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 Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 8:12 pm
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Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2013 3:17 pm
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Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2013 7:25 pm
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Posted: Thu Sep 26, 2013 4:07 pm
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Posted: Sun Nov 10, 2013 8:51 am
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Posted: Mon Nov 11, 2013 11:04 pm
Hammer My Heart
So far, since the tournament, Yaholo hadn't seen him. Not one glance, not one brief moment, nope, nothing. What the hell happened to him? Was he okay? This sucked, this feeling, it really did.
Sometimes all he could think to do about it was kick rocks and mumble things that even Tahigwa couldn't comprehend, and his sister had some pretty good ears. But, lately, rocks just didn't seem kickable. They weren't of any value to his emotions any more and it... Well... Messed him up. Not even smacking stuff with his new, shiny, hammer seemed to get his mind off of his thoughts.
And, damn it, everyone from Jauhar to Zena knew Yaholo liked smacking s**t with his hammer.
Quite frankly, the idea of hitting something wasn't there. All he wanted to do was laze about, hang out with his sisters and maybe go swimming, but most of the time, he was laying about and waiting for someone to call his name. It was always his mother or his elder or his sisters, but it was never him! It was frustrating!
But what was really stupid, or rather, pathetic if you will, was that Yaholo had this hope... This stupid, idle, faith, that Oulixes would come running through the damned forest and just want nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with him! Of course, no one knew this was running through the Massif's mind, not even his parents knew just how deep he was in love, or even if he was in love to begin with. You didn't just run over to your parents and shout that you were head over heals with a guy you've probably scared away for the remainder of eternity and, yeah, you just didn't. How would you even begin explaining how you met the guy and where and when and... JUST NO. Telling his parents about his current mental labyrinth was just out of the question. His father would laugh his a** off and his mother would inform the whole village in a matter of seconds, he didn't need to feel more cramped in his own skin than he already was.
Still, even more pathetic, was the fact that he had these moments where he would "catch a glimpse" out of the corner of his eye and drop everything to take a look. Sometimes, he would even run off after these "sightings" and cause himself further embarrassment. Yes, running after nothing was just about as stupid as you could get, but animals were certainly worse. Anything blue was an immediate cause for chasing and investigating, it was getting sad, really, and he knew it.
What was he going to do? Was it just going to go on like this for the rest of his life? Often, when faced with philosophy, he would take a thinking pose with his hammer resting upon his chin, and his face distorting every now and then. Life was complicated, love was even worse, and his brain just wanted everything to go back to simplicity. His parents had it all figured out at one time, they had him to prove it, so how the hell did they do it? How did they get from knowing nothing about each other to being total sweethearts? Would asking for advice help him at all, even with the risk of embarrassment?
No, no, Yaholo didn't need any more humiliation to his name, he had already made a s**t ton of it for himself by training. Any more would just be overkill.
By this time in the thought process, it was time for dinner and relaxation, and he had wasted his whole day staring out at the vast nothing that was the ocean view. Sure, it was pretty, sure it was nice, but it was blue. Anything blue...He swore that he was dreaming in only one color now a days. Blue. All shades of it, too. That wasn't what bothered him about them, though. Each dream involved his hammer smashing into his chest and breaking his heart to pieces. There was never anyone else in the dream to heal him or fix him up, it was just him and the pieces of his heart.
The symbolism of it gave him the most fear. That he would be left alone with nothing but a broken heart, something that he knew he would never be able to properly live with. But, dreams were only dreams, right?
(Word count: 742)
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Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2013 6:48 pm
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Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 7:57 pm
Cowardice, Thy Name Is Father
It was early in the morning and Yaholo had just finished eating breakfast with his mother. Tahigwa was still not back yet from her sprint into the forest a few days prior, which was beginning to worry him. Where had she gone off to this time? Was she injured? Did she need his help? Or was she just trying to piss him off by making him worry? If so, she was succeeding, and she needed to come home right now before he started to go insane.
