From the Mother's Blood

It is thought that certain insect classes came straight from the Mother Tree. Some arachin tribes believe in this their entire lives, and devote themselves to the gods they imagine created the mother tree for them. One of these tribes is one located on "The Hook" in the continent of Pentra. This tribe, dubbed by "out-landers", or what the tribe called "Big-landers", were nicknamed the Blood tribe, for their obsession with bloody rituals, and the fact that all of its members bore either red or orange markings naturally. very few didn't - and those were ones that were accepted in from the outside. Those were very, very few....

One such person, was named Choda, a scarabin of a golden nature, though his hide had been dyed with crimson years ago. He was adopted in as the chief-huntress's guest, and a shaman.

The Chief-huntress - she was interesting. Ruby eyes glittering in the darkness of the jungle, mist collecting around the floor. Her breath came out in small clouds as she listened to the voice of the jungle and her children the trees, and the beasts that roamed through her. Her eyes glanced up, breathing oh so slowly. Through the gaps of light in the leaves she spied a shadow circling overhead. Her companion - her friend. This friend was of a bestial nature himself, though he devoted himself to her as if he were insectoid. He was a bat - brown with a white splatter over the bridge of his face. His name, simple, his duty, everything but.

He was this huntress's eyes, because hers were out-of-true. She could see, but the prey blended in with the foliage, so she must have someone, or something, to spy them for her. Kiwi - this was the bat's name - did this job for her. He did not eat meat, but she and her tribe did. She did the brutalities, Kiwi merely guided her to do it. Her eyes fell back to the misty forest floor, eyes straining to see the boar she was tracking. This boar - of a special kind, was only hunted for special ceremonies. It was her duty to bring one back to the tribe. The boars were few in numbers, and the tribe respected that. They lived in very few other places - mainly the thicker jungles, but even then, were small in population.

She heard the flapping of wings, and a soft screech, signaling her to drop, now. She did, pulling her legs loose from her hanging position, teeth grit as she held her bone-tipped spear directly below her body. She did not give out a battle-cry, lest she startle her prey. That would make matters for her worse. Timing was key with hunting these creatures. If just one spine stuck her - she would be out of duty for moonturns. Who would feed her tribe, then? No, she had to complete the hunt.

She grunted as she heard the squeal, and felt her weight slam into the ground - not into spikes. Her vision was filled with a squirming, thrashing animal, spear stuck through its ribs. She jumped back, and let the beasts wear itself out, killing itself. Success....She sighed, and heard the crashing of leaves as her companion fluttered down to meet her, walking up behind her, and nuzzling her neck from her back. "Kah-wee....Uhnta uhnta." she chuckled graciously. 'Uhnta' was the common word of her tribe for 'thanks' or 'job well done'. She meant it both ways this time.

Silence surrounded the two once again, as the huntress came forward, and pulled the spear out of the boar, blood smothering the white blade. She froze, hearing a noise, and turned to it, spear out in front of her. Kiwi flared his wings behind her, screeching softly.

"Ho ana?!" she barked, in her native tongue. 'who is there?!'

After the Cheif-Huntress' succesfull hunt and hearing of noises around her and her bat Kiwi, which seem to compell her to make some of her own. The noises started to get louder and louder and then after the sounds seemed to be as close as they could get, silence. There was absolutely no noise at all for a few minutes before what sounded like sqwishing sounds were heard.

If the Huntress would turn around, she would spy a child arachin, no bigger than herself, kneeling down at the corpse of the Huntress' prey and poking it in the stomache. "Ooooooooh~" Was the noise this young boy seemed to emit as he was entranced by curiousity over the dead animal, mostly because of the sound it made.

