Zhang Han thought his eardrums were going to burst. He was trying to bandage his arms and chest, applying ointment for the bruises that were forming everywhere, albeit frugally, because who knew when else they'd need this valuable supplies.
He replied to Kalla's apology in a measured fashion, "You didn't know who I was, so your reaction was understandable."
Please just let him quietly treat his wounds…
Thankfully, Kalla wanted little to do with Zhang Han. Why? Because he wasn't strong. But she WAS interested in why her powerful, alpha-like nature brother liked him. She twirled on her heels to Vaien and asked in a probing and meaningful tone, "Sooo, how did you meet him?"
Vaien titled his head. He couldn't just tell her about Zhang Han's identity, otherwise she'd be so curious she'd never stop asking about it. His sister had a notorious chatterbox quality, too. So if he told her anything about Zhang Han the whole village would know about it not long after she got back. And that would be bad.
At least Kalla was dense and didn't notice the odd parts of machinery lying all over the floor.
Vaien said bluntly, "He was one of those cave dwellers that only eat mushrooms."
Zhang Han was blatantly confused.
...what? Cave-dwelling mushroom eaters? Those exist here?
But Zhang Han still clearly understood that Vaien was covering up his past on purpose, something he probably wouldn't bother to do unless it were important. He would also make sure not to tell anything to Kalla, then.
"No kidding?" Kalla cocked an eyebrow. "But I heard they never leave the underground?"
Vaien smiled, the picture of truthfulness despite all the lies that he spewed.
"Zhang Han did. There are always some people that want to explore, you know? The thing is that I met Zhang Han not long after he'd left the underground tunnels. I figured out he didn't stand much chance against the wildlife on the outside, so I offered him a place here."
Not a great lie, but apparently sufficient for Kalla.
"Wow…" she whistled. Two of her fangs flashed sharp and teasingly, not unlike the mannerisms Vaien had before poking fun at Zhang Han. "Huh, you must have been really smitten with him from the start to take him in so fast! Is that why you smell so strongly of him, bro, I didn't expect you to get addicted to someone this way~"
"Just shut it!" Vaien snapped, then hesitated, his face glazing over with indecent thoughts as he blabbered, "Fuck...so what if I was? His body is really good, during sex he makes the best noises…"
Vaien launched into a rant about all the little ticks Zhang Han had during sex, including favored sex positions and how his nipples were sensitive, having no shame in divulging everything.
"..." Zhang Han who was STILL bandaging himself in the cave was being scandalized.
Can he not talk about these nitty gritty details of our intimacy in front of strangers? Even if she's his sister...please. Can he simply not talk about them at all?
Can his ears start bleeding and clog out the sound?
Why are they arguing about if he made more of a 'aaahn' or an 'hnn' sound?!
After an eternity of painful embarrassment, to the point that Zhang Han's face felt like it was boiling red-hot, Kalla waved a hand in dismissal and made an exaggerated gagging noise.
"OKAY! You can stop now...I made a mistake asking," she said. "But whatever, it's none of my business who you couple with, just know that keeping a guy like him is like keeping a frail leaf."
Vaien lowered his gaze. "...I know."
Kalla batted her eyes, apparently done with that conversation, and skipped a couple of steps closer to Vaien with expectation.
"Anyhow...when are you coming back to the tribe?"
"Never."
Kalla blinked then continued unabashed. "Awww don't be that waaay! It's been so many years now…"
Admittedly, years didn't mean as much to them as it did for Zhang Han, but it was still a decent amount of time away. Nevertheless, Vaien immediately had a cloud of stubbornness in his brow, not at all moved by Kalla's words. He left the tribe for a reason and wasn't' planning to return so easily. Why should he after how they'd wronged him and his family?
"You're probably just sayin' that because they want me back for something."
"That's kind of true," admitted Kalla. "But I also just miss you! I mean, so does Lily and Gunther. They miss you a lot. Plus this year is going to be rough, another group has been on bad terms with us and we're afraid they're gonna raid us...and the food store is short because a Woombat got into our storage by digging underground and ate half of it."
"Yeah, so?" Vaien's eyebrows twitched. "I don't care."
Kalla chewed her lip, her pretty face squishing up into the start of pique.
"Urgh...you're so mulish. It's not like everybody was against us, just one person who did us wrong, but instead of looking for the culprit you just up and punished our entire tribe for it! You don't really think that Lily and Gunther deserve to starve to death, right?!"
"...whoever did it should have thought of the consequences before crossing me!" Vaien snapped. "I was gonna take on the position of leader, and did I ask for much? No. Just a few things, but even that was too much for everybody. And sure, Lily and Gunther and all of them aren't at fault. But why do I have to be the one who goes back and cleans up everyone else's mess?"
"Obviously cause you're the strongest of our whole group!" Kalla stomped her foot and put a hand onto Vaien's shoulder with force, but a depressing feeling that her brother wouldn't agree settled in her gut. She was prickly with nerves. "We...we need you back."
Vaien just shoved her away.
"I said I was leaving and I meant it! Fuck. Stop pestering me all the time. If the tribe is going downhill then you can just live with me out here."
Kalla bitterly shook her head. She was reeling from her brother's rejection.
It's not like she...she wasn't angry about what happened in the past, either, but...she still cared about some people at the tribe enough to stick around. Vaien's wouldn't even give them another chance. She opened her lips to persist some more.
"...here is just a little basin of nothing. If you really wanted to abandon all of us wouldn't you have joined another tribe or gone wandering without telling me where you went? But you didn't...that's why I expected you to come around eventually."
Vaien emphasized the words, "I'm, not, going, back!"
A few pterodactyls floated in the sky above, lonesome and unrelenting in their circling. Gusts of wind also tilted the grasses and lifted dust from the rock on the cliff, adding to the atmosphere between brother and sister that was conflicting and tense.
It could snap at anytime.
Then it would overflow into a full-blown chaotic mess.
Sensing disaster, Zhang Han hunkered down in the furs after bandaging himself. He pulled one up over his chest despite the heat in the hopes that he would not be dragged into this dispute.
The stalemate was shattered by a heated insult.
"You dumb, obnoxious, asshole!" Kalla screamed.
There was a loud rumble as the ground shook. She had stomped her foot in a way that sent rocks flying, a large dent left in the surface. And that was only a hallmark of the beginning as she vented her rage and frustration at this dumb brother of hers.
Her eyes were glistening along the edges with tears.
It was because no matter what she said there was no convincing him. Even though everyone was in trouble, so they begged Kalla to go and see if Vaien would come and help.
Vaien, Kalla, and their Dad had originally spent years wandering through forests and deserts before they found a little group of people to settle down with. They gained others as more years passed, and it grew into a tribe of their own. She thought that meant something to him.
The two of them saw through Lily and Gunther's births, watching them grow over the years, playing with them and listening to their noisy laughter. Old Mallak and Tessan were the elderly and reliable of the group that taught them how to hunt when their Dad was away. They secretly gave them treats like sugar apples, too. Then Yetay was the soothing but strict auntie who acted like a surrogate mother to them, and of course there were more.
Did Vaien not even care about her or the others anymore?!
Vaien's expression faltered, and his brows also furrowed in slight anger. "Stop it. You don't have to throw a tantrum, Kalla. What are you-"
She threw a kick at him.
"I'll beat you half to death and then drag you back to the tribe myself!" As she yelled her boot kicked into the ground below again, sending up a chunk of rock at Vaien.
He tipped his body to the side and glared at her, his hands turning to fists as he burst apart the next two bouts of rocks that were sent hurtling towards him.
"Just get out of here!" he shouted back at her. "I'm not going even if you throw a fit!"
"No!"