His usual patrol started out the same as always, despite some pacing and glancing here and there. Sometimes he'd get distracted by a false "blue sighting" and other times he'd hear a crack in a twig and zero in on it to see if it was Tahigwa or not. Neither would yield any sort of sign each time it occurred, so he would continue on his way. However, as he neared the edge of the path, something else popped up on the horizon. It was tall, dark haired, cloaked, and quite pleased to see him. In one quick motion, the hybrid sheathed his hammer, and braced himself for a hug from his father.
"Dad! What are you doing here?" He exclaimed, grinning. "I sent you the letter about Pahana a few days ago with a friend of mine, did it reach you? I'm sorry if you worried!"
Cusick wrapped his arms tightly around his son and squeezed, before reaching upwards to pat him upon his shoulder. He seemed a little jittery, perhaps nervous, but nothing more than that at face value.
"Oh! Yes, I got your letter, no worries about that!" He replied, chuckling. "I'm more concerned about where you're headed, I may need to borrow your hammer for a little while!"
Yaholo gave his father a confused look. Borrow his hammer? What would he need his hammer for? To build something? To bulk up his arms? He shrugged his shoulders, blew a half-raspberry, and shook his head.
"Dad, why would you need to borrow my hammer?" He asked, poking the older man's forehead. "I'm the only one who should use it, you know. Are you in need of a crafting tool? Have all the artisans gone on holiday?"
"Oh, no no no no!" Cusick exclaimed, waving his arms around as he spoke. "I need to borrow your hammer for..." He paused, gazing behind himself, before leaning in to whisper. "Protecting myself from an attacker by the name of Adohi... He's stalking me!"
"An attacker...?" Yaholo mused, folding his arms. Was his father really on the run from someone who was trying to harm him? He blew some of his hair out of his face, rolled his eyes, and gestured to the other man's bow and arrows.
"Use those, you wimp." He muttered. "If this guy is really following you around and making you nervous, shoot him with an arrow and be done with it. It's not my issue unless he tries to attack me."
Cusick leaned backwards as Yaholo referenced to his arrows and clenched his fists.
"He's a sniper, Yaholo!" He cried, lunging forward. "That's why I need your hammer to do a sneak attack! Arrows against arrows is hard, arrows against a hammer is easy!" Again, he paused, gazing at Yaholo blankly. "...Right?"
Yaholo heaved a sigh and held his father back so he wouldn't be able to reach his hammer. However, when Cusick spoke of how a hammer could easily beat a bow and arrow, he couldn't help but unsheathe his hammer and give him a light bonk on the head.
"No, you have no idea how wrong you are!" He scolded, shaking his head. "Arrows are long range weapons that require aiming and precision, a hammer is a short range weapon meant for quick, slamming blows. I wouldn't be at any advantage if I were surrounded by archers unless they came within a decent smacking range. Hell, I might even have a disadvantage!"
As he went further into explaining, a shadowed figure caught his attention. He studied the figure for a moment, tilted his head, and sheathed his hammer.
"That wouldn't happen to be him, would it, dad?" He asked, pointing towards the man.
Cusick spun around quickly to face the shadowed man and immediately lunged backwards. From there he jumped behind Yaholo and went to grab his hammer.
"Don't come any closer or I'll beat your face in!" He screamed.
However, as he lifted the hammer from it's holster, he found that it was too heavy for him to handle and promptly dropped it to the ground. He gazed to the hammer, up to Yaholo, to the figure, and bolted down the path.
"LULJETA! GET YOUR SWORDS!" He cried. "MY BROTHER'S BACK!"
Yaholo bent down to pick up his hammer as his father ran away, before turning towards the figure. The man had moved towards him, his expression rather solemn, something that made Yaholo question his father's sanity. Why was this man so provoking? He didn't look nasty at all!
"Alright, Uncle Adohi." He said, placing his arm around Adohi's shoulder. "Let's go see what that big coward has gotten me in trouble for. He's not supposed to be here and I'm going to get blamed for it. Isn't that wonderful?"
Word count: 884
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Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 8:18 pm
Uncle Adohi
As predicted, Yaholo found himself being scolded by his elders for not properly dealing with his father and uncle while he was out on patrol. His mother had come hobbling to Cusick's side as he ran towards her and were currently chatting somewhere else within the village, against the words of the elders that surrounded them. After his scolding had been completed and his sanity relocated, the Massif went to collect his uncle, who had decided that it was best to stay put outside the village's entrance.
