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Goro sat staring at his potter's wheel. A tiny misshapen lump of clay sat there, unmoving. He needed to start spinning the wheel before the clay dried too much, but his heart just wasn't in it. Not after last night. He shouldn't let his feelings interfere with his work. His wife really needed the money they would earn today, and no one would come into his potter's shop if they couldn't hear the wheel turning. He could already hear a few people moving around the street. Nolan, his nephew and apprentice would be here soon. Nolan, the boy with the unfortunate name. Nolan, born right before the lailani became a bad word. Nolan who was just a little too old to have his name changed when the schism came. But, the kid wasn't really the problem, just a reminder.
The door creaked, signalling Goro to kick the wheel into motion just as Nolan walked in. "Good morning, Uncle," the boy was cheerful this morning. All the more annoying. Goro nodded to him as the boy headed out the back door to the kiln. Hands moving quickly, Goro rapidly formed the clay into a bowl. Popping the bowl off the wheel, he grabbed another tiny lump of clay. Normally he had 5 bowls done by this time. It didn't really matter though, Nolan could make up the difference later. Goro was starting the second bowl when Nolan came back in with an armful of yesterdays bowls and pots. Goro watched offhandedly as the boy arranges the items on the shelves. It's getting harder and harder to tell which items were made by Nolan. He was going to need a new apprentice soon, Nolan was going to be with him much longer.
Ril had wanted to be his apprentice. No, his name was Rilan now, if he was even still alive. Rilan was a good kid. He'd had an abundance of the qualities the apprentice needed. And, he even had steady hands and an eye for detail. Nolan was good, but Rilan could have been great. Could have.
Splat.
Both Goro and Nolan gave the wheel a startled look. It was empty of course, the walls nearby were holding the wet-clay pieces of what should have been a bowl. It had been over 20 years since Goro had splattered anything. Nearly 30 years since he'd failed at making something so simple as a bowl.
"Uh, I'll clean it up," Nolan volunteered hesitantly, "Why don't you... uh..."
"You do that," Goro replied, "it's about time for me to start up the kiln anyway."
"Um... Master Uncle, I uh... usually uh..." Nolan stuttered uncertainly.
"I'll do it," Goro said, once again using force than he intended. Trying to calm down a bit, he continued, "Just get the place cleaned up, Mrs. Wilma will be in here soon. I heard her son break another jar last night."
"Sadrew is too clumsy, I don't know why Mrs. Wilma even lets him touch anything." Nolan tried to lighten the mood, Goro narrowed his eyes, and the boy quickly realised today wasn't a good idea to point out clumsiness. "But at least it means she's always buying new jars and stuff," Nolan tried to change the subject.
"Hummph," Goro replied, as he headed out the back door. Wiping his clay-stained hands on his apron, he grabbed a bucket of manure and headed to the kiln. Hardwood was expensive and rare, so most of the heat was generated from burning manure and straw. It was cheap, but it stunk, and the fire had to be feed nearly constantly. Nolan had devised a chute system that allowed the fire to feed it self for a while. But is wasn't good enough to keep the kiln going all night. So, a new fire had to be started every morning.
The sun was just coming up as Goro mechanically dumped buckets of manure in the chute. It filled way too quickly, but Goro didn't notice. Putting the bucket down, he turned the crank once to dispense some manure into the kiln and knelt down to light it. But, there wasn't any manure in the kiln. Instead, there was a small misshapen clay bowl. Taking it out, Goro looked at it in wonder. It looked familiar, but Goro couldn't remember who had made it. Turning it upside down, he noticed a name written in tiny letters R-I-L.
It was the bowl Rilan had made when he Goro was testing to see if he could be a good apprentice. Rilan must have put it there last night before the... unpleasantness.
Goro thought back to that night. He had stayed at the shop late to finish up a large jug order, when a knock had sounded on the back door. It was Rilan and his mother, seeking asylum from the city guards who had somehow discovered they were lailani. He had refused, even knowing they had nowhere else to go, even knowing the guards would probably kill them. He had refused because he valued his precious shop more highly than their lives. He had refused because he didn't want to risk his business or reputation. He signed their death sentence because the guards that came later would have wrecked his wares if he had hidden them. But now, his shop was just an empty reminder of what he had done.
"Um uncle," Goro startled at the sudden noise. Nolan and Goro watched together as Rilan's bowl slipped out of his hands and fell to the ground. Crash. It shattered.
"Someone's here to see you," Nolan continued, "I'll clean that mess up too. Where did you get the dumb looking bowl? Oh well, it will probably be more useful in pieces anyway."
"And I'm sure that's how the scientists see Rilan," Goro mumbled under his breath.
The End.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Found
"What's your name, boy!" a large, rotund man in a blood stained apron shouted at a dirty-faced youngster.
"Boi," the boy whispered, knowing the butcher wouldn't understand. He mentally cursed his parents for giving him such a name, so what if the name belonged to his grandfather.
"Don't get smart with me!" the man started waving his giant butcher's knife menacingly.
