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Post by Dina Doo on Sept 19, 2014 19:24:52 GMT -8
"Dear Cadoc, Eska," Tikani muttered, rolling her eyes. "Will you two try to control yourselves around little Anyu, please?" Sometimes it's difficult to remember that Tikani is only nineteen years old. With a sigh, she returned to preparing dinner for everyone. Even still, she smiled still, always amused by the brothers' antics.
Even Kiya smiled lightly at their exchange, but that disappeared when she heard Dusty offering if she wanted to hold Anyu. Without hesitation, she shook her head, declining. "I've never held a kid before," Kiya admitted quietly. "I wouldn't want something to happen." Her smile returned when Anyu started to giggle wildly. "See? He's perfectly happy being with you, Dusty."
"Exercise is good for you, Pana," the shaman said with a chuckle. "I'm fine. I made it out here, didn't I? I can definitely manage getting back to the village." But Pana was probably right, it was probably easier for Sakari to get around when he transformed, especially since it was easier to travel through the snow as a leopard. "I probably have some food left. If not, I can always go around and beg again. There's always spare food floating around."
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Post by clouds just clouds on Sept 19, 2014 21:50:35 GMT -8
"It's not like he can understand," Eska smirked at her, and did catch the smile on her lips. He continued to help her, feeling bad that she did all this work for him, even though it wasn't like he just sat around on his ass all day. He had a ton of things to do, like figure out patrols, figure out problems between neighbors before they went to the elders, and so on. All the awesome things that chiefs did.
Dusty tilted his head and watched her. "Better practice," he whispered before laughing softly and glancing down at Anyu, smiling brightly at him. "Cadoc, I'm going to miss him so bad..." He rocked Anyu. "Do you want to know something crazy? Kiya is afraid to hold you! How silly. You're so cute, too. It's been too long since I've seen you, Onion..." He felt his eyes water as he looked at Anyu, the entire situation suddenly falling on his shoulders. This was the last time he was going to see Anyu.
The last time he saw Tikani.
The last time he saw his brother...
Sniffling to stop the tears, Dusty smiled brightly at Anyu. "You, little man, I hope you're paired with someone who you're going to love. You deserve snow falls full of love."
Pana sighed at Sakari's stubbornness. His father had been stubborn, too. "There's food at..." His voice died. His hut? Maybe it would be best if Kiya took the rest of the meat. She got if for them anyways. Shaking his head, "Alright. I-I am not going to beg, though." His cheeks flushed red and he pulled his mask on. And since Sakari was being stubborn, he fell into his leopard form to pad beside Sakari, watching him with a pointed gaze.
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Post by Dina Doo on Sept 21, 2014 10:23:44 GMT -8
"I know, but he's too precious for any of that," the mother mused lightly, turning to Eska. In a low voice, she said, "You don't have to help, Eska. Why don't you go sit with Dusty, spend some time with him? I can handle this." Her smile brightened. "Go on, go sit with your little brother."
Perhaps, Kiya had noticed Dusty's moment of sadness, heard his sniffle. She tried leaning against him, lulling her weight against his as she quietly watched the adorable child Dusty held. "I'm sure his mother and your brother will make sure he'll get someone good," Kiya muttered with a small smirk. "Maybe he'll grow up to be a strong warrior, maybe strong enough to kick your butt when you see him again." See, it wasn't if, it was when. Because there was no point in reiterating that there really was a chance that Dusty would never see them again.
If Cloudy wants, we could always skip a mew minutes and say that Pana and Sakari arrived back at the hut. And if that happened, then maybe Sakari entered the hut and started moving stuff around so he could find a place for Pana to sleep. "Do you need to get anything from your place?" He asked, looking up at the latter.
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Post by clouds just clouds on Sept 21, 2014 19:02:14 GMT -8
"But, Tikani," Eska murmured, glancing over to the two of them, seeing Kiya lean against Dusty. "He seems a little busy at the moment." Though, he paused and smiled happily to her. "Alright... I will. Thank you, Tikani." Slightly hesitating, he kissed her cheek before pulling away and moving to sit on Dusty's side, smiling softly as he looked down at Anyu.
