Dawn's Fire, book 2 of the Dawn Fire trilogy

Chapter 10; Milk for Baby Lukas

Chapter 10

Milk for Baby Lukas

   After they had all eaten their breakfasts they quickly packed up and headed out for the fifth day of their journey. Though Julianna’s popped blisters sent out sharp stabs of pain with every step she took and her back and shoulders ached constantly from carrying her baby brother, she could not help but smile as she looked at her little sister where she sat in front of Brave Bear. Kristina squirmed about trying to find a comfortable position to sit which did not place any pressure on the tender wounds left from the rattlesnake bite. But by the way she constantly fidgeted it looked to be a hopeless cause.

   “Oh Kristina,” Julianna said with a giggle at the increasingly frustrated pout on the little girl’s face. “Try and sit still.” Merethe and Hilde who walked beside Brave Bear’s brown and white mount also snickered at Kristina’s dramatic expressions.

   “I can’t help it. It hurts no matter what I do!” Kristina then looked behind her up at her father, “Please, neisonoo. Can I walk for a while?”

   “´Ethe´!” Brave Bear shook his head and gave his daughter a firm look. “Ceenoku.”

   “He say you sit, not walk.” Laughing Bear rode up from behind and translated with a hint of a smile on his face.

   “Ooooo!” Kristina folded her arms over her chest in irritation.

   Julianna could not help but laugh. “Oh, dearest. You can not expect him to let you walk so soon again after what happened yesterday.”

   “But it hurts!” Kristina resumed her fidgeting. 

   “Be careful or you will start bleeding again, dear.”

   At Julianna’s warning, Kristina reached a hand down to test the wounds to see if they had reopened or not. “Uff da, I think they are already.” She withdrew her finger and sure enough there was a crimson stain on it. “Ash. What is the English word for ‘ash’?”

   “‘Ew, yuck’,” Jens offered. “At least that was what I once heard two little girls say in town when they looked at a squashed bug.” 

   “Ew yuck!” Kristina, Merethe, and Hilde chimed in at Jens’ explanation, trying out the new word with wide smiles. 

    “I best get that bandage changed. I knew that I should have tied it tighter this morning. Here, try and lay on your stomach across Brave Bear’s lap. There, that’s it.” Julianna helped her to the position she desired her little sister to assume, and then lifted up the back of her skirts, all as they continued moving forward.

   “We stop for you to do that.” Laughing Bear said from beside Brave Bear, where he craned his neck over to follow what Julianna was doing.

   “No, I think that I can do this alr-, whoop!” Julianna gave out a cry as her foot came down on a slick ice- covered stone and began to slide out from under her. But as she watched in fright as the horse’s hoof began to descend towards the spot where her foot now was, she felt a hand quickly slip under her arm and pull her in a flash out of harm’s way. Trembling slightly, Julianna turned and looked up into Lion Claw’s stern face. As he released her Lion Claw sat up on his horse and called out in a loud voice, “Hiitootoouseeno´!”

    “We stop, so you and baby not end up under horse feet.” Laughing Bear looked down at her with a slight half smile, a glimpse of his usual cheer showing through the veil of fear which had divided them both since Julianna had awoken this morning. Julianna peeked quickly inside the folds of the sling at the still sleeping baby within. Such a jolt should have awakened him, but it hadn’t. She worried that he was already so far gone that nothing could bring him back to consciousness again. She turned her attention quickly back to the present.