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 Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 5:43 am
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Sentinel in the Making ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Word Count - 1256
● He had a bow firmly in his hand and an arrow drawn back. Shea was staring down the shaft of the projectile at the target positioned some feet away from him. He wanted to hit the bulls-eye, the dead center, but he always missed it by several inches, sometimes even just by a few centimeters. At least he hit the target now. It used to be that he would send the arrows soaring over the thing or way to the side. With the help of his mother and father, both great hunters, he had managed to work out his aim. They gave him tips and hints and even adjusted his hold many times. All of it came down to Shea being able to hit a target so long as it wasn't moving and it's kill shot was not where he was aiming.
Since both of his parents were remarkable with the bow he strived to follow in their footsteps. He also struggled. More so than he should have. It was like none of the talent that his parents held within them had been passed down to him in any way. Clearly genetics did not play a part in this for him. And hard work didn't seem to be paying off as much as it should. Shea sighed as he released the arrow he held taunt. It was almost as if he watched the whole thing in slow motion.
The string snapped back to it's original position, forcing the arrow to surge forward. It wiggled, the wood bending as if it were trying to resist. The fletching on the end steered it through the air. As it got farther and farther away from him Shea knew it would once again miss it's mark. Thunk! The sharp tip dug itself into the wooden target left of center. Shea stood there staring at it for a long time the feeling of defeat sinking in. A feeling that would be made worse when the heartbroken wail from his mother pierced through the air.
Shea instantly went wide eyed and dropped his bow without question. The youngster flew toward his home to check on his mom, to see what it was that had caused such a reaction. He didn't know that he would learn his father had been killed. That his whole world would collapse. That life would change forever.
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The memory faded as Shea turned away from the bow. He kept it with him as a reminder but he'd not used it in some time. Not since that day. Not even when his mother had tried to get him to pick it up again. Shea had disappointed her since she wanted him to be like her and his father but he couldn't do it. The feeling of that day seemed to be embedded in the bow and it was a feeling he didn't want to have ever again.
Instead he had picked up the sword. It was sharp and deadly. Something he could hold in his hand and guide through the air so that it hit center each time. He didn't have to rely on fair winds or other conditions to make sure the killing blow was made. No, he just needed his arm and strength to be as one. That made him feel much more in control of things.
After the death of his mother he had ignored all training. He was in mourning. He had lost his last family member, save for that wretched uncle of his, and was left all alone in the world. Now, after a few months, he had decided that he needed to renew his interest in the sword. That meant he would need to find someone that could teach him the proper movements and stances. A mentor. There was only so much he could do on his own. If he wanted to be the best then he needed a master to teach him. Then again he needed to figure out which direction his sword skills would take him. There were so many options.
Skill with a sword was widely used in many professions. Though since he didn't seem to like the idea of traveling beyond the borders of Tale he was unlikely to choose anything that would take him around the world. So what did that leave him with as far as choices? Not much. Though that did make it easier on him in the long run.
He knew assassins used swords, as in more than one, but he wasn't keen on the idea of being the one to take another's life, nor did he think he had the grace to handle two blades at once. They could be someone's father. Brother. Mother. No, he couldn't take life so easily. Shea wasn't cut out for that. Hunting, sure. Animals were different. But to be the one to snuff out someone's life and alter the course of their loved ones' lives? No, that cloth was for someone else. Shea wanted to be a protector. He'd always wanted to be that. Ever since he had lost his father and witnessed the true pain in his mother's eyes he had a desire to keep others from the same.
That meant he could be a knight or something. Shea reached out and put a single finger on the sword his mother had bought him. It was cold to the touch but it was a familiar feeling. To him the low temperature of the steel was comforting. The more he stared at the sword and fiddled with it the more he realized that he couldn't see himself doing anything else. There would be no fancy dual wielding. No intentional murder. He could only offer pure honorable skill with one blade.
Sentinel. A protector of those that needed it. His mother had taught him that while women were in no way weaker they did sometimes need the help of a man. The same went for men. There were times when a woman was needed to help them. They tended to have a naturally more gentle soul and sometimes that gentleness helped soothe a man. So that left him with two goals in life.
