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 Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 10:18 pm
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Sprouting Thoughts pt 2 – 440 words
He leapt nimbly from tree to tree back to Reshel's home in the canopy to take inventory. What would he need to get this time? Fortunately, Reshel was there, grinding up a powder. Reshel would know better than Biroki. He was, after all, a Monk, a well-ranked healer.
Biroki didn't manage to ask a question - There was barely enough time for Biroki to enter and for Reshel to smile in greeting when a shifter scout barged in, fresh from their own frenzied jump from tree to tree.
"Reshel! Come quickly! Theres an injured shifter woman! I... I think its Sen!"
"Sen? Sen'oda? What...?"
"No time! She's badly injured and the patrol is watching the two alikidikes that brought her! We can't take her here, You'll have to come! Hurry!"
"Yes. Right. Biroki..."
"I-I... I'll... Stay here... and... keep an eye on things."
"Good boy."
Reshel grabbed his things and ran out the door after the scout.
Biroki stood there for a moment in the empty hut, stunned.
Sen'oda... wasn't that his mother's name? The one that left after his birth mother died?
He hadn't heard hide nor hair of her, and he had no memories of the woman. Then again, he had very few memories of his mother, or his birth father. Shaking nervously- he knew not from what- he started taking inventory. But he kept losing count. Was it that Sen'oda? Would he finally meet her? Would Reshel be able to save her?
Or would she die, leaving a thousand wordless questions unanswered?
He wanted to know so much about her... Who she was, what she was like... Why she had left him with only her brother for family.
He wasn't bitter. He didn't remember her, or much of his mother, so he didn't have much to miss. Just a few memories of laughter, and a face the size of the moon that felt smooth under his baby fingers.
But now he wondered what it would have been like to be raised by a woman. Reshel was effeminite, yes, but still a man. Sometimes, when he felt like thinking too much, Biroki thought that maybe if he had been raised by a woman he wouldn't feel as though he had been digested into a splotch of bug juice whenever he talked to a girl. Especially Zuri.
Oh Zuri... He just melted around her...
He lost track of the inventory and re-counted.
They would need some things, key herbs and a few minerals, as well as some of that pure spring water that Reshel swore was somehow more restorative than rainwater. He had been told to stay, but he didn't feel like staying still. Not when something so big was happening.
Big for him, anyway.
He made himself a list, grabbed his bag, and headed out into the jungle.
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Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 10:19 pm
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Sprouting Thoughts pt 3 -574 words
Taking walks had never been a head-clearing exercise for Biroki. If anything, they tangled his thoughts into complicated, beautiful knots.
He was thinking more than usual on this walk, imagining the sort of situations that Sen'oda could have gotten into. He knew she was a scout, an archer patrolling the jungles for trouble. He knew she had been missing for years- since his mother, her lover, had died in an ambush. Probably an Alkidike ambush, though it could have been an animal ambush.
All he knew is that his mother and her best friend, his birth-father, had been out hunting, and were found dead later that day. He had heard many stories- their bodies were mangled, or maybe strung up, or were markless. He had never been sure which story was the truth. He had never been given the chance to see for himself. Maybe Sen'oda knew how they died. Maybe that was why she disappeared for so long and left her son with her brother. Fear? Shame? Or Guilt, maybe.
Scouts could get into a lot of trouble. He was a prentice mage, and he knew that his life was dangerous, or was going to be soon enough. Between the threat of fires started by his own magic and the general dangers of the jungle and, of course, weapons wielded by others, he knew that he would probably not live long enough to reach the rank of elder. Nor would most of the people around him. That was why elders were respected, of course- because it took a heady mixture of luck and skill to reach it.
Sen'oda had to explore the dangerous jungle. She had to seek out those that would hurt the tribe. And she had been living away from her own kin- at least away from Biroki and anybody that they knew or asked- for years. Without kin, the world was far more dangerous, and he was surprised that she was still alive to be found and cared for.
Biroki had honestly not thought too much about Sen'oda, but today he realized how easy it could have been to have never met her.
She could have been stabbed! Or shot! She could have been eaten by monsters! Burned by fire! Crushed in a cave-in or a treefall! Drowned in a lake, maybe even the very lake he swam in!
Or she could have been captured, by Alkidikes or something else. And then tortured and killed! There were so many ways a person could die out in the world!
What had happened to her? How had she survived this long?
It reminded him of Zuri (what didn't). Zuri was tough. She had been able to travel so far, through so much danger, and survive to stun him with a glance.
Maybe Sen'oda was just tough and lucky, like Zuri. He wondered what terrible thing had occurred to bring someone like that down. It could be anything, really. Terrible luck could take many forms.
A thought crossed his mind and he smiled meekly to himself. At least he hadn't killed his mother with magic, or with an accidental fire, or something like that. If he had been the cause of her injuries – whatever they were-, he would feel awful and horribly deprived, like fate had truly not wanted him to meet her. Of course, he might not even have known if that had happened.
Oddly, he felt relieved at that thought.
