Ghost Monkey, стр. 14

life as she continued forward. Every birth gave her the same joy as the mother. Each child became her own in a way, and the mothers accepted this love. She had a small house on the outskirts of the city, near a small pond which fed into the Ganga River. As her reputation thrived, mothers came to her to birth in the small pond which remained warm all year long. Soon there was a line from the time the sun raised until it set. All of Jaya became her child, and it left a warmth in her chest during the day.

At night, try as she might to remain grateful, the loneliness ached. She went out to find Aavu and found he was a tanner. The scent of the cured and drying hides wrinkled Ishku's nose.

"Aavu, I am Ishku. You changed my life with your wisdom." She parted a few hung skins, and he stood over a fresh piece of leather with fur still attached.

"How'd I do that?" He looked up briefly, then went back to his work, rubbing the hide roughly in order to toughen it and remove the fur.

"You told me to be appreciative. I have been, and now I am a midwife to nearly every child born in Jaya. They are all as my own. No mother has an issue with this. But at night, I still feel empty. How do you cure that?"

"I remember you." He paused, thoughtful for a moment. "Hard to stay warm when your heart isn't. Find a man. Let him have a harem so he can still have children. Make those kids your own." Aavu shrugged. "That's what I'd do. That or find a man like you: barren."

"Dharma dictates I can only marry another otter. So then what? There are no fruitless men in the otter clan, especially none in the first generation."

"You live far away, don't you? Find someone discreet. No one will care." Aavu looked into her eyes and stopped his work. "I'm barren and sneaky." He licked his lips.

There was a kindness in his eyes that caused Ishku's heart to skip. "What if someone caught a leather maker at a midwife's house?"

"Not everyone is good, and you have a lot of attention on you. I'm a bodyguard in need of money."

Ishku thought on the idea for a while and nodded. "Be at my house tonight, then. I make good money and can pay you well."

Aavu’s eyes lit up. The tiger clan shunned Aavu. He was a fantastic leather worker, and the clan had exquisite armor for his talents. However, he was a sixth generation. Even if fertile, his children would be human.

The crowd at Ishku’s dwindled, and Aavu knocked on her door. Ishku answered immediately and said, "Come in, Aavu. I will have dinner finished shortly."

They ate fish. Ishku apologized. "I could not buy any other meat. My dharma doesn't permit it. If you would like anything else for dinner, you will have to buy it and bring it. I will cook it."

"Cooking it smears your path. I'll cook it."

"I can't have children, and I have a tiger in my home. I'm sure the universe can overlook me cooking chinkara." They both laughed. The entire night was filled with laughter and light touches. Ishku's skin prickled.

The last candle snuffed out, and they went to bed. Ishku put Aavu's arms around her, and she snuggled with her back to his chest. The tiger hummed, then asked, "Is this it? If we're going to get in trouble, we might as well go all the way."

"Yes. I am not ready for more. We are breaking enough rules as is."

Dinner and snuggling continued for weeks. Now and then Ishku would turn and kiss the tiger, and they would embrace with an appetite they didn't slake. She remembered Piv in those moments and was worried about being vulnerable.

People talked in those weeks. Her clients, past and present, asked why a tiger janaav always visited once they all left, and always left as they arrived. Ishku said she wanted security, and tigers made excellent protectors. While the women said they were happy with the answer, fewer people showed up until Ishku was only busy in the morning. No one ever returned with their children, and when Ishku went to call on those she delivered, the families were busy.

Then Rubek visited. Solemn faced, she said, "Ishku, rumors say you are spending your nights with a sixth generation tiger. Not only is he of the wrong janaav, but the wrong generation. Do you have a defense?"

"He protects me," she said. "Nothing more. My shack is old and creaks, and his presence makes it sufferable and safe."

"I'm sorry, but there are plenty of otters who could protect you. We will be back tomorrow with a decision on if we find your actions acceptable, and what we will do because of them."

Ishku told Aavu that evening, and the tiger became sullen. "They sent an elephant janaav to my house. They weren't so nice with the words. Though, I wasn't real nice, either."

"What will we do?" Her brows furrowed.

"Leave." Thoughts ran through his head on how to make it feasible, then he continued. "Yes, we leave. Tonight we find outcastes in the streets and invite them. We'll start a small village with the desperate."

Aavu and Ishku spoke to outcastes all night. The outcaste janaav were so grateful and found such sincerity and kindness in Ishku's eyes, that they couldn't help but follow. A few dozen gathered for the trip into the jungle.

When Rubek showed up the following morning, she had three warriors with her. She said, "Ishku, the council finds you walking away from your dharma. We must brand you an outcaste. You are to beg in the streets or be exiled." The priestess stumbled a little when she went around to the back of the shack, at the pool, and found the small army of janaav.

Ishku said, "Come and mark me. We leave in the morning."

Aavu also stepped forward. "I'm