Learning the Ways.

Jetamio · Post by **Jetamio** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 7:22 pm

The whole idea made her a little uncomfortable. For a woman who had spent much of her life outdoors, the thought of spending months in one hut was daunting, no matter how much she would be pampered and doted on. The pampering alone was more than she was used to, she generally shied away from fuss. But it seemed to please Stormfollower so she had decided to give it a go.
So to the North they travelled again, where she would learn more of the ways of her husbands people, perhaps even become more accepted by them. Yes, she would go and stay in the birthing hut that Storm was going to build. There was no rule saying when she had to go in, only that she had to stay in until the birth once she was in. She would lay aside her usual reservations about all the fuss and just accept it...just this once.

Stormfollower · Post by **Stormfollower** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 5:14 pm

Far to the north preparations had been made. Stormfollower had come early to the summer village of his people and built a sturdy birthing hut for the arrival of his wife and child. It was spaciouse enough to hold perhaps a dozen visitors comfortablyand had been buit over the summer camps glacial spring as was tradition. The Elder women had been bussily gathering the pre-birth herbs and dried foods that could be stored till the arrival and had decorated the inside of the hut with many pots and vases in preparation for what would be a summer baby. Visions of a flowery nest filled all thier minds and fed thier baby longing hearts. All that was left was for Jetamio to arrive. By tradition she could come at any time but many were sure that she would wait untill the final days of gestation. Shy were her ways to them for she was not yet at ease with the ways of the Wolf Tribe.
Untill that day the people of her new extended family would ad beauty and comfort to this dwelling in whatever way each thought best. It would serve as a meeting place and gallery for all and a playground for the children who had already left many toys and paintings for thier joyfully awaited new cousin.
Stormfollower returned to his duties helping in the setting up of the rest of the still fairly vacant summer camp. The remainder of the tribe, the hunters and fishers, would come soon, leaving the winter grounds far behind.

Jetamio · Post by **Jetamio** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 9:54 am

It was early afternoon when a shaggy black wolf loped casually into their midst. Apart from being pure black and a bit bigger, the she-wolf looked like any other wolf of the region, although when one got close enough to see the liquid gold eyes, they could tell she was different.
She had no fear of being attacked, and she made no adverse movements around the people that might provoke an attack. She simply walked right through the gathering towards the new hut. There she stopped.
The wolf stood up on its back legs, its image shimmering as it did so, black fur fading to oak tinted pale skin, shaggy mane becoming the long wild red hair of the Fier'Dal woman. Only the golden eyes remained the same as they surveyed the small crowd for a moment. By their expressions they had not expected her so early on, instead waiting til she was about to drop.
But she had come already. She was wearing a warm outfit, for the season was still cold, but she was not wrapped up so well as most visitors would be. The outfit was more a precaution for the weather rather than comfort for the cold did not bother Jetamio much. The furs were of obvious Northern origin, but she had cut them in such a way that they appeared to be of both cultures, Halasian with an Elven twist to fit her considerably smaller frame.
Taking her eyes from the small crowd, she looked at the sturdy hut. She carefully moved aside the thick fur that acted as a door and stuck her head through for a look, though was very careful not to cross the threshold just yet.

Stormfollower · Post by **Stormfollower** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 2:09 pm

The long windowless room was sparcely furnished but for two wooden chairs and a small bed at its center, a small pond where glacial waters burbbled up to the surface was its key feature. The far wall sat neatly astride it and a stone lined creek took the offlow out through a hole in the east wall. The dirt floors had been spread with fresh moss and layered with pine bows and dryed birch leaves. Four women sat weaving on the floor and a strong nothron man was piling wood near the fire he tended in a small clay stove near the pond. Three children of maybe 4 to 6 seasons played near the gently aged women. The handsome man turned when he felt the cool draft from the partially opened door flap.

"Put the fur in the hole!" He ordered, thinking one of the children had left it open again but when he saw Jetamio his face lit up like the sun and he hurried acros the room towards her.

"Jetamio! Wife of Stormfollower, How good it is to see thee again. It hath been so long. Stormfollower hath told us all of thy return to life and it brought us much joy to hear. Though the joy we felt then cannot compare to the joy we now feel that thow hast returned to us here."`

He reached the door and stepped out to hug Jetamio.

