▼ Taijana

[Painted Moose]

▼Stage 2 Solo 1▼

Taijana gazed on at the roll of parchment sitting before her. Earlier in the day a letter had come for her, one that Trianna had kept until Tai returned from her hunt with Tyrios. The siblings had pondered aloud who might be sending missives to the shy little yaeli, when it dawned on her that only one person would even think to write her.

Naturally, when she had tried to take the letter into her room for some privacy her sister had tried to sneak along. Thankfully, their brother kept her at bay. He was good at wrangling Trianna in when she got too nosy; a skill that Taijana was ever so thankful he possessed.

Now that she was here, though, with the letter stretched out on her bed in front of her Taijana found herself reluctant to read it. If she did then that would be acknowledging that her friend was out doing Gods knew what in foreign lands. At least if she put it off she could pretend he was still safe on Yael...but curiosity got the better of her.

So, she lifted the paper to read it...and instantly paled. Was that...was that blood?! Surely not! Taijana brought it closer to her face, mouth widening in horror. He...he really must be in danger! What if this was his final letter?! What if this letter was going to ask her to save him and - oh he had to be in serious trouble if she was the one he'd chosen to ask for help!

Alive and functional? Oh, wasn't that just like him, to put on a brave face! She could imagine him clutching a bleeding side while writing this. Doubled over in pain, with agony tearing through him, trying to write to anyone so as they might end his suffering- "Just keep reading." She flipped the letter to see his sketches. They truly did look as if they would come alive to attack her; were these what he was seeing, right in that moment? These strangers from separate lands, who had nothing better to do than attack a poor, innocent man?! She could feel her pulse quickening just looking at them. Taijana knew that if she didn't want to pass out now she would have to calm down, but how could she when....

Forcing herself to breath, the small yaeli continued to read through Kieran's letter. He was in Oba now; she vaguely knew the word, knew she had seen one oban in Pajore a few years ago, but little else. Adorable creatures didn't sound so bad, though, especially the loving perzi. She found herself imaging what a little cutie it must be and was momentarily caught off guard by happy thoughts when her panic settled in again. Janarim? Snapping?! Was that what had injured him?! When would he learn!

"Kieran, you're going to get yourself killed, "she moaned. Or perhaps he was trying to give her a heart attack instead. He certainly seemed to enjoy living on the edge!

As it is this letter is to let you know not to worry – everything is completely fine.

Bah! This was not fine. Nothing was fine! It had taken him so long to write her, and this was supposed to soothe her worries? He was bleeding in a foreign land with strange creatures out for his life! How was she supposed to stay calm?!

Taijana wanted to write a letter back to him so badly, but knew it wouldn't reach him. What if he had already moved on? Or worse? What if-?

Before she was aware of it everything turned black and the young girl slumped forward onto her bed, unconscious.


------------

"-some friend, writing a letter like this, knowing what she's like-"

"Tri, he likely didn't know-"

"-seriously, Tyrios, don't stand up for him! Wait, I think she's coming around."

Taijana became aware of a cool, damp cloth on her forehead long before her eyes opened. She groaned and reached up to rub her eyes. When she pulled her hand away she saw her sister pacing, madly waving a piece of paper. "Tri, wha...WAIT! Give me that!" Taijana scrambled up, pushed past her brother and snatched the paper from her sister's clutches.

"Whoever 'Kieran' is, he needs to be punched." Trianna groused. "Traipses off to the mainland...sends a bloody note....Oh look at me, look how daring I am, swoon over me Taijana, have my babies-"

"Tri." Tyrios snapped.

"It's true! Did he even think about her at all when he wrote this?"

"He did," Taijana murmured. "That's why...that's why he sent it....I'm going after him." She wasn't' sure when she had decided on it, or if half the expletives her sister spewed out were even really words, but it was set. Kieran needed her help. As terrifying as the thought was, she would have to go to the mainland if she had any hope of seeing him again.

