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 Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2020 7:05 pm
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2021 1:07 pm
Class Affinity Solo
Teachings That restless feeling Meadowlyn was feeling was only getting worst and worst. So bad in fact that she’d snapped a couple of times at her younger siblings for something they’d done. She simply couldn’t take staying home to playhouse anymore. She wasn’t their mother for goodness’s sake, and she shouldn’t have to care for her siblings. The more she thought about it, the more she knew she was going to be leaving the house forever soon. Very, very soon. She was almost of age now and perhaps she would run off into the night without telling a soul (well, she’d tell Greicee but that was it).
However, she was going to need coins and goods to be able to make a living. Meadowlyn knew she had a fascination with animals and that this was her true calling. She loved animals a lot more than she liked people at this point and so she knew what she had to do. There were places where they taught you to be a beast tamer, and she’d found a bit of information on these places. She knew the true source of the knowledge she needed would be her father though. So that’s where she stalked now.
“Father,” she called into the darkness of what he called his office, a space behind the barn.
“Come in, come in. Do you need anything?” The Yaeli appeared from the corner, leather whip and leather strips in his hands. He’d been fixing it.
“I’m going to leave the house soon,” Meadowlyn didn’t want to hide that fact so she came forth with the information and hopefully her father would understand the importance of her leaving the home. She entered the little office, her eyes adjusting to the darkness that was lit by a few lanterns. “I want to become a beast tamer like you father. I’d like you to tell me where I can find someone who would teach me.”
“I can teach you,” he mused.
“No,” Meadow gave him a leveled look. “You know we don’t have enough animals and I want to expand beyond the farm animals we keep here. Do you understand what I am saying?”
He nodded. “I knew this day would come.” He didn’t sound angry, only sad. “Some of the best are in Oba, but every region has their own well known beast tamer academy.” He sued air quotes as he said the word academy. “If you want to be good, one of the best and see lots of animals than that is where you must go.”
“Alright.” Meadowlyn lingered. “Will you teach me a little? I think I am already good with animals, but I imagine it will be different once I am faced with other beasts. Especially the dangerous ones.” Honestly the thought of something that was a lot more dangerous than a bird was thrilling. She wanted to do good, she wanted to learn, and she was excited to get started.
“Alright then. How about the basics?” He threw the whip at her. “Do you know how to fix such a weapon?”
“Well no…” She’d played with his whips when she was younger, but she’d never actually actively repaired or properly used them before.
“Then this is where we start.” He motioned for her to take a seat next to him. She went and sat and he handed her leather strips.
“Now, look at the pattern. You must leave the core of the whip properly repeating the pattern. Look.” He demonstrated as he weaved the leather together over the core, Meadowlyn watched him for a bit before attempting to do it on her own.
It was a struggle to say the least, her father corrected her with kind words when he can. Always tighter, always straighter. She was quite clumsy but he let her learn from him, by the time she was done and had reached the end the job wasn’t done so bad.
“Good but you will need practice. I want you to weave a core every day once a day.” He said handing her another one with a few more leather strips.
“Every day?” She whined but he gave her a sharp look.
“Your weapon will be an extension of yourself, do you think the academy will take in any body who believes themselves to be good with animals? No, most certainly not.” The words were harsh but not unkind. “You will need to demonstrate something that the others do not have. More abilities and skills so that they do take you in.”
“What about learning other stuff?” Because she knew there were certainly other things to learn than making a whip.
“Every day you will read and memorize a chapter from this book.” He moved a book towards her, it was large and heavy, also bound in leather.
“What is it?”
“All of my research notes and then more on the animals I have encounter. You will need to learn temperament and” he lifted a finger into the air. “Be able to determine passive animals from aggressive. The passive ones don’t always look passive and cute.”
“Okay.” This was the good stuff! Though she wasn’t sure how she was going to manage with caring for the twins… She’d have to make do.
“I will test you on this so don’t even think about not working hard.” He said sternly. “I will know if you’re slacking.”
Meadowlyn had always thought her father a bit aloof, floating through life and enjoying it with such a slowness she had sometimes thought he was lazy. But this, the homework he was giving her wasn’t from someone who was lazy. No, her father seemed to have worked hard to get where he was, and she would work hard too. She would make him proud, and she would write to the family every week fi she had to, so they knew of her progress. And in any case, once she didn’t have the twins hugging her side, she’d be able to get a lot more done.
“There you are!” Screeched one of the twins who ran in and stole the whip from her hands. “What’s this?”
“Stop playing with things that aren’t yours.” She growled, snatching the whip from him.
He made a face. “Mom is looking for you.” And just as fast as he’d ran in, he was gone.
“Thank you for the quick lesson. I’ll start reading tonight.” She promised him.
“I expected no less.” He said with a smile before waving her off.