Boi glanced around nervously, the street was a busy one, but this was a rough area of town. Passers-by gave the two of them a wide girth, but other than that, no one paid any attention. He shouldn't have stayed up so long past sunrise, but it had been a bad night, and he was starving. Shrinking back from the large man's gaze, he murmured, "my name is Boi, sir."
"Boser? What sort of name is that?" the butcher guffawed, "Scram! your kind aren't allowed around here!"
Boi stared at him a incredulously, that was what this was about? Obviously, the butcher hadn't seen him snatch the string of sausages. Humans really had a horrible sense of smell. Boi backed away slowly, it was never a good idea to turn your back on a knife. Joining the crowd, he made his way to the abandoned building that he shared with a host of other homeless people. The front doors were barred, but there were plenty of other openings if you knew where to look. He found the basement window that was just too small for most adults, and slipped through. Dropping clumsily to the ground, he sniffed the air. Something smelled different. It was hard to tell over the stench of refuse, but it almost smelled like lailani. His little sister was down here, but the two of them hadn't smelled of lailani in a long time. They smelled of the sewage and rotting trash that decorated their home. No one else ever came down here, becaus it was too hot, and the stench owas nearly overwhelming. But, that ment the they were left alone, and he only had to share what little food he found with his sister. Well, no one usually came down, but clearly there was someone down here in the basement other than his sister and him. The smell got stronger as he moved to their corner. He hoped his sister was alright. He'd promised his parents he'd take care of her.
"Ral?" he whispered his sister's name as he moved cautiously toward their sleeping place.
"Boi?" a child's voice eminated from the darkness, "You came back!"
It wasn't long before she came into view. She was so tiny, she'd barely grown in the two years they'd been on the streets. She barely looked two, not the four years old that she actually was, but then, no one thought him old enough to be 9 either.
"Look who I met," the girl chattered, as Boi focused his senses on the wolf standing in the dark near Ral. Boi passed the sauseges off to his sister, since he'd already eaten two, and flicked into wolf form. The wolf stood still as Boi made a slow circuit around him, sniffing for a hint of anger or malice. Satisfied the lailani wasn't planning them immediate harm, he flicked back into common form.
"Why are you hare?": Boi questioned, as he grabed a sausage from Ral and settled into the dirty straw that was his bed.
"Wolf Clan should not live like this," the man had managed to get into common form faster than anyone Boi had ever seen.
"The floor is thin," Boi commented, mouth full of sausage. He was willing to hear the lailani out, since they were from the same clan, but he didn't need his neighbours discovering that he wasn't human. They'd turn him and his sister in an an instant, just in case. There was a reward.
"You two can come with me, and live as a wolf should live... free," the lailani said in a quieter voice.
Boi eyed the man suspiciously, but Ral seemed to have no such inhibitions, she chattered excitedly, "He says that where he comes from, there's lots of food to eat, and real toys to play with, let's go!"
The first thing you learn on the streets is not to trust anyone. The man was lailani, the same clan as them even, but even that was no garentee that he was trustworthy. Boi had heard stories of lailani selling other lailani to the humans as sleaves. It was a well known fact that everyone, lailani and human, only do thing that will benefit them in some way. "We're fine here," Boy muttered.
"You don't look fine," the man commented, "My name is Malan by the way, what is yours?"
"I'm Ral," the little girl volunteered, "Boi is my big broth...ouch!" she turned to Boi, "Why'd you kick me?"
"I didn't kick you, Boi replied. Giving out names wasn't safe. He tried to protect her from the harsh realities of life, so it was probably his fault she was so trusting and naiive. But that didn't give her an excuse to go giving out names like it was nothing.
"Boi?" Malan looked thoughful, "grandson of Boian and Nelanya?"
"Maybe," Boi replied cautiously, those were the names of his grandparents. But then, half the Wolf Clan knew that.
"I though you two were dead!" Malan exclaimed, "I'm your uncle!"
"Uncle?" Ral asked cautiously, she looked confused. Boi just raised an eyebrow, any lailani could make that claim. Didn't mean it was true.
"I'm your mother's older brother," Malan explained, "when I heard your village had been massacred, I thought my whole family was dead, but here you children are, I can't believe it!"
"My mother had an older brother named Malan," Boi conceded, "But Malan is a common name, that doesn't mean you are who you say you are."
"You've had a rough life," Malan commented, "I don't blame you for wanting more information. What would convince you?"
Boi just shrugged. He was too tired to be thinking deep thoughts like that. He'd been up all night scavenging. Besides, he didn't really want to think about his parents, particularly his mother. The village had had some warning about the raid, and she'd made him take his sister and leave when it became clear the village couldn't survive. He should have been able to convince her to come with them, he never should have let her make him go...
"Oh I know," Malan said suddenly, "Your mother was pregnant when she died. She told me the day before the attack, and she was planning on telling our parents at the solstice festival."
It was true, Mother had been pregnant. She'd told him to keep it a secret, he didn't know that she'd told her brother. So, Malan really was his uncle. But why did he have to dig up those old memories? "I guess we'll go," Boi choked out, trying not to cry.
