Primitive Man

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?'

His mind was always questioning himself, but then Eva also joined the others and started to give the confidence Garnt needed.

[This technology is more than enough for a woman to give birth safely. Don't worry, just wait and watch.]

While this was happening, inside the cosy cottage, Gundo's voice reassured everyone, "I see the head, Ayra. You're almost there." The tension outside slowly began to ease as the realization that a new life was about to join their community filled the air.

Suddenly, a young girl who had been supporting Gundo came running outside, her face flushed with excitement. She spotted Garnt and shouted, "Patriarch, Ayra is asking for you! Come inside quickly! Aunt asked me to bring you inside because she needs more motivation to push the baby."

Garnt jumped to his feet, his heart pounding with a mix of anxiety and hope. He rushed inside and was met with a chaotic scene. Blood and sweat covered Ayra's exhausted face, and her grip on Gundo's hand was tight as she cried out in pain. Garnt took her hand, his eyes filled with love and determination.

"You're doing great, Ayra," he whispered, his voice trembling. "We're here with you. Just a little more, keep pushing."

Ayra's cries intensified as she pushed with all her strength, and the room filled with tension once again. The head of the newborn became more visible with each push, and then, finally, the baby's head emerged. Gundo skillfully guided the baby into the world, and the room was filled with the sound of a newborn's first cries.

Tears of joy welled up in Garnt's eyes as he saw the tiny, red-faced baby. Gundo held the baby carefully, ensuring that the little one was breathing and healthy. Ayra's cries of pain turned into tears of relief and joy.

But things were not over yet, she had to make sure neither baby nor her sister would get any infections in future. Thanks to Eva's teachings, Gundo managed to clean every equipment before starting this process which was the most important thing as a doctor.

Gundo, not wasting a moment, took a proper knife and carefully cut the umbilical cord after tying it with a string. She then turned to the others in the room, "Help Ayra lie down comfortably and get some clean, dry clothes for her. Also, clean her."

As the villagers rushed to take care of Ayra, Gundo turned her attention back to the baby. She gently spanked the baby's back, and soon the infant let out a loud cry, signalling that they were healthy and thriving.

Garnt held Ayra's hand and gazed at the tiny life they had brought into the world. It was a moment of immense joy and relief. The village had a new addition, a symbol of hope and a future they could all look forward to.

"It's a baby girl! Congratulations both of you. I never thought this day would come so quickly." Gundo wanted to cry, but she didn't because she was the doctor. She was determined to cry, as soon as she was free of her duty.

"Garnt... I'm happy," Ayra muttered those words and tried to talk, but Garnt just closed her mouth and asked her to rest for now.

"Ayra, you should rest well and get better. Everyone is excited to meet you and our baby."

He wanted to stay inside the room for longer, but Gundo sadly had to ask him to leave since they had to clear things before it was too late. They didn't want to keep anything that could spread infections, so Gundo decided to burn most of the dirty clothes.

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.