Her brother was calmly trying to get her to see reason while simultaneously trying to calm their sister. Trianna was near tears, which hurt her soul. She didn't want her sister to worry, but didn't she see? Someone had to bring him home, and without any family of his own, who would worry over Kieran? He was obviously anything but 'fine' right now. Taijana wouldn't be able to sleep knowing he was facing certain peril on his own.

No, she had to be the one to go! Taijana just need to make her siblings see that. They worried for her safety - about her episodes and about going alone - but she tried to reassure them. After all, she went hunting on her own all the time and nothing too bad happened, right?

She just...needed to make sure she didn't have a panic attack on the ship, or in a random street....nothing too bad to worry about, right?

Please be safe, Kieran.

Because Gods help them if she was knocked out while trying to rescue him.

Spirits guide and preserve us both. We'll need it.

(WC: 1000)
 

[Painted Moose]

▼Stage 2 Solo 2▼

(Taken from the FAQ thread : Yael is a large island off of the coast of Tendaji, but it is still very difficult to get there or back. The distance between the coasts of Tendaji and Yael is about 100 miles. This means days at sea before being able to reach the other side. While the north end of Yael does have beaches, the closer to the volcano you get, the more rocky and impossible it is to dock. The distance is only the first problem, the seas are infested with large and dangerous fish, the size of the boats themselves, and many ships can get tossed onto any of the rocky outcroppings surrounding the island (even on the beach side of Yael).

With every wave that slammed against the ship's hull Taijana felt another piece of her spirit leave her body. She had already been at sea for a few days now, with no sign of shore in sight.

She had booked passage on a small trading ship bound for Matori. At first they hadn't wanted her aboard. It was simple; they didn't have any separate cabins for women and well...it was risky to have her aboard with so many sailors. After a lengthy discussion the ship's captain had agreed to forgo his private cabin for her entire savings, but it was worth it. Taijana had been able to get the passage she needed to find Kieran once again!

Unfortunately for her the ship had run into it's fair share of issues along the way. First had been a righteous storm that had nearly sunk them. Taijana had never seen anything like it. Great, rolling black waves slammed against the hull one right after another while crests of white foam swept sailors into the waves. After the first had lost his life she had been instructed (or ordered, depending on perspective) to remain in her cabin. Naturally she had done just that. Taijana had huddled against the wall, one arm clutching desperately to her bed rail, and prayed. She prayed to the Gods for the souls of the dead men to be taken into their arms, and for the rest of them to be spared. "I just need to reach Matori. Please, show me that he's okay and then you can take me!" Candles slammed off shelves, losing their light the moment they collided with the worn wooden planks. Taijana's prayers went on for hours before the storm seemed to let up. By then they were already days off course, and terribly shaken.

On the eighth day came the great and terrible Fish God.

Many a sailor had spoken of fish as big as boats themselves, but none seemed overly concerned. They even pointed out a few out on the horizon. At that distance they seemed almost majestic. A large, violet body shimmering with sunlight on it's scales. Taijana could imagine bards watching it and making up stories to tell in taverns. She had been standing at the ship's prow when those thoughts fled her mind. A great thud shook the ship, knocking not only Taijana but several others off their feet.

"-it's gotta be the bleedin' Fish God!"

Several sailors scrambled around on deck at their Captain's behest. The man shouted orders left and right; mostly for the men to grab weapons Taijana had never seen before. Two came to join her at the prow, one bending to help her up and the other holding several tridents in his arms.

"The fish...have a God?" She was breathless when she asked, and the man closest to her nodded.

"Biggest we've seen. Usually just takes daahhhn mainlanders."

Another thud rocked the ship and all fell quiet.

When Taijana saw the giant, golden shape beneath the waves she started to pray. This fish wasn't just the size of their boat; he was nearly twice as large! It was circling them, with it's tail fin brushing up against them at random intervals. Several sailors held their tridents at the ready, but none dared fire. Not until the Fish God had made his displeasure known.

She held her breath for so long that her lungs hurt. For a while he seemed to disappear, and then they saw him once more...several leagues away. It seemed as if he was...swimming away?

