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Family Ties (Dauphin DaGlobster)

Started by DragonSong, November 03, 2016, 01:18:56 PM

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DragonSong

Instinctively, Ka found himself at his sister's side. His hand moved to rest against her withers, feeling the small vibrations that trembled through her body as she tried not to fidget. Her own hand came down to touch his shoulder lightly, eyes wary and nervous.

"That's true," he said with a small nod. "I can't...conjure it, exactly. But I can draw it out. If there's water in the ground or something. And yes, I can purify it." It was exhausting, but it was possible.

DaGlobster

The Council looked among themselves. There was a short period where they were silent, until one of the members suddenly reared up.

"You're all mad! The Stallion will take wrath upon this village."

The rest of the council watched as the outraged member made for the exit. He was spry and wiry, with a beard that ended in twin braids and a bald head. He had no discernible weapons or armor, save for two thick gauntlets and razor-sharp sheathes for his hooves. He gave Bree a snarl and Ka a nasty look as he passed them.

"They might be soft and ignorant, but I'll be watching you. The both of you," he growled, then continued to walk.



DragonSong

In an instant all of Brianna's anxious figeting and shrinking in on herself vanished. As soon as the older centaur moved toward them she grabbed Ka's shoulder and shoved him behind her, shoulders straight and chin lifted defiantly as she stared the stallion down.

She didn't say anything, but every line of her body was tense, ready to spring into action to either defend her brother or flee with him. Only when there was some distance between them and the perceived danger did she relax, just slightly.

Ka swallowed and glanced over at the other members of the Council. "Well. Um. Should we...go?" Would they even let them just leave? He had a very bad feeling about that.

DaGlobster

The High Elder shook his head.

"You shouldn't let Fehdrik bother you too much. He's a bit too religious for his age."

Dehak snorted at that.

"We've decided that you may stay with us. We have an empty tent, anyways. Dehak should know the one."

The High elder motioned to the entrance, and Dehak nodded. He looked to Bree and motioned towards himself.

"Well, there's your answer. Let's go and get you two situated."


DragonSong

Ka and Bree exchanged a look.

"Alright," the mare sighed eventually. Her hand rested on Ka's shoulder as she nodded to Dehak. "Lead the way, I guess."

"I'm not a child," her brother muttered as she kept her grip on him. She just clenched her fingers in response, keeping a firm hold on his shoulder.

DaGlobster

And so, Dehak led them out of the Elder's tent and into the daylight, where the sun had started to dim into late afternoon

Dehak glanced up at the sky, as if caught by it for a moment, then back to Bree and Ka. He started to speak.

"You're very lucky, you know. A human has never lived among us, and even a month ago, the concept would've never been considered."

He paused in his talking to wave at a group of drunken centaurs coming out of a common tent. The tallest among them grinned and waved back, and they went on their way.

"But I suppose a harsh enough drought is enough to change even the elders, so here you are."

They arrived at a tent that looked like it could comfortable house a few centaurs. Inside was a straw bed, a crude stand for weapons, a small personal chest, and a few cushions, little more than animal hides filled with straw.

DragonSong

Bree and Ka followed at a careful distance, the centauress keeping her arm around her brother's shoulders. The drunken centaurs had her shying sideways, drawing aka closer to her side protectively.

Ka serm d much more at ease than his sister. "Draught?" He asked curiously as they were led into the tent. "For how long?"

DaGlobster

"For a few months now. It came with the winter."

He crossed his arms.

"Winter's been gone now, but it must've frozen the river farther north. Water's barely trickling in, and the other watering holes are too far away. We might have to move the tribe soon," Dehak said, and he motioned to her tent.

"You should rest, get settled in. I'll let you know when it's time to eat."

DragonSong

Ka frowned. The very concept of a whole frozen river was so foreign to his Essyrn-raised self that he had to take a moment to wrap his head around it.

"Thank you," Bree said, curt but polite, which snapped him out of his thoughts. His sister was still tense, her tail flicking as though swatting a swarm of nonexistent flies, back hooves shifting. She sort of ushered Ka into the tent and gave Dehak a quick nod before following him.

Once inside, she sort of caved in on herself, shoulders slumping and a little shiver running down her spine from head to tail. "Gods."

DaGlobster

Dehak left Bree and Ka to their own devices. As of now, he didn't care much for whatever they got up to. He'd honestly expected them to be kicked back out onto the plains, but apparently, the Elders were willing to take a gamble on this.

Dehak didn't trust the human, although he seemed harmless enough. Let alone the Centaur he came with.

Shakier than a leaf in a gale, she seemed. Dehak wondered how long she'd last pulling her own weight. He supposed he would see tomorrow.

Dehak shrugged, and he went to his tent to get a few hours of sleep before it was eating time.

DragonSong

"Easy, Sis." Ka smiled and patted Bree's whithers. She frowned at him and swiped for the back of his head, and he ducked the mock blow with the ease of long practice. "Oi, what was that for?" he demanded mildly.

"Your fool mouth is going to get us killed here," she snapped back. Her eyes flickered warily toward the door. She did not like this place, or its people. Something about them set her on edge, the...the hardness to them.

"Bree." Ka frowned at her as he settled onto the straw bed. "Aren't you- I don't know, curious? Even a little? Hells, we've never even seen another centaur before today, and there are hundreds out there!"

