Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ataya stirred under his sheets, burrowing sleepily deeper under them in defense against the approaching morning. He and his sister’s room did not have a window, being nestled at the back of a house buried half into the earth and tucked between their parents’ bedroom on the one side and a guest bedroom on the other. But somehow, morning found its way in, making itself known as though it had a presence which could seep through the walls and rouse his senses. He fought it.

His body was built for night. Awake at night. Alert. Thinking. Restless. Despite being born with the eyes of a dovaa, his body seemed set on the mental clock of an oblivionite, nocturnal and drowsy often in the day. Of course, older as he was now, he maintained a largely daytime schedule due to necessity, but it didn’t keep him from staying up into the long hours, huddled under a candle with a book or a scroll. The fact that today was in fact a ‘special’ day, had not yet registered on his drowsy, befuddled conscious, and he thus wanted nothing to do with it.

He was almost successful.

That is, until a great, bouncing weight and giddy, familiar voice came springing onto the bed to join him. He didn’t even register the words, and groaned, curling tighter up and attempting to tunnel into his sheets.

“Nonono…no…later…don’t…cruel and unusual sister…” His words degraded after that into unintelligible murmurings.

“Nnnhhyy…bbbrrmmmgghh…hhhhnnnnh…” Ataya fumbled blindly for the covers, eyes scrunched shut against the light and fingers groping for protection. “But…sleep,” he murmured, “is an essential component of a healthy…” Yawn. “Mmm…sleeping is…good…where did the—why…are you stealing the covers? Akara…important…? What is more important than sleep…and…warmth—” Another yawn. “Are mother and father even…? Is there a fire and…food…and…mmm.” Ataya tucked his face against his pillow and curled deeper into it. Perhaps if he physically demonstrated the benefits and enjoyment derived from sleep, his overly-wakeful sibling would come to appreciate its majesty more.

Birth. Day.

Birthday.

Birthday.

“Birthday…” Ataya murmured groggily and squinted one eye up at her. “Mmmm…” He rolled onto his back, flopping an arm over his face. “Birthday. How old are we, again?”

“Ten…whole years,” he said around another yawn. “That’s…twice five years, and five times two years, and if there are…” He lifted the hand previously laid over his eyes and scrunched them shut as he shifted his fingers as though counting on an invisible abacus. “Three hundred and sixty-five turns in an average one, that’s three thousand six hundred and fifty days…that I’ve had to wake up, every day, and get out of bed. Goodness gods, I’ve done a lot of work in my li—oww!” He yipped at his sister’s first shove. “Nonono—alright, alright, no shoving I’m up, I’m up, I’m—” He scrambled, rolling sidelong, half-climbed half-fell off the side of the mattress and groaned on the floorboards. “If I broke anything, it’s your fault you know.” He laid still for a moment, enjoying the cool comfort of the floor. Smooth. Unmoving. So, so easy to sleep o—

At sounds from his sister moving atop the bed, Ataya forced himself up, pushing to a half sit and then a stand and mumbling groggily still as he brushed himself off. After running his fingers several times through his tousled hair in a makeshift combing motion, he squinted at her, and hummed before tossing her a lopsided, tired smile.

“Well. Waking strategies aside…happy birthday, big sister. Are Mother and Father up?”

Ataya hummed, hugging back and then moving over towards the dresser to begin drawing out proper clothes for the day. “If you like,” he said around another yawn as he shucked out of his nightclothes and began tugging his way into leggings and a tunic. After, he pulled out a shirt for Kara, tossing it towards her face with a half-smirk. “Catch.”

