Aran’s Compassion, A Mother’s Love — Part 1
The first women of Aran were escaped slaves from Neria, lead by Skarah and Azyn. They first fled to Imneral where the elves there provided shelter and taught them to survive on their own…
…The elves eventually led them to Aran so they could live in freedom. There, these escaped slaves of Neria became the first Arnians and Skarah and Azyn became the first Ma’hals…
…In those early years, they remembered the people of the town and villages, led by men, who denied them aid and comfort on their long trek to Aran. But rather than bare unwonted malice to their neighbors, the Aranians show compassion and hospitality.
…The women of the tribes of Aran, led by the Ma’hals, openly accept any woman or child seeking refuge there…
–Master Dahor, Sage of Elhrub Year 403
A group of ten women, dressed in simple skirts, pants and tops of muted yellows, greens and browns, were heading home to the forest of Aran. They were carrying baskets on their backs as they had spent the early autumn day gathering berries from fields near the forest. The sun was behind them as they passed the first line of trees into Aran. Some of them gleefully talked about how they would preserve the berries the next day.
They had been following the trail back to their home about a mile, when Funi, the Ma’hal, stopped. She waved her hand horizontally, palm down, to stop and silence the others that were following her. Her dark brown eyes squinted as she seemed to scan for something.
One of the others cautiously approached the Ma’hal and said, “What is it, Mother?” in a low whisper.
The Ma’hal shook her head before turning to her daughter. “I am not sure, Delea. I thought I heard crying.”
Funi was about to start off again when she clearly heard the crying again. It was faint, but unmistakably a baby crying in distress.
“Mother, it came from the right.”
Funi pulled the basket off her back saying, “Delea, you, Kason and Brothya, come with me and help me find the child. The rest of you stay here, but out of sight.” In a few seconds, the four women had left the path and were looking for the source.
As they crested a slight rise, Funi found the source. Swaddled in a cream-colored blanket and partially concealed by a bush was a baby. Stains marked the blanket from where the child had relieved itself.
The Ma’hal set her atlatl down and picked up the child. “Don’t worry, child. Ma’hal Funi has you,” the Ma’hal said. She cradled and rocked the child gently, which calmed the child down. “There now. Let’s take a look at you and see about getting you clean.” With one hand, she undid the swaddling and set it aside before removing the child’s dress and revealing it was a girl. She looked the little girl over before using her shawl to cover the baby. “Until we find your name, I call you Forvitni.”
The other three women joined Funi. “I could find no tracks, Ma’hal,” Brothya said.
“Neither could I,” said Kason.
“Then it may be someone with some knowledge of the woods. Kason and Brothya, leave your water skins and return to the others. Let them know we found a baby and tell them to return to the camp. Brothya, bring back four more skins and my basket.”
“Kason, get a turndun and let the camp know we need a wet nurse. I doubt this child has been fully weaned yet. Stay at the trail to watch for help and lead them here.”
“Delea, get a fire started, then start making a camp.”
Kason asked, “Shouldn’t we try to get something else to eat?”
“There are enough berries in my basket to last until tomorrow midday. The wet nurse should bring some food also, but we can look for more after we get a fire and camp,” Funi said as she sat down with the girl.
Delea took the waters skins from Kason and Brothya as they nodded to Funi and set off to the others.
“Mother, is it safe for the girl to camp out here after being left alone? How long was she out here?” Delea asked.
Funi’s shoulders dropped as she shook her head and lowered her face. “I don’t think more than half a day, but I am not sure. Once we see how much she eats, we may have a better idea. Once we have a fire, some shelter and bedding, Forvitni should be alright for the night. It is fortunate we found her.”
“Now, get to your task.”
Delea nodded to her mother and immediately went to gather wood for a fire. Left alone with Forvitni, Funi tried to give the little girl some water from a water skin before cleaning her.
