Echoes: Birth

Echoes

Birth

A sudden noise from the lounge had Luis wake up from his slumber, his eye above the entry of the bazaar opening slowly before his sight adjusted to see everything focused. He blinked slowly as he looked around to try and figure out what had awoken him until he could hear a soft yelp coming from upstairs. The eye closed as the Shushu shifted himself to another part of the house, forming himself in the wall which overlooked the lounge. He frowned as the first thing he saw was someone laying partially on the floor, trying to keep themselves up by leaning on the low table which stood in the middle of the room.

It was Alys, the Eliatrope which had moved in a few months ago and she appeared to be struggling with something, panting heavily.

Luis watched for a moment to try and figure out what was wrong, asking with a thoughtful tone to his voice,“ what happened?”

“Luis… I--the baby,” the Eliatrope panted, having the push the words from her throat as air suddenly seemed so very sparse. She shifted to sit herself down rather than hang onto the table, caressing her round belly in an attempt to soothe the cramps while her face was distorted in worry and pain. This was the worst moment for it to happen; it was almost two months too early from what she guessed it to be, from what most books had told her.

Luis stared at her to progress what she was saying, frowning a little with his upper eyelid before he asked,” what about it? Kicking too hard? It kicked before, hasn’t it?”

“Goddess no…” Just her luck. She was alone with the only being who couldn’t comprehend how pregnancy worked. Alys laid her head back on top of the table, looking up towards the ceiling as she tried to form a plan in her head while breathing deep in an attempt to stay calm. “The water broke…”

“Water can break...?”

Alys clenched her eyes shut when she heard how clueless the Shushu was, the painful cramps a little too much for her to keep a calm demeanor. “The baby is coming, Luis!” she almost snapped before she groaned and tried to sit up while dropping her head forward to look towards the stairway. It suddenly seemed so far away…

“Can’t you tell it not to come? Or like, hold it in?... just until someone else is home?”

Alys slowly turned her head to give Luis’ eye a look of pure disbelieve and spite, glaring towards him past strands of hair before another cramp had her whole body jerk and avert her gaze from him.

Luis blinked when he caught the glare, a look she hadn’t ever given him before. He watched her as she tried to cope with what appeared to be pain, not fully understanding it. He was a Shushu, a house; what did he know about all this? Nothing. “Alright, alright, calm down,” he muttered, letting his gaze wander through the room to try and find anything which could help him before he focused back on Alys,” don’t you need to breathe or something? Like… in and out? Try it with me.”

“I don’t think--”

“In,” Luis said a little demanding, his eye narrowing until he could see the Eliatrope comply after having look towards him with a wild glance; she was in disarray from what he could tell but he wasn’t certain if it was from the pain she appeared to be suffering from or from the fact the baby was coming. He saw her inhale deeply, her chest and shoulders heaving upwards until her mouth closed to hold her breath,” and out.”

She exhaled slowly, her hands remaining on her stomach as she tried to focus on her breathing. Luis repeated himself, keeping up a well paced rhythm to have the Eliatrope be calm while she was laying on the floor. He had no idea when anyone would come home, if they even would this day. He hoped someone would; he couldn’t just keep having Alys breathe the whole time… could he?

It felt like a long time until a different noise than Alys’ breathing and Luis’ repetitive instructions could be heard, causing both of them to stop and listen. Footsteps could be heard, a pair of them until the familiar ears of both Kerubim and Atcham could be seen poking over the last step of the stairway they climbed. Kerubim’s smile faded as he stared towards the unusual sight within the lounge once he had reached the top of the stairs, blinking slowly while Atcham behind him said with a thoughtful hum,” that doesn’t look right.”

“Thank the Goddess…” Alys sighed heavily as she laid her head back down upon the table after seeing the two elderly Ecaflips, still sitting slumped with her shoulders against the edge of the low table, her eyes closing as she praised for someone to finally have come home. Luis tried the best he could but she rather be in the care of more sensible people.

Kerubim hurried to Alys’ side to try and help her sit up, only to find she was hardly capable of doing so as she held a pained grimace upon her paled face and remaine din an uncomfortable position upon the floor and against the table. “What happened here? Luis, why is she on the floor?” He turned his attention to the Shushu, having a good guess of what had happened but he hadn’t expected to find the Eliatrope like this.

