Spirits of the Earth

@DragonSong


The sun was beginning to set, panting the sky in pastel colors and reminding him that he was going to have to find shelter soon. And if he didn't find shelter, then he would have to make some himself. Tourmaline was used to roughing it by now. It had been many days since he'd left his own tribe to begin his journey, and he'd learned so much about taking care of himself. And he'd also learned that someone as big as he, someone shaped like he, would be in danger traveling in the dark through areas heavily populated by strangers. He knew he looked like a monster, like something dangerous. He was tall and broad, with fangs and claws, with strange feet and blue/pink scales that traced his body. While most people he'd encountered knew he was a Kulshedra, there were just as many that didn't.

Tourmaline paused in his step as he noticed something glittering on the edge of the riverbank. Canting his head, he studied the glittering object for a moment before he started toward it. Perhaps it would be another gift for the Fire or another member of his tribe, if they expressed interest in it. Tourmaline wasn't about to give up a potential offering, but it had to be the right one. His backpack was full of perfect offerings for the Fire and for the Elder and for his family, but there was always room for more. The more he brought back, perhaps then, the more the Elder and the Fire would know how much his tribe meant to him, and that his choice to leave was just a phase.

Tourmaline dug his clawed toes into the soft earth of the riverbank for traction as he reached the object. Crouching, he reached to pick up the small round white stone, turning it over and over in his hand so it caught all the different rays of the afternoon light. He decided this would make a good offering, too. He palmed the stone, then looked up toward the bank and began to navigate his way back up the incline, his tail gently swinging side to side to help him maintain his balance. Once he was safely on level ground, Tourmaline swung his backpack off his shoulders and crouched, opening it to slip the stone inside. Once he secured his newest acquisition, Tourmaline rose and continued on his way, seeking a suitable place to make camp for the night.

"This is the long way around."

Citrine closed his eyes and breathed through his nose. One... Two... "No, it's not," he said calmly, not even bothering to look back at his brother. "This is the same path I take on patrol."

"Yeah. So the long way. The shortcut is--"

"We're not taking a shortcut," he cut Blue off. "Not again. After the last time, I'm surprised you want to."

Blue huffed and pouted. He didn't need to look back to know that's what he was doing. "Yeah, well, it would've been fine if we hadn't gotten got in that damn briar patch..."

"But we did get caught. Because you wanted to take a shortcut. So, forgive me, but I'm not trusting your intuition about this anytime soon," Citrine grumbled. Blue muttered something under his breath, but he wasn't paying attention. Movement up ahead drew his gaze, his ears flicking up, on alert.

"Shhh..."

"I didn't say anyth--"

"Shh!"

For once, Blue listened to him, perhaps sensing the urgency in his brother's stance and tone, or simply having caught the stranger's scent himself. Creeping forward in a hunter's crouch, Citrine flicked his ears up and forward, trying to pinpoint the sounds of footsteps. Just ahead...a little to the left.

Drawing himself up, the bigger kulshedra marched through the underbrush, spear at the ready and mouth curled in a snarl. "You. Stranger. What is your purpose here?"

Tourmaline tensed at the sound of the unfamiliar voice, his entire body going rigid as his heart began to hammer in his chest. He kept his hands away from his body, knowing from experience that if he made any sudden moves, the speaker might feel threatened enough to hurt him. Tourmaline didn't have any weapons on his person, but that didn't mean whoever he met along his journey believed he was unarmed. He didn't want to cause trouble if he could keep from it.

Slowly, the young Kulshedra pivoted to face the speaker, his eyes going slightly wide to find that, behind him, were two of his own kind, though definitely not from his own tribe. For a moment, Tourmaline wasn't sure what to do or to say, but he swallowed and did his best to communicate with them as he had others who'd accosted him on his travels. He hoped that they would be able to understand him when he spoke; he didn't speak many languages and though he'd picked up a few words here and there, he couldn't speak much fluently. He tried, but his attempts were mostly laughable.

"I..." Tourmaline started, his voice quiet and almost subdued, "I'm just passing through. Traveling. Seeing the world. Is this your territory? I'm sorry. I was looking for shelter for the night. I'll move on."

Citrine and Blue both blinked, caught off guard. They'd caught the stranger's scent easily enough, but hadn't exactly been expecting another kulshedra.

With a sigh, the orange-scaled man rested the butt of his spear in the dirt and leaned on it slightly, stance relaxing. "Where are you from, stranger?" he asked in his tribe's approximation of the kulshedra common tongue: heavily accented, but understandable.

