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X - Ah the clingy one [Gerraden and Jerarda]

✱Stalker? X - Gerr/Voll/Jera

So i've been thinking...X - Animah and Jerarda

X - The time has come : Jerarda/Animah/Rishima

Large house hold - Triplets/Jera/Animah X

reserved for solo - The extremists

It wasn't to say that Jerarda was immune to the extremists actions, nor was she deaf or turning a blind eye to their actions which had been happening in the area. Rumors spread like wild fire and what started as a trickle became a flood of instances. Extremists were threatening people, hyrbids as other sisters who sympathized with hybrids...some had even resorted to violence to get their point across.

But she had her family to take care of and she didn't feel it right to leave Animah alone so she could take a trip back to the isles to demand what was going on and what was going to be done about this strange new desire her sisters were getting to purge all those who were not pure. Instead she stayed home, looking after their two girls and boy which turned out to take a lot of effort but it was worth it, she loved all her children and was happy that Animah had brought the subject of family up to her. Unable to imagine her life without them it sent chills down her spine to think there were others who would want to take that away from her.

Though she disliked leaving Animah with the children alone, she knew the woman could wield magic So it wasn't as if she was defenseless but it still put her on edge. Foot steps traveled along the upper branches of the tree's nimbly the bark barely bothering the toughened soles of her feet. Trying to stay positive she took in her surroundings, the day was beautiful, it wasn't too muggy as only a light rain had fallen the night before. Promising the kids some fresh fruit that was a bit harder to come by she had managed to locate a tree with the fruit ripe and ready for the plucking.

Reaching the upper canopy was hardly a challange, and balancing the basket in her arm Jerarda was reaching for a piece of fruit before she heard something. It was a couple of voices coming from the forest floor a ways away from her. Adjusting her position, she placed the fruit in the basket she had recruited for the task before she made sure it was safely placed in a nook of the tree which would prevent the contents from spilling. Spear laying between a forked branch her fingers reached for her spear, wrapping around the shaft before she shifted her weight and slipped down from her high perch so she could better access the situation.

The voices were closer than she had anticipated and when she was finally able to see whom they belonged to the sight she saw jarred her a moment causing her to still and catch her breath. There were three of them all women, they were sisters of her race, but their hair was brutely short and it caused her to reel from the bizarre sight. Peering from the branch she was on she thought about what she was seeing, of the rumors she had heard. Of sisters having their hair cut off in a sort of shaming ritual, it had been a rumor that had been floating around and she had taken the information lightly. Whom it was going around cutting off their hair was still unknown to Jerarda but she was sure she wasn't going to like the sister who would do such a thing.

Crouching she inched her way down closer to the women who were sitting on an outcropping of rock talking in rather harsh tones. Antenna twitching she leaned forward, her hair fetish's jingling as it slipped past her shoulder, causing the ones on the forest floor to stiffen and go on the alert. Swords and spears in hand, there was even one who had a bow, raised strung and ready to let the arrow go. Though they hadn't figured out where she was just yet Jerarda had to wonder why they were on such high alert. Granted if they had been attacked and shamed it would be a good reason to be a bit paranoid.

Licking her upper lip, she bared her teeth a moment feeling that strange thrill she hadn't experienced since parent hood. A feeling of adrenaline that made her want to do stupid things like she had once done when she was younger. But she couldn't indulge in that impulse, she wasn't stupid. Out numbered and with one of them wielding a ranged weapon she was most likely to get skewered before she could get close. Giving a sharp whistle she then dropped down suddenly, the arrow having been loosed where she would of been if she hadn't dropped.

Raising her spear she looked to group over, meeting the eyes of some of her sisters who weren't entirely sure what to make of Jerarda's sudden appearance. They group consisted only of three members, all of their hair was of various stages of growing back. Though all were still only centimeters long each sister wore a very grim face as if she were the enemy. Though she hadn't met any of them before she got the idea they wouldn't hesitate to label her the bad guy and attack without provocation.

"Stand down sisters, I only wish to speak." Jerarda started as she didn't want to pick a fight at this exact moment. Besides she needed to know what had happened to them before she could make any proper assessments or judgements The leader a gruff looking sister wielding two short swords gave a motion that must of indicated to stand down although to keep their guard up.