"Yay!" Ral exclaimed. She had been pretty much oblivious to the whole conversation. But he couldn't blame her, she was just hungry. He has tried his best to feed her, but he knew they were slowly starving to death. Malan was probably their best bet for survival.
Malan smiled as he scooped up Ral and grabbed Boi's hand, "Your Aunt Helanya will be happy to see you two. And I think we'll be just in time for breakfast."
The End.
"Boi," the boy whispered, knowing the butcher wouldn't understand. He mentally cursed his parents for giving him such a name, so what if the name belonged to his grandfather.
"Don't get smart with me!" the man started waving his giant butcher's knife menacingly.
Boi glanced around nervously, the street was a busy one, but this was a rough area of town. Passers-by gave the two of them a wide girth, but other than that, no one paid any attention. He shouldn't have stayed up so long past sunrise, but it had been a bad night, and he was starving. Shrinking back from the large man's gaze, he murmured, "my name is Boi, sir."
"Boser? What sort of name is that?" the butcher guffawed, "Scram! your kind aren't allowed around here!"
Boi stared at him a incredulously, that was what this was about? Obviously, the butcher hadn't seen him snatch the string of sausages. Humans really had a horrible sense of smell. Boi backed away slowly, it was never a good idea to turn your back on a knife. Joining the crowd, he made his way to the abandoned building that he shared with a host of other homeless people. The front doors were barred, but there were plenty of other openings if you knew where to look. He found the basement window that was just too small for most adults, and slipped through. Dropping clumsily to the ground, he sniffed the air. Something smelled different. It was hard to tell over the stench of refuse, but it almost smelled like lailani. His little sister was down here, but the two of them hadn't smelled of lailani in a long time. They smelled of the sewage and rotting trash that decorated their home. No one else ever came down here, becaus it was too hot, and the stench owas nearly overwhelming. But, that ment the they were left alone, and he only had to share what little food he found with his sister. Well, no one usually came down, but clearly there was someone down here in the basement other than his sister and him. The smell got stronger as he moved to their corner. He hoped his sister was alright. He'd promised his parents he'd take care of her.
"Ral?" he whispered his sister's name as he moved cautiously toward their sleeping place.
"Boi?" a child's voice eminated from the darkness, "You came back!"
It wasn't long before she came into view. She was so tiny, she'd barely grown in the two years they'd been on the streets. She barely looked two, not the four years old that she actually was, but then, no one thought him old enough to be 9 either.
"Look who I met," the girl chattered, as Boi focused his senses on the wolf standing in the dark near Ral. Boi passed the sauseges off to his sister, since he'd already eaten two, and flicked into wolf form. The wolf stood still as Boi made a slow circuit around him, sniffing for a hint of anger or malice. Satisfied the lailani wasn't planning them immediate harm, he flicked back into common form.
"Why are you hare?": Boi questioned, as he grabed a sausage from Ral and settled into the dirty straw that was his bed.
"Wolf Clan should not live like this," the man had managed to get into common form faster than anyone Boi had ever seen.
"The floor is thin," Boi commented, mouth full of sausage. He was willing to hear the lailani out, since they were from the same clan, but he didn't need his neighbours discovering that he wasn't human. They'd turn him and his sister in an an instant, just in case. There was a reward.
"You two can come with me, and live as a wolf should live... free," the lailani said in a quieter voice.
Boi eyed the man suspiciously, but Ral seemed to have no such inhibitions, she chattered excitedly, "He says that where he comes from, there's lots of food to eat, and real toys to play with, let's go!"
The first thing you learn on the streets is not to trust anyone. The man was lailani, the same clan as them even, but even that was no garentee that he was trustworthy. Boi had heard stories of lailani selling other lailani to the humans as sleaves. It was a well known fact that everyone, lailani and human, only do thing that will benefit them in some way. "We're fine here," Boy muttered.
"You don't look fine," the man commented, "My name is Malan by the way, what is yours?"
"I'm Ral," the little girl volunteered, "Boi is my big broth...ouch!" she turned to Boi, "Why'd you kick me?"
"I didn't kick you, Boi replied. Giving out names wasn't safe. He tried to protect her from the harsh realities of life, so it was probably his fault she was so trusting and naiive. But that didn't give her an excuse to go giving out names like it was nothing.
"Boi?" Malan looked thoughful, "grandson of Boian and Nelanya?"
"Maybe," Boi replied cautiously, those were the names of his grandparents. But then, half the Wolf Clan knew that.
"I though you two were dead!" Malan exclaimed, "I'm your uncle!"
"Uncle?" Ral asked cautiously, she looked confused. Boi just raised an eyebrow, any lailani could make that claim. Didn't mean it was true.
"I'm your mother's older brother," Malan explained, "when I heard your village had been massacred, I thought my whole family was dead, but here you children are, I can't believe it!"
"My mother had an older brother named Malan," Boi conceded, "But Malan is a common name, that doesn't mean you are who you say you are."
"You've had a rough life," Malan commented, "I don't blame you for wanting more information. What would convince you?"