He didn't seem to look too happy, and yet, he didn't seem to look angry, possibly disappointed, but not angry. His dulled chestnut hair was cropped, a little choppy, but neatly aligned with his ears. He was certainly the opposite, in terms of style, of his older brother. Though, what Yaholo was more concerned about was the fact that he had never heard of this man before. Why would his father keep such a big part of his family away from him? Come to think of it, he'd never heard of his grandparents, from either side for that matter. He would have to question his mother about her mother later, but for now, this was his family from Yera, his uncle. He held his eagerness back as he extended his hand out to the other man in greeting. Hopefully, he wouldn't be a racist, and they would get along just fine.
"I apologize for making you wait, uncle." He said, smiling. "It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Yaholo."
Adohi's eyes panned over towards his nephew and seemed to lock onto his. He held this gaze for a moment of more before grasping Yaholo's hand in a firm handshake.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, too, nephew!" He exclaimed. "And I apologize for my rude entrance, Cusick and I aren't on the... Best terms, as you can see."
"Yeeeaaah..." Yaholo replied, chuckling awkwardly. His father was terrified of him, that didn't sound good at all! He glanced to the side for a moment and eventually turned his attention back to Adohi. The man had gone right back to making that same dismal face, looking straight ahead, his eyes deep in thought. Was this typical of him? To just zone out? He placed his hand on his uncle's shoulder.
"I don't know why you two are fighting, but I want to make it better." He said. "I've got two little sisters, one who listens to no one, and one who refuses to watch where she's going. If I can keep them from killing each other, I can help you to patch things up."
Adohi paused, a small smile coming to his features, and sighed.
"If you can get your father to agree, that would be a miracle." He sighed. "After what I did to him, I knew this wouldn't be easy. But I can't live another day with this baggage. It's too much for me to bear."
Yaholo nodded and shifted his posture to lean up against the village gate. He hoped that he would be able to accomplish this for his father and his uncle. They were his family and family always stuck together, no matter what. I mean, It wasn't like Adohi had tried to kill his father...
Right?
Word count: 548
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Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 8:21 pm
Getting to Getting Along
Alright, so, yes, Adohi had actually tried to kill his father before he was born. He had been banished for it, learned himself a few harsh lessons or two, and came back to beg for forgiveness when Kuthun welcomed him back to the tribe. It was something to consider, that he had actually tried to harm his father, but it was so far in the past that he just couldn't comprehend why his father was still harping on and on about it. Yes, dad, he shot arrows at you twenty two years ago and called you terrible names. Yes, dad, he was like a rabid dog and he wanted to hurt you and he broke your arrows and made you feel bad. That's all fine and dandy, wonderful, good! But, it's in the past, let it go! Oh, how he wanted to scream, LET IT GO! Stop harping on and on and on and on about the one time your little brother tried to hurt you!
He found himself in the background of the arguments quite often as they would leave him drained and out of touch if he lingered within them for too long. His father was always on the defensive, backed up against a tree like a weak little Spitorog, while he uncle, fairly reasonable, tried to talk his brother down from a bought of puppy like whimpering. He honestly felt like he was watching a child and an adult argue, where the child refused to give the adult something that they weren't supposed to have and shriveled into a ball in order to keep the adult from snatching it away. No amount of hammer smacks, growling, or, simply, pleading with them, would get either of them to resign from this behavior, and typically, all it took was a good hammer smash to get someone to listen to him.
It was irritating and strenuous to watch them, let alone listen to them, and sooner or later, Yaholo knew he would cave and give up on them. They were hopeless, they would never get along, they would never be brotherly towards each other again. It would all be gone with the wind, swept away in the tides, charred to ashes by the flames, and it would never be salvageable again. But, on the same token, they showed promise. His father would allow Adohi to touch his shoulder for a few seconds longer than the time before, his eyes would become less fearful and lean more towards yearning, before he would shove his brother away again. Something within Yaholo wanted, so very badly, to save their relationship. He wanted them to be brothers. He wanted to have his uncle in his life in a healthy way, not in a way that provoked fear into his father's heart. Sure, he had only heard the story from the tip of his toes in depth, but it was enough to give him some insight. His father had shouted quite a bit of it out, as well as Adohi when he retorted, and it sounded like something out of a tragedy.