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Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 10:20 pm
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Sprouting Thoughts pt 4 -980 words
He returned to the healer's hut a couple of hours later, having found most of what he had needed to. He saw smoke rising from the opening in the roof. Was it Reshel? Had he brought back Sen'oda? Would he finally meet this woman? Biroki tentatively crossed the branches between him and his home and walked in.
Dissappointment creased his features. Reshel wasn't there, nor was a gravely injured shifter woman. Just an older lady from a few trees over. She sat there, stoking the fire.
”Ah, Biroki!” she said, smiling a gap-toothed smile at him, ”I wondered where you were. I'd heard that Reshel had gone out to deal with the whole Sen'oda affair that's riled up the village like a swarm of Meilenets... He usually leaves you here, right? To deal with old ladies like me?
”Y-yes... I... I was just... Out c-collecting... things for him.” he stammered, shrinking back from her as he put away his collected herbs, ”I'm... I'm sorry if you w-were waiting l-long...”
The woman's smile grew slightly mischevious.
”Oh, no no. You only kept this old bird waiting half the day, don't you worry” she said, bursting out into a laugh at Biroki's horrified expression, ”Oh hush boy, I was only joking with you. You need to stop taking everything so seriously, not if you're going to go with that blue halfbreed girl”
Biroki winced at this description of Zuri. He never thought of her as a halfbreed, to be honest. Just as a girl. An incredible, beautiful, brave, blue girl. Actually he was a bit upset at her being described as a halfbreed, as if that completely encompassed what she was and would ever be. It didn't, and it wasn't fair that that was all people saw when they looked at her.
But he couldn't tell off the old lady for that, no matter how upset he was. He wanted to. He wanted to tell her that Zuri was strong and brave and if they only looked beyond the fact that one of her parents was from a tribe far away in the cold lands of Zena, they would see that she was wonderful and as much a person as they were.
More than, even. He would even say that: she was more of a person than some of the people here!
But thinking about saying that, even though he knew it was a good thing to do, even though he knew it was the right thing to do, it still made his stomach flutter and cringe. Instead, he stayed quiet, arranging the herbs carefully so that the woman wouldn't see his pained grimace at holding back the remark, or the tear of shame that joined its raindrop cousins on his face. He couldn't say it. He was too weak willed, too shy, too foolish to say what needed to be said.
”... Do you... n-need your medicine?” he asked, still averting his gaze.
He could never remember this woman's name, but he knew her problems well enough. Back and neck pain, with some throat trouble. He knew her medicines, too- Hanva bark tea with Ginger and Ashi for her throat (it was also good for the stomach) and a Ulitri leaf paste with Spiceroot and Cinnamon bark for her back and neck pains. It was how he knew most of the village- by ailment and medicine. Reshel knew their names, Biroki was too scared of them to remember. He was scared of everything and he hated it.
”Aye, yes. Thats why I came here. I wouldn't have, what with Sen'oda and all, but I'm clean out of medicine and I have to carry my wares around. Can't have neck pain while doing it, can I? Could fall right off the branch.”
”Y-yes...” said Biroki, nervously pulling out the ingredients he would need. ”I'll... I'll make it for you. I-I can do that....”
”Oh, would you? What a dear boy.” she said, smiling, ”Lets see... what do I have to barter... Oh! I'll trade you some of my wares as payment. Good?”
Biroki couldn't remember what she sold, or even that she sold anything.
”O... okay...” he said, concentrating more than he needed to on preparing the medicines.
Biroki looked at the necklace that glittered in the rose-golden sunlight shining through the window of the hut. It was made of hard, iridescent shells, the sort you would find in an old hanowa nest. They were small and round, like pearls, but lighter and more delicate. More beautiful too, in some ways. Pearls only had so many colors to them and were... just something that happened. These came in many shifting colors, and were a reminder that something, some living thing, had been born. The hanowa had been protected in its shell, then had left it to find a new life. Some lived on to turn into adult hanowa and flutter about the jungle in their wing-cloaks of intense green and blue. Others had been eaten and died before they could have that opportunity.
No matter what their fate had been, the shell of their egg was a promise of potential, a future. He ran the necklace through his hands. its bumpy smoothness felt nice against his hands. Necklaces weren't his thing, but maybe... Maybe Zuri would like it? He put it aside- he would talk to Reshel about keeping it for her. It was, after all, technically Reshel's payment, even though Biroki had made the medicines and sent the old lady off with a few spare supplies.
He wondered when Reshel would be back. How injured could someone get that a trained and talented healer had to spend hours caring for her? Without even being able to bring her back home?
On a whim, Biroki began to brew a cup of restorative tea. He had a feeling his mentor would need it.
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Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 10:20 pm
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Sprouting Thoughts pt 5 – 655 words
Night fell and Biroki lit a few of the candles that he and Reshel kept around the hut, bartered from an artisan quite a few trees away for the setting and healing of his broken ankle. He had let the fire settle down. Not enough for light or warmth, but enough to keep the tea at a decently warm temperature. He had long since removed the tea herbs to prevent it from oversteeping- there were ingredients that he didn't want to leach out into the tea more than a little bit.