"Citrine..." Blue eyed the trespasser warily, unsure why his brother had let down his guard. "He could be--"

Citrine snorted. "What, Western Peak? No, if he'd been from their tribe he would have already attacked." Turning his attention back to the stranger, he cocked his head. "You lost or something?"

Tourmaline blinked, staring at the orange-scaled man called Citrine and then switching his gaze to the younger Kulshedra, taking into consideration the boy's expression. He was afraid. That was something Tourmaline was used to, considering his own tribe's physical attributes, but the fear came, usually, from creatures like humans who had never really interacted with Kulshedra or his tribe before.

But what they were saying, about him being from this Western Peak, about him attacking if he was... he realized, quickly, that he could be in danger here, and the danger wouldn't just be the wild animals and natural hazards that existed in these mountains. The danger would come from his own kind, and he'd lucked out considerably by having Citrine and his companion come across him.

Realizing that Citrine was waiting for an answer, Tourmaline shook his head. "I... I'm not from here. Not from this Western Peak. And I'm not lost. Not really. I'm seeing the world. I just... don't have anywhere to stay for the night, so I was just going to camp out."

He smiled slightly, his lips lifting away to show his fangs for the slightest moment before they fell back into place. "But I don't want any trouble. I'll move on."

Well. That was a bit unfortunate.

If he'd been lost, they could have simply pointed him in the right direction and all been on their own ways. As it was...

Another sigh and Citrine twirled his spear around to rest across his shoulders, elbows hooked over the shaft. "Alright. Come back to camp with us then."

Blue gaped. "What?!"

Citrine shrugged. "He's not a threat, and it's not safe out here after dark. Wouldn't feel right to just shove him along. It's not like he'd been any trouble, just for the night."

His little brother stared at him a moment longer, then sighed himself and rocked back on his heels, tilting his head at the stranger. "Well...okay. Whatever you say, Triny."

The older kulshedra rolled his eyes at the pet name, but it was the stranger he addressed. "What's your name?"

Tourmaline's eyes went wide, his own shock mirroring Blue's. He couldn't even believe that he was being offered shelter by these two strangers, even just for a night. He blinked slowly, as if trying to figure out whether or not Citrine was telling the truth. He knew from experience that he had to be careful with those he didn't know, because he could very well end up in a worse situation than he currently was in. But... he didn't think that these two were going to hurt him or betray him somehow. It wouldn't be a good idea if he dropped his guard entirely, of course, but he couldn't get through life without trusting someone. So he had a choice to make.

He did need shelter, and they were offering it. And there was safety in numbers, especially if, as he figured, this area was far more dangerous than he'd originally believed it to be. Making his choice, Tourmaline offered a slight smile.

"I'm called Tourmaline." he said, doing his best not to let his smile grow any wider and show his fangs. "Thank you, for your offer. But I don't want to cause any trouble for you."

The older kulshedra smiled slightly and held out his hand. "Citrine. Well met, Tourmaline."

He nodded his head toward Blue. "My brother here is called Blue. And you're not causing trouble for us. We'd rather you'd spend the night safe in our camp than get picked up by some Western Peak boys."

Tourmaline nodded at Citrine and at Blue, accepting their titles without much argument. Still, he was uncertain about following them back to their camp, sure he would only cause more trouble than he really wanted to be responsible for. But, he was also curious about why they would mistake him for someone from this Western Peak tribe, and why they seemed to hate that tribe so. He could infer several reasons why, because his tribe often had skirmishes and issues with neighboring tribes, not necessarily all Kulshedra, but Citrine's words held a bit of anger in them, and Tourmaline could only imagine why.

"I..." He could argue, he really could, but somehow arguing seemed pointless. Citrine seemed to have made up his mind. "Thank you."

He fell into step with the two other Kulshedra as they began to head to this camp of theirs, and was quiet for a time, trying to gather the courage to ask the questions that were roiling in his mind. He wasn't sure, though, if he should ask, or what to expect if he did.

Tourmaline swallowed and asked quietly, "This Western Peak, are they that dangerous?"

Walking just a few paces ahead of the other two, Citrine's shoulders stiffened. Blue noted the subtle change to his brother's stance and lowered his head with a soft sigh.

"We think their Fire is dying," the younger man murmured in response to Tourmaline's question. "They're...they're desperate. They've been trying to get to our camp, our Fire, for years now. We've lost a lot of good warriors to them..."

Citrine abruptly cut him off with a sharp, "Look lively, the path gets narrow here," as they suddenly found themselves emerging from the foliage to walk along a narrow path set into the side of a steep stone slope.