Meadowlyn had been slacking in her family duties her mother scowled her. The twins couldn’t stay by themselves for a few minutes before they brewed trouble and she’d been blamed since she’d been on watch. Annoyance brewed within her, she’d wanted to start reading the tome now but she doubted she’d get to. There were animals to feed, the twins to supervise and then dinner to help with.
Thankfully, the twins always went to bed early because of their age and so Meadowlyn slipped out of the house to retrieve the tome and bring it back to the bedroom she shared with Greicee. The thing had been so heavy she’d stumbled all over the place, she’d been so sure she’d wake up the whole house with her thumping. But no one got up and she finally made it. Greicee had asked a few questions and Meadowlyn had promptly told her that she was headed to Oba as soon as she could for the academy. She’d asked her sister to come with her, she knew Greicee also wanted out of this life. But she hadn’t received a straight answer and so had dropped it. She wouldn’t stay behind to coddle her sister, she couldn’t.
So the next morning, after all of her chores were done and Greicee was with the twins. Meadowlyn headed for that same office where she found her father treating some leather.
“Are you ready for your quiz?” He said as he looked at her expectantly.
“Yes.” She sat down and straightened out her back. She’d read the chapter over and over again, even quizzed herself silently into the long dark hours of the night. She knew she would pass this with ease.
“Alright, let’s begin.”
Her father’s questioning was relentless. Just when she thought he didn’t have any other question to ask her, he came up with a knew one. He did all of this while taking care of the leather. Finally, when he seemed satisfied with her knowledge, he tossed her a whip.
And that’s how she spent the remaining year she had on the farm. She read, she learned, she made whips and she repeated. Some of the animals she learned about she could not wait to see in person. Meadowlyn was sure the images and descriptions didn’t do them justice. But she knew she would be ready, oh yes when she finally left for that academy she was going to be ready to face whatever kind of animal they would throw at her.Words: 1503
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2021 1:56 pm
Growth Solo
A Few Goodbyes Quote: Meadowlyn must leave the home now that she is ready to set off to become a beast tamer. But she is afraid and the thought of leaving her family when her mother is about to give birth keeps her in place until she realizes that she must leave. She does leave but feels guilty of her choice, a consequence that she will have to face at some point.
Her father and her had continued her lessons, and she had finished the book just a few months ago. She also now corded her leather like a champ and could do it with her eyes closed. And still every day she got up and she got ready for her chores and to take care of her siblings. Greicee wasn’t coming with her either and perhaps that had played into her fears of having to leave as well. Her father had told her they had very little money to offer her for her travels, just enough to get her there and that too had been a worry.
Her mother of course used every opportunity to blame her pregnancy on why the older girls were now overflowing with chores to do while she lounged about. She would certainly only get worst once the baby (or worst babies) got here. Meadowlyn felt it was her obligation to stay and help, what if they got another set of twins? She didn’t even want to think about what kind of trouble it would bring the family. They would absolutely need her here to keep some kind of order.
But at the same time, she was going absolutely insane.
She should have been on her way to that academy by now, bathing under the warm sun of Oba. But here she was, mucking out stalls as the cold began lingering signaling the coming of winter. She hated it.
“You know if you keep stabbing like that you might end up breaking the prongs.” Her father said as he leaned on the open door of the stall.
“Sorry,” Meadowlyn said softly and did in fact not stab as hard.
“You want to talk about it?”
“No,” she turned her back to him, so he didn’t see the face she was making.
“Why haven’t you left for the academy yet?”
“Mom is pregnant again and she needs help.” But even in her heart she knew that wasn’t the real reason. She was scared.
“Your mother will be just fine.” He crossed his arms as he watched Meadowlyn quietly. “You cannot stay here Meadowlyn hiding forever. You are ready to venture out, you are ready for that academy. I’ve already told your mother you would be leaving which is probably why she’s been giving you such a hard time.”
He was right, her father had given her all the skills necessary to succeed at the academy, to thrive but she was too much of a scared little girl to realized that. No, she needed to push through, she needed to go. Her heart leaped that she finally, finally had made the decision, but the fear wrapped around her and kept her seated, legs unwilling to move.
“I know.” Was all she was able to manage, and she did know but, but…
Her father strode over to her and wrapped a cloak around her, tying it below her chin and placed a heavy hand on her shoulder.
“If you don’t leave now you never will.”
Meadowlyn stood up then, the thought of staying here forever was just unbearable. She was not meant for farm life. So, she strode out and went to gather the few things she’d collected over the years, packing those before she found each family member and gave them a hug. Many surprised by the speed of it, but she knew if she lingered it wouldn’t be the fear who got to her but the guilt.
Once all of her goodbyes were said, her father said he would walk her at for a bit. They didn’t spoke but walked in silence until it was finally time to say her last goodbye.
“I’m proud of you.” He grabbed her into his arms and squeezed. “Write often.” He kissed the top Meadowlyn’s head and then turned around to go home. She watched him go but turned the opposite way quickly as the guilt nipped at her feet.Words: 765
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Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2021 6:15 am
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