Child

[Philomel]

As the tempest continued to rage around them, and the threat of the enemy ever behind them, Philomel and Sakura had no choice but to find the closest shelter. Without any knowledge of if the men were on their own, and if the entire island had turned against them, they hid in the only place they knew - the forest. Deep in it, by a path that led close to the shoreline they found a cave.

It was not large, nor was it grand with stalgamites and stalactites and ribbons of irridescent colour. Instead it was dull, boring and plain, with damp all up the slippy walls. Leopard rock was the likeliest of minerals that made up their temporary home, which was strong enough to made a shelter. As Philomel sat down she could feel the pain at her loins, that which her body had simply dismissed out of pride and very likely magic also. When she stepped from the rain, shivering but still strong, and collapsed she felt the first of the contractions beginning to rip agonisingly through her.

"Fuucckk," she whispered, collapsing.

Sakura, despite their friendship not being the best, caught her, and carried her over to a wall. There Veridian began to gather a small bundle of driftwood and roots, that which he could find naturally in the cave. As Sakura tended to his beloved he dragged the elements together into a pile before setting them alight with his own breath. Meanwhile the geisha-midwife helped the faun unwrap her fabrics from around her, shrieks going high into the air.

"Shhhh," Sakura tried to help, rubbing her back, "Shhhh ..."

But the pain was immense. And the timing could not have been worse.

"The f-fire," Philomel growled through gritted teeth, "The men, if they - they f-followed might ..."

But she broke off, another wave of agony coming.

"Shhh," Sakura kept saying, her eyes checking for any sign, "Shhh ..."

"But -"

Do not worry about the men, Veridian said with a quiet voice. If they come I will kill them, no matter what it takes.

Philomel smiled at him, in a soft, weary way, befroe suffering another bout. As she did Sakura began to clap her hands, crying out.

"Oh my! Just - on the next one push as-"

And then the earth began to shake, the very walls of the cave themselves. Side to side, up and down the island jostled its inhabitants. Somewhere in the farmhouse plates rolled off shelves and began to crash. Outside somewhere lost a man called Buraha tripped and fell down, splitting open his skull. In a grand mansion, off in the centre of the island a baron called Marmaduke barely held onto his bowl as his early morning breakfast began to slip out from underneath him.

The rocks shook as the storm howled. Mud slipped and trees were uprooted. Wind howled and the earth shattered along fault lines, as a faun somewhere, in the middle of hell, gave birth.

One and a half months early ...

But the child was just as perfect. Designed and wanted by Drys.

Her name?

Celandine.