Welina-Grace and the Forest Uglies

Leaving the safety of the forest was terrifying for Zinah, more so with a young baby. It was still dark when she left and she still have a few more hours before dawn would break. Zinah constantly looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was following her. She moved quickly to get as far away from the Ogre camp as she could before Junie woke and found she was gone. Zinah looked at the map Duskin had drawn out for her and continued to follow for several more hours before Crimson started whining from hunger. Zinah found a nice grassy area under a shady tree near a stream. She took Crimson out of her swaddle-pack and undid her. Crimson stretched her tiny arms and legs and smiled at her Mama. Zinah took out the goat’s milk bottle and began feeding Crimson and singing a melody. She doesnʻt know who taught her the melody but it always brought her such warmth when she sang it. Now as she sang it to her baby, she wondered if maybe her human mother sang it to her…. You are my sunshine My only sunshine You make me happy When skies are gray You never know dear How much I love you Please donʻt take my sunshine away Zinah felt overwhelmed when she finished feeding and changing Crimson. She was just shy of her 16th birthday which meant she was really only 15 and already a mother. Not a biological one, but one still the same. This was not the life she saw for herself. But then again, she never really saw a future in her life. She would often think that when she was older, she would run away and no one would be able to tell her what to do. But those were far-fetched dreams she never really thought through. Now here she was, baby in tow, on a journey to see a witch to save her child and maybe lose herself in whatever the witch asks for payment. Zinah played with Crimson for a bit and felt their bond deepen. “Look at you pretty girl, with your silver hair and silver eyes” Zinah cooed as Crimson widely grinned. “You are beautiful my baby, yes you are” Zinah tickled and Crimson gave a deep belly laugh which made Zinah laugh as well. “Oh my little wonder, maybe I should have asked Duskin what is it that makes you so special. I mean, I know what makes you special to me. But what makes you special as an Ifrit” sighed Zinah and inwardly she hoped the witch could help, it didnʻt matter the payment. She just wanted her baby safe. Zinah, rewrapped her baby and wrapped the fabric around her securely so Crimson wouldnʻt fall or wriggle out. She grabbed the rest of her things, looked at the map, got her bearings, and started on her way again. ************************ “You did what?!!” Junie screeched “You heard me, I needed Zinah to gather some rare plants for medicinal purposes so I sent her on a journey to gather them” Duskin stated “You have no right to just tell her what to do. She is MY servant! She belongs to ME!” Junie screamed “Well do you want to sell her, Iʻd gladly buy her from you if thatʻll make you happy” Duskin challenged “Wouldnʻt you like that! I know what youʻre doing! Youʻve always coddled her and thatʻs why she runs to you every chance she gets!” Junie said “Well if you treated her better than you do, then maybe sheʻd wanna stay with you as well. But NO! You treat her badly and beat her every chance you get. If I were your servant, I wouldnʻt wanna be near you either” Duskin blurted “Why you…you…urgh! I have never been so insulted. And by my own brother no less! That child will get a beating when she returns” Junie said “You will not lay a finger on that girl! Do you hear me! I TOLD her to fetch those things for me. You are okay with everyone bossing her around, then I just did as well” Duskin angrily said and Junie was taken aback by his demeanor. She has never seen her brother so upset and decided best to let the hornet's nets lie. Junie stood up and walked out of the cottage while Duskin hoped Zinah and Crimson were ok. ****************************** Itʻs been 4 days of travel when Zinah could finally see the face of Mt. Yamnuska. It was beautiful but it seemed so far away. Zinah was having to make more stops than she would have wanted to tend to Crimson. Crimson was not a happy camper at being swaddled for long periods. The heat didnʻt help matters either. Crimson did enjoy the rest periods but Zinah felt that Crimson knew exactly what she doing and how to get her to stop by crying and if that didnʻt work, screaming. So to keep her quiet, Zinah gave in which was almost always. But Zinah had her own tricks, sheʻd slip a small leaf of a certain plant