Act 1: River spirit.
In a wide shallow looking river, a group of people gathered water while they stood in the shallows. They were using bowls of wood to fill pots of clay. Then carried the pot to the banks. "This should be enough." I told them as we filled twenty pots of fired clay, with river water. I looked at Tinder and she had finished making 3 more fish traps, out of sticks and dried grass.
I nodded. We already have two in the river. This should be enough to catch some of the fish, I noticed more and more fish were becoming active coming upstream. I think we could catch some of those active ones if they're big enough. "Alright, let's set the fish-traps, and go back home." I got a cheer from them as we set the traps just on the border of the deep parts where it meets the shallows.
"Interesting, these children are new." I heard a voice, and looked around, and saw nothing. Maybe it was a talking fish? I long learned that not everything was sentient, like that boar, and clumps of clover we sometimes found, and now I'm trying to do agriculture with. "Oh? Are they using those pieces of sticks to catch my fishes? Strange, the other children used the sticks differently."
"Hello? Are you the river spirit?" I asked as I finally realized the sound was coming from the slow flowing of the river, and the splashes of water by the fishes. "Oh! It's been a time, since a child can understand me, you must be special!" I smiled as I heard the happy bubbling of the river. "Thank you for your compliment River-spirit, I am Lazir, can I ask if it's okay to catch fish in your river?"
I asked her politely. And I heard her laugh. "Ha ha ha! My bounty is great for you to be worried about catching them all!" I felt great pride in herself as she spoke. "Of course child, take as much as you want, but fair warning other children live in my river, not just the dumb little nameless fishes, so be careful not to be caught yourself." She said, I felt the sincerity and threat in her essence as she gave me her permission and warning.
"Thank you, River-spirit, what gift do you want me to give in return?" I asked as I have long learned that spirits or mainly everything that lives in this world love receiving and giving gifts. "Hmm. . .I can't think of anything you can give!" She said as I felt her pride flare. "I can tell you about these stick traps?" I felt her mild curiosity, so I thought it would be a good enough gift for now.
"I call it Filter cages, the small hole in the back is for letting small fish go and trapping big fishes, the pointy stakes in the front of the large entrance are there to make it so the big fishes can't leave using the entrance." As I explained more of it and how it should work I felt her listening intently and very happy about it.
"Oh that's so smart! Thank you child, that was a good gift! Hmm. . .I need to leave soon. Do you want me to give you a gift?" I thought about it and then asked. "Can you move your river?" She felt thoughtful and then spoke. "Maybe during the start of the Ocean season? No, I would still be too weak for that." I felt her still thinking, her thoughts loud but muddled.
"No, I cannot child, not unless the earth shifts herself again." Well it can't be helped. "How about this? Have you seen children Like them?" I asked, pointing at my companions as they seemed to be waiting for me, as they watched, I must sound like I was singing again. I felt her water ster, and then she spoke in bubbles, and splashes on the river-banks.
"Yes, I think I've seen children like them drinking from me, up the river inside the old Forest." and with that she left I don't feel her presence anymore, just the flowing river. "Who, were you talking to Lazir?" Spark asked as I joined them near the sleds that were holding our pots, and other resources. "I think it was the river?" I said unsure.
The group left, and as they reached up the hill, a large serpent covered in water poked out its head as she watched them fully leave her sights. "What a wonderful child, hopefully he finds those fuzzy tails he's looking for. . .I should talk to the old Forest." and with that she re-submerged, into the water, becoming one with the river.
Act 2: Trek home.
"River-spirit?" Ash said, confused. "I thought only trees and big plants had them, and us and the beasts." I was confused as well, as we pulled a sled each, I used some of the boar fats on them and it made moving a lot of things easier. The Grass was helpful too, as she made sure that she'll make moving through her easier for us, as thanks for the blood.
"She was nice." I told them and they gave me a smile. "You think everyone is kind, it's probably just you Lazir." Amber said as I raised a questioning brow at her, and then gave a motion, saying that's not true. "Anyways, she told me, she had seen people like you, and I think we can find other survivors for your last herd." I told them, hoping for them to be excited, but worry was the thing I felt.
It took us reaching their old Den before speaking. "We know there's another rabbit herd inside the forest, and some of our family could have survived and ran to them." This was the first time I heard this, it was Amber who spoke as the rest stored some of the water in the old den turned storage house and took out some of the flint and bushels of dried grass stored there.
I waited for her to continue but she did not. "Why didn't you try going?" I asked softly, as I felt I wouldn't like the answer. "We did. . .it's the reason we lost our mothers, more than four survived the attack Lazir, escaping here in the hills." I felt great sadness in them as Tinder spoke, I held their shoulders and hugged them.
