All You Need is Love

by Antidaeopobia

AN: My Beta reader will correct this once she has time. Patience on the misspellings and grammar is appreciated. I wrote this because I'm feeling like a big softie this week. Period and all that, my fellow girls get what I'm saying. Title and chapter titles by The Beatles. I love The Beatles!

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Chapter One

The noise had drawn her to the old shack. A run down house seemingly devoid of any life except the small birds which had quickly flitted in and out the house through the broken open window upon her arrival. The door squeaked on it's rusted hinges as she walked in. Leaves and dirt littered the floor from where the windows had broken, perhaps in a storm. The floor groan under her weight in a deep creak. Despite it's neglect, the home still stood strongly, far from the habitations of most people.

The floor creaked under her feet as she hesitantly made her way in. It must have been quite a nice little home at one point, now neglect had taken it's toll. For whatever reason this place had been abandoned and had fallen to the elements. She hesitated and walked carefully onward into the house. Minding to avoid branches that had fallen inside and a few cracked floor boards.

A cry echoed again, like a kitten mewling for it's mother only more trilling. It was an unusual sound and quite soft. It could have gone unnoticed by the sounds of the outside creatures. If she hadn't caught it at just the right time as she been passing by she wouldn't have caught it either.

Moving towards the direction of the sound that called her again she found a door to the basement. The frame of the door was crooked sideways a bit and the white paint on the door was peeling revealing dark rotting wood underneath. Wrapping a hand around the cool metal handle she jiggled it, it stayed firmly shut, unyeilding to her tugs. Wincing she sighed in irritation, especially when she heard another mewl echo from below. It took her several more tries and a hefty pull which nearly knocked her backwards for the door to finally give way and open with a loud thump.

A waft of rot slammed her like a wall in her face making her nearly gag. Taking a dusty bandana from her pocket she covered her mouth and nose. The cry from below became more desperate, as if the creature calling could sense her nearby. Perhaps it was a kitten which had managed to get locked in the basement by accident. With a cry like that which pulled on her heart strings she couldn't just leave it be.

Her foot tested the wooden stair, it gave a moan but seemed sturdy enough. Hanging onto the railing tightly, although she wasn't sure it could save her should a wooden board give out. She wasn't about to kill herself over a kitten. Making her way slowly and with great care down the stairs with with great care. Her nose had become accustomed to the disgusting stench below even as it became stronger as she went downstairs. Maybe some other creature had become trapped down here as well and hadn't been so lucky as to get help. Perhaps the mother animals had been killed and rotting.

The smell concerned her though, she knew this was quite dangerous and anyone might call stupid. You should never walk into an area that smells of rotting flesh, it was a matter of basic human sense. It went against the code of survival for her species which had protected them for thousands of years. Yet here she was going against her intuition and walking into what could possibly be great danger.

The basement was in the same poor shape as the above floor, however the concrete remained very much intact. Small streams of light made there ways from the broken floorboards above leading to the top floor and the smashed small windows of the cellar let in beams of light. It luckily gave enough visibility for her to be able to at least tell most of her surroundings without to much trouble.

Another loud trill rang out. It was closer and she bit her lip nervously. Kittens most defiantly didn't make that sound nor any other animals she was familiar with. Luckily the sound and tone made her at least know it was a young creature, not possibly dangerous. Hopefully she wouldn't run into an angry mother who had heard the cries of it's baby.

Pulling her backpack off her shoulder she unzipped it and dug around finding her flashlight. The noise seemed to have been heard by whatever creature for it cried with more desperation at the seeming knowledge at having help. Clicking it on she gasped, her eyes wide in surprise and just a bit of fear, stiffling a slight scream.

A decaying animal hung from the rafters, far to along in it's decomposition to be recognizable but she could clearly see the tubes coming from it and into a large black pod like egg in the corner. Most humans knew what this was, it was taught to stay away from such things. It was a prawn nest and not far off would be the parents. To bother one it was well known they'd fight and tear someone limp for limp for bothering it. Like all animals they were savage when defending their young. Children were taught that while prawn usually ignored human children, they would gladly kill them if they felt them a threat to their offspring. Her breath hitched in fright as she quickly shined her flashlight in all the corners of the basement awaiting an attack. It was apparent by the sounds that the small prawnling inside was the source of the cries. It was unusual for it to be alone, someone was always close by the protect eggs or young. It not the parent then she knew any one of those in the group could be close by standing guard.

No one came. Even after waiting and hearing the seemingly desperate cries of the young prawnling for several minutes she finally sighed. It would appear there was no one here. No prawn would leave it's young unattended and crying, so something must have happened to the parents to keep them from returning to their young. Biting her lip she pivoted quickly to head back up the stairs. A pathetic cry wailed out, more heart breaking then she cared to acknowledge. Wincing she furrowed her brows and sighed, giving a glance above and whispering a 'you've got to be kidding me' to the deity who must have been playing this cruel joke on her.

