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 Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2016 8:53 am
T A B L E . O F . C O N T E N T S TOC
Banishment
The First Blooms
Scouting The Lands
The Bow
Run Away
A Great Blessing
The Next Generation
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2016 8:56 am
B A N I S H M E N T Zanadala dropped the pile of wood she had collected by the fire someone had started and wiped her brow. Building a new home was hard work, harder than she had imagined. She wasn’t afraid of this kind of work; she simply had not expected it to be this hard. Glancing around she could see the others who were struggling just as much with their own chores and responsibilities. Their muscles were weary and their exhaustion painted on their faces from dirt like an old mask left on far too long. It got into the creases and folds of the skin and made them all look older than they were. Her heart went out to them, it wasn’t all they were hoping for but there was no going back now.
A sudden crash made Zandala jump and turn before moving towards one of the younger Extremist who had just broken a jar of water on her return trip. Some of the other Alkidikes barked at her, angry that she would waste such a precious resource. Zandala bent down to help the girl, there had been no need to get snippy with her. Accidents happened but everyone was on edge. Yael was so different, so much harder than their previous home. It was wearing them out quickly, so much so that Zandala didn’t know if they would be able to keep it up. Perhaps, she thought, this was how the first Alkidikes had lived by building their own homes, foraging for food and water.
Perhaps, Zandala thought the other Alkidikes had become complacent and soft over time. Aisha had made them strong and they had become soft over the years, that was why they had not been able to defeat the Earthlings. Aisha had wanted to teach them a lesson and sent them here to make them stronger, even better than those weaklings who had stayed behind. The simple thought of those Alkidikes made Zandala frown deeply, anger bubbling up in her chest. Only the Extremist were the true followers of Aisha and Aisha would reward them for their hard work and she see how strong they had become! Some may had thought Aisha had left them, but Zandala was sure she was ever watchful of her children.
That was why the Matron had decided to agree to the fighting, she knew Aisha’s plan to make them better. Zandala was convinced this was the truth and was quite happy that she could see this herself. Maybe if the others who had stayed behind had seen the same thing, or understood that Aisha was only trying to make them better they would all have come. Zandala understood though that they were weak of mind, this culling had been a good thing for them. She didn’t even want to be associated with them. Did they think this would bring them down? Ha! Zandala would show them, she would show her mothers just how great she had become when the time was right.
Her mothers had been so strong o faith before, cursing Earthlings whenever they could and had never backed down from a fight with one of them. Now they were sleeping with the enemy quite literally. She was so sure they would have understood and would have come with them; they had been her role model for so many years. She wondered what had made them change their minds, it certainly wasn`t the Earthlings who had convinced them to stay. The mother tree perhaps? It was a decent reason enough to stay behind to protect it, but Zandala was sure it was not the reason.
Cowards, Zandala scoffed. However way she tried to analyze the situation it would always end up the same. They had left their faith and their daughter alone. Zandala amused the idea that they might try for another daughter now that she was no longer on the main land. A sister that would grow up with the rest of those cowards back there, she would never know their true purpose and what had happened! Here was nothing they could do about it now, the Extremist had been banished and would not be able to reproduce. They were a dying breed as the saying went.
Zandala sighed softly, she hated that all of this would go away and no one would remember them in a few years. She wished they could have taken the mother tree with them; at least it would have left the cowards to be those dying and not them. They would have flourished.
Yes Zanadala had not understood the banishment at first, but her loyalty had been solid. She had hated leaving the main land for this place that was not their own. Not yet but soon. However, Zandala understood that this banishment was not a punishment as many of them seemed to think. She wanted to make the most of it and that meant changing her outlook on the banishment itself. She had also come to the conclusion that it was in Aisha’s plan for them to be here, the Oracles hadn’t come out of hiding for nothing. They had foreseen the banishment after all. It all made sense for Zandala now and it made her faith even stronger and her anger simmer somewhat.
Even if she wanted revenge on those weaklings and traitors from back home, no the main land since this was their new home, Zandala would wait. She would get stronger here, she would plan, she would flourish here, and help the others do so as well under Aisha’s guidance and then they would strike. They would be glorious, they would be unstoppable, and they would be victorious.
Getting up, Zandala placed her hand on the young Akidikes shoulder and bent down a bit to look her in the eye. “Do your best, Aisha is watching and will make you stronger.” Then she let the girl run off. Zandala took a deep breath and looked around their small camp with her head held high.
This was good for them.Word Count :: 1,007
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2016 7:52 am
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2016 10:26 am
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 8:55 am
T H E . B O W Pull the string tight, close one eye, aim, release breath, and let the arrow fly true to its mark. Zandala smiled as the arrow landed exactly where she had wanted it. As soon as she had returned from the scouting trip with Lumikani, Zandala had gone off to pick up a bow and see if her skills were still as good as they sued to be. She had tried the sword and the dual blades but they simply did not compare to her skills with the bow. If anything, anyone who saw her using the bow would tell her that was what she should pick.