The sound of the wind in the trees and chirping birds made for a tranquil moment in Aran. The chopping and breaking of wood and the occasional whimper by Forvitni interrupted this. Soon, a turndun broke the sounds of the forest and the Aranian’s activity. Its buzzing and droning sent birds flying from the trees to more placid parts of the forest. Funi intently listened to the irregular rhythms of the turndun.
Funi looked down at Forvitni and said, “Listen, we are calling for aid for you.”
Soon, Brothya returned with the basket and water skins. In addition, she had a pair of hunting spears. “I would have been back sooner, Ma’hal, but the others wanted to debate about returning home. They wanted to join us, but Kason and I convinced them otherwise. Also, Lina is irate about the girl being abandoned,” she said as she set the supplies down.
Funi sighed before saying, “We all are, just some of us put our anger in the right place. For now, we must do our duty and ensure that Forvitni is safe and well cared for. How did you convince the others to return?”
“I agreed to bring you a couple of spears, a second basket, four full skins and a few shawls.” A smile crossed her face as she said this.
“I see but one basket.”
“Kason will bring yours with the wet nurse.”
Funi’s eyes narrowed at Brothya. “Where did you learn to persuade people like that?”
“From Funi, before she became Ma’hal.” Both women laughed a little at this.
“Hand me the basket, then go help Delea.”
After handing Funi the basket, Brothya left to help Delea. Funi removed the bandana that held her graying hair tied back and spread it out on her lap. Then she opened the basket and pulled a handful of berries out and placed them on the bandana. Seeing this, Forvitni started kicking her legs and whining. “Oh, I see you’ve had berries before. Give me a moment and I’ll give you some,” Funi said.
She sorted through the berries and found a soft raspberry and crushed it in her fingers until it became a pulp. Taking the pulp, Funi placed some on Forvitni’s lips. The girl thrust her tongue on to her lips to get at the raspberry paste. Funi let the child do this for a few seconds before attempting to give her more. This time, Forvitni opened her mouth, inviting Funi to put the paste in her mouth.
Funi repeated this several times. Even though Forvitni seemed to push more out of her mouth than she actually ate, seeing her eat eased Funi some. While Funi was smashing a blackberry, Delea and Brothya returned with firewood and some long limbs to start building a shelter with.
After setting the firewood down, Delea cleared a space for their campfire. Once satisfied with space, she pulled aside some smaller sticks from the woodpile and set them aside before reaching into her pouch. From there, she produced a cattail, a leather wrap, and a pair of stones. One stone, the larger, was about the size of her palm and flat except for a shallow bowl like indention. It also had a leather thong attached to it.
Funi made a clicking noise at her daughter and said, “It is good you have a hearthstone, but cattail is notorious for use as a tender. Birch bark would be better.”
Delea turned to face her mother. “Cattail by itself is, but bind it with some resin and it is as good as birch, and easier to take a spark, or as I have been taught.”
Funi watched closely as her daughter unrolled the leather wrap, revealing a small glob of pine resin. Delea then used her knife to scrape some off, before setting the wrap aside and folding it over once. She then spread the resin onto the hearthstone before breaking the end of the cattail. Using her knife, she worked the fluff into the resin on the hearthstone.
Once satisfied, Delea took her flint and struck it with her knife. On the second strike, she got a good spark followed by flame.
Funi smiled at Forvitni. “You see my clever daughter? She showed her mother a trick to make a fire. Maybe one day, she will teach you that trick. Now, since you don’t seem to care for blackberries, let’s see about some blueberries.”
While Delea had been working on a fire, Brothya had set a long limb between two branches and rested several others across the first one. Upon this framework, she piled tree branches containing leaves and pine needles. Now that Delea had the fire going, she assisted Brothya by gathering more branches and taking the ones too small to fit on the frame and using them for bedding.
As the shelter was being built, Funi fed Forvitni a few more berries before giving her a little water from one of the skins. “That is enough for now. Don’t want you to get a bellyache. But not to worry, we have a friend coming who will get you something else.”
