I wasn’t expecting that. It seemed that the Galadrias liked human customs and wanted to be a part of our society in away.
What would I nameher?
‘Joan. Your name is Joan.’I told her. Joan Jett from The Runaways, one of my favorite all-girl bands, was the first thing that had popped into mymind.
She looked pleased and craned her head to Dawn, whonodded.
‘Come. Dawn will show Kit around sky home,’Dawn toldme.
I gave one last awkward bow and then followed Dawn as she walked gracefully, like a pedigree horse, across the blueish grass, and over to the clearish fluid-filledpool.
‘This is a birthing and bathing pool. Galadrias give birth here, and all impurities are washed away. Kit can bathe here. Will not harm skin. Human has triedbefore.’
I nodded, and refrained from asking who; although I was curious, I didn’t want to interrupt her tour. I was giddy at the thought of washing this crusted green stuff offthough.
We walked around a small grove of tall leafy foliage and came to a network of caves. I could see a few Galadriasinside.
‘Nesting dens. Galadria nurturers live here with their younglings,’sheexplained.
Wow. I was amazed. They had a whole birthing center up there in thesky.
‘Do all Galadrias give birth up here in sky home? Do you have any younglings?’I asked, fascinated with this place that sat in such stark contrast to the dark horrors below. I was a little mad that she hadn’t brought me there sooner, but I understood that they needed to protect theiryoung.
Dawn looked back at me.‘Yes, all nurturers live here. Never leave. Dawn is not a nurturer. Dawn breathes fire. Dawn was bred for war,’she told meominously.
Oh. She wasinfertile?
I glanced at the den and the pink Galadria that laid in there. ‘So, nurturers don’t breathefire?’
Dawn nodded.‘That’sright.’
Wow. That blew my mind, and made me a little sad for Dawn. It seemed like she might’ve wanted to be anurturer.
We walked around the cave structures, and I thought of something else.‘Dawn, do you live here on sky home? Or just thenurturers?’
Dawn brought me to the green pool, where over a dozen Galadrias where drinking the fluid. Their bellies were so swollen with pregnancy that they touched the ground. They looked up at me curiously but not fearfully. Thanks to the hive mind, they all must’ve known who Iwas.
‘Only nurturers and younglings may live in sky home. No room for all of us. When Dawn came of age, she was sent down below. We are permitted to visit our nurturer once ayear.’
Oh God, it was the saddest thing I’d ever heard.‘Is your nurturer here? The one who gave birth to you?’I questioned. I would’ve loved to meether.
Dawn shook her head.‘She is with the stars now, but Dawn spent many, many years visiting her and Dawn’s younglingherd.’
So Dawn’s mother was dead, but she still visited her siblings. That was sad, but also a fact of life. Even forhumans.
She looked back at me excitedly.‘Dawn is permitted to visit daily, now that Kit is living on skyhome.’
I reached out and touched her right wing.‘Good. Kit will like that. I’m sorry to hear about your nurturer being with thestars.’
Dawn nodded. ‘Dawn will be with her one day. We all go to the same place. Evenyou.’
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I justnodded.
‘This is the feeding pond. It is small, and naturally produces only enough for the nurturers and younglings. The other Galadrias, like Dawn, must go to the surface to eat andsleep.’
It seemed awful to leave such a sunny, nourishing spot to be with the killing and ugliness of the surface of the DreamWars.
I decided that since Dawn was in a chatty mood, and seemed to have the permission of her council, I might try to get answers from her about all ofthis.