that grew plentiful into Crimson's bottle. Duskin would use it to help people who had a hard time sleeping to sleep. He taught her how to use it and she knew a little leaf in Crimson's bottle would help her to rest so they could continue on their journey. Around the 7th day, Zinah finally reached the base of Mt. Yamnuska. She should have been here a couple of days earlier if not for the stop and go. Zinah stopped for a bit to let Crimson stretch and be fed and changed. Zinah decided to slip a leaf in her milk to calm her for the journey to the top. She then continued on the path that would lead to the trail for the ascension upward. She stopped in her tracks when she heard something unfamiliar, she heard voices, she crouched lower so she wouldnʻt be seen and was glad she chose clothing that camouflage her with her surrounding. She moved along slowly as she knew she needed to get past whoever it was to start climbing. The voices got louder and she moved closer and in the clearing, she could finally see that there were about 5 people swimming in the lake. She watched them for a bit when she recognized that they were human. She has never seen humans before and this intrigued her. There were 3 girls and 2 guys. The girls looked almost naked in the clothing they were wearing and Zinah felt flushed just watching them. Zinah wanted to stay and watch longer but she knew she needed to keep moving. She finally moved closer to the base of the mountain and found an alternate route that would keep her hidden. She reached the ascension trail and headed upward. It would take another 3 days to make it to the top. Zinah knew Duskin must be worried already as the trip was taking much longer than anticipated. She knew heʻd be happy to see her when she returned. When Zinah finally made it to the top there was an eerie feeling. She could see the clouds that never moved and knew that was where she needed to go. She stopped once again to tend to Crimson who seemed to be enjoying the cool air which was much colder than Zinah would have liked. Zinah continued on. When they reached the clouded area, a foreboding sense filled the air. Zinah could barely see in front of her and her hearing was masked by the whistling winds that blew. Crimson must have loved the cold because she was quietly and comfortably sleeping. Thatʻs when Zinah heard it. The sound of pebbles being crushed underfoot. 4 feet to be exact, no, 8 feet, two pairs. Zinah froze in her tracks, she couldnʻt decipher whether the sounds were coming from in front or in back of her. She saw a large rock so she crouched to the ground with her back against it. She sat very still and watched for movement in the thick clouds. Then she saw them, 2 black jaguars casually sauntering toward her as if they were unimpressed by her presence. One even yawned. Zinah was scared sh*tless. Her eyes went wide and she hugged her child close to her which was the wrong move because Crimson began to squirm in her arms and make whining noises. Zinah began to frantically rock her hoping to calm her. The big cats became intrigued by the sounds coming from the bundle as they made their way forward. They looked at Zinah, then at the babe in the bundle, then back to Zinah as if saying to unwrap her, they wanna see her. At this point the cats were only 18 inches away, so close that Zinah could feel their breaths on her face. They sniffed the bundle and demanded to see the child with their eyes. Zinah slowly removed the fabric that tied the child to her chest and unwrapped Crimson from the swaddle. Upon release, Crimson stretch her little arms above her head, tilted her head, and yawned. The cats came forward and sniffed the little oneʻs breath. Zinah was holding her breath though she didnʻt realize it. All she could think of was her babyʻs safety. Then the oddest thing happened… Crimson opened her eyes, looked at the beasts, reached out her tiny hands, and yanked one's ears and the other's whiskers. Zinah thought for sure they were dead and closed her eyes and waited for the end. But it never came. Instead, Zinah heard the squealed giggles of her baby. When she opened her eyes, the beasts were licking her little fingers and tickling the little babe's hands. “Duskin sent me” was all Zinah could muster The beasts looked at her and turned and walked away, then stopped as if telling Zinah to follow which she did. Crimson kept trying to reach for the panther's tails that swayed just out of reach of her grabbing and pulling them back to her. “Thank you sweetheart” Zinah whispered to her baby…