"I have long missed the warmth of thy smile and the shadow of thy Power. Since that day long ago that I ferried thee and Stormfollower here across yon channel to this our holy island of the Red Urchin I have dreamed this return.`

As she looked up into Goodrains eyes Jetamio was suprised to see tears streaming freely down his smiling face.

The elder women had come to the door and smiled out at them without a word and they opened the flap to beconed them in. The children giggled impishly inside and peered out from between the legs of the three reverend women. And as the smoke billowed skyward from the chimney above the birthing house the sun shon down between the clouds and smoke pointing a golden ray into the opening.

Jetamio · Post by **Jetamio** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 5:22 pm

She gazed in wonder at the interior, it almost seemed like the outdoors, but inside. Perhaps it would not be so bad afterall, Stormfollower had obviously remembered her preference for simplicity, to be close to the natural world. Then Goodrain is sweeping her into his arms, catching her by surprise. She looks up at him, wondering at the tears streaming down his face. Surely she can't have commited some offence already. But his words, his expression was of joy.

She had a wary look in her eye as the old woman approached, remembering it was the older members who had called her witch last time she was here. But this old one simply beckoned them inside.

The Fier'Dal hesitated, standing as though frozen on the spot. Stormfollower had told her that once she entered, she could not leave until the celebration of the childs birth. That was still months away, the only outward sign of her pregnancy being that her slender body was a bit thicker round the middle than normal. She could still get into her clothes, though they were beginning to get a bit tight. Nice as the hut was, she wasnt sure she could be confined to it for so long.
But Stormfollower came to her mind. He always wanted to protect her, to keep her safe from harm despite the fact she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Normally she refused, slipping through his guard and going her own way regardless. But this time she would appease her husband.

With a last glance back at the small crowd that had gathered, Jetamio crossed the threshold of the hut, letting the fur drape fall closed behind her.

Stormfollower · Post by **Stormfollower** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 2:08 pm

"Welcome Jetamio,"

the eldest woman spoke with a strong clear voice.

"I am Catchstraw, we shall get to know each other well in the months to come, tis my hope that perhaps we will become great friends"

Taking Jetamios hand she led her to the center of the room and the small bed that was prepared for her.

"Sit, please, and I wil prepare hot water that thee may bathe if this is part of thy wishes. Food and drink are in great quantities in the stone box in the floor near the front. Stormfollower hath asked that a collection of drawing and painting tools be brought to thee and so it hath been done"

She pulls out a small wood box from under the beds driftwood frame.
She to shows Jetamio the array of dry pigments and textured parchments, then moves to the spring to set about filling a large skin with water. Two other older women came through the door flap, great smiles apon thier faces.

"Oh great nothron lights. She hath come!" One of them exclaimed.

"I am Strierdie, Mother of Goodrain. Welcome to thy infants birthing lodge. Has not Stormfollower thought of absolutely everything?"

The other woman came meekly forward. She was nearly as old as the others, perhaps 70 and was not bent or frail. None of the old women looked addled in any way. She offered a simple white robe to Jetamio . At the neckline a small design of porcupine quils fit with tiny beads was the only decoration.

"Quietsnow is my name, I had made this for thee whence Stormfollower was to bring us together, though ..."

She looks up at Jetamio with a familiar glint, redolent of Stormfollowers mirth, shining from within her sharp green eyes. She offers the cloth.

"...well you are here now and it may still fit , and should allow much room to grow."

She smiles softly and tenetatively places a hand on Jetamios stomach,

"I am Stormfollowers mother."

Jetamio · Post by **Jetamio** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 4:03 pm

Jetamio looked in wonder at the paints, instantly envisioning things to paint. But her attention was not held by them for long as the women introduced themselves. She smiled shyly back at them, not really knowing what to say.
Then another woman came forward, familiar in a way yet Jetamio knew she had never met her. The white robe caught her eye, admiring the simple design. She had never really worn a robe, it was almost unheard of among the Fier'Dal. She smiled again, feeling the soft material as she listened to the woman.
Then she felt a hand upon her stomach and froze. While Jetamio was not an uncaring person, she rarely demonstrated physical affection towards anyone except her husband, and was unacustommed to being touched by others. She looked at the woman, seeing again tha familiar glint before she spoke. Jetamio's eyes widened. Storms mother! No wonder she was familiar. The Fier'Dal relaxed slightly although she wasn't entirely comfortable with the close contact. She decided she would just have to get used to it, she suspected it would not be the last time. And it was her grandchild afterall.