OOC: I had too, I was bored and on too many meds. xD ))

Pelm glared fiercely at the newcomer, and turned her spear round, poking the fellow arachin in the stomach. "

"Ai! Ju gona git 'way! Ukakua mayin, nah ju's!" she barked with crude, teribble accent. It was probably near impossible for the stranger to interpret the sounds, but this Ukakua, as she told him, was her kill, not his. Since he was obviously child, though of a larger arachin breed, she would not harm a youngling. He seemed to be naive, but that was fine, as long as he realized she wasn't about to let him spoil the ceremonial meat. It was Ziri's boyhood ritual today, and they would need the blood to mark the almost pure-black arachin pygmy child.

You see, in their world, every child has their own day of age - of an infant female going into girlhood, or a male into boyhood. There was no manhood or womanhood. You simply lost your infant-status, and became a part of the tribe. Ziri - her adopted son, was given a dream from the gods of Old, the dream interpreted by Choda personally. Ziri got this dream a week ago, being told his coming of age, though he was only four, was on this day, the half-moon. Blood was key in the transfer, and it could only be from the Ukakua - the spiked boar.

The rest of the blood would be saved, harvested by Choda, but Ziri would have it painted onto his body in god-approved markings. He would have to wear them for four days - one per year that he was not part of the tribe...Some went twenty years without receiving their dream - that just meant that hadn't earned their worth. Ziri had - he was the Chief-huntress's son, and handled some matters around the tribe, and even helped with some of the hunts, despite his fragile body.

Her attention was brought back to the stranger, and she pushed him a little farther away from the Ukakua.
"Ai, nah-em?" She ordered - a bit calmer than before.

(OOC: Sorry for any word confusions. >xD this tribe has very little contact with big-landers... haha)

The male looked up at the female pygmy with curiousity on his face as she turned around and poked him in the stomache before yelling at him. The young arachin ignored the yelling and proceeded to just poke the Huntress back in her stomache, as if thinking it a game. "Poke~"

As the Huntress pushed the child away from her kill and spoke to him in a now calm manner, he then brought out his own reply, in his usually loud and happy tone. "Hehe~ You talk funny!" The male said as a big smile spread across his face, as was the only expression if the child arachin's face wasn't already sporting a curious one.

OOC: It's fine, might lead to some funny misunderstandings. xD ))

And oh wow, look at my meager posts compared to yours. x-x; ))

Pelm looked at him with something that resembled disgust, but sighed, pushing him away again. She understood him - barely, but she did. Big-landers didn't typically come to her island, but they still did occasionally, so she at least got the general idea of their complex language.

"No-ah gam, eeny Arach." she murmured grumpily, stepping forward and beckoning to her bat companion. Kiwi hunkered forward, and sunk his teeth in around the Ukakua's belly, then fanned his wings, stepping back.

"Zah-ree, kum-bayu Ukakua, Kah-wee."she called softly, and fondly to her friend. 'Kiwi, take the sacred Ukakua to Ziri,'

Kiwi bobbed a wing once, showing he understood, and burst into the air with flurry of leaves, dirt and other natural materials. Pelm watched him for a minute, before turning back to the big-lander.
"Nah-em, Arach?" she asked again, sternly but kindly.

Fari watched the large bat as it took the Huntress' kill and flew off with it after hearing what the female said, though Fari couldn't understand a lick of it. "Weee~" He watched the bat as it flew off into the sky until he heard the Huntress speak and his red eyes fell apon her one more.

"Nah-em?" Fari said as he tiled his head to the female, taking a few minutes before he finally understood what se was asking of him. "Oh! People call me Fari~" He said as another of his large smiles covered the bottom half of his face, only parting slightly for him to speak. "Yours~?"

Pelm eyed him warily, before waving her spear, and beckoning him to follow.
"Pelm." she replied shortly, walking through the bushes, roots and trees with confidence. This... Fari was a curious one. Pelm was sure the boy arachin would be eaten if she didn't watch out for him. How did the kid get here, anyways? That was what she wanted to know.

"'Ow ju a git'en ere?" she asked roughly, pushing a branch aside, and glancing back at the arachin boy. "Hoy," she barked quietly, waving the spear in hand, telling him to come forward to her side. He didn't seem that bright.... but then again, he was still a child. She couldn't expect too much from him. Kiwi was probably back at the tribe by now - it would take her and her guest a bit longer to get there. They weren't far from the center of the island, where her home was, but that just made it more interesting, and confusing, as to why this child was in the center of a island filled with beasts of malicious and dangerous gods....Their children - the beasts - were usually just as dangerous....

