A Slave to the Servants Ch. 15

"Well?" the other women would say to Nu-reeh.

She always told them the same thing. The child appeared strong and healthy, but much too early. The wings were apparently not as defined as they should be. The women judged her maturity on that.

"Control your men," she kept saying. "I will not tolerate trouble in this matter."

The other women agreed. The men must follow the new rule.

Without my outer layer I was chilled as Nu-reeh flew down to the main level. We made our way into the place the men stayed and I was very glad it was warmer. Nu-reeh sat me on my feet outside our chambers and told me to go inside.

I hobbled in as I heard Nu-reeh's announcement. She would end the life of any man that touched the child. It didn't matter to her if it was intentional or not, my daughter would be the last thing they would ever touch.

I felt weak and my insides still pained. I made it to a chaise by the fire pit and lowered myself into it, laying back. I was glad for my bulky diaper, it meant I wouldn't ruin everything I sat on. Holding Hannah close, I relaxed.

Damien and his Brothers arrived after a long while. I must have drifted to sleep, but woke when they came in. After letting me sip on some water, they decided I needed to be cleaned up.

Kein drew a warm bath and they led me into that room. I stripped Hannah of her diaper and blanket. Christof took the bulky wrap off of me.

As I bathed Hannah, they bathed me. My men were fascinated with my daughter, but they never touched her. Christof's hand almost brushed her and Damien grabbed him before it happened.

"Caution," Damien warned patting Christof's shoulder.

Hannah woke in the water and touched at it as I rubbed her clean.

"Water, Mama," she told me splashing the clear liquid with a tiny hand.

"Yes, Baby Girl, that's right," I crooned still amazed she could talk.

Hannah told me about water in short, choppy sentences for many, many moments. My wonder continued to grow. Her language was mixed. She spoke both English and Paterian.

The facts Hannah gave me about water were accurate. She could drink it or swim in it. Fish lived in the water. The fleint were dangerous. Hannah spoke and spoke until she was being dried off.

A hair raising howl erupted from her suddenly and she started to squirm. Instinctively, I raised her back to my nipple to let her feed. Her tiny hands kneaded my flesh as she sucked and pulled at the breast.

She dropped back to sleep and my men moved us to the sleeping chamber.

My stomach growled loudly. My men discussed it and then Bane and Kein bolted out of the room. I lay back exhausted and laid Hannah beside me in the bed. My eyes started to close and hands gently shook me awake.

"Nu-reeh said you must eat something before you rest today. She said you are to eat and drink frequently," Damien instructed me. "The child has eaten and may rest."

"Yes, Master Damien," I answered groggily and he laughed softly.

"We are not Masters when it is just us," he reminded me as they helped me to stand.

My men wrapped me in a blanket for warmth since the main room was cooler than the sleeping room. They seemed content to care for me as they always had. I was glad to see the birth had not upset them too much.

My feet weren't steady and I leaned into Damien as I hobbled into the main room. Bane and Kein brought back a mountain of food on a large tray. Evan held me and we ate in silence.

I felt a pang of pride when the pot of spicy cider was produced. The drink was in honor of a great happening. My daughter, despite all of my flaws, was considered worthy of this distinction. It made me happy to know the other women cherished her.

It was quiet and peaceful in our little apartment. I could hear the men bustling around outside the door, but no one disturbed us. Despite the pain in my body, I felt more relaxed than I had in ages.

Kein had grabbed a couple of his favorite food and was crunching loudly. He looked to be enjoying the treat like he usually did. I watched him curiously and realized I didn't taste it.

My thoughts were my own again and I sat upright suddenly.

"You aren't in my head, Evan," I said.

"I was never in your head," he argued and offered me a bite of the thick meat they'd brought.

I swatted his hand away in frustration. "Is your bond all right?" I asked genuinely worried.

"Yes," Christof said stroking my arm in a comforting gesture, "but when the baby left you we felt our bond slip away from you. It didn't cause us pain and we are fine..." he trailed off.

"Hannah must have been what bonded you to me..." I said slowly.

"That is what Nu-reeh told us," Damien said.

"Eat this now," Evan demanded pressing food to my lips.

