Primitive Man

Chapter 116: New life

The long-awaited moment had finally arrived. Ayra, the beloved wife of the village patriarch, was about to give birth after months of anticipation. The whole village was buzzing with excitement and concern.

Since some of the people had already moved to different sub-villages, the crowd was a little smaller than usual. Nevertheless, it was still hectic to see everyone equally worried and anticipating something like that.

Inside Ayra's humble home, Gundo, the village's skilled doctor and Ayra's sister, stood ready to welcome the newborn. With a calm demeanour, she said, "Ayra, it's time. Just a little more, you're doing great."

She was looking rather focused that, she didn't even blink for a second. After all, she was helping her sister to give birth to her grandchild and she had never been so careful about something.

"Quick! Bring more clean clothes. We need to keep the place clean so make sure to wear new clothes too, if you already have blood on it." Gundo kept advising while looking at Ayra who was crying in pain.

"Ahhhhhhhh~ Ahhhhhhhh~" She was almost squeezing Gundo's hand like she was squeezing a fresh lemon, but she didn't show any pain on her face, after all, she wanted to feel pain knowing that she would be able to save her sister and grandchild like that.

Outside, the atmosphere was tense. Garnt, Ayra's partner, was sitting on a bench, holding his head in stress. He anxiously muttered, "I hope she and the baby are okay."

It would be rather easy for anyone to say that he might be looking even worse than when he was hunting the most dangerous animal.

Kara and Kiriah, Ayra's children, stood on the edge of the scene, their faces etched with worry. Kara turned to Garnt and said, "Garnt, Mother is strong, and Aunt Gundo is with her. Everything will be fine."

She also didn't forget to ask for blessings from their new religion that kept sprouting in the village, where they prayed to a woman guardian spirit who showed Garnt, how he should go forward in this difficult path.

Kiriah nodded in agreement, adding, "We're all here for you, brother, and we're praying for Mother's safety."

Rona and Unami, Garnt's other wives, sat down beside Garnt, trying to calm his frayed nerves. Rona, with a comforting smile, said, "Garnt, remember that bringing new life into the world is a natural and beautiful process. Trust in Ayra's strength. She is a woman who can even rival us in strength."

Unami, a soothing presence, chimed in, "And you have the entire village's support, my dear. We'll celebrate when the baby arrives."

Garnt just smiled at all of them showing he was not doubting Ayra or Gundo, rather he was just doubting himself.

'Did I do enough to develop things so she can properly give birth? Should I have waited until her safety was confirmed?'

It took them a few hours to fully complete all of this and Garnt was excitedly waiting to see the baby and Ayra again with the other girls. Kara looked happy even though, she felt weird just imagining that she has a sister now whose father is her crush.

"Just like I thought, it's going to be a beautiful girl. She will be strong and beautiful, no doubt," Unami muttered with a smile touching her own belly.

'It might be today or tomorrow. I can't wait to see Garnt supporting me as he did with Ayra.'

Rona wasn't any different from Unami, as she had her own expectations but when Gundo came out and asked all of them to come inside, they rushed without waiting any more. And before they could even see the baby, she started to cry causing everyone to get startled thinking they might have annoyed her.

"She is quite the active girl. I think she is more like Ayra from her behaviour rather than Garnt, but her looks are definitely coming from Garnt because she has our hair instead of red," Gundo answered their worries.

Garnt didn't wait anymore, he put his finger on the little baby to play with and just like he expected, she suddenly grabbed it causing all the girls in the room to die of the cuteness she showed. Even the toughest warriors like Rona felt their hearts tingling, after all, she was like their own daughter.

"Ahhhhhhh~ she is so cute!"

"Can I hold her too?"

"What are you going to name her Garnt?"

From one girl to another, they kept asking questions and suddenly they heard a voice that almost caused them to feel guilty.

"Now I feel like I'm not important, you guys need to care about this little girl's mother too," Ayra quipped, her eyes shifting toward the crowd, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips.

The room fell into an awkward hush as the girls exchanged glances, wondering if Ayra was genuinely upset. They hadn't meant to overshadow her, and they all knew how much effort she had put into this moment. But just as the tension began to build, Ayra let out a chuckle.

"Just kidding," she said with a warm smile, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "I'm just so happy to see all of you excited. Garnt and I have worked hard for this day."

Garnt, who had been absorbed in the wonder of his daughter's grasp on his finger, turned his gaze to Ayra. He gently patted her head, his eyes filled with love and gratitude. "Ayra, you've done an amazing job. I'm proud of you, and I'm proud to be the father of this little one."

With that, the room was filled with a collective sigh of relief, and the atmosphere shifted from momentary concern to one of shared celebration.