“Her water ‘broke’,” Luis said nonchalant as if it wasn’t a big deal, blinking slowly,” don’t worry, I kept her breathing. She should be fine.” He didn’t sound mocking or condescending though the confidence to his words did rub the old Ecaflip the wrong way by the looks of it.

“Wha…? You… you imbecile,” Kerubim growled.

Atcham leaned down to take both of Alys’ hands to pull her up before hooking his arms around her to pick her off her feet before she had the chance to carry her own weight. She hadn’t grown much heavier, no matter the pregnancy but she seemed to struggle with how she was held by him; she was in pain by the looks of it. He had to lay her down quickly. “Be glad he was here to look after her,” he said with a lecturing tone towards Kerubim while he carried Alys towards the stairway to bring her to her room as swiftly as he could,” she could have been completely alone if it weren’t for him.” He knew full well Luis wouldn’t have been able to help Alys, even if he had a better understanding of how exactly pregnancy worked. “Hang in there, princess,” he muttered to the panting Eliatrope as he laid her down upon the bed after entering the bedroom she shared with Joris, laying a claw upon her forehead to feel her temperature.

“How is she...?” Kerubim asked as he propped himself up on the other side of the bed, the scowl he wore long gone and having been replaced with worry.

“Not too good… She is burning up,” Atcham said after he took his claw away from Alys, flicking it before he cupped his chin to try and think of something to do. There weren’t many options to begin with; this was very unexpected. “The baby is coming whether we like it or not. It isn’t going to wait. Stay with her while I go and fetch Joris from the palace, if he is there. Try and keep her calm and give her plenty to drink.”

“Right right…” Kerubim mumbled softly while Atcham dashed out of the room to hurry to the palace, taking one of Alys’ hands to hold it while seeing her softly smile towards him. She appeared to be doing well, no matter that Atcham just said the opposite, though the old cat knew that Alys could easily hold up a visage to not worry others. He sighed as he thought about it before comfortingly patting her hand, saying as he smiled to her,” not to worry, my dear. This will be over soon and before you know it you’ll be a proud mother. I guarantee it.” Always hope for the best… he did hope Atcham would be swift.

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“Got him!”

Atcham’s voice sounded from downstairs after having been gone for a while before the rushing of footsteps could be heard, Kerubim letting out a sigh of relief while his ears flattened a little. For a moment he feared that they wouldn’t be getting any hold on the father-to-be. He looked over towards the open doorway as one set of footsteps grew closer until he saw something blur past.

Joris almost slid past the door with how fast he had come up the stairs, soon enough diving into the room with a light pant, his eyes large as he looked at Alys laying upon the bed, Kerubim seated close by her. When Atcham came to the palace and told him he was urgently needed without going into any detail in front of the King, he had a suspicion it was this. He jumped onto the bed to sit on a knee next to Alys, taking one of her hands while reaching out for her face. She smiled to him as she pressed her cheek against the palm of his hand, feeling feverish. “Are you alright?” he asked, a little worried by how hot to the touch she felt.

She gave him a little nod, her smile not wavering as she looked to him while Kerubim released her other hand to make his way over to Atcham as he came walking into the room. “Yes…”

“Are you sure?”

“Water broke a while ago,” she said as she rose a hand to lay it across his before her fingers wrapped around it to hold him,” it is too early...” There was a quiver in her voice along with a light tremble in her hand. She worried, rightfully so. There was so much that could go wrong, so much that could be lost.

Joris’ concerned eyes grew softer as he picked up on her fright, hushing softly as he leaned closer while releasing her hand to cup the back of her head and press his lips against her sweaty forehead. “He’ll be strong, Alys… this is our child, you know he’ll make it.” He looked over the top of her head in thought as he too was worried about what could happen before he sat back and smiled to her,” nothing has kept us down and nothing ever will. It will be fine. You have me, Kerubim and Atcham to help you and our child through this...”

She nodded after her small smile grew a little, knowing he was right and also wishing to believe what he said was true. The painful cramps and contractions were trying to tell her otherwise however.

“You’re so warm,” he said as he took his hands away from her before raising them a little reluctantly as a thought crossed his mind. There wasn’t much he could do to try and lower her temperature aside from one thing. He took the oval pin with the cyan colored glass in his fingers to undo it after making a decision before he gave the undone brooch to Alys for her to hold onto if she desired it. Seven years and she still had it in her possession, wearing it every day as if it were something sacred. He turned his attention to the two Ecaflips which stood by the bed when Alys took the pin from him, the look in his eyes more serious. “Atch’, Keke… please keep this a secret,” he said as he began to undo the scarf which was wrapped loosely around Alys’ head and hair, removing it in an attempt to cool her down. He sat back down as he collected the long piece of blue cloth, glancing over towards Atcham and Kerubim to see their reactions.