"A warnin'. 'e'll be back and we'd do 'ood not ter be 'ere when 'e does."

Taijana couldn't agree more.

(WC: 613)
 

[Painted Moose]

▼Stage 2 Growth Solo▼

(Taijana has remained fearful/hateful of the alkidike since she was small. She refused to see any distinction between the 'demons' on Yael and the others on the mainland, claiming that they were all the same.

As she's grown, however, and experienced a life outside her own fears with Kieran, Taijana has begun to see more of the true ambiguity of life. In this solo I am placing her in a position to save one of the demons she fears most; thus not only saving an innocent but also conquering some of her own inner demons. She will learn not to judge a race because of the actions of a few, and will keep a more 'open' mind going into her older years, thus making her a more rounded individual.).

Her return trip to Yael had been moderately less terrifying than the voyage to the mainland.

This time Kieran was with her, which helped to calm Tai's nerves considerably, and there was no worry as to whether he was safe or being held captive by wild mainlanders. Nor were there any concerns over a 'Fish God'; even the sailors found the journey a little too calm, which may have been enough for eerie concern before, but for Taijana she took that as a good sign. A favorable one, a rarity, from the Gods who were so quick to punish.

As they sailed home several thoughts came upon her. What had she missed? Would she be missed? Her mother may have been a cruel woman, but the rest of her family were so close that the separation had ached deep within Taijana's core. She missed them deeply and wanted to share all that she had seen with them; including Kieran himself. The young archer was determined to show him that he had a family to worry over him, even if his own had passed away. He could share hers; as broken and warped as they were.

And then, upon realizing how truly....intimate that sounded in her mind, Taijana quickly busied herself above deck. Less thinking and more helping led to less flustered interactions with strange men who kept asking if she was alright. Apparently her color was a little off; a little flushed, actually, and they wondered if the sun was getting to her.

If only they knew...

And then came the pivotal moment...when their ship docked, and they were able to disembark, shuffling through the crowd towards the land...The moment Taijana first touched Yael's dark soil once more she fell to her knees. There was no explaining the overwhelming emotions coursing through her. She pressed her fingers deep within the ground, embedding soil under her cuticles as a broad grin consumed her. This was home; and she didn't realize how tense she had been on the mainland until she was finally, truly, able to be back on Yael.

Once it was pointed out that they were still within eyesight of others, Taijana's sense of embarrassment and self preservation kicked in. She stood hurriedly, moving to grab her things from the ground and shuffle along with everyone else, still secretly pleased as punch to have fresh, moist dirt lining her skin.

And not only that, but she had Kieran with her now. She had succeeded in bringing him back to a safe place; well, safer than most. Talk of alkidike activity still filtered through the social circles, something she found out upon first arriving in Pajore, but it wasn't as harsh as it was before. Perhaps the Yaeli had grown accustomed to having a threat so close by, and were preparing or maybe they had just grown tired of being so scared all the time. It was hard to tell, but something....something had changed about Yael while she was gone.

Or maybe, something had changed inside of her.

It was Taijana's decision to split herself from Kieran for the moment. She wanted to mentally prepare her family for meeting with the stranger, as she knew what their reactions would range. Her sister's fury at the man for dragging Taijana into 'his problems', her brother's quiet, protective aggression, Denet's....well, she honestly didn't know how her brother-in-law would react. Surely he would take his wife's stance on the matter...

She walked through the familiar wild terrain with the same patience she'd always had for it. There was a calm here; a sense of peace that she simply couldn't find anywhere else, and when she reached out to run her fingers along the crystal's clinging to the native tree bark Taijana felt her body sigh.

And for a moment, all was perfect.

Until she heard it.

Taijana had to focus at first, pausing with a half- step and one ear quirked toward the sound. A faint, pleading...scream? She moved deeper into the wood, further away from her family and Pajore. The further she moved the louder the noises became. They were less screams at this point, and more sobbing, desperate pleas to whatever spirit was listening for help.

