Chapter 2

Hershel is Born

On the eighth day of running, in a little cottage off the center of Frostis, a Chocolate Aisha was born. Small, it took moments after his birth before he began to cry. As his mother lovingly held her newborn son close to her chest, she watched her own mother solemnly washing the towels in a clean basin. There had still been no news of Hershel or his friend, Bernell, since the night he disappeared.

Merry adjusted her hold of the baby before addressing her mother. "Oh, mom, why don't you come here beside me and your new grandson? I'm sure papa is somewhere safe with Bernell. They're inseparable, those two." Her mother dried her hands on the skirt of her dress, and walked towards a chair positioned by the bed and set herself upon it. Merry lowered her hold of the infant in her arms to let her mother take a look at his soft, resting face. His small mouth opened for a quiet yawn before settling.

The elderly Christmas Aisha observed the newborn intently. He held a strong resemblance to her husband, identifying him as a Chocolate Aisha. His antennae, ribbed and red, had not begun developing the whipped cream-like substance characteristic of his kind, and neither had his tail. A tiny red growth was forming along it, but it was of no concern- another one of the strange traits known to a Chocolate Aisha. Along the top of his head was a faint stripe of blond, marking the beginning of a head full of hair.

Old Autumn took one of his hands into hers, and opened it to look into his palm. Yes, just like her Hershel, he had a heart-shaped pad in the middle. The Christmas Aisha set the little paw down gingerly before retreating into her seat.

She wiped her eye with her sleeve before leaning towards her daughter once more. "You have a name for him, don't you now? He shouldn't stay nameless for long." Merry smiled at her mother in acknowledgement. "Of course I do, ma," she looked back towards the child swaddled close to her, now sleeping, "and I'm sure you see it, too, when I say he looks just like papa." .

Autumn gave a reserved nod. There was no doubting the likeness. She listened as Merry continued.

"I think I'd like his name to be Hershel."



Autumn quietly shut the door to Merry's room, and shuffled to the living room in her slippers. Down the hall, she could hear the voices of her granddaughter and son-in-law. Arriving by the door frame, Nykk looked up as he answered what was probably Pluuma's thousandth question, stopping and pointing towards the Christmas Aisha.

"Look, Pluuma. Nan's here!" The blonde curls on the little Ice Aisha's head bounced about as she turned to face her grandmother. A smile spread upon her little face, and she stood up and ran towards her grandmother. "Nana! Nana!" her voice rang out in excitement as she clutched at Autumn's dress, "Where's mama?" The elderly Aisha crouched down to become level with Pluuma, wiping the hair from her face. "She's with your brother right now, honey. You'll be able to see her soon, she needs to take a nap now, okay?"

"Brother?!" Nykk jumped up from where he sat, the excitement emanating from his face no matter how composed he attempted to keep it. Then, in a much quieter tone, "Merry gave birth to a son?" Autumn stood back up and nodded, and Nykk picked up his daughter in joy and hugged her. "Oh, a son! A son! I'm so happy! You've got a little brother now, Pluuma!" "A brother?" the young child asked, and Nykk set her down. "What's his name?"

"His name... oh, his name!" the Snow Aisha thought aloud, and he looked to Autumn. "Has she named him yet, Autumn?"

Autumn set herself down on the couch, Pluuma coming along and sat next to her. The caramel-colored Aisha wrapped an arm around her granddaughter and held her close to her side. "She's named him after her father, Hershel. Hopefully you don't mind your dear naming him after that crazy old boy."

Nykk rubbed the back of his head shyly. "Oh, I don't mind it at all. But... well, there hasn't been news of him appearing anywhere, has there?" Autumn stayed silent. The Snow Aisha awkwardly sat down on the other side of the couch. He looked up to the wall across him and spotted one of the pictures hanging on it. Making out Merry's youthful face from the browned image, he could see her father smiling directly next to her. Nykk knew that the past two days have been tough on his wife, and old Autumn had become crestfallen as well. He hoped that, with the baby here, there could be some happier days ahead for them.

"Aren't you wondering what the baby looks like, Nykk?"

"Ah, well, I'll be able to see him soon anyways, right? I can wait." then for a moment, "I do wonder who he takes to, though. Was he a Snow Aisha like me? Biscuit? Christmas...?"

"Chocolate?"

Autumn and Nykk looked at Pluuma, who was smiling as she held onto her nan's paw. Autumn took a deep breath and managed a smile as she looked at Nykk. Nykk frowned for a moment, as Autumn let out a sigh. "If he really, truly is gone, all that boy will do is remind us of who we've lost." "Now hold on a moment," Nykk worriedly turned back to Autumn, "So what if he looks like old Hershel? He can't live his whole life with people thinking he's someone else. That just ain't right..."

Outside, the blizzard continued on, relentlessly pattering down with snow. Lanterns rock on their posts to-and-fro as the winds sweep throughout the small village, the lights flickering about. From beyond the rooftops, the giant mountain that split their land in half hung overhead, a mighty shadow against the darkened sky.