There was rustling outside, and suddenly six shifters walked into the hut, carrying a wrapped stretcher. They looked strong and scarred, warriors of the tribe. Reshel followed them, looking tired and pale, paler even than the light of the waning moon should make him. Biroki quickly poured a cup of the warm restorative tea and handed it to him. The warriors lowered the stretcher to one of the less cluttered areas of the hut- where Biroki usually slept. That was fine, though, he was used to giving up his spot to patients. He could easily sleep outside. He stayed out of the way, watching as they took off the wrappings that had kept the patient on the stretcher as they had taken her up the trees. How they had gotten her up so far, Biroki had never been able to figure out, even though he had seen it other times before. Magic, maybe. Or some warrior trick.
The patient was a woman, older than her years. She was covered in fresh yet bloody bandages- they would need to be changed already, and it had only been less than a day since she was found- and her arm and legs were splinted with large pieces of wood and wrapped with bandages that failed to hide the dirt, grime, and grit that Reshel must have tried to clean off. Her hair was knotted and caked with dirt and blood. Her colors were night-white, but she was blotched with grey, so sick that her skin didn't shift properly. He moved closer, feeling a strange mix of trepidation and excitement. Her face was familiar, though it was sun-creased and stained. It seemed to fit nicely into his ethereal memories of toddlerhood. He reached out and laid a hand on her face as the warriors talked to Reshel. She was warm, too warm, and he could feel the bones under her skin without pressing. He could see them, even, arching her face into harsh contours. She looked like some terrifying figurine, the sort you would find warding off evil spirits at a shrine.
The warriors left and Reshel sat down on the floor beside Biroki with a tired thud, drinking his tea absently.
”I-is it... her?” asked Biroki, cautiously.
Reshel nodded.
”W-will she...” Biroki hesitated, ”Will she be okay?”
Reshel was quiet. Then he laid a hand on Sen'oda's brow and stroked her hair before wiping his hands on a mat.
”I don't know, Biroki. I don't know...” he finished his tea and collapsed onto his bed, asleep and snoring within minutes as soft rain drops fell on the roof, singing him to sleep.
Biroki sat there for a moment, looking at his mother. She was barely breathing, but it was definitely there. She was definitely alive.
”H-hello...” he said to her unconcious form before he stood abruptly and left the hut.
The rain was still gentle, damping his hair and clothes. He curled up outside the hut, knees to his chest. He felt like he was about to burst with thoughts and emotions, like he was ringing with them, as a bell would.
He began to cry, in the scant shelter of the outer roof of the hut and the canopy as the rain began to come down faster and faster, in sheets.
He sobbed, wordlessly, as Jahuar sang anew, adding his own note's to its endless melody.
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Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2013 7:07 am
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Old Story - - Ruelash, Veshki and Zuri, Biroki as a Cameo 365 words
Biroki smiled as he sorted pots and noted down missing medicines and spares.
He had returned home to train with Reshel, but the Healer had gone out. It was probably some sort of emergency, and Biroki couldn't blame him for missing the long awaiting training session- the one time Biroki was allowed to use his magic and practice.
Biroki, in the meantime, took inventory. It was always something to do, and it always needed to be done.
He giggled a little, blushing slightly as he remembered the story Zuri had told him about the angry boy in Zena.
She didn't think it was exciting or interesting, but he did! He had never really gotten into a fight, ever. He bet he would lose one if he tried.
But she'd won without throwing a punch. He wished he was strong and tough like her!
He began humming without realizing it.
She was pretty, strong, kind, and he really liked her. He felt so safe around her...
"Yer in a good mood."
Biroki started with a squeak, so absorbed in his thoughts and humming that he hadn't noticed Reshel come in.
"Y... Yes." He stammered, giving his mentor and guardian a smile.
"Sorry, Biroki" Said Reshel, pronouncing Biroki's name as he always did, with a deep throaty sound as if there was more to the 'r' than just a letter.
"Hunting party needed me 'round. It was last second." he took note of what Biroki had been doing, "You just finish that and we can get to training, okay?"
"Oh! A-allright!"
Said Biroki, nodding.
He went back to the inventory, his nerves still slightly jumpy, his normal resting state.
"You were hummin' before, right?" asked Reshel slyly, watching his young charge.
"W-was I?" said Biroki, inspecting a small pot
"Oh yes..." Reshel smiled mischeviously, "So, 'owd your date with Zuri go?"
"W..what?" Biroki caught the jar as he nearly dropped it.
"I... uh... It went... well..."
Reshel's smile grew wider.
"Good, Good."
He gave Biroki a clap on the shoulder,
"I'll be waitin' outside when you're done." he said, walking out of the hut, laughing.
Biroki swallowed, a bright red.
It...
Had been a date...
Hadn't it.
