Shrieks were what began this painful morning. A trail of blood followed a naked Mulan as she crawled from room to room in immense pain. She knew that the child was coming.

"Shang!" she cried as she collapsed in the hallway. With all her strength, Mulan turned on her back. She could feel her blood and water spill out of her. The immense pressure then began to travel down quickly and she immediately pushed without hesitating. The baby delivered quickly on the floor and Mulan lay still, trembling. She quickly sat up to see the baby and pulled the umbilical cord out of herself. In shock, she stared at her baby.

It's face stayed still with it's eyes closed and the cord slightly wrapped around it's neck. She then slowly picked it up, "Girl", she said in her mind as she looked at her vagina. She softly unwrapped the cord; "My little girl" she cried as she hugged it. There was no movement from the baby other than the vibrations from Mulan's crying. She sat there stroking her daughter's face, smiling while she viewed each chubby crevasse. She then attempted to stand up; but the shock from the birth would not let her take a step.

As the day went by, she got a small amount of strength back. She wandered throughout the house, holding her baby in confusion, not knowing what to do with her. She knew that Shang would not be back until Spring. Mulan then headed to the bathroom and washed the blood off of her, though she still bled from the after birth that was still inside her. Gently, Mulan rinsed the placenta off of the baby and wrapped her in a small white blanket. "She's so beautiful" Mulan smiled and wept as she fell asleep next to her child.