"What is it you wish to speak of?" She spat to her left before returning to stare at Jerarda looking quite cross. This allowed Jerarda to take a better look over the trio her focus primarily on the leader. Some time had passed that her hair had begun to grow back, but it was still a shock to see not one but several with their dreads gone. Her markings were angular and sharp much like the woman's features. Jerarda straightened as she placed the butt of her spear into the earthen floor, she noted that the sister with the bow still had her arrow notched, she wasn't trusted it seemed. Times were uncertain indeed when the trust of your sister was a very fragile thing.

"I wish to know whom it was who has shamed you." Jerarda spoke slowly asking the question primarily wondering if they knew. Just because they had been attacked it didn't necessarily mean they learned their attackers name. Shifting she made it clear she wasn't about to drop her own weapon, the spear head angled towards the sky, and the tense atmosphere was becoming charged.

Giving a snort it became quickly evident that these women were probably had situations that resulted them being targets of the shaming. Like they had deserved it.

"Sister Jerarda, being that you are of higher rank we acknowledge your prowess...but you have defiled the great mother Aisha by bringing an outsider to ask for a lotus. We have nothing we wish to discuss with you..and we will gladly do the same to do and has been done to us if you don't leave." Swords were drawn back up into a more defensive stance and were like a silent message were passed along the rest of the group.

Lowered weapons were raised again and Jerarda took her time, not backing down immediately. Ah, so these were the extremists. The one who had shamed them probably had a good reason for doing it, though she still wasn't positive if something so drastic was required. The rather unsubtle threat betrayed that perhaps at one time these women had admired Jerarda but now knowing that she was in a mixed race relationship with kids from it...

Jerarda went to lift her spear slightly, angling it towards the leader in a lazy manner before speaking,

"Though I was once of the same opinion as you, long ago when I was young and ignorant of the world...perhaps if you allowed yourself the privilege of .."

Her speech was cut off suddenly as an arrow came whizzing towards her head. Weither it was that Jerarda was lucky or it was deliberate, was hard to say. But the arrow missed Jerarda by a hairs breath imbedding with a solid sound in the tree behind her. There was silence as Jerarda had lost her train of thought as she had come rather close to having an arrow in her face. Soon someone spoke,

"Shut it, we don't need to be lectured by someone like you. How dare you defile Aisha like you have! Do you have no pride?" Came the hot words tumbling from the lips of the archer, she looked to be readying another arrow though her hands were shaking with either nervousness or anger. Perhaps a combination of the two. Their leader though raised a hand to indicate she hold her weapon and stand down.

"We have had enough with sympathists for the mixed bloods like you and others. We will restore the pride that belongs to the Alkidikes and to Aisha. We will reclaim the forests of Jahaur and force the outsiders to flee. So you better think twice about starting something with us." Words layered with something similar to disappointment perhaps in what Jerarda had become. A hybrid loving alkidike who had lost her pride in her race.

" You should probably move your family if you know what is best for them." Their leader was rather level headed although gruff, perhaps she was still recovering from past wounds and it had made her wiser with whom she should pick fights with, that or she didn't want to see bloodshed that could be avoided. Turning she gave a stern look to her other two associates before she gestured to them.

"Come on sisters, lets move out.."

Without anything else said Jerarda was left there as the trio gathered their things and each one casting a glare in her direction before they moved into the forest fading into the shadows like bad dreams.

Glancing back to the arrow that was still imbedded in the bark of the tree behind her she confirmed that what had just happened was indeed real. Sighing she went to pluck the arrow out of the tree. With much force it came out and she murmured a small word of apology to the tree. Looking back over her shoulder she looked for any more arrows that may of decided to come in her direction, and when none were seen she went to climb the tree again. Back into the canopy where she sat a moment to think.

These extremists were all too real, and they were willing to shoot at their elders who didn't agree their views. Jerarda knew she should go and speak with the elders, but she was too worried now, worried about her family...the idea of uprooting them after they had finally gotten established angered her. It made it feel as if she was running away, which was not the case. She just wanted her family to be safe. Then there was Rishima, and his stalker Gerraden. What about them? Both being hybrids they would be the target of extremists... were they safe?