Boi just shrugged. He was too tired to be thinking deep thoughts like that. He'd been up all night scavenging. Besides, he didn't really want to think about his parents, particularly his mother. The village had had some warning about the raid, and she'd made him take his sister and leave when it became clear the village couldn't survive. He should have been able to convince her to come with them, he never should have let her make him go...
"Oh I know," Malan said suddenly, "Your mother was pregnant when she died. She told me the day before the attack, and she was planning on telling our parents at the solstice festival."
It was true, Mother had been pregnant. She'd told him to keep it a secret, he didn't know that she'd told her brother. So, Malan really was his uncle. But why did he have to dig up those old memories? "I guess we'll go," Boi choked out, trying not to cry.
"Yay!" Ral exclaimed. She had been pretty much oblivious to the whole conversation. But he couldn't blame her, she was just hungry. He has tried his best to feed her, but he knew they were slowly starving to death. Malan was probably their best bet for survival.
Malan smiled as he scooped up Ral and grabbed Boi's hand, "Your Aunt Helanya will be happy to see you two. And I think we'll be just in time for breakfast."
The End.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Rescue
Giman dove, the powerful muscles in his tail propelling him deep under the water. He held the cone shaped basket in front of him, letting it cut the water ahead. In no time, he arrived at the ocean floor. it was pitch black to his common eyes, but it didn't matter. He knew this area better than he knew himself. He reached blindly for the huge stone anchor his ancestors had placed there long ago, and tied the basket to it. Transforming into full dolphin form, he swam up about twenty feet so he could see the whole area. The ocean floor was full of plant life, but he wasn't interested in any of that. What he was interested in, was the boslai colony migration happening about a click to the west. Clicking the location to anyone else in range, he headed back towards his basket. He transformed just the upper half of his body into common form again so he could grab the basket, . Blind again, he swam towards the area where he knew the boslai would be. Now came the hard part. Swimming low to the floor, he dragged the basket along under him so that the mouth opened to the oncoming creatures. Careful to keep his hands on the top of the basket so he wouldn't be pinched by the boslai's claws. A few of his clan had the ability to turn both their head's and tails into Clan form, while keeping their fins as arms, b so that they could see what they were doing. But, it was incredibly hard to do, an something he hadn't quite mastered. Changing naturally came from one direction and flowed to the other. It didn't matter where you started, but it was hard enough to stop in the middle, let alone have two stopping points. So, Giman collected the boslai blind.
Just as he was about to finish the run, the entire world was rocked by a n incredibly loud sound. Startled, Giman dropped the basket and involuntarily took a breath of water. The water hitting his lungs brought him back to his senses.
'Don't panic,' the words echoed in his mind.
'Don't breathe,' he remembered as he attempted to calm himself down. Panic would kill him as quickly as lungs full of water.
'Turn Clan,' simple steps, Giman relaxed his mind and his whole body turned to dolphin form.
'Find the surface,' childhood training never goes away.
'Swim for the light,' with powerful strokes, he propelled his way to the lighter water above. In moments, he was shooting straight up out of the water. The air felt glorious as it filled his lungs again. Reaching the apex of his jump, he nosed down to dive to into the water again. Or, not. Giman landed with a sickening crunch on something hard and very much not water. Stunned, again, Giman just lay there as waves of pain enveloped his body.
"What do you think it is?" he heard a voice whisper. Humans spoke a peculiar language.
"I don't know," a second voice replied. "I've never seen anything like it. I had no idea there were fish that big on this planet."
Giman startled at that, fish? He was not a fish. Fish were prey. He was lailani, predator. He tried to move, but the pain was too great.
"Is it dead?" the first voice asked cautiously.
Giman tried to look around, but the light was far too bright for his clan eyes to see more than dim shapes.
"I don't think so..." the second voice replied hesitantly, "I think I saw it's eyes move. Maybe we should take it back to port."
Port? That was a bad place, Giman remembered, it was where humans took fish they were planning on eating. Somehow, he had to prove to these humans that he wasn't a fish, and maybe they would let him go instead of eating him. But, let him go where? He was pretty sure that something was broken. There was no way to know if he could even stay afloat long enough for someone to find him. Few of his clan frequented this section of the ocean, and it would be hours before anyone discovered that he was missing. But still, he would not be gutted like prey. The pain had been growing more intense, Giman had never before realized just how much strength it took to change form. His attempt only briefly caused his face to changed before his boy snapped back to Clan form with a ferocity that scared him far more than the pain.
"Uh, Boss, something weird is going on here!" one of the voices called out.
"Just leave the fish alone and help me with the sail," came the reply, "We'll deal with the fish when we get back to port. We got a storm coming up on us, and I want to get back before it catches us."
'Nothing could ever hurt this much,' Giman thought to himself, oblivious to the conversation around him. If he couldn't change to common, these men would gut him like the fish they thought he was. His mate and baby boy were waiting for him at home. He couldn't just die, not like prey. Slowly, he gathered all his remaining strength, storing it in his mind until he didn't think he could hold any more. Eyes squeezed tight in concentration, he released the energy in one violent wave. A cascade of pain followed, and he moaned has he felt bones shifting and mass rearranging.