It spurred Taijana into a dead run.

She leapt over gnarled roots and stones, overturned logs, even sailing past grazing limbara nestled in little swampy patches...all in an effort to get to the sound as fast as possible. And when she arrived the young archer had to halt immediately, her heels digging into the soft earth....

....at the edge of a wide, bottomless crevasse.

It looked as if a demon itself had opened it's jaws wide into the earth and left a gaping hole, ready to gobble up whoever was unfortunate enough to fall into it. Taijana's breathing was labored, eyes wide and panicked, before her attention was brought down into the abyss.

"Hello? Hello, is someone up there?!"

"Y-yes, I'm here, I-" Taijana immediately dropped down to her knees and used her hands, gripped to the edge of the crevasse, to anchor her as she looked over. What she saw immediately seized her heart. It wasn't a yaeli, as she had expected; it was....it was one of those demons.

The demons who had crawled out of the earth itself to plant their awful tree and kill off the yaeli who dared defy the Gods!

Taijana immediately screamed and pulled herself away from the pit.

"WAIT! P-p-please wait, I'm not like the others, please I need help-!"

Taijana wasn't fooled by those choked sobs. What was clinging to the side of the cliff was an antennaed spirit of death and she wasn't about to help it crawl out from the hell that birthed it.

She heard shuffling from the pit, and her heart seized. Was it...was it trying to move? For a moment she feared it so, but when she heard rocks shuffling, then a scream, she could only pray that the beast had fallen back down into the spirit world.

Then Taijana heard something....strange.

She heard chanting.

Prayer.

Ever so slowly she moved herself back to the edge, and peeped over, watching closely as the crying mess of a 'spirit' clung to the edge of the crevasse. Taijana could see now that her muscles were shaking with fatigue, and that her fingers had been reduced to bloody, swollen hooks, digging into the rock face with what strength she had left.

What...kind of demon cried? Taijana squinted and watched as the alkidike pressed her forehead to the stone. How long had she been holding on? Had others come before her and refused to help or had she been there this entire time, calling out for someone, anyone to hear her? Only for Taijana to immediately refuse...

She shook her head and sat up, ultimately blocking her view of the demon. That's what it wanted her to think. It wanted her to sympathize with it, so that it's journey into their world would be easier and it could kill her faster.

And yet...Taijana knew that was wrong.

Somewhere, deep within her, she felt it.

When she was younger and the alkidike first stepped foot on Yael she feared them. She was terrified of what their presence meant; what kind of implications it would have on their lives and what the Gods were saying through these awful creatures.

Years of growing and recent exposure in foreign lands had taught her much. The ones that had been placed here were their version of 'criminals'; the misguided and angry. The others weren't all like that, and this one....this one seemed so small. She looked taller than Taijana by far, but Tai was small for her kind anyway. Alkidikes were so much larger, and if this one was close in height with Taijana that meant she was young; a child, really.

A lost, lonely girl who for some reason had traveled to Yael and was now...

...begging for her mother to save her.

Before she knew what she was doing Taijana had begun to dig through her bags and pulled out a length of rope. She moved swiftly to the closest, thickest tree she could find to tie it off. When it was secure, she made a makeshift harness for herself out of the other end before moving to climb down the side.

For a moment there was nothing more than the girls now almost silent crying until Taijana spoke up, "I-it's going to be okay, I-I-I'm going to get you." She just hoped she wouldn't live to regret this; she just hoped she would live, period!

Because if she was wrong....

"W-wha-? Oh Thank you, thank you-!"

There was too much hope in that voice for it not to be genuine. When Taijana reached the girl's perch she could see tear stains marring puffy, dirty cheeks and a youthful fear that Taijana hadn't seen since she had last been this age herself.

It took a bit of maneuvering to get the girl safely wrapped in Taijana's arms, let alone to get her secured to a point where Taijana could have climbed....

...if she'd had the strength to pack the girl back up the cliff face.

