"Of course, dear" Jeraddin replied, smiling.
He reached out and ruffled the fur on his daughter's head.
"Rose is with her, she is the best midwife in the district. She helped bring you into the World."
Though he had uttered these words with assurance, Jeraddin was far more worried than he let on. A couple years after the birth of their daughter, he and Nasari had decided to conceive another child. It had ended in a miscarriage and, as a result, Nasari had fallen into a deep depression. Risha had been too young at the time to remember it, but Jeraddin could still vividly recall that dark time in their lives.
Eventually, Nasari had managed to overcome it and life had resumed its normal course and now, their second child was about to be delivered. Though not particularly religious, Jeraddin sent a silent prayer to every deity whose name he could remember that the birth would be a success, not just for the child's sake, but the mother's as well.
"What are you hoping for?" Risha asked suddenly. "A boy or a girl?"
Jeraddin thought about it for a moment. He loved his daughter; she was the apple of his eye and certainly if his second child turned out to be a girl as well, he would love her just as much.
That said, he could not deny that he was holding out hope for a son. He told Risha as much.
"Yeah, a brother would be fine, I suppose" Risha said in an exaggeratedly casual manner, her shoulders briefly touching her whiskers.
Time passed at a snail's pace. Soon, Risha's eyelids became heavy and she fell asleep. Albert the servant came by to ask if he should take her to her room.
Upon hearing her name, the young girl opened her eyes slightly and shook her head.
"No bed" she muttered, stifling a yawn. "I want to stay here."
Albert turned to his employer for the final decision.
"She can stay" Jeraddin said. "Just a fetch a blanket for her."
Albert left and returned momentarily with a blanket. Thanking him, Jeraddin took the blanket and wrapped it around Risha.
"I have some matters to tend to in the kitchen" the goat said. "I pray that the mistress will have a safe delivery."
"Thank you, Albert" Jeraddin replied warmly. "So do I."
Having excused himself, Albert left once again. Jeraddin looked at Risha, who was visibly struggling with staying awake.
"Go to sleep" he said.
"Will you wake me when its time?"
"Of course."
At that moment, the sound of a door opening banished any thought of sleep from Risha's mind. She sat up straight in her chair and looked at her father: That was the door to the master bedchamber right now, wasn't it? The Next moment, Rose appeared in the hallway, wiping her paws on a towel.
"How did it go?" Jeraddin asked, rising half-way from his seat, the sweat of trepidation hanging on his brow.
"You can relax, General" the midwife replied. "Everything went well; the baby is born and both he and your wife are doing fine."
Jeraddin breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to ask another question, but Rose anticipated him:
"Yes" she said. "you may go in and see them."
This was all Jeraddin needed to hear. His eyes met his daughter' and then, the two lynxes rushed towards the master bedroom. Rose watched them go, shaking her head in amusement. Then, she sat down in the chair previously occupied by the house's owner, in order to get some well-deserved rest.
******
Nasari was lying in bed, nursing her newborn child, when her husband and daughter came in.
"How do you feel?" Jeraddin inquired, as he and Risha approached the bedside.
"I'm fine" Nasari replied. "Look, Jer, it's our son. Isn't he the most beautiful boy that you've ever seen."
Jerddin leaned down and looked at the tiny bundle that his wife cradled in her arms.
"Incredible" he said, shaking his head in awe. "He is the spitting image of his mother. Its like I'm looking at a tiny, male version of you, dear."
"He has his father's eyes though" Nasari said and turned to her first-born. "Risha, say hello to your brother."
Risha looked at the newcomer. When her parents had told her that she would soon have a little brother or sister, she had been opposed to the idea. Why do they need another one for? She had asked herself. They already have me, am I not enough? Then, as it had a tendency to do; Risha's fertile imagination had begun leading her down an unpleasant path.
"Are you guys tired of me?" She had asked, her voice quivering.
"Oh, sweetie, of course not" Nasari had said, wrapping her arms around her little girl.
"When the baby is here, it will take up most of our time" Jeraddin chimed in. "However, that does not mean we love you any less."
Risha had felt reassured by these words, though she was still not very keen on the idea. Feeling a sting of jealousy at the knowledge that soon, the days when she had a monopoly on her parents' affection would be gone forever.
Well, now that day was here and as she looked down at her brother, Risha could sense any lingering feelings of jealousy disappear. After all, it simply wasn't possibly to be jealous of something so tiny and adorable.
"What are you going to call him?" She asked.
"Well" Nasari said and looked at her husband. "There is a name I've always wanted to give a son, if we ever had one..."
"Any name you decide is fine by me, dear" Jeraddin said magnanimously. "What did you have in mind?"
Nasari looked down at her infant son and smiled.
"Leorin" she said softly.
"Leorin" Jeraddin repeated the name to himself then nodded. "Very well, Leorin it is.
"Welcome to the World, little Leo" Risha said, a smile brightening up her face. "I know you can't understand me, but I'm your sister: My name is Risha."
She leaned in closer and whispered:
"Just wait, when you get older, the two of us are going to have so much fun."
*****
"Leo, what are you doing in my room?"
From the bed he sat on, Leorin looked at his sister. She was standing in the doorway, wrapped in a large towel.
"Hi Sis" he said cheerfully. "The Door was open so I let myself in." He looked around the room. "You have a lot of books here. Have you read all of them?"
"No, Leo, I have not."
"Can you read one of them for me? Please?"
Risha sighed. Normally, she would be more than happy to oblige. Right now, however,she was not in the mood.
Summer was here and Risha had returned home from school for the holidays. She had been out on her daily stroll when the clear summer skies of the past few days, suddenly and without warning, had changed from blue pitch-black and a heavy rain had begun to fall over the roads and fields of the countryside. Risha had returned home completely drenched and all she wanted to do now was change into some dry clothes.
She was just about to tell the hyperactive five-year old who was currently dangling his legs on her bed to get out so she could do that, when her brother piped up again:
"This book looks interesting" he said, brandishing a slim volume that had been lying next to him on the bed.
Risha recognized it immediately; her eyes widened and a pink blush spread across her cheeks.
"Leo" she said, taking a step forward, one paw outstretched. "You better give me that book."
"It was hidden under your mattress" Leorin continued, paying no attention to his sister's demands.
"What was it doing there?"
He flipped the book open on a random page and stared at it with a puzzled look on his face.
"Sis, I don't understand what's going on in this picture. Can you tell me?"
He turned the book around so his sister could see.
Risha's blush assumed a deeper shade of red. She remembered an old story she had read once; it had been about a man who had killed his younger brother and although she knew she could never do anything like that to her own sibling, right now, she felt a deep sympathy for the man in the story.
"If I do, will you please get out?" She asked exasperatedly.
"I will."
"Fine" Risha sighed. "The Tigress was bitten by a snake and her friend is sucking the venom out. There, are you satisfied?"
Leorin seemed to consider this for a moment, then decided that he was and nodded.
"That makes sense" he said. "I'll leave you alone now, Sis."
Risha watched him get out of her bed and walk towards the door. Once she was alone, she opened her wardrobe and changed into a new pair of clothes.
Later, at the dinner-table Leorin turned to his father:
"Dad, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course, my boy" Jeraddin replied, putting down his fork. "What is it you want to know?"
"If one of your friends have been bitten by a snake and you have to suck the poison out, does it work better if the two of you are naked?"
"Is something wrong, sweetie?" Nasari asked Risha, who was bent over coughing loudly. "Do you need help?"
She was just about to slap her daughter on the back, when Risha shook her head.
"I'm fine, Mom" she said, lifting her head up. "I just swallowed some water down the wrong pipe, that's all."
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