[FIN]PRP Sauti] The Ways of Beasts (Eirlys x Tumelo)

[Kapoodles]

After hours and hours of nonstop complaints about everything, from the bumps in the road to the smell of their hosts' beast, Tumelo's mother finally had worn herself out. She demanded they stop at the closest inn until she was well rested. The Caravan leader, due to an odd dedication to the disabled and angry, obliged her, allowing the rest of their party to stop and wait until she was well rested.

Personally, Tumelo thought this was such a waste of time... Not only was this delaying their arrival in Zena even more, but the money that they were wasting just meant that their next meal would have to be even more frugal... It might even mean he'd have to not eat this time around since his mother would through a fit if her meal was any smaller than it normally was. That was fine though, he wasn't feeling as off as he had been a few days ago, he could live with one less meal.

Even with the delays and hunger pangs, there was still a wave of relief that hit him once he exited the inn, leaving his mother to sleep. There was no worrying about if her next step would cause her injury, nor was there any yelling or belittling of him! It was grand! He could even take this moment to stop and pet a Aldabuk!

Wait... And Aldabuk...? What was that poor thing doing all the way out here by itself...? Tumelo looked around, trying to identify where it would have come from before beginning his approach.

"Easy now... Where'd you come from, huh..? Did you wander away, or did you just happen here?" His voice was low and raspy, as if he hadn't spoken in a few hours, but it still remained as gentle as he could manage. He didn't want to scare the poor thing off, afterall.

SwordOfTheDarkOnes

 

[SwordOfTheDarkOnes]

Kapoodles

The slender creature let out a series of soft noises. Nuzzling the youth the creature walked away, looking back as it guided the youth around the corner. There stood its master, Eirlys. The female was in the middle of guiding a small Mammu through a particular way of stepping. The female was slightly imposing as she stood among a small gathering of beasts.

A Poscuta lounged on the flat rock behind her, as a Sailscale draped itself along her shoulders. The Aldabuck let out a sound alerting its master. The female turned with a smile. "Ah, Rior there you are my dear..." she blinked at the youth who stood alongside the beast. "Hello there sweetie. How are you?"  

[Kapoodles]

A mixture of awe and happiness came over Tumelo as the creature responded to him fondly. It almost seemed as if it was beckoning him to follow. Perhaps it was well trained, and was meant to lure away youths into a trap! Even still, it had been so long since he felt any sort of warmth or affection from any sort of creature or person that even if it was leading into trouble, the boy wanted to pursue it.

Without fear or worry he followed the Aldabuk around the corner of the building he was at, only to be greeted by a plethora of animals, some of which he had not seen up close before. It was if the whole thing was staged just for him! And there among them was a woman with a kind smile, who seemed to be the stage master of it all.

Tumelo suddenly felt shy and self conscious about how he appeared, ragged and weak from his constant illness and the exhaustion that came with traveling. Instead of immediately answering, he moved towards Rior once more and placed a hand on it's back, finding a little comfort in it's warm fur and gentle demeanor.

"I'm fine..." The lad murmured, more at Rior than the woman standing there. "Are these all your friends..?"

SwordOfTheDarkOnes

 

[SwordOfTheDarkOnes]

Kapoodles

Eirlys watched the boy. He was meek, much like a younger Rior was. She hummed softly. Something she picked up from her long nights with her children. Fussy younglings often needed soothing sounds. Her beasts were well attuned to the hums and nonsense lullaby's Eirlys came up with to soothe her offspring and infant beasts under her care. She had a small pot of stew nearby, having made it earlier as training always worked up quite the hunger in her. She ladled out a bowl before walking over to the youth. "Here. Eat." the words were simple.

She patted Rior's head twice and the beast made to lay out, nosing the youth to sit against it. Eirlys walked back clicking her tongue as the Poscuta chattered a few other smaller beasts into a line. She let her whip fall lazily to her side, hip cocked to one side. "These are indeed my friends, the Aldabuck your leaning against is Rior. The Poscuta who's the boss there is, Devi. The Mammu laying behind you that isn't a large rock is, Shouldra. The rest here I haven't named yet. Most are being trained by me for their future masters."

She smiled gently at the youth. "My name is Eirlys."  

[Kapoodles]

Despite being weary of the entire situation, Tumelo found himself lured in and excited to be among so many beasts... And then there was the woman's humming, which both baffled and awed him. How could such a small place exist so close to where he was staying. The kind, wonderful woman was offering him food, which he had not the chance to refuse because she handed it to him and in the next moment the aldabuck was gently urging him to sit down. He could not refuse, and for the first time in a while, he didn't want to refuse the friendliness of a stranger.