It was Amber who continued after the hug, and we started moving again. "We were young, when it happened, our mothers, an aunty and an elder escaped the attack, after making sure we were safe, our mothers and aunty left us with the Elder." I kept listening as we crested another hill, where I planted those seeds.
Ash was the last one to speak, as we made it to our new home. "They never came back, Elder Mattew took care of us, taught us everything he knew about surviving off the land and exercises to become faster, until he died of a sickness he called overheating." And then it was clear why they never went to the forest, even knowing there's a chance of finding their old family they were scared of losing what they had. "Ha ha ha!" The girls laughed, confusing me.
"We actually planned to try it, when Spark grew old enough to keep up with us. . . but that's before we met you, a new youngest that was so strong, smart, kind, and special, yet so slow and frail." I remember them taking care of me, when my wounds from the boar finally caught up and I fainted in pain and wasn't able to move much for days, as they built us a new home.
"Don't worry, I won't slow you down." I said to her smiling, my boar coat flowing in the wind, a tusk reinforced bow with a string made of boar guts at my back was shown with two short flint bladed clubs on my hips, and a bone chest plate protecting my heart. . . and of course I was wearing a better made grass skirt to cover my groin.
Ash smiled at me, looking amused. "You don't need to show off, Brother, we know you won't. Will go once the Sun season begins, it's the time the meat eaters hunt the least, after fattening themselves during the Ocean season." I nodded and was happy to see smiles on their faces again as we relaxed after working.
Act 3: Training day. Pov Amber.
It's been days since Ash told us to prepare ourselves to go in the early sun season. Spark was old enough to run if things go badly, but Lazir can't change as we do. His power is something else than ours. That heat, that thing he calls 'fire' it's something he can only do, even the spirit talk was known by the elders, something they said will naturally learn when we get older.
"SwsssW" A trust and slash of my new weapon. Brought memories of the warriors in our old family, of their weapons of wood, long polished clubs that took the crafters seasons to make, still I trained by copying the techniques I watched them drill into their flesh.
Now with this flint spear, that heavily killed and easily killed the fat Tusk-beast that would have normally taken ten warriors to scare off with many of them wounded. I hefted the light tower shield Tinder and Abyss made. It was made of sticks and grass weaved together.
I kept practicing my trust and movement while defending with my shield, visualizing the fight that nearly killed Lazir, and would have ended him if Ash wasn't as fast as she is. I still believe this form is weaker but I understand that it is better to fight with weapons than dull claws and smooth teeth.
That was my thoughts as I felt a strike hit my shield, it broke my stance and made me step back. "That's not good, the boar's head strike was maybe four times that strong, yet you faltered with only that." It was Lazir, uncommonly being very mocking, what is he trying to do? His mocking smile changed as I was thinking about it, he breathed in and stabbed with his flintless spear.
I blocked this time but I was still pushed back by strength. After the fight with the Tusk-beast Lazir changed he became stronger and faster than the first time we met and knocked him down. "Why?" I asked him as I tried blocking another strike, but it was too strong and made me lose my grip on the shield. The shield laid on my feet, my arm stinging with pain.
He let down his weapons and held my hand in a quick burst of movement that I was barely able to follow. "It's simple, I want to help you train, become better. In my old world,." He was showing that thoughtful sad smile again, as flames from his hand entered my aching hand, and it wasn't hurting anymore.
"My close combat instructor told me that training with someone is better than training alone so both can be sharpened by the experience." He looked me in the eyes, as I saw heat and kindness in his blue eyes I wondered what he saw in mine. That was it before he let go, picked up my shield, gave it to me and picked up his weapons.
"Are you ready?" He asked his more cheerful smile to returned, and made me smile in turn, determined not to let this young buck become too arrogant. "Swsssw!" With the trust of my weighted training spear, I struck Lazir, making him jump lightly, absorbing my strike, with his own shield, like he did with the boar.
Act 4: Favor.
I was walking off the training field we made, basically a small flatten platform you can train on, sweat quickly turning to steam on my skin, Amber breathing heavily, with dried blood all over her fur, but no wound or cuts in her body. "That should be good for today." I said while I was slowly walking. "Yeah. . ." She replied breathlessly.
"That was a good show Lazir, I'll consider it a gift, what do you want? more tall grass for your crafts?" She was the Spirit of the grass we walked on, very mischievous she is, I smiled at her as I felt her touch on my bare feet. "No we should have enough for now, what I really want is if you know of other Earth-spirits like Tree, Alyssia and Agaria."
I felt Grass's curiosity, as she followed me as I took a drink out from a rain-water collector, made of fired clay, with a filter made of dried grass. "You want to seduce more of my neighbors? oh mother earth, why not try, me~" I spit out some of the water I drank from a bowl, and started laughing, with the grass spirit. "I know you would want something big for that, and I know I can't fulfill it now."
