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 Posted: Thu May 09, 2013 1:50 pm
Silence. Dyakida hoped that it was the good sort of silence, not the child having left her to crouch and listen for nothing. That would be annoying, wouldn't it- being left hanging like that. She was sure she would be able to tell if he (he?) had moved by the air movement, or the sound of feet on sand, or something like that, but would she actually be able to tell?
"Oh?" she felt him tug on her hand, surprised at the sudden reassurance that the child had not left her. She cautiously stood up. "Really?" this child would help her? It had been a gamble, but apparently that gamble had paid off. "Then lead the way." she said pleasantly, following the tug at her arm.
Peyla was not happy about her job being usurped by this twoleg. She was really not happy.
She was especially unhappy that her Alkidike was going along with it, too. Hmph!
She followed along, glaring and chittering to herself irately.
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Posted: Tue May 14, 2013 8:29 am
The little youngling was happy to oblige and quickly started into the forest with his new Alkidike woman in tow. Man, his mom would kill him if she found out, but hey, there are worse things that could happen, right?
The sprite continued to catch his eye. It was so fidgety, it moved everywhere and kept chirping at him. He was starting to think that it didn't like him. He made a face at the sprite and continued to walk.
"It's kinda far in the forest though. It's gonna take a while to get in there. And there are some parts that are too low for you to walk through. You're gonna have to crawl for some of it. I even have to duck." he said this with confidence. When he first started going to the tree, he was short enough that he could just walk right in, now he was getting taller. He was starting to catch up to the others his age.
"Why are you looking for that tree, lady? Aren't there other trees that are easier to find?"
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Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 2:27 pm
Peyla made a face back, but scolding the boy was starting to bore her and she trickled off into unhappy muttering and crossed arms. It was HER job. HER job, not his. She would find him and play pranks on him and that would show him!
"Oh, thats fine." A long ways in? That was fine. She would like to rest, but perhaps after she had gotten something carve able from the tree she could afford to rest and think on the patterns. Three days, including travel, was a tight schedule. Besides, it was nice to not have that sort of yawning void stretched out above her. It had been driving her crazy.
"I need to find that tree. I will crawl, if you guide me."
Peyla fumed.
The boy had asked the question, and Dyakida knew that it would be strange if she did not answer. But what if he stopped leading her because she would take wood from the tree?
Well, if she phrased it right, maybe he would still help her. She could lie too, if she had to. But first, a bit of the truth.
"A highly respected person in my tribe told me to seek out this tree." she said, smiling. That was true. "It is a special tree, she told me, that holds a special scent."
She wanted to see what the boy thought about that before telling him the actual purpose- to craft it's wood into a special and intricately carved staff.
Speaking of, she was already trying to think up what she would carve into the staff. It was ceremonial, so it would be more than an image- it needed meaning. But what sort of meaning?
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2013 7:17 am
The youngling thought about the Alkidike's words, hand still in hers. Someone told her to do it... and it's special. How does she know it's special? She just believed the person like that? The boy was starting to think that the person making the commands was more special than the tree to boss others around like that.
"Well what does she want the tree for? I mean, you can't just take the whole tree out of the ground, it's way too big." He eyeballed the Alkidike. She was bigger than all the guys in the village, but still she was no match for the tree. It wasn't nearly as big as all the normal trees, but it was still twice as tall as her.
They had been walking for quite a while at this point and it was starting to get to the point where they would have to crawl. "Ok, I'm just gonna duck, but you need to crawl. You can put your hand on my shoulder while we go." He tugged on her hand to feel where the low branches were and how low she would have to go.
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Posted: Fri May 24, 2013 2:43 pm
Dyakida assessed. The child didn't sound too upset or likely to just leave her in the middle of this tangled place. It wouldn't hurt to elaborate.