"Nu-uh," Dusty teased, smirking lightly. "I'm going to become super tough. I'm going to become the best warrior this land has ever seen and then I'll make Anyu into the perfect little warrior." He smirked at his brother. "Because Eska is a weak little sh- piece of leopard dung."
Laughing, Eska shook his head. "You're a little brat. I beat you during the trials."
"Maybe," Dusty smirked lightly before glancing over at Kiya. "Are you guys getting along?"
Pana shook his head. "I will wait for tomorrow to get things that I need." He didn't want to risk running into anyone. By the time they reached the hut, he had turned back into his human form. As Sakari moved things around, he made sure that the fire was running strong. Not that he would say it, but he hoped that Sakari would put him near him...
It had been a while since they cuddled.
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Post by Dina Doo on Sept 21, 2014 19:56:27 GMT -8
"I guess," Kiya muttered, staring down into her lap. She pulled her arms into her furred parka in an attempt to warm her hands. Being used to hunting and fighting with a bow, she didn't wear gloves, only some sort of leathery finger-less glove on one hand that would protect her skin and wrist from being cut by the flying arrow as it let go. And it was cold outside and her hands were cold, so there. After a moment, Kiya finally gathered the will to look up at Eska again and uttered sheepishly, "By the way, sorry for hitting you. And everything else that I did." She more or meant stealing Dusty away from Eska, but refused to say that outright. That was all of the words she could muster on the subject of an apology. Her gaze fell again, finding something more interesting to look at, which was nothing.
Sakari probably had the same idea in mind, but he said nothing about it. That was something they could wait on. He sat down on his own sleeping mat and stretched out his lame leg, wincing slightly as he did so. There were plenty of times, plenty of occasions where he considered the idea of amputating his own leg out of frustration and the desperate need of not wanting to be in constant pain (it wasn't agonizing pain, but some days, when it was cold enough and he moved to much...). But then he'd never be able to get around. "How are you?" The shaman asked quietly, his face soft. "I mean, how do you feel about what happened at the trial?"
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Post by clouds just clouds on Sept 21, 2014 20:40:48 GMT -8
"No," Eska said softly, smirking lightly, "I already said I forgive you. And plus, I think Dusty is in better hands. Much better than Sakari--only because Dusty probably would have broken the rules sometime because he didn't want to marry him." Eska leaned his head on Dusty's shoulder and played with Anyu's hair. "You two will have to be careful." He leaned down and pressed his lips to Anyu's head.
"I'm going to miss you," Dusty whispered, pushing his face into Eska's hair.
"I'll miss you too..." He croaked lightly.
Pana moved to sit near Sakari, and he wrapped his arms around his legs. His own cracked mask was left elsewhere since the crack probably irritated him. "I don't know.." He spoke quietly. "I feel conflicted. I'm guilty, but... I'm also relieved I don't have to..." Pana's voice died. "But I feel terrible." His head rested in his arms.
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Post by Dina Doo on Oct 1, 2014 18:18:20 GMT -8
Perhaps, some time had passed and dinner had been served. Tikani found a place to sit beside Eska, a plate of her own resting in her lap. "So, you two want to hear some tips surviving out in the wild, right?" She asked, looking up at Dusty and Kiya. It was Kiya who nodded.
With permission to proceed, Tikani set her plate down and sat up. That soft look she usually carried with her dropped. Tikani began, looking as serious as ever. "It won't be easy. Especially if your food sources have moved on. Stay close to the mountains if you're caught in a blizzard and if you find shelter, don't try to venture out. Stay inside and build a fire, keep warm. There will be many times when you will go without food, so try to conserve the meat you already have."
"But what are we supposed to do about the monsters?" Kiya asked, lulling her head against her propped up knees.
For a brief moment, both pain and fear flashed across Tikani's gray eyes. Those brutes had ruined everything... "I... I don't know," she uttered quietly. The nineteen year old (it's super easy to forget she's the same age as most of the brats in the main group) pondered saying more, but said nothing. Tikani silently debated whether she should tell them to truth, or to spare them the same fear and helplessness she had experiences when the monsters appeared.