Become a Sentinel to protect everyone he could. Especially any lady that was in need of it.
Find a wife to help him with this and to protect his heart.
Of course he was a little hesitant on the second one. Shea wasn't sure he could handle loving someone so deeply and then facing the utter devastation of losing them to death. He had seen the results of that first hand and it made him fear the idea of having someone mean that much to him. His mother had been so broken spiritually after the death of his father that he feared she would wither away and he would be left with no one. In fact Shea was positive that, had he not been so young, him poor mother would have done just that. He wanted that kind of love and devotion in his life, sure, but there was still the fear of what that could lead to. So that left the first goal as his primary concern.
The life of a protector, a Sentinel, was in his future and he was going to find a master of the trade to teach him the skills he needed to make his late mother proud. And he could only hope that she was willing to explain to his father why he chose the path he did.
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Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2016 3:21 pm
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Beginning a trip ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Word Count - 1202
● So he'd finally gotten information about where his uncle could be. Not where he was, but it was more than he had a few days ago. Last week he didn't even know if his uncle was on the main land. There had been that island or whatever that had been discovered recently that he could have been on. Right now, though, Shea just wanted to know that he was going in the right direction. He didn't want to let his mother down by not succeeding in this one thing. All he had to do was find one person. One person in all of Tendaji. And the man could be anywhere. Uquin wasn't tied to one territory like he was. Shea loved Tale and was against leaving it though it seemed that the sentiment wasn't shared by the extended family.
"I guess it could have been worse than Sauti." He said to himself begrudgingly. His free hand went up to run through his hair since he had it down for once. When he got to the more windy parts of the world he'd be forced to put it back up into the messy bun he favored but for now he was enjoying the freedom. "At least it wasn't those snow capped mountains." There was no way the leaf boy was ready to travel to those. They were to cold for him. Even the thought of it made him shiver. Shea wasn't sure how anyone could live in such cold temperatures.
He adjusted the slightly heavy pack on his back as he walked along the well worn path that lead right out of Tale and into Sauti. He'd passed a few travelers some miles back but now all he saw was the stretch of empty horizon. No person was in sight. It was going to be a long trip, and a boring one from the lack of company. Maybe Shea should have asked that blonde hybrid to travel with him. "Tch, like that girly boy could do more than talk my ears off along the way." It seemed the red head was still not convinced that Jakkoa was all man or even all that manly. He wore all pink! Too much jewelry too. Shea shook his head and sighed. He just wished his mother were still alive. If that were the case then he wouldn't be so alone in the world, so alone during trips to look for his uncle. Or just alone in general.
So when it came down to it Uquin, the man he hated, the man he was trying to track down, was all he had in this world. Shea's only family. It bothered him to think of that but it was the only thin line he had and he wanted to keep a firm hand on it. Though he did wonder. Did his uncle have a wife? Children? Did that mean he had an aunt and cousins? Were they his age or older? Younger perhaps? Thanks to Jakkoa he now knew that his uncle was a healer. Not a fighter like his father and certainly not an archer. So what was his hypothetical aunt like? Was she also a healer? Soft and gentle? And the cousins that might exist? Were they healers in training? Or were they like him? He'd gone against the wishes of both parents because it just wasn't in him to follow in their footsteps.
"So, Uncle Uquin.. Do you have a wife?" He mused. So many questions for when he found the elusive man. If he could find him. Though there was something that bothered him. Shea could have cousins that would never know his mother. Never know what a wonderful woman she was. All because his uncle had been selfish and ran away. If he thought about it more then he realized that if he did indeed have cousins then they might not be so if Uquin had not run away. "Spirits this is complicated.." He had a love for his family but a hatred as well.
A rock in the middle of the path got kicked as he came upon it. Shea wasn't sure how he felt now. Here he was taking step by step to bring him closer to where he was told his uncle had last been. Every intent on berating the man and blaming him for his mother's death but if he really thought about it.. Uquin had become a healer. Likely he had helped many people. Had he helped a friend of his mother's? Or his fathers? Or maybe he'd even helped the mother of his potential wife in the future? Shea stopped walking then. Could he really take out all his anger on his uncle if he had done that much good? It seemed to him that the only bad had been to him and his mother and grandmother. Of course if he was honest his grandmother had been a piece of work. "The man could have at least come home to see mom. She spent so much time and energy looking for him. Worrying about him." It would have been the decent thing to do. If Shea had had a sister then he would at least check in on her from time to time to make sure that she was doing alright. That her life was doing okay.