"The whole tree? Why would you do that?" The idea was strange. Trees grew where they grew. Why would you move them? They died when uprooted, and while useful, dead trees were best found already dead. They were drier, better for carving or fuel, and the tree wouldn't miss them. She felt the tug, and the low branches. The wood here was different, harder and drier than the wood of Jahuar. It was rough to the touch, too, and, on her sensitive hands, somewhat uncomfortable. This place was far more tangled than her homeland, tougher too.
She nodded, placing her hand on the child's shoulder, feeling the smooth, hard crystals. She was glad for a guide.
"I'm supposed to take a piece of it and make it into an item for her. It's a great honor."
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Posted: Sat Jun 01, 2013 8:52 am
The boy shrugged. Suit herself. If she wanted to come all the way out here for a piece of tree, who was he to stop her?
He was already in big trouble for playing out here, what more of his mother's wrath could he really feel with the addition of leading an Alkidike into the woods?
He felt bad that the Alkidike was so big she needed to crawl, but it was short and he knew the way well at this point. "We're almost there. I'll tug when you can stand again." He led her further into the forest and they finally arrived at a small oval field in the forests of Tale where the sweet smelling twisting tree stood. The boy did as he said he would and tugged on the Alkidike's hand.
"I have to go home now before I get in too much trouble, but good luck lady! You can go back the same way you came. I'm sure your little fairy-thing can help you back."
With that the boy could be heard returning where he had come and running home to his imminent reprimanding leaving Dyakida with the blooming blue-green tree.
[Please solo the making and details of the staff as well as the return trip home. It may be as long or as short as you feel necessary.]
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 8:40 pm
"Ah! Wait..." She called after the boy. What about food? Water? Shelter? Any sort of hospitality?
But he was already gone. Well, what was she expecting from Earthlings? The same sort of things that a sister would have done? She was on her own. Well, not entirely alone- she did have Peyla.
And now... She took in a deep whiff of air... she had the tree she sought.
She approached where the scent was coming from, resting her hands on it's fragrant bark.
Well, now what? She needed to make a staff, that meant a piece of wood of a decent length, diameter, and strength. Preferably one that she could carve now and finish within the next two days.
That meant that it had to be dry enough to not drip sap and become sticky now. As in today. She needed to get started.
"Peyla?" she asked, "Peyla, I need you."
Peyla was happy to see the small thing go away. Hmmph! That was right! She could do her job. Not him. Run off into the bushes, thats right. She stuck her tongue out at the direction the boy left to.
Until she heard her name.
Yes! She was Peyla! She was needed! She was happy to be needed! What was she needed to do?
"Help me find big fallen branches from this tree, Peyla. Check the tree itself..." she thumped on the bark of the tree and pointed up, "I'll look on the ground." She took out her quarterstaff and moved it around the dry ground, hoping to strike something useful.
Ohhh! Look! Up! Peyla could do that!
She flew into the crown of the tree, playing with the flowers. They were so delicate and pretty and so fun to play with.
No! Bad Peyla! She had a job to do! Playtime later! But what was she supposed to be doing looking up?
Dyakida felt her staff tap on a branch, and she bent down to inspect it. It was of the right diameter for a good carving, a decent length...
She gave it a sniff. She could smell the smell, but was it a bit faint? This was important- Yansa wanted it to carry the scent, so the scent needed to be as much a part of the staff as it's carvings and it's strength.
But it at least was a candidate. She tied the branch on her back and kept searching.
Oh!
Peyla looked through the branches at her Alkidike. She was looking for really big branches. REALLY big ones! Did she want Peyla to look too? Up here?
Yes yes! She could do that! Ah! There was one, there! Trapped by the branches. Peyla felt sorry for the trapped piece of tree.
She tugged at it, but it wouldn't budge.
Then the little sprite had an idea!
She landed on one of it's ends and jumped! It tipped and fell crashing to the ground. Peyla hovered and watched it fall and rewarded herself on a job well done by playing with one of the flowers before looking for another loose branch to tip over. Because that had been fun!
Dyakida heard rustling above her and was suddenly enveloped in a n ethereally lovely cloud of scent. Surprised and a bit overwhelmed, she stopped in place to savor it.