Tourmaline made a soft noise at the mention of the Fire dying. He couldn't even begin to imagine something like that happening. The Fire was the most precious, priceless thing a tribe could have to care for. It was their god, their everything. For a tribe to allow their Fire to die it was... blasphemy. Unthinkable. It resonated even more with him because he knew, when he returned to his own tribe, his responsibility would be to the Fire. He would be responsible for it, guarding it, caring for it, making sure it burned bright and strong. He couldn't even begin to imagine letting his tribe's Fire die. He'd sooner die himself than allow that to happen.

He wasn't sure what to say to comfort Blue. It was clear that the conflict had cost the young Kulshedra and his brother quite a bit. What that was, Tourmaline wasn't sure, and he didn't have the courage to ask, especially since Citrine had barked orders so sharply. It was clear, then, that whatever had happened had been especially bitter for Citrine, and he didn't want to tell the tale. That was fine with Tourmaline; either the tale would be told, or it wouldn't. He wouldn't pry.

He turned his attention to the path as Citrine ordered, carefully maneuvering his feet to not only prevent himself from slipping and sliding down the path, but also not to step on his companions. Tourmaline had had plenty of practice walking down - and up - slopes such as this, but never with anyone so close to him. He had to concentrate in order to make sure he was stepping safely, but he was definitely holding his breath somewhat until they reached safe ground again.

"Your camp must be well-protected," Tourmaline observed as he walked, "if this is how you get to it."

"Well, it is now." Blue glanced at Citrine's back, and when his brother didn't tell him to shut up, continued, "We moved a few years back, when-- when the war started getting bad. It was dangerous, the Elder was against it, but we just had to. We weren't safe in the old camp anymore."

"Just watch where I step," Citrine tossed back over his shoulder. "There's a trick to this path. We've known these foothills all our lives, so we have an advantage. But outsiders tend to have trouble."

Tourmaline nodded, understanding Blue's reasoning. His Elder probably would've made the same decision had his tribe been facing the same problems as Citrine and Blue's was. At Citrine's words, though, Tourmaline stopped his talking and decided to hold his questions for later, watching where the other Kulshedra stepped and following him as close as he could without bowling him over. His claws dug into the earth to hold his balance, but he needed to stick out his arms at some point in order to keep his balance even more and keep from tumbling off the side of the trail.

He would definitely breathe easier when they reached more stable ground, Tourmaline decided, but until then, he had to carefully follow Citrine's instructions. It wasn't like he hadn't traveled over uneven ground or through dangerous places, but Citrine was right; an outsider who didn't know what he was doing could easily get hurt, whether it was his fault for being inattentive or because of a series of unfortunate events. Tourmaline had seen it somewhat often during his travels, and had learned what to look out for, but sometimes it was the unseen and unknown that made even known dangers come from different sources.

When they reached a stable place, Tourmaline paused to take in the view, committing everything to memory. "Thank you," he said at last, his voice low, "thank you, for allowing me this. I'll leave in the morning, if you're willing to guide me back out."

Citrine paused, allowing Blue to pick his way ahead of the other two-- they were almost to camp, and he knew his brother would be anxious to inform everyone of what had happened on their patrol.

He watched Tourmaline's face, head tilted slightly, almost curious. "Yeah, well...don't thank me just yet. Our Elder's not gonna kick you out or anything, but the tribe is-- well. Everyone's a little wary, these days."

He sighed quietly and rubbed at the back of his neck, then shook his head, forcing himself into the present. "Come on. Here, this last bit can be rough."

Without thinking, he reached out to take the other kulshedra's arm, as he sometimes did with the younglings when he would escort them to or from camp.

Tourmaline was shocked as Citrine reached back and to touch him. It was something he hadn't expected, nor was it something he was used to. He wasn't sure if he should allow Citrine to grasp his arm in order to guide him down the path or take a step back and put himself out of reach and navigate down the rest of the way himself. His indecision proved to be his undoing, though, as the moment Citrine's hand closed around his arm, Tourmaline took a step back out of uncertainty and his foot slipped.

Gasping and reaching out for anything to help him catch himself, Tourmaline found himself falling backwards, and unconsciously latched his hand onto Citrine's arm. He hit the ground hard on his back, cracking his head upon the hard stone, and then found the breath driven out of him further as Citrine landed on top of him, having been pulled down by Tourmaline's own momentum. Lying stunned beneath the other Kulshedra, Tourmaline squeezed his eyes shut and tried to breathe, sucking in air through his mouth as he tried to inflate his lungs and force the pain in his head, back, tail, and ankle away.

When he thought he could form words again, he opened his eyes and looked at Citrine, trying not to grimace. "I'm sorry. I... I'm sorry."

