The Little Mornings

Her lips twitched faintly at the flashes of embarrassment. She didn’t have to be a mind reader to know Lia’s struggles—after all, it was only natural for thoughts to wander in such a way. It was the call of nature to reproduce, to start the next generation, and it could be vicious. She remembered the times she’d crossed Amos’ scent during patrols during her season, the thrills it produced. If Amos had still been around to this day, and Red had not come into her life, it may well have been the Allentide man who had fathered her children.

Those possibilities had long set sail, and would never return, even is Amos himself came back someday. She was a loyal woman, with monogamy strongly ingrained into her psyche. She’d given herself heart and soul and body to Red, and not even an old flame would challenge that devotion, not unless Red was dead, and it would still take a long time of convincing to change her mind.

She barked out a soft laugh at the hesitant question Lia posed to her, grinning, “It comes in waves, or flares up when you smell a particularly acceptable male scent. It’s part of nature, and nothing to be ashamed of. Herbs help with the pain and restlessness though.”

She twisted around and slipped the saddlebags from her back, digging through until she found the packets marked with the correct symbols. There were several of each herb, more than enough to spare one or two of each to help the young woman find what worked best. There were also corked vials of oil, scented.

“These are a brew mixture of Motherwort, raspberry, peppermint, valerian, and cramp bark. Steep them into a strong tea and drink it a little at a time until the pains ease. The Valerian should relax you enough to work without issues, and the amount in the blend isn’t enough to over-soothe or leave you foggy-brained. It’ll just settle your frustrations as well as help with the pains. It’s one of the blends I use.”

With the heat of the fires at home, making such teas had become much easier. “Warmed stones on the abdomen when resting helps as well. Heat soothes the cramps.”

Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think