And then her antenna twinged almost painfully at a massive vibration coming from above. Instinctively, she backed away, and it was a good thing she had because something large crashed to the ground, right where she had been standing moments before. Warily, she tapped at the space, hitting wood. She carefully reached out a hand to inspect it, wary of more things falling from the sky.
It was wood.
She lifted it, checking the thickness and length. It was a good diameter, but it was a bit short for a normal staff. She brought it to her nose.
The lovely scent of the tree was strong on it and she smiled. It would be perfect. If she needed it longer, she could find a way to attach ends of, perhaps, pieces of a thicker branch to give it a good weight for a weapon. She ran her hands along it- it felt dry enough.
Falling from the tree or not, she had to keep looking. While she knew how to attach two pieces of long wood so that they would not separate, she wanted to have options.
She kept tapping. Options were important. What if she wanted to use a different type of wood to accentuate the special wood? She would have to find that wood and determine things like hardness- which was great for a hitting surface but terrible for carving effectively, texture and grain type- which she had to use as a guide instead of color for matching them up, treatment- which some wood needed before being carved and which usually took more than three days. Two days, now. Options meant that she could do her best work in a good time frame, and she wanted to. It was, after all, her first commission.
She checked another piece of wood. Too short, and the wrong type of wood, but it was hard and fairly thick. It could be useful for an extension to the active end of the staff...
Wait, quarterstaff or single headed staff? Had Yansa requested a specific type?
Dyakida weighed the piece of wood in her hand. Single headed, perhaps. She could whittle this down into something interesting.
Her Alkidike had liked her work! Her Alkidike had picked it up and was keeping it! Peyla was doing good!
She pushed at a bunch of trapped branches. Still doing good, yes?
It fell in a torrent of scent and twigs.
Dyakida inspected a promising branch. Right length, almost the right diameter, but definitely too 'wet'. Still, it went to the growing pile of sticks at her back, and she felt nearly ready to start working when her antennae twinged again. She dodged, just in time, as the ball of wood crashed at her feet, sending splinters into her feet and legs. She took her hands from her face and inspected the pile. A lot of small twigs and very few large ones.
She faced up.
"Peyla!" she said, a note of annoyance in her voice. "Come back here!"
She clenched her fists, resisting the urge to scold her sprite for causing trouble, because effects to the contrary, she knew her sprite was only trying to help.
"All right. We're done here, I think." she said quietly, moving her hair out of her face.
They were done here? Peyla didn't want to be done here. Peyla wanted to play with the flowers! But Peyla could find the flowers again! What did her Alkidike want to do?
"Lets go find a place to camp..." said Dyakida, "Which..." she shook her canteen- it wasn't empty, but it was running low, "Means water." She held her hand out for Peyla, "Water, Peyla. Find water."
Yes yes! Peyla could do that!
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 8:41 pm
"What is this? Dyakida had asked Peyla to find water, but instead Peyla had found a plant... thing. She could tell that most of it was underground.
Peyla chirped happily. It was water. She could smell the water in it! They should get the water! she tried to help dig it out.
Dyakida was certain that either Peyla was playing a prank or had been confused. But she was in a strange land, so she might as well see what strangeness was here. Curious, she dug at the plant and, freeing it from the ground, determined it was a bulbous root thing of some kind.
"Peyla, what...?"
Peyla smelled it! She smelled water! She tapped at the gourd, listening to the hollowness inside. Here! There was water here! She could hear it swish around when her Alkidike moved!
Huh. Dyakida held it to her ear.
What do you know. There was water in it.
"Thank you, Peyla" she said, taking out her dagger and trying to open it.
She sniffed at the opened gourd.
Ah yes. Water. Interesting. It was like a cup, already filled in the ground. It tasted sweet when she sipped at it. She had needed water, since she had packed dried fruits and meats that were great for travel but were drying. That wouldn't be a problem in Jahuar, where water was plentiful, but here in Tale it was an issue.