There was pure bafflement upon their faces as they stared at the Wakfu wings which sprouted from the sides of Alys’ head, speechless for but a moment before Kerubim was the first to stir. “I’ll… get a bowl of water,” the old Ecaflip said after finding his voice, nodding slowly as he turned away to hurry downstairs to the kitchen.

Atcham snickered as he looked after his brother, saying with a grin on his wrinkly and scarred snout while he kept his claws behind his hunched back,” he surely didn’t expect that one, and neither did I. Never would have thought that was hidden under there.”

“This is why we can not allow just anyone to help with the birth… we don’t know what the baby will look like,” Joris explained with a serious demeanor while he laid the scarf aside,” it does… complicate things. We were hoping for Alibert’s support but he is too far away; he’ll never reach Bonta in time.” He glanced at Alys, seeing her weak smile had twisted into an expression of pain as the cramps had gotten worse over time. There was indeed not much time left. To ask of Alys to try and hold out longer would be a risk they couldn’t and shouldn’t take. “It is up to us…”

Atcham nodded in agreement, understanding the severity of the situation. Joris and Alys both had a secret to keep and their child may have a secret of its own. It was best to keep it where it was bound to be safe. “Family comes first, family sticks together… right?”

“Mmh,” was all the master gave in response as he leaned over to Alys to softly whisper to her, reassuring her everything would be fine before he gave her a tender but light kiss upon her weak smile. He was nervous and admittedly scared but hid it well to not worry Alys as she struggled with the contractions and the panic of the incoming birth. He got off the bed when Kerubim returned with a large bowl of warm water and placed it close to the bed, beckoning for the two Ecaflips to come closer to him. “I do not think this will be a complicated birth, no matter presumably early…” he said with a lowered voice as all had gathered by the door, seeing Luis peer down at them with interest as he listened along,” I want you two to stay close to Alys while I help with the delivery.”

“Not to question your sense of responsibility, Papa, but your hands are shaking,” Atcham said as he gave a little nod with his pointy chin down to Joris’ hands as he had already begun to undo his gloves, seeing Joris blink as if he hadn’t realised he was indeed shaking,” let Kerubim handle it. I am sure he has experience, as he does in many things.”

Kerubim was quick to rise up his paws in objection, frantically shaking his head,“ I never delivered a baby before!”

Luis could be heard scoffing,” all those women you wooed and you never delivered a baby? Pathetic.”

Kerubim turned around in one swift motion to point up towards the eye above the doorway, saying,” like you did a good job with having Alys lay on the floor panting like an Ouginak after her water broke!”

“Calm down, kids, now is not the time,” Joris said sternly as he began to undo his fur mantle, a focused looks in his eyes. Shaking hands or not, if neither of the Ecaflips knew what to do it really was up to him and he himself knew nothing about childbirth other than what he had heard and read. Nobody in the room was experienced, except for Alys, abide that her knowledge was lost to past lives and the Eliacube.

“What about an Eniripsa from the court? Surely they could…?”

“Keke, we talked about this before,” Joris said with an objecting tone in his voice, appearing to have a difficult time to control his nerves as the situation had become very real,” we don’t know who we can trust with certain things.” He glanced from the corner of his eyes towards Alys, her revealed Wakfu fluctuating with every breath she took. They should have prepared better...

“Agh, you three are wasting time with complaining. Step aside,” Atcham said as he undid the cloth which was wrapped around his wrists while nudging Joris away with a foot,” go to your woman and give her your support; she needs you more than we do. Me and Kerubim got this. Dearubim, bring that bowl closer and lay some towels ready. Truly, how hard can this be?”

“I remember you asking me that before,” Kerubim said with a light chuckle as he patted an uncertain looking Joris on the back, speaking of the time where Atcham was tasked with removing Alys’ Dofus from her grasp when she desperately clung onto it; he didn’t succeed then.

“Pfah, this is different,” Atcham snorted though couldn’t help but wonder if there would be any more unexpected and painful surprises this time around; it wouldn’t surprise him if so. Eliatropes had proven to be rather unpredictable when hurt,” now get ready; we have a baby to deliver.”