"Is this.. Is this really real? I mean.. There's so many of them.. and... Are you really their trainer? Can you really take care of them all? None of them are angry, or hissing or anything... They are so well behaved..." The food was so appetizing smelling that he immediately started spooning it in. When was the last time he had even had a hot meal, or anything that wasn't days old bread and dried fish?

"How is he the leader? How did they decide? Oh... Oh, um, I'm Tumelo... Thank you for the food..."

SwordOfTheDarkOnes

 

[SwordOfTheDarkOnes]

Kapoodles

Eirlys couldn't help the small chuckle. The youth was rapidly reminding her of one of her younger brothers. She dropped the whip into a nearby open back, twin Keldari's moving to coil around it as she sat on a Bushi. She couldn't drop her easy smile it seemed. "Oh goodness I hope I'm real." she teased.

She crossed her legs as she folded her hands over her bent knee. "Yes, I'm their trainer. Its easy to gather a small group like this. I'm used to bigger. I grew up around beasts, naturally I wanted to keep working with them. Most of them tend to take care of themselves. Their still beasts after all, my task it make them adaptable to an Earthling Master. If they can't be trained, they can't be tamed." she looked around. "Well, I have a more difficult group. Their all back at my husband's caravan. Caged." It was necessary. The Snapptrotter was still being a troublemaker.

She looked down at Devi, the small rodent smirked up at her. "Devi. Has a big personality for a little thing. The others respond to it. He can outsmart the bigger beasts, usually likes to jump off their snouts if they snap at him. Really, he conditions them. He's in charge. They listen to him...or they face his best friend." As she spoke she lifted up a hand to gesture to the rather large Bushi she was sitting on. "This big girl is, Parla. She and Devi are best friends...while she doesn't have any teeth. She does have a rather toxic poison that most of these guys have no resistance to."

She nodded. "You are most welcome, Tumelo."  

[Kapoodles]

The woman before him, Eirlys just seemed so magical with her ability to just casually sit on top of a beast like that. It was as if she had no fear in her heart whatsoever. If only Tumelo could have that same kind of courage. Maybe he wouldn't be so weak, maybe he would be someone worth having around.

But that was neither here nor there right now. What mattered was the way the woman spoke, her words, her actions, her stories. It was all so very fascinating to the young, sickly lad.

"That's... Um... It's truly amazing.... And your husband, he helps too? Does all of your family do it too?"

Tumelo's eyes went back to the Aldabuck he rested against, curious to why he did what he did.

"Does Rior normally pick little waifs off the street?" He couldn't have been anyone special after all. He was just some small little dirty no body who happened to be walking down the street at the right time. He knew it couldn't be more to it then that.

SwordOfTheDarkOnes

 

[SwordOfTheDarkOnes]

Kapoodles

Eirlys chuckled. "My husband is a merchant, we have a set of twins together. Neither of my kids seemed to be following my footsteps, but that's alright. I'll give them enough knowledge of beasts so they can at least rely on that in the wild." she explained while watching the youth. He seemed...battered. Almost as if he was unsure of himself. Hearing his question confirmed what she thought.

"Rior approaches only a small group. Your a special case. He knew he could find a friend in you...even a little." she stood to walk over and gently ruffle the kids hair. "Beasts have a inner sense of people's hearts...if Rior didn't trust you..." she left it at that.  

[Kapoodles]

While listening to Eirlys intently, Tumelo all but inhaled the stew provided to him. It warmed his belly to the point where he would swear he could never be cold in Zena again, and it was such a wonderful feeling.

But it didn't last. Such happiness never could.

There was a welling of doubt gathering in the bit of his stomach, that grew and grew and grew while the beastmaster before him spoke of the aldabuck behind him. It couldn't be true. He had no worth, he had nothing special about his heart that would prove otherwise.

"... If only I could see what he saw." To have the eyes of a beast, that pure unadulterated use of instinct, would have been such a blessing... Maybe then he could be seen as more than just a burden. He could be useful to his mother, to his tribe, and rise above the stories of his brother and father, as wicked as they were in their actions.

No. He could not.

"I do not doubt Rior's thoughts... I am weak and sickly and I admit this.. He would trust me as I have no means to be a threat." A sick, pained, and bitter chuckle came to him as he stared down at the empty bowl in his hands.