"Boss! Boss!" the voice sounded far off as his mind struggled to comprehend the daggers of pain trying to tear his body apart.
"King save us!" a different voice now, "that's a man!"
"What are we going to do? It must be one of those animal-people."
"We ain't gonna do nothing, he'll sit tight. Right now we got bigger problems!"
"King save us! Storm's here, look at those waves!"
Giman's mind barely registered the commotion around him. He was ready for whatever came, it was enough that he would not die as prey. His mate would never forget him, and his spirit would live on in his son.
"He's got broken bones, if he falls in the water, he'll die!" a voice shouted above the sound of the crashing waves.
"I'll tie him to the mast so he won't get lost," the voice was so loud, it must be close by. He felt hands pull him to a sitting position, and drag him to a wooden pole. Something rough compressed his chest, and then the hands were gone. As he slumped forward, another wave of pain overtook him.
"I hope he lives," was the last thing Giman heard before descending into unconsciousness.
The End.
Just as he was about to finish the run, the entire world was rocked by a n incredibly loud sound. Startled, Giman dropped the basket and involuntarily took a breath of water. The water hitting his lungs brought him back to his senses.
'Don't panic,' the words echoed in his mind.
'Don't breathe,' he remembered as he attempted to calm himself down. Panic would kill him as quickly as lungs full of water.
'Turn Clan,' simple steps, Giman relaxed his mind and his whole body turned to dolphin form.
'Find the surface,' childhood training never goes away.
'Swim for the light,' with powerful strokes, he propelled his way to the lighter water above. In moments, he was shooting straight up out of the water. The air felt glorious as it filled his lungs again. Reaching the apex of his jump, he nosed down to dive to into the water again. Or, not. Giman landed with a sickening crunch on something hard and very much not water. Stunned, again, Giman just lay there as waves of pain enveloped his body.
"What do you think it is?" he heard a voice whisper. Humans spoke a peculiar language.
"I don't know," a second voice replied. "I've never seen anything like it. I had no idea there were fish that big on this planet."
Giman startled at that, fish? He was not a fish. Fish were prey. He was lailani, predator. He tried to move, but the pain was too great.
"Is it dead?" the first voice asked cautiously.
Giman tried to look around, but the light was far too bright for his clan eyes to see more than dim shapes.
"I don't think so..." the second voice replied hesitantly, "I think I saw it's eyes move. Maybe we should take it back to port."
Port? That was a bad place, Giman remembered, it was where humans took fish they were planning on eating. Somehow, he had to prove to these humans that he wasn't a fish, and maybe they would let him go instead of eating him. But, let him go where? He was pretty sure that something was broken. There was no way to know if he could even stay afloat long enough for someone to find him. Few of his clan frequented this section of the ocean, and it would be hours before anyone discovered that he was missing. But still, he would not be gutted like prey. The pain had been growing more intense, Giman had never before realized just how much strength it took to change form. His attempt only briefly caused his face to changed before his boy snapped back to Clan form with a ferocity that scared him far more than the pain.
"Uh, Boss, something weird is going on here!" one of the voices called out.
"Just leave the fish alone and help me with the sail," came the reply, "We'll deal with the fish when we get back to port. We got a storm coming up on us, and I want to get back before it catches us."
'Nothing could ever hurt this much,' Giman thought to himself, oblivious to the conversation around him. If he couldn't change to common, these men would gut him like the fish they thought he was. His mate and baby boy were waiting for him at home. He couldn't just die, not like prey. Slowly, he gathered all his remaining strength, storing it in his mind until he didn't think he could hold any more. Eyes squeezed tight in concentration, he released the energy in one violent wave. A cascade of pain followed, and he moaned has he felt bones shifting and mass rearranging.
"Boss! Boss!" the voice sounded far off as his mind struggled to comprehend the daggers of pain trying to tear his body apart.
"King save us!" a different voice now, "that's a man!"
"What are we going to do? It must be one of those animal-people."
"We ain't gonna do nothing, he'll sit tight. Right now we got bigger problems!"
"King save us! Storm's here, look at those waves!"
Giman's mind barely registered the commotion around him. He was ready for whatever came, it was enough that he would not die as prey. His mate would never forget him, and his spirit would live on in his son.
"He's got broken bones, if he falls in the water, he'll die!" a voice shouted above the sound of the crashing waves.
"I'll tie him to the mast so he won't get lost," the voice was so loud, it must be close by. He felt hands pull him to a sitting position, and drag him to a wooden pole. Something rough compressed his chest, and then the hands were gone. As he slumped forward, another wave of pain overtook him.
"I hope he lives," was the last thing Giman heard before descending into unconsciousness.
The End.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Release
Anya glanced around her to see if anyone took notice of the fact that she was slipping into the shed. It didn't really matter, it was father's shed. Technically, she could go in it any time see wanted to. But still, no need to draw undue attention to the fact that she was entering the shed with a large package in her hands. Slipping through the door, she carefully closed it behind her. The shed was dark. Setting her package on the ground, she lit the lamp on the wall and looked around.
A growl emanated from under the table in the corner.
