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 Posted: Mon Feb 29, 2016 8:25 am
T A B L E . O F . C O N T E N T S CYOA
What do you think?
Family Time
Out And About
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Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2016 5:27 pm
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Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2016 12:52 pm
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Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2016 12:52 pm
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Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2016 12:52 pm
out and about
Since it had been announced that they were finally allowed to go out further into the world, Kanika had been unable to sit still. She wasn’t old enough yet, and her mothers made sure to remind her of it all the time but Kanika didn’t care. She pushed the boundaries even if they had to drag her back. She knew that soon she would be able to venture out, soon she would be able to experience the world, she just needed to be patient about it. There were very few Elaria older than she and her sister but Kanika was still jealous of them.
“Yvanisa,” Kanika whinned as she watched her current babysitter crafting some arrows. She’d climbed up the tree and was currently watching her from above.
“Hm?” Yvanisa responded as she kept her eyes on her work.
“Can we go out?” She asked her at least once a day.
“Kanika…” Yvanisa sighed heavily, looking up and giving her charge a look. “No.” She looked back down to her work.
“But why? The rumors about us have been going on for weeks now! My mother have been teaching me about duel wielding and I am good at it! You can even ask her! I am twelve and should be allowed to go out!” Kanika wiggled on the branch and sighed.
“You’re not an apprentice yet sweet child, and even an apprentice isn’t just handed swords! Kanika, you must learn patience. I know you have been doing well in your training, Lumikani praises you, but you are simply not ready.”
Kanika made a face before pushing herself up on the branch and then swinging off of it. She landed quietly, earning a quick glance from Yvanisa before she took a seat across from her. She picked up one of the completed arrows and examined it.
“Why am I not ready? What else is there to be taught?”
“Don’t get haughty,” Yvanisa warned. “There is plenty for you to learn, survival skills being one of them. Do you think the world is full of nice people? No it’s not. You must learn to defend yourself and to survive on your own. What will you do if you injure yourself in the wild?”
“Well,” Kanika gave the question a thought. She had been learning quite a bit recently. A lot more than just swordplay. Her mothers insisted that she also learn a bit of healing and some herbalism to help her in the wild. “Well, first I must clean the wound with fresh water and make sure the water is not infected. Then I must inspect the wound to see what is required. I may need stitches if the wound is very deep or long. Otherwise I can make some herb mash to cover the wound so it heals properly.” As Kanika recited what she had learned Yvanisa bobbed her head up and down. She knew she was doing good, she already knew many things, and wanted to learn more by going out.
“What else do you think would be useful for someone to learn out in the wild?” Yvanisa asked just as she placed down a finished arrow to pick up another.
“Hm…” Kanika, layed down on the gross on her side, head propped up with her hand as she continued to watch her. “Well…” What else could she possibly need out there?
“You’ve got first aid covered, what is another essential thing you need?” Yvanisa smiled and glanced and Kanika before leaning forward and poking her in the stomach.
“Oh right food! I need to be able to tell plants apart and even trap animals of need be.” Kanika exclaimed.
“Yes! Yael is full of very poisonous plants, but the main land is different. There are different dangers, but compared to Yael it’s not on the same scale. What are some dangerous you might face if you decide to go on the main land?”
“There are a lot, but not like here…” Kanika repeated. She knew her mothers disapproved of her daughter going anywhere near the mainland. “Earthlings mostly, they aren’t like the Yaeli who are afraid of their own shadow.” This she didn’t know, she’d never met a Yaeli before but this is what her mothers told her. “The other Alkidikes will also not be friendly towards us.” Not that Kanika would be friendly towards them anyways. She was well aware of the events that had transpired before Elzira was born. “The Earthlings are also bandits and assassins and are not to be trusted.”
“Good good.” Yvanisa said.
“So am I ready to go out?” Kanika asked hopeful that Yvanisa might see that she was in fact ready.
“No,” Yvanisa chuckled.
“But why!” Kanika said exasperated, she rolled onto her back and sighed loudly.
“Kanika, they’re only allowing Prentices to go out. Have you earned such a rank yet?”
“No…” The Elaria groaned.
“So why do you think you would be able to go out?”
“But!” she began turning on her side to look at Yvanisa.