It wasn't as if she didn't try. Taijana simply didn't have the physical strength to hoist them both up, no matter how much she tried. At least for the moment they were both secure.

And as the girl clung to Taijana she buried her face in the crook of Tai's neck and cried for her mother. It was enough to break down Tai's walls enough so that she leaned against her, trying to provide what comfort she could. "Did you...did you come here with her? Your mother?"

"Y-ye-yeah. She...she wanted to see the Limbara and I-I-I got split from her and then I-"

All at once there was a tugging on the rope and Taijana panicked. Both girls looked up, more than a little relieved but also nervous now that the rope was being pulled back towards the surface.

It was slow moving, but steady, and when they reached the top both girls clamored onto the ground, only to be pulled up into the tightest hug Taijana had ever received in her life.

For a moment her vision swam and she couldn't see. When her vision returned she saw....quite possibly the largest, most muscular woman in her life. A woman who was sobbing and fawning over her 'baby', saying prayers to a goddess Tai didn't know, and fawning over Tai as well, in the span of a few hurried moments.

It was all such a flurry that Taijana didn't register what was happening until the larger woman was helping her to her feet. This de- ...alkidike hadn't hesitated to save her. Hadn't even hesitated to hug her; she was even being thanked for rescuing this woman's daughter, and both were looking at her as if she were the sun reincarnate.

Taijana's cheeks flushed. She was both...a little proud and ashamed all at once. She was happy to have save the girl, but...oh so very ashamed that it hadn't been her first decision. She was so close to letting the girl slip away and die that this family scene was enough to bring her to tears.

There was still so much she had to learn, but at least she was making progress.

(WC: 1896)
 

[Painted Moose]

▼Stage 3 Solo One▼

Over the course of her pregnancies Taijana had discovered many things about her family. The most prevalent being her parents’ very own history of childbirth.

Tai had always known that the triplets weren’t her mother’s first. Kiera had never hidden that fact from them; if anything, she had made it painfully clear from day one. Anytime Taijana failed in her lessons or her sister sparked an argument Kiera would always mention the ‘others’ and how the Gods had taken her precious ones away, leaving nothing but mistakes behind. Names were never mentioned, as were any other detail surrounding their mysterious siblings, beyond the fact that it had always been plural; that the ‘others’ were more than one. Taijana had always wondered if the loss of her children had been what drove her mother to madness, or if it was the pressure of raising three more in their stead? And yet, until she had two of her own she hadn’t bothered to dig a little deeper and find out.

When they were little their Auntie Dulci had come to stay with them, placing yet another burden on her mother’s shoulders, while her father spent most of his time in the woods. At the time it had seemed perfectly normal for all household responsibilities to sit on her mother’s shoulders, especially since Papa wasn’t around much. Looking back on it now her mother’s life hadn’t been as grand as she’d always thought, and maybe, just maybe, she hadn’t been exposed to as much of her mother’s dark side as she thought.

Over the course of a year her father began to reveal more and more about them. It was never in long segments, or even a linear timeframe, but Tai, Tri, and Tyrios were able to piece it together.

Three pregnancies had preluded the triplets; each as cursed as the last. Kiera’s first child had been conceived long before she and Dolos were married. Although it came as a surprise to Taijana, her mother had been a loose woman, who at the time of her pregnancy hadn’t the faintest idea on who the father was. When her father told this to her Taijana assumed he was lying; her mother had always preached chastity, and superstitious punishments to keep her kids in line. It was the main reason why Taijana hadn’t even kissed Kieran until he proposed marriage.

”If she really did all of those things….why did you stay with her, Papa?”

“When you’re in love you don’t think about what happened in their past, Tai. When I was younger all I could see was the future in her eyes...”

The first babe had been a mistake; an oversight on her part, one that came entirely by surprise. Kiera wanted it gone; there had been potions at the time, and concoctions to rid a woman of any unwanted children, but Dolos refused. It would be precious, no matter the father, simply because it was hers. When the babe was born, however, Kiera knew that to be false. The Gods had seen fit to punish the babe for her mother’s sexual promiscuity and the little girl had been born misshapen. She didn’t last more than a few hours before the Gods took her spirit, and yet, it was long enough for Kiera to believe herself cursed.

