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The things you learn when you watch.
Words: 1025

Warm air wafted around rustling the leaves in the trees causing a few to fall and dance on the way to the sand. Yet none of it touched Ta’ruk. He was numb inside and out from all the running he had done so far. The soft white sand of Tale clung to him so that he was hardly recognizable as a shifter. His thirst made him feel half mad and yet so very tired. The jungles of his home in Jauhar were fading behind him and the supplies he had taken with him from Neued had long sense gone. He was making due by collecting morning dew with his sash and wringing it into his mouth. The empty pack was so light yet it chaffed at his back with its bouncing. Ta’ruk felt alone horribly and completely alone. Even despair didn’t want him for a companion anymore. How long until loneliness abandoned him and he felt nothing at all? His home was gone as was his family. He didn’t even have the heart to return to bury them. Instead what should have been the task of a dutiful son had fallen to a stranger who Ta’ruk knew so little about. BarAmal had saved his life, but would he be able to keep his word or would he die in the fight for Ta’ruk’s home. Staggering and falling to his knees Ta’ruk curled up for a moment and burrowed down half hidden by the sand so he could sleep for a bit. This had become his routine. Move forward until he couldn’t take another step and then collapse where he landed and hide from wild beasts as much as he was able. He had several close calls and was lucky that he was becoming a light sleeper or his life would have been forfeit days ago to an angry old Witu. He would have to empty the sack out again when he woke up but that was a little burden compared to the thought of finding something useful and having nothing to carry it in. Perhaps he should make a staff to help him in this tremulous sand. It was one of the last things he thought before he fell into slumber.

When he woke he heard shuffling. Tensing he had to blow sand out of his face so he could see. Nothing seemed different before him so he tilted his head and listened trying to identify where the sound was coming from. Several shallow breaths latter he decided it was coming from the other side of the tree but not particularly close to him. He wasn’t certain if he wanted to try and climb the tree, hide, or flee. Not knowing what to do until he saw what he was up against, Ta’ruk sat up painfully slowly and peeked around the tree. Before him was half a dozen large beasts that where plodding along stopping to graze on the grasses at times. He stared at them hard for a long while before the name Gani finally burrowed its way to the forefront of his mind. At least he thought that’s what the humped backed creatures were. They certainly didn’t look like dangerous predators which made Ta’ruk relax quite a bit. He ran his tongue over the top row of his teeth it felt as though he were trying to lick a boulder. He needed to find water and soon. Rather than wander blindly around in a strange land he decided that he was going to follow Gani until they let him to a source of water. They didn’t seem in any great pace so he could take his time and follow and with their squat wide frame they made fairly easy paths to follow. Waiting until the beasts passed him was the most trying part of it all. They seemed so content to stay and graze he nearly wanted to scare them so they would at least go somewhere. Regrettably he knew that would only destroy his chances of using them to find water. Not only that but he needed food as well perhaps he could get lucky and there would be an injured or sickly old Gani that he could end quickly and painlessly for food. The sun was in a very different place in the sky when the Gani finally decided to leave this little area and keep moving. The path they took were littered with small little candy colored pods that where half chewed in some cases. It was clear they had a liquid in them. Picking one up Ta’ruk hoped it wasn’t poisonous as he gave it an experimental sniff. It didn’t smell too bad other than the drool that was on it. Scavenging along the way with a half dozen pods in his hands he closed his eyes and popped one in his mouth hoping this wasn’t something incredibly foolish.

He nearly fell over in relief when water flooded his mouth. Both hand reached up and were holding his lips oblivious to the dropped pods on the ground. The Gani didn’t even seem to notice or care about the little creature that was so far behind them that he was out of sight, but had once been next to Ta’ruk it would have been shocked at his sudden haste to gather the fallen pods and any others he could find. The whole time the creatures had been eating and drinking and he never knew it! He could have just kicked one of them. BarAmal’s words of asking how far Ta’ruk would go to avoid fighting drifted forward into his mind and Ta’ruk sighed. Chewing the pods he restarted down the path the Gani had taken his brief reprieve from his grief gone again. He glanced behind him wondering if BarAmal was still alive or if Neued had been saved or lost. What of his family? Shaking his head he looked forward again and kept running. The word someday began to beat in his mind at the same rate his heart beat in his chest. Still that day was not today and Ta’ruk was not turning all the way around yet.

