Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ziari snuggled into Aemi’s side, eyes tightly shut against the little bit of morning light that seemed to be making its way through the trees above her. She didn’t want to wake up — not just yet. The warmth from her familiar made a hard, jungle floor, all the more bearable. So she pulled her cover farther up, snuggling under it and yawning against Aemi’s fur. She was just about to drift off, again, when the sound of hushed whispers made their way to her ears. Groaning, quietly, she forced her eyes open just in time to see Aser glide down off of his roost — on top of Aemi — and land in front of her, wings stretched out. He chattered noisily at the intruders, causing Zi to frown and push up and away from Aemi.

“Aser, what on earth is going o…” She paused, her words getting stuck on the back of her tongue as she came face to face with three small shifter children — a girl and two boys. Ziari tilted her head she eyed them carefully. “Good morning,” she said, quietly, as she sat up straighter. “May I help you?” With the events of the day before — and the unease she felt walking through Lerin’s village — Ziari was careful not to make any sudden moves towards the children, for fear that their parents were near and would think she intended to harm them. Sighing, she waited for their answer.

The three children huddled together, whispering between themselves more. “That’s a mammo,” the little girl said loud enough for Ziari to hear. She couldn’t help but look up at Aemi and give a small laugh at the mispronunciation. To be honest, she was completely surprised that the little one even knew what her newest familiar was. The mammu were definitely not a native of Jauhar and Zi was sure that they were a rare sight in the jungle.

Before Ziari even had time to open her mouth, to correct the little girl, she was stepping forward. She was definitely the smallest of the trio but — with her chin held high and her shoulders squared — she was obviously the most confident and outspoken of the three of them. “We were curious about your mammo.”

“Mammu,” Ziari corrected.

The blush that covered the little girl’s cheeks belied the confident words she said next. “Yeah! That’s what I said! Mammu.”

Ziari blinked and gave the small girl a smile before patting Aemi’s side and standing. “I’m surprised you know what Aemi is. I can’t imagine mammus are seen much around these parts.” When Ziari opened her mouth to speak again, she didn’t have a chance as the little girl was speaking up yet again.

“My momma taught me ‘bout alll the animals in Tendaji. I’m gonna be a beast tamer one day.” The two boys behind her sniggered and whispered between themselves, earning a small glare from the girl. “I am. Just you wait and see. I’ll be the best beast tamer this village has ever seen.” The little shifter’s attention turned back to Ziari, a small blush settling back onto her cheeks. “May we...pet it?”

Ziari blinked, slightly taken aback by the request. Her surprise melted into a genuine smile as she beckoned Aemi up onto her feet. “Yeah, sure. Just be gentle,” she added as the three of them stepped forward. Seeing their frown and hesitance, Ziari continued. “She has a few injuries. They’re getting better but I’m sure they still hurt a little. Just be mindful of them, ok?”

The trio nodded in unison but the girl, brave front on, was the first to step forward. She reached out, gently petting over Aemi’s trunk. The mammu snorted, pressing her trunk into the gentle touch as the girl’s small smile turned into a grin. After that, it didn’t take long for the boys to join the little girl. And soon Aser was nosing into the commotion and making himself known and demanding pets from the shifter children as well.

Ziari stepped back, watching the three of them carefully as they played around with her two companions. She was lost in the play so much that she didn’t hear the approaching footsteps until she was, rudely and roughly, shoved out to the side.

“What are you children doing here?”

Ziari frowned at the booming voice and glanced up as she caught her balance after the rough shove.

“We specifically told you to not come around this fire whore.”

“But daddy…” One of the little boys began to speak up but instantly snapped his mouth shut when the older shifter — the boy’s father — grabbed hold of his arm and jerked him away from Aemi roughly.

Ziari’s eyes narrowed as she moved to calm down Aemi (as she hadn’t much appreciated the sudden roughness of the older shifter). “There’s no reason to be like that. Aemi wouldn’t hurt a fly unless they were hurting her or me.” She gave the man a pointed stare after those words, arms crossed over her chest as she watched the two remaining children slink over to where the other adults were.