She kept a wary eye as she waited for the Arachin-Zu. Creatures like to sneak up on the pygmies....though it usually ended with the beast being that night's dinner.

The male watched the female as she bekoned him to follow her through the brush and listened to her as she asked to how he had even come to end up on the island. "I was on a smoke machine!" The male said, seeming to indicate that he was brought here by a steam boat.

It had been about a day after Fari met Xenon and wandered his way onto a steamboat, that was bound for the Pentra mainland. He was found asleep however and the crew decided to throw the child overboard, seeming to hate those who don't pay for tickets. Fari floated maraculously onto the shore of this island and had been exploring many parts of it at random, meeting a few of the beasts Pelm thought might get to him if she didn't make him follow her and getting away from them easily before he finally came across Pelm.

She didn't know what a "Smoke machine" was, nor did she really care anymore. Her goal now was to get home, safely, and with this boy-arachin in tow. The god's know - he wouldn't last on his own. She pushed her way through the plant life with her spear, watching out constantly for predators. There was no saying when something would pounce at them, for the gods' children, lesser or greater, liked to play with the pygmies.

But, with only a scramble or two with a spider-monkey wanting her earrings since they were shiny and blue, they made decent progress through the undergrowth. Every few moments she looked back to make sure her charge was still keeping up with her, because by the look of him he didn't do as much physical labor as she did. Oh well, he would live and follow her, or die at the gods' will.

She murmured, and pushed aside a large bramble of leaves, revealing not more undergrowth, but the visage of a bustling village, filled with mud, leaf and stone huts made into one solid type of cement, hardened against all age, and pygmies of all sized and looks walking - or running - around. Some of the women wore clothes, some didn't, and hardly any of the children did. The children, from young to old, ran around with joyous laughter, playing their games.

It made her happy to know her tribe was flourishing so well...Her face stiffened as she heard a defensive screech - and she shook her head in annoyance. Kiwi. He was probably being too protective of the Ukakua carcass, thinking it was Pelm's, and Pelm's only.

"Hoy, Arach-zu," she grumbled, grabbing the boy's wrist and pulling him through. Some people stopped, giving her a confused look at the straggler off her hand. She had only once before brought home a stranger, and then it was an old blood - now their strongest shaman, Choda. She hadn't brought back another arachin, before....Typically they weren't welcome, but they must have noticed he was still just a child.

She muttered to herself as they entered the center of the tribe's relatively small village, Kiwi standing near the ceremonial fire pit (though it wasn't lit,), fanning his wings protectively over the Ukakua corpse.

"Ai, Kah-wee! Jaherr kana, Qen kana!" she called sternly. 'Hey Kiwi, Not mine, our Tribe's![i]'

The bat murmured, and reluctantly backed off, coming forward to nuzzle her in apology. She released Fari's hand to stroke Kiwi's muzzle affectionately, murmuring to him comfortingly.
"Pelm, amei arach-zu?" '[i]Who is the Arachin child?' came a deep, powerful rumbling of a voice. Pelm looked up, and smiled seeing the golden-bodied Old blood nearly three times her height.
"Wena Arach Fah-ree, dire que ika." 'Insect Arachin Fari, left his home over water.'. Choda nodded, looking at Fari curiously.

"Fah-ree, zelk's que oa, obu?" Fari, stay at the shaman's home, today, tomorrow?" he asked throatily. Choda had long forgotten the big-lander speech, or at least how to say it. His throat and lungs were too used to working this tribes guttural language, that his body let out so easily. Big-lander speech was difficult for him to pronounce...

