Ara had both anticipated and dreaded this call for so many weeks now. There were so many things that could go wrong, and she couldn't help but imagine all of them. Would her mother even survive this? How many children would she have? Would they have enough strength to care for more children? The young woman could see how tired they always seemed, despite their obvious happiness -- certainly she and her siblings would need to hunt for their newest brothers or sisters, whatever they might have. Her time with Novel would certainly diminish as she helped care for them.
But it didn't seem like a burden to her. She had prepared for this day for some time, and her store of herbs was kept constantly stocked. It wasn't difficult, either, during the warm summer months. As soon as she heard her mother's call, she would rush to her den to grab a mouthful of hastily picked herbs, before heading towards her mother's pained call. Her song was not panicked, which made Ara calm slightly, but she still did not hesitate to come to her aid as quickly as possible.
"Mom," she would greet her with hurried tones, noticing that Song was here as well as her father. Song had only given birth recently and it was obvious, but she offered her support nonetheless. A slight smile would touch her lips but a more serious look quickly replaced it as she nudged the bundle of herbs to her mother. "Chew on these, they will help ease the pain," Ara instructed her gently, but there would be no argument. The trillium was mild and would ease the pain from her contractions just slightly, and the small amount of motherwort include would be helpful in the actual birth. Watchful eyes would remain locked on her as she waited, alert to anything that might go wrong.
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