And then his mind went on a tangent. He wished he did have a sister. A little sibling running around for him to look after. Someone to keep him company. Someone that depended on him the way his mother had in her last days. Shea had never before felt that important. The boy lowered his gaze to the ground. If his father hadn't been murdered then he might have had a younger sibling. Maybe not a sister but still. It was one of those "what if" moments in life. Shea had so many of those and they all made him wonder.
What if.. He had a sibling? His mother was still alive? His uncle had never run off? His father hadn't gone hunting that day? Could he really tell what life would have been like if those things had changed? The leafling shook his head to clear his mind and took a deep cleansing breath.
"Alright, Shea, you need to focus. Find Uquin. Everything else can wait." And it had to. Because if it didn't then he would fall apart. His life had always been about trying to find his uncle. He couldn't change that now, not until he fulfilled his promise to his mother. To find Uquin.
While he hated the fact that his life revolved around this one man there was nothing he could do about it. He had already disappointed his parents by not becoming a ranger as they had. So adding to that failure wasn't something he was so eager to do. At least not for this. "I really hope I can make you both proud of me." Shea confessed to the spirits of his mother and father. If they were listening. "And don't worry mother, you'll have grandchildren. I promise." An amused smile lit his face. As he headed toward Sauti he chuckled.
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Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2016 7:50 am
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Thinking of those thus far ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Word Count - 605
● As he continued to walk along the path, heading closer and closer to the border between Tale and Sauti, he couldn't help but think about those he had met along the way. Shea had met more than a few people to be sure but there were some that stood out more so than others. Barhin was one such person. The leaf boy that looked about his age had been an interesting character. He spoke with a drawl; slow and drawn out. It was an odd way to speak and it left Shea wondering if perhaps he had some sort of speech impediment. Or if he was just from an area with little interaction with others. Whatever the case the boy had been far from the normal that Shea usually met. Not that it was bad in any way. Just.. different.
And there was Jakkoa. A colorful looking hybrid that Shea had almost pegged as a woman. With his long hair and love of pink it was easy to see why he might get confused. Still, it had been that particular person that had sent him in the right direction to find his uncle. So that meeting, as strange and edgy as it had been was a good one. Shea had learned a little bit about Uquin in the process too. Apparently his wayward uncle was a healer. And a good one.
Then there was Ziel. Another hybrid, though this one was a bit more.. exotic? She had some features like the shifters but then there were things about her that he was not so used to. It was an odd thing for him to see something like that. The shape of her ears had thrown him a bit and her eyes too. Or well, the pupils. They had been more or less a straight line rather than a circle. Truly interesting. Her personality, however, was a bit out there. It made him wonder if maybe she was one of those people that had all kinds of energy and no way to express it. She had run into him and then was talking about all kinds of things at the same time. Shea's head had spun quite a bit during that encounter.
In all his meetings were good ones. Or at least they hadn't turned out bad or sour. Something for which he was grateful. The leaf boy didn't have time for rivalries at the moment. Nor did he really care to have to deal with someone purposefully making his life more difficult. He had enough hardship without someone throwing in their own issues. Once he located his uncle and could move on with his life he didn't care what people threw at him.
However, everything that he had come across in his short trip through Tale made him wonder what kind of people he would meet once he crossed the border. Would there be more hybrids over there in Suati? Would they be as colorful as Jakkoa had been or would they be exotic like Ziel? Or could he simple run into pure bloods like Barhin had been? It was difficult to say what lay ahead for him since he truly didn't know. All other lands were a mystery to him and this would be his first real time venturing out of his comfort zone. "First time for everything I suppose." He said to himself as he stared out at the horizon before him. He could see the subtle changes in the land growing closer. A clear sign that he was nearing his goal. It made him feel queasy but it was something that he had to do.
