Barbarian’s Bride by Ruby Dixon

20

DAGESH

It is a girl.

I hold my newest kit in my arms as Maylak fusses over my mate. Nora has a proud, triumphant look on her pale face as she smiles up at me.

"Analay was wrong," she says, her expression tired but defiant. "Not everything is set in stone."

My mate worries too much. Analay can say whatever he likes, but only resonance will decide my daughter's mate. Until her khui sings, it is not worth fussing over. I smile down at her, rocking our newest. Es-tur, my little star, is light in my arms, even though No-rah and Maylak both exclaimed over what a big child she was when she came out. The birth was easy, too. My mate paced near the fire for a few hours, then squatted, and then Es-tur arrived with a wail, just in time for the morning meal.

She is beautiful, my little star. I gaze down at her, fascinated. Her mane is as black as mine, but her little nose and chin are all No-rah. Her cheeks are fat and full, her legs long and skinny like all newborn kits. Her eyes are dark, like No-rah before she received her khui, and the sight of those eyes fills my heart with worry. I will not sleep well until we bring down a sa-kohtsk and give my little star the strongest of khuis. I lift a finger to her tiny hand and she clasps it, her small fingernails perfect. She has four fingers and a thumb, my Es-tur, and unlike her sisters, she has no tail.

The tiny, perfect little mouth of my new daughter screws up and she bellows.

I laugh, delighted. "Strong lungs, just like her mother."

No-rah gives me a tired smile, holding her arms out for the kit. "I should feed her."

I glance over at the healer, but she no longer has her hands on No-rah. Maylak looks tired, but her work is done. "It was an easy birth," Maylak tells us both. "And she is a very healthy kit. A worthy addition to our growing tribe."

I gently place Es-tur in my mate's arms, watching protectively as our newest daughter turns in toward her mother and nuzzles at No-rah's teat. There is no sight better than this one, and my heart skips a beat as my mate smiles down at our daughter. She watches the baby begin to suck, her fingers stroking the thick black cap of fuzz atop the kit's head. Then, she glances up at me, her eyes soft with wonder. "Will you get the girls from Asha when you get a chance? They'll want to say hello to their sister."

I do not want to leave my mate's side, but No-rah is right. Ah-nah and El-sah will be excited to meet Es-tur. They have waited for this day as much as us, eagerly touching No-rah's stomach when the kit kicked inside her. They will want to share this moment with us…and I want my entire family close. The birth of the little one has reminded me how fragile all of my females are, and I want to watch over them like a broody snowcat in a den with its kits huddled close.

I move forward and kiss my mate's sweaty brow, just because I need to touch her. She beams up at me, pure joy, and I gaze down at my mate and our new daughter as she nurses. "I am going."

"I know." Her lips twitch with amusement.

I pause a moment longer. "This one looks more like me." I reach out and touch the small fist, fascinated anew by how little Es-tur is.

"They all look like you." No-rah gives me an exasperated smile.

Maylak gets to her feet. "Well, I am going." She yawns. "Should I have Esha go and find the girls and bring them back?"

I want to tell her yes, that I want to sit next to my mate and my new kit and not get up for days. But I am a father, and Ah-nah and El-sah deserve to hear from me that they have a new sister. "I will get them." I glance down at Es-tur one more time and then pull away. "I will be back very soon."

"I'll be here." No-rah leans back on the pillows, watching the little one nurse. She looks tired, my mate. Fragile. I am going to spoil her this day, I decide. I will stop by Stay-see and Pashov's hut and see if they will be willing to cook a few meals in exchange for some fresh meat or furs. I will get the tea she likes best from Asha. I will warm some water and bathe her when the new kit is asleep. I will help the girls with their sewing and with keeping the hut clean, and we will let No-rah rest.

My work has doubled, but I could not be happier. My family is growing again. To think that eight turns of the seasons ago, I thought I would always be alone. Truly, no male is as lucky as me.

I head into the village, but I am stopped constantly. Harrec and his mate wish to hear about the new kit. Vektal congratulates me on the addition to the tribe. Claire and Ereven offer to watch the girls and take them hunting to give me and No-rah time to relax. I eventually find Stay-see, and she is delighted to make meals for my mate. She will bring some by in the morning, she promises, and pushes a basket of fresh-made seed cakes into my arms as I leave.

I find Asha with Air-ee-yon-uh and their kits, along with my girls. Ah-nah and El-sah jump to their feet with excitement.

"Is my brother here?" Ah-nah says, looking up at me with wide eyes.

Before I can answer that it is a sister, Analay speaks, not looking up from the toy he plays with. "Not this one."

"Not this one what?" I cannot help but ask.

He blinks up at me, his little face serious. "This one is not a boy. Not this resonance."

I am speechless. His mother gives me a helpless shrug and then turns to her son. "Analay, can you get me a fresh change for the baby?" She pats the infant in her lap, smiling awkwardly at me. "Zoari needs her big brother's assistance."

Analay jumps to his feet and races away, eager to help.

His mother glances back at me and speaks in a soft, low voice. "I'm sorry. I know he keeps bringing it up. It's just…he loves Anna. Adores her. I know it makes Nora upset, but he's too little to understand that talking about the future like that might be seen as pushy." She adjusts the kit in her arms, moving it to her shoulder and rubbing the small back. "We've talked with him and he knows resonance has to come first. He's content to wait."

I grunt. I do not want to be disloyal to my mate. I know No-rah is very protective of Ah-nah and wants her to be able to make her own decisions, but if resonance chooses, it chooses.

"It wasn't a boy, was it?" Air-ee-yon-uh asks.

I pause. "It is another girl. Her name is Es-tur."

She nods, as if she already knew. Perhaps she did. Her son races back inside with a bundle of old leather squares that the mothers use for little bottoms, and he smiles with pride. "I found them!"

"Good job, Analay. You're such a big help." She beams at him.

I gesture to my girls, my head full of strange new thoughts. Another kit in the future. A boy. "Come, girls," I say to my children. "Your mother has a sister for you to meet."

"A sister?" El-sah exclaims, excited. "Oh boy!"

"Girl!" Ah-nah sings out, and they both laugh.

I thank Asha for watching them, nod to the others, and usher the girls out into the village and towards our hut. I will talk with No-rah later about what Analay has said. I do not know if she will be happy over his words, but I like the thought of a son. Later, though. For now, there is a new kit to think about, and she is perfect, just as she is.