And still thoughts of her mothers lingered in her mind.
Lumikani had been right however when she had said that it was her actions that would speak louder. Zandala repeated her words over and over in her mind, trying to find a fault to them but could not. She wanted that power and stealth, she wanted to kill her target before they even got close to the things she loved most and protected to her best. If she could do that with the bow than her other worries should not matter, she simply had to get over them and move on.
Lumikani… Zandala had asked around a bit about the smaller Alkidike. Some ignored her because of her size while others had good things to say. She was a feisty little thing that was always ready to step into battle. The thought made Zandala smile, some may think her weak but she was very strong in her own right. A fellow sister was a fellow sister and it didn’t matter what her size was. Zandala had certainly enjoyed her company; she would probably seek her out more often as a scouting partner if she would allow it.
Now it was time to put that bow to test. Grabbing up the arrows and a few extra, Zandala left the camp to go scavenge for food.
Zandala wondered what her mothers would think of her now. Would they be proud that she had followed in their footsteps and taken up the bow? Were they disappointed that she had been banished? Unfortunately, she would never find out what their thoughts were. Not unless she was ready to take them on in battle because they had stepped foot within the barriers of her home. Would they attack her on sight?
It would certainly make for an interesting fight, 3 archers going at it within the trees. Zandala certainly had the advantage of knowing the land which made her far more superior to them. Bow in hand she could be atop the trees and shoot them down. Or easily be on the ground, hidden while she shot them out of the sky. All unlikely scenarios, Zandala very much doubted any Alkidike would step foot on Yael but it was still interesting to think of such strategies. They could also be applied to any Earthlings and Zandala facing an Earthling was a much more likely scenario.
A bird flying caught Zandala’s eye and immediately her bow went up as she aimed and let the arrow go. It hit the girl through the torso and down it went. Smiling, Zan went to get her catch and placed it into the satchel she was carrying. She was going to try and get a nice equivalent of meat and fruits to bring back. Strangely though, the area had gone quiet, far too quiet and Zandala crouched down eyes narrowed to listen so she could catch the tiniest of sounds. Had the bird trying to avoid a predator?
A hiss from above made Zandala look up and spot a large snake. It was not one of those familiar ones that some of the Alkidikes had tamed but it was large. It dropped down from its branch mouth open to snap at her and hoping to snag its teeth into her flesh. Zandala hadn’t had time to grab another arrow and so rolled out of the way. She turned quickly, grabbing another arrow and readying it before aiming at the snake. Problem was the snake had disappeared and Zan had no idea where it had gone.
Backing up, Zandala kept her eyes moving all over trying to see if she could catch a glimpse of it. It was the sound of bark crunching under pressure that made Zandala turn and let the arrow go. She hadn’t really aimed, but still had managed to hit her mark. The snake hissed and spat at her as it tried to move away from her. She had pinned it to the tree and now it was stuck there. There was no way Zandala was letting it go free and so she tipped her head at it before moving away.
Thus was the law of the jungle.
Moving on, Zandala crouched low with her bow at the ready as she moved through the jungle as silently as she possibly could. She was trying to see if she could get some first in flight. However, after a half an hour of looking for a group it seemed nothing was going to come of it. So instead Zandala went to hunt for a fruit tree. She found one and smiled as she glanced up at the larger fruits hanging from the branches. She didn’t want to have to climb up and get them herself.
Giving a good kick on the tree, Zandala readied her bow and watched as some of the fruit began to drop down. When two fruits aligned with another tree she let her arrow fly and watched as they staked against the tree she had selected. Chuckling, Zandala picked up a few of the other fruits on the ground before fetching the two that she had arrowed to the tree. That would be enough for today, her choice was made. She would stick with the bow and even though she didn’t want to admit it, she would make her mothers proud.
Word Count :: 1,001
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Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 10:46 am
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 12:10 pm
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2016 9:55 am
R U N . A W A Y “Zandala, you’re being summoned by Mirkel.” Zandala turned towards the entrance of her home as another Alkidike entered and left just as quickly as she had entered to deliver her message. She wondered what the older Alkidike might want with her but didn’t waste any time dwelling. If she was being summoned, she needed to show up now and not later. It would be easy enough to find Mirkel this early in the morning, and indeed she was surrounded by two other Alkidikes by the fire that she shoo’d off when Zandala made it next to her. The other two Alkidikes glanced at Zan in greeting but did not say anything else before leaving.