Stormfollower · Post by **Stormfollower** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:17 pm

Quietsnow smiled with her eyes at Jetamio. She removed her hand from her stomach and held Jetamios face breifly with it.

"Very warm and you carry high, this is good."

Without another word she whent to the fireside to aid with the tongs in placing the red hot rocks into the water skin to boil it. She then set about mixing some herbs into a stone cup while they waited for the water to heat.

Jetamio · Post by **Jetamio** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:30 pm

Jetamio visibly relaxed when Quietsnow removed her hand. She sat down on the side of the bed as the woman went off to make the herbal drink. She didnt really know what to do with herself so simply watched, curious as towhat herbs were being used and why. She remembered the tea Willowen had made her drink last time out of fear she would not be able to carry her last child, and fervently hoped that this would not taste as bad as that.

Stormfollower · Post by **Stormfollower** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:38 pm

Quietsnow mixed the herbs and spices to gether in the stone cup and poured the now hot watter from its tied spout into the mixture. She took the steaming cup past Jetamio to the front. Chocolate and lemon grass scents filled the room. Removing a large flat stone from the floor she exposed a small stone box below floor level wich held many dried fruits (even a couple of fresh ones)) and meats. Placing two slices of the dried fruit into the water she then poured a small amount of honey in with it and stirred it with a cinamon stick she had brought from the herb pots near the back. Smiling she brought the drink to Jetamio and offered it up to her one knee on the floor, chin up and beaming.

Jetamio · Post by **Jetamio** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:04 pm

She watched with avid curiousity, breathing in the scents as Quietsnow passed her. She couldn't identify any medicinal herbs used in it so assumed it was simply a local mixure of tea. Jetamio was not an expert at herbs, but she had spent enough time with Staart and his Alchemy in the past to know enough.
But when the woman knelt before her on one knee, Jetamio blushed furiously. She took the cup and motioned Quietsnow back up with the other hand, finally speaking.

"Please, there is no need to bow to me." she smiles, and takes a sip of the tea, finding it very different from what she is used to but not unpleasant.

Stormfollower · Post by **Stormfollower** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:42 pm

Stormfolowers mother smiled wide. She bowed directly towards Jetamios belly and then to Jetamios face directly.
"I bow to the divine wheresoever I should meet it and whensoever it might be allowed"
Seeing the misunderstanding in Jetamios expression she added
" To the divine in all things, as I bow to the hen who has layed my morning eggs, as I bow to the bird wich twitters pleasant songs in my window. All that bows in its way to me, I bow low and reverantly to it"

Jetamio · Post by **Jetamio** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 9:21 am

A rather interesting view on life she decided, but she didn't remark upon it. She knew the Mother listened to all forms of reverence, even to those who unwittingly worshipped her or an aspect of her.
She finished the tea off and put the cup down, feeling sleepy. The travelling and the emotional entrance had drained her. She lay back upon the small bed, realising with some dismay that it was too small for Stormfollower and wondered if it was custom for an expectant mother to sleep alone. But she was too tired to dwell on it for now, and soon slipped off into sleep.

The following months passed quicker than she would have thought. With winter hard upon them there was always people in the hut with her doing various crafts and chores. Jetamio joined in where she could, learning new skills to keep her restless nature occupied. She learned to work the skins of the animals they hunted, scraping the fur from the skins that would become leather. The brains of the animals were used to render the skins to keep it soft and supple. She learned to dye them, her favourite colour being made by grinding red ochre to a powder and mixing it with the rendered fat to rub into the skins, creating a shade of deep red in the leather.
Furs too could be scraped and worked into being supple, although with working only one side of the skin, they were often not quite so pliable as leather.
She learned to weave baskets from the long grasses that grew by the riverside, brought to her when she expressed an interest in learning the skill.
She also took stronger interest in the herbal lore, adding it to what she already knew.