I took the meat and chewed as Damien continued to talk. "The females know what their female breeders know when they are born. They also know what their male breeders know, but the bond is tenuous. The women found when the human slaves carried a female of our species, the slaves temporarily bonded to the male breeder. It is how the young female learns."

"We were unaware," Christof said. "Nu-reeh told us you must have had a very strong female to have bonded to us while we were in the mountains and you were in the compound. Our Mistress believes your child will be worthy of her kind, such strength should not be wasted."

I was too tired to worry about it. My men fed me and put me in the bed next to Hannah. She was so lovely. I cooed and watched her as she rested.

"What is 'Hannah'?" Christof asked me quietly.

"It was my mother's name," I told him. "On my world it also meant Favored by God."

"That should be acceptable to Nu-reeh," Christof told me. "She wanted to make sure you gave the child a strong name."

It stung that Nu-reeh had the power to name my child. I vowed that even if she changed the name I would always think of my little girl as Hannah.

Kein pulled a blanket over me and Bane lay down beside me.

"It is still early in the day, but Nu-reeh said you should rest," Evan said sounding disgruntled.

"Go," I smiled pushing at Bane, "I have rested alone before. There are better things to do rather than lay in bed all day."

Evan would be made insane if he had to stay cooped up in this room.

"I think I will stay," Bane sighed putting his head back on his folded arms.

The other men told me to rest and went quietly into the main room after closing the thick leather flap between the two rooms.

"She told you to watch me, didn't she?" I asked Bane.

"Sleep, Ciara," he ordered.

I turned to look at him and he looked back at me.

"Go to sleep," he repeated.

I stayed quiet but watched him. He wasn't closing his eyes and he didn't look like a man trying to take a nap.

"Yes," he finally sighed. "Nu-reeh wants us to watch you today. She said you would be weak. We are to provide what you need. Now rest or she will be angry."

Feeling safe and protected, I did as he ordered.

I slept soundly until Hannah decided it was time to eat. She probably alerted everyone in the cave system with her screeching. I was so surprised by the sound I stumbled out of bed thinking it was an alarm in the compound.

Standing confused and bleary in the middle of the room, I just couldn't get my bearing fast enough.

"Ciara, we beg you to make her stop," Kein pleaded coming through the leather flap.

Bane was sitting up in the bed looking very amused at my confusion.

I picked up the screaming little girl and guided her to a nipple. She had gotten herself too worked up and continued to scream. Damien and his Brothers looked more and more worried as the noise continued.

Softly, I sang to her as I sat at the edge of the bed. I didn't know songs in their language, so I sang in English. Hannah relaxed at the sound and calmed down enough to take what she wanted.

"I am jealous," Kein said flopping onto the bed and watching Hannah suckle.

"If you touch them now, Nu-reeh will probably cut your lips off," Bane commented.

"Let's not give her any ideas," Christof laughed sitting next to me.

Christof watched Hannah over my shoulder.

"Not too close, Brother," Damien warned from across the room.

"I'm not touching," Christof protested, "only looking. She never said we couldn't look at the girl."

Hannah opened her eyes and looked at Christof. She backed off the nipple and hissed loudly at him. I felt her tiny wings fluttering on her back. His presence irritated her severely.

"Hush, Hannah," I crooned. "Christof is my friend. He won't hurt you. Take something to eat."

"Man," Hannah said simply and hissed again.

"Yes, man," I told her, "not bad, though. He is a friend."

Sharp little eyes continued to watch Christof as she went back to the breast. The separation of the sexes was a deeply ingrained instinct here. It was so strange. I'd never seen anything like it before.

If it wasn't for my mother's nose squarely in the middle of her face, I wouldn't know Hannah was mine. Really, except for that and the milky white skin, she looked Paterian.

"Do the little boys talk when they are born?" I asked the general group.

Not the way Hannah talked, that was for sure.

"The young boys speak some when they are delivered to the Child Keepers, but not like her," Kein said watching Hannah. "The Child Keepers also taught us about the world. We didn't know anything when we were born."

Damien groused and Hannah turned her head to look at him. "The females are even born stronger than us. No wonder things are like they are," he continued sitting down. "Did we ever have a chance?"

Hannah's scream caught all of us off guard.

"Feed it more!" Evan demanded.

Other things upset babies on Earth, like wet diapers and I had not checked Hannah.

