Yelena woke up early that morning just like always. He smiled and stretched as she got up. It had been a good couple of weeks and she had been training hard to be a beast tamer. It was her dream and she was getting closer to becoming one. Her father was helping her pack for her trip away to get more experience with different creatures. The more she met the better she would be at working with them and understanding them. Yelena laughed as Aril raced in and tackled her. She hugged the little creature and snuggled her.
"Hey there little one. Do you want to go to the cliffs with me? I want to go see the sunrise this morning like always."
She laughed as Aril nodded and started tugging on her.
"Wait little one I need to get dressed and get ready. You're always so impatient."
She laughed more as the little one seemed to be sulking and bleated unhappily. Yelena got dressed quickly after that and grabbed some food to take with them. She walked outside and got on her mammu and snuggled him. He was so sweet and so big. She knew she couldn't leave home without him or he would just follow her. She chuckled. "Time to go sweetheart." She got off and walked next to him with Aril racing around them. She chuckled and was very careful as she walked not to step on the little roati. This was what she loved being with them and it made her want to be a beast tamer all the more. After a while they made it to her cliff and sat there watching the sunrise. It always gave her perspective to watch it rise over the mountains and the colors always stole her breath. It was just something magical and she needed to see it as many times as she could before she left. She didn't know if sunrise would be this amazing anywhere else so each day she came to see them to imprint them on her memory.
Once the sun was up above the mountains she ate her breakfast and shared it with her two friends. After that they got up and made their way back down off of the mountain. It had been one of the most amazing sunrises she had seen yet. The sky had seemed to glow with the different colors and it made been perfect. She grinned and sang softly as they walked back home. She was carrying Aril down since the little one had used up all her energy running circles around them on the way up. She smiled as the kept on walking down. She didn't really care what others thought of her here anymore she wasn't staying here much longer. Though she would miss her family and her father. But getting away from her would be good for her. She needed to get out and see what else this world had to offer. She had seen a bit and wanted to see even more.
She walked into her home singing but then froze in her tracks as she saw an Alkidike woman standing in her home next to her father. She didn't really like this. Why was an Alkidike in here and why was the older woman standing next to her father? She stood there shocked.
"Dad, who is this? Why is she here?"
Her father sighed and looked a bit nervous and not exactly happy. It didn't make her feel any better. It all made her really nervous. She wanted to run out of here as fast as she could. That look on her father's face set her adrenaline pumping and made her heart race. She hugged Aril closer watching them.
Her father finally spoke, "Yelena angel this woman is.... She is..."
The woman looked over at him and then stepped forward. "I'm your mother Yelena."
Yelena's mouth fell open as she stared at the woman. "What?!"
She stared at her father and waited to see what he would do or say. Would he back this lady up and say that was her mother? She watched as he nodded his head. So this was the woman who at one moment loved her father and wanted her and then left. She didn't know what to do or to say. It just. Why? Why was this woman here now? Some part of her had always wanted to meet her mother but she had never expected to meet her like this. She didn't know if she should cry, scream, break something, smile, hug the lady, or what. It was all so much. She didn't know what to call the woman. Mother didn't feel right this woman hadn't been here as her mother since she was so little. The woman left soon after she was born. She bit her lip and walked closer still hugging Aril close.
"Hi. It's a pleasure to meet you. May I ask what you are doing here?"
She figured it was best to reason this out and see what was going on. She couldn't let her emotions get the better of her. She needed her wits and her reason since it would be best to think rather than go flying off the handle. Maybe she had thought what she had done was wrong? Maybe her mother really cared. She reached up with her free hand and played with a few of the feather on her necklace.
Her mother smiled, "I see you wear that. I'm glad your father gave it to you. You can ask that Yelena. I came here to see you. I needed to see you after everything that happened with the war and make sure you were alright. I heard you had been in that war and needed to see that you were alive and well."
Yelena smiled, "Yes I was and as you can see I am perfectly fine and well. I'm not one of the ones who was injured or a casualty. I was very lucky in the war. Many others weren't as lucky as I was."
Her mother smiled and nodded her head. Yelena wanted to ask why her mother did this but she couldn't ask why. She couldn't ask why her mother had left her and her father. She sighed and smiled more.