A loving mother, a comedian father, and two happy brothers tied at the hip from the start. The older one was a little more outgoing than the other, while the younger brother prefered to be left on his own. However, both boys had a love of archery and hunting, just like their father did. It was on a return trip from hunting practice when the pair came back to their home destroyed by a fire and their mother and father's remains among the ashes and debris. Their mother had left her potting kiln unattended and accidentally set fire to the house. Neither had managed to escape the inferno that ensued, leaving their sons orphaned and without a home. Luckily, for them, their hunting instructor offered them his arms and his home until they were grown. The older boy quickly clung to this surrogate father, while the younger brother resented everything around him. From there, the younger brother began to destroy his older brother's things and beat him up every chance he could. The older brother refused to hurt his brother, but grew equally resentful of him. Soon, neither were talking to the other, and their relationship as brothers had begun to crack.
As the pair grew older, each took a fancy to a girl they had met on their journeys around the world. The younger brother took a bride from a neighboring village in Tale, while the older brother took a sharp twist for a more exotic lover. An Alkidike girl had stolen his heart, and despite his every glance to those of his species, knew it had been sold to her when they met. Thus, when not a soul was awake to question him, he would sneak away to a small home he had built in the trees for he and she to live. She would travel and meet him outside the door, just before the midnight hour. They had a blissful life for quite some time and had traveled across the water to beg for a child who would make their family complete, which, to their delight, had been granted. Everything was fine, until the younger brother burst into the abode, and attempted to assassinate his brother and his Alkidike lover. The tribe elders came racing as they heard the noise, and discovered not only the lovers, but the deranged younger brother who had tried to kill them. He and his family were banished from the village, and the Alkidike was eventually forced to leave at her mother's command. The older brother was left alone, no family, no lover, and nothing to call his own. It wouldn't be until years later that his son would find his way to him after marrying a woman he didn't even love and fathering a daughter with her.
Now many of Yaholo's questions were being answered. His father didn't love Walvia, but married her out of loneliness. It made sense, they never got along! All they did was bicker and whine and... Augh, he was getting sidetracked! This was about his father and his uncle, not his father and his step-mother. That topic would have to wait for another day, week, month, or year, or never, really. In all honesty, if his father left Walvia for his mother, he wouldn't bat an eyelash. It was a welcome idea. Ah, focus! What are they doing now?
He turned his attention back to the argument going on before him, only to pause, and smile. His father had finally caved into a bought of sobbing, as had his uncle. Good, this was start, a very good start. He sighed, stood, and joined them both in a hug.
"I'm happy to see you two embracing each other like brothers." He said. "I think we're making progress. Don't you?"
The pair of brothers looked to each other, smiled through their tears, and nodded towards Yaholo. Then, the trio stood together, arm in arm, and headed down the path back to the village. It was time to find something to eat and call it a day. His father and uncle were weary from their emotional battles, and, though he wouldn't say it, so was Yaholo. But, he was proud of them and of himself, for accomplishing something as hard as this. They were well on their way to being brotherly, and that was all Yaholo could hope they would ever be.
Word count: 1250
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Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 8:21 pm
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Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 8:23 pm
The Calm After The Storm
Days after the busiest week of his lifetime, Yaholo found himself lazing about upon the beach much more than he thought he would ever need to. He longed for a spiritual calm, the one he could find easily week before, but couldn't uncover now. He let out a sigh every now and then, before taking the air back in. Breathing helped, exercise was better, though tiring. He wanted to relax, not bend over panting. Pairing the two was a perfect combo if given the right amount of time to do so. However, Susuya needed him to fetch things for Rastian, and thinking about his own feelings wasn't as easy as racing off to aid the feelings of his ailing friend.
