Nanowrimo 2021 Day 11 and 12 - Word Count and Favorite Bit

Over the past two days I added 3002 words to "Seek the Oasis", bringing my total word count to 20,036!

"We…we gave ourselves names," Bricklin said, scratching his head. "But…"

"They weren't our real names," Palm Tree said. "I'm sure of it."

"No," Leonidas agreed. "I'm sure they weren't."

"Well, we should come up with new ones," Kinri suggested, an earnest -- if uneasy -- optimism to her voice.

The eldest child looked to Aysel, a spark of recognition in his eyes. "You named me. Before, I mean. Back during the time I can't remember."

Aysel nodded. "I did. Would you like me to do so again?"

He nodded, the other boys quickly following. Aysel hummed thoughtfully. Now it was more important than ever to give the boys good, meaningful names. She thought of the names her mother had given her and her sister, the names her tribal sisters carried, Urusa and Kibora's names. What names would bring luck to these children who needed it so desperately? What meanings would be blessings upon them?

She thought of the journey she took, the leaving of everything she’d known, and how it led her to these children. She smiled, laying a hand upon the head of the child who had once named himself Bricklin.

"You will be Ayfa," she said with great gentleness. “It means ‘journey’ in the Sa’a language.” She moved down the row, cupping the littlest one's face in her palm. "And you will be Jesha, ‘golden’." To the one who had been Jasmine, she said, "You will be Malai, ‘a night with moonlight’." She reached out and took the boy who had been Boulder's hand in hers. "You will be Kohtia, ‘storyteller’." She tickled the one who had been Sherlock just under the chin, smiling at the giggle it earned her. "And you will be Nabora, ‘magician’."

Lastly, she turned to the eldest boy, the one that she had named before. The one who offered her the honor once again. The morning sun glinted just out of sight, blurring her periphery with golden warmth. She cupped his face in both hands, rubbing at the trails left by tears the night before with her thumbs. "And you will be Asli. ‘The dawn’."

Asli closed his eyes, breathing deeply – a sigh of something like relief. “Thank you.”

Malai smiled, tugging gently at a strand of hair as a pleased flush colored his face. “They’re pretty.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Aysel said, pressing a kiss to the top of Malai’s head.

“You told them the meanings,” Kinri said, more a question than a statement. “Is that customary for the Sa’a?”

Aysel turned Sonnak around, preparing to lead the party once more. “Meanings are very important to the Sa’a when naming children. One must think carefully about the meaning of the name given to any child. A good name with a good meaning is said to be a blessing to any child of the desert. It brings them luck. Sometimes it is many years before a child is given their name, depending on how carefully the mother considers everything.

“To name a child carelessly is to be careless with their life.”

Aysel could feel Kinri’s eyes on her, and the understanding that came with the gaze.

“What does your name mean?” Jesha asked, clinging to the blanket despite the heat that grew ever stronger with each passing moment.

Aysel looked over her shoulder, flashing the children another smile. “It means ‘to seek the oasis.’”