The child arachin's eyes wandered about as Pelm guided him through the brush that seemed to cover most of the island. He looked around at the many variation of plants and trees that covered the island as the brush did. As he entered the village his eyes changed to the forms of that of the many people that were in it. He then noticed Kiwi amoung them and gave the bat a wave as a smile filled his face once more, the waving only to be interupted by the Old Blood.

Fari gave a tilt of his head to the Old Blood after he spoke to the child, but soon another smile filled Fari's face before his lips parted for the male to speak. "Hehe~ You talk funny too~!" Fari said before he poked the Old Blood in the stomache with his index finger, Fari now thinking that this was the common fashion for the tribe seeing as Pelm did it to him apon meeting him.

(OOC: Thank you - I really hate to make you change what you wrote, it seems unfair to me, but it seemed unnatural for him to do that, through circumstance and physical reality. But, I'll not go off on it again, we have both stated our points, which are both valid. ^.^' )


Choda grunted, feeling the poke of the child on his stomach - and grumbled, looking to Pelm to translate. She sighed, shaking her head a little and shrugging at her Old Blood friend.
"Fah-ree, st-eh et Choo-da's 'ome, too-ay, too-orrow?" she asked slowly, one hand on Kiwi's nose to keep him happy. Choda grumbled to himself.


(OOC: sorry, I'm a bit tired....>.> short reply... )

OOC: It's fine, mine aren't much larger anyways. xD ))

Fari's head stayed tilted as he was still confused on what the Old Blood had said, even after he listened to Pelm's 'translation' he was still rather confused on what the two were speaking of. It took him a few seconds before he finally understood what Pelm said as gave his reply with his usual large smile. "Oh! Sure~"

Pelm smiled - one could call it in a motherly fashion. Fari, though her size, and... what seemed to be naive intelligence, was a sweet boy. He almost resembled Ziri, in a few ways, though not many, and she would never take the arachin in, because he wasn't going to stay forever, no doubt. There was no point in starting to grow fond of him, though she would treat him well, and eventually the villagers would accept him in, grudgingly or openly. Maybe Fari would find friends in the tribe...Who knew. Pelm and Ziri would certainly be friends with him - Choda would house him in his larger home, built specifically to house strangers of all sizes, and many, for sometimes villagers sought the security of a dream-free home. Shamans may be able to decipher dreams, but they themselves had none, which was the sign of a Shaman in the true. Once a shaman had a dream, god-given or plain, they lost their connection with the gods.

Pelm chuckled as Kiwi nuzzled her neck in adoration, affection, and an animal-like loyalty that no one else in this island had, unless they were born amongst the beasts that coddled them.
"Hoy, Fah-ree. Ah shu ju Zah-ree." she offered, bowing her head to Choda in friendly respect. He gave a curt one back, his maw twisting a little, showing what for him was a smile. She beckoned softly to Fari, bobbing her head a little to the left. Ziri would be in their home, waiting until he could partake in his ceremony, later tonight with the flames of the night-fire, the men dancing their war-dances, and the women playing their drums, sistrums and tambourines.

Fari stayed standing there silently with his head tilted to the side as he was doing alot ever since he found himself on the island. He was confused on what exactly Pelm was saying to him again, as it was hard for Fari to understand the tribe's tounge. He wasn't very sure on what Pelm was beckoning him to when she bobbed her head to the left, not knowing if she was telling him to come next to her or telling him to go somewhere.

She didn't grab onto his wrist this time, though she started off without another crudely spoken word, spear still in hand, the red and gold feathers dangling, the small golden beads jingling softly whenever they hit each other. The bangles on her forearms make a likewise sound - a sound that would ring through the darkened forest alongside the rest of the musical chorus, as she danced alongside the men, a proud leader amongst her strongest people....

She gave a soft sigh, walking at a brisk pace, though she watched for Fari every once in a while. It was a short walk, but a walk nonetheless, and they soon approached what seemed to be a mud-hut, the same as all the others. There was a soft-leather curtain hanging on golden pegs however, and light streamed from inside as a slight wind jostled the tanned material.

