Hushed Willows [m] kila ▹

Reina was enthralled in Kukutux’s lesson, taking in all that she could. Her mind reeled with questions, but she chose one as she realized she had no idea how to answer it for herself. It was something she never encountered before.

“I have a question—what if you do not feel movement? What if the mother tells you that she has not felt movement. What would one do for this?” She could remember the feeling of her siblings . It was strange to watch her mother’s belly change shape as the babes turned themselves, or when they stretched. It had haunted her as a child. She chuckled softly as she recounted the dreams—or, rather, nightmares—of thinking she had been pregnant, but odd creatures would burst from her belly. A child’s mind, she knew, ran wild, and was beyond imaginative, curious.