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Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:39 am
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An Inspiration in a Tree- 597 words
Biroki had tried, over the course of several days, to shed the anger and resentment he still felt towards Reshel for tricking him and Zuri. He didn't know why he couldn't forgive his uncle for something so harmless and well meaning. It wasn't as though Reshel had betrayed him or Zuri.
But Biroki still felt prickly, though the anger itself had cooled down.
Biroki didn't know why he felt annoyed every time he saw Reshel, or why the hut he shared with Reshel (and Sen'oda) suddenly felt more like a prison than home.
He only knew that he wanted to leave it and make himself a home of his own, somewhere where he could live without having to deal with the older shifter.
And he thought he found the perfect place. It would require some building but as he stood facing a large tree- thick-based with a forked split right down the center and many strong branches- he thought about how perfect it would be to build a tree hut in it. It wasn't too close to Ast to interfere with other Shifters, nor too isolated either. The nearest part of the settlement was an easy walk away, but screened nicely by trees.
A scream could easily be heard at that distance, so help could arrive, but no shifter huts interfered with the view of the beautiful land they lived on... except... Biroki climbed to the fork in the tree... At this angle, he could see a few of the huts through the canopy.
But that was fine. He didn't want to be too far away from his fellows, just enough so that he could have some privacy. He liked knowing they were there.
He sat in the tree and looked down at the incline of the tree's base. For a fleeting moment he couldn't help but think about how a youngling would have fun playing hide-and-seek and tag among the roots and branches.
A youngling covered in dirt from their games that framed their wide smile... and, perhaps, with his eyes and his slightly curled hair... or maybe with Zuri's soft, thick, heavy, straight hair tumbling down their shoulders as they played.
Zuri.
It was a flash of inspiration. If he was living alone, here... couldn't he bring her here too? He bet she would love it!
There was plenty of room for Belle to roam, plenty of space in general for her to keep a creature (or ceatures!) to ride on without bothering neighbors.
It would be wonderful to have her by his side, living with him. It would be great to not have to visit her and sit around as her half sister did... whatever she was doing. Or have to repress glares at his uncle.
And maybe, someday...
Even thinking about the possibility of younglings made him blush and grin.
He would have to show her the place.
Only... Wouldn't it be better to surprise her? And, he thought with some meekness, impress her with his ability to build a hut?
He'd have to do it on his own, then, but it couldn't be that hard, could it? He'd buy and find materials and build a tree hut himself and then show his girl that just because he was always so meek and she had to protect him all the time, that that didn't meant he couldn't do strong, manly things too!
He set out to find some materials and things to trade for other materials- there was a lot of work to do. He smiled at the thought: Nothing could go wrong!
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Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:41 am
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The Trials of Building- 1657 words
Biroki gasped as he placed the last board, wiping sweat from his brow. There. That was the floor of the main part of the hut, done. He had done it. Himself. He jumped to the forest floor and looked up appreciatively at his hard work.
His face fell. There was still so much to do! A main hut, elevated to keep predators out as they slept, a storage hutch built on one of the main branches, a pen for Belle among the protective roots, a firepit for cooking... all needed to be build, roofed, reinforced...
And he had only just made the floor of the main hut.
He couldn't just make a paltry little hut, the sort he had lived in with Reshel his whole life- before and after the fire. He was aiming to impress Zuri AND have room for a family of his own. This tree was amazing and inspiring. It begged for a beautiful house to be built. And he would build it.
He looked at the materials he had collected for the job.
But it was so much work... could he do that much work by himself? He had to try. For the sake of manliness. If he didn't have to prove that to Zuri, he had to prove it to himself.
~~~~
Well, that was a wall done. Two days of work and sneaking about gathering materials to build half of the walls. And he still had to actually make a door.
Then the main hut would be complete. And then he'd have to carpet it. Was it a mistake to try to do this by himself?
But he had to. He couldn't ask Reshel for help, what pittance of pride he had wouldn't allow that, and he couldn't ask anybody else because they might tell Zuri and spoil the surprise. Even though his noodly arms hurt, even though he was tired and beginning to hate building the damn thing, he had to keep going.
~~~~
Well, the walls were built, the door was built... now it was time to roof. Biroki had no idea how to go about doing that. He hadn't even thought about it before yesterday, when he had gone to buy tanned hide to roof with.
He tried to remember how the roof of Reshel's hut looked. Was it like a big tent, built on top of the house? How did you keep from having it blow away? How did you keep it from breaking? Suddenly, roofs seemed like the most awful thing in the world.
But he was still determined to do this himself. He would figure it out.
~~~~
Well, he'd given it a try and the result didn't look too bad. More like a dome, than anything, but still nice. Livable even.
And then he realized, as he set the hide cloth down as a carpet and secured it, that he had screwed up.
There were no windows.
Well, that would be fine, right? he could use something sharp to cut holes in the walls? make windows that way?
~~~~
He was still struggling at making holes without knocking down the whole wall when he heard laughter outside. Immediately- and oddly- angry, he poked his head out, ready to shout at whoever or whatever it was.
