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Nervously Kadriye stepped from the warm sandy shore into a small, dark wooden boat. It was not the boat itself or even the water that had her concerned though. She was a mystic, although still in training, a valuable member of the Alikidike tribe, they would not be putting her in an unseaworthy vessel. All her sisters were valuable to Kadriye but she knew that few in the tribe would be born with the ability to go through the training she would, to enhance the unusual magical powers she had been blessed with upon emerging from her blossom. Mystics only blossomed every thirty or so years after all.

Kadriye's nerves were actually because today was the day she would leave the islands for the first time and travel to Jauhar where most of the tribe lived. Thus far in her life the young prentice had lived on Chibale island so that she would stay close to her mentor Eshe who was the current mystic of the tribe, and the council whom she would one day help govern.

She would continue to live on the island and not the mainland but from this day forth there would be regular visits to Jauhar to interact with the rest of the tribe and in time with the other tribes that her people seemed to be continuing to discover. Tendaji held so much more than she had imagined and more than she would probably ever explore in her lifetime.

Once she was settled into the boat Kadriye picked up an oar and began to paddle towards Jauhar. She had sailed around the island before and between the Ekene and amara, though that wasn't necessary, but never the distance to the mainland. Thankfully the sky held not to much as a single wispy cloud and the wind was calming, leaving the surface of the sea equally tranquil. Unless some of the creatures that lived in the water decided to get feisty it should be a fairly pleasant trip.
~
For a while Kadriye was surrounded only by the sounds of water sloshing up against the side of the boat and dripping off her oar as she paddled. The peacefulness gave the girl time to think about what had been tasked with.

Once she reached Jauhar she would need to trek to the city of Andile and speak with the council there, letting them know she had made the trip okay and collecting any information they would like taken back to Ekene without having to send one of their own people. She would stay there for a few days, getting used to Jauhar and and getting a better feel for how life differed there from what she was used to on Ekene or Amara.

Though she was still young, day by day Kadirye was given more things to learn and do. She had blossomed as a mystic, given great powers but also great responsibility. It was not always an easy path to walk, but it was one she could not reject. Eshe was strong and wise but she would not live forever and Kadriye would someday have to take her role, not just in helping governing but in performing certain rituals. After all only she and Eshe knew the Language of the Ancestors which was so important for some rituals and speaking to Aisha.

Perhaps it was shallow but these little things helped sooth the sting of the many restrictions placed on her. Kadriye enjoyed having these little secrets, these little things that were special to just mystics. It was not a thing she would lord over others but a thing she kept close to her heart to remind her that though many paths were closed to her there were hidden doorways only she knew the password too.
~
Just as her arms began to ache and the heat of the sun began to make her feel a bit too warm Kadriye reached Jauhar. Hopping from the boat into the knee length water she began to guide the wooden craft through the shallows and up unto the shore where even the tides would not pull it back out to sea. She would need it for her return trip after all.

In the distance was a treeline marking the start of the jungle, thought it would still be hot she would shade under the canopy. Also a faint trail that should lead her to Andile. Kadriye shivered a little , for she had heard many stories about the things that lived in the jungle. Still she had her magic to defend her and Eshe had believed she was capable of making the trip alone. It was enough to bolster Kadriye's spirit and send her on her way.

~
Trying to sleep that night was difficult. She had made it to Andile by night fall with little problem. Although the young mystic had a sneaking suspicion that she'd been being watched and silently protected in the process. Something that stung at her pride a little. She would speak with Eshe about it privately when she returned, perhaps it had been a test?

It was not her pride that kept her awake though, it was her brain that was unable to be calm after all it had experienced. There were so many faces and names to memorize, so much information to digest and process. Her sisters in Andile had been welcoming but certainly different in a way she couldn't quite describe. Everything has been so new and fascinating, especially the creatures some kept as pets, guards and mounts. Some jungle creatures made it to Amara and Ekene but not these ones.

Kadriye needed sleep though, she had a lot to do tomorrow and her body was already weary. Curling into a tight ball she tried to will herself to drift away. To ignore the unfamiliar sounds outside and the nearby presence of strangers. She focused so hard on trying to make it all go away that she did not even notice as a wave of exhaustion overtook her and even her excited mind gave way to slumber.

word: 1012

There were times when Kadriye felt that the world was laughing at her, giving her hope and then tumbling her into unwinnable situations when she least expected it. Today seemed to be one of those days, where it all started off so well and the descended into chaos in the blink of an eye.

Earlier that morning she had struck out from Chibale to the mainland of Jauhar. There were certain items she needed to gather for upcoming rituals that could only be found on the mainland. It shouldn't have been a difficult task and certainly not one that required her to have assistance. She might be more at home on the islands but she could safely navigate certain parts of the jungle without too much trouble these days.

The flowers and deep rooted plants she was seeking were easy for Kadriye to find. Other than needing to put a bit of muscle behind uprooting some of them gathering what she needed looked to be a fairly simple affair.

It was the music that would be her downfall.

Carried to her ears on a faint breeze was a strange sort of sound. It had a steady rhythm to it but it was something that the young prentice couldn't quite describe. The sound was familiar and yet foreign at the same time.

