Page 36 of Saved By the Selkie

Lir twists his head to glower at Johan, then snorts and puts his head back down. He settles in again, closing his eyes.

“We can hunt tomorrow,” I say. “Get some more food.”

Johan grunts. I’m not sure if that’s agreement or disapproval. I know the falsehood in my own words anyway; the storm might not let up. I’m not sure how we’d find any seals in this weather, unless we tripped over them. And the seals would likely hear us coming a mile off, blundering our way across the ice.

I don’t know what we’re going to do if the blizzard doesn’t blow itself out tonight. Or today. Or whatever it happens to be. Time itself seems upside down.

I doze again. When I wake up, it’s darker in the cave, almost like night has fallen once more. Johan is sitting, curled up, with his eyes closed.

“Don’t even think it,” he murmurs, and I scowl. Does he ever sleep?

He cracks open an eye, and we glower at each other for a moment.

Lir grunts, and we both turn to the selkie. Lir doesn’t look at us; he stares at the wall instead. A whole-body shudder seems to run through him, almost like he’s going to cough or something.

Johan and I look at each other again. Neither of us can speak over the selkie’s sharp bark of pain. Then Lir groans and rolls onto his side.

“What’s happening?” Johan asks.

“I don’t know.” All I know is that Lir is in pain, clearly.

“He’d better not be sick,” Johan growls. He prods Lir with the toe of his boot. “Hey. You can’t die now, you understand that?”

Lir makes no response, huffing and closing his eyes instead. Johan and I share another glance. Johan knits his brows. “If he croaks …”

I’m not sure what the end of the threat is, but I know it can’t be good.

Lir settles again, and so do Johan and I. Outside, the wind goes on howling and moaning, and I can only hope that the storm clears out soon. I’m not sure how much longer we’ll last, being pinned down like this.

twenty-one

Lir

I

knew something was wrong when Aramis offered me his meal and I didn’t want it. I ate it anyway, because I know I need the calories for the pup, but my appetite has completely deserted me. I’m not hungry at all, even though I’ve had so little to eat.

We sleep for a while. A strange cramping sensation in my belly is what wakes me up. My entire body tenses into the cramp. And, just as suddenly, it releases me.

I sigh with relief, but even as I settle down, I know the pup’s arrival is imminent.

Not precisely how I wanted this to go, but it’s the best I can do. Not like I can bully my way through a guy with a gun and a knife and a penchant for killing seals to give birth on the ice, so it will have to happen right where I am.

I wish Naardan was with me. At least he’s been through the process. He could guide me.

I miss Vati fiercely.

I doze again for a while, knowing this is happening. I’m in the throes of it now, at the whim of nature. The pup will arrive when the pup arrives, and all I can do until then is wait.

The next time I wake up, I feel like my entire body has seized, like an orca has clamped its jaws around my middle. I can hardly breathe, which is an unusual sensation.

The pup will be here any minute. Almost before I realize it, I bark with pain and roll onto my side, then bear down.

My cry jolts the humans awake.

“Lir?!” Aramis cries, smacking into the roof of our snow shelter as he leaps to his feet.

“What the hell!” Johan barks. “What the hell is wrong with him?!”