CLASS AFFINITY SOLO
A Lifelong Friend


The deserts of Oba were harsh and unforgiving, yet Arijah and her brother, Aedelric, had called them home for years. Not only was she used to being on the move with the group of nomads that they traveled with, but she enjoyed going from place to place. They could live near the capital of Sulburi for a few months, and then when they felt like it, move to a whole other part of the country the next. They weren’t attached to any one location, and that freedom was something that few individuals could experience. Yet, at the same time, it was also a lifestyle that wasn’t for everyone. Uprooting every few weeks and moving on to a different place – it wasn’t something that anyone could do easily. It took a certain sort of person to be able to do that, and luckily the Oban girl was one of those people. Ever since her parents passed away in the war, she couldn’t really imagine herself living any other way. She had grown accustomed to her lifestyle, and it would be difficult to change it now.

”Time to make camp, Arijah,” came a voice from behind her. It belonged to none other than Ojanan, one of the elderly men in the group, and a man who was a mentor of sorts to the young woman. ”Best to get settled in before it gets too hot out.” Such was the routine of their lives. The group would do its best to set up camp in the morning before the sun got too high in the sky, or in the evening as it set if there was no other alternative. She nodded to Ojanan when he said to set up camp, and then went about her business as best she could to assist. While some might might view setting up the tents as a chore, Arijah actually enjoyed helping. It was difficult work at times, but she often felt productive and useful once she completed her tasks. It felt good to lend a hand wherever she could.

It didn’t take long. The small tent city was set up in a matter of hours, and the nomadic Obans found themselves relaxing in the shade that they provided. It was a welcomed rest, and Arijah found herself sitting in the company of Ojanan and a few elderly woman, most of them healers of various sorts. The young woman found herself drawn the most to these individuals. They had not only a lot of wisdom to offer, but she always loved listening to the stories of how they helped people over the years. She never grew tired of them. ”Jah,” Ojanan said after a good few hours of relaxation, ”could you go fetch us some water? A nice refreshment would be welcomed.”

”No problem, Ojanan. Of course, I can.”

Aside from setting up camp, another task Arijah did was fetch water for the elderly or anyone else around who might need it. Every so often, the nomads would set up wells that they would use from time to time. Other times, they would load up on water and carrying it along with them in large skins for the community as a whole to use. The communal water-skins was where she was headed today, situated at the outer edge of the camp overlooking the desert. Since the sun was dipping down into the sky, the prentice found herself alone as she filled up some smaller skins for the elderly.

Except she wasn’t alone – not entirely.

Off in the distance, a large figure could be seen, and it was running toward her. Huh? What was it, exactly?

It was only as it got closer that Arijah could finally make it out, and when she saw the approaching creature, her eyes widened in surprise. A mammu was running in her direction, eyes wide and afraid. It didn’t take long for her to spot the Fire prentice, however, and when it did, the creature stopped. It lingered on the fringes of the camp, taking care not to come too far in. Even from where she was standing by the water skins, it didn’t take a genius to tell what was wrong with the mammu: it was injured and terrified. The poor thing. Just from looking at it, she could tell it had been through a lot.

Gashes marked the mammu’s brown skin in various places on her body. Some bled, while others were just open to the elements. What was worse, however, was that one of the creature’s tusks had been hacked off. What exactly happened to the poor familiar, Arijah had no idea, but she could guess. Raiders probably wanted her tusks for an illegal crystal trade of some sort. They would probably sell whatever they managed to get, or would shape it into a pretty figure or jewelry of some sort. It was a horrid business, so she could only imagine how traumatic the experience was for the mammu.

Slowly and carefully, Arijah decided to make her way out to the animal. She took care not to make any sudden or quick movements, so as to not scare the creature away. It did the trick. The mammu lingered and allowed the young woman to approach her, though her eyes never left her for a moment. ”Don’t worry,” the Oban said to the creature as she raised an empty hand up to her. ”I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to help. You’ve been through a lot, and I want to help get you better.”

The Obans who had hurt this animal were clearly cruel and mean in their hearts, but Arijah was neither of those things. The mammu was able to tell this easily, and allowed her to look at the wounds. Thank the gods for spending so much time with the healers. After concentrating intensely for a couple of hours, Arijah was able to close up the wounds of the mammu with some healing magic she had learned. It wasn’t much, but it was the least that she could do, and the familiar wouldn’t have to worry about bleeding to death or anything like that. She would be right as rain in a while, after she allowed herself to recuperate.

”There you go. You’ll be fine within a few days,” she went on to tell it before turning to leave. ”I should let you go, so you can get back to your owners. Or…” and this was where the young girl paused, ”If they aren’t around, you can come with me. I’ll make sure you’re never hurt ever again.” The mammu hesitated for a moment, thinking. After a moment or two of silence, she trumpeted with her trunk and then walked along after Arijah as she made her way back.

”I thought as much,” Arijah said with a smile.

”You’re going to need a name – how does Etana sound. I think it suits you; it’s very pretty.”

Etana, it was. The mammu called out with her trunk again in response, and that was when Arijah knew. The two of them would now be lifelong friends, and that made her heart soar.

(Word Count: 1,194)