“Good you’re up. I have a sort of mission for you,” Mirkel grabbed onto Zandala’s shoulder and moved her past a lot of the other sleeping Alkidikes until they reached the edge of the forest. Mirkel lowered her voice and moved closer to Zandala. If Mirkel was being this secretive an wondered what could possibly be going on. “Listen carefully, I need you to pack your things, a weapon, and go hunting down one of our sisters. She’s going to try to make it back to Chibale and we cannot let that happen do you hear?”
“Yes of course.” That explained it; she didn’t want news of another sister leaving them in the camp. It might instigate others to leave and they all didn’t want such a thing to happen. They had Elzira and the Elaria to think about now, their future was in peril every time one of them left camp.
“Good, leave now. Do not tell anyone where you are going; this is coming directly from the matron.” Mirkel waved her off. “Go.” Zandala would hunt her down because she was asked to, it was an order from a higher authority. She saw it as a mission to prove herself and her loyalty to the tribe.
Many of the sisters were still asleep at this time, so Zandala hurried but made sure she kept her noise level low. She packed quickly and lightly, before heading off to where they kept food so she could back a few days food just in case and then she picked up the bow. It weighed heavily in her hand as did the questions on her mind. She knew Mirkel had sent her off quickly so that Zandala did not have time to question her words. Now though, she wondered who had left and why. Did she have to kill the other Alkidike? That thought worried her, but she would do as duty dictated.
There was logically no way for the runaway to make it back to Chibale without gathering supplies and she would not have risked taking any with her otherwise someone in the camp would have caught her. She would have ran to Jodove to get the supplies from the Yaelians before following the coastline to find the closes point to the mainland to send a boat. Zandala ran onto the path that lead to Jodove, this is where she would start. She disliked heavily having to deal with the Yaelians but she knew they would give her the answers she needed with a bit of physically coaxing. They were all so weak.
Zandala did not understand why any of the Banished would want to return to Chibale. Aisha had given them Elzira, was this not, as Lumikani put it, a sign of better things? Zandala agreed that Aisha had given them Elzira and they had been brought here with her seed, any Banished should be rejoicing. Zandala was rejoicing, she revealed in the knowledge that her daughters would be born from Elzira and be made stronger than she could have ever asked for. It was a blessing and Zandala would not tolerate anyone spitting on such a blessing especially if it threatened her.
The tall Alkidike could see it threatening the tribe as a whole if knowledge of the Elaria came to light but it also threatened Zandala’s future and she could not tolerate such a thing. She enjoyed seeing the Elaria run around and training; they had made her think about having her own children. If it came to war she would not be able to raise a bloom of her own much less ask Elzira for one. She would not let the tribe die for a single sister. You turned your back on Elzira, you turned your back on the tribe and you turned your back on Zandala. Such a thing was punishable by death.
It was hard to go unnoticed as Zandala entered Jodove. She ignored most that stared and went straight to where the merchants sold their wares. Most glanced at her and then looked elsewhere, they didn’t want to catch her eye in case she decided to go over to them. There was one merchant however who seemed to try his best not to look at her. In fact he was fidgeting and slowly putting away some of his wares, Zandala narrowed her eyes at him at went to that stall.
“Have you seen another Alkidike passing through here? Maybe you saw where she went?” Zandala placed her hands on her hips making sur she towered over the merchant.
“Didn’t see any Alkidikes here, not today. You’re the first.” He seemed to hurry now as he put away his things.
“Are you sure?” Zandala leaned forward a bit.
“Yes…” The Yaeli stammered shrinking back from her. Zandala sighed irritated before placing her hand into one of the wood baskets that held fruit and leaning onto it so the basket would tip over and the fruit spilled into the ground.
“Opps, didn’t mean to do that.” Zandala said out loud before repeating the step with her other hand and also spilling the content of that basket.
“My fruit!” The Yaelian went down and began picking up what had bene dropped in a hurry. “Please I haven’t seen any Alkidikes.” He mumbled as he hurried to pick up everything. Zandala bent down, picking up a fruit as if she were helping him.
“Tell me where she went and there won’t be any more trouble for you.”
“Please I don’t know…” Zandala placed her hand under the piece of wood he used as a table.
“You don’t want to lose all of your products do you?” Zandala began lifting up the table, a few things slowly sliding from the incline.
“Okay okay stop!!” The Yaelian sighed. “I don’t want any trouble okay. She picked up a few supplies from me and then headed out of the village towards the North East.
“Good that’s all I wanted to know.” Zandala laid the table back down and stood up. “Wasn’t that hard.”
With her answer she moved on to follow the trail. She was not far behind and would hopefully catch up to the runaway a little before night fall. She could feel her blood pumping faster now, a smile on her face as she followed the few signs that someone had been through the forest. Soon she would be faced with this sister and demand answers from her.