Her mouth drew into a tight line and she cautiously folded her legs under her body, the weight of her bow a comforting presence against her back. "That's what I'm worried about." When Ka looked at her questioningly, she sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Is this...are they what I'm supposed to be? What I would have been, if I hadn't..."

She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. "They scare me, Ka," she whispered, eyes lowered. She reached out a hand to him, knowing he would take it without having to look. "Promise me you'll stay safe."

He squeezed her hand. "I promise, an-wit," he murmured, using the slang term for "sister" that had been common where they'd grown up in Essyrn.  Bree sighed, gave his fingers a squeeze in response, then drew her hand back.

"Get some sleep, while you can."

DaGlobster

Dehak's nap was short, more or less a couple hours. exactly how he wanted it. He made his way to Bree and Ka's quarters, observing the camp life around him as he did so. The common tents were starting to get crowded at around this time, so he picked up his pace a little.

He stepped up the door, which was simply constructed of dried thatch and grasses lashed together with sinews, and wrapped on it a few times with his knuckles.

"Grub's out, you two. Hurry up before it's gone!"

DragonSong

Bree hadn't slept, but Ka jerked awake beside her and scrambled to his feet. She sighed and rose to join him, hovering protectively at his shoulder as he scurried out of the tent.

"Thanks." He shot Dehak a quick smile. "Coming, Bree?"

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Where else would I be going?"

DaGlobster

Dehak awaited them semi-patiently. He wasn't barking for them to go faster, but it was obvious that he wanted to. He shifted a bit to the left, arms crossed and face locked into that perpetual frown of his.

When they came out, he gave Bree a slight nod of ackowledgement before he turned and started to walk.

"The tribe all eat together," Dehak said, pointing to one of the common tents as they walked past it. He was searching for one that wasn't too crowded.

"Warriors, mothers, children, high elders. All of them."

As they walked, he looked back to Bree.

"I won't conceal anything from you, Bree. You will need to prove yourself to all of them."

His eyes travelled from Bree to Ka.

"You too, human."


DragonSong

Brother and sister exchanged a quick look that spoke volumes. Then Ka grinned impishly and said confidently, "We can do that."

Bree resisted the urge to smack him. Instead, she paused and twisted her upper body to grab him under the arms, then lifted him onto her back with a grunt, despite his sudden, loud protest.

"I swear you get used to him," she muttered to Dehak as she came warily up beside him. At least with Ka on her back he couldn't run off and set her worrying. The human teen was obviously pouting, though she ignored him.

"How can I prove myself then?" she asked brusquely. "You said your people were in need of healers?"

DaGlobster

"Another healer would help, but not for the camp," Dehak said simply.

"My Hoof's healer lost her hands during a plainsman raid. I need someone I can depend on to keep my warriors alive."

They were coming up onto one of the common tents. Almost twenty feet high, it had two large fur flaps as an entrance. Warm firelight and the smell of meats cooking with grains and squashes issued from within, and Dehak beckoned for them to follow as he led them inside.

The inside had no seats, naturally, and everything was set up around the center, which was kept clear as "standing" space. The place wasn't packed, but there were a few old or even crippled centaurs attending to the cooking equipment set up on the edges of the tent. All in all, no less than a couple dozen centaurs occupied the place. The only centaurs who didn't look like warriors were either elderly, pregnant, or children. Those who were warriors wore distinguishing marks on their weapons, armor, or even bodies, so that others may know to which Hoof they belonged to.

Ka was immediately singled out as the subject for everyone's gaze. Some looks were of bewilderment, And others still were of confusion. But, among the confused and surprised faces, the one that held hatred were the most visible.

It was clear he wasn't welcome.

From across the tent, a group of centaurs waved at Dehak and he started to move. He looked back

"Go get yourselves some food. You can meet some of your fellow warriors after."

DragonSong

Bree wilted under so many stares, even though she knew most were directed at the boy on her back, and not at her specifically. She swallowed thickly and tried to keep her chin tilted up as they followed Dehak into the tent.

Warily, Ka still clinging to her back, the centauress made her way toward the food, shooting Dehak an almost questioning look as she did.

"Well. This is comfortable," Ka muttered in her ear. Even his confident front seemed to be cracking.

DaGlobster

Bree's questioning look was met with a curt nod from Dehak, who'd gone to mingle with his warriors.

Dehak's Hoof was, in a sense, a reflection of himself. Most wore at least one or two pieces of armor made out of crudely hammered metal, and all the members present in this particular tent were armed with large weapons, very much like their leader. Color-wise, their helmets all had vertical red stripes that ran the length of the helmet, and darker, seemingly bloodstained cloths around their hands and wrists.

Over by Bree, she didn't have to do much to get food. She'd barely approached when the bowl of coyote stew was filled and presented to her.

"And one for the human, too," Dehak called out across the tent, and the elderly Centaur gave Ka a suspicious glare before serving him a bowl as well.

DragonSong

Ka beamed as he was handed a bowl. "Thanks!" he exclaimed, tucking in eagerly.

Bree rolled her eyes as she took her own bowl with a murmured, "Thank you." She picked at it cautiously, eyes still flicking around the tent nervously.

DaGlobster

And as her eyes flicked about, she'd see that life in the tent had more or less gone to normal. Dehak's vocal acceptance of Ka had seemed to help, and apart from the odd stare or so, they were no longer the focus of ire.

Dehak waved Bree over to him and his group. He never quite smiled, but his expression was almost welcoming as he beckoned her.

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