A resounding yell emerged, carried by the chorus of a determined mother. Attached to it was a cry. In what seemed to be the sudden rush of blinding warmth shuffled forward a babe into bright uncertainty.
In a moment of a moment, just after a woman became mother of two, before the sound of new life echoed, a ring of power erupted.
That which made, mana, vibrated in response to the wave. Each molecule of potency primed itself. As fast as the rise of energy came, the potential dissolved into nothing.
The odd tsunami formed and left before anything could notice it had been affected. After mere moments it was halted and dissipated at the confines of a tall wooden fence.
Restricted in its area were two buildings. The first was a steadfast home of many generations. Storms had strewn shingles from the roof, windows cracked from time and replaced with boards. A porch wrapped around the building, and a goodly third had its supports inverted and severed.
To the side was a barn. Of the same age and equal amount of damage, if not more. Cracked and torn, withered and old. Its nails had been rusted through and the wood decayed with rot. High winds threatened it, and any harsher weather endangered it to the point of collapse.
Beyond, was the scenario of rushed abandonment. Two carriages, each having the same amount of horses, had its occupants quickly uprooted and moved. One had unloaded items dropped uncaringly on the ground. The other was only for passengers and had its floorboards covered in a slick liquid.
The holler had turned to weak pained moans and the cry had completely abated.
A rumble from the depths came as a man stomped to the point terra firma spikes erupted from the earth. Thick arms and legs sprouted from the substantial chest of the man. Fat on his person was undenied, but underneath was a complex system of corded muscle. A feat gained only through years of hard, back-breaking work. Messy pants and overalls topped with a dirt and sweat stained tan shirt. Nails were stress cut with the precision of teeth.
“Would you settle down? For the rose gold of Lathander, we have a healer. Not to mention it's her second time.” The voice came from a man leaning on the barn door. Skinnier when compared, but he too had a mass of muscle that wasn't to be questioned. He wore black leather partnered with a short sword on his hip and another glossy dark one-sided blade on his back. His voice was shriveled, quiet. A deep scar ripped to the top of his forehead passed his eye, mangled the corner of his mouth, and etched further than his neck to places unseen.
“Last time we were actually in his faith, brother. Not just some... barn.” The man's voice boomed. Inside of it was the turmoil of mild annoyance with a large dose of stress and worry.
“Well, it's actually your barn. Did I mention the healer part?”
“A healer can only do so much.”
“Uncle Doco said that healers can even heal legs off.” A third voice came. Uneven, high-pitched, and girlish. “Uhh. on.” A nine-year-old girl balanced on a narrow rock. A large, big-eyed squirrel stooped on her head. It frantically shifted its weight to counterbalance the sways of the child.
“Only with the Greats.” Doco, the smaller man said.
In a moment of perfect balance, Lucy stopped the uneasy movement. “But I thought…”
The barn doors busted open in a loud huff and the wind gust that resulted threw Lucy off of her post. “Tyris?” A young woman asked. Dressed in a practical garb of white, gold, and red. She had blood and dirt on her. And a serene smile that contradicted the state of her attire.
The huge mountain man, Tyris, moved. The earth rumbled like a lightning crack and he was suddenly in front of the woman. Dirt and rock uplifted in his wake. "Yes?! Boy? Girl? Is my Wife alright? Is my Kid alright? By the gods…"
A hand from behind grabbed Tyris by the shoulder. “Breathe brother. Just breathe.” Doco said. Tyris' pent-up muscles released just a notch and his lungs broke the seized-up walls it resided in.
“Can I see them?” Tyris asked. The nurse gave a nod of acceptance and turned to walk. As he shrugged off the hand on his shoulder. “Thank you Doco.”
Inside the barn was a sight worse than the exterior. Sunlight broke through in numerous places and the stalls were shattered down into nothing but small lumps of wood. A fallen second story took space in the back and blocked the animal door. A plethora of old rodent nests combined with the crumbling hives of long-dead insects gave the building an aroma of old life and hoary decay.
A couple of women huddled in a cove of fallen wood and straw. The first. An old and wrinkled lady with long, gray single-braided hair that measured down to her hips. She too was dressed in similar colors to the nurse, but the clothes were more ornate. With a man outlined in white and gold and a red embroidered sun on her back.
Tyris joined the two and nodded to the practitioner. “Thank you, Parson.” His eyes moved to the second woman. She was on the floor holding a bundle in her arms. Long black hair matted to her forehead. Bright blue eyes with heavy lids and a smile of warmth.
“Ava.” Relief blumed from his chest. He could see the path of tears through the dirt on her face. And from her eyes, he traced the path to a wiggling mass of cloth at her chest. His hands, while callased and massive, gently unwrapped the babe. A boy. His baby boy. Dark hair sprouted from the baby's head like tiny pricks of shallow grass. Black, like his mother.
Silently, Ava handed her son to Tyris. He grasped his baby in one hand, cupped the head in his palm, and used his other hand for stability. The boy rose until he was at eye level with his father. His tiny, pure hands felt at the course touch holding him aloft. As if he was trying to understand. Grapple a truth too old for him.
“What’s his name, love?” Ava asked.
“I will call him…”