I heard a happy chuckle from her. "Of course you won't bind me, you got lucky with White-mushroom and Flower's young and naive." I thought about it and she was right. "How about Tree?" that caught her off guard and made her think. "I think she's just hesitant because she doesn't want to be called old, but I think she'll be open with it when she becomes a forest."
I was shocked she was being this honest. "Alright for your requests let's see I know a few other 'Earth-spirits'. . ." I felt her think as I somehow felt her deeper than before, I felt like she was so close that I could touch her soul. "Ahh!" that made her recoil feeling violated and surprised. "Don't do that! What did you do?" I smiled as I hummed a tune. "Tell me what I want, and I'll tell you."
She did quickly, telling me of the other Earth-spirits she knows off. Of the Bamboo in the south near the river. of the flower hill and water flowers in a pond in the east. The old forest in the north. And the palm trees in the west. "Thank you Grass." I said sincerely before explaining as best I can of the feeling and sudden ability I gained, after which she seemed to have grown serious.
"Do me a favor Lazir, never do what you did to me to any other Earth-spirit" I felt her being serious, which was odd. "I can't promise that." I felt anger and sadness in her before realization. "You noticed? Yes, it could be used to really hurt a spirit if you train it well enough. . .so I'll change my favor, I ask you to never use it on a friendly spirit."
I smiled as I kneeled and touched the grass, feeling closer to her, but now she was prepared, consciously distancing herself from me. "I promise to not use this ability to harm any friendly spirits to me and the people and spirit I befriended." I felt her thoughtfulness and then with a tired breath. "Good. I'll help you as much as I can, but I'm not bonding with you. You know I'm more free spirited than the Tree."
Act 5: longer days.
On the side of a hill, a primitive man barely dressed with a tightly bounded armor of bones on his chest, a skirt of well weaved dried long grass, and a cloak of fur the hide of a boar as it's head covered his, he opened a rough door made of out of sticks and grass, with smoke leaving from it's crevices, his blue eyes squinted as the smoke assaulted them as they rushed out.
"More than a week, and the meat is still well." I looked into the smoke house and saw the meat doesn't smell odd, or the cooler changing from the last time I checked and no sign of molds. I started taking some of the hanging boar meat, mushroom, clovers and fruit slices.
Placing them all in a large bowl next I checked on the small bonfire in the middle of the earth-fired room, it was still embering but needed some more fuel. I took a bowl from the side with wood chips and poured it on the embering bonfire, making sure it wouldn't catch fire and then I left the smokehouse.
I saw the girls where in a circle weaving grass into the matts I showed them. An easy way to practice the craft while making parts of a bigger weave. "Girl! It's time to eat." I told them as I sat next to them seeing their work Amber was becoming better but her work was still rough. Tinder's work was becoming more impressive and the others were as good as I am with this craft.
"Thank you! Good I'm hungry, Yay snacks!" They answered me in different ways, as they grabbed a meat slab, filled it with smoked fruits, mushrooms and clovers and ate. I smiled as they enjoyed the meat with toppings. "Do you guys feel different? It's been awhile since you guys started eating meat. Do guys feel the curse your elders told you?"
"No Lazir, I think your magic over fire cleansed the curse in the meat." Ash said as she ate with discipline. "Yeah I don't feel any of that 'losing your mind and cannibalizing your people' thing, the elders told us about." Amber said. "I think I grew taller." Spark said and we all looked at her, it was Tinder who first acted and stood next to her and hugged her up her feet.
"You did grow taller." Tinder said as Spark was now reaching her neck, in size. "Huh, is that part of the curse? Making you guys taller?" Ash and Amber were thinking hard as Tinder answered me. "No it is not, but it did say you would gain more strength than a normal rabbit-folk, well I think some of the stories the elder said were true." She smiled while patting the head of Spark.
"We might leave soon." Ash said as we all sat back down, and a peaceful quiet held over us as we ate. "Yeah the days are getting longer. I saw a few patches of grass turning yellow." Amber agreed. I thought about it but I never asked. "Why did you call this season the Ocean-season and the next one Sun-season?" I was curious about it.
"The elders named them, they called the time when the light of sun was the hottest and most plentiful the Sun-season, While the Ocean-season was named as such because of all the rain and new sources of water appearing during that time." I nodded to Tinder as she told me about it.
"Are there other seasons?" I asked them if they had an equivalent to autumn and winter. Spark was the one who answered next. "There are two others Lazir!" She was excited as she babbled, explaining the Season of earth and the Season of snow. We enjoyed ourselves talking and eating as the sun took its time to set.