"Were you not here, I would have taken this as being lured into a trap, a foolish child led away by his whims of curiosity, only to be shoved into the waiting jaws of a beast I may have never seen before.." Though the stew had soothed his throat for a few long moments, the ever-persistent itch returned, causing him to cough into his elbow a few times, vibrating his small frame visibly. After the fit, he cleared his throat. Atleast there was no blood this time.

"Forgive me, Ms Eirlys.. I do not mean to whimper and whine about my thoughts... You have been kind, and I thank you for it."

SwordOfTheDarkOnes

 

[SwordOfTheDarkOnes]

Kapoodles

The female felt her mothering instincts kick in as she leaned down to feel the youths forehead. Okay...no temperature. She rubbed his back a little before shaking her head. "No, Tumelo. There's something in you that even you haven't seen, but the beasts have...trust that. You are stronger than you think. Everyone is." she said smiling warmly as she sat on the ground in front of him. The Ice female chuckled as one of the large fluffy Radaku laid behind her allowing her to lean back into it.

"You just have to trust yourself to find it. I know you have it in you..." she encouraged.  

[Kapoodles]

Eirlys' words resonated within Tumelo for just a brief moment before they were dampened and ultimately extinguished by the echoing words that his mother would say. Anything that might have been worth looking at within him wasn't worth anything anymore. All that was left was a boy who was meant to serve a woman who had no love for him.

But that was alright. Tumelo was at least happy he could be of user to her. She was blind and he could be her eyes. Maybe she could love him for that tiny bit of usefulness he provided.

He really... Really didn't want to speak of himself. He didn't deserve pity, nor did he deserve anyone's kindness..

"Lady Eirlys... Is anyone here just yours alone? Or are they all gonna leave one day?"

SwordOfTheDarkOnes

 

[SwordOfTheDarkOnes]

Kapoodles

She felt the pull away as if one of her own beasts had withdrawn from her. It was readable in the boy's eyes, she smiled regardless. He would come to see his worth. Everyone did at some point in their life. Whatever was draining him. It would either pass...or learn he had nothing left to give. She looked around the group. "Rior is mine, Devi and Parla..." she listed those three and glanced around trying to spot a few of her Janarim. "There's a pair of Janarim siblings that are mine." she hummed. "There are others, but their watching over my husband, his caravan and my children."

She tilted her head at Tumelo, as Rior nuzzled the child. He simple was that to her and the beasts, a child. They could sense that in him. He had yet to realize what he could do. She looked up. "Think about perusing a career with beasts. If Rior likes you to the extent I'm seeing, you'd have a real talent with them."  

[Kapoodles]

"There are so many... So many that trust you to be kind, that seek out your care and in exchange offer you there protection or their watch... It really is fascinating, Lady Eirlys." He placed the bowl on the ground before him and then shifted slightly to gaze with a child like wonder at Rior. A small hand came out to gently pet the top of the creature's head, smiling ever a tiny bit when he received a positive response.

"Maybe I would like to work with animals one day.. They give what they get, a very much balanced relationship. It sounds pleasant." He chuckled a bit at his next thought, but before he could say it, the chuckle slipped into that deep rooted cough, shaking his frame once more. Maybe the warm stew was a little too wonderful, with spices or such that irritated his throat after it's initial soothing. But it was much more likely he was just getting worse.

"Ah, excuse me... I was going to say that as nice as that is, I do not have the temperament to be in control I could not be a tamer, since how could I prove myself the alpha of a group if I just kinda sit there and let them do what they please."

SwordOfTheDarkOnes

Current reason for cough getting worse - Allergies to Aldabucks xD

 

[SwordOfTheDarkOnes]

Kapoodles

sorry its short...tired naga...

Eirlys chuckled. "Even kindness can tame a beast." she said as she got up and ruffled his hair. "Don't forget that." hearing his cough she narrowed her eyes. "Did you need tea?"  

[Kapoodles]

"Do you think that kindness can tame people too? If you treat someone with enough kindness and patience, they would change and learn to treat other's better?" He knew that was a foolish question, and he already knew the answer. But Eirlys was far older than he was, and knew much more of the world, of that he was sure! Maybe she had seen more in the world and knew of one such person who changed.

Another cough came from him as he turned away completely from Eirlys and burring his face in his arm.

"N-no, I'll be fine... I've always had a cough. Just weak, I think. Bad lungs or bad.. something. Sometimes it gets worse and sometimes it doesn't happen for days, but it's always around."

SwordOfTheDarkOnes