Snow ball fight RP point

Finding a path...

words 1, 280

The ground came with a hard thud as Ta’ruk fell to the soil again. He had left Yera and headed back to Jaunhar to the settlement Sol hoping to learn a few things about how to defend himself. He was tired of ending up on the receiving and of blows from earthlings and beasts alike. Hoping to end that he had come here and started to train. The problem was he wasn’t very good at anything at all. His arms weren’t strong enough to hold a shield or wield a hammer well and with a bow and arrow he might as well be throwing sticks. Even worse with a sword he might as well cut off his own feet and save the enemy the trouble. Even when it came to basic self defense he found he was nearly hopeless. Rolling and standing he thanked the shifter who was helping him practice before leaving the practice grounds. Rubbing his shoulder he took a few deep breaths to swallow the pain and started to climb. The sunlight steamed around him catching the light of the crystals in his side making lights dance up the tree as he climbed. Away from people and others he found a nice strong limb and sat for a while mulling things over. He knew the history of his people well and was fairly good at talking to others so perhaps he could make a living as a guide around Jaunhar? It was an option though it wasn’t one he wanted. He wanted to be stronger to protect others and help them. All the things he had done in life he felt he had been lead around by the hand and held back by a lot of indecision. Fist his family though loved him had sheltered him. When the Oban’s came that peace was shattered though it seemed a frail peace had formed while he had been gone. At least that was what he had heard.

Had he been stronger perhaps he could have fought and then he might not feel that pit of fear in his stomach when he heard ‘oban’ in conversation. Staring down at his hands he cursed his own weakness and thought of all the others he had seen and met in his life. Ouen who was reckless and daring. Mella who was soft but insistent. BarAmal who was loud and driven. Those he hardly knew like Myrsky and his scorra. What could Ta’ruk off the world like they could? He was soft and gentle. A healer perhaps? Though he didn’t think he had the stomach to deal with other peoples pains. It would come to close to home for him. Shivering while feeling far to warm he looked around to distract himself. It was then that he noticed a small glow coming from a bunch of leaves that were piled up. Crawling along the branch until he reached the pile he gently pulled a few leaves aside with caution. Nested inside was a small sprite with a purplish glow. It looked up at him and chitterd tugging a leaf back over itself and shivering. Was it sick? It was about the size of his head, but it was so slender that he was sure a strong wind could tear it in half. Reaching down he cupped the leaves under it and lifted it toward him while making soothing noises. The little sprite flapped angry but didn’t’ even have the strength to fly away from him. It was certainly sick. “hey there just be still I’m going to take you to town and see about finding you some help.” He had no idea if it understood or was just so sick that it couldn’t fight anymore. The sprite was subdued on the climb down and so long as he kept it covered it didn’t seem to mind the settlement too much. Asking around it wasn’t long until he found a healer of some kind. Asking if the woman could help sprites she looked at him oddly and sent him out in search of a beast tamer. Following the woman’s instructions he found himself taking the little sprite to a grizzled old man who had a scar running along his jaw line. It was short explination about how he found the sprite before the old man took it from him.

Told to go outside Ta’ruk watched the day go by sitting outside the old man’s tent. Near dusk the old man walked out with his hands cupped around a small bag and looked surprised to see Ta’ruk sitting there. “what are you doing there boy?” “waiting to see how the sprite was.” “Ya said she was a wild one right?” “yes.” Ta’ruk had no idea what that had to do with anything. “Then why do ya care so much? She’s weak but she’ll be fine. I’m on the way to let her go now.” “That’s good.” Ta’ruk smiled and thanked the man asking how much he owed for the care of the sprite. The old man looked at him funny but said he didn’t owe him anything. Shrugging and heading home Ta’ruk curled up and hoped the little sprite would be alright.

The next morning there was a tugging on his hair. Dropping his hand back to free it from whatever it had ended up snagged on Ta’ruk was surprised to hear angry chittering and chiming at him before a nice sharp tug on his hair helped to wake him up quickly! Rolling over and moving to a sitting position the little sprite he had seen yesterday was there with a pair of hands on her hips and one holding a berry by it’s stem. Holding it out she clearly was offering it to him. “oh.. thank you?” Reaching down he held out his hand palm up and she dropped it before moving closer to him and climbing in his lap. Not sure what was going on he assumed it.. she was just thanking him. “I’m glad to see you are doing better. I was a bit worried for you.” He thought she looked a bit hungry and leaned over to reach his own bag careful not to jostle her. Holding out a nut she looked at him until he put it back and got a berry out for her too. That seemed to perk her up as she took it right away. Chuckling he figured it might be a sweet or sour loving thing because she certainly ate it fast enough. Gently lifting her off and setting her down he figured she could find her way out since she had gotten in herself. As he left the tent he was surprised that the little sprite followed him out to land on his head for a ride. He tried to take of off several times but each time ended with her stubbornly clinging to his hair. Frustrated he went back to the beast tamer around mid morning. Explaining his predicament he whined about not being able to find a craft if the sprite wasn’t going to let him go. The old man just laughed at him and asked why he didn’t just give taming a try after all he had already done well once. Not understanding Ta’ruk looked blankly at the man until the old man tapped his head. “I think she’s gonna say with you lad.” The musical laugher of a memory with his sister floated though his mind but Ta’ruk shook his head to dispel it which brought a chorus of angry chirps from his new little companion. “ah.. I guess I could try… what do I do?” And so his lessons began.

[X] Hey there's a thing! [Ta'ruk and Fleade]