"I need another towel like this," I pointed as I laid Hannah on the bed and took her diaper off.

Evan quickly brought in a fresh towel and he cut it to the size I wanted hurriedly. Hannah's messy diaper was taken from me. Once she was clean and dry, she started to fuss again stating she was hungry, so I put her back on the breast.

"All she does is scream," Evan mourned.

"That's normal," I told him. "It's worse with babies on Earth because they can't speak, so you never know what they want."

"She's going to kill us. I can feel it," Evan said flopping next to Damien.

"Who's going to kill you?" I asked.

"Nu-reeh, she told us she would have our heads if anything happened to the girl. I'm sure she won't like all the screaming. We are dead men," he moaned.

Christof laughed. "She told us the child would call out when it needed things," he reminded them. "She said we would be in trouble if the child was left wanting or was harmed. The girl is happy now. We must just help Ciara keep the child fed and happy."

Evan grunted and Damien put a comforting arm around his shoulders. "We have survived worse, I'm sure," he said.

Hannah sucked until she was full and then she was back asleep in my arms. I tried to put her down and she cried out.

"Perhaps you should hold her," Christof offered helpfully.

I turned slightly and kissed his cheek. In return he leaned down and kissed at my shoulder.

Slowly, I maneuvered myself back up the bed to lay down. Wincing and moving carefully I finally made it. I placed Hannah to lay over my upper stomach and chest.

"You are in pain," Christof appraised watching my face as I moved my legs around.

"Birthing is hard for humans and I'd never done it before today," I said trying to find a comfortable way to lay.

They brought in the cream again. The bulky towel between my legs was removed and they coated me in the healing salve. Kein took Hannah's time to rest as an opportunity and he was the one who coated my nipples.

"I miss them already," he sighed lingering on the sensitive tissue.

"If Nu-reeh catches you playing with Hannah's food source..." Damien threatened while watching the main room.

Kein sighed and backed away, but I was pleased. He had used the name I had given our daughter. Hopefully Nu-reeh would not try to change it.

Christof stretched out beside me and looked into the sleeping face on my chest. I looked down at Hannah, too. Dry and clean you could really see her resemblance to Damien. Her short tuft of hair was almost blue it was so black. The shape of her face also resembled his strong lines.

"You are right," he said, "the hair is like Damien's. When they are open, her eyes also look like his. From what the women said that is a good thing. Damien made a strong daughter, she has survived well."

I winced at the last statement and watched Christof closely. He stroked my cheek in comfort.

"She will live, Ciara," he whispered. "We will help you. Rest now, though. When it is time to eat again we will wake you."

We had a late supper inside the apartment after Hannah was fed next. My men had a new warm outfit to put me into. Nu-reeh had given it to them.

The new outfit was still flowing, blue, and nearly see through. It was made of the thick warm fabric we were used to and it was stitched with their symbol. The main difference was the top. The front was made of several loosely overlapping panels. I could wiggle a breast out and feed Hannah and still stay inside my clothes.

My men grudgingly admitted they would not have thought to order such a thing. Nu-reeh was a wise woman. They would have to thank her for her foresight.

I carried Hannah into the main room and felt much steadier walking. After several treatments with the cream my pain was greatly diminished. The space between my legs no longer throbbed and even my stomach felt better.

Christof insisted on feeding me dinner, so I sat on his lap. He had said he wanted to make sure I ate enough. I thought it was just because he wanted to watch Hannah. He had always been the most curious Brother.

Talons clattered on the floor and Damien went outside to see what was happening. The Brothers inside with me all sucked in a gasp suddenly, but they refused to tell me what was happening. Damien came back in looking shocked.

"Well?" I asked rocking Hannah gently. "What happened?"

"They tortured the men that attacked you," Damien finally said. "Nu-reeh claimed they assaulted Hannah when they touched you. She said that they made the girl come too soon. It was done to prove to the other men how serious the women are about the new female."

I didn't know what to say. Obviously I appreciated Nu-reeh protecting Hannah, but I was a little surprised that she had abused the tutors.

"Those men were important to their owner," was all I could think to say.

"Not important enough," Christof scoffed. "Their owners skinned their backs and pulled out their fingernails."

I retched at the thought and fought to keep my stomach settled. Evan fussed at Christof for upsetting me.

