The third day of darkness, it was cold and Ti was all the more thankful for the large bear skin coat he wore. It acted as a shield from all the cold, keeping the warmth of his young body in and the col out. His hair was tied up in a loose bun beneath the coat which was big enough that it covered his head as well as his body from head to ankle. He was especially thankful for this warmth when walking to the city. When he was lying cuddled up at camp he was normally alright, he had his blanket then too to keep him warm. When walking to the city, however, he did need the extra warmth as the cold air could be at dangerously low temperatures. Ti was a little worried he was heading their in the middle of the night. Without any sun it was also hard to tell the time and this left him often feeling disoriented. But luckily he also knew the way well enough that even in this little light he could navigate the forest to reach his destination.
Without the lamps to light the tunnel entrance to the city it would have been difficult for any outsider to see. He walked the last short distance before he was plunged into complete darkness. The walls of the tunnel around him blotted out any light from outside. In all fairness this was not really on his mind though. What was really there was the memory of the Elders face at the mention of his name. He had seen her eyes light up, to him there was no doubting she knew something. About what, he did not know and he would not know until the old woman revealed it to him. He left the other end of the pitch black tunnel and was inside the city now. Even in the darkness the city was easy to see and navigate well compared to the forest. The spaces between the trees were much greater and Ti could hear the sound of people talking.
He managed to make his way to the old woman's house, the elder who was probably not expecting any visitors. He would have waited if it had been any other season, but the cold and dark season of Cylus had given him little else to think about. Instead he now stood before the door and wondered if he should knock. He knew that he was knocking at the door of an elder in the Cylus, but he could barely stop himself. In fact, he barely even noticed himself knocking. While trying to decide if he should or not his hand had made its way up to the tree door and knocked. He was surprised by himself as he realised it was too late to change his mind and turn his back.
Instead he stood before the door awaiting the old woman who was inside. Ideas flashed around his head, ideas to explain the look she had had on her face. He wondered if she maybe knew something about his time away, could the stories of his travels and fighting for Desnind really have traveled this far. Possibly she knew something about his past, some secret event or fact that he had not been told by his father before his untimely passing. It was possible that she had just recognised his name, when very young he had spent a lot of time listening to the stories told by the older people. This was all speculation and what actually came next he could not guess. All he could do was wait and see what the old woman said.
The door wiggled a little as the knocking jostled the wood back and forth. Cylus had come, engulfing the city in complete darkness. Istin'idur sat in the dark room, staring without seeing while her fingers worked a piece of stiff leather for her daughter-in-law. She was diligently kneading and bending it to make it soft. Kan'chiej prided herself in the softest leather. Her secret was getting the old woman to work the leather while sitting idly, moving her hands deftly to prevent anxiety build-up.
"Mchangiaji." The Xanthean cracked as she spoke, allowing her visitor to open the door. With no moon, no iyọ, and no fire, it was difficult to tell whom she had just let enter her house. However, the smell of the Makubwa Lori was thicker in his presence. This person did not live in the city like many that visited her. They often smelled like smoke from the fire pits or the communal soup that was often shared. He smelled crisp and cold, despite the musky furs he wore. She wore the heavy fur blankets that had been provided to her by her son and his wife. They were always protecting her from the inevitable. With her age, soon Famula would attempt to take her soul from Moseke's rebirth cycle. Hehewuti was her eyes at the moment. Although she could rely on many of her senses in Cylus' darkness, the familiars were capable of acting as their eyes in this dark time. The old badger recognized the Sevir from before, giving cues to his physical counterpart.
"Ke’ua nufa ies àwọsánmà Ti'niva. Nïƙi." Istin'idur commanded, rolling the leather between her fingers. Her knowing smile at their first encounter must have brought him back. By now, she had been alerted to his role in Treidhart. As an elder, her connection with the spirits and their Immortal patron was strong. It was time to share with him some knowledge he deserved to hear. "Ke’u jasi ṣíṣẹs."
He opened the door timidly, Àine following close behind him. The panther moved gracefully through the door just before it closed and sat herself in the corner watching the woman curiously. Ti himself followed her command and with great difficulty found his way to the chair opposite the woman. Ti wondered how she knew it was him but he was hear to learn secrets, not ask trivial questions about seeing in the dark. She complimented his curiosity just at a time that made him wonder if she could read his mind, "Ọfïïsï ke’u." He said as he got comfortable in his seat.
