palm against his scalp. She shut her eyes and let the calm wash over the boy. His body fell slack against Rasa, his pulse slowing as his grip on the cat's fur loosened significantly. Amora-Tae kept her voice low, sweat already beginning to form along her hairline, "I cannot heal him, but I can make sure he will not feel anything but calm when he goes."
The mother, a Jir Amora-Tae realized she did not recognize from any neighboring Clan, nodded solemnly. "That is all I can ask." She ducked her head and rubbed her son's arm gently, muttering prayers to the All-Mother for his safekeeping.
In the long minutes it took for the boy to die, Amora-Tae tried not to think about the strange, ashen tone of his skin. When he was gone, she gave the mother a silent nod, hauling herself to her feet and using Rasa as a support. Calming the boy, shielding him from so much pain, had taken a lot out of her, but she was sure he had not felt anything after, and that was what mattered to her. "If you'd like, my father is Guider of the Treestalker Clan," Amora-Tae began awkwardly, digging a hand into Rasa's fur for comfort. "I could arrange a burial, for your son. Or an escort home. Where are you from?"
The woman paled at the mention of an escort and quickly shook her head. "No," she said in a hard voice that set a flag off in Amora-Tae's head, before continuing in a gentler tone, "no, we won't need that much. I doubt your father would send us with an escort on a boat. I... I suppose I don't know what I will do from here." She looked up as Lamruk-Ral and Kamdul-Ral came quietly through the trees, Senres-Hal following much more loudly. She placed herself swiftly between the three and the body of her child, a snarl coming slowly to her lips.
Amora-Tae held up her hands, one toward each party, and spoke evenly. "Calm, they're with me. Lamruk-Ral, Kamdul-Ral, and Senres-Hal, of the Treestalker Clan." She gestured to each Jir as she named them, turning her brown gaze to the mother. "So, what will we do?"
The mother lifted her son's body, arrow and all, and looked Amora-Tae in the eye. "I suppose we shall see your father."