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Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2016 8:47 am
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Learning something new ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Word Count - 1203
● The border had come and gone in the blink of an eye and Shea couldn't even tell the exact moment that he had crossed it. There had been no tell tale sign of stepping over it. No pressure in the air to let him know he was no longer in his home land. The only thing he knew for sure was that he had. The blonde haired natives being his first clue. The craggy rocks being his second. The wind had picked up quite a bit and that was his third clue. Not that it mattered to him when it happened. Shea just needed to be in Sauti so that he could find his Uncle. The sooner the better and thinking about the trip wasn't making things any easier for him.
Honestly he had rather hoped that he would find Uquin lurking close to the border and then they could both return just like that. However, that wasn't the case. It made things a bit harder on him but he needed to get over it.The task was something he couldn't give up on. Complaining the whole way there would make his walk that much more tedious. As it was he had his work cut out for him. So first things first, he needed to find a village so that he could get more food. He was running low. Of course he still had a good amount in his bag but he would rather be safe than sorry. Who knew what kind of trouble he might find himself in if he didn't get more supplies for his trip now and while Shea was not a large boy he certainly didn't relish the idea of starving to death.
When he did find a place he set to work on getting what it was he needed for his journey and nothing more, though that was a lot easier said than done. So many of the wind tribesman in the village tried to sell him things that he didn't need. Or really want for that matter.
"Buy a vase for your mother?" One chimed out.
"Find the perfect spice for the perfect dish!" Another called as he passed by.
Though they pressed him Shea shook his head and declined any offer for something that he had no use for. Or at least resisted having excess things to carry around. Having added weight would make his journey a difficult one and he didn't think that the trip needed the help.
One such vendor got a little upset with him with he turned down an offer for something and called him a name. Something that reminded the leaf boy why he disliked going to the other territories. Shea did his best to ignore it and simply walked away. Once he had his supplies he left the village and didn't bother to look back. The people that he left there were best left behind. They had no real merit to his cause so he didn't feel the need to befriend a single one.
Continuing on his way he felt a feeling a dread soon creep up on him though the reason why was unclear. Shea just thought that there was something ahead that he would not like. What it was? He'd find out, he supposed. Forward was the way he needed to go and if that was where the bad thing lay in wait for him then he was sure to meet it head on and before too long he did.
Shea had made it to Tind, the last place that his uncle had been seen in by someone the boy had met. Though as he asked around for the healer known as Uquin he got a bunch of shaking heads as his answer. The red head gritted his teeth together and looked around. There was no way he had made it all the way to Tind in Sauti, so far from home, for him to be told that his missing uncle was still, essentially, missing. It made him want to punch the old man in the face. They had not even met yet and already he was irritating.
"Excuse me." The soft words of an elderly woman reached his long ears.
Shea turned to her and blinked before he offered her a smile, "Can I help you?" He asked.
"No dear, but I think I can help you. You said you were looking for Uquin, yes?" She squinted her eyes at him as she waited for her answer.
"Oh, yes I did. Have you seen him around?" Could this be it? Could this little old lady know where his Uncle was? Shea certainly hoped so!
"He was here some time ago but he left. He didn't tell anyone where he went dear. You sorta look like him. Are you his son?" The woman gave him bad news and then practically insulted him with asking if he was related more closely than he was.
Of course she didn't know. So Shea had no reason to be upset with her. It was not her fault that she didn't know what kind of man Uquin was. Or the reason that Shea was looking for him. So instead he took a deep breath and shook his head before letting it out slowly. "Ah, no mam, I'm his nephew." Surely that would be enough to sate her curiosity. It would even explain why she saw similarities in him.
"Oh! Well I do hope nothing has happened to his daughters." She thought that if the boy was here looking for him then there must be a family reason as to why.
"Daughters?" Shea stared at the woman with wide eyes. His uncle had kids!? Girls even! So that meant... "I have cousins!?" It came blurting out and he had to take a step back to keep from out right falling over. Of course he knew it had been a possibility. Shea had thought about it on his way into Sauti. What he couldn't wrap his head around was the actual fact that he had been right! "D-do you know their names? Where they are?" Maybe what they looked like?! Shea wanted to bombard this woman with so many questions about his family.
