17 Fall, 515 AV
8th Bell, Morning
The crisp morning air was a pleasant welcoming when Pearl woke. She lay there listening to the sounds of the camp, which were unusually quiet for this time of day. She was still tired even though she had gone to bed early the evening before, which she had seemed to be doing a lot of over the past several days. A fact that had not gone unnoticed by Dravite and Belkaia. They’d let her sleep in, obviously, this morning, but she couldn’t allow herself to keep doing that. Work was work, and they all had to pull their own weight in order to make the pavilion strong. Finally, she managed to push herself up and get out of the bed and dressed.
When she stepped out of the tent, she drew in a deep breath of the fresh autumn air and released it slowly as she looked around camp. The men were gone already, but she smiled when she saw Yuki sitting near the fire pit cooking something that smelled like eggs. “Good morning,” she greeted Yuki as she began walking towards her. “Are Belkaia and the boys off somewhere already?”
“Mhmm,” Yuki smiled, “They went to get some fresh water. The boys couldn’t seem to stay still, or quiet, and she wanted you to be able to get some rest this morning.”
“Oh, that was sweet of her, but she really didn’t need to do such. Maybe I can catch up with her and….” Pearl put a hand to her mouth and stopped several steps from Yuki and signed quickly, apologies, inconvenience, before she turned and rushed away.
Yuki’s brow rose in height as she watched the young woman dart off. A clear definition of the reason why formed in her thoughts as she went back to tending the cooking.
Pearl stopped retching several chimes later and was now leaned against a tree while she let her stomach and the rest of her body recover. She brushed her hand over her face to push her hair back once again and looked up to the sky. The clouds were full and fluffy this morning and greying in some areas as if they held a rain within them to let loose soon. What she wouldn’t give for a good rain right about now. She felt as if she were burning up inside, yet when she touched her face, she wasn’t the least bit feverish. Even now, after emptying her stomach, which was blessed little this morning, she felt hungry.
“Mother Semele,” she murmured as she picked up a leaf that had recently loosened itself from its branch and lay upon the ground next to her, “am I?”
The realization of it all began to sink it to Pearl. She began counting back the days since her last cycle as she held the leaf in her fingers, each day being ticked off with a twirl of the leaf. She was indeed late, by almost sixteen mornings. How she had missed realizing that she wasn’t sure, but the signs were all there: late cycle, fatigue mixed with sudden bursts of energy, morning sickness, sensitivity to smells. Even now, just thinking about the smell of the eggs cooking back at camp was enough to make her stomach roll again.
“Best get on with the confirmation of it all,” she said as she pushed herself up off the ground and started walking slowly around the area looking for Dandelions, plucking them from the ground until she had a handful of the small yellow flowers. Once she had enough of them she went to a secluded area and soaked the petals with her own urine.
It had been her mother Willow that had taught her the simple technique of determining pregnancy when she was younger. She could still remember the feeling of pure joy when she saw the blistery looking red splotches on the Dandelions, confirming that she was indeed pregnant with Garrison. Likewise, she could still remember the look on Nexus’ face when she gave him the news that he was going to be a father. They had been so happy, and so in love, and so ready to start their own family. She wondered now if Dravite would be just as happy, or if he would be too overwhelmed with Belkaia’s birth of a new child coming upon them in less than a season to be excited about another.
.
.
.
8th Bell, Morning
The crisp morning air was a pleasant welcoming when Pearl woke. She lay there listening to the sounds of the camp, which were unusually quiet for this time of day. She was still tired even though she had gone to bed early the evening before, which she had seemed to be doing a lot of over the past several days. A fact that had not gone unnoticed by Dravite and Belkaia. They’d let her sleep in, obviously, this morning, but she couldn’t allow herself to keep doing that. Work was work, and they all had to pull their own weight in order to make the pavilion strong. Finally, she managed to push herself up and get out of the bed and dressed.
When she stepped out of the tent, she drew in a deep breath of the fresh autumn air and released it slowly as she looked around camp. The men were gone already, but she smiled when she saw Yuki sitting near the fire pit cooking something that smelled like eggs. “Good morning,” she greeted Yuki as she began walking towards her. “Are Belkaia and the boys off somewhere already?”
“Mhmm,” Yuki smiled, “They went to get some fresh water. The boys couldn’t seem to stay still, or quiet, and she wanted you to be able to get some rest this morning.”
“Oh, that was sweet of her, but she really didn’t need to do such. Maybe I can catch up with her and….” Pearl put a hand to her mouth and stopped several steps from Yuki and signed quickly, apologies, inconvenience, before she turned and rushed away.
Yuki’s brow rose in height as she watched the young woman dart off. A clear definition of the reason why formed in her thoughts as she went back to tending the cooking.
Pearl stopped retching several chimes later and was now leaned against a tree while she let her stomach and the rest of her body recover. She brushed her hand over her face to push her hair back once again and looked up to the sky. The clouds were full and fluffy this morning and greying in some areas as if they held a rain within them to let loose soon. What she wouldn’t give for a good rain right about now. She felt as if she were burning up inside, yet when she touched her face, she wasn’t the least bit feverish. Even now, after emptying her stomach, which was blessed little this morning, she felt hungry.
“Mother Semele,” she murmured as she picked up a leaf that had recently loosened itself from its branch and lay upon the ground next to her, “am I?”
The realization of it all began to sink it to Pearl. She began counting back the days since her last cycle as she held the leaf in her fingers, each day being ticked off with a twirl of the leaf. She was indeed late, by almost sixteen mornings. How she had missed realizing that she wasn’t sure, but the signs were all there: late cycle, fatigue mixed with sudden bursts of energy, morning sickness, sensitivity to smells. Even now, just thinking about the smell of the eggs cooking back at camp was enough to make her stomach roll again.
“Best get on with the confirmation of it all,” she said as she pushed herself up off the ground and started walking slowly around the area looking for Dandelions, plucking them from the ground until she had a handful of the small yellow flowers. Once she had enough of them she went to a secluded area and soaked the petals with her own urine.
It had been her mother Willow that had taught her the simple technique of determining pregnancy when she was younger. She could still remember the feeling of pure joy when she saw the blistery looking red splotches on the Dandelions, confirming that she was indeed pregnant with Garrison. Likewise, she could still remember the look on Nexus’ face when she gave him the news that he was going to be a father. They had been so happy, and so in love, and so ready to start their own family. She wondered now if Dravite would be just as happy, or if he would be too overwhelmed with Belkaia’s birth of a new child coming upon them in less than a season to be excited about another.
.
.
.