Abandoning her search for the moment Kadriye began to stray from the path and follow the sound deep into the jungle. It was a soothing sound that she felt could not possible lead to some sort of threat. Plus if she had discovered some strange new creature or some strange habit of an already known one then she should report it to Eshe! It was easy for Kadriye to find excuses as to why pursuing the mysterious sound was in her best interest.

Careful to watch her footing and on the lookout for signs of predators Kadriye had navigated her way across the forest floor as she grew closer and closer to the source of the music. Her antennae twitched slightly, picking up something but what precisely and how many she couldn't quite tell. As a mystic much of her body was more in tune with the vibrations of magic then those of life. Although, she could get a good feel for when a lotus was about to blossom without having to be told using them. That was both life and magic, hmm. She should speak to Eshe about that sometime, to see if that feat was one that could be performed by all of Aisha's chosen.

Consumed by her thoughts Kadriye nearly failed to notice when her mystery noise stopped. Frowning she pushed forward through a a path of hip high glowing mushrooms and around a pair of purple barked trees with trunks that were nearly two sister's thick each!. Breaking through to the other side Kadriye paused to catch her breath and stare in awe at what she had found.

She had been lead to a small clearing in the middle of which was a large pond. What little sunlight streamed down through the canopy made the water's surface glisten. Multiple spars of glowing crystal that jutted up from the bottom of the pond added their own effects to the looks of the water. Ringing the water's edge were little clusters of various mushrooms that were so evenly placed it seemed unnatural.

An otherwise ordinary feature of the landscape seemed transformed here into something mesmerizing and unique. Kadriye wasn't quite sure how to feel about this place. More importantly who or what had lead her here and why?

That question had swiftly been answered when from all around here there had been little bits of chittering and tiny eyes had appeared in the distance. Kadriye had recognized the sound at the same moment as one by one a small group of sprites had revealed themselves. It had been them before making the noises, singing and perhaps using some sort of miniature instruments that were currently hidden.

Careful introduction too and speaking with the group had gone well. Kadriye had complemented them and explained that she knew of another sprite who had bonded to one of her tribe. One sprite in particular, with rather distinctive body and facial markings seemed interested in her stories and her professed desire to learn of the sprite's special magic.

The pleasant atmosphere and exchanges had not lasted however. mouth dry from so much talking Kadriye had been encouraged to drink from the pond instead of the waterflask that she'd carried with her. Shortly after quenching her thirst the young woman had grown drowsy and fallen asleep mid sentence.

She'd awoken to a wet and dark jungle floor, now lit only by the glow from the nearby circle of fungi and rare chunks of oddly glowing crystal. Her antenna had alerted her to the oncoming presence of danger just as she heard the warning growls. She was barely able to regain her sense of balance and scrambled up the nearest tree before being attacked.



Which was where Kadriye was now, stuck in a tree, with a small pack of feral radaku waiting below. There was no way to get help without calling even more attention to her predicament. If she tried to throw sticks at them or use what magic she knew now she risked upsetting other nearby predators, ones who could get to her and that she was even less equipped to fight.

How could a day filled with such momentous things turn out like this? The young prentice highly doubted she was going to die though. One of her sisters, or at the very least a shifter would find her eventually.

It was going to be a rather embarrassing rescue though she had to admit. A future leader, someone people would come to for advice should not have blindly drunken from a pond filled with mysterious water. If she could not be trusted to use common sense then why would her advice be any good?


Suddenly down below there was a loud chatting noise and surprised yelps coming from the Radaku. Peering down Kadriye was surprised to see a small blue form flitting about hurling something small at the creatures that were many times it's size. Rocks .. no, nuts! One of the sprites had come back to help her and was trying to drive the Radaku pack away by pelting them with the hard shelled food.

Mostly what it seemed to be accomplishing was irritating the creatures, as they were now far more focus on snapping at it than on Kadriye shifting around in the tree. As the sprite lead the pack away from the tree Kadriye shimmied down it and upon touching her feet to Jauhar's soil she bolted for safety. sharp edged plants and bits of crystal poking out of the ground and off the foliage nicked and scraped her but the Alkidike barely felt it. she was far more focused on putting as much distance between her, the Radaku and the clearing as possible.

It was several minutes before Kadriye slowed and allowed herself to catch her breath. Bent half over she rested her hands upon her knees and sucked in deep lungfuls of the heavy jungle air.

From above her came a soft laughter like sound. Looking up her dark eyes spotted a shape vaguely resembling hat of one of the sprites from before. the young woman grit her teeth about to curse the creature and it's kin for the trick that had played on her. Before she could begin though the tiny being moved closer and bathed in the light of some nearby fungus Kadriye could now make out it's markings. Oh! This was the one from before, the one that liked her and had saved her.

It seemed that after leading the radaku astray he or she had returned to check up on her. Kadriye couldn't help but smile even as her antennae twitched nervously, trying to sense if any new danger would approach..

"Thank you, I um, I could give you a reward or something if you come home with me." The young mystic owed the sprite a great deal for it's assistance and besides she would like to spend at least a little more time in it's company.

Following a quick nod the sprite fluttered down to rest upon her should and soon the pair was off, headed towards safety and some well earned rest.

wordcount: 1412

: rp with Briella and Ilyra
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summary: Briella and Kadriye have a talk about feelings

Post battle reflection









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Thoughts on the next battle and the final outcome