"I brought you some food," Anya declared, glancing briefly at the wolf slinking out from under the table. She purposely didn't watch as wolf transformed into a man. If she never 'saw' him change, then she could truthfully claim such when asked.
"I change faster now," the man commented, as he settled himself on the bench. "it's not so weird to watch."
"It's not that, Denan," She replied, "if I never see you change, it means you can't be lailani."
"I thought you didn't mind," Denan commented, a bit defensively. Still, he was looking eagerly at the package in her hands.
She set it on the table and opened it up to show some lamb chops, steamed vegetables, and a water jug. "I don't," she said, settling down next to him on the bench. She didn't know much about him, but she knew he was handsome. He had brilliant blue eyes unlike anyone she had ever seen. He did have girly-looking long hair, but that was balanced by his extremely masculine form. As far as her family knew, he was just a poor dog that she had nursed back to health. She was going to have to tell them about him soon, if their relationship was going to go anywhere. She watched as he dug hungrily into the food.
Midway through the meal, he noticed her staring at him, "Is there something you want?" he asked.
She wanted to tell him how handsome he was, it didn't quite come out that way, "How's you're leg doing?"
"Better," he commented as he continued to shovel food into his mouth, "I will be leaving tomorrow night."
"You can't leave!" she blurted before she could stop herself.
Denan looked at her curiously, "It is not safe for me here."
"You can pretend to be human," Anya pleaded, "you don't have to leave."
"Why would I want to pretend to be human?" Denan asked, confused.
"So you can be with me," Anya whispered, this wasn't how this conversation was supposed to go. It was supposed to be super romantic, with him caressing her hair while promising his undying affection and willingness to become human for her.
Denan's expression darkened, "It would be a lie for me to pretend to be something I am not. I have responsibilities to my Clan, I will not stay."
"But, don't you like me?" Anya asked, surely, he must feel something for her, she certainly felt something for him.
"I appreciate the fact that you didn't turn me in when you found me," Denan said slowly, "And I appreciate the fact that you took care of my hurt leg, but I do not feel special feelings for you. There is another that holds my affection."
"You have a girlfriend?" Anya asked, crestfallen.
"I am friends with most of the girls in my Clan," Denan said, confused, "I would even consider you a friend. What I meant was that I have a mate."
"Why didn't you say something earlier?" Anya accused.
"You never asked," Denan responded, "Besides, the fewer who know of my family's existence, the safer."
"You have a family?" Anya asked in wonder, "Like kids too? Are they cute?"
"If I do not say, you will not know," Denan quickly shoved the last of the food in his mouth, "I am a lone wolf, there is no one else. And soon, I too will be gone,"
Anya watched as Denan slipped off the bench, and flicked into wolf form. His blue eyes were so intense as he stared at her for a few moments, before glancing at the shed door. She knew he had children depending on him, she knew she would have to let him go. Getting up reluctantly, she moved towards the door. The moment she opened it, he shot outside. Silently, she watched as he disappeared into the night. She waved, but he did not look back.
A growl emanated from under the table in the corner.
"I brought you some food," Anya declared, glancing briefly at the wolf slinking out from under the table. She purposely didn't watch as wolf transformed into a man. If she never 'saw' him change, then she could truthfully claim such when asked.
"I change faster now," the man commented, as he settled himself on the bench. "it's not so weird to watch."
"It's not that, Denan," She replied, "if I never see you change, it means you can't be lailani."
"I thought you didn't mind," Denan commented, a bit defensively. Still, he was looking eagerly at the package in her hands.
She set it on the table and opened it up to show some lamb chops, steamed vegetables, and a water jug. "I don't," she said, settling down next to him on the bench. She didn't know much about him, but she knew he was handsome. He had brilliant blue eyes unlike anyone she had ever seen. He did have girly-looking long hair, but that was balanced by his extremely masculine form. As far as her family knew, he was just a poor dog that she had nursed back to health. She was going to have to tell them about him soon, if their relationship was going to go anywhere. She watched as he dug hungrily into the food.
Midway through the meal, he noticed her staring at him, "Is there something you want?" he asked.
She wanted to tell him how handsome he was, it didn't quite come out that way, "How's you're leg doing?"
"Better," he commented as he continued to shovel food into his mouth, "I will be leaving tomorrow night."
"You can't leave!" she blurted before she could stop herself.
Denan looked at her curiously, "It is not safe for me here."
"You can pretend to be human," Anya pleaded, "you don't have to leave."
"Why would I want to pretend to be human?" Denan asked, confused.
"So you can be with me," Anya whispered, this wasn't how this conversation was supposed to go. It was supposed to be super romantic, with him caressing her hair while promising his undying affection and willingness to become human for her.
Denan's expression darkened, "It would be a lie for me to pretend to be something I am not. I have responsibilities to my Clan, I will not stay."
"But, don't you like me?" Anya asked, surely, he must feel something for her, she certainly felt something for him.
"I appreciate the fact that you didn't turn me in when you found me," Denan said slowly, "And I appreciate the fact that you took care of my hurt leg, but I do not feel special feelings for you. There is another that holds my affection."