"Hm..." He muttered, sitting at the edge of the shoreline. The waves lapped at the soreness of his feet, a soothing feeling compared to the roughness of the earth he had just walked on. He gazed up towards the sky, squinting against the glare of the sun, and smiled. A perfect day, not a single cloud in the sky. He was grateful to be able to enjoy this day. He hadn't been able to focus on the beauty of the world lately, his mind too preoccupied with worries and frets. Eventually he leaned backwards and laid his head upon the sand, taking a breath in. What a wonderful smell, the ocean. Simply wonderful.
"YAHOLO! I need those bandages now!"
"Coming Susuya!" He cried, leaping up from his place. Ack! He forgot about the bandages! Ah, oh well, at least he got to relax for just a little while.
Word count: 268
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Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 8:24 pm
Lost Child
After the bandages were safely handed off to Susuya, Yaholo was tasked with finding enough red berries to fill three small baskets. Sasaya, Susuya's adopted Shifter daughter had informed Yaholo on the best places to fetch berries of this type, her little voice filling his mind as he wandered along. So cute! She had this little squeak to her speech that made him think about baby Poscuta back in Tale. They scurried and squeaked, alerting their parents to the fact that they were hungry. Yaholo had enjoyed watching them as a child when he climbed trees with Minal and Tayyib. They were just as cute as little Sasaya!
It didn't take him too long to locate the place that Sasaya had talked about, a large alcove filled to the brim with berry bushes. It was sitting right beside a river, which provided the bushes with enough water to survive, as well as the proper atmosphere for ripening. He plucked a few at a time, tossing each into a basket, and hummed a tune to himself. Susuya said she had enough berries to last her another hour or so, which meant that Yaholo didn't really need to rush his picking. There were more than enough berries growing on these bushes to fill these baskets, no need to rush the process along.
He finished filling one of the baskets and set it down upon the ground in exchange for an empty one. As he turned, he stopped short to stare off into the corner of the alcove where a small figure stood. He straightened his posture, blinked twice, and squinted. Who was that? It looked like a Youngling wearing an intricately painted mask, just standing there, staring at him. He arched an eyebrow, set the baskets down, and waved towards the figure.
"Hi there!" He greeted, smiling. "Are you lost? Where are your parents?"
The masked figure leaned forward, seemingly amazed to the fact that it had been spotted, and gave Yaholo a weak wave in return. However, it kept it's gaze upon him, as if enamored with the man standing before them.
Yaholo watched the figures mannerisms and couldn't help but chuckle. Didn't they understand him? He shook his head and turned towards the bushes again. Their parents must be close by, no need for him to worry. He plucked a few berries off the bushes and turned to toss them in a basket, only to come face to face with the Masked figure. "Ah!" He cried. "Don't do that! You scared me!"
The masked figure said nothing and only leaned in closer. Tiny, dark colored hands reached forward to touch Yaholo's arms, before their body seemed to freeze in place.
"...Pa..." It said, before noticing Yaholo's teal markings. "No..."
Pa, no? Did this kid think he was it's father? Yaholo's face twisted into a confused expression. Part of him wanted to give the child a hug while the other part wanted to call for it's parents. But, as he looked the child over, something else about it confused him. The child had markings, like an Alkidike's, but in a sky blue color. He ran his fingers across them and blinked when they smudged, they were nothing but paint.
"Who are you...?" He muttered, moving his hand to pull the mask up from the child's face. Underneath the mask were two bright blue eyes, but they were not of Earthling heritage. This child's eyes were Alkidike, a discovery that sent Yaholo back to square one. The child was dark skinned, had eyes like an Alkidike, but bore no real markings from what he could tell. It was certainly a hybrid child, but of what? Dark skin was a trait from the Leaf Tribe, blue eyes were a trait from the Wind Tribe, and only Alkidikes had bug like eyes. Was that all this child was? He pulled the mask off completely, allowing more light to illuminate the child's face, and couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh, dear..." He said, shaking his head. The child's skin wasn't dark brown, it was dark blue, a Shifter trait! Leaf was out of the question and Wind was iffy, because blue eyes were a trait from the Shifter tribe as well. Now he had more to work with, this child was likely the child of an Alkidike and a Shifter, despite having markings that are painted. He patted it's head and smiled, happy to have that figured out.
