Back To The Roots (REWRITTING)

16:The Task at Hand

Hello everyone I really hope you enjoy the update!!!

Lily let Kyla sleep for about two hours before waking her and explaining they had to go. Kyla was insistent that she could walk but agreed to let Lily carry the newborn. They had gone maybe ten minutes when Kyla collapsed thankfully landing on her shoulder. Adahy went to help her up and realised she was out cold.

"Lily is she going be okay?" he asked voice trembling slightly with fear.

"I-I don't know I think so, she just lost allot of blood that's why I didn't really want her walking."

"Well she's out now and can't tell me not to," he said before lifting her into his arms.

They slowly continued on there way. They went about 20 more minutes and stopped to take a brake.

"We're going have to try and wake her the baby needs to eat."

"Okay," he responded as he laid her down softly.

Lily walked over and shook her shoulder "Kyla, Kyla honey, you need to wake up. Kyla!"

"Hmmm."

Relief flooded both of there faces as her eyes fluttered opened.

"Whe-where are we?" she asked looking around her in a daze.

"You passed out so he carried you part of the way home," Lily answered

"Oh."

"You need to nurse now if you can."

Lily handed the squirming infant to her and she put it to her breast.

"How do I know if she's getting enough?" Kyla asked.

"Well if she doesn't she'll cry afterwards, but babies actually eat very little at first. It takes time for their stomachs to grow, right now it's about the size of a pea."

"Oh, okay."

After the baby was full she handed her back to Lily, Adahy picked her back up, and they continued there journey to the den.

***

They had to stop another five times before reaching the den, just as the sun's beautiful orange rays peaked over the trees. Adahy stumbled into the clearing, he quickly went to lay Kyla down in the den and collapsed with shaking limbs beside her.

Lily and an exhausted Moses entered the den behind them. Moses flopped down and instantly fell asleep, Lily laid the babe in Kyla's arms and went to get a meal started. She soon returned with tea for Kyla waking her and telling her to drink and nurse. It was very easy to get dehydrated when nursing.

Lily then left them all to sleep while she finished making breakfast, then woke them all to eat before she finally went to ly down. Kyla groggily gulped down her food and drank some more tea while her daughter slept in her arms. When she was done she nursed once more and went back to sleep.

Awhile later Kyla woke and went to relieve herself. It was then she found her pants covered in blood. She quickly went back and shook Lily until she was awake.

"Hmm, Kyla... What is it? Is something wrong with the baby?" she asked suddenly wide awake and panicked.

"Huh, oh no, it's not that. Um I'm bleeding, is that supposed to happen?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry I forgot to mention that," Lily responded wiping her eyes.

"Well I've soiled my pants. What do you usually put in yours for your monthly time?"

"A rabbit fur."

"Oh, okay. Thanks, sorry for waking you."

"It's fine."

Kyla built up the fire inside the den and lit it. Someone should have done this before going to bed, but they were all too tired. Then she went outside and removed her pants and washed only the bloody places, careful not to wet the rest as she didn't have a second pair. After they were clean she had to put them back on and ran in to stand by the fire for them to dry.

Once they were dry and warm again she found an unused rabbit fur and placed it inside her pants, then carefully crawled back into her lying spot. She again nursed her baby and quickly fell back asleep.

***

A few hours later Adahy woke up and decided to go hunting. He needed a fresh kill because he wanted the organs to cook for Kyla, they would help her get her strength back. He'd been taught that eating the organs of a healthy animal made your own organs stronger. Traditionally a medicine man who was treating someone with a weak heart, would feed the person the heart of a healthy animal as treatment. Similarly animal kidneys were fed to people suffering bladder problems, and so on.

After he was a little ways from the den he caught the trail of a deer. It actually led him to the place they'd been last night, when he got close he heard some strange sounds and stopped behind a tree. When he peaked around he saw a huge bear next to the river. It's head buried in the carcass of a hog it's blood dirtying the water it lay next to.

He backed away slowly but it lifted its enormous head and looked up at him. The beast then stood up on its back legs showing off its full height and roared at him. Adahy took a couple steps forward, stood on his to toes, holding his arms out, and yelled back at the bear. It watched him as he walked away from it staying in view so it didn't think he was running away, thankfully it lowered it's head, dropped down, and continued eating.

Once Adahy was a good distance from the bear he continued his hunt, a bit rattled but not wanting to go back empty handed. Finally he found and killed a doe then regretfully lifted it onto his sore shoulder and headed back to camp.

While walking back he couldn't help but be thankful Lily had insisted they go home last night. Just thinking about it made him shudder that pig could have been them. About halfway his body started to ache and he stopped to take a short breather before continuing on his way.

When he got back the girls were up Kyla was watching Moses brush the mare with her baby sleeping in her arms. He couldn't help thinking she was a bit pale. "Where's Lily?"

"She went to check the snares."

"Ah. Well I  brought back a deer I want to cook the organs for you, they'll make you stronger."

"What! I'm not eating organs!"

"Why?"

"Because, that's disgusting!"

"Have you ever tried it?"

"No and I'm not going too!"

"Please it'll help you. I know you probably don't realise it, but you lost allot of blood and you look a bit pale."

Kyla reached up and felt her cheek, was she pale? She had been feeling a bit off, a bit woozy perhaps. But she was just tired, right? Not letting on that she was worried about anything she told him she would try his nasty organs.

Kyla ate every bite of the organs he cooked, actually they mostly didn't taste that bad. Everyone else ate deer meat stew with wild onions and other vegetables they'd gathered. After Kyla finished her special meal she partook of the stew as well.

They'd already slept half the day away and now having full tummy's they were all ready to go back to bed. Everyone climbed in and Kyla nursed her babe, as she did she thought about what she was going to name her beautiful daughter. But before she knew it she was fast asleep.

Any ideas about what she should name her new daughter?

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