Once dressed himself, he lifted his brush from the dresser top, and moved to sit back on the edge of the mattress, mentally counting out his hundred-strokes for the morning. Despite being only their tenth name day, the day did come with many exciting steps forward. Particularly for his sister. He knew their parents intended for today to be the day they officially chose their hastars and learned to ride, but also, that the following day they would be travelling down out of the mountains again, to Taliuma and their uncles, where Akara would choose her element by the ocean side. Of course, they all knew her choice as much as everyone was equally certain he would choose to be a mage. When he thought about what element he might choose, however…

Ataya frowned, a small, conflicted frown pinching across his brow. “Are you excited?” he asked after a long moment. “Or frightened, at all? It must be nice…to be so sure of yourself.”

Ataya blinked, startled at his sister’s admittances. When she finished, he huffed. “You’ll be amazing at it. You’re amazing at everything — you shouldn’t worry. I…don’t know about the rest, but you could always ask mother if it hurts…and Uncle Lithian, since he chose your element, surely he’d know. Nothing I’ve ever read says it hurts, but…” He shrugged. “It might be different to each person…it can’t be that bad, though, since every dovaa does it…” He frowned, a thought occurring to him. “Perhaps you ought to ask Uncle Casseth, also…it might different for…us.”

‘Since we aren’t dovaa. Not really.’

Pushing the thought away, he slipped off the bed as he finished his strokes and set the brush aside before moving towards the door. Today — and the few days to follow — would be interesting, if nothing else.

Father was up already, as per usual, and their Mother was in the process of rising at around the time they were. After good mornings, hugs, kisses, and happy birthday greetings, they ate a large breakfast, and headed the proceedings out to the stables where the now full, mid-morning sun spilled in golden-yellow over the dirt and straw as they headed for the stalls. Ataya, hovering close to his mother, glanced towards his sister.

“You came first,” he said. “You can pick.”

Detraeus, one hand resting lightly on his daughter’s back, glanced down and raised his eyebrows, tail giving a gentle, encouraging nudge forward.

Ataya smiled. He’d already known which one his sister planned on picking — though, to be fair, their parents likely had, too — but today was special because it was official, they became theirs, and, of course, they got to learn how to ride. Ataya stepped up, moving two stalls down to the right and peeking over the edge. Inside, still curled up on her bed of hay and clinging to sleep — much like he had this morning — waited the young mare he wanted. Deep purple, mostly, and speckled with white spots like stars on a clear night, and a similarly stark white mane and tail. He grinned and clicked his tongue, rousing her.

She stirred, tail flicking across the stall floor before her legs moved, pushing to rise. After a soft, curt whinney to remind him that he was the one asking favors here by waking her, she trotted forward, and Ataya hummed, tracing his finger up the bright stripe of her nose. “Rannah.” He glanced over to his mother and father. “Will we learn now? And we can ride them down to Uncle Lith and Casseth? On our own?”

“Mm…” Detraeus glanced to his mate. “If you like, we may begin now…we’ve other gifts for you too, though. Perhaps those can wait ‘til the afternoon—”

“More?” Ataya repeated. “Like books, or spells? What sort? Are they from the city?”

Detraeus raised his eyebrows, amusement tugging at the corners of his lips, but he looked over to Akara before speaking. “You’ll see, if you’d like to do that first…this is your day. Which would you prefer?”

Ataya fervently vouched his preference for gifts simultaneous with Akara’s expression of enthusiasm for riding lessons. After a brief intercession of debate, a compromise was settled upon wherein the twins were afforded a brief, warm-up morning lesson on their new hastars before going in for the opening of gifts. As Ataya had hoped he gained both a new book to add to his repertoire and a new tome to practice with. Akara, similarly, was gifted a tome, along with a set of archery gloves. Both received matching, simple chains and attached, adjustable holders to set the spelled ‘warning stones’ that Ataya had created to soothe Akara’s fears in, to wear about their necks. After gifts, and lunch, they returned outside for a longer afternoon session with Erion and Rannah, practicing and taking a small ride out with their mother and father until nearly sundown.

By the end of the day, both children were thoroughly exhausted, and went to sleep happy, their trip down to their uncles — and Akara’s big day — one step closer on the road ahead.