"Would you like to help me pick berries and bring them back to my elder?" He asked.
The child blinked, pursed it's lips a little, and shook it's head. It took it's mask back carefully and stepped backwards, before darting back off from whence it came.
Yaholo stood still for quite a while afterwards and eventually went back to picking the remaining berries he needed. Maybe he had spooked the child by taking of it's mask without asking, poor thing. He shook his head and sighed as he left the alcove, taking a glance or two back to make sure the child wasn't there, before wandering back home.
But, running not too far behind was the masked child. It paused every so often to make sure it wasn't being watched, and followed Yaholo all the way back to Andile. Once at the gates of the village, the child froze.
"Ma..." It grumbled. "NO..."
Word count: 895
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Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2013 2:39 am
Fatherly Thoughts
Yaholo didn't know how to explain the small boy clinging to his leg to his elders. The child was oddly colored, obviously of Shifter decent, and very attached to him, even after only meeting him a few hours before. He tried to get the boy to leave by coaxing him, bribing him, and simply telling him he needed to go, but the boy refused to budge from his side. Finally, his elders gave up on trying to get the child to leave, and allowed the boy to remain within the village until his parents were found.
"Ma, no!" The boy exclaimed as they sat in the dirt, playing with his mask. He wasn't too fidgety and seemed content to just be laying in Yaholo's arms like a baby. The Massif was just as content, the kid was kind of cute! Still, his other half was a mystery to him. After his elders had looked him over and washed the paint off, it was clear that he wasn't of Alkidike decent after all, his irises were just a very pale blue that mimicked the whites of his eyes if not viewed in the proper light. What else was he, then? He obviously wasn't Leaf, his hair was too light and his ears weren't as pointed. He had no indication of being an Ice Tribesman, either, his gems weren't in the right space. Yaholo scratched his chin, ruffled the boy's hair, and smiled.
"You're a little mystery, aren't you?" He said, shifting the child so he would be resting his head on his shoulder.
"Aditya!" The boy said, nuzzling into Yaholo's shoulder.
The exclamation left Yaholo confused. Was that his name? He paused, looking towards him again. Perhaps he should have asked that before, when they met in the alcove. He shook his head and stroked the boy's cheek. What sort of person would leave their precious child all alone like this? If he was a father, he wouldn't let his baby out of his sight, not by a long shot.
His eyes went back to scanning the boy, taking on a more loving gaze. Maybe he could be a father, if not to this boy, but to a child of his own. He snuggled the child close to him, taking a subtle delight when his tiny hands wrapped around his neck, giving him a slight squeeze in return. This poor boy... All alone in this world. So fragile, so small... Part of him hoped that his mother or father would be back for him, and part of him hoped he could stay with him forever. It was a conflicting feeling.
"Yaholo! Bring that boy over here!"
"Yes, Susuya!" He replied, standing. Dark eyes gazed towards the boy again, ruffling his hair again, before he moved towards where his elder was standing. There, a Wind Tribesman stood pacing, his eyes filled with worry. However, once he spotted Yaholo and the boy, he let out a cry.
"Aditya! Thank goodness!" The man cried, reaching for the boy. "You've had me worried sick, come to daddy!"
"Papa!" The child cried, lunging for the tribesman. Yaholo allowed the boy to leap into his father's arms and grinned when they started to snuggle close. A loving father, just what Yaholo had hoped. Then, from behind the pair came a Shifter woman, her arms wrapping around them.
"My baby! You're alive!" She sobbed, scooping her son up in her arms.
"Mama!" The boy cried, snuggling into her arms. The couple hugged, cuddled their son, and smiled towards Yaholo and Susuya.
"Thank you so much, if you hadn't found him, we wouldn't have known what to do!" The man said, handing Yaholo a small pouch of coins. "Please, take this as a token of our gratitude!"
Yaholo smiled, but shook his head as he was offered the coins.
"He was an absolute treasure, no need." He said, patting Aditya on the head. "You stay out of trouble from here on out, okay? Don't worry your parents like that ever again."
Aditya nodded, patting Yaholo on the forehead. It wasn't clear if he truly understood what Yaholo was saying or not, but by the look in his eyes he seemed more than relieved to be back in the arms of his parents.