"You have a girlfriend?" Anya asked, crestfallen.
"I am friends with most of the girls in my Clan," Denan said, confused, "I would even consider you a friend. What I meant was that I have a mate."
"Why didn't you say something earlier?" Anya accused.
"You never asked," Denan responded, "Besides, the fewer who know of my family's existence, the safer."
"You have a family?" Anya asked in wonder, "Like kids too? Are they cute?"
"If I do not say, you will not know," Denan quickly shoved the last of the food in his mouth, "I am a lone wolf, there is no one else. And soon, I too will be gone,"
Anya watched as Denan slipped off the bench, and flicked into wolf form. His blue eyes were so intense as he stared at her for a few moments, before glancing at the shed door. She knew he had children depending on him, she knew she would have to let him go. Getting up reluctantly, she moved towards the door. The moment she opened it, he shot outside. Silently, she watched as he disappeared into the night. She waved, but he did not look back.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Lan Politics
For the most part, humans and lailani consider themselves to be part of two separate countries.
humans:
The humans originally had no specific government. Because the first humans on Lan were from many different countries of Earth, everyone reported to their home governments. When contact with earth was lost, there was great political upheaval as the different groups fought for power. Currently, a man named Donavan Blain has proclaimed himself as king. He is relatively unopposed due to the fact that he is in charge of the largest fighting force in the world. Also, he killed nearly a tenth of the human population in the process of bringing the humans under his control.
lailani:
The lailani have an oligarchy style government, as each clan is ruled by a small group. The group consists of a Rikani(storyteller/historian), a Yanani(head mother), a Lanani(head father), and a Tolani(head scout). The clans generally meet twice a year to make policies and solve disputes. ONE is considered to be in charge of all the clans, many claim ONE is a myth.
human/lailani relations:
Donavan Blain has a particular dislike for lailani, and has deemed them illegal in his realm. And, his soldiers occasionally perform raids on known lailani settlements. Of course, the Hawk clan has a tendency to perform raids on any human settlement they feel is too close to the mountains. However, the general human and lailani populations just try to ignore the whole situation and just do whatever they can to get by. Including hungry lailani stealing human livestock, and desperate humans turning in lailani for rewards. The Dolphin clan cut off relations with the humans over 150 years ago, and therefore, humans consider them a myth.
humans:
The humans originally had no specific government. Because the first humans on Lan were from many different countries of Earth, everyone reported to their home governments. When contact with earth was lost, there was great political upheaval as the different groups fought for power. Currently, a man named Donavan Blain has proclaimed himself as king. He is relatively unopposed due to the fact that he is in charge of the largest fighting force in the world. Also, he killed nearly a tenth of the human population in the process of bringing the humans under his control.
lailani:
The lailani have an oligarchy style government, as each clan is ruled by a small group. The group consists of a Rikani(storyteller/historian), a Yanani(head mother), a Lanani(head father), and a Tolani(head scout). The clans generally meet twice a year to make policies and solve disputes. ONE is considered to be in charge of all the clans, many claim ONE is a myth.
human/lailani relations:
Donavan Blain has a particular dislike for lailani, and has deemed them illegal in his realm. And, his soldiers occasionally perform raids on known lailani settlements. Of course, the Hawk clan has a tendency to perform raids on any human settlement they feel is too close to the mountains. However, the general human and lailani populations just try to ignore the whole situation and just do whatever they can to get by. Including hungry lailani stealing human livestock, and desperate humans turning in lailani for rewards. The Dolphin clan cut off relations with the humans over 150 years ago, and therefore, humans consider them a myth.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Fishboy
Hiran sprinkled some grubs into the water, and then stared intently as a large werlai fish and two smaller selai fish darted out from under a rock and fought over the grubs squirming futilely to get away. Making note of the fish's hiding spot, Hiran moved until he was as close to the spot as he could get without being in the water. With another handful of grubs in his left hand, he quickly glanced around to make sure that there was no one near by before turning his right hand into a bear-like paw. He didn't need to use a paw, but the water was icy cold, and he didn't feel like freezing a common hand if it wasn't absolutely necessary. But, at the same time, the paw wasn't exactly keeping with his façade of being human.
Using his left hand to sprinkle more grubs into the water, he quickly swiped his right hand in the direction of of the fish's rock. With his claws extended and spread, he easily speared the werlai. The two little selai fish got away, but he wasn't too worried about them. They weren't good eating anyway. Tilting his claws upward, he quickly, but carefully brought the fish out of the water. Blood stained the water and his hands as he quickly transferred the fish into his left hand and got rid of his paw.
"What's ya doing?" asked a young female voice behind him.
"Fishing," Hiran replied tersely, hoping the girl hadn't seen anything. "Jana, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be back at the orphanage?"
"So are you," Jana commented sweetly, as she knelt down beside him. She jumped back a bit when she saw the bloody fish in his hands, "Ew, what's that?"
Hiran has to admit a small sense of satisfaction at grossing her out, human girls could be annoying. "It's a fish, I was hungry."