“No buts, you’ll be able to go out soon. However right now, you are not of age, you do not have the maturity or the experience to go. You need to drop this subject Kanika. I don’t want to hear about it anymore or I will make sure you end up staying behind when Zayanna goes out. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes Yvanisa,” Kanika finally relented. She knew if she pushed her any further Yvanisa would do as she had said and she didn’t want the punishment. Still, she still had that nagging feeling of wanting to go out and see the world. To see all those different people that her mothers spoke about. Even if she knew she might not be welcomed, she wanted to see the other mother tree that the Akidikes had. She wanted to learn about her mothers origins and how they had come to be. She didn’t know why but it had always an interesting subject for her.
“Alright, I am going for a walk,” Kanika stood up and began to walk away when Yvanisa called out to her.
“Make sure I don’t catch you outside of the city limits,” her eyebrow rose threatening Kanika.
“Yes I know,” Kanika called back to her before running off. This time however she didn’t go into the forest but wound her way back into their village. She wanted to know if any other Elaria had gone out and if any had returned. Though from the looks of it, the few who had left hadn’t returned just yet. She hoped nothing bad had happened to them.
Continuing along, Kanika made her way towards Elzira. She had to bypass the elder watching over the mother tree but managed to do so with ease and slipped past her without getting noticed. Once she was by Elzira’s roots, she first went to check up on the blooming flowers; soon new sister would be born. She smiled before climbing through the large roots so she could be closer to Elzira’s trunk. She liked coming here and talking to the mother tree. Kanika found her usually hidden away spot and took a seat on one of the roots with her back leaning on the tree.
“I am sorry I haven’t come in a long time,” she gave the tree a soft pat. “I have been trying to get stronger so I can go out and explore the world. But don’t you worry! I will always come back to see you.” Kanika said as if the tree was worried she may never return. “I hope that you will make me strong and brave so I can go out in the world and stay safe. My mothers are hard at work trying to teach me everything! They are worried about me and my sister.”
From what Kanika understood, Lumikani and Zandala had been the only pair so far who had been given two blooms instead of one. That made them lucky and Kanika was certain it made her sister and her unique. She had always liked to pretend that she was blessed by Elzira somehow and that she had blessed her mothers because they were special too. It was perhaps a childish fantasy but it was one that Kanika held dear to her heart. She didn’t believe any of the rumors that some of the other Alkidikes sometimes spread about Lumikani. They were just jealous.
Lumikani might have been smaller, but she was amazing and Elzira had blessed her. None of them should spread rumors about her.
Kanika spent a bit of her day with Elzira, simply talking to her even if the tree stayed quietly still. Once she was done, she gave the tree a hug and left to go and find her family. It was going to be time to eat soon and she didn’t want Zandala to start worrying about her whereabouts least the Alk go out and try and find her. Giving one final wave to Elzira, Kanika ran off.
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 9:34 am
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2016 3:36 pm
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2016 1:54 pm
http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=25034115
out for a swim
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2016 1:56 pm
http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=25048621
a great idea
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Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2017 8:41 pm
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Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2017 8:49 pm
Amazonian night
Kanika watched the inky blackness as she ground up the beans. She added a bit of water and continued to mash the mixture together until it was smooth and it was no longer gritty. Then she added a few drops of ink from a sea creature whose blood was black as night and continued to mix in a rhythmic fashion. She’d done this so many times before but tonight was special, tonight was different. She was going to be choosing her class with a few other prentices and thus begin her journey as her own independent self. No longer would she have to take lessons with the alkidikes.
Once the mixture was done, Kanika began applying it to different parts of her body. She always liked to enhance her light pink markings, never cover them. It was an ode to her mother Lumikani and soon she also wanted to start applying it into her hair like Zayanna did to also have a small part of her other mother with her. This way she felt she would always carry both with her and it made her stand out from the other Elaria. She liked being different, Zayanna and her were after all one of the every first blooms to have been given to an alkidike couple after they plead with Elzira.
Kanika lay unmoving as she watched the sun settling down below the horizon, she was waiting for her mixture to dry and set on her skin before she flaked it off. The beans insured it marked her while the creature’s inky blood tinted it black. This way she could stay marked for a few days before it wore off of her and she didn’t have to keep reapplying it. She still hadn’t figured out the hair part yet but she was certain she’d figure it out when it was important.
Once everything was set and dry, Kanika rubbed it off and stood up, looking herself over before giving a satisfied nod of her head, this would do. Grabbing her clothing, Kanika began dressing slowly and methodologically. She wanted to impress, she wanted to be pristine when she was in front of the others. There weren’t that many older Elaria which meant she had to be an example for the others. Once dressed, Kanika took a deep breath. The lights outside blazed now, the sisters had lit up the camp with fire.