“Though we are not the friends you expect, can we offer assistance?” said an aelf twenty feet away. She and her companion wore the typical browns and greens the elves wore when hunting in the forest, and they were each carrying a bow and spear. However, instead of a satchel they would normally carry, these two elves had backpacks.
Delea and Brothya stopped working and faced their guests, who now approached them. “I am Funi, the Ma’hal. This is Brothya and Delea, my daughter,” Funi said in Imneralian. The other two Aranians nodded at the elves when Funi said their names. “Please forgive me for not getting up to greet you properly, but I’m trying to keep this little one settled. You are a bit far west to be hunting this time of the year.”
The elf said in Nerian, “If we were hunting, yes. This is my wife Meorise and I am Rolim, and we greet you, Ma’hal. We were heading to the western edge of Aran to watch for pilgrims when we heard a call for help. Is there something we can aid you with?”
Funi pursed her lips together for a moment before responding. “We found this girl abandoned here, but could find no tracks.”
“And you wish to return her?” asked Meorise, tilting her head. “That does not sound like an Aranian. I thought you welcomed all children. I don’t want to think what Aran was like before you came, with all those children left to die here.”
Shaking her head, Funi said, “I have no intention of returning Forvitni. To do so would dishonor us. But had I not heard her, she would have joined those poor souls you spoke of. We found her hidden under a bush as if whoever left her there didn’t want her to be found.”
Hearing this, Meorise started physically shaking. Her husband reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. “Calm yourself, Meorise.”
She jerked away from Rolim. “Calm myself? How can I? We are now witness to the cruelty that some humans have. That child has done nothing and someone tried to condemn her to death. I am sorry Ma’hal for doubting you.” After nodding to Funi, Meorise buried her face and hands into her husband’s chest.
“Excuse her, she is with child.”
Funi let a slight smile crease her lips. “That is good news and I think we needed some after the events this evening. I know the Mothers will bless you and your child.”
“But Meorise, you were partly correct. I am of two minds. One is to return home in the morning. The other is to find where Forvitni came from and give her name, her real name, back to her.”
The elves raised their eyebrows at hearing this. “So you don’t even know her name and would consider going home without learning it?” Meorise asked.
Brothya put her hands on her hips and said, “I have never heard of a child being abandoned to us without at least knowing their name. But Ma’hal, neither Kason nor I could find any tracks, so how are we to supposed to find Forvitni’s home?”
Funi held her free hand up to Brothya as she turned her head to face her. “The sun was going down, and we were more focused on finding Forvitni than trying to find tracks. I believe there is a pond near here. I had planned on bathing Forvitni and washing her dress and blanket before we left. In that time, you and the others could look again.”
The two elves looked at each other for a second before turning back to the Aranians. “If you would allow us to camp with you, my wife and I can help in trying to find Forvitni’s home. We can afford to help for a few days before we must be ready to greet pilgrims.”
Before anyone could say a word, Forvitni let out a squeal of glee. Funi laughed as she looked down at the little girl. “So you approve, do you? You are not Ma’hal, so you don’t get to decide. However, I agree. Even if aelves weren’t such excellent trackers, another pair of eyes wouldn’t hurt.” She then looked back up at the elves. “Please join us, and thank you for offering to help.”
“It is an honor to help a friend,” Meorise said as she nodded her head. “I think I hear your other help coming.”
It was only a few minutes before Kason and another woman came down the rise to the camp. The woman with Kason was several inches taller and was carrying a pack and a couple of water skins. The two women soon joined the others by the campfire.
“I’ve come as requested, Ma’hal,” the woman said. “I hope all is well with the girl.”
Funi looked at her and nodded. “She seems to be fine other than being hungry, Chana. I managed to feed her some berries.” Chana was flush and sweaty while her breathing was quick and deep, as if she had been running. “Rest for a bit and catch your breath. Forvitni is calm for now. Did you run here?”
Chana unslung her pack and water skins before sitting down next to Funi. “Thank you, Ma’hal. I did run some. Some others at the camp bade me to make haste to you and packed the satchel while I got the water skins. Do you know anything about her?”