"But, we get plenty to eat at the orphanage," Jana asked queasily, "Why'd you have to do that to the poor fish?"
"We never get any meat," Hiran stated, as he took a bite out of the fish. It was delicious, how he'd missed the taste of flesh.
"Eww!!!" Jana squealed, "Aren't you going to at least cook that?!"
"No," he didn't really have time, and a fire would bring attention that he really didn't want.
"Ewww! That's so gross!" Jana started crying, "How... how could you do something like that."
Annoyed that he'd made her cry, he tried to calm her, "It's okay Jana, you don't have to watch," he remembered to wipe the blood on his hand off onto the grass before attempting to pat her shoulder. The orphanage workers always seemed to do that when the little girls cried. His parents would have grabbed her in a giant hug like they did for him when he was little. But, his parent's weren't here, and that was part of the problem.
Jana pulled away from his touch, "Why don't you just throw it away?"
"I killed it," he tried to explain gently, "I have to eat it now."
Jana shook her head, "The soldiers didn't eat our parents after they killed them! They just left them there to rot."
"That's different," Hiran stated firmly, "Fish are food." Lai, prey, were made to be killed and eaten by the lailani, predators. He wished he could explain it to her, but she wouldn't understand. His parents had made him promise not to let anyone know he wasn't human. He had hidden in the bushes and watched them die when some of the soldiers discovered them while the family tried to sneak back to the mountains. Only by pure chance had he had short hair that day, and accident with fire. Only by pure chance had a farmer found him crying by the side of the road and brought him to the orphanage, thinking him human.
Jana was still shaking her head, "I thought you were nice, now I see you're just like everyone else."
Hiran could only look at the ground. He so wished he could explain, Jana had been the closest thing to a friend he had since coming the orphanage. She too, had seen her parents murdered in front of her.
Jana rose shakily to her feet, "I guess I'll leave you to your dead fish."
Hiran wished desperately that she hadn't found him. He couldn't go much longer without eating prey, or he would die. But if she turned against him, it would be almost as bad as death. The fish was already dead. He had to eat it.
"Fishboy," Jana muttered angrily as she stalked off.
The End.
Using his left hand to sprinkle more grubs into the water, he quickly swiped his right hand in the direction of of the fish's rock. With his claws extended and spread, he easily speared the werlai. The two little selai fish got away, but he wasn't too worried about them. They weren't good eating anyway. Tilting his claws upward, he quickly, but carefully brought the fish out of the water. Blood stained the water and his hands as he quickly transferred the fish into his left hand and got rid of his paw.
"What's ya doing?" asked a young female voice behind him.
"Fishing," Hiran replied tersely, hoping the girl hadn't seen anything. "Jana, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be back at the orphanage?"
"So are you," Jana commented sweetly, as she knelt down beside him. She jumped back a bit when she saw the bloody fish in his hands, "Ew, what's that?"
Hiran has to admit a small sense of satisfaction at grossing her out, human girls could be annoying. "It's a fish, I was hungry."
"But, we get plenty to eat at the orphanage," Jana asked queasily, "Why'd you have to do that to the poor fish?"
"We never get any meat," Hiran stated, as he took a bite out of the fish. It was delicious, how he'd missed the taste of flesh.
"Eww!!!" Jana squealed, "Aren't you going to at least cook that?!"
"No," he didn't really have time, and a fire would bring attention that he really didn't want.
"Ewww! That's so gross!" Jana started crying, "How... how could you do something like that."
Annoyed that he'd made her cry, he tried to calm her, "It's okay Jana, you don't have to watch," he remembered to wipe the blood on his hand off onto the grass before attempting to pat her shoulder. The orphanage workers always seemed to do that when the little girls cried. His parents would have grabbed her in a giant hug like they did for him when he was little. But, his parent's weren't here, and that was part of the problem.
Jana pulled away from his touch, "Why don't you just throw it away?"
"I killed it," he tried to explain gently, "I have to eat it now."
Jana shook her head, "The soldiers didn't eat our parents after they killed them! They just left them there to rot."
"That's different," Hiran stated firmly, "Fish are food." Lai, prey, were made to be killed and eaten by the lailani, predators. He wished he could explain it to her, but she wouldn't understand. His parents had made him promise not to let anyone know he wasn't human. He had hidden in the bushes and watched them die when some of the soldiers discovered them while the family tried to sneak back to the mountains. Only by pure chance had he had short hair that day, and accident with fire. Only by pure chance had a farmer found him crying by the side of the road and brought him to the orphanage, thinking him human.
Jana was still shaking her head, "I thought you were nice, now I see you're just like everyone else."
Hiran could only look at the ground. He so wished he could explain, Jana had been the closest thing to a friend he had since coming the orphanage. She too, had seen her parents murdered in front of her.
Jana rose shakily to her feet, "I guess I'll leave you to your dead fish."
Hiran wished desperately that she hadn't found him. He couldn't go much longer without eating prey, or he would die. But if she turned against him, it would be almost as bad as death. The fish was already dead. He had to eat it.
"Fishboy," Jana muttered angrily as she stalked off.
The End.
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