None of her mother’s awaited her when she stepped out of their home and Zayanna was nowhere to be found either. It was a little odd to be doing this without her sister, but that didn’t mean they’d never be close again. They’d all probably be at the ceremony so Kanika didn’t worry about it too much. Another elaria joined Kanika’s side, one who would also be choosing her class on this night. They spoke in hush excited tones as they moved through the camp. This was going to be a good night, Kanikia could feel it in her bones.
Everyone in their village had gathered, it was nice to see everyone reunited in this way. Amongst the crowd Zayanna easily spotted Zandala who was as tall as any alkidike, her mother gave her a curt nod and a smile. Her way of saying good work. Zayanna and Lumikani though had come closer to the front, Zayanna was still growing and wasn’t as tall as most alkidikes yet, Lumikani though needed to be closer to be able to see over her other sisters. Kanika was excited to see them especially considering she was going to be following in Lumikani’s footsteps.
While the choosing of one’s class seemed like a hard choice for some, Kanika had known right away what she had wanted. She’d been training with Lumikani for as long as she could remember and her skills were quite good with the blades. She’d tried the bow once, as well as the other weapons riders used but none had felt right like the blades. Plus, Kanika didn’t bother training with the others; Lumikani was her best source for knowledge with the weapons, why should she bother with the rest? Zayanna had gone bow and Kanika didn’t want to go bow as well.
They were more lethal that way.
Kanika watched as all the other prentices went and got a hold of their new weapons from the older alkidkes. They wouldn’t be able to use them until they were blades but it was always fun to watch how things got done. When it was her turn, Kanika stepped up and chose her blades. Then she stepped back down and waited for everything to be over. There would be a feast after this and she’d be gleeing over the blades with her sisters. Then it would be back home for a smaller celebration with family.
Soon though she would be of age to become a blade and she was looking forward to that. She loved Yael and home and her family, but the trip to the market had her curious. She wasn’t exactly ready to tackle the main land yet, but Belrea seemed like a good place to start before she moved on to bigger things. She wanted to get used to seeing other races. The yaeli too she was curious to meet, she’d heard but never seen them before. Zandala told her that they seemed all quite weak and frail to her.
Kanika slipped into bed once everything was said and done. She was tired, exhausted even from all the activities. She was thrilled of course, but tired. Cuddling up to her sister, Kanika closed her eyes. She was also looking forward to seeing her sister chose her class. She already knew what she was going to pick of course, she was following in Zandala’s footsteps. Kanika was glad she’d gotten it done and over with even if a small part of her wished it was with her sister. Still, there were plenty of other things they could do together after all.
The next morning Kanika woke up fresh and went out to her usual training session. There however she spotted an elaria breaking her bow in half and Kanika decided to investigate. This was after all one of the elaria who had also chosen her class yesterday.
“The alks aren’t going to be happy to see the practice weapons getting broken like that.”
“I don’t care about the alks! I only chose the bow because my moms are both archers and now I find out that my sister is inheriting the bow I wanted. I wanted to chose a different class but so far I’ve been denied.”
“That seems like a silly reason to want to change weapons don’t you think?”
“What do you know little miss perfect? Everyone knows that you and your sister get trained away from the rest of us. What do you care?”
“I’m trying to help you and you’re acting like an idiot, good job.” Kanika stared at the girl and shrugged. “Do you want my help or not?”
“You can’t help me.”
“If you want to sue blades I can practice with you and we can see about changing her class if you prove yourself worthy to the elders.”
“Fine.”
And so they practiced for the rest of the day together with few breaks between. Kanika pushed the other girl hard, if she wanted to prove to the elders that she was capable with another weapon she would have to do extremely well at the exam. She could see the other girls frustration as they practiced, but at the end of the day Kanika knew the girl would be able to pass the exam.
“If you keep up your training, you’ll be able to pass.” Kanika settled on the ground.
“I didn’t think you were this good, is this how you practice every day?”
“Yes, this is how my mothers train us. People give them a lot of flak for doing so, but they also don’t see our full potential. If the Alk elders want to believe they are better and know better, fine. But I will continue to practice with my mother if I wish it.”
“The blades suit you very well. It’s easy to see why you chose them.”
“I am good with them only because of my mother,” Kanika gave the other elaria a smile. “One day we will be in charge and such things won’t matter.”
“Well, if you train the other younglings and prentices like you just trained me, we’ll be very strong indeed.” Both girls laughed.