He released Citrine and made to push him off, moving slow and hoping the other Kulshedra didn't think he was a clumsy fool. Only once Citrine was standing did Tourmaline try to stand himself, hissing softly as pain shot up his leg.

Citrine had approximately half a second to regret reaching out to a total stranger the way he did-- i.e. like a dumbass-- before said stranger was pitching sideways and they both went crashing tot he ground.

"First Fires!" he swore, wincing both as he hit Tourmaline's chest and as he heard the other kulshedra's head crack against the rock. He stared down into his face, slightly slack-jawed, as he apologized. "It's...not your fault..." he mumbled stupidly.

Then he realized he was sill laying across Tourmaline's body and quickly stood, unintentionally dragging Tourmaline with him as he had forgotten to release his grip on the other man's arm. "Oh. Um, sorry..."

Hands to yourself. Wincing again, he snatched his hands back, doing his best not to meet the other kulshedra's eyes. Then Tourmaline winced and hissed and he snapped his attention back to him. "Oh, shit. Are you hurt?"

Tourmaline reached to massage his ankle, hoping it was just bruised and not twisted. He didn't want to be so badly injured that he couldn't continue on his journey, and such that he had to impose on Citrine and Citrine's tribe longer than just the night. His fingers manipulating and palpating the flesh, he could feel anything broken. It definitely hurt, but he decided he could still walk, and it would still support his weight.

At Citrine's question, he shook his head. "No, no, I think I'm fine."

He was glad Citrine wasn't trying to touch him anymore. He felt bad that he'd recoiled initially, and felt even worse that he'd brought Citrine down with him. He tried to give the other man a smile, but that quickly turned into a grimace as he tried to put weight on his ankle in order to push himself up to stand. It supported him, but it was certainly protesting that. Just like his head was protesting his cruel treatment of it.

Somehow, Tourmaline managed to stand, but it was clear that he wouldn't be able to continue any further without help. When he took a step, he couldn't do it without limping. He looked at Citrine apologetically.

"I'm sorry. Maybe I'm not fine." He laughed softly, lifting his shoulders in a simple shrug. "I hate to be such a burden to you. I should be more used to walking on mountain trails."

He took a hopping step, but even moving like that would be slow going. Tourmaline clenched his jaw until his teeth began to hurt. Could he possibly be any more clumsy? And could it possibly get any worse? He felt like such a fool.

"Easy there." Citrine couldn't help smiling crookedly as he reached out to steady the other man. "Look, no one's gonna fault you for gettin' a bit tripped up. It's tricky paths here, even for those of us that've walked the mountains all our lives. Here."

He reached out again to loop Tourmaline's arm over his shoulder, then suddenly hesitated. "Ah-- is it okay-- I mean do you mind if I...?" He trailed off, cheeks a little warm.

Tourmaline blinked rapidly as Citrine reached for him again. He couldn't seem to find his voice, and could only stare dumbly at the other man. He wasn't a stranger to offered help, but he seemed surprised that Citrine was asking if he could help him, and he wasn't angry at Tourmaline's clumsiness. He was even smiling, like he was amused by it. And he recognized the sudden unwillingness to touch him, considering that he'd flinched when Citrine had first grabbed him arm.

Which was how he'd ended up slipping and falling, with Citrine landing on top of him.

Chalking his hesitance to the blow his head had taken upon landing, Tourmaline gave the other Kulshedra a somewhat uncertain and shy smile. It wasn't Citrine's fault that Tourmaline wasn't used to being touched by strangers. Perhaps other Kulshedra freely touched each other when they met others, both of their kind and not, he wasn't sure. The only thing he was sure of was that his own tribe kept their distance from strangers, even other Kulshedra, and avoided being touched by the outsider. Maybe out of superstition that being touched by an outsider would drive them to want to leave the tribe? Tourmaline didn't know. After all, he hadn't been inspired to leave by a few innocuous touches; he'd been inspired to leave because of the stories the wanderer had told, stories that had made the outside world seem so exciting.

Which it was. But it was dangerous too.

"Uh..." Tourmaline started, uncertain how to answer. But, really, there was no way he was going to make it to camp without help. His ankle wouldn't allow him to do so. And he didn't think that Citrine was going to go on ahead, even if Tourmaline could walk on his own. "S-sure. I'm sorry. I really am."

He let Citrine hook his arm over his shoulder and did his best not to let the other man take too much of his weight. It would just be until they reached the camp, after all.

"Thank you," Tourmaline said quietly, his blue eyes on the ground. "I'm usually not such a burden."