But there were some days that tried her patience, not with the people, but her own nature. Staying inside when the wind howled and beckoned to her from outside was hard, and often she could be found pacing along one of the walls, seemingly in a world of her own. The worlds song called to her, begging her to join in the dance as she normally did, running free through the fields and dashing through the woods with the real wolves. But she kept her promise, the custom. Sometimes she would stand at the door and pull back the heavy drape to watch the snow, but she never crossed the threshold. It was love that held her back rather than custom, for she did not want to upset Storm.
But as winter started to fade she grew too big to go very far even if she had been allowed. Too big for her time even. She was by now certain that like Tortha, she could not carry this child to full term either. Among the tall powerfully built people of her husband, she was tiny, although she was slightly taller than average for her own race. But carrying a child fathered by a Barbarian was asking for trouble for someone of her size.
But despite the risk, she knew the child was healthy, stronger than it should be as though knowing it would have to leave its warm nest early. But still it grew, hanging on for as long as it could.

One day near the beginning of spring, Jetamio pulled Quietsnow aside and asked her to bring her some fresh mistletoe.

Stormfollower · Post by **Stormfollower** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 2:57 pm

"Mistletoe. I shall fetch it directly sonwife." And off she went spryly.
As Quietsnow let the door flap fall another elder hand caught it mid fall and an old woman stepped into the hut leading a young group of men who carried two small beds with them. They all smiled and greeted Jetamio politely and set the beds close to Jetamios perhaps three feet apart. This was the first Jetamio had seen of any young men or women for that matter since the Day she was greeted by Goodrain.
Catchstraw, who had become very fond of the birthing hut but said little and did little while there, smiled at the event and clutched her hands together at the neck as she watched."Oh Jetamio, the other mothers are coming! Mulberry and Aurora-of-the-North-Wind must have made thier trip as far as the orchards and will be here soon!"
After bowing on one knee to the bed bearers,she busily set about fixing the blankets and pillows on the two new beds and was very appretiative when Jetamio put down her drawing to help her tuck some corners.
Just then the wind blew in through the busy door flap again and Quietsnow returned with a small basket of holly and a jar of preserved berries. She hurried over to Jetamio and handed her the basket.
The young men left through the same opening she had made after each returned the bow of Catchstraw and showed the same respect to Jetamio.
"These berries are last years but should you need fresh we can send for some from the polar gardens"She beamed a smile at Jetamio that lit up the room. Her gentle eyes were set with the crows foot wrinkles that spoke of years spent in peace and joy.

Jetamio · Post by **Jetamio** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 10:52 pm

Jetamio shook her head slightly with a bemused smile. Being called 'Sonwife' still amused her even after all these months. But she supposed it was more normal to them than her own name which marked her as an outsider before she even spoke or was seen. Sometimes she almost wished for a name for them to call her by here, but whe she heard a long winded name like Aurora-of-the-North-Wind she thought perhaps sticking to her own name was best. She decided she would think of one for their child to be called by here even if she never had a Northern name.

Then there were beds appearing in the hut that had been her shelter all winter. Her eyes widened in surprise when she realised that all of the woman who would bear children this year would all be in this hut. She was used to the Elven customs of privacy, having only those who aided with the birth present in the room. Her first child she had even birthed alone but for a kindly stranger who had helped her as best he could. She could not take the risk of them taking the half Tier'Dal child from her so had run away.
But this time she would have to share what little privacy she had and it made her uncomfortable. Then suddenly she blushed, ashamed of herself for thinking such things when they had been good to her. Yes, the entire culture was alien to her, and rubbed against the very grain of her nature, challenging everything she held dear; freedom, privacy. But they had not treated her badly, she knew it was herself. But she could not change who she was. She bent down as best she could with her swollen belly and helped make the beds, keeping her head down and eyes averted until she could stop blushing.
She was grateful when Quietsnow appeared with the mistletoe to distract her again. She spent the rest of the afternoon weaving it into the wreath she had been working on, focussing her attention entirely on the task at hand.