It was a builder friend of his, grinning and looking at his hut.
"Wow, Biroki. Not bad work for someone who doesn't know what the hell they're doing" laughed the friend, waving at Biroki.
"I saw you grabbing whatever materials you could and asking odd questions that are, you know, my job. So I had to go see what you were up to..."
"G-go away, Sihenqui" said Biroki, his heart sinking. His secret was out.
"Don't be like that, Biroki." Sihenqui walked up, tilting his head this way and that as if using it to measure angles. "So, you're building a hut, eh? For you and that halfbreed, am I right?" He smirked and Biroki remembered that Sihenqui had been one of the shifters who hadn't been comfortable with a half shifter among them, even though there were many half shifters around their village.
It must have been her unusual Ice tribe ancestry that had upset him so much. Either way, Biroki felt himself grow more and more prickly with each step that his 'friend' made towards him and the home he was building.
"Yes. Her name..." he said, no little degree of rebuke in his voice, "Is Zuri."
Sihenqui stopped, his eyes narrowing, his lip curling for just a moment before he put on what Biroki now knew as a mask of friendliness.
Why had they ever been friends, he wondered now, anger beginning to boil in his blood. No. Biroki had to control his anger. Now that he was getting better at using and controlling his magic, he was getting angrier- the fire inside was affecting him as he learned to use it properly.
He would just have to learn to calm down again. Reshel said this was a phase he would grow out of, and he fervently hoped it to be true. It just felt so unlike him.
"Right! Right! Zuri." The builder resumed looking over the tree and the beginnings of the hut. "So. You look like you need some help here, eh. Never built a thing in your life, I bet." Biroki watched him warily.
When they had been kids, they had played a lot of games. Sihenqui had always beaten him in Mancala, tag, races... everything. Sihenqui used to tease him playfully about how wimpy he was, physical strength wise, and though Biroki didn't cry, all those old insults played out in his memories. He was not happy with this man, this fellow shifter who thought himself and his family so much better than any halfbreed or, even, any other shifter who wasn't a warrior. Just because they knew how to build the structures that housed families.
"Not true." said Biroki, "R-reshel's tent. I helped him build it. The new one."
The builder laughed.
"Still have that stutter, eh?"He said, smirking, "I would think that you'd have lost it, since you have a girl now." He walked up and put his hand on the tree. BIROKI'S tree. Biroki felt tense, ready to attack. He took a deep breath and forced a smile.
"It's not something I can h-help." he said, trying to keep himself in line and force down the heat that was building at his fingertips, "Zuri doesn't mind my s-s-stammer, so I don't see why it's a problem"
The man laughed again.
"Low standards, huh. Well, Biroki, You're a lucky guy. She's damn sexy, even if she is a halfbreed."
Oh, Biroki wanted to throttle his friend now. He could feel electricity building up, he could feel his hair lift from his head with the charge. He moved back inside to hide it, pulling the magic back inside of him and smoothing his hair down.
He wanted to bash this person over the head with his staff and blast him with the fire and lighting that roiled inside him until he was no more than a smoldering wreck on the ground.
No. That would be wrong, and he would not WOULD NOT do it. Even when he felt like it. He wouldn't do that at all, because that was murder.
The very thought snapped him back to his senses. He let the magic slide into the staff, storing it in the gem. It may be a mages' staff, not very good quality, but it would, at least, hold the turbulent forces outside of him until he could train with it later.
He still wanted to punch Sihenqui right in his smug self rightgeous shifter face and scream that Zuri was HIS lover and to stop talking about her like that.
But Biroki knew that was not true; Zuri was nobody's. He could not own her any more than he could own a rainstorm, or a cloud, or one of the beautiful iridescent flying insects.
Thinking about her in that way; wild, free, and strong (with the look that she gave to him and only him), calmed him down a bit.
He looked out again.
"... What do you want, Sihenqui." he asked, glowering.
"I just want to help you out." said Sihenqui, smiling, "I'm pretty good at building, and you want to make her a nice place, don't you? Sure!" The smile grew very bright and sunny. "I'll even keep it a secret!"
Biroki didn't trust him, not one bit. He wanted this shifter away from his tree- his territory.
But...
He looked at the hut around him, at the poor attempts to make windows in the walls.
He did need help, and for all his flaws Sihenqui was a good builder. Biroki wanted the best for Zuri.
"Wh-what do you want, then." he asked, wondering if he was going to regret it.
"Just a few of those words you're so good at. I need to impress a pretty lady- you don't know her- and you can make anything sound good..."
Biroki couldn't believe this guy was asking for a favor.
He did need help, though, and it wouldn't be too hard to write some sappy poetry for his once friend.
"A-allright, then. B-but you have to help me make this n-nice, okay? And you have to not b-bother Zuri, got it?" he trembled with the effort to not tell the guy to take his self-rightgeousness and jump into a Menzuri web.
