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 Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2021 7:23 am
It is this time of the year, when the weather starts to get cooler and the crops are all brought in, that the people of Tendaji begin to look back. They look back at the friends they've made over the past year, the people they've come to love, and those they have lost. It's a monumental time of self-reflection, of examining the world they live in and everything that they went through over the past year.
And it's a time to give thanks. Thanks to their gods, to each other, to themselves. It's a beautiful reflective time of year, and one that many Tendaji natives will celebrate with little gifts, special harvest feasts, or a moment alone with those they love.
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2021 7:31 am
Pyanka - 1
“Mama look what I found!” Yelled Pyanka from the sandy beach as she bent over to pick up a large purple pink shell that was twisted onto itself. She turned it over in her hand, eyes wide and mouth slightly open as she gazed at it.
“This is a good one right?” She said as her mother approached. They were looking for gifts because her mothers said it was a special thanks and so Pyanka had decided she wanted to give something to everyone she knew! Everyone would get some kind of bauble she found or crafted herself, she loved crafting with Pyrrha after all!
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2021 7:34 am
Kanika - 1
“Yes, that’s a good one.” Kanika murmured softly as she gazed lovingly at her little daughter. It was the time to be thankful and her daughters reminded her every day to be thankful. Thankful that she had this loving family. It had been a few years now since they’d come here and looking back, she couldn’t forget how thankful she’d been that her mothers were back together.
She couldn’t imagine what would have happened if things had gone badly… if they’d been found while one the run. Kanika pushed the thought away and ran after Pyanka, picked her up swiftly into her arms and hugging her as the little girl giggled.
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2021 7:37 am
Pyanka - 2
Pyanka screamed out her giggles as she was picked up and smothered. She pushed against her mother but was no match against her. When she was finally put down again, she ran off. She still had so many people to thank! So many shells and leaves and rocks to collect for her project!
She quickly spotted more, running over and gathering them all into her arms before running over to Kanika and offering them to her so she could store them in the bag she’d brought.
“Do you think this is enough? I want to thank everyone!” She made a wide arc with her hands.
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2021 7:42 am
Kanika - 2
“I don’t know my love, did you plan on giving everyone in the village a gift?” Kanika mused as she looked down at the little Elidae who frowned lightly. She imagined it was a little hard for kids to grasp the word thankful. Kanika crouched down to be at a similar height to her daughter.
“Perhaps, you want to think really hard about who exactly has really touched your little heart,” she poked a gentle finger on Pyanka’s heart. “Like who has really helped you.” Kanika pushed herself up. Maybe her bag wouldn’t get so heavy if she gave Pyanka something to think about.
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2021 7:50 am
Pyanka - 3
Pyanka kept frowning and frowning as she worked through her mothers words. Well, her mothers always helped her, her sister and cousin and aunt too. Least she forget her grandmothers as well, but she already had gifts for all of those people. She was thankful for some of her friends too and a few of the older women in the tribe. Also, some of the merchants who came around once in a while always had fun little gifts or toys for her.
“I think I have enough.” She said softly and grabbed her mothers hand. This was day two of her collecting and she’d already gotten quite a bit from day one.
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2021 7:56 am
Kanika - 3
Silently, Kanika was thankful her daughter had cut down the list of individuals.
Together they made their way back to their home. Pyanka ran in right away but Kanika stopped to give Pyrrha and Enya a kiss and hello before going in herself. She lingered with Pyrrha for a bit, chatting about what they’d done earlier his morning and what these two had been up to as well.
Kanika was pretty sure she was going to get dragged into some kind of gift making scheme by Pyanka so she bid her two loves goodbye before heading inside to see what her other little love was up to.
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2021 8:00 am
Pyanka - 4
Pyanka had gotten to work the moment she had stepped foot in their home. She’d grabbed all the other things she’d collected and then her supplies which she’d spread over their whole dining table. From paints to glue and then other little decorative items she’d grabbed it all. She took it all in before deciding to separate her gifts into piles. One for family, one for the villagers and then one for anyone else who didn’t fit into those categories.