Taijana found out that the only reason her parents had married was because of her father. He pressured Kiera into the union; believing that a stable home, and a love to call her own would help her moods. At the time she’d been happier, something that Taijana still had trouble picturing, but was prone to ‘fits’. Fits that only grew stronger after her second child died in the womb.

Taijana found it hard to imagine her parent’s relationship being anything other than unhealthy. Her father, once so sure in his intentions, had wanted out, but leaving his wife would have been a sin against the Gods. And her mother….Kiera had apparently raged anytime Dolos so much as tried to get near her and started to honestly believe that she wasn’t cursed at all; that it was him. He was the reason none of her children lived; and even if he hadn’t been the father to the first he was close enough to infect her.

As the stories changed into something darker, more grotesque, Taijana could easily envision the Kiera that she knew. She’d never been a perfect woman; but the repeated loss of her children had started to rip away what sanity she had left, leaving her all, but jaded during her third pregnancy. Just hearing the emotion in her father’s voice made Tai want to strangle her own mother. She hadn’t acted with joy or love; just accepted it, calling her child a ‘parasite’ that would die soon enough anyway.

Even before she’d become a mother Taijana would have been appalled, but now...now she found herself sickened just to hear it. No matter how many times she wanted to feel sad for her mother and the suffering she’d overcome, all Tai could feel was anger. What kind of person, mother or not, could act that way around a baby? It would have been one thing if she’d wanted to give it up for another family to have, but to act like the child was never there….

It didn’t settle with Taijana.

And yet, Kiera delivered a healthy baby boy, whom she kept for six years. They named him Autris, after Kiera’s father, and Dolos had been happy to have him. Taijana had hesitated to ask about Autris, since he hadn’t been around when she was young, and the pattern of her previous siblings still hung in the air….

“He was born sickly. I’ve never seen a baby that small, and even at five you’d think he was closer to two.”

Autris had lived for eight years before his weakened lungs gave out. Dolos said that on that day he lost not only a son, but his wife. Nothing he did could bring a smile out of Kiera after that. She was a bitter woman, who was prone to fits of anger, and though he was loathe to admit it, in those fits, when she was drunk off cheap wine, Dolos would lay with her.
“I’m not proud of it, but sometimes when she was drunk enough, I could see parts of the woman I loved and I was tired of suffering alone…”

It was then that Taijana found out her birth hadn’t been planned. It was an accident of the highest degree; something that her father had regretted as soon as Kiera told him the news. She’d always known her birth was cursed; Kiera had told them as much, from a young age, about how she’d never wanted them. And yet, despite their mothers more vicious inclinations Dolos had always a wonderful father. He tried to shield them as best he could from her, but after years of suffering, both at the hands of fate and her own mind, Kiera had just become an unstoppable force of hatred.

And, after learning about ‘the others’, Taijana found herself feeling fearful. If any of Kiera’s animosity towards her children was somehow passed down to her then would she one day turn on her girls, just for being themselves?

”Don’t even think about it. Just because you carry a child doesn’t make you a mother; the love you give to your children, even when they were just little beans in your stomach. Even if they weren’t yours by birth you wouldn’t turn them away, Tai; that’s what makes you stronger than her.”

She didn’t want to use the God’s as a punisher for her kids; she wanted them to grow up learning the stories, and feeling the spiritual love, instead of being fearful over breathing the wrong way. That woman had twisted the yaeli way of life and their superstitions to fit her own agenda. Half of the things Taijana believed no other yaeli worried about, and it was all because her own mother had used those fears to control her.

Taijana knew that a lot of what was wrong with her mother wasn’t Kiera’s fault, but the way the woman chose to react to it said a lot about her character. Kiera was weak. She was prone to anger, placing blame on anyone other than herself, and running to the embrace of alcohol over her own husband. It made her a terrible woman, and an atrocious “mother”; two things that Taijana wouldn’t allow for herself.

