Nightfall enveloped the Blood Bird tribe, casting long shadows across the land. Anarungu hasn't touched Gnelsey ever since that night. Her belly swelled considerably, and now her milk was causing discomfort and issues.
"Shazram's body was never found?" Anarungu asked, leaning back in his chair. He wrapped his arms around Gnelsey and gently kissed her enormous belly. She leaned back, sitting next to him, her belly jutting forward. Everything hurt and itched, and she kept wanting to defecate.
"Shazram vanished. I think the lynxes ate the remnants of his body," said Jarkish, standing before the Chief.
"Any signs of the Blue Lynx then?" asked An.
Peacock, now larger than before, exhaled through its nose while lying at Anarungu's feet. The animal was asleep, but its ears listened to everything happening around. Its tail rose, reaching up to Anarungu's shoulders.
"No. Tatar'Atu and I scoured the jungle one more time this morning. No signs of them."
Anarungu nodded. "I think they've finally retreated. You can return to your hut and your wife, Jarkish. Thank you."
The hunter bowed his head and headed back to the huts.
"I think it saddens him that he can't be a father." Anarungu squeezed Gnelsey's stomach. She was just as beautiful with his child inside her as he had imagined.
"You can always do the same thing you did with Tila. Remember how happy Tat was when he found out she was pregnant?"
"Never. You are my only love, Mama."
She kissed him gently on the lips; he tasted milk. "Thank you for not sleeping with me anymore and for not making me do anything for you."
"I'm afraid of causing harm to our child while mating. What do you think—will it be a girl or a boy?" Anarungu gently kissed his wife's dark skin over her swollen belly.
"I think it's a boy. But you know what?" She smiled softly and kissed him again. "That doesn't really matter, my nestling," she added, touching his cheek. "I will love this child just as much as I love you."
"Really?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
"You know what I mean!" She nudged him playfully on the shoulder. "I'll love him or her in a right way."
Amidst the crackling of the firewood, Anarungu heard the faint cries and fluttering of a bird. A scarlet bird with wings shimmering dark purple in the moonlight flew gracefully above their tribe.
"Life is beautiful," Anarungu thought to himself, gazing at the night sky.
They returned to the cabin. Anarungu played with Peacock, tickling its belly. The pet easily stood on its legs towering over Anarungu.
"Look how big you've grown, little one."
Peacock licked chief's face with its rough tongue and bounded out of the hut. "Off to hunt," Anarungu chuckled.
Inside, Gnelsey was asleep, so Anarungu quietly stepped outside towards the nearby river. The warm air tousled his short, dreadlocked hair. Listening to the sound of the water, he gazed unwaveringly at the opposite bank.
There, amid a tangle of bushes and vines, something seemed to stir. In the faint moonlight, eyes briefly glimmered before disappearing, playing tricks in the shadows.
Anarungu stepped back.
"Anarungu!"
He turned towards the hut. Gnelsey stood at the entrance, gripping the doorframe with one hand, the other clutching her stomach. Water streamed down her legs, and her face twisted in pain.
"Child!" Gnelsey cried out.
===
The dense jungle buzzed with wildlife. The air was humid and filled with the scent of blooming flowers and earthy jungle floor.
Inside the hut, the atmosphere was tense. Gnelsey lay on a bed of mats and furs, her face twisted in pain. Sweat beaded on her forehead, shining in the dim light.
The village women moved around her. Anarungu stood at the entrance. He clenched and unclenched his fists, feeling helpless.
It was the first time he saw childbirth this close. It was awful.
The midwife, an elderly woman with wise eyes, knelt beside Gnelsey.
"Breathe, Gnelsey. You are strong like the roots of the great tree," the midwife said, her hands gently on Gnelsey's swollen belly. "The spirits of our ancestors are with you."
Gnelsey nodded weakly, her breath coming in short, labored gasps. She gripped the edge of the mat, her knuckles white. Another contraction hit, and she cried out, her voice piercing the air.
Anarungu took a step forward, but the midwife raised a hand to stop him. "She is doing well, Chief. The baby will come soon."
He felt helpless, his powerful form reduced to a bundle of nerves and fear. He could hear every anguished moan, every pained gasp, and it tore at his soul.
"I must do something. She's in pain, can't you see?"
Someone else's hand took hold of his shoulder from behind.
"You can do nothing, Chief," said the Elder. "You placed a child in her, and now you must watch and wait for what our ancestors decide. Whether they will allow your child to be born."
Another scream from Gnelsey broke the silence.
Outside the hut, villagers had gathered, their faces lit with anticipation. They whispered among themselves, eyes on the hut.
Gnelsey lay on a bed of furs, sweat pouring down her face as she gripped the hands of the women on either side of her. Her eyes, usually so full of life, were now filled with pain. Each contraction seemed to wrack her body with a force that left her breathless.
"I'm so sorry for making you go through this pain, Mama," he whispered to himself.
Anarungu moved closer, feeling the overwhelming urge to be near his mother. He reached out, and one of the women stepped aside to let him take her place. He took Gnelsey's hand in his, squeezing it gently.
"I'm here, Mama."
Gnelsey's eyes met his, and for a moment, the pain seemed to lessen
With a final, determined push, she cried out, and the tent was filled with the first cries of their newborn child.
Anarungu saw the baby, so big and crying loudly. He took out his ceremonial knife and carefully cut the umbilical cord where the midwives indicated.
It was the same knife Gnelsey had attacked him with the first time he tried to impregnate her. Now, he was cutting the umbilical cord of their first child with this knife.