"Hey, it's...it's fine." Citrine smiled again, though honestly he wasn't quite sure himself why he was acting the way he was. Sure, it would've been just callous to let Tourmaline limp along on his own, but...well, why did he care so much about a stranger's comfort? A stranger who would be gone in a day?

Maybe because just that. Because he was a stranger. Someone new that he didn't have to fight for once.

It was refreshing.

"Just take it easy, alright?" Citrine cautioned as they picked their way down the path, toward the camp. Fire, Blue was never going to let him live this down. He could already hear all the "slow old man" jokes.

Tourmaline only nodded, giving his companion a slight smile. If Citrine said it was fine, then it was fine. Right? After all, he was offering help, and Tourmaline would be an idiot not to accept it. He still did his best not to put his entire weight on Citrine, not wanting to overburden the warrior. He doubted they would be attacked, but stranger things had happened, and Tourmaline was certain that Citrine would need to move quickly in order to defend himself and his camp should something take place.

It was awkward going, because every step Tourmaline attempted to take was more like a hop in order to keep from putting weight upon his injured ankle. He had to lean on Citrine each time he wanted to move, so that he could swing his leg forward and gingerly press down on his toes. His face screwed up in a grimace each time, but he kept moving. He only hoped that they would reach the camp soon, so he could sit and rest his foot. The last thing he wanted was to delay his journey any longer. The world was so wide and there was so much left to see before time ran out.

He didn't want to travel home before his curiosity about the outside world was sated.

Citrine eyed his companion sidelong. They were moving st a snail's pace like this. "Look, um..." He bit his lip, trying to figure out the best way to offer his proposal without coming across like...

Well. Like a massive creep, essentially.

"Hey, so, the path here is...well, really it just gets steeper, and at the rate we're going-- not like it's your fault or anything, but ah-- oh, hells." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, could I just carry you?"

Even as he asked the question he could feel his cheeks heating under his scales, and he couldn't make himself look at Tourmaline.

Tourmaline immediately felt heat suffuse his face as Citrine asked to carry him. What was wrong with walking like they were? Sure, they were moving slow, but that was fine, wasn't it? Just how far was their camp to need to be carried? Couldn't they make it there before true nightfall? But Tourmaline realized that Citrine knew the area better than he did, and there was likely a reason that the other Kulshedra was asking to carry him to the camp.

"Um..."

Tourmaline's mouth suddenly felt dry. His tongue brushed against his fangs and he tried to figure out how to properly answer Citrine. What was the harm in it, really? Other than it might be awkward considering Tourmaline wasn't exactly light. But, on the other hand, Citrine was also a warrior. In the unlikely event they were attacked, would Citrine be able to fight? The actual idea of them being attacked was pretty farfetched, but it was still a possibility.

Still, the faster they got to camp, the better it would be. Tourmaline made his choice and he hoped it was the right one.

"I... I guess? If... I mean... if it makes it safer."

Citrine's blush only worsened as Tourmaline obviously struggled with his answer. He coughed and scratched the back of his neck again, then nodded quickly. "Right. Um, okay. Thanks."

Clearing his throat, he turned and ducked to slip under one of Tourmaline's arms, scooping his own under the other kulshedra's knees. He lifted him with a soft huff-- he really wasn't light-- and nodded toward the sloping path ahead of them.

"I can set you down once we're off the side of the mountain. Path is pretty even from there, you should be fine." Why oh why was he so godsforsaken awkward?

Tourmaline hooked his arm around Citrine's neck and stared pointedly at his scaled knees, uncertain exactly what to say in this moment. It was clear that being so close, or at least being in a position like this, made Citrine uncomfortable. It made him uncomfortable, too. The last time he'd been carried at all had been when he'd been too small to walk on his own, and his mother had toted him around in her arms, or others of his tribe had carried him on their shoulders, or on their backs. That had been years ago, when he'd been much smaller and much lighter.

He wished he was lighter still, if only to ease the burden he created on Citrine. Tourmaline also wished that he hadn't fallen, that he hadn't twisted his ankle so. He wished he could walk on his own. But at the same time, had he been traveling alone and had gotten hurt like this, he really wasn't sure what he would do. Limp to the nearest town and hope that they would allow him to stay until he healed? Or lay there until he wasted away to nothing? Tourmaline was quite sure which option he enjoyed more.

"Okay," he responded, his voice quiet. "I'm sorry. I'm just making things harder on you."

"Oh, hey. It's not your fault," Citrine protested awkwardly. Fire, what was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to do? "Look, we're almost there, see?"

As they reached the end of the narrow path, he bent to set Tourmaline on his feet, keeping on hand on the man's shoulder and the other at his waist to help steady him. "You think you can make it from here? You can lean on my if you need..."