"Right, right."Sihenqui rolled his eyes, holding out a hand,
"So, it's a deal? I help you build your new home, and you help me with this girl?"
"And go away. Right." Biroki scrambled down the tree with the ease and speed of someone born and bred to the treetops. He shook his once-friend's hand. Something about this whole deal felt rotten, but what could he do?
"D-deal"
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Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:42 am
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A Home from which a thousand stories can be told- 337 words
Biroki looked upon his completed home.
It was lovely, everything he could have wanted in a home. Nothing extravagant, of course, but it was enough. Definitely worthy of his lover.
He was finally alone, without the unpleasant company of Sihenqui. Why had they ever been friends? Well, they weren't now. They had a deal- Sihen had left with a small set of poems to woo some poor unfortunate lady and had promised to not bother Biroki... or Zuri... again.
Avoiding him was impossible, they lived in the same settlement and his services might be needed in the future.
So a promise to be no closer than the occasional wave in the treetops was the best Biroki could hope for.
The poems had been easy to write. There was inspiration everywhere. There was even inspiration in the anger he felt at Sihenqui's prejudice against half shifters, and in his general attitude.
Biroki had worded them well and he was sure Sihenqui wouldn't notice, but all the poems were about him, and not particularly nice. Maybe the girl would catch on.
Either way, his house was done. He needed to show it to Zuri... but before or after moving in himself?
After, he decided. He had to get out of Reshel's tent before the older man drove him up a canvas wall. It wasn't even Reshel's fault- Biroki was just ready to be out.
He would move into the tree hut as soon as possible. And then he would show it to Zuri. And then, hopefully, move her in, too. He smiled.
Breaking the news to Reshel would be difficult, but if there was anything good he could say about Reshel while he was going through this irritable phase it was that his uncle would help him in whatever he did. He was a good man, and Biroki hoped that he could stop being angry with his uncle soon. He wanted things back to the way they were.
Soon, he hoped. But also, soon... a life of his own.
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Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2013 9:06 am
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Clean Thoughts- 574 words
Biroki couldn't stop grinning as he did his chores. He couldn't stop thinking about Zuri and what she had said. What THEY had said.
She loved him! He loved her! It was wonderful! Miraculous! Amazing! He just couldn't believe that she felt the same way as him. That never happened.
He was glad it hadn't happened before, because that meant that Zuri was his girlfriend and not some other girl. He felt warm and fuzzy every time he thought of her, and...
"Oi, Biroki, stop staring off into space and pay attention to what you're doing!"
Reshel's voice broke through Biroki's daydreaming and he realized that he was letting the mixture he was helping Reshel cook up was boiling over, dangerously close to being ruined. He frantically remedied his mistake, cooling down the fire and stirring embarassedly.
"Sorry" he mumbled.
But his mind quickly turned back to thoughts of Zuri. They had been so close last night, so intimate. But there was... further... they could go, right? The thought sent a tremor of fear, eagerness, and shock through his chest.
More? Further? What... what was he thinking?! He shouldn't think such things about his beautiful Zuri.
Even if he was thinking of her as -HIS- beautiful Zuri.
Which wasn't true! He got very angry at himself, glaring at the poultice mixture as if it was to blame.
You can't own a person. That was wrong. People were people, and if you couldn't own the wind, the rain, or the land, you couldn't own people.
Especially not a woman like Zuri. She was fierce and strong and wild, like the wind. She chose you, you couldn't own her.
He beamed again despite himself.
She had chosen him. HIM. Out of all the other shifter men, all of whom- he was sure- were handsomer, stronger, and generally better picks than him. Of course they were! He might not be unattractive, but he stammered and was afraid of things.
She could have chosen one of those unattainable super-people.
But no.
She had chosen him, and had confessed her love to him on that moonlit night at the lake.
And he was greatly honored...
"BIROKI!"
This time he had caught it just before the yell, and he winced at it's force.
"I've got it." he called back, stirring the mixture.
Really. He shouldn't be so distracted. He had to pull himself together.
Even if he and Zuri had spent the night together at the lake, curled against each other, she half naked.
W-well, technically he had been too! But he rarely had clothing on his chest- it was just too hot.
Her halfnakedness was what counted! She HADNT BEEN WEARING PANTS.
ON HIS LAP.
NO PANTS.
AT ALL.
Flustered by the memory, Biroki stirred the pot faster.
The strangest part is that she wanted to see him again. After sleeping on his lap without pants. He had to admit to being confused.
But was it such a bad confusion?
He decided it wasn't.
He hoped he would see her again soon.
"Biroki, get your head out of the clouds and get that thing off the heat. Gods, boy..."
"Okay, Reshel" Biroki said, quickly taking the pot off the fire.
He had to try to not think of Zuri. There were chores to get done, important ones.
But, as he started apportioning the salve into jars, he knew that there was a very slim chance of that happening.
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Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2013 10:10 pm
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And then they Had a Tea Party – 460 words
Biroki was making tea for the second time that day. Lovely tea for Reshel and himself this time, not for Zuri and three other... guests.