She pointed at it, smiling and looking back at Fari.
"Zah-ree, 'n ma 'ome. Zah-ree ma boyeh." she narrated fondly. She ducked inside, her fingers pulling the leather, soft like wool because it had been pounded, special for them as a gift when Pelm had first become the Chief-Huntress, three years ago. Ziri was four.

Fari understood what Pelm had told him, about the young pygmy that was in the mud hut, but he was more intrested in the leather curtains at the moment. "Ooooh~" The boy walked up to the cutrains and lifted them up in his hands and began to inspect them closely with a burning curiousity in his eyes.

The boy was rather easy to entertain at times and sometimes it could come up at the most random of times or when his entertainment isn't needed' like now when Pelm was trying to introduce him and Ziri.

He continued fiddling with the curtain, almost to the point of tearing it until he heard a growling noise coming from his stomache. He stopped fiddling with the curtain immediatly and looked down at his stomache, almost as if listening to it.

Pelm glanced back at Fari, still playing with the curtains. She turned to Ziri, who had just sat up on a hammock, looking at her happily. She beckoned to him, looking pleadingly at Fari. Ziri nodded, and bounded over.
"Momma would like it if you came in." Ziri giggled, poking his head out at Fari. Now, Ziri had listened to Pelm rant on in the big-lander language, and had picked it up very easily, though he still quite as easily talked to his mother in their native tongue. It proved useful whenever they needed a proper translator.

Pelm smiled at him. She had found Ziri, a naked infant three and a half years ago, washed up on the shore, bawling his eyes out because he was cold, hungry, tired and had saltwater in his eyes. She had no clue who had tossed him into the sea, to bring him here, but she was very happy they did, for he happened to be pygmy, and bore red colors. It was as if the gods themselves had offered them something - so of course, Pelm took the miserable infant, and flew him back upon Kiwi's back with her.

They'd been inseparable since. Ziri had grown quickly, mind and body. He was more intelligent than Pelm thought possible, and had manufactured several small things that had helped make life easier around the tribe. Pelm chuckled softly as she looked on at Ziri, who was trying to get Fari to come inside.

Fari had been listening to his stomache for a few minutes before Ziri spoke to him. The boy then looked away from his stomache and back to the pygmy that spoke and gave him a big smile before Fari's lips seperated for the boy to speak.

"Oh, okie~" The boy said as he walked inside the mud hut that houses Ziri and Pelm, looking around it curiously, as this was the first time he's ever seen the inside of a home. He had been outside almost all his life, or atleast as much of it as he could remember.

"Momma won't be talking much in your language for a while, not now since we met." Ziri chirped cutely, smiling. He was very bright for a four year old. But perhaps that was the way the gods worked. He wasn't very strong, in fact, he would probably end up being a shaman after this ceremony. Anything could happen when the gods were involved.
"We don't got much, we live simple, the whole Qen - oops! I mean tribe." Ziri giggled, hiding his smile behind a three-fingered hand.

Pelm looked at him proudly, partly understanding him, though he was talking quickly.
"Sei tai, Zah-ree?" Pelm offered, head tilting a little, a bowl in hand, full of vibrantly colored fruits.
"Jah, uhnta!" Ziri exclaimed with excitement, and Pelm offered him a round fruit with bumps on the skin. Ziri peeled off a section of the skin, and bit into the center. He glanced up at Fari, and swallowed his bite.

"Sorry, do you want any fruit to eat?" Ziri offered, just as Pelm had done.

Fari looked down at his stomache, which immediatly stared to let out a low growl as the food was shown to the boy. "Lower me says yes~" He said as he took one of the fruits that sat in the bowl Pelm was holding. He didn't bother, or even know, to peel off the hard skin that covered it and started biting into it. It didn't hurt when he bit down into it, but he didn't really get anything after bitting, so he just kept bitting around the fruit in various spots like a chipmunk with a peanut, determined to get to the fruit.

Ziri giggled, watching Fari with amusement.
"You're supposed to peel it, silly!" he laughed, shaking his head a little at the bigger arachin.