Tourmaline gently took a few steps forward. His ankle still hurt, but not as badly as before. He would still be slow, but he wouldn't be falling behind, nor would he cause Citrine any more problems.

"I think I'll be okay." Tourmaline smiled at the other man, purposefully taking a few steps away from him so Citrine was forced to remove his hand from his shoulder. It wasn't that Tourmaline didn't find the touch steadying or comforting - he did - but he didn't want to make the situation any more awkward between them. It was bad enough Citrine was allowing a stranger into his camp; Tourmaline didn't want anyone thinking something was happening when it most certainly was not. "Thank you. For carrying me, I mean. And for offering me a place to stay for the night."

He began walking, though with a noticeable hop-skip to his step as he tried to avoid putting too much weight on his injured limb. "It's been a long while since I've had such kindness. I'm in your debt."

"Ah, no you're not." Citrine waved him off as he started leading them along the last stretch of the path to camp. "We don't really do debts. And honestly it'd just be cruel to have left you out there."

He shrugged. "We should probably get someone to look at your ankle though. Don't want to just leave it and let it get worse."

"That would be kind, if anyone was agreeable. If not, I can take care of it myself."

It wasn't like Tourmaline hadn't cared for his own injuries before. All he needed was a moment to sit and rest, and he could figure out if something was broken or if it was just bruised, and act accordingly. He supposed that rest was all he really needed. He was already starting to walk a little better than before, even though it still somewhat hurt to put his full weight on his injured ankle.

His eyes went to Citrine's back and he smiled. It wasn't often that he found kindness in strangers. Still, he didn't want to be a burden to Citrine and his tribe, so Tourmaline said nothing more about his injury, nor anything more about debts. There would be time enough to deal with all that once they reached the safety of the tribe and he was able to sit down.

"Oh," Tourmaline started, as if his brain had just kick-started the thought, "is there anything I must do upon reaching your tribe? Like any sort of tradition strangers must do before being allowed entry?"

If so, Tourmaline wanted to know about it sooner than later, to keep from embarrassing not only himself, but Citrine as well.

"Ah, no, nothing like that," Citrine hurried to assure him. "Honestly, we don't get many visitors at all. Especially lately. Just...people may be a bit wary of you, but try not to take that to heart."

He considered saying something else-- though what exactly he wasn't entirely sure-- but he spent so long pondering over it that, that by the time he thought to really look up he realized they were almost to camp.

"Oh." He drew up short. "Uh...well, we're here."

"Triny!"

From between two trees, Blue came bounding up to them, rolling his eyes once he was in view of his brother. "What in hells took you two so long? C'mon, I told the Elder we have a guest."

He jerked his head over his shoulder, back toward the camp that was currently hidden from view by the last thick copse of trees before a small clearing.

Tourmaline smiled upon seeing Blue, raising his hand slightly as if to draw the boy's attention to him. "It was my fault. I tripped and fell, and twisted my ankle. It's getting better, but it still hurts some. So, I'm sorry. Citrine stayed to help me and make sure I made it to the village without issue."

He limped toward Blue then, not complaining at all about the pain he certainly was feeling. If he was going to enter the village, Tourmaline was going to enter on his own terms, and without making it look like he was weak and needed the help of others. Or, worse, that it was a ploy in order to get access to the village. He didn't want to get either brother in trouble, and he wanted to make sure he presented himself as honest and as genuine as he possibly could.

"I'm sorry to keep your Elder waiting." Tourmaline added with a smile. "We should probably go see him and make sure it's okay for me to be here."

Blue quirked an eyebrow, glancing at his brother, but Citrine kept his expression blank. With a huff and a roll of his eyes, the younger kulshedra turned to lead them back into camp. "She wants to meet you before she gives the final verdict on if you can stay," he told Tourmaline.

"Oh." Tourmaline felt his cheeks heat slightly. "I'm sorry."

He shouldn't have assumed, considering his own tribe was led by the most senior of females, but she also had a council made up of several other elders, and the males on the council mostly handled the meetings that strangers attended to see if they could stay with the tribe for a few days or not. In the end, it was her decision, but the Elder was often too busy with other duties that she hadn't the time for meeting every single guest that sought a brief respite within the tribe's holdings.

"Yes, please," he said, approaching Blue, "take me to see her. It's only proper that I meet her before I make myself comfortable, after all."

Blue brushed the apology off with a wave of his hand, simply nodding for the other two to follow. "Hurry up, if you can." He glanced back at Tourmaline with a quirked eyebrow. "How bad did you fuck up your leg?"