Stars, he had been so nervous. One Alkidike was bad enough, but two of them? And a leaf mage? Okay, leaf-shifter, but it was clear she was not with the Shifter tribe so... techically he had served tea at a gathering of the Shifter's enemies?
He really shouldn't be thinking things like that. It had been fun... except for the whole Radaku attacking part, but it had been fun! Or, if not fun, enlightening!
He supposed now that he wasn't in the moment and half petrified with fear, it was really quite incredible... the Radaku's glittering eyes. The grace of it's cautious stalking, the power behind its sudden lunge...
Yes, even there there was beauty, though what he felt was far more beautiful were his rescuers. Oh strong beautiful women, what would he do without you? He did not like feeling weak and ineffectual, but there it was, and there he was, and he'd had a decent sized lifetime to learn how to deal with the fact that he was not the strongest or the most steadfast.
He knew he had it where it counted, and there was no use beating himself up about it.
He'd tried that.
His speech impediment didn't help at all. He would always be a nervous, twitchy wreck.
That- he tested the tea on the fire, it needed a bit more steeping to bring out the medicinal qualities that Reshel wanted it to have- was why he had his teas, and why he had learned his teas.
He couldn't change who he was. He was the kind of person that screamed like a girl when a Radaku pounced at him. In fact he thought, almost amused, They should call it screaming like Biroki instead. After all, he hadn't heard the ladies around him scream like that. Shout, yes. But not scream.
They were brave. Aminah was brave. Zuri was brave. Both had been absolutely stunning while doing so, and he was lucky to have met them. The Alkidikes hadn't bothered to help him. He guessed that was to be expected.
At least they hadn't tried to kill him. Or anybody. That was a good sign, right?
Well, he would have to see, he supposed. He would probably run into a stranger again so he would have plenty of oppurtunities to assess. He would just have to hope that such meetings wouldn't involve injuries and death.
He tested the tea again, and took the kettle off the fire, feeling a sense of pride in his skills- a nice sort of change from the unease he felt about... everything.
Yes.
Just right.
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Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2013 10:18 pm
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You Needed Help? – 173 words
Stars.
STARS.
He could not believe today.
He was scouting, having just left Zuri to her own chores. He was shirking his a bit, something unusual for him.
But today had been unusual in so many ways. Reshel cornering them like that, Zuri's reaction... everything.
Biroki was just so... so... ANGRY at Reshel. It scared him how angry he was.
So he needed to walk and think and look at the world around him. It wasn't aimless- there were things to gather and, plus, he was on a mission.
Zuri had said she would move in with him. So he needed to find a place and build it. It was, at least, a distraction from how HORRIBLY ANNOYING the whole situation with Reshel was...
...
Biroki didn't want to hate his uncle, any more than he wanted to be anything other than the shifter he was, any more than he wanted to change Zuri. Distance might help. Distraction might help. Not living with the man would definitely help.
And so, he would search.
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Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 11:41 am
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Frustration and Fire – 1260 words
Biroki lay in the upper boughs of the tree that towered above his home. It was nighttime, and Zuri slept below. But his mind was bothered and could not bring himself to sleep yet.
The stars shimmered far above, beyond the leaves and the bugs and the clouds, spotting the sky with light. Biroki loved to watch them, because- still as they were- their incandescence moved him deep in his soul.
Tonight, though, they were nothing special- just something for him to look out at while trying to get his thoughts together. He was frustrated and angry and he didn't feel he could sleep until he calmed down.
He willed the stars, with a harsh upwards glare, to explain why he was as he was. Why was he so meek? Why did he stammer? Why couldn't he win a goddamn fight to save his life? Despite the healing he had put on himself, he could still feel the phantom bruises from Yaholo's hammer and the tighter wounds from Zuri's spear. Despite her 'rewards', losing still upset him. Why did he keep losing?!
He had trained carefully and methodically. He no longer 'accidentally' set fires- instead, even when his mood flared, he could control them. He no longer sent impotent streams of sparks out at frightening foes- he sent searing lighting instead. He could feel the power of the magics inside of him as they churned and crashed like the thunderous gales of Jahuar's rainy(er) season. He knew he should be powerful, very powerful. He had been told so all of his life, that he had to be careful so that he would not hurt others.
But in every fight he had been in, he had just kept losing. He had tried to be strategic with leylines, he had tried to stay out of range, he had tried dodging and attacking. But no matter what he did, nothing worked. He still ended up beaten on the ground, barely able to stand.
What was it that made him so weak? What was it that allowed others to win? It had to be strength. But Biroki had never been particularly physically strong. He knew he could swing out with his staff, but when he had done so, he had felt the impact all the way into his shoulder. The staff wasn't built for such abuse and probably didn't deliver more than a mere tap anyway.
It had to be strength. He had never had it. Every time he had been accosted in the jungle by wild animals, he had been able to do little more than spark at them until they ran away or someone rescued him. Things were different now, of course, but he knew that, deep down he wasn't strong, not physically or mentally.