Her mother smiled back. "So are you going to follow in your father's footsteps like he wants or are you going to do something else?"
Yelena looked at her. She didn't really need to explain but she would. And her father only wanted her to be happy. He knew that the artistry wasn't going to make her happy. She wanted adventure and to get to see the world.
She held her head up high, "I want to be a beast tamer. I want to work with the animals in this world and get to see all that this world has to offer."
Her mother frowned and shook her head. "Yelena that isn't a good idea. It's not a good path for a young lady like you. You should stay here where you would be safe and happy. Find some nice guy and settle down. It'll make you much happier than spending all your time with creatures. You need to be around people and be kept safe. I can't let you do this."
Yelena bristled but kept her emotions in check. Screaming wouldn't work she had learned that with her actual family. She had to use reason and logic but it didn't really matter that much to Yelena if this woman was ok with it or not. It was not this woman's place to choose what she did. This was her life and the woman her mother had walked out on her so there was no reason this woman should care about her life. She closed her eyes for a moment to gather her thoughts.
"This is what I want to do. It's what I've always wanted to do. I can make things just like my family does but it isn't what I love. I don't have the passion for it to create the truly amazing things my family can make. And I can keep myself safe. The animals won't hurt me they haven't yet and I see no reason for them to do so. My family and my Father understand that being a beast tamer is my passion. I don't need a man to make me happy. I can make myself happy. My life doesn't depend on a man. Yours doesn't so why should mine? I'm happy being out there getting to spread my wings and see what I can really do."
Her mother shook her head more, "No you're breaking your father's heart. You need to follow in his footsteps and do as he says."
Yelena shook her head right back. "My father has given me his blessing. I'm his little girl and all he wants is for me to be happy." She looked over at her father for confirmation. He smiled and nodded.
"Yes I just want you to be happy Yelena."
Yelena smiled back at her mother. "See that's what my father wants."
Her mother frowned. "It's not safe for you out there."
Yelena sighed and shook her head. "Is that your real reason or are you so ashamed of me you don't want to have me be seen out there? Do you want to keep me here so no one knows you have a daughter who isn't a pure blood?"
Her mother frowned and bit her lip. "It's not that exactly I just don't want you exposed to more hatred."
Yelena looked at her. "I get a lot of that here. No matter where I go there will be those who will look down on me for what I am. That's for me to deal with not for you. I am who I am and I won't let that stop me from doing what I love. And I've met people not from around here who think what I am is something special and amazing. So I will be a beast tamer and I will explore this world. If you don't like it I understand but I will not change my planes just because you are worried about your reputation or your concerns for my safety. I will be fine and I will make sure that I do the best to show people that I am someone to be proud to know and will be an amazing beast tamer."
Her mother frowned more. "Yelena..."
Yelena looked her in the eyes and kept her back straight and head up high. "I wish you could be proud of me and see that I'm worth calling your daughter. I can't force you to feel any of that but I want it. I want my parents to be proud of me. I know my father is but I wish I could know you are. But I understand you don't approve I won't force you to approve and I won't go messing up the life you have now."
She bowed her head slightly and then raised it up again. She looked at her mother and saw all the similarities she held with the woman. She had the same antenna and similar eyes but there were also so many differences between them and both of those things made her proud of herself. She knew her mother had been an amazing warrior and that made her proud.
"If I can be half as good a beast tamer as you were a warrior then I will feel blessed. I am your daughter after all don't you think I inherited something from you other than my looks? I have that same spirit and fight you do. You are a warrior why can't I be a beast tamer? What I want to do is far less dangerous than what you do. Yet you tell me it isn't safe? How is that fair?"
She shook her head and looked at her mother. "Why can't you just trust me and see that I can do this?"
Her mother frowned. "I don't know Yelena. I just don't know. I need to leave but I will see you again. I hope I see you again here but if not well then I'll see you out there. But I would rather see you here."
Yelena smiled at least that was a start. Maybe her mother would come around.
"I'll see you out there."
She watched her mother leave and snuggled Aril closer the little roati was waking up. She giggled as the little one licked her cheeks.
"I'm alright. I know who I am and what I want."
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