Zandala had not held much hope for the Banished Alkidikes when they had first moved to Yaeli. They had been banished far far away from Aisha which meant they would slowly die out without any hope. Elzira had given her hope, had given her the tiniest shine on her darkness. The Elaria only seemed to poke further holes in her darkness and Zandala could see the end. To have someone rip that light out, no. She would not allow it. This Alkidike needed to be crushed, she needed to be obliterated from this place forever and never be remembered.
As the light on the horizon began to dip, it became harder to track the runaway. Zandala herself paused for the night. She wouldn’t be able to track in the darkness, but in the morning there would be smoke from the extinguished fire and Zandala would resume her hunt. Until then, she secured herself a sleeping place and rested. This hunt had taken a lot out of her but she would be up bright and early in the morning. She’d made some headway, the Alkidike was close than before at least and tomorrow she would catch up. Zandala would never let her escape and ruin her chance at happiness.
The next morning as the sun began to rise in the sky, Zandala was already up and packing. As predicted there was smoke not too far from where she’d stayed the night. The runaway thought she was out of danger, that none of the Alkidikes would bother chasing her down. Zandala chuckled as she began to hunt again; this runaway hadn’t counted on Zandala and her devotion to their cause. She was about to meet her worst nightmare.
It was around lunch time hat Zandala slowed her pace, ears twitching as she listened to the sounds of the forest. By her estimate she would have caught up with the runaway by now. A branch cracking made Zandala turn just in time as the runaway burst through the woods with her blades. Zandala scrambled for her bow and quickly got an arrow on the string, holding it as the Alkidike slowly turned around.
“I didn’t think anyone would be foolish enough to follow me.”
“Then you are an idiot.”
“Come on now sister, I’ve done you no wrong.”
“I am not your sister!” Zandala yelled. She could feel her mind switching into battle mode. “You are a disgrace. You think you’ve done me no wrong?” The arrow left without Zandala noticing. It lodged itself into the runaways shoulder, she cried out in pain and Zandala got another arrow ready. Zandala saw it as an affront to not only the tribe but also the great mother for leaving to go back to Aisha and as such took it personally, that was why this runaway needed to die.“You were going to take away the one thing that has actually made me happier.”
“I’ve one no such thing!” The other yelled back holding her arm.
“Wrong again!” Zandala shot another arrow, this time pinning the girls hand to her shoulder. “You were going to take my future away, you were going to take away my hope and light away and I need that light! I need to believe that there are still good things in this world! And you know what those good things are? It’s the Elaria running around.”
The girl spat on the ground at the mention of the Elaria and Zandala had sent another arrow through the girl’s throat without even thinking or blinking. The Alkidike approached the now did runaway and stared at her for a very long time.
This was what her darkness looked like, this was what it shaped into in her mind and she wouldn’t allow it to snuff out her light.
“I am sorry you could not see what a gift the Elaria are to us. How much hope they bring.”
Zandala turned her back and began her journey home. She would not offer a proper burial for such filth, she would let her rot or get eaten by animals like the low being she was. Zan left no remorse for killing what had been a fellow sister and she would never have any against anyone who threatened the Elaria.
This whole experience reminded her why she wanted a child so bad, she wanted to be saved she wanted something good in such an ugly world. Perhaps then her light would return.
Before the Elaria, Zandala had discounted the possibility of a happy life for herself or a bright future for the tribe. Being banished without any way of having children was downright depressing for Zan and she had made herself hard of heart and mind. Worst of all the tribe would not be able to grow and flourish like she wanted to see it grow. They would all die out without anyone caring of what happened to them. They would not have been able to do anything great and would have died being seen as those who caused a war for their ideals.
With Elzira and now the Elaria, Zandala could see their future brightening up just the smallest bit. No longer were they a dying breed, no, now they could flourish through the Elaria and pass down their knowledge to them. The greatest gift Elzira could have given them was the ability to continue to grow by giving them blooms. Keeping the tribe and the Elaria alive were Zandala’s main focus from now on. She felt like she had a purpose now, life wasn’t useless anymore. The Elaria had given her a glimpse into a possible happier future and that softened her up a bit.
Zandala didn’t have any knowledge of how many others have left, the runaway had been a threat because word might get out about the Elaria and if word gets out about the Elaria people would come and would want to destroy them since the Banished now had a way to reproduce and also raise an army. If this runaway had told the others how they were raising the Elaria others might want to root them all out before they became real a threat since now they were younglings and create another war or worst kill off the Yaelians and take over Yaeli.
That was why Zandala couldn't allow such a thing to happen, even if it was a slime possibility. She didn't want to return to having no purpose when she was just discovering that she might have hope for something better for herself and the tribe.Growth Quest Sooo wanted to explore her feelings on the Elaria children and what that means for her. Also a tadbit about what it means for her future. Word Count :: 2,289
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Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2016 8:13 am
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 9:52 am
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Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2016 12:53 pm
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Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2016 12:53 pm
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Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2016 12:53 pm
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 2:14 pm
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 2:16 pm
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