Chapter - 01
A man paced anxiously outside a dwelling what looked like a cave. He was walking to and fro outside the mouth of the cave. Looking closer at the man, one could discern his appearance. The man had the same characteristics as any other ordinary human, but his build was almost twice as big as that of a normal human man. His skin was pale blue, and his ears were a little pointy towards the end. He was not wearing clothes usually worn by humans. What he was wearing, looked like the clothes worn by humans, during their nomadic times, the hide made of animals.
As the man continued to pace outside, he heard the cries of a baby. Hearing the cries he grew more anxious with each passing second. Finally, the cloth covering the entrance to the cave slid apart, and a woman came out. The woman walked slowly with her back bent at an almost right angle. She walked with steady steps with the help of a thick and long piece of wood, which was large and round on the top but pointy at the end.
"Elder, how are Nariha and the baby?" The man walked up to the woman and asked anxiously.
The elder smiled, revealing what was left of her teeth, " Both of them are fine. Congratulations it is a baby boy, and he is born healthy".
"It's all the grace of Lord Rudra. Can I see them?" The man breathed in relief and looked up and thanked the god they revered.
"Go ahead she is also waiting for you". The elder smiled and made for the man.
The man nodded and went inside the dwelling. Inside the cave, a lady laid on the bed with her eyes closed and all covered in sweat. The man walked up to her and sat beside her on a stool made of stone. He caressed her forehead with affection. He grabbed a cloth from the side and gently wiped the sweat from her face. The lady did not open her eyes, but a smile appeared on her face.
"You seem to enjoy your husband serving you?" the man asked.
"Yes, a lot and I want to be pampered by my man for all my life," The lady said as she grabbed his arm and snuggled.
"Your wish is my command," The man said affectionately patting her forehead.
"Hahaha... you sure have learned a few things just after becoming a father," The lady said unable to contain the smile on her face.
"I ought to so that I can be the best father and the best husband in the world," The man said trying to show off all his affection.
"You sly talker" then the lady looked towards the cradle on her side, " Bring my son to me. I want to see who he resembles the most".
The man placed the cloth on the side and stood up. As he walked to the cradle, " I am sure he will resemble me the most, after all, I planted the seed".
"But I was the one who provided the nourishment for all these months, shouldn't he resemble me more?" The lady said with a serious face.
"Well if you say so" Facing the facts, the man could not give any rebuttal.
The man picked up the baby and carefully walked towards his wife. Seeing her husband taking every step so slowly as he approached her and holding the baby so gently, the lady could not help, but smile. If anyone saw him now, he would be amazed, as to how can such a man as her husband, who was one of the crudest and unrestrained men in their clan, show such a gentle expression.
Finally, the man handed the boy to the lady. As the lady looked at the boy, tears began to appear in her eyes. She grabbed those tiny hands of his and traced her fingers all over him, trying to engrave the feeling of motherhood in her heart. For mothers, their children are the most special in the world even more special than their husband.
The elder who was waiting for the family to have some time alone entered. The man and the woman looked towards her, and their eyes showed great respect and gratitude towards the elder.
"Elder Suraci, it's all thanks to you that my baby is born healthy today. You took care of me all this time. I can't express my gratitude in words alone" The lady said and tried to bow down in front of the elder.
"Don't overexert yourself, this was something I was supposed to do, in contrast to what you, your husband, his father, as well as your father, did for the clan what I did is nothing worth mentioning" Elder Suraci said as she reminded them something of the past.
The lady looked towards her husband's arm, which was hidden by the hide he was wearing. What the elder said was right, her husband did sacrifice a lot, for the clan.
"Have you decided what to name the boy?" Sensing the gloominess in the air, Elder Suraci changed the topic.
"Not yet, we will take our time to decide upon his name," The man said.
"The naming ceremony takes place after three days of the birth of the child. You don't have much time left before the function. What were you doing for all this time that you could not even look for a name for your son?" Elder Suraci reprimanded the man.
The man was embarrassed. He could not even lift his face to look at the elder in her eyes. His wife, on the other hand, was giggling continuously.
"What are you giggling for on the sides? Is he not your son? Aren't you suppose to think about his name as well?" Seeing the lady giggling the Elder did not leave her too.
While the elder was scolding the two of them, a tiger with milky white fur, entered the cave. The tiger walked gracefully towards them the way he looked was the epitome of elegance. The tiger was followed by a fox. While the tiger looked elegant, the fox looked beautiful with that platinum fur and a fluffy tail. Both the tiger and the fox walked up to the lady on the bed. The surprising thing was that no one inside the dwelling even tried to stop them. On the other hand, the lady even stretched her arm so that they can have a better look.
"He looks much less pale than the others," The fox said with a soft voice.
"I hope he is not a brute like this man," The tiger in his hoarse voice said.
"As if you are any less brute" The fox looked at the man and then at the tiger.
"Get away from me, you vixen, I don't want to end up shredding you to pieces in front of the boy" The tiger growled at the fox.
"Why don't you give it a try?" The fox said not backing off a bit.
"Do you think I won't do it?" The tiger said ready to pounce at the fox any moment.
"Stop it the two of you. Whatever you want to do, do it outside. I don't want you to create a b****y scene in front of my son". The lady said glaring at the two bloodthirsty animals.
The tiger and the fox looked at each other before looking the other way, "Humph..."
The man looked at the lady, and the two of them could only smile towards each other.
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