After a few more minutes of talking and the exchanging of locations in case Aditya ever ran off again, the trio went along their way back home, leaving Yaholo and Susuya standing there waving them off. There was a moment of silence before Susuya turned toward Yaholo, examining his face.
"You really wanted to keep him, didn't you?" She asked.
Yaholo paused, shook his head, and turned to walk back into the village.
"He belongs with his parents, not with me." He said, smirking. "Just like my child will belong with me and not with them."
Word count: 809
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Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2013 2:40 am
A Plea To Aisha
He inched himself forward through the trees, cautious about the guards standing out front. How had he managed to get past them that time before? Hm, hadn't he thrown a nut shell or something? He glanced around, there were none at his disposal. So, he waited, the sky growing darker, until the guards left their posts for the night. Slowly he crept behind them and raced around the bend, not once glancing back to where he came in.
The mere sight of Aisha gave his heart a jolt, but it was only slight. He approached her, smiling, and bowed just before the base of her trunk. He remained silent, gazing upwards into her branches, and took a deep breath. It was now or never, he would likely never be able to bring himself to try this again. Hesitantly, he placed his hand upon the trunk, and closed his eyes.
"Great Mother, I've come to ask you something of importance." He said. "Twenty two years ago, you bestowed a gift upon an odd couple, a Leaf man and one of your daughters, which was joyfully accepted. While it may not have been recieved in the way either of them wanted, concerning the way fate can often twist and bind, it was and is still, the most precious thing to them." He paused, looking towards one the lotuses seated upon a branch close to him, before closing his eyes again. "That gift was me, to my parents, and I want you to know how grateful I am to you that you chose to create me for them. I am their joy and they are my world. Thank you, Aisha, Thank you."
He placed his hand back at his side and sat cross legged in front of Aisha, his expression turning contemplative. What was the best way to go about this? How did you begin a topic, no, the first sentence of a topic such as this? He pursed his lips, took a deep breath, and bowed his head.
"I ask you, please, Aisha, bestow the same blessing upon me!" He exclaimed. "I have long since wanted a child of my own. I've taken care of my younger sisters and the lost ones of other tribes whenever they have needed me or asked for my attention. Their laughter and smiles make me happy and feel needed, useful. But, now my sisters have grown, and they no longer need as much attention as they needed when they were young. I am disheartened, but filled with pride as the grow into the women that will eventually become, and I can only think of a brighter future."
He clasped his hands together and placed them in front of his face, bowing further forward. He hoped his words, so far, were as strong in convincing as they were with riling him up.
"Aisha," He began. "I will show my child the way to go, give them a way to grow that is healthy, warm, and humble. They will have a life of comfort and adventure, support and discipline, for I have experienced the same. I beg you, Mother, please! You will not be disappointed, I assure you. My mother and father raised me well, despite their struggles, I have learned so much from them and from the hands of others. My child will be raised with the most wonderful people, as well as be warned of those of ill intent."
He smiled, thinking of Natsu and the others. They would adore his child, just as much as he would adore them. He was sure Natsu would teach them how to sing and that Viveka would try to teach them how to carve, but he would be teaching his child all the basics. How to love, how to fight, how to be empathetic, kind, and ultimately, strong. Strength of the mind, strength of the heart, and strength derived from brawn, his child would know of all of these and how to keep them in check. Too much brawn could make one prideful, too little heart could make one depressed, and too little mind could make one paranoid. He would show them how to keep balance in even the darkest of times.
"Please, I'm begging you." He continued. "While part of my heart may be fussing over someone in Zena, all of me is in Jauhar. I am the Massif of Andile, I guard my sisters with pride and competence. My child will be safe and warm, Mother, I wouldn't let anything harm them." He paused, opening his eyes to gaze up at her again. "And, one day, dear Mother, I would bring them here to meet you. I would carry them upon my shoulders and point towards your mighty branches, and tell them just how they were born. I would say that I wanted them to join me out here where they would make my life far much brighter and warm, for they are my little ball of sunshine. A wonderful prospect, don't you think?"
Word count: 837
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