Lion Head Mesa 'iizala

in the unexplored part of akashingo, jawahir writhed in silence. the queen labored in her bedroom, no doubt attended by the others. 

but there would be no such aid for jawahir.

it was near lightless in the catacombs. they brought their first child into the world. but the newborn did not move. it was a disappointment. it was a relief. 

more agony. jawahir sweltered in the stony recesses. their throat compressed the whines and cries that wished badly to be uttered. another unmoving child. they pushed both bodies away and delivered a third. 

this time the child did move. jawahir hesitated before stripping the birth membranes from nose and mouth. a loud squall echoed through the tunnels. they shushed the babe and pulled the pup closer, eyes closing as the contractions began again.

when all had been said and done, jawahir panted weakly. two living children nestled beside their shrunken frame. and six dead had been shoved into the shadows. in time they rose and sought a crevice farther from those who would not rise again, a stitch of space in the very floor of the catacombs where the breathing children were tucked away from all eyes against jawahir's exhausted flank. one name swam to mind before the hebsut slept.

@Zakariya