"Blue." Citrine shot his brother a disapproving look, and the younger man rolled his eyes.

"What? It's a reasonable question. If it's really bad, he'll probably need to stay longer than one night."

That...was a decent point, and one he'd been sort of trying to avoid thinking about.

Tourmaline offered a small smile, showing just a little bit of fang. It was a half-hearted smile, one that was hopeful and yet uncertain. He didn't know how bad he'd hurt himself, and wouldn't know until he was able to sit down and take a look at it. He was walking just fine, albeit with a slight limp, so he figured with a good night's rest, he could walk away under his own power come morning.

"I guess we'll have to see," Tourmaline said, looking toward Blue. "It just feels sore now. So I probably just rolled my ankle and it just needs a good rest. It's probably just bruised. Nothing feels broken. But then, I'm not a healer."

No, he wasn't a healer, but he knew his own body better than anyone. He was certain only a night in Citrine and Blue's village would be enough, especially if he could put his foot up and rest it. He glanced at Citrine, wondering what the other man was thinking. He couldn't really read the other Kulshedra's expression, but he could see in Citrine's eyes the emotion of worry. Tourmaline just didn't know if the worry stemmed from a stranger spending more than a single night in the village or worry for Tourmaline himself. He wasn't used to anyone worrying about him now that he was an adult.
He picked up his pace to match Blue's steps, finding his limp disappeared as he managed to put less weight on his injured ankle. "I'm sure it'll be just fine. A night should be enough."

Tourmaline looked at Citrine then and offered him what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He didn't want to overstay his welcome, and he didn't want to get the other man into trouble with his Elder or his tribe.

"Hey, whatever you say." Blue shrugged again, and this time Citrine followed close on his heels as his brother stepped through the last bits of foliage into camp.

The tribe had evidently already caught wind of the newcomer-- not that surprising, Blue wasn't very subtle and word traveled fast in such a small, close group. A few dozen kulshedra turned their heads almost in unison to see the two brothers enter camp with the stranger.

Citrine swallowed nervously, but tried not to let the tension show. He hated getting so much attention, it made him...twitchy.

Tourmaline did his best to ignore the stares he was getting. He already knew he was different than most Kulshedra - just by his coloring alone, especially - and often got stares wherever he went. His pink and blue scales were often the subject of wide eyes and long looks that made him quite uncomfortable, but he'd learned to live with that uncomfortableness and hid the emotion behind a mask of pure indifference. It helped that he could focus on the pain radiating from his ankle. While it seemed like it was getting easier to walk and better to walk on, it still hurt. He wasn't going anywhere tonight, even if the Elder demanded he get out.

Walking with Blue and Citrine, Tourmaline didn't feel like the ogling was just on him, though. Just as many were looking at the brothers. Glancing back at Citrine, Tourmaline could tell he was nervous and that he didn't like the attention. He didn't want it. It almost made Tourmaline smile, because Citrine understood how awful it was to be the subject of other people's unmitigated curiosity. Hopefully, though, it would be over soon. As soon as they met the Elder, people would, with any luck, go back to their usual business.

"Is there anything I need to do, when I meet the Elder?" Tourmaline asked at last, his voice low so only Citrine and Blue could hear. "I don't want to cause offense."

"Just...be polite. And don't talk too much," Blue whispered back quickly. "Triny and I can handle most of this. She's not unreasonable, just...wary."

Citrine sighed quietly. They were all wary-- they had been for over a decade now. This war wasn't just fought out on patrol, it was in their heads.

"Don't worry about it," he muttered to Tourmaline. "And...just ignore the staring. It'll stop. Eventually."

Tourmaline made a sound of understanding. He kept his gaze forward and did his best not to return the looks he was being given, following Blue and Citrine toward where the Elder waited.

Walking with a kind of sharp, nervous energy, Blue led the other two to the front of the largest tent near the center of camp, just a little ways apart from the Fire. Almost delicately, he cleared his throat and shuffled his feet.

"Elder? Citrine and the stranger are here... May we come in?"

There was a long beat of silence. Then a cracked, weathered voice intoned, "Enter, children."

Citrine and Blue exchanged a glance, then both looked to Tourmaline. Blue gave him a bright, encouraging smile, though his brother simply shrugged, stoic, and ducked inside.

Though a bit larger than the rest of the tents in camp, the inside of the Elder's tent was really nothing all that special. A few furs layered over each other covered the floor, a pile of different herbs, cut and organized, sat neatly in a far corner. The Elder herself rested cross-legged in the center of the tent, poking at a few warm coals in a ring of stone with a long stick.

