She was so big that it was becoming unbearable and her daily tantrums had only grown worse. She was a mess. She'd cry, scream, lash out, and calm only in the face of her sister, Tejasvi. She was more alone now than she had been before getting pregnant and that, of course, made things a lot worse as far as her mood was concerned.
But her state of pregnancy was coming to an end.
She was waddling across the leafy path towards the stream, intending to take a drink when the first of the contractions hit her. She'd been having them on and off for the past week now and every time they rippled through her she felt a stab of fear, a need to go and hide somewhere dark and quiet until it was over. But, they had passed and life had gone on as normal. Today, she figured, would be no different, so she ignored the sudden surge of pain and pushed on towards the stream.
She needed to drink!
Finally reaching her destination she lowered her head and slaked her thirst, growling with the pain in her abdomen. Ugh! She thought having children was going to be enjoyable but this was the opposite. She couldn't move, she felt the temperature, sickness grabbed her at every given opportunity!
Just let it be over!
The pain rippled through her again and, with a sudden realisation that had come too late, Horowai realised she was about to give birth.
"No! no, no, no, no. Not now. Come on, you little blighters, wait a moment for me to get back."
But it was not to be, the pain rendered her helpless and she only just managed to pull herself into a hollow in the roots of a tree before it truly began...
...
...Exhausted. She was exhausted. But she couldn't sleep yet. She wasn't in her den, wasn't safe until she was tucked away in the darkness. Neither were her little ones. Five. Five children to call her own. She blinked sleepily at them, wishing she could just rest her head and relax.
But her children...
She had mixed feelings about them.
It could have been worse. She reasoned with herself. You only had one boy and there was only one with his colourings. But already she could feel herself detaching from them. She knew it was cruel, knew a mother should never look away from her children because of colour of gender.
But already the boy meant little to her and so did that girl...the girl who looked so much like her father.
A tear ran down the side of her nose and she reached down to press it gently to the two children in question. Yes, she'd raise them until they were weaned, after that the boy would stay with the rest of the males and the girl...well the girl could make her own way in the world.
But first, before anything else, she had to name them. "With water." She murmered. "Your names will flow as water."
"Firstborn." She spoke to the boy. He had the dark blue colours of her own pelt and for that she could at least say she was proud. When he grew and bore children for the females he would pass on his colours and continue their line. "I'll call you Ryba."
She moved to her next, the grey female who looked so much like her father it set Horowai on edge. "Second born, you are Aysu."
Then the third, a cute little girl who bore Horowai's colours. She was dark and would be a Gasht, but she was a fine little one and a cub that she felt she could be proud of. "Third born, you are Kimaji."
The next cub, the fourth, was Horowai's favourite, her pride and joy. A good mother would not have had favourites, but Horowai could not help herself, for this girl was so bright in colour that it was possible she might rase to Rawal rank. If that was so then she had every reason to favour the girl - or in Horowai's mind in any case. "Little treasure, shining one, fourth born, I call you Shasa."
And the fifth, the other favourite. For this little girl reminded Horowai so much of her sister. Pride filled her heart as she reached down to touch the cub with her nose. "Littlest one of all, fifth born, you will be named Abihaiwani."
And with that done, Horowai gathered her strength and stood, seperating herself from the cubs that instantly began to mew in protest. "Hush, hush, we cannot stay here." And, as expected, she lifted little Shasa first, carrying her quickly to the den where she set her down, gave her a tender kiss and moved back to retrieve Abihaiwani, then Kimaji and finally...the boy and the grey.
Then, with a sigh, she curled around her children and drifted off to sleep, finding her dreams haunted by dancing children and the face of their father leering over them.