“Perhaps,” Kanika said. She still wanted to see the world, return to Yael when she was rich with knowledge. How could one hope to progress their race if they hadn’t seen and done things? Only then would she feel she was ready to take a position that had a little more influence. Training their young would be a good start; later becoming a legendary seemed like an attainable dream. This however, Kanika kept to herself.
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Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2017 8:52 am
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Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2017 7:00 am
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Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2018 7:17 am
Home is where the heart Quote: Kanika has always felt that the Alkidike leadership has sheltered the Elaria and that it has weakened them. She believes that she must go out into the world to learn and return with knowledge to enrich the Elaria. This is the beginning of her quest for knowledge but also where she begins to question the leadership and how they are benefiting the Elarian culture.
The Elaria had bathed the night before, asked her mother's to redo her hair early in the morning and now she was straightening out her nicest clothing. Maybe they still considered her but a child, perhaps she was old enough to venture out. Either way, she was not leaving that meeting today without their permission to leave Yael. If they did not give it to her and then she would seek out forgiveness from the Mother Tree. It was high time the Elaria took charge of their own destiny, they were all old enough to take care of themselves now.
A young petite Earia walked over into the small open area where Kanika had been waiting and motioned to her.
"The Elders will see you now."
Kanika ignored the look the younger Elaria gave her. It was a mix of disagreement and amazement at the same time. Kanika did not hide the fact that she wanted to leave and explore, she made it public and had forced the Elders to meet with her if only to keep her quiet and not have the others speak up with her. No, they certainly wouldn't like a divided camp now would they?
Kanika walked through the small path before coming up to the area where the Elders had gathered. It wasn't too far from the Mother Tree, but it was not directly next to her either. The Elaria stopped once she'd reached the middle of the area, placed her hands behind her back and gave each Elder a nod as she looked into their eyes. She would not show fear or weakness, her mothers had taught her better than that.
"Kanika, you have requested an audience. What is it you need child?"
Kanika twitched, she didn't like being referred to as a child but she knew this was their way of playing with her. They would allow an older Elaria leave but not a child.
"I've come today to ask leave from Yael altogether." Kanika stood her ground. "And although this is a formal request, we all know that I could leave if I wished it." And they knew it to be true.
"Stubborn as your mother aren't you? You see this is what happens when we allow the mother's to teach them."
"My mother," Kanika began almost shaking in anger that they would bring up Lumikani. "Has nothing to do with it. The Elaria can't simply be contained to this little island. It's dangerous, we need to go out and find the truth for ourselves. What will happen when all the Alkidikes die off here and we are left alone? We are being weakened!"
"Watch your words!" An Elder said smacking her first down on her leg. "Don't be disrespectful."
"I am not, but I will not allow my race to be weakened by old ways. The Elaria must grow, they must learn, they must become their own. We simply cannot stay here forever, it is dangerous to not know what is going on around us."
A few of the Elders muttered quietly to themselves, some shook their heads disapprovingly.
"The Elaria are not being weakened," an Elder began. "Many of you are still so young."
"And many are a lot older and yet none have traveled. If the others want to stay here that's fine, I am not forcing anyone to come with me or even asking anyone to do so. I do this by myself."
Kanika had never felt this annoyed at the Elders.
"What are you afraid of? If I leave and do not come back you can use my story to warn others. If I leave and return however, I will bring knowledge and strengthen the Elaria. Others may want to leave but they will have a better chance and will know what awaits them."
"We are afraid of nothing you rude child!" An Elder spat angrily. Another rose her hand to calm her down.
"Kanika, the only thing I wish to know is will you return?"
Kanika nodded. "Yes of course, this is my home. I will want my own children one day. I must return if I want to strengthen the Elaria."
"Then that is all I need to know, I vote to allow her to go out in the world, outside of Yael wherever it may take her."
The bickering began then, but slowly they all agreed to allow her to leave the island.
"And so it is decided. You may leave if you wish it."
Kanika nodded, bowing her head in respect. "Thank you." She turned to leave but the woman called out to her again.
"Know that your place will always be here, the world out there is not meant for the Elaria. The men... Their ways, it is not yours, you will never fit in with them."
"I do not wish to fit in with them." Kanika said before nodding and turning to head home and begin packing.
They already didn't fit with the Yaeli on the island an she expected little else from the outside world and Kanika was okay with that. She had head how Earthlings made children and how they treated each other, it was quite ugly to Kanika. She could never live like that. She knew where her home was, she knew where her heart lay and that was all she really needed in this life.
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