She already knew each member of her family was getting what she called a pet rock. She opened a few paints and got to work.
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2021 8:27 am
Kanika - 4
Kanika watched her daughter while she leaned on the doorway and gave a little happy sigh. How lucky they had been to have two wonderful children together, so blessed to have two in one go. Then again perhaps the whole family was blessed and she had to be thankful to the trees who had provided so well for her family. Perhaps she would visit their own in the village to give her thanks. She wasn’t ready yet to travel to the one who had bloomed her but perhaps she could arrange a little something as thanks and the distance wouldn’t matter so much. Her mother tree would hear her, she hoped.
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2021 8:36 am
Pyanka - 5
“Mama come help!” Pyanka said when she finally noticed her mother. Kanika was so quiet when she moved sometimes that she often sneaked up on them without anyone realizing. Pyanka had found out it was something she had learned from grandma Zandala when they lived back on the other island. “Come sit.” She tapped the chair next to her.”
Her legs bobbed back and forth on the chair, not quite hitting the floor yet. She was in the middle of painting Pyrrha’s rock, full of greens and flowers for her pretty mama who loved nature. Maybe she’d try and attach some moss on it too.
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2021 8:40 am
Kanika - 5
“You know,” Kanika said as she slide into the seat and picked up an object to look at. “It doesn’t make you very thankful if I’m helping you make gifts for others.” She gave her daughter a look. Still, she would help her.
“What are these piles for? How do you want me to help?” She wondered briefly if her daughter would give thanks to the mother tree as well. Though considering her age she was probably a little too young for that, or at least to realize to be thankful for that. She idly picked up one of their makeshift paintbrushes.
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2021 8:43 am
Pyanka - 6
“I know, I know.” Pyanka rolled her eyes before giving her mother a shell from the pile that she’d deemed ‘other’. They were less, well not less important, but just less. Less than family at least at the people in her village.
“This one needs polka dots. Green to match the blue.” Kanika wasn’t as talented in this kind of stuff as Pyrrha was, but she’d take the help none the less.
“Do you think mama will like this?” The little Elidae showed her mother the rock she was working on. “I want to add moss to it because I am thankful for mama and all the gardening she does.”
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2021 8:48 am
Kanika - 6
“So bossy,” Kanika teased her. But even as she said the words, she grabbed the homemade green paint curtesy of Pyrrha and carefully got to work on those dots. Someone help her if she messed up dots, Pyanka would tell her if she messed up and she’d have to start all over again. As she worked, she glanced at what her daughter was working on.
“Yes I think that’s a very lovely gift and she will love it.” Kanika wondered what Pyrrha did with all the rocks she got from Pyanka. It was the Elidae’s favorite gift to give. She’d have to ask her later tonight.
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2021 8:58 am
Pyanka - 7
“I want to draw a boat and flowers for Enya, and I obviously won’t tell you what I am doing for yours.” Because it was all supposed to be a surprise! “Grandma Lumikani is getting the same colors as her and grandma Zandala is getting an arrow and auntie…” And on and on she went listing off every individual that she was thankful to, everyone person who had touched her heart in some way to leave a lasting mark. She was thankful that all of these people had entered her life and for what they had brought or taught her.
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2021 9:01 am
Kanika - 7
Kanika’s eyes grew wide as she listened to Pyanka list off a very long series of names and items they were receiving. She couldn’t only imagine what her first list had been before she’d decided to trim it up a bit. There was a lot of family at least, their family tree was rather large. A few she didn’t recognize and she wondered why Pyanka was thankful for them.
Taking a deep breath, she let herself just enjoy this time. This was exactly the kind of thing she was thankful for, the little moments that simply made her happy beyond anything else. She couldn’t believe how blessed she was.
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