She furrowed her brow at him and then slowly shook her head. "I don't know where they are dear but Uquin mentioned their names. Padma and Ujana I believe." The old lady looked to the side, debating on whether or not she had gotten the names right.
Hearing the names made him suddenly feel as though he was no longer alone in the world. Sure he had Uquin, the man he hated and loved at the same time, but now he had two cousins! Excitement raced through him. What would they be like? Would they have family traits? At least now he would have a new reason to travel around. He had other people to locate. "Thank you!" He said hastily before rushing away from the confused old lady. Shea needed to get back to Tale and start asking around about Uquin's wife and daughters! He didn't have a name for the wife but at least he knew the names of his cousins.
((Here Shea learns he has cousins and is given something new and exciting to look forward to in life rather than focusing solely on his dislike for Uquin. ))
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Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 8:37 am
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Discoveries ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Word Count -
● An odd thing had happened on his travels. In his search for his cousin, Ujana, he'd somehow hit the luck lottery and ran into the woman's son. Shea had been stunned beyond belief. The chances of that happening were.. well.. quite small. In fact he was sure that his mother's spirit had something to do with it. Perhaps she had been frustrated that his search had taken so long and she was giving a helping push. Either way, he was grateful for the chance meeting.
Though something that he found a bit off was that, the boy was with his father and his mother had been no where to be found. The boy, Eurig, gave him the impression that his parents weren't together. Shea had to wonder why. Was there something wrong with his cousin? Had she fallen for another man? Was all of his family flighty and on the wrong side of the moral compass? It was certainly disturbing to the young man. It made him think that he may need to speak with his cousin and see if he couldn't get her to go back to her family and take care of her son. (Of course he assumed she had nothing much to do with Eurig since he found the boy in Tale with his father.)
How would he do that though? What if the man she had left her family for was controlling or abusive? What if she truly didn't have the motherly gene? Shea was thinking all of these things and more and it made him almost want to postpone his meeting with Ujana. What if she were with child with this other man's child now and that was why she wasn't with her son?
The leaf man let out a sigh and shook his head. Clearly his Uncle hadn't raised the woman properly. It would be something to address when he met her. If it was due to his uncle then it wasn't her fault. He would just have to become the role model; the guiding hand. Shea had no experience with such a role but he would learn quickly if it meant helping his family. Ujana and her son, Eurig, were his family. Quite possibly the only family that he would have for a long time. He'd not heard much about the other cousin, Padma, and his uncle was still MIA.
Clearing his mind of the overwhelming thoughts he turned his head to look around at his surroundings. Shea needed to focus on the moment, the time he would have with his.. well he wasn't really sure how to classify Eurig to be honest. Calling him his cousin made it seem like he was the offspring of his uncle and calling him his nephew made it seem like Ujana was his sister. Family titles got complicated after the first generation or so. There should be a more simple way to think of family. Still, the time he would spend with Eurig on the way to meet Ujana is what he needed to set his mind to. Perhaps he could ask the boy questions about the circumstances that led to his mother not living with him and his father. Or maybe he could try to learn a bit more about his wayward cousin. Though he had a feeling he would be focusing a lot on Eurig himself.
Getting to know the boy would give him a look into his Uncle's side of the family. Who knows, he might even discover something redeeming about the man.
Forming a smile he looked in the direction that he was supposed to meet the boy. He had to pack and Shea himself had needed to get more supplies. Mostly he was worried about the food part of supplies since he would now be traveling with someone else. When it was just him he could go by with the bare minimum, if only because he could hunt and cure the meat from that. Now, however, he wasn't sure how much the boy would eat or how much he was used to eating. If he wasn't conditioned for traveling then it could be a long trip to wherever Ujana was. But there was something in the way the boy had said some things that made him think that he was used to the journey to see his mother. (Which was a hopeful light since it meant he clearly got to see her more than once in a while.)
Once he was sure he had enough food with him to cover the both of them he secured his bag and slung it over his shoulder. The added weight took a moment to get used to but it wasn't too far off from the normal that he usually carried. Now that he was prepared he started to head in the direction that he would be meeting the boy from his family and eventually heading off to meet another from his tree.
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