Feeling suddenly overwhelmed she didn't know what to do, grasping her basket of fruit she aimlessly moved in the direction of her home. There were too many people she wanted to protect but how could she a single person do anything about it? She couldn't just abandon her family to right this wrong...could she? No. She would discuss it with Animah, if they felt they had to flee their home that would be just that. Her thoughts went back to the shifter she had a battle with a couple days before. She had stumbled across him and demanded another spar since she recalled their previous one had led to her being the victor. She had been surprised though at his tenacity and the fact he could use magic to heal ultimately meant he won the battle she had had demanded of him.

Earthlings...were strong. It made her feel a bit of shame in her core as she had once called them the weaklings..how Alkidikes were the superior race...and now she was with an earthling with a family to boot. If she could only go back in time and talk to her former self, but such things were not possible and she couldn't lament about something she couldn't change.

Lost in her thoughts as she moved about the limbs of the tree the basket of fruit in the crutch of her arm whilst she had her spear in the other. So use to being up in the branches she didn't need her arms to help her balance, but her antenna twitched as she felt a vibration in the air. Slowing down she looked over her shoulder eyes casting around for what was causing her to hesitate. There it was...a glint of metal as the sun betrayed its position just before it was set loose.

Basket dropped as the arrow came flying in her direction she was quick to swing up into the higher branches were it was denser. Range would have a much harder time aiming for her up in the foliage but Jera was scowling at this point. She had let the extremists go their way on good faith that they wouldn't try to ambush her later. Even if they were people with misguided intentions she had hoped that being sisters would prevent them from being so dishonorable. It hadn't seemed like the leader had wanted to start a fight, but had she sent the archer to take care of her?

Seemed she had to rethink her own mind set. Shifting her weapon in her own hand she crept along the branch knowing that each movement would reveal her presence being on the higher and thinner branches. Another arrow came in her direction and though this one also missed the archer knew her location. Jerarda knew she would either need to speed up her approach and confront her attacker or disappear.

Without much time to decide another arrow had been knocked and aimed in her direction. The girl was narrowing in on her spot as the third arrow got closer. Taking a deep breath Jerarda dropped from her perch landing on a much thicker branch below before quickly going down another level of the tree. Another arrow whizzed by her, but her rapid movements were making it much harder for the sister to actually aim properly. Meanwhile Jerarda was pinpointing the exact spot the arrows were coming from and closing in the distance.

The girl was now in view and Jerarda had intended to leap at the girl at the very last second. Though she didn't want to fight another sister, not like this with the intent to perhaps hurt her she was surprised as she went to push off the branch and move towards the girl she caught from the corner of her eyes a second figure suddenly dashing in front. Feet landing on the ground she swing her weapon, just as her spear came down a short sword rose to meet it, effectively blocking the attack the leader of the small troupe glared at Jerarda. Breathing heavily the three were silent for a moment, Jera noted that the second short sword had come down on the girls bow..leaving it in disrepair. It was that the leader had apparently come to stop this fight.

Tense as they all tried to gather themselves and figure out the next move but it was Jera who unlocked her weapon from sword and took a step backwards though not lowering her weapon. The scowl on her face was too apparent, as if she demanded an explanation for this.

"We are going. I will talk with you...later." The woman spoke levelly although her words were targeted at the younger archer behind her who was now blushing furiously and staring at the ground. She had it seemed acted on her own and much to her leaders displeasure.

"Your comrade attacks me, with the intent to kill and you expect me to simply let you walk away?" Jerarda demanded as she jammed the butt of her spear into the soft forest floor below. The leader hardly paused, in fact it didn't seem as if she was going to acknowledge her comment at all until she pushed her comrade ahead of her. As if making sure she got the hint to keep walking as she turned to look at Jerarda.

"What? You seek bloodshed? I stopped her before she could do any harm leave it at that and count yourself lucky." The leader spoke evenly, though seeing how her jaw line was rather tense one could sense she was grinding her teeth.

"You know that isn't what I meant." Jerarda hissed, feeling every muscle in her body tensing as the leader's hand went to the hilt of her blade before it dropped to her side.

"How can I trust you won't attack others, weaker and more inexperienced than I? I can't let you just walk away." Jera continued her own hand reaching down to her spear, though it was the bark of laughter from the leader who caused her to stop.

"You will let us walk away. If you choose to engage us here...well I can't promise your family will be fairing well...now can I?" Came the not so subtle threat.

TBC

Word Count: 3060

Battle - Ingwe vs Jerarda X

Battle: Jerarda vs Gerraden X