[Mkguild] MK Story - Extended family!

[Chris]

My Muse has been pushing me to get this small story written for a long
time. No grand plots or great battles. Just a little slice of normal
life at Metamor Keep. Showing that amidst all the great events the most
important things are the little ones. In this case three of them.



*******************


Extended Family
By Christian O’Kane

Amidst the grand events here at the Keep the most important things are
the little ones.
   Jenn Maugnard



Right after the Harvest Festival


   It was just after midnight when the messenger arrived. They young boy
was still breathless when Misha opened the door to his apartment. The
fox was dressed solely in a pair of breeches.

   The boy didn’t give Misha a chance to speak but started shouting.
“SHE’S GIVING BIRTH! SHE’S GIVING BIRTH!” he shouted as he hopped up and
down. “Right now.”

   “Who told you that?” Caroline asked as she walked up from behind
Misha to stand next to him. She was wearing a large, ankle length shirt
and nothing else.

   Misha placed a hand on the boys shoulder. That seemed to calm him
down enough to get him to stand still.

   “Jotham, the healer” the boy answered after a moment.

   Misha leaned closer to the boy. “Whose giving birth?”

   “Jenn,” the boy answered.

   “Maugnard?” the fox asked harshly.

   “Ah . . . “ the boy stuttered. “Ah . . “
   
   ”Are they wolverines?” Caroline asked calmly. “Both of them.”

   The boy only nodded slowly.

   Andre and Jenn Maugnard were close friends of Misha and Caroline.
Andre had lost a leg during the Yule attack. Loosing that limb hadn’t
effected other parts of his body and his wife Jenn was pregnant.

   “What exactly did Jotham say?” the female otter morph asked.

   “He said something water breaking.”

   “What?” Misha asked. Confused. “How can you break water?”

   “Oh lord!” Caroline whispered. “If her water has broken she really is
about to give birth!”

   “What water?” the fox asked still confused.

   “Her . . “ Caroline started to say but stopped. “I’ll explain it
later honey. What it means is she is going into labor.”

   “Going into labor?” Misha asked, still confused.

   Caroline sighed and shook her head. “She’s started to give birth!”
she exolained.

   “Give birth? Now?”

   The otter nodded. “Now!”


**********************


   The infirmary was already full by the time Misha and Caroline
arrived. Since it served the entire keep the infirmary always had people
there being seen by the healers for all manner of illnesses and
injuries. But the place was even more busy then usual as many of the
Long Scouts and members of Andres cavalry regiment and their families
were present. All were standing around in small groups talking or pacing
nervously back and forth. Misha recognized one of the women standing in
one corner. She was wearing a wool shirt with tunic over it and a baggy
pair of pants. Hanging from her belt was long saber in a tooled leather
and brass belt. On her sleeve was a gold emblem of two crossed lances
over a horseshoe all in silver thread. This marked her a senior officer
in a cavalry regiment.

   He pushed through the crowd and walked up to the woman. “What’s
happening Catljin?” he asked the woman. As second in command of Andres
regiment and a friend of the Maugnard’s she would know what was
happening.

   “They came in about half an hour ago,” came the answer.

   “Where is she?” Caroline asked as she walked up to Catljin.

   The woman pointed to a door that stood partly open. “In there along
with Andre and Brian the healer.”

   A moan of pain came through the doorway and everyone looked towards
the door and the source of the sounds on the opposite side.

   Misha flinched at the sound. “What’s happening?”

   “She’s giving birth!” Caroline answered in an amused tone.

   “Oh,” the fox answered in a timid tone without taking his eyes off
the door.

   Caroline hugged him tightly. “Your parents never explained childbirth
to you?”

   “Well,  . . “ Misha said slowly. “Dad did explain the fun part –
creating a child. He sort of skipped over the last part.”

   “Of course. Leave it to men to forget about the hardest part.” 

   Suddenly a woman out of the door. She wearing the armor of a soldier
and on her breastplate was painted the emblem of a black axe. It marked
her as one of the soldiers assigned to guard Long house itself. There
was a look of pure horror on the woman’s face which was devoid of color.
Alex clutched her stomach and gagged, "Is that what's going to happen to
me?"

   "Child birth is a beautiful thing." Caroline said to the gender
morph.

   Alex looked back into the birthing room and nodded slowly.

   “What’s happening?” Misha asked. The fox was standing  close to the
door to the birthing room.

   “Go in and look,” Caroline answered. “They’ll not mind so long as
you’re quiet.”

   Misha looked at the closed door and slowly stepped away from it. His
tail was tucked between his legs and his one good ear was laid back
against his head. “Ah . .  I . . I think I’ll wait here. I don’t want to
interfere.”

   Caroline laughed. “What are you afraid of? You’re male. I’m the one
who will be going through this with our children.”

   “And you thought fighting was hard!” Lisa joked. “Combat is easy.
Nothing beats giving birth for pain.”

   Misha stood still looking at the closed door at the groans and
screams of pain that came through to him.


*********************


   It seemed like forever before the cries stopped and an exhausted Coe
stepped from into the room. A crowd instantly formed around the raccoon
asking all sorts of questions.

   “Not so close,” Misha ordered. He waved his hands about and the
people slowly fell back. “Stop crowding him.”

   Misha stepped up to the tired raccoon healer. “Well?”

   “Mother and children are fine but Jenn will need bed rest for at
least two days,” Brian Coe answered in a tired tone.

   The fox walked quickly towards the door. Misha paused at the door and
stood there for a moment before pushing the door open and stepping
inside.

   The room was brightly lit. Pushed up against the far wall was a large
bed. In it was Jenn. The female wolverine morph was sprawled on the bed
under a blanket and looked to be exhausted and asleep. Andre was
standing next to her and her looked as tired as she did.

   A large crib had been placed next to Jenn’s bed and already several
women were crowded around it.

   Misha and Caroline pushed through and got a good look at the Keeps
newest residents. The three small bundles of fur were curled up and
sound asleep. They looked so small to the fox.

   “Wow,” was all Misha could say.

   “They’re beautiful!” Caroline said delightedly.

   “They are!” Misha added. “What are they? Boys or girls?”

   “Girls,” Andre answered proudly. “All three are girls and perfectly
healthy.”

   “What are their names?” Lisa asked.

   “Dana, Ilyana and Becky,” Andre said softly.

   Misha looked at the three little ones, “they’re fine names and fine
children. You both should be proud.”

   Andre nodded in a slow, tired manner.

   The fox scout made his way over to the bed where Jenn was sound
asleep. “How is she?” he asked in a whisper. She looked all right but
obviously worn out from the exertions.

   “Tired but good,” Jotham said. “The births were without any
problems.”

   “No problems?” Misha asked, surprised. “But with all that screaming .
. “

   “I didn’t say it was without pain just that it was without problems,”
Jotham answered.

   “All births are painful,” Lisa commented.

   Caroline knelt down next to the cradle and looked at the newborns.
She gently stroked the tiny hands of one of the newborns. “Painful but
well worth it.” 

   Misha knelt down next to his fiancé and wrapped an arm around
Caroline’s waist. “You still want lots of kids my love?”

   “YES!” she answered firmly.


The end

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