The middle-aged man ran down the street in the pitch black of night. There was no moon out that night to give him light, but he knew the streets as well as anyone that had been born and raised in the town. He was dressed in nothing but his nightclothes and the cool air of early spring was making goose bumps gather on his skin. He did not care, though. His goal was far more important than getting a little chilled, and his running was making him warm enough. He finally reached the house that was his destination and pounded on the door. He hated to wake them up at this time of night but...

The heavy oak door opened just a crack and an old woman peered out at him. She looked at him, waiting for him to finish catching his breath so he could speak. She knew him, but was unsure why he was at her home at such a late hour. "May I help you, Yunho?"

"My wife... she... she's gone into labor!"

The midwife scoffed. "The baby is not due for another month! Don't be ridiculous! It was just some dream you had. Go back home. You're wife is probably pacing your house quite fine wondering where you ran off to."

"But her water has broken!" He knew the old woman might not believe him, but he knew. He had woken up to a soaked bead and his wife holding her swollen stomach, teeth gritted in a contraction. Though she had said nothing to him, he had hurried from the house to come get the town's midwife. "Please... you have to come."

"Yunho, listen to me... Your wife is not due for another month! The first child is very rarely early, let alone this early." The midwife shook her head. "She cannot be..." The old woman started closing the door. "A month early..."

The worried husband caught the door before she could close it all the way. "Please, Seul-ki! You have to believe me!"

"Good night!" She moved his hand and slammed her door shut. He heard her latch it, surely to make sure he did not follow her to harass her further.

Yunho groaned. What was with her? She had to be half asleep to not be rushing back to his house with him already. Indeed, his wife was a month early. He knew his child was not going to make it. No child born so early did – unless they were lucky enough to have magic to help them. This was urgent. He needed the midwife's help, hoping she had some herb to help stop it. He debated banging on the door again but knew it would accomplish nothing but raising her ire.

Of course, her attitude might also have something to do with the fact that when the dawn came it would be the time for the Offering. He sighed. He was going to have to miss it. The wellbeing of his wife and his first child was far more important. He was just going to have to suffer whatever consequences came with him missing it.

Quickly, he hurried back down the dark street to his house. Once there, he went straight to the bedroom. His wife looked at him shocked when she did not see the midwife with him. He knew she probably wondered if he had forgotten in his panic to go get her. He shook his head and sat beside her, catching his breath from his run back. He made her lay down so she could rest some before what was surely to come.

"Where is Seul-ki? Is she getting her things to..."

"She thinks I was dreaming." He rubbed his face with his hands. "But it might be something to do with the fact that the Offering is in the morning. She doesn't want to miss it. She didn't even want to come to check on you, so that had to be it. She's a good woman, so you know that..."

His wife winced as a contraction came to her. "This baby is not going to wait. It is as if she really wants to be born today."

"It does seem that way to me, too, Soojin." He smiled then kissed her forehead. "I will go boil some water and get a blanket. I have birthed horses and cattle, so I have no doubt that I can bring my own child into this world as well.

For this being her first child, Soojin was having contractions very close together by the time her husband got back with the steaming water and warm blanket. It was perhaps an hour before dawn at that point. He set the kettle with the boiling water and set it by the fireplace in their room to keep it warm. He put the blanket beside his wife's feet so I would be ready to wrap the baby in. He checked her and was surprised to find that she was nearly fully dilated. She had been in labor for maybe four hours. From what he knew of human births, this was very unusual for a first child. It usually took twice as long or more for the baby to be born once the mother went into labor.

As he comforted his wife during her ever worsening contractions, he began to wonder more and more if his child was going to be stillborn or die shortly after emerging into the world. Babies just were not born this early! He knew his wife had a similar concern, he could see it in her eyes. She did not speak, though, for