Chapter two
Ok. The story of Vot. Let me start from the beginning. The very beginning.
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In the years of 142, there was a small little village with the name of Terache near Ghateh forest. It held a fair number of people, at least a hundred or so, with most being Creatures and a number of Taurains families living there as well. This being the Kentarian Kingdom, one of the most accepting lands in all of Taren, there was little strife about the different Races. People of the Kentarain Kingdom were accepting of different Races.
However, that was not to say they never argued, far from it in fact. They argued like any people would do in the contact of others. They just didn't argue on Races.
It was mid summer, and the small village was dealing with the pitter patter of little paws running here and there. Or in the case of Jer, the latest Taurain to be born, galloping around despite the village elders and villagers complaining about the chaotic manner he left in his wake. His parents, proud local smiths, took care of the issue when they could, but it usually fell to the white mountain lion Creature named Merzan.
Along with her mate, local tailors, would take care of the youths when their parents were too busy at the moment. They could do so as they had no youths of their own to be concerned for as of yet.
For you see, Merzan was showing signs of expecting her own litter. There had been celebrating for the couple when the local healer had told them the news. Despite what the healer and her mate Trastin pleas not overextend herself with the shop and youths, she still kept an eye over the youths from time to time. She didn't go down and into the shop, though, her mate made it clear that she was not allowed to be until she gave birth to their kids.
After a week of sleeping on floor, she relented and allowed him back up in the house.
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…Ah yes, I see that was not particularly clear. Well, you see, their shop like many of the other villagers served as their home. They would run their wares and trades on the ground level and they would live above it.
Now where was I… Ah yes, yes. Thank you.
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She was taking care of two youths at the time, young and hyper Jer –who was told many times not to get Merzan involved in a game of chase- and a three season old Creature named Trin. They were playing in the fields behind all the shops and Merzan was watching them with her sharp feline eyes. She was content, her hand trailing her swelling stomach. By winter, the healer said, she would have her first litter. As mountain lion, she deeply enjoyed the snow and was overjoyed to have her cubs be born into the winter. The snow also allowed her and her mate to run around in their furs without fear of being spotted and….
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Ah-em. Sorry about that kids. Now please do me a favor and do not tell your parents that part of the story, ok?
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Blushing from that thought, she grunted as she felt another kick. Her cubs were getting very feisty lately, but she was not worried. She had heard all cubs did that when they were inside-
She grunted as a particularly strong kick sent her bending over in pain.
"Miss Merzy, are you ok?" She looked up to see Trin with a very concerned face. He still had problem pronouncing her full name, his tongue not yet trained properly. Jer also looked concerned and very cute too, with all those twigs and grass blades in his fur. She was sure if he could talk now, he would ask the same thing.
"Yes, just fin-" She let out a shout of pain as she fell to the ground, that followed by a splashing sound. "Go get Trastin now!" Yelling for the first time, the two cubs bound past her and dove into the shop to get the older Creature.
He soon came out, with pins falling from his mouth as he muttered under his breath and the measuring tape nearly falling off his shoulders as he ran, and knelt to pick up his wife.
Only to be yelled to get the damn healer, Confused, he told the cowering cubs to run, and get the healer as fast as they could, and tell her that Mezran was –
And then he was yelled at again and told the cubs just to get the damn healer. The cubs, scared by this outburst, bolted off to the healer's house leaving the couple alone.
Trastin stayed there, knelt down and trying to comfort his wife. However, he was in luck because his mate's screaming was very unusual and caused many of the women around the tailor shop to stick out their heads out to snoop on the couple. They then quickly realized the situation and descended onto the scene, offering help to Merzan and shooing away Trastin, until the healer would come to help.
It took a very short time, longer to the expecting couple of course, for the healer to reach the front of the tailor shop where a pacing Trastin was waiting.
"My goodness, Trastin, what are you doing here? Why are you not with Merzan?" She snapped, using her free paw to shoo him back into the shop and using her medicine bag to gently encourage him to move faster.
"But they, the women, they told me-" Trastin, normally a calm and collective Creature, was really panicking, pushing his sleeves up and down as he walked back to the back.
"Don't be a daft cub, she would be wanting you with her now." She continued to push the tall man, shaking her head in irritation. He was suppose to be a smart Creature. The two adults entered the back of the shop and was standing on back porch.
Instantly, all the women surrounding Merzan give him a deadly glare that nearly sent him back into his shop. The small healer, grunted at this, shoved her way past the frightened man and started to shoo away the people around Merzan.
"But healer," One woman said, dodging a kick from the increasingly annoyed healer. "We saw that Merzan was-"
"Silence girl!" She snapped as knelt down near the panicking woman. "None of ye had the right to send Tras' away. Only I has that right. Now scat!" She shouted, sending the women cowering behind Trastin and the shop.
Sending a glare to the only male in the location, she told him to lend his paw to his mate. Quite colorfully, in fact, enough to shave off a season off his life.
Muttering under her breath, the healer was greatly worried. None of the births she delivered in her experience has been this early and lived. That would be a true shame for the couple, any couple in fact, this young.
Muttering commands to Merzan, she was worried on how to brake the news of tragedy of all the lost cubs, when she saw something that puzzled her. It was a head, yes, but it was fully developed.
This was too soon, you see, for a Creature's cub to be fully developed and ready to meet the world.
The healer, confused, but dedicated to her duty, continued to tell Merzan to push, the cub was nearly here. Trastin, who heard somehow past the pain of his paw being crushed by his mate, gave Merzan a confused look before it was back to a painful look.
After a few more minutes, or hours depending on who was asked, a little cub's scream was heard. Trastin, ears perked for the other of his cubs screams, met his mate's confused look when they did not hear them.
The healer, wrapping the cub in one of the blankets she brought with her, stood and carried the cub to the couple. As soon as they saw, they understood.
"Fate seems to have blessed you two." She said, handing the little cub to Merzan. Instantly, she took the cub, -her cub- and began to rock it back and forth. "I ain't had any experience with delivering his Race, and luck blessed me as well for this to be an easy birth." She sat and leaned on the post supporting the roof of the porch. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a bottle of wine that she saved for herself when she had finished a birthing. Looking upwards, pausing before she stared chugging away as she always did afterwards, she glared at fawning women that were eager to rush and see the little cub to keep them away.
"He?" Trastin asked, looking away from his cub.
"Yes, he." She grinned, flashing a smile. "Your little boy Angel."
"Vot."
"What was that dear?" Trastin turned his head back to his mate, already feeding the little cub.
"Vot. I want to name him Vot." She smiled, holding her little cub close to her body. "My little Vot, the Angel."
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And I will continue next time little ones.