Well, that was done, and this seemed like a good place to make a camp- plenty of trees to clamber up into and, by her estimates, not too far away from where she had entered the forest. It felt like it was coming to dusk, but in one of the few benefits of not being able to see, the lack of light would not hinder her. She set out her selection of branches and began planning, listing their strengths and weakness in her head.
It had been difficult enough to leave the tangled clearing with her new burden, even with Peyla's help... Especially with Peyla's help, because Peyla had to use her antenna to guide her, since crawling used her hands. Having her antenna tugged on and tapped, even gently, felt odd and unpleasant. But she had needed her guide, so Dyakida had grit her teeth and bore the pain and discomfort and, surprisingly, queasiness.
She still felt a little bit unsettled, but hopefully there would be no need to repeat that experience. Hopefully, everything would be walking from here on.
She set aside a few pieces, the good quality branches. She already knew which ones she wanted to use and how she was going to splice them together to make things just right.
She was using the ritual of laying the branches out in order to think about what she would carve.
So.
What would she carve?
Something meaningful, definitely. Something that told a story.
But whos? Yansa's? Dyakida didn't know much about the warrior. She knew that Yansa had led the trek to Zena, and Maya had mentioned her a few times, but that was not nearly enough, not for something meaningful.
Dyakida's story? She certainly had one. Her life was quite a vibrant and exciting tale.
But did she want to tell it in wood? Did she want to tell it at all? Did Yansa want to hear, or rather, feel it?
Dyakida didn't feel that her story was important enough for a ceremonial staff.
The carving couldn't just be a pretty carving, though. It needed a story of some sort to really bring it together and make it more than something pretty that was interesting to the touch.
"It's ceremonial" she said aloud, picking out the wood she would use and setting the rest aside. She turned them over and over in her hands before setting them down to retrieve her preparation tools.
It was ceremonial, so she would go with something safe, something that everybody would find meaning in.
Growth, change, continuation, life: these things would resonate with everybody and be absolutely lovely to carve. Everybody had moments in their life where they experienced something that changed them forever, where they thought things would never be normal again.
But things stabilized. Life continued, even thrived. Her's had.
She knew what she would do.
And so, as the coolness of night descended on her senses, she began preparing the staff for carving.
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 8:42 pm
(Day 2)
Dyakida awoke in an unfamilar place on an unfamiliar tree. What struck her first was the roughness of the bark on her skin, different in texture from Jahuar trees.
She shifted drowsily to try and move the texture to somewhere more comfortable, wanting a few more minutes of sleep. But something else nagged at her awareness: how dry everything was: Her, the branch, the very air. It tugged at her until she had no choice but to awaken fully, holding her head- which felt full of muck- in her hands as she reached for the water gourd she had hung on a nearby branch.
The sweet water was balm to her parched throat.
She was not in Jahuar. She was in Tale. And she had a mission to accomplish.
Munching on jerky as a breakfast, she carefully climbed down the tree- not entirely trusting a drop to her sense of height to a climb performed while tired.
Everything was as she left it the night before (she assumed it was night then) when she had put herself to sleep sanding, polishing, and splicing it into something that she felt was ready to carve. She sat, her tools to one side, her back against a tree, the blank staff in her lap.
She was ready to start.
She ran her hand along the base of the staff, guiding her carving tool carefully. It was naturally thicker, so she styled it as a bulb and roots, allowing it to be a flat, sturdy surface that could rest on the ground without ruining the carvings.
Up she went, the bulb turning into sprouts which branched into an ever-more complex spiraling pattern, which she then made sparse so that she could focus on the individual branches- not so stylized now that they couldn't have leaves and flowers decorating them. This theme continued and evolved up the staff, growing more ornate until she reached the grip. She needed it to be comfortable to the hand and balanced, but still a part of the design.
So she made it rain.
~~~~
Peyla was hungry, and her Alkidike hadn't moved in a long while. The sun was past high and Peyla was hot and unhappy and she wanted to go somewhere else besides this same spot. She chirped reproachfully and tugged at her Alkidike's hair. Neither had eaten, and if Peyla was hungry, so was her Alkidike.
