Moonspear after life

for the final babe: @Kaujimaq! family is also welcome, of course. ^_^

Sialuk had thought she was finished. The contractions slowed, and she could have sworn there was nothing left to do. She even exited the ulaq after a time to relieve herself and grab a drink of water, exhausted as she was. But as she headed back, she felt another sickening pull in her abdomen. She was not done. There was at least one more, and she hurried herself back to the quiet of the doe pelt where @Pie and @Pauk lay in the care of the others.

Her body heaved, and she pushed. It heaved again, and Sialuk pushed again, the pain pulsing through her every being. She bit down on a nearby branch—no doubt some gift from one of the other villagers—and pushed even harder. Finally, a third child. They wore a silver pelt with darker saddle markings.

The starwoman cleaned all three of her children, the third one born nearly two hours after the second. All of them perfect, she thought. For the first time since Argent's departure, she felt a glimmer of hope. Perhaps, things could get back to normal. Perhaps, her heart could find peace again. She had three new lives to focus on, and there was much room for them to grow.

She looked to @Acrux, knowing he had been through so much these past few months. These three new babes among them, she hoped would lift the spirits of all who Argent had left behind. Even after all this, Sialuk could not bring herself to tarnish his name. He had still done so much for her, Elentari, Maggak, and Acrux while he had been a part of the village. His memory would live on through the children he left behind, and Sialuk would always hold a special place in her heart for him.

Quietly, she began to hum a song to her three new babes, welcoming them to the world in her mother's tongue. Like their older siblings before them, they would learn the ways of the sunshine people. And they would know the ways of village Moonspear. They would have family beyond blood, and when nine months had passed, they would make their passage into the world of adulthood. That, of course, was far, far away.