She knew he had questions, but he knew that was because she had answers. The elders always had answers for the youngsters of their race, like they new what they needed before they did. "Dẹọdọ ies èrè ke’u ailewu?" He asked her his face calm as Àine came and sat beside him purring and rubbing against his leg . At times she acted like a simple house cat. 'I am no simple house cat.' Her voice said mockingly in his head. She lied down in a mood as he returned his focus to the elder before him.
"Istin'idur, kufuata, filu sev sngä’ï tọ ke’u arọe ara ke’u arọv kämïlï?" His question was more of a statement, but its intention was clear. Yet old people could be stubborn and so he added upon his words. "Kämïlï sev äbu ailewu? dẹọdọ sngä’ï ọsïsẹ, dẹọdọ dav ke’u ailewu?" He leaned forward as his curiosity took over and anticipation put him on edge. He did not know what she would tell him and he certainly couldn't guess. All the young man could do was wait.
As he waited part of him worried he had not been polite enough, maybe the woman would turn him away until he learnt better manners. He found his mind wandering as he sat, the memories of battle flashing in his minds eye. He shook a little as he preoccupied himself with petting Àine, her kind thoughts and her fur both comforting to him. He had not been bonded to her long but she felt more and more a part of him everyday, he no longer felt like his mind had been invaded. Instead he felt complete.
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"Ọfïïsï ke’u."- Thank you.
"Dẹọdọ ies èrè ke’u ailewu?"- What is it you know?
"Istin'idur, kufuata, filu sev sngä’ï tọ ke’u arọe ara ke’u arọv kämïlï?"- Istin'idur, elder, last I was here you seemed like you knew something?
"Kämïlï sev äbu ailewu? dẹọdọ sngä’ï ọsïsẹ, dẹọdọ dav ke’u ailewu?"- Something I should know? what was that, what do you know?
Hehewuti nudged his physical counterpart gently. He could see the other familiar, the she-cat. The badger remained next to his counterpart, watching and waiting as the two Sev'ryn spoke in their native tongue. The spirit seemed to enjoy having another completed soul in the room. Feeling those without their other half was heartbreaking. Istin'idur practically agreed with these unspoken thoughts, sensing the calm of her familiar. Ti'niva would probably feel the same way if his own familiar felt as comfortable. In the darkness, the elder lowered a hand onto the invisible beast, offering a stroke to its imagined fur. The heart would relay the feelings of pleasure that Hehewuti felt at the touch.
"Sev ailewu iduroṣin," Istin'idur started. The elder pulled the fur blanket tight around her shoulder, settling in to tell her story. "Ke’ua ọwọpọ sngä’ï roba. Mänyän ibon chieaza ha'k sọ caizuro ìlä. Mänyän ibon azbaxar ọsïsẹ pïpädẹ ïsẹ. Hasey ke’u ceharav, mänyän àìdá makubwa."
Istin'idur allowed that information to sink in a moment. She expected Ti'niva to know little of his mother, having known his father better. Ti's father had become a recluse after her death. She expected that talking to his son about his deceased wife hurt more than he could bear. Like most, it was easier to not talk about such things. Slowly, and with great effort, she pushed herself up from her seat. The leather bit she had been working on was left on the small table next to her. Waddling over to a nearby trunk, Istin'idur began to dig through the dusty belongs until she found a leather wrapped scroll. With it in hand, she blindly walked over to Ti'niva. Hehewuti guided her the entire way, padding along just as slowly as the elder. She held it out for her company. "Mänyän ereai ke’u ïdäkẹjï."
When he had taken the gift, she went back to sit down, working the leather again while he opened his gift. Inside the leather he would find a map of the Makubwa Lori southeast of Desnind. An 'X' was marked deep within the forest in red paint. "Mänyän wätäkïlä ke’u ọludïbọ ọsïsẹ mänyän ọnïtẹsïwäju. Ohunkohun. Anou igbaradi hìtua nọmbä ke’u srä."
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"Sev ailewu iduroṣin." - "I know much."
"Ke’ua ọwọpọ sngä’ï roba. Mänyän ibon chieaza ha'k sọ caizuro ìlä. Mänyän ibon azbaxar ọsïsẹ pïpädẹ ïsẹ. Hasey ke’u ceharav, mänyän afẹsẹgba ke’u makubwa." - "Your mother was kind. She make bow of best wood. She make arrows that strike true. When you were born, she loved you endlessly."
"Mänyän ereai ke’u ïdäkẹjï." - "She left this for you."