And Taijana knew, more than anything, that in order to fully cement that bravery inside of herself that she’d have to talk to the woman face to face. If she ever wanted to stand side by side with her husband, with her head held high, she would have to do it, no matter how rough the confrontation was likely to be. Last time she’d had her siblings with her, but...not now. Taijana was a woman grown who could no longer afford the luxury of hiding behind her more stalwart siblings. For so long she’d tried to rationalize Kiera’s behavior, and had even tried to reason out some sort of twisted love, but she couldn’t afford to be that kind anymore.

(WC: 1566)
[5]
 

[Painted Moose]

▼Stage 3 Growth Solo▼

It had been years since she had felt comfortable enough around her parent’s house to call it ‘home’. Vines grew around the edifice of the small, quaint cottage, presenting a barbed visage to those brave enough to get close. When she’d been younger Taijana could see past all of it to the love the vast majority of her family filled it’s stony walls with, but now….now the building was an angry mess of decay.

After her father decided to move into the city, decidedly leaving her mother to rot inside the cottage while living her with siblings, Taijana had taken the opportunity to visit with her. If Kiera had been outside during the length of time Dolos had been gone then she covered her tracks because Tai saw no evidence that anything, living or not, had slunk around the property for weeks. She tiptoed her way through the overgrown, craggy grass right up to the front door, where she hesitated to knock. The only signs of life coming from the property were little tufts of smoke popping out the top of the chimney like spurts of water from a clogged dam. Hesitantly, she raised her hand to rapt out a knock with the back of her knuckles. When no sound answered her, she did it again, and this time a scream of, “COME IN ALREADY,” made her jump.

You don’t have to do this. She might be happy out here; she’s got the place all to herself, just like she always wanted. You could turn around now and no one would blame you. And yet, Taijana knew that whatever blame she would likely put on herself would be far worse than any her family might toss her way. It was for that reason alone that she reached for the doorknob, gave the worn metal a quarter turn, and opened the door to her childhood home.

Despite the harsh changes to the exterior, the inside still smelled the same. A large pot of warm soup was warming by the fire, fresh bread was left to cool by the window, and it was obvious by the still damp floor that her mother had at least attempted to clean. Her toes curled against the wet, stone floor as she moved forward, pulling her into the center room where her mother was.

Even in her cleaning rags Kiera was a gorgeous woman. Her father had a head full of greying hair, complete with lines marring his once youthful face, but not her mother; Kiera had aged impossibly well. She had her thick, full, lusciously bright hair piled high on top of her head with a thick wrap, one that mirrored the same that Taijana wore when she cleaned her own home. The mirrored image was disturbing, to say the least.

“What do you want?” Kiera’s curled lip ruined whatever semblance of beauty the woman possessed. It instantly marred her far worse than any sort of aging could, and made her the ugliest sort of create in her daughter’s eyes. ”I don’t have anything to say to you so if you’re looking for a handout-”

“I don’t need anything from you, Kiera.” It was the harshest form of disrespect Taijana knew; to call her mother by her actual name, instead of any sort of endearment. The act caught the older yaeli’s attention, focusing those sharp eyes on Tai and it quickened her heartbeat. “I just wanted to tell you that I forgive you.”
“You forgive me?”

Taijana tried to look as formidable as she could, but she couldn’t ignore the way her eyes immediately wanted to turn down. The instinct to curl up inside of herself as her mother stalked closer was stronger than any metal on Yael. She couldn’t help canting her head away from Kiera as the woman drew close, barely a breath away, breath hitching inside of her chest. Go away, get away from me, please just go away….

“Tell me, sweetheart, what it is that you forgive me for?” Her sickening voice crooned far too close to Taijana’s ear for her liking, and the huntress, despite her brave intentions, whimpered. She regretted coming here alone, she should have at least brought Otroka for support- No! The whole purpose for coming was because she had to do this on her own, without the help of anyone else; this was her monster to fight, she just needed to remember how to breath.

