Alfinians Rise

Beast

I was almost ten when Kelin was born. It was a hard labor as there were no doctors nearby, and he had been turned the wrong way, his feet coming out first. I remember my mother screaming for hours on end, on the brink of unconsciousness many times before finally, tiny shrill cries erupted into the air, and my mother's screams turned to moans of pain mixed with a burst of weak joyful laughter. 

I remember running into the room in the abandoned home, rushing to my mothers' side where she held him. His white hair shone brightly, his face speckled with red bumps and a strange cord popping out of his body. He was the weirdest-looking creature I'd ever seen all red and covered in blood. He looked like a monster. After many precious moments shared, my mother called me closer and asked me to help her. She instructed me on the ways how to cut off the cord as my hands shook violently, not quite understanding what was happening. But after it was all said and done, I remember my mother praised me saying, "That's my little firebird".

That's when it happened. She collapsed. 

Panicked, I recall I clutched the baby to my chest and ran to find help. Racing beneath the glowing leaves of the trees, I knocked on every door I could get to, screaming and sobbing for help while Kelin wailed in my arms. 

But it was no use. Nobody came. Defeated, I returned to the abandoned house to find my mother cold and motionless. I don't know how long I laid by her body sobbing, it could've been hours, days even. But eventually, I got up. I began to wander aimlessly through the trees, a shell of the child that I used to be.

 What do I do now? Mom's gone. How am I supposed to take care of this baby and myself? My chest felt numb and empty all at once. The pain to unbearable to put into words. Almost as if someone had shoved their arm inside my body, and torn out a chunk of my spine or a piece of my soul, and yet by some miraculous miracle, I continued to live. 

I don't remember how long I wandered aimlessly, my bare feet getting cut up from the stick littered ground before I found myself standing on a wide sandy shore. I raised my head to see the wide glowing waters and for a moment, wondered if it would be easier to just jump in. End the meaningless suffering now. 

But I looked down just in time for beautiful yellow eyes to open, and for the first time in my life, I truly felt breathless. I knew that no matter what I would protect this child with my life. 

"If this is going to work, you're going to need a name. I can't just call you baby." I said proudly to the child, staring up at me. I was well aware that he had no idea what I was saying but sought comfort in the idea that maybe, just maybe, he did. I thought really long and hard about it, sitting on the bank of the river while I contemplated it until finally, it came to me. "I'm going to call you Kelin," I whispered down to the tiny human, only to have my efforts rewarded with a soft cooing sound. 

I smile, obviously lost in thought. It's been quite some time since I reflected on that day for many reasons. One was that while it was the best day because I got Kelin, it was also the worst day of my life because I was a child alone in the world who suddenly had to deal with not only the loss of her sole parent but now face the prospect of raising another child themself. It's no wonder I had forgotten the details. 

"Hey, snap out of it," Xayben whispers harshly, pulling me from the depths of my own mind. I shake my head, clearing my head as I refocus on my surroundings. 

"Sorry, zoned out for a minute there." I shrug, turning my back away from the river. I can feel his eyes tracking my movements as I walk towards the river, peering into it's vibrant waters where a soft reflection of myself rippling across the surface. 

It's no surprise that I didn't recognize this place immediately. My mother and I traveled so much, going from city to city to find the newest, best paying customers for herself, that I often didn't even pay attention to what town we were in or near. Nor did I stick around here for long after Kelin's birth.