"Mänyän wätäkïlä ke’u ọludïbọ ọsïsẹ mänyän ọnïtẹsïwäju. Ohunkohun. Anou igbaradi hìtua nọmbä ke’u srä." - "She show you tree that she use. Go. The guard will tell you more."
word count: 541
I'm bad, and that's good. I will never be good, and that's not bad. There's no one I'd rather be then me.
The warm emotions of happiness seeped into Ti from Áine, the panther lay by his side watching the Badger. She seemed to be intrigued and happy about not being the only familiar in the room. He was getting better with time at understanding the emotions of her, at first they had been a little confusing and he had occasionally mistaken them as his own. It still made him a little confused the fact that they were different and yet one in the same, both parts of one soul. He loved having her and when her happiness seeped across their connection it always made him smile.
An even wider smile crossed his face in the cold when his mother was mentioned. He had heard so little about her in his life and he also remembered nothing but the song she had sang to him as a child. A song that as he began to think about Áine began to hum softly in his mind. A sweet tune that reminded him of being small and little more than a mere child, made him think of the soft kiss he would get on his head before he slept. He had never known she made bows and arrows and in fact he never would have guessed it, he wondered if maybe she had made the one he had now.
Ti remained quiet only smiling as a single tear ran down his cheek as he heard she had saved something of his mothers for him. He could hardly believe, for the few memories he had of her this was like being given enough money to live for the rest of your life without having to move. He watched her retrieve the map from an old dusty trunk. it appeared it had been there a long time as it was covered ion dust. He unrolled the leather bound scroll after it was given to him and examined the map, a big red ex was made on part of the forest, deep into the forest too. He wasn't sire if he had ever been to that part of the forest before and he had explored a lot around the Makubwa Lori in his life.
"Igbaradi dẹọdọ igbaradi?" The confusion was clear in his voice as he looked at her trying to think who she could be talking about. He knew no guards, maybe she meant there would be a guard at the tree this map marked. He hoped she would tell him but if not then he would have to do some investigating himself.
"Ọfïïsï ke’u murädï iduroṣin, ïdäkẹjï sngä’ï srä ẹbọv sev waje jasi asked osise." He smiled at her even though he knew she could not see his face, his hand rested upon Áines head as he was filled with more joy. "Ke’u awt murädï roba tä jasi kept ïdäkẹjï murädï ipin, ke’u gbọnä dav embody anou kindness sọ Moseke." He stepped back now waited a moment incase she replied and then like she had told him, left. He slipped carefully back out of the house and into the cold Cylus outdoors again.
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"Igbaradi dẹọdọ igbaradi?"- Guard what guard?
"Ọfïïsï ke’u murädï iduroṣin, ïdäkẹjï sngä’ï srä ẹbọv sev waje jasi asked osise."- Thank you so much, this was more than I could have asked for.
"Ke’u awt murädï roba tä jasi kept ïdäkẹjï murädï ipin, ke’u gbọnä dav embody anou kindness sọ moseke."- You are so kind to have kept this so long, you truly do embody the kindness of Moseke.
"Ke’u säkọdä laiyara anou igbaradi pẹlẹv," Istin'idur said. She and her familiar watched him back out the door. They sat there alone for sometime, her curled and wrinkled hands working the leather for her daughter-in-law. Half a break had passed when the door open and closed once more. Her vision was poor, but she did not need her sight to know who was standing in her house now. Hehewuti got up from his position at her feet, waddling over happily to their visitor. He ran himself about the woman's ankles. Istin'idur let her familiar do as he pleased. Their visitor gently lowered herself to his level, reaching a hand to pet his invisible pelt.
"Daradara amu anou àdánù?"
"Käsatseng ọwọpọ."
The woman stood up from her standing position. Her long black hair fell like a waterfall down her back. She was dressed in a leather tunic made from a bear's hide, one that had aged and passed into the next life happily. This woman never wore clothing made from animals that had died of unnatural causes. Gently, she set the bottom of her white staff firmly on the floor, a smile playing on her lips.
"Ibiti. Sev säkọdä laiyara amu pẹlẹv."
As quickly as she had come, Moseke was gone. Istin'idur continued to work the level, her happiness overflowing within her soul.
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"ke’u säkọdä laiyara anou igbaradi pẹlẹv." - "You shall meet the guard there."
"Daradara amu anou àdánù?" - "Give him the gift?"
"Ibiti. Sev säkọdä laiyara amu pẹlẹv." - "Good. I shall meet him there."
word count: 285
I'm bad, and that's good. I will never be good, and that's not bad. There's no one I'd rather be then me.
