Pearl, at any given time, preferred his village to woods and vales outside. It wasn't that he particularly hated the wilderness, but going out reminded him of how limited his world view was. The village on the other hand gave him access to the travelling merchants and caravanners who had returned home for the winter, bringing back with them the tales of their journeys and the state of the outer world. His father and siblings however wouldn't come back this cycle. With the Elaia waging war against almost every tribe and city state north of Arv'Ked, they had opportunities to make a grand fortune by trading and guarding caravans. A jolt of envy hit Pearl. He could have been there, travelling with his father along with brother and sisters, only if he wasn't born cursed with the Song.
Shoving aside such idle thoughts, he looked into the clear pond. He gazed at his reflection to check the growth of facial hair. Deciding that it had grown enough, he drew his iron razor, a gift from his father who had bought it from Arv'Ked last cycle, and began clearing the minute patches of beard. It didn't take much time, since Pearl was just seventeen cycles old and didn't yet have an extensive beard. His mother often taunted that his growth had stunted due to the amount of time he spent within the village instead of wilderness. Most others said that it was perfectly normal to not have a full beard at the age of seventeen cycles.
He lifted his chin to shave the last patch of hair beneath. At that moment, the water rippled, disturbing the reflection. Someone had skipped a stone and Pearl knew exactly who it was. He raised his face and found Mist, his neighbour and childhood friend, rubbing dust off the hands.
"What do you think, Pearl? Five skips is impressive, isn't it?" he asked with a wide grin, "Oh, did I disturb you?"
"Not at all," Pearl shaved off that last patch without looking and then washed the razor in the pond's water. "Five skips is...mediocre at best. Eight skips, however, well that is something admirable."
"Eight skips!" Mist exclaimed mockingly, "You can barely manage two yourself."
"Just because I cannot do it doesn't mean I don't think it isn't impressive." Pearl slipped the razor back into the sheath on his belt and splashed some water against his face. "She can do eight skips."
Pearl was looking at the young woman who sat cross legged on the large rock that marked that clearing's entrance. That was Mist's older sister, River. She had the same long ashen hair as Mist and almost everyone else native to Ilnanar, but her skin was of a slightly darker tint. This marked her as a beauty among the village's girls, since there was hardly any right-minded youth who didn't consider darker skin attractive. And if that wasn't enough, River's tracking and foraging skills rivaled those of Ember, who had maintained the position of their best hunter for almost a decade before retiring. Needless to say, she surpassed her brother and Pearl at nearly everything relating to inborn physical prowess.
"River!" Pearl called her out. She stopped chatting with Fern, a girl who was a few cycles younger than her, and turned to Pearl. Her expressive face asked 'what'.
"Remind Mist of your record." He picked up a rounded pebble and tossed it to her.
River caught the stone with her right hand and jumped down from the rock. Flexing the arms, she weighed the stone.
"This pond is too small." River complained.
"Excuses." Mist taunted with a rhyming tone.
"Do it anyway." Pearl pleaded.
River stretched out her right arm and flung the stone with unnerving precision. It flew past the boys and hit the water. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and the stone skipped out of the water, leaving the pond.
"Told you," River said, "it was too small."
"Good to see that you are getting along quite well." spoke a mature feminine voice that entered the clearing. It's owner was a middle-aged woman with an oval face and narrow grey eyes, who wore a fur jacket over the woolen clothes that were common in the region.
"I'm sorry, Lady Ember, but our cabins are literally adjacent to one-another." Mist reminded, "I was under the impression that you were aware of me being Pearl's best friend."
"You misunderstood my comment child," Ember said, "He knows what I meant."
"What are you doing here, ma?" Pearl asked her, but the answer to that was quite clear, "Isn't Marble supposed to oversee this hunt?"
"Extermination," Ember corrected, "Not hunt. You are to clear out a pack of wolves that has been picking sheep from Oldman Timber's herd. And I am here to check whether you Pearl, specifically you, don't slack off."
"A wise decision." River agreed, bending to the ground and picking up her bow, "Just as expected of you, Lady Ember."
"What a sycophant!" Mist whispered to Pearl, with eyes glaring at his sister.
"Ma, have I ever been so negligent so as to require your supervision?" Pearl asked innocently.
"More times than I can remember." Ember answered.
Pearl heard Mist chuckle.
"Did you check your equipment?" Ember asked.
River, Mist and Pearl nodded but Fern held up an unstringed bow. She quite visibly lacked the strength to string it herself. Ember smiled and proceeded to help her with it.
"Now that that's done." She said, "Let's get going."