“Very little, other than she does not care for blackberries,” Funi said, shaking her head. “When we found her, all she had was her dress and blanket. Whoever left her partially hidden under a bush had her swaddled tightly so she couldn’t move.”
“Then let us see what we have for the child.” Chana opened up her pack. She reached in and pulled out a large blanket. “I think they meant for us,” she said as she set the blanket aside. Reaching back in, she produced a second, rolled up, blanket. Chana unrolled it, showing it was a baby blanket with a baby dress in the middle. “Ah, Forvitni. They packed you a new dress. What do you think of it?” Chana said as she held up the dress.
In response, Forvitni made a gurgling laugh.
“I am glad you like it. We’ll put it on you before you go to bed for the night,” Funi said.
Continuing to examine the contents of the pack, Chana pulled out a carry sling and a short leather thong with beads attached to it so that it rattled when moved. “It looks like the rest is food for us,” she said as she lifted the pack to judge its weight. “Enough for us for a day. We weren’t aware that aelves were here also, or I’m sure they would have packed more.”
Meorise looked at the pair and said, “We appreciate your sentiment. Rolim and I are going to greet pilgrims, so we have our own supplies. We heard the Ma’hal’s request for help and offered to assist.”
Hearing this, Chana nodded and turned back to Funi. “Let me take Forvitni now,” she said, reaching out to take the child. “May I ask what your intent is, Ma’hal?”
Handing Forvitni over to Chana, Funi pursed her lips slightly. “There is a pond and stream near here. In the morning, you and I will take Forvitni and her things there to wash and bathe before we return home.”
“But as we do not know the child’s real name, the others will look again to see if they can find any tracks. Meorise and Rolim have been gracious enough to offer to help in that. Should they find any, you and Brothya will take Forvitni home, while the rest of us will go and try to find her real name.”
Brothya stopped what she was doing and cocked her head at Funi. “I should go with you. Delea can escort Chana home. You would benefit from having experienced people with you.”
“And how did you come by your experience? A great deal of it came from watching and listening. Yes, you coming would help me, but Delea needs to learn as well. As long as she listens to Kason and me, all should be well.”
Brothya was silent as she closed her eyes and gave a small nod of her head. “As you wish, Ma’hal. Though you have not said it, I agree we should not take Forvitni home. I fear that could cause problems.”
The three other Aranian women each said, “Aye,” echoing Brothya’s thoughts.
Funi nodded. “I see your council agrees with my intent on that matter. Which leaves one last issue.”
“Meorise, Rolim. If we happen to find tracks to Forvitni’s home, I ask that you stay out of sight. Some people in this area are suspicious of your kind, and I do not wish to see it sour more.”
The elves had just finished their shelter when Funi spoke to them. “We are aware of how some view us and we will be careful. Thank you for your concern, Ma’hal,” Rolim said.
By this point in the discussions, Chana had started feeding Forvitni, and the others had finished the shelter. The women and the elves then sat down around the campfire and passed around a berry basket and the other foods they had brought with them. They ate in relative silence so not to disturb Forvitni, who was falling asleep.
Once Forvitni was sound asleep, Funi and Chana cleaned her again and dressed her in her new dress before swaddling her in the fresh blanket they had for her. Both women went to the shelter with Forvitni and settled themselves. “Delea, you take the first watch, followed by Kason. Brothya, wake us with the first light.”
“Not to upset your plans or your generosity, but I’ll take the first watch,” Rolim said. “Delea can rest with Meorise until it is her turn. Better to do it in four turns rather than three.”
Funi gave a short set of nods to Rolim and said, “If that is what you wish. Delea, you take the watch from Rolim.” She then laid down, after Forvitni and Chana settled down.
Patrick S. Smith is a retired vet venturing into the world of poetry and short stories on Medium. If you like or dislike it, please feel free to leave a comment. I can be followed at The Writings of Patrick S. Smith