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As Joris had predicted, the birth was not a complicated one but it remained a tough one all the same. Though all were inexperienced, Atcham tried his best to have it go as smoothly as possible while Joris was the one to grant Alys his support while telling her what to do; breathe, push, breathe, push. What else could anyone do? It was tedious, the whole atmosphere tense while the worry kept lingering. The promises that everything would be alright were made several times but would they truly? One final push held the answer.

Alys’ head dropped back into the pillow with a breathless gasp when a shrill cry pierced the air, heavily panting while drenched in sweat. The grip she had held Joris’ hand in weakened while the crying continued, feeling Joris perch up a little upon the bed next to her as he looked over towards Atcham. The crying was a good sign, but everyone remained reluctant as Atcham had yet to speak while he tended to the newborn the best way he could.

“Well, I can say with certainty that it is a boy,” Atcham said as he wrapped the small infant in the clean towel Kerubim had offered before walking around the bed to lay the crying child in Alys’ arms, giving her a warm smile,” the rest is something we’ll figure out along the way. You did well, princess… and Papa.” He grinned to Joris before taking a step back to let both the new parents be with their newborn.

The Eliatrope looked exhausted but so very relieved and happy as she held and gazed down upon what was her baby boy, his crying having subdued as he was supported properly and wrapped up nice and warm. “He’s so small,” she said, hardly able to hold back on any tears of joy. All worries ebbed away as she softly ran the back of her finger across one of the baby’s cheeks, seeing him open his eyes slightly to the loving touch. She turned her head to smile at Joris, seeing he was speechless and in awe as he looked upon the small bundle.

“So adorable,” Kerubim sighed as he stood next to his brother,” and look at those bright blue eyes; so striking. I think he’ll take after his mother.”

“Good thing too,” Atcham joked, causing Joris to laugh a little and come out of his bedazzled state.

He reached over to wipe one of Alys’ tears away, smiling to her before he said softly,” he does have your beautiful eyes.” Even though her cheeks were flustered, he was still able to make her blush, feeling her tilt her head a little to let it rest against his for a moment while she continued to hold their newborn son. The question of what their child was remained hanging in the air but hopefully after a few days it would become apparent if he was an Eliatrope or more closely resembling Joris.

“Why don’t you hold him?” Alys asked with exhaustion clinging to her voice, trying to sit up a little more while she motioned for Joris to take the child from her, seeing him hesitate before he swallowed. He wasn’t sure where to place his hands as he cupped the bundle and gently lifted it from Alys’ arms, supporting the baby’s head while letting him rest upon his whole arm. The look of reluctance brightened up a little as the baby softly cooed and Joris let out a deep breath as he sat himself down next to the Eliatrope, still not able to believe this was real.  

Their infant was small, smaller than Chibi was when he hatched from his Dofus. While he had his mother’s eyes, he was bound to have a similar height to his father though perhaps a bit taller. It didn’t matter how the boy would turn out to be; he would be loved all the same.

Joris looked up from the baby as a thought crossed his mind before he gave Alys a reassuring smile and got off the bed, brushing past Kerubim and Atcham while he focused on the open eye in the wall. “Luis.”

The eye appeared to frown in mild surprise as he saw Joris walk up to the doorway before somewhat lifting the child he held so the Shushu could have a closer look. Luis blinked slowly as he hadn’t expected to be included in what was a happy family moment, having grown used to always be in the background. He looked at the presented child, taking a moment to inspect it as newborns and babies were a rare sight within the bazaar, Joris having been the first. “He looks a little like you,” Luis said, sounding appreciative towards the small master as he had been kind enough to involve the Shushu in the happening, feeling more considered as one of the family.

Joris looked from the eye above the doorway to the baby he held, taking in the infant’s face before he smirked. The nose perhaps along with the skin color though the child was much paler than him, having a silver pink color which was like a true mix of his and Alys’ skins. “He’ll grow to be as handsome as his father,” he heard Alys say, having him look back to her with a broad smile before he nodded to Luis and made his way back over towards the others.

“What will you call him?” the Shushu asked as Joris returned to the bed and showed the infant to Atcham and Kerubim, allowing the Ecaflips to hold the child as he would be like a little brother towards them, no matter all the strange ties this small family had with one and another.

“Clustus,” Alys said as she held out a hand towards Joris, looking fatigued and drained but nothing could ruin the joy she felt,” like one of the Bontarian kings of old.”