Months have passed since I left the outside world. I have embraced my wild side, and thanks to theSilene vitalis, I am healthier than ever. My days are filled with laughter and love that usually leads to raw, animalistic sex. For the first time in my life, I am wanted and accepted for who I am, and it feels like coming home.
I’m in the hot springs, watching the night sky as I wait for Eryon to return from gathering the offerings that are left for him, that often includes letters from Sita. Tonight, I eagerly await him not for news of the outside world, which I care less and less about as time passes, but to give him my own news.
At last, he returns, dropping a large basket at the head of the spring and sinking in next to me. He gathers me in his arms and situates us on the stone bench. I relax back against him, moaning softly at the way he reaches around to cup my breasts. The increased sensitivity has me panting. The full moon makes it way past the edge of the stone roof, flooding the alcove with silvery light.
“Eryon,” I say.
“Mm,” he replies as he nuzzles my neck.
“The moon cycle has come and gone,” I say, seeing if he will pick up on my hint.
“So, it has, my sweet Winter Star,” he says as he kisses along my shoulder.
I take one of his large hands from my breast and guide it down to rest on my belly. He freezes for the space of several heartbeats, then spins me around to face him.
“Sruhnar?” His voice is full of hope, excitement shining in his eyes.
I cup his face in my hands and nod. “A snowling. Or at least, a half snowling.”
He drops his forehead to mine, his breaths short and tight. When he lifts his head and meets my eyes again, tears are streaming down his face. “You are worth any price, my Winter Star, my Sruhnar.”
Eighteen long months have passed. Sita even visited a few times, but there is no lore she knows of involving Migoi babies, and we didn’t want to have her researching or asking around so as not to raise any suspicions.
Eryon seemed to remember his last mate being pregnant for quite a while but that was many years ago. He simply reminds me that the child will need to carry the strength of centuries and the patience of the seasons.
I eat well and sleep when I want and regularly consume theSilene vitalistea. Eryon had redoubled his efforts to make sure that we had a bumper crop and had set about preserving it in a variety of forms as a safeguard.
We have shelves stocked with all parts of the plant in driedform, powdered, whole leaf, made into teas, and even, with some items supplied by Sita, tinctures and salves. At the far end of one of the tunnel systems we even have some in what I call “the freezer.” A convenient storage area set into a section of permafrost.
It was as if he had funneled all of his anxieties over the pregnancy into extreme preparation for the only thing he could to ensure my health, and possibly the snowling’s.
Despite no known history of a Yeti-human baby, I continue to be healthier than ever despite my rapidly growing abdomen. I should at least have had back pain or the pelvic pressure I’d heard other women complain about. But I feel shockingly well.
A sudden urge for fresh air has me getting out of bed. I slowly make my way up through the tunnels, my fingers trailing over the newest drawings—the ones of Eryon and me, the beginning of our story.
I step into the alcove, or the back porch, as I’ve come to call it. It’s safe to be out here alone, and even though I love our home in the caves, sometimes I crave not just the warmth here but the open skies above. Eryon would be frantic if I left the caves on my own in the middle of the night.
As I walk out into my favorite place on earth, even theSilene vitalisseems to glow a little brighter under the full moon tonight. The moonlight and stars bathe this lush slice of heaven in a hundred shades of magnificent silver.
For the first time, my belly feels uncomfortably tight. I trace the enormous curve with both hands, whispering softly, “Little snowling, your daddy and I can’t wait to meet you. Whenever you are done growing and can arrive safely, we will be waiting.”
I don’t want to pressure the little one into coming early. I surrendered myself as soon as I suspected I was pregnant to this miracle, deciding to enjoy every day to the fullest. Living with Eryon had taught me to respect the cycles of nature and find comfort in the calm quiet of moments like this.
While he had prepared moreSilene Vitalisthan could ever be consumed, I had read through a few books Sita had dropped off on wilderness medicine and childbirth. We had prepared a small kit with birth supplies for things like cutting the cord and expanded our supplies to cover most minor emergencies a child could get into.
I thought we were as ready as possible, but as my belly tightens again, pulling a small gasp from my lips, I start to panic at the overwhelming possibilities of what could go horribly wrong alone on the mountain. A soft breeze carries the scent of snow and pine to me, and I take a deep calming breath of it.
I make the conscious decision that I will not be afraid, and as Eryon comes up behind me and wraps his strong arms around me, I tap into his strength and surrender myself to this cycle, too. My belly tightens again under his hand, and he gasps.
“Sruhnar?” he asks, full of hope.
“I think it’s time. Help me into the water and then please go grab the kit.”
He guides me into the spring and helps me to sit up on the natural stone bench. The hot water feels amazing as it supports the weight of my belly and runs over my skin in a warm embrace.
I try different positions as I start to become uncomfortable, and when Eryon returns, it’s to find me on my hands and knees. I rest my head on the bank, the ground soft beneath my face and the ground smelling sweet.
I am elated to be welcoming this little one into the most beautiful and magical space on this earth. The night gives way to dawn while the contractions pick up in both speed and intensity. I have no idea how long labor lasts with a snowling, but much like my pregnancy, it feels to be a very long time.