Pelm glanced at the two, and determined that Fari wasn't about to go anywhere with Ziri watching him. She waved at the two, setting the bowl down for the two of them to gorge themselves as they wished.

Ziri looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, nodding. He'd watch Fari, and keep him out of trouble.

Fari didn't notice that Pelm was about to leave as he was to preoccupied with trying to get past the skin of the fruit. He looked up slightly to listen to what Ziri had to say, about peeling the skin off and then immediatly went back to biting the skin-covered fruit in the same chipmunkly fashion as he had earlier.

He finally bit away parts of the skin and bit down into the fruity center, now shown by the absense of the skin. He was biting into it furociously, like what an animal would do after going without food for a week.

(OOC: If people want to join in; feel free to if you see the chance. )


Ziri giggled, watching Fari tear at the difficultly-reputed fruit, until he had finally gotten a mouthful. He must've been awful hungry, to be so voraciously attacking the food. Ziri, though still messy with how he ate, was mannerly. Or at least as mannerly as a wild-tribe's boy could get.

~

Pelm strolled through the village, listening to the bustle as the tribe fixed the final preparations for the ceremony that would start in about two hours - once the gods bathed them in the dark blanket of night. Kiwi flew overhead, watching everything - but mainly keeping a wary eye on her. He was her worried protector, and he always wanted to know where she was, and what she was doing. She smiled.

These were her people, bustling to get work done, all in her name, for her son. Any other child, turning into an adult would get just as much as a response, but it held a certain value to it, emotionally. She cherished her little boy, Ziri. It had only been three years since she'd plucked him from the coastline, but those three years made everything...She continued to walk, not really having a destination; just walking around with her spear - she was hardly ever without it.

The boy continued to knaw away at the fruit like a rabid animal until he had found the fruit to have dissappeared from his grasp. He was left with only what was left of the skin of the fruit and then proceeded to litterally lick the inside of the skin clean, which now looked more like a bowl.

The boy sat it down next to him and then looked up to the younger male before him with his usual big and bright smile. "Let's play a game!"

Ziri shook his head.

"No time to play games, friend! My ceremony is soon... That's game enough! You're welcome to sit with the other kids and watch," the black skinned boy offered, smiling. He was very excited about this! He was young, but he had been privileged with a dream from the gods! Well, lady Pakua-al and Zelk-al. Choda hadn't been able to tell him what the god and goddess wanted of him, but the nature of the stars' placement after the ceremony would tell.

And only one person could read the stars correctly, and it wasn't Choda.

Tai-Rana, the Star-seer.

~

Acid-green eyes stared out through the dusk-colored air, sitting on a log placed at the large fire pit, though no fire was currently started. That would change soon enough - and he might be the one to light it, knowing the picky natures of the gods.

He'd gotten a request from this village's local shaman, Choda, an Old blood of considerable status and wisdom. The scarabin was still no match for himself, but the larger male certainly made an impression. He grunted, leaning on his staff, bearing a web in the fashion of Ril-al's hunting net, the silk spun from one of his clients a few years back.

He was too old to be participating in the dances anymore, but he was never too old to serve the gods. He was rounding a healthy thirty-four, now, and already the beard on his face was showing the dull colors of age. He would look many years older than he was, soon.


He glanced up at the sky, noticing a few stray clouds - Pakua-al herself must be intending to participate with this young boy's coming-of-age ceremony. There were a few possibilities with that - but the presence of two or more other gods was required to sufficiently decipher one's fate. His snake-skull mask rested over his own skull heavily, though he was far used to the sensation. He was proud to wear this garb, heavy and hot as it was. It was little sacrifice compared to the work he did, which was well worth the extra effort.

A female figure approached him, and the soft jangling of precious metal told him immediately who it was.
"Hello, chieftess Pelm. Am I to assume it is your son, which whom I am to present his title?" he asked, his voice low and growling, raspy from years in inhaling fumes. He generally didn't like being with so many people in the same area, but the gods willed him to be here, so here he was.