Dragoncrest Cliffs i love the sensual

Some instinct in Sobo drove him from his usual haunts to the edges of the lake, where he restlessly prowled and peeled bark from the willow trees. Spring was still a ways off and there was little on offer for remedies in the cold season. He made a mental note to collect and dry everything he could for next year; Coraline's injury and now Erzulie's labor were both stressful with no stores.

He stored most of what he gathered in small caches along the lake, but took one soft strip with him to the den. He wedged it in his jaws behind a stick wrapped in salt-caked kelp. It wasn't much, and he had no idea if it held any power, but he had whispered to the loa and offered sea fare in hopes they would bestow their blessing on his totem.

He arrived when both children had been delivered and sensed his maman's pain as though it rippled in the air. Sobo dropped his bundle and thrust the totem into the earth near the den's entry. Protect dem all, he told it. Then he made a low sound in his throat and pushed the willow bark toward the entrance. Erzulie would know what to do with it, but for good measure, the boy instructed, chew for de pain. It be all I have.

Then he settled himself outside the den to await the arrival of his family. He was especially vigilant for Njord and his blushing Barbie bride; Sobo was still angry for the thoughtless way his father had treated him and his siblings where Meerkat was concerned, and in some twisted stroke of retribution, intended to deny them both the joy of this event by brusquely sending them away. They had plenty of their own to celebrate.

A sister and a brother. Sobo loved them already, and meant to ensure that the latter in particular was valued and loved even more than his little sister, who would have Sapphique's blessing by default.