She had just started on the flatter, contoured cloud grip when Peyla tugged at her hair.
"What is it?" she asked, annoyed at her focus having been broken, until her stomach clarified matters for her with a growl.
She brought out one of the fresh fruits and some dried meat, hoping it would calm both her Sprite and her stomach. She was appreciative of both, but she was busy and inspired and in the middle of a very important part of the staff.
Even now, as she took a brief break to drink and eat, her thoughts drifted to the staff, to how it felt and smelled and weighed in her hands. The wood was yielding to her carving nicely, but not so much so that it would be delicate. No, this would hold up well for whatever it was used for.
She knew that above the cloud grip, the branches would be carved more organized and latticelike. Birds and insects and other creatures would be among the holes of the lattice, and then... well, she would get to the top of the staff soon enough. She had a perfect idea for it, but she had to do the rest of the staff first- no point to thinking five steps ahead when she might have a better idea at step three. She popped the rest of the strip of jerky into her mouth and made her way back to her crafting station, observing the texture of the discarded wood chips under her feet.
Chewing, she set to carving yet again.
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 8:43 pm
Dyakida's hand slipped, and she counted herself as very lucky that she hadn't hurt her hand or, debatably worse, ruined her carving. She stretched her hand, wincing at how stiff it was.
How long had she been carving? She didn't know. It had grown hot, then hotter. Now it was beginning to cool down again. She ran her hands over the staff, 'looking' at her work so far.
A great plant grew, from the roots at the base, to entwined branches, to a lattice that supported the images of various Jahuar creatures (as best she could remember them, anyway), to a series of long, coiled grasslike leaves that flowed upward to support the top of the staff.
The top was spliced onto the base of the staff. It was, she had determined by scent, the same type of wood. But it must have come from a different part of the tree originally, as it had a different texture. Perhaps a boll that had fallen off, or a different type of growth.
Either way, it was somewhat thicker and denser than the other wood- good for the top of a staff.
She tested the weighting of the staff so far, picking it up by the grip- a cloud that fed the roots at the base with rain.
She hefted it, moved it around a bit, feeling the balance.
Her sense of touch was acute- it had to be, at this point- and she could tell that it was not yet balanced.
But of course, it was not done, and the imbalance was where she expected- the head. It would, of course, require serious finalization so that it could be a practical weapon, but as a ritual weapon she would have to take care to not damage her own artistry.
Now that she was standing and moving around, she realized that her legs were very stiff- just how long had she been sitting there?
Her stomach began to hurt, and hurt with a frustrated vengeance. She felt lightheaded, suddenly.
She had been drinking water almost absentmindedly, but food... the last time she had eaten had been back around the grip, hadn't it?
She munched on some more jerky, but it wasn't really enough. Her stomach insisted on more food.
But she wasn't done! She had to finish the carvings at the top before she began tuning the weapon and she had maybe less than a day more! She had to keep going!
But she couldn't seem to gather the motivation to sit back down. Her legs were happy standing and they wanted to move, and move now. She stretched a bit. Well, she did have a ways to go, and she wanted to be back on familiar Jahuar ground, where she at least had some sense of where she was.
Not to mention that water was far more plentiful there. A trait she was beginning to really appreciate.
She picked up her things- including the unused wood pieces because they were perfectly good, dry, Tale wood and she wasn't going to waste it just because she couldn't use it for this particular project- and packed them all away.
"Peyla?"
Peyla had been bored. The day had come and was nearly gone and Peyla didn't like the dark or sitting still. For most of the day, she had explored the dryland forest and munched on the strange things she found there. There weren't as many tasty things here as back in the jungle, but there were small furry things that Peyla discovered were incredibly fun to tease!
She was resting, preparing to sleep when she heard her name.
She fluttered over, perching on her Alkidike's shoulder.
Yes? How could Peyla help her Alkidike? That was her job, after all, and it was very important!