He was, frankly, a coward. Could that be it, the reason he was a loser? He would rather run than fight, and would rather pull his punches than hit at his hardest. He didn't want to harm others, nor did he ever want to want to harm them. He was- had been- happy with who he was.
Maybe... he thought, scowling, I shouldn't be
Because who he was was a weak mage with a lot of useless potential. A pathetic awkward individual with no spine and somehow posessing a pool of volatile magic. He couldn't speak without stammering or apologizing in the first 30 seconds, he couldn't meet a new person without wanting to hide behind a tree, and the only thing he had going for him was that he made good tea.
He wished he was strong and tough like Zuri. She was amazing; She had travelled so far and done so much. He couldn't believe that they were married now. Why him? Why had she gone for him, out of all the strong and capable shifters here? He didn't understand it. Was it some sort of pity thing?
Well he was tired of pity and weakness. He wanted to be strong. He wanted to ravage opponents with flame and light, He wanted to show them how strong even the weakest mage could be. He wanted to win.
He had been training and training and it did nothing. He had tried new strategies and it had done nothing. But he knew he had to keep trying, and maybe he was trying against the wrong people. Maybe a powerful half-alkidike like Yaholo was simply out of his league, or maybe he couldn't bring himself to hurt his own wife.
Maybe... he thought, I've been testing myself against all the wrong people
He crumpled the tournament invitation in his hand, his muscles tensing. A fight to the last man or woman standing, with no holds barred. He would be fighting against strangers, people he didn't need to care about. He could blast away with abandon, no restrictions, no mercy. He didn't need those in a fight, right? He only needed power. He would train and focus harder than he had ever done in his life, and he would not hold back his flames. He would win this tournament and prove he was a man.
More than that-- he would prove he was worthy of Zuri's respect, not her pity. He would win the grand prize and, standing there as a champion with what he assumed would be a shining metal trophy of some sort, he would be strong. Not pathetic and lowly, but formidable and a force to be reckoned with. Nobody would ever dare to call her a halfbreed to her face or his. Nobody would laugh at him or his stammer. Because he would be the best of the best, unmatchable, equal to no one.
He looked fiercely at the smouldering letter in his hands as sparks danced along his skin. He could feel himself heating up as his magic reacted to his mood. His hands glowed red as the light of the magic flowing within him backlit his veins, and he raised it against the star-spangled sky. He was powerful, he was strong, and he could win. He knew he could. He just had to let his magic flow like a ferocious devouring stream of elemental power. He would crush all of the challengers in the tournament with the might of a storm-wracked volcano, he would burn his way to the highest rankings and from that peak shout his name!
He was Biroki, flame-mage of the Shifters, and he would be the strongest.
He closed his eyes, letting the ashes of the invitation letter fall away, holding his head with a hand. Oh stars, why did he have such thoughts. Why was he always so angry these days? He didn't want to be angry or mean! He just wanted to be a bit stronger, that was all...
He frowned down at the house he had built. He hadn't actually meant to burn the letter. His magic was barely in control, like it had been for a long time. He might not set accidental fires anymore, but he could feel it trying to get out. Some days, he felt like the energies just wanted to burst free and erupt in an explosion of light and destruction.
Maybe if he won, he would be able to control it better. Maybe if he won one fight- just one fight- he could be the mage he wanted to be: strong and compassionate, fiery yet temperate. Someone more like himself than the ferocious elemental firestorm his magic wanted to be.
He climbed down the tree with practiced ease and slipped back into the bed. He would have to train hard and he would have to leave his settlement for this tournament, but it would be worth it, he knew. It would be worth it to win.
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Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 5:42 pm
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The Tournament (Meta Ch 4) – 283 words
Biroki had had an interesting time, he supposed. He'd tested himself in a ring, he had found himself lacking, and that- he supposed- was that. He'd watched his friends fight. They were all so much stronger than he was. Sure, Briella hadn't made it past the first round, but Biroki refused to count his own first round as anything other than a fluke. He watched the crowd thin as the travel group to Ast regrouped for a final camp before leaving.
He hadn't been expecting Yaholo to be there, and the man was injured and needed healing, but he wasn't letting Biroki do anything, so Biroki was just... waiting. His magic power was low, but he knew he could have done something. At least he had slipped in some magic covertly. That, was something. Because if he had done nothing, he would feel even more impotent and he really didn't like to feel this way.
He wanted to go. He wanted to leave. His magic might still be low but he just wanted to leave the fairgrounds with his wife and just... stop worrying for a little bit. Relax. He wasn't sure how he could with the war and all that, and he knew his own storm would come soon when he wasn't too tired to think about the whole tournament clearly, but he wanted to try.
...
Speaking of healing... Zuri had been looking a little pale? Maybe he should see if she needed anything. She was stronger, but maybe she had gotten injured in some way he couldn't see. Well, he might as well check on her since there was nothing else to do.
He went, then, and sought her out.
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