“Mind your own damn business fire whore.”

Ziari’s muscles tensed at the anger in the man’s voice — a tone not dissimilar from the one Tansa had used with her the day before.

“Your kind isn’t welcome here. You should do as Tansa said and leave. Or else.” The shifter let his words trail off but the message was loud and clear — Ziari was most definitely not a welcome guest. Sighing, she watched as the adults snatched up their kids and turned to leave, all the while making negative comments on Ziari and her race.

Once they were out of sight, she let herself sag back against Aemi and closed her eyes. This wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought it would be. Had Alliah had such a hard time while traveling? She had, after all, been exploring while Oba was still the main power and still had slaves. Had she had it rougher? Easier? Perhaps she should have talked to her more. Maybe found out how she had handled the situations like this. Rubbing her face, Ziari pulled away from Aemi and moved about, gathering her things together in anticipation of Lerin meeting up with her. When she was finished with that, she fished out the saulve she’d just bought and began dressing her wounds and then Aemi’s.

She wondered how other races would react to her as she traveled. Obans were not very liked among the masses and there was no mistaking what race she belonged to. She stuck out like a sore thumb thanks to her hair and dark skin. Frowning, she ran a hand over her dreads and sighed. Her thoughts turned to Lerin and she wondered why he was helping her as he had so far. She was an outsider here — something Ziari was definitely not used to — and him helping her was obviously something that no one in the village approved of. So then why help her? Why go through that trouble? What was it about Lerin that set him apart from the other shifters in the village?

Ziari closed her eyes and laid her forehead against Aemi. She had been immensely lucky he had found her. Even more lucky that he had wanted to help her. She patted Aemi’s side before pushing away and moving off to stow away the remaining salve. As she was crouching down, Ziari’s eyes caught sight of the little girl from earlier and she nearly fell over. “What are you doing back down here?” Ziari asked as she stood back up.

The little girl lowered her head, eyes cast to ground before she began to speak again — a much more subdued version of the girl from before. “I...I’m sorry for what he said.”

“He…?” Ziari blinked, eyes widening as it clicked. “You don’t have to apologize.”

“I do!” The girl’s voice raised a pitch higher, her little fists clenched at her sides. “He’s stupid. He shouldn’t have said those things. You’re not bad. You can’t be. You help familiars.” Her gaze flicked to Aemi and she hesitated. “May I…?” At Ziari’s nod, the little girl moved back over to Aemi and began patting her.

Ziari, reluctant to let the girl stay for very long, glanced around. “I take it your parents don’t know you’re here?”

She shook her head, a sheepish look crossed her face. “No. I sneaked out. My name’s Illy, by the way. My grandma always said to be kind to strangers. Inside, we’re all the same. It was wrong of Jhin’s daddy to say those things. He’s not a very nice man.”

Ziari frowned, worry for the boy from earlier coursing through her. There wasn’t much she could do, though, and she hated that. Family matters were best left to family. No use in an outsider trying to get into the middle of it all. “I like that name. And your grandmother is a very wise woman. I think I’d have to agree with her.” The little girl continued to talk, the subjects changing frequently as Ziari answered questions about Oba and what it was like to travel over the desert and to ride on the back of a mammu — which, unfortunately, Ziari hadn’t had a chance to do yet — and other such things. Ziari was quickly reminded of a few neighbor kids from home — curious, fun loving and above all else, innocent.

It occurred to her, in that moment, that even though there was hatred in the world, they most definitely didn’t start out as such. Children were not predisposed to hatred. It shined through in any interaction toddlers had with each other — in the truths that they spoke to each other. Hatred was a learned thing — and it was ugly. She hoped, dearly, that this child — Illy — would remain as she was.

As morning faded into afternoon, Illy was soon saying her goodbyes and bounding back off up into the trees and back to her village. A village that had not welcomed her. Ziari was sure she was bound to run into more people like Tansa and Jhin’s father. People that hated her for no other reason than where she was born, the color of her skin, etc. She would keep Illy’s grandmother’s words in mind, though, and try her best to look past the bigotry and xenophobic tendencies. She had to in order to survive in this world.