Taijana nearly lost herself when Kiera roughly snatched her chin and jerked, bringing her face to face with the monstress herself.

“What’s the matter? Where’s all that bravery you had before? Your father talks about how you’ve changed, but I know the real you, Taijana. You’re a snivelling, spineless leech who moved from my hip to your sisters and now that you’ve got a husband you think any of that has changed? How stupid are you?” Kiera broke the contact before turning away in disgust.

What had changed? Beyond her marriage, her daughters….what in Taijana had changed since she’d left home? What was the driving force that brought her back to her mother, despite the multitude of warnings given to her by her family? Her own father, who had warned his daughter away from her own mother?

“I forgive you for making me the way I am.” She said at last. At first the words were small, spoken through silent tears, but her voice never wavered. The more she spoke the higher her head rose, until she was finally able to look her mother in the eye. It was the single most terrifying experience in her life, and because of that, she knew it had to be done. Going across the sea should have been the scariest, seeing the Dretch should have been the worst, and yet….looking at her own mother was the thing that curled her insides. “I forgive you for twisting our people’s traditions and stories to suit your needs. I forgive you for lying to my father, for lying to me and I forgive you for making me believe I couldn’t fight back.”

All these years Taijana had believed she wasn’t good enough to stand on her own. Even when she broke away from her mother she’d clung to her siblings, and admittedly, to her own husband. ”I’m not afraid of making you mad anymore. I don’t need you in my life, I don’t want you anywhere near my family and as far as I’m concerned you’re not my mother. My mother was Dulci; she cared more than you ever did. And just because you gave birth to me doesn’t mean you own me.”

In an instant Kiera had her hands around Taijana’s throat, shoving her back against the wall and pressing as hard as she could on her daughter’s windpipe. The shock stunned Tai, giving Kiera the time she needed to get a good hold, but it didn’t last. Taijana was quick to catch on, and she was more muscular than her mother, which helped when Tai moved to break free. Kiera wasn’t so quick to give up, however. “YOU UNGRATEFUL WHORE. I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING AND THIS IS HOW YOU TREAT ME?! “ She raised her fist to hit Taijana, but Tai sidestepped, watching uneasily as her mother slammed her knuckles against the wall. Kiera cried out in pain and clutched her hand against her chest.

This wasn’t the woman who had towered over her like a goddess, nor was this the demon from her nightmares. This was simply the broken shell of a woman whose only redeeming quality was the children she’d birthed. And now that she was actually looking at her, Taijana knew that she wasn’t afraid anymore. Somewhere in her mind a switch had been flipped and for the first time in her life, the path was clear.

”....goodbye, Kiera.”

She didn’t chase after Taijana when she left. She expected it; prepared for it, when she turned her back, but even through all of Kiera’s screams no attack came. At first Taijana’s adrenaline kept her upright, but as soon as she was within the tree line, out of sight from the house, she dropped to her knees, and sobbed.

There was no going back from this. Kiera was as good as dead to Taijana and that...felt more gratifying than she’d ever expected. It hurt, it hurt so bad that she felt as if her heart was breaking, but all the fear she’d carried was being lifted away. Her mother had only held power over her because Taijana gave her the right. And as soon as it was taken away….Taijana was finally able to breath.

((Taijana's first growth solo focused on her initial break from her mother, but the confrontations were far from over. Everything Kiera taught her shaped Tai's outlook on life....but it doesn't define her. Kiera wanted a submissive daughter; and while Taijana views herself as mentally "weak", she knows that she's a far "stronger" person than her birth mother.

This solo is meant to show Tai's mental progression. She's prepared to stand on her own as a woman, a wife, and a real mother, not the shame Kiera pretended to be. She's needed to vent all of her frustrations to Kiera for a while and show that instead of holding on to the fear and anger she has towards her mother, that she's ready to forgive. Not for Kiera; but for her own sake. ))

(WC: 1445)