"The women chained them in a place the other men would see them. They will be left there to suffer for several days," Damien said.

"But, I do not believe we should take Ciara there," Kein added looking worried.

"If Nu-reeh saw Ciara lose the food we gave her..." Bane commented.

The general assessment was the same. Nu-reeh would be angry if she saw me vomit. Hannah and I would be spared seeing the mutilated bodies of my tormentors.

We were nearly ready for bed when the talons were outside the door again. Nu-reeh and her Sisters wanted to see us.

I bundled the child up and walked out the leather flap with my owners. Thankfully, Hannah had chosen to be sound asleep in my arms. I knew my men feared Nu-reeh's reaction if the child had been upset.

"Have you been feeding her?" Nu-reeh asked.

"Yes, Mistress, as often as she likes," I answered politely.

"She has made waste?" Dinah questioned.

"Yes, Mistress, and I cleaned her."

"Have the men touched her?" Nu-reeh asked.

"No, Mistress, my owners do not touch her and no other man has tried to," I told them quickly.

The women seemed pleased and had me unwrap Hannah so they could examine her. They were happy her little belly felt full and plump. Dinah commenting she must be well fed to be sleeping so peacefully. Hannah only murmured contentedly as the women checked her.

Tosu looked at Hannah's wings and warned me not to crush them if I insisted on wrapping her. She showed me how they should fold on Hannah's back. As the wings matured it would be more important they were folded correctly. I thanked her for the information.

"We have a great tolerance for cold, slave," Tosu said. "I know humans do not. Our female young are usually born with fur to protect them. You may wrap the child for warmth. We believe her hair will grow in."

Dinah growled and made a spitting sound. "Runen and his Brothers made the child come too early. I am sure the baby fur would have grown inside of you if the men had not interfered," she said.

I didn't respond and only rewrapped Hannah in her blue blanket.

"You will take your meals in the main dining room with your owners," Nu-reeh told me. "Take the child where you go. In the afternoons you will take her through the caves. Do you know your way around the caverns?"

"Yes, Mistress, I know my way around most of them," I answered.

"The child, you call her 'Hannah', soon will feel too constrained if you try to keep her in your owners' apartments," Nu-reeh told me.

"Feel free to take her and let her explore. The men will not touch her. If they do, they know the punishment that awaits them," Dinah said harshly.

"As you wish, Mistresses," I said cuddling my little girl.

"I know how long your children stay with their mothers," Nu-reeh told me. "The girls here need their freedom to grow and learn. Your daughter has all of her male breeder's knowledge and it should serve her well when she strikes out on her own."

I wondered when that would be, but I remembered Damien's opinion on the subject. The women did not like to answer questions.

"I will give her any help I can, Mistress, for as long as I can," I said hoping that would be tactful and perhaps encourage Nu-reeh to speak.

Nu-reeh snorted, "When the young female finally is strong enough to set out, I will tell you and she will leave. Our females are strong willed, they must be to survive. She will seek her own destiny within the next six moons."

I breathed deep. Damien had estimated four hundred and twenty days when Ronal told us the same number. Too short, much too short, but I would do what I had to do for her. It seemed hard to imagine that in just six turns of the moon I would be ready to release my baby.

"You have been generous to help my daughter as much as you have, Mistress, thank you," I said my voice quavering slightly.

"You and the babe rest with our men, slave. Keep the child well fed," Nu-reeh commanded as the women turned and left.

Evan's mood was triumphant when we stepped back in the apartment. Bane congratulated him with a pat on the back.

My mouth lifted involuntarily into a grin at their game. "What did you bet on?"

Christof congratulated Evan before he answered. "We bet on whether Nu-reeh would let us sleep in our own bed with the child. Bane said we would be told to sleep on the floor. He had said he laid on his own bed for the last time this afternoon."

I shook my head and looked down at my sleeping baby. Six turns of the moon, that wasn't very long at all and I wasn't sure where she would go after that. From the way Nu-reeh talked Hannah would leave me, but I had no idea what the adolescent women did.

My eyes filled with tears as I realized how short my time with my daughter would be. I had no idea what would happen to her.

"Are you in pain?" Damien asked worriedly.

"No, not physically," I sighed. "I am mourning that my child will be taken from me in six turns of the moon."