Just Like Old Times

Lilly's Home

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with?" Arthur asked Lilly.

Lilly was preparing for her journey north to meet up with Eagle Flies. "Mo chuisle, I know you're worried, but I'm sure. You can't postpone the riverboat or the trolley station jobs. Besides, I'll have Brian and James with me."

She bent over the bed and folded a few items of clothing. Arthur held her from behind and rubbed her belly. She stood up straight and leaned into him. Arthur kissed her shoulder. "I'd feel much better if you had one of the guys come with you. The boys tend to run off on their own, Lilly."

Lilly took a deep breath, turned around, and put her arms on Arthur's shoulders. "If it makes you feel better," she said, smirking at him. "Worry wart."

Arthur chortled and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Thank you, mo stór."

Lilly rubbed his cheek with her palm, feeling his stubble. "Any idea who we should ask?"

"I'll ask around."

"Okay. Go ask around."

Arthur smiled and left the tent. Lilly shook her head with a chuckle. That man was always so worried, but she knew he had a right to be. She was carrying his children, not to mention she'd faced death twice in the last three months. He wanted so much to protect her from harm, it warmed her heart, but it was also very, very frustrating. Still, Lilly didn't want it to turn into a fight and then leave things that way. That was like a bad omen with them. She finished packing her supplies and walked out, seeing Brian and James over by Liath. They were all set to go. As she walked over, she noticed their heads were as tall as her waist now. It made her think of the huge paw prints she'd seen when she came out of her grave.

The woman reached her hand up and pulled herself from the dirt with a deep, raspy breath. The rain hit her face and she looked up. Suddenly she vomited a black, gooey liquid all over the ground. As her stomach continued to heave, she realized she had no idea who she was or how she got there. When the woman was done puking, she saw tree branches when she looked up and climbed out of the ground as lightning flashed. She looked around. Thunder boomed. She saw three pairs of paw prints on the ground. Two wolves, and ones that had to be a giant wolf.

"Child," she heard a woman say. Lilly turned around and saw a woman in a red dress with two wolves. "You must go home."

The girl blinked and wiped her brow as lightning flashed. She tried to talk but found she could not. She grabbed her throat. Was she voiceless now?

The woman pointed to the south. "Follow the river south until you see a cliff with tents. Your home is up there."

Lilly was startled out of her memory by Charles. "You okay, Lilly?" he asked her.

She smiled at him with a deep breath. "Yes, sorry. I was just thinkin' really hard."

Charles laughed. "Arthur asked me to go with you."

"Oh. Okay, then. Thanks." Lilly put her clothes and supplies on her horse and climbed up. "Oof..." Lilly said and grasped her stomach. "Wigglin' little chiselers."

Charles laughed again. "Babies kickin'?"

"No, I think they're just movin' about. Early in my mother's pregnancy, she'd call James a "wigglin' little chiseler"."