But they could die, a voice in the back of her mind whispered. Tell them. They need to know.
"They will never stop hunting you." Tikani's gaze fell for a moment before she was able to muster enough strength to look up. "Not unless you're far enough ahead of them to find cover or attack them." A shiver ran through her as she remembered trying to run from them, strength waning, her sister gone, their jaws snapping behind her. Then falling, knowing death was upon her, then nothing.
Tikani took in a shaky breath, calming herself because she didn't need to make a scene.
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Post by clouds just clouds on Oct 1, 2014 22:00:54 GMT -8
Dusty's breath froze in his chest, along with every single cell of his body. All except his heart. At first it beat slowly, then more loudly. It filled the room--at least to him--and bounced off the walls, pressing more and more weight on his shoulders and began to slowly suffocate him.
Bah-dump.
.....
Bah-dump.
..........
Bah-dump.
Bah-dump.
Bah-dump. Bah-dump.
Bah-dump. Bah-dump. Bah-dump. Bah-dump. Bah-dump.
Bah-dump.Bah-dump.Bah-dump.Bah-dump.Bah-dump.
They were going to die.
And they were all alone.
He hadn't realized it, but the sudden meaning of events piled up on him and produced a mini panic attack. A blinding light filled eyes for a few moments and he felt as if all the air in his lungs didn't hold any oxygen, and he was losing all of it.
Eska, who had moved over to hold Tikani and push his face into her shoulder, felt torn. Did he address his brother's panic attack? Or help Tikani?
In the end, he decided to save Anyu from Dusty's freak-out. Just in time, too. "We're going to die." Dusty said out loud, his head falling into his hands. "And starve."
"Dusty," Eska said sharply, hoping to yank him out of his attack. "You're one of the best fighters this tribe has. Kiya is one of the best hunters. You will survive. Do you understand? You will."
Tears filled Dusty's eyes and he shook his head. "It's stupid, do you know how stupid this all is!? Why is it a fucking crime to love someone!"
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Post by Dina Doo on Oct 3, 2014 3:04:33 GMT -8
Kiya scooted forward, trying to wrap her arms around Dusty so she could pull him close. Her head bowed as she tried resting her head against his shoulder, her own gaze hidden, her own fears subdued. But their situation truly did sound hopeless. What chance did they have? "There's nothing we can do about that now, Dusty," she muttered. "It's already been done. You're brother's right. We still have a chance and we will if we're smart about it all. We'll be okay..."
"I'm sorry," Tikani finally said, glancing up at the two once more. "I shouldn't have said anything about it... But at the same time, you needed to know, otherwise you'd die." Her fists, resting in her lap, clenched tightly. "But, all of this is only from my own experience. You two will have better luck since there's only two of you, and both of you can travel faster than a large group, like we were... Dusty," her voice was soft now in an attempt to comfort him from where she sat. "You two will fair much better out there, with each other, than you ever would than you ever would in the village, living the miserable lives that someone else has given you. I know, it's scary out there. But you'll be free."
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Post by clouds just clouds on Oct 7, 2014 20:19:35 GMT -8
Dusty closed his eyes, trying to focus on their words to calm down. He allowed himself to be pulled closer to Kiya and took her body as comfort. It was all he would have. Stop thinking thoughts like that. Swallowing, Dusty cracked his lips, "I'm okay, I-I'm sorry..." A panic attack. It sneaked up on him, and most likely, he'll have more than one. Maybe he should... maybe they should have gotten some herbs from Sakari.
But wasn't he running low on some? Didn't he need some for the rest of the tribe? It would be selfish to take any. Swallowing, Dusty found himself calmer and he smiled weakly at Kiya. "Sorry, that was lame of me..."
His eyes flickered over to Tikani. "You're right... I... it. It's just..." Dusty didn't know how to explain it.
Luckily, Eska saved him from having to explain further. "It's better to know what's out there than to go out blind. Thank you, Tikani..." Eska, perhaps, squeezed her hand if he could. He wasn't thanking her for them. He was thanking her for helping him not lose his brother... even if he was. "Dinner is almost ready, right?"
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