What should she care about a prawn, besides, caring for someone else kid wasn't her problem. A sad soft trill called out again, weaker then the other ones. She groaned in defeat. This was foolish, she should leave and be done with it, but she couldn't bare to leave a helpless creature to fend for itself. It simply went against her innate female nature. Damn her nature.

Shining her flash light once more in the corners and nooks of the basement for one last look for danger. Her resolve and common sense fled her and she quickly made her way over to the large gooey egg. Getting on her knees before it, she propped her flashlight on a cinder block nearby. The fleshy like egg bulged and rippled with movement as she creased her brows unsure of what to do. Scrunching her lips she looked the egg over in question. She knew about human babies, she'd been around plenty, cared for plenty, even had the misfortune of seeing her cousin's delivery on film while her aunt and mother reminisced and told her about the 'miracle of life'. It had been revolting, they claimed it was beautiful.

Digging in her pocket she pulled out a large pocket knife. Holding it up she hovered it above the egg, changing her grasp and angle on it several times but still not managing to do anything. She didn't want to kill the baby inside, she just wanted to help it out. Even if it was a prawn she didn't want to harm a helpless baby. Taking a deep breath and catching her composure, biting onto her lip harshly she brought the knife up and slowly stuck it in the top of the fleshy egg sac. Surprisingly it seemed to slide in it like butter, making a cut at the top about 7 inches. Blood oozed and some clear fluid gushed out and onto the ground, wetting her pant legs with it's surprising warmth. The egg bulged more desperately then before as the prawnling pushed at the sack, it appeared to be unharmed and seemed to take appreciation for her action since a tiny little claw had managed to stretch it's way the small opening at the top and tried to push and rip through.

Prawns were strong creatures, capable of ripping a humans arms off and crunching through bone with little effort. It was amazing to her now that such a tiny, helpless, weak creature would one day grow to a giant insect like beast. The mothering female part of her swelled, compelling her to help a baby, any species of baby. Seeing it's struggles she quickly reached up and tried to tear at the hole to widen it. She didn't know if prawnlings needed this sort of help to get out or if they were like baby birds who eventually got out one way or another. Perhaps this one just seemed to be having issues. The ooze poured from the egg and torrents as well as more of the clear fluid from a sort of inner lining. Covering her quickly as she desperately now tried to free the young from it's confinement. The baby wailed and clicked more and more the wider the hole became and finally starting to tear bits of the egg off. A gooey clawed hand reached and grasped out desperately. It was tiny compared to how large it's egg sac home was.

"Shhh, I'll gets you out little one" she found herself cooing as she finally reached her arms to the nearly the shoulder into the inside of the black squishy sac and attempting to find the small baby inside. She cared little now for the fact she was covered in all sorts of disgusting fluids and the smell of the rotting animal lingered not far overhead. To far distract was she with her task of helping the infant. Finally grasping carefully as she could onto the small body and holding to brace it best she could to lift it out. She wasn't sure how fragile the babies were but she was familiar with how baby calves if pulled with enough force could easily have limps ripped from them when they were being birthed.

Gripping the prawnling firmly she finally lifted it up from it's gooey cocoon. It looked no different and as disgusting in appearance then a freshly born human baby. Covered in all sorts of disgusting things and a bit gross to touch. None the less, seeming the small baby appear out of it's confides safely, alive and well, then giving a hearty trill of need made a strange sense happiness well up in her and nearly burst. Pulling the chirping, mewling little creature to her bosom and holding it like an infant she started to wipe it with her bandanna. It's little antenna were curled tight and laying back against it's skull like a freshly born butterfly. It's eyes hadn't opened yet but it clung to her weakly none the less as it would it's parent and seemed to appreciate her warmth and closeness as it settled its squealing to a tiny chirp akin to a baby bird.

Smiling, she stared at the tiny creature. That strange emotion within her grew more powerful as she couldn't help but find the child the most precious and beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Carefully balancing the child she dug in her bag pulling out a sweat shirt and wrapping the prawnling in it. Scooting away from the mess and sitting on the floor she held the baby close to her in her arms crosslegged on the cold concrete floor. Wiping it's small face gently clean of any remaining birthing fluid revealing beautiful yellow spotting and stripes reminding her of a poisonous dart frog. It hiccuped weakly and clicked. It's curled antenna slowly started to unfurl then slowly, it's eyelids fluttered and she nearly gasped as two brilliant green eyes met hers.

Smiling down at the small being in her arms as it looked at her in fascination at the new world, a small clawed hand wrapping around her slender fingers gently. "Welcome to the world most beautiful creature in all of Africa."

Blackbird by The Beatles

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Black bird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
all your life
you were only waiting for this moment to be free

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise,
You were only waiting for this moment to arise,
You were only waiting for this moment to arise