Listen to the Raiyn

4 - Wolf Cub

Keria was standing at the top of a small ledge that was maybe a three foot drop, a ledge that went around a small clearing where the moon shone brightly, illuminating the horror before her. the she-wolf was lying on her side, panting heavily and howling in her pain.

 Keria had smiled at the thought of a beautiful new life coming into this world, but as soon as she realised that something was wrong, it left only to be replaced with an expression that was a mixture of fear and worry. Keria did not know anything of birth other than there was pain and a deep fear of that pain.

 Keria stumbled down the ledge that was almost as tall as she was and fell to her knees. she scrambled up and stopped dead in her tracks. the she-wolf was looking her strait in the eyes with a look of indecision within. she finally barred her teeth in pain and huffed, jerking her muzzle in a way as to indicate for Keria to hurry up and help her. Keria didn't stop to think about it, she just ran over to the she-wolf and rubbed her behind the ears in a comforting way. Keria looked down and saw a black stain on the white ground and knew it was blood. she could smell it in the air just as clearly as she saw it. she moved her hand down the wolf's stomach and patted her leg.

 Keria had no qualms with what she was about to do. she nuzzled her face into the soft fur of the she-wolf's under belly and let her hands take over.

 *****

 the she-wolf leaned down to her cub and nuzzled him. she looked at Keria with gratitude and then lay back onto the ground and gave her last breath as a huff of contentment. Keria ran her hands over the creature's stilled belly and patted her side one last time.

 Keria ripped the bottom of her shirt off, leaving her stomach exposed, and rapped the cloth around the squirming cub. Keria tried to decide what she thought of the newborn. he was furless and beautiful she decided.

 she held the cub to her chest tightly, as though it were her own. he was almost to big for her to hold in her arms, but she found him a comforting weight to hold. she stood up cling to the cub so as not to drop the precious life she held in her hands. she walked slowly around the clearing, thinking of what she had just done.

 she knew that the she-wolf would have died regardless of whether or not she was there and she knew that she had saved the cubs life by being there. Keria looked to the lifeless body of the wolf and felt the tears slide down her cheeks. she chuckled quietly to herself think of how she could watch her father's father die in front of her and not feel anything even though she had been close to him. she had known that it was his time, even though he didn't, but felt so terrible and as though her heart was only hanging on by a thread when she had seen a fearsome beast die. but she did not think of the she-wolf as a beast, she thought of it as a pure creature that had live on its instincts and did nothing to deserve to have died at all. Keria gripped the cub tighter as she walked around the clearing. she moved a hand to her cheek and sighed. the creature had done nothing wrong and she deserved to have lived and care for her cub, her child.

 Keria found a part of the ledge that was lower than the rest and carefully climbed out. she looked around and let her instincts take over again. she gripped the cub as she started to sprint across the forest floor. she had to reach her destination soon and get the cub to warmth. she ran a little faster thinking of how the cub might die if he was to cold this early on in his life. she may not have been able to save the she-wolf's life, but she would save the one that was in her hands at this moment.

Keria came to a halt as she came across what she was looking for, a small dirt path that led to the warmth that the cub needed. she began to run the path, farther and farther away from the village and much farther from home.

 Keria had run through the forest because it would be faster than running home and then through the village to her destination.

 the cub whimpered a little and Keria was grateful because it meant that he had strength enough to have not died yet at the expense of Keria's short legs. Keria stopped breathlessly as she came to the small cottage that she had been running to for what had seemed to be ages, but had more likely been only a half hour.

 She ran up to the door and pounded as hard as she could and screamed "Grandmother, Grandmother!".

 She heard rustling inside the cottage but did not stop her pounding and her screams. the door opened to reveal a slightly elderly woman with raven hair just like Keria's, but with a pure white hair streaking here and there. she had a scared expression on her face as she ushered Keria into the house and near the fire. she spotted the bundle in Keria's arms with a curios gaze, but did not ask questions. she went to the cupboard where she kept a pair of spare clothes and knelt next to the small girl who was sitting in front of the fire with a brooding expression as she gripped the bundle she was hold and seemed to be trying to warm with the heat of the fire. Grandmother leaned in to look at the bundle closer and gasped in shock. she looked at her grandchild with a mix of fear and awe on her face. Keria spared her a flick of the eyes and her face turned grim.

 "the cub would not have lived." she stated calmly and quietly to her grandmother whom was still staring at her.

 "i understand that you would not want this cub to die, but why is it not with its mother?" Grandmother asked composing herself and looking onto the fire, the same as Keria.

 Keria pierced Grandmother with her black eyes and analysed her before saying "she died at the tips of my fingers."

 her grandmother looked to her with a steady gaze and looked to the cub again, noticing the still fresh blood on him. she knew that her granddaughter would not have killed something that she valued so highly; taken the life of another creature. she knew that her granddaughter had come to her because no one else would know what she meant when she spoke, not even her sister.

 wordlessly, Grandmother got up, leaving the shirt next to Keria, and went out to the stable where the goats slept. she didn't care that she was dressed in a thin night gown and only a shawl around her shoulders on such a cold night. the goats turned there heads when the heard her coming. she looked at them each and smiled a little.

 when she had finished what she had set out to do she came back inside with a thick cloth sack dripping ever so slightly.she sat back down in front of the fire, next to Keria, who had not noticed the shirt next to her and was still hugging the cub to her chest. Grandmother touched Keria's shoulder lightly and handed her the cloth of milk. Keria looked to her grandmother gratefully and excepted the sack.

 Grandmother chuckled as she watched Keria try to maneuver the sack so that the cub could feed comfortably, and try not to get any of the milk on her already ruined shirt. she finally sighed and held the sack to her shoulder, just above the cub's head.

 Grandmother chuckled again as Keria looked at the cub in bewilderment. she was trying to feed him as though he were a human and it wasn't working so well. Grandmother stepped to another cupboard and pulled out a saucer that she could put the sack into. she walked back to the fireplace and put the saucer on the ground and tapped Keria's shoulder and took the bag when she turned to look at her grandmother and held it over the saucer and gently placed it lightly on the saucer, but not letting it go. she half held it and half let it sit. she turned to Keria who was watching with interest, and motioned to her to put the cub on the floor in front of the dish.

 Keria looked from the floor to the cub hesitantly and held him in one arm as she took her shit off and placed it on the floor before she put the cub down on the shirt. she slipped on the shirt and rubbed the cub as he started to suck on the bag, feasting on his first meal.

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fixed spelling!

sucks, rocks?  

comment and vote pleez!