Though her hair was gray with age, the streaks of purple were still visible within. Most of her scales were cracked and withering around the edges, but they still retained their amethyst hue. Lifting her eyes, she tilted her head as the three younger kulshedra entered, flickering her ears curiously.

"Welcome, stranger."

Tourmaline entered the tent with a sense of reverence. He moved carefully, watching where he placed his feet and where he swung his tail. He didn't know if there was anything that could be easily destroyed or broken and he didn't want to insult his hosts by destroying something precious to them. When his eyes adjusted to the light of the coals, he was able to see the Elder. He was struck by how old she was, but also by the beauty of youth that she still retained. He wasn't certain how to address her, but he moved toward her and soon prostrated himself on the ground before her, bowing his head in deference to her as he would any Elder. He waited until she had spoken to lift his head and look up at her, giving her another bow until his forehead was pressed into the earth, as was his own tribe's custom when meeting with the tribe's Elder.

"Thank you, Elder," Tourmaline replied, his voice soft. "Forgive me for intruding upon your village. I happened to meet Citrine and Blue upon my own travels, and they offered me a place to stay for the night. I promise, you'll have no trouble from me, and if you allow me to spend the night in your village, I will leave at first light."

He raised his head and looked at the Elder's face, trying to keep his face as straight and emotionless as possible. He didn't want to seem too eager or too excited or too relieved. He would leave if she told him to leave, regardless of the time of night. He didn't want to be a bother to her or to anyone.

Golden eyes swept over Tourmaline with some combination of vague curiosity and calculation. When he lifted his head, she nodded to him politely.

"Be at ease, youngling," she murmured, and behind the stranger both Blue and Citrine released breaths they did not seem to realize they had been holding. The Elder smiled gently, but there were clear lines of exhaustion around her eyes and mouth. "You may stay here, stranger. For the night at least. My people are tired, and wary of those from outside, but we are not cruel. We will not turn away one in need."

Citrine suddenly stepped forward. "Elder," he murmured, dipping his head respectfully. "He's hurt. his leg. Could you maybe...?"

"Ah." The old kulshedra nodded briskly, settling back a bit. "Blue, fetch me my things. Show me your injury, young man."

Tourmaline hesitated. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he knew better than to disobey an Elder. So he shifted closer and closer still, careful to avoid the coals and the fire, until he was close enough to her that he could stretch out his leg and reveal to her his ankle. It had swollen considerably since he'd arrived and had been able to sit for a little while, and he winced as he stretched his leg out to its full span.

"It's nothing," he said softly. "A little rest is all I really need."

The Elder frowned and tsked at him. "You hush. That looks like it might be sprained-- that'll mean at least a day off your feet, if you're lucky."

Citrine winced a bit at that. He figured Tourmaline would want to be on his way as quickly as possible. Being told he'd have to actually be treated for the ankle probably wasn't the best news he could have gotten.

Almost aggressively cheerful, Blue scurried back to the Elder with an armful of herbs, mortar and pestle, and a few strips of recently washed linen. "Well, Triny seems to like him. He can just stay with us," he chirped.

The older brother went very red under his scales. "Wha-- I-- Now hang on a second--!"

Tourmaline closed his eyes for a brief moment at the news. He'd figured it had been sprained - not broken, he would've known for certain if it had been broken - but he'd hoped that it wouldn't have taken more than a night's rest for it to heal. If he had to stay off his feet for more than a day, then there was a good chance that his time would run out without him finishing his journey. He'd have to make a hard choice then, and Tourmaline knew in his heart which choice it was that he would make.

"If that's what you think is best, Elder," Tourmaline said, quiet and submissive. He knew better than to argue with an Elder, and knew better than to argue with a healer. When that healer was an Elder as well, it was better just to agree and to do whatever he was told to do.

He looked up as Blue scurried by with the Elder's supplies, and the pink scales of cheeks seemed to become even more rosy at the boy's words. Citrine liked him? They hardly knew each other! And he was a stranger. Why was Blue offering to let him stay with them? By rights, Tourmaline ought to stay where someone could keep an eye on him, so that they wouldn't be taken unawares. It was what his tribe did with strangers, although the strangers' accommodations were often much nicer than the actual tribe members' homes. He glanced at the Elder, then twisted to look at Citrine, noticing how stricken he looked. Then Tourmaline turned around again, and focused on his own leg as if to keep his gaze from straying anywhere it ought not to.

"It's okay," he said finally. "I have my own blanket in my pack. I can stay out under the stars. I've done it before."

"No no, really, you should stay with us!" Blue seemed determined now, grinning between Tourmaline and his brother. "We found you, so we're responsible for you."

Citrine