"I need to go back to Jahuar. Guide me there?" she held out a hand for Peyla
Peyla was tired, but Peyla knew where Jahuar was. It was the way the sun set! She could show her Alkidike!
She tugged at Dyakida's hand. Come! Come! It was getting dark and she couldn't see in the night!
Dyakida knew it was at least cool enough to travel, and she trusted her sprite to take her where she needed to go.
She felt good about what she had done, and as she walked across roots and then soft sand, she was running high on exhilaration. The feeling of a story forming beneath her fingers- a story that she, a mere prentice- better yet, a mere blind prentice- -was telling to one of the most prestigious living warriors in the tribe. She was proud of how it was turning out, and soon she would end the story.
Confidence.
It was a good feeling, one of her favorite feelings- however fleeting.
It was also a good feeling to stretch her legs. They had longed for some activity and even when Peyla began to drift a bit, even as the dry coolness of what she assumed was nighttime began to n** at her, Dyakida felt as though she could keep walking.
Peyla wanted to sleep.
She wanted to sleep now and a lot, while it was dark. But her Alkidike wanted to keep going.
Peyla couldn't keep going. Her wings were faltering.
Peyla wanted to sleep. She gave her Alkidike a few sudden tugs before dropping the hand and perching on her Alkidike's shoulder.
They were stopping, weren't they?
Peyla had never done that before, had never let go of her hand while guiding her.
Dyakida faltered in her step.
"Peyla?" she said, angling her head, "Peyla, what is wrong?"
Peyla chirped.
No more flying.
She chirped again, before crawling into Dyakida's pack.
Sleep time. Now.
Dyakida hesitated. Peyla was tired. She, too, was tired. It had to be late.
But she wanted to keep moving and find her way back to the rainforest. She wanted to leave this dry land behind.
She had traveled without Peyla's help before, and she could do it again. It was just a straight line back home, right?
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 8:44 pm
(Day 3)
This time, when she awoke, it was to the familiar scents and sounds of her homeland, to smooth bark and air wet with condensation, and a canopy between her antennae and the vast emptiness of the sky. She smiled. She was home, or home enough to have the cues she was used to.
She could tell, from the temperature and the sounds, that it was early to midmorning in Jahuar. She had made it back here without Peyla's help across the seemingly endless expanse of featureless sand.
It was good to know she could still do that.
She knew how to figure out directions in Jahuar, and she had Peyla to correct her if she stepped wrong- she could hear the little sprite chittering a little ways in the distance- she was probably finding breakfast.
Dyakida had her own breakfast- some of the fruit she had saved- as she contemplated the finishing touches she would make to the staff.
A lotus, of course, would be involved. What tribute to Aisha, or to any Alkidike, or- for that matter- anything Alkidike related could lack that important feature? But the top of the staff was the part of the staff used in combat, and a delicate lotus carving would be damaged.
She knew what to do with that, though- if something was rising out of the lotus, something round and featureless and bigger widthwise than the lotus, but still attached to the staff itself, then it could take the hit, do damage, and prevent the actual carving from being damaged on a successful strike.
The key was making it look nice, and since she couldn't do that, she would have to make it feel like it probably looked nice. It was a shame she couldn't ask Peyla whether something was pretty or not, or what color something was.
It was the third day, and she needed to be in Chibale before the next morning. That meant that she had to finish this and travel North, possibly for a long way... but also possibly not, if she had managed to go due West. She had already traveled a good way North just reaching the Tale forest and the scented tree. It couldn't be too much further.
She scrambled down the tree and set up a workspace. If she worked hard, she could finish the carving and even balance the staff before she would have to be on the move.
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 8:45 pm
Dyakida felt, refelt, and felt again the surface of the wooden orb she had managed to craft onto the staff. She couldn't believe she had even been capable of making something so round, so exactly like she had wanted.
She tested it, swinging it in the open space to figure out it's balance.
Pondering, she brought the head of the staff to her and whittled the petals of the lotus that cradled the orb, part of the denser spliced wood that she had used to make the staff the proper height and weight.
She removed bits of wood from the lotus, from the straight leaf patterns that led to the lotus, from the animals in the lattice (they had needed to be deeper in than the lattice itself anyway). She removed what wood she could from these designs, bringing them out more and attempting to balance the weapon.
Satisfied, she swung it again. She tuned it further, taking great care. She didn't want to ruin her work, nor did she want to whittle too far. But at the same time, she wanted to do a perfect job. Everything had to be perfect. Perhaps she ended up not being perfect, but she tried very hard.
After many episodes of tuning and frustrated control, she was finally happy. The staff was finally complete.
She packed her tools away and secured the staff to her back. She called Peyla to her- it was time to go.
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 8:54 pm
She had realized she was too far to the East when she had hit the coast . It was a foolish and stupid mistake that showed her that, while she had come a long way in being able to travel on her own, she still had a long way to go.
Fortunately, the coast only went in two directions, so she simply followed it West for the entire day. Her feet hurt, but she kept going at as brisk a pace as her guide would allow. She couldn't afford to stop and rest- she had a schedule to keep.
At her brisk pace, she managed to reach the Amara crossing a few hours after darkness had fallen. Peyla had curled up in her bag to rest, so she found her way along the path by simply following the coastline until she hit it's Westernmost point.
”Peyla, which way is the island?” she asked, lifting her tired guide out of her bag.
Peyla was tired. But her Alkidike needed her to do this job. There was light from glowing trees and from the moon and Peyla could see it, yes, an island! She would guide her Alkidike there, and then her Alkidike would rest because it was dark and they were both tired and not resting was bad!
Dyakida was led over the Amara crossing and to the island itself- the cool water was refreshing to her slightly bruised feet, and she soaked her sore hands in it for a moment before moving on to the other side of the crossing.
Exhausted, she made her camp on Isle Amara. She ached from the long journey and the hard work, but she had made it. Tomorrow, she would travel to Aisha and pay her respects to her mother and deliver the staff.
~~~
She regretted her endeavors of the last few days for only a moment as she awoke to aching and strained limbs. She had to force the first few steps, but after that her legs seemed amenable to taking her where she needed to go. She still had to go quickly- she was due at Mother Aisha soon.
Peyla took her hand again, and she began the trek to her mother tree..
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Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 12:34 pm
It had been three days, and Yansa was waiting as she had said. She was in conversation with Eshe, a stern look on her face. Talk of younglings brought about a seriousness in Yansa that was too much for even her usual self.
She caught sight of Dyakida and nodded to Eshe in farewell. "Hello sister. I see you have returned, and on time." She added the last bit. Three days was a stretch, even Yansa knew that, but she was pleasantly surprised with Dyakida's appearance on the islands.
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Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 1:01 pm
Dyakida would have listened in on the conversation, but she was too busy thinking about the ground beneath her feet and how familiar it felt. She knew this ground, more and more.
But it was different, too. She could no longer see their mother's soothing presence, could no longer see the intricate designs of her roots- where all the best hiding spots had been.
It was a place she had once known, but she no longer knew where all her memories lay. The branches she used to play on with Maya... her favorite ocean-watching spot...
She remembered them, in full color and as much detail as she dared. But she didn't know where they were now.
It made her melancoly to think about it.
Yansa's greeting snapped her back to the present and the real world and she looked towards the voice of her sister.
"Yes." she said, smiling softly as Peyla guided her the rest of the way.
'Yes', of course, didn't encompass the soreness of her feet- which would need soaking, she was sure- or the aching of her hands- which she was sure would blister and need treatment-- the result of her being on time.
It also didn't encompass her pride at being able to do so.
She approached closer until Peyla stopped and let go of her hand.
She reached behind her and brought forth the staff, holding it up to Yansa on it's side.
"Here. As promised..." her creation. She ran a finger along one of the lattice carvings fondly before holding it out for Yansa to recieve.
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