Sing a song ...

Guard me while I sleep tonight;
And wake me safe at dawn's first light,
For now I lay me down to sleep.
Dear Sky, it's you my soul doth seek.

Of safe

One by one they followed behind me with little Ba tucked at my hip and pretty Fonce perched on the shoulders of Tug. In their hands each held a kazoo, a rattle or a thumper drum. Music makers of every kind I could think of and new how to make. The night came alive with a cacophony of sounds from each of them. There was a melody there if you listened close enough. We were certainly a motley crew of miniature musicians. We marched over hill and down the dales of the stream not caring if we could be heard as far away as Turia. We were practicing their special songs Also had the job of pulling up the rear with his own small drum and even Ba and Fonce helped him keep time with the smack of their rattles either on my head or Tug's.

The sight of their Mother broke up our band and they circled her in a chaotic chorus of look Mother, look and each wanting to show her and tell her of the accomplishments they had made. For anything the jumble of voices didn't convey I just smiled and told her we had been busy. She awed and oohed and stroke tiny egos with that .. "you made these yourselves?" and beamed with pride at the beaming pride they each wore. Two urted me out that I had helped so I shook my head pointing at the rest of the artisans .. not much .. they did most of it all on their own. It didn't take a lot of encouragement to get them to show her what the noise makers did. In unison with sweet voices that held the beauty of the wind itself they sang their song and shook each instrument to the tune they sung.

In the Middle of the night
when things go bump
we take our rattles
and give it a thump
we sing our songs
and before very long
we are sleeping once more
and we might even snore

It was all just nonsense verses but they were passionate and lusty sounding as they showed her with fervent delight. Here was fact though I had relished this day far more than they did. I just didn't tell Cana a lot of detail about the broken jar of red paint or the terrible spat the rattle and the kazoo had. Two stood forward to admit he had broken the jar and Also One and Another One admitted there might have been a misunderstanding over who had which instrument there for a bit. How admirable they were for their honesty. How admirable Cana was when she touched each of them and told them that is how families are .. right? They work things out.

Yes they had taught me that among so many things.

We had a grand time but they needed baths and they needed something to eat. I was still new at all of this, Someone else could step in there and take over. It was juneau that came to the rescue. She kissed them all even Tug who had bowed up in that I am too big for ugh .. kisses but she won the battle by kissing the top of his head anyway. Tomorrow I was going to take them with me to meet Ayguili's mother. I was figuring I needed all the reinforcements I could get and these little folks were as rough and tumble s you could get. They could stand with me through thick or thin and I trusted we would defeat any foe .. large or small or even gray and crotchety.

Once the children had departed it was actually disturbing how quiet the world felt without them. I think that is why I stood tall and caught Cana's gaze. There was far more seriousness to my tone than I intended to convey but she would know .. know well that I meant my words.

"The children will be safe" I did not mean simply because they had spirit chasers they could make noise with. This was to be the third time I uttered those words to her. They were no longer hope. They were no longer promise. They were pure fact.

We settled into just throwing pebbles at a limb on the other side of the stream while we talked. She told me she had one more thing to ask of me. Always if I can was the answer and it came without any hesitation of heart or thought. Her throw missed and bounced off the bank. She said I will help Tarra watch after the children if anything .. if something should happen to her. I never treated those words as being preposterous. My smile was bittersweet as I took a pebble of my own to throw. It hurt somewhere deep inside when I released it knowing I had handed her a small hand full of these things when we first met. This was my first true taste of being strong in the face of everything that went on inside .. I wanted to cry. I wanted to rage. I wanted to deny her feelings and insinuate my own .. that she wasn't going anywhere, dammit because I said so. I let go the stone and watched it disturb a moth on the other side. All I told her was that I had already promised Tarra I would give her gray hair so this just might make that happen faster. I would see to what she asked but it was going it cost her. For a few moments I wasn't sure she had heard me while she told me more about each child. Tug had no blood family so he would stay with Rook. Tarra would take Another One because he was her grandson. Aamon and Birmmah would get the four younger ones as they were blood and once Ayguili and I were mated it would be expected that we help. I saw the logic of her decisions and would of course agree.

What will it cost me?

The click of pebbles dance on the shore and in the middle of the stream itself as we felt the weight of this discussion. "You will return to talk to me the way your Mother does for you .. to let me know things will be alright and to keep my chin up the way you do now. It wasn't a promise carved in stone or drawn in blood. She merely told me she would if she could. It sounded so sure didn't it when I told her she would. My next shot wasn't t the bush on the other side it was at her arm and the strike was true. She wanted to know if I planned on stoning her to death just to find out? Well no, but if she was going somewhere, I might as well get my licks in now ... later her aim might improve.

She told me that her Mother had not come to her for some time now. I didn't look at my friend, the woman I call my sister. I couldn't. I just said quietly .. perhaps she is busy. The dead get busy? Leave it to Cana to want to now details. I could surmise what I wanted to of the dead couldn't I? They did not stick around to defend themselves so why not? Of course they are busy .. forever would be a really long time to sit around and do nothing. She watched over Cana and she watched over her grandchildren.

Cana said that was all she could ask. Could I stand there and be so elegant, so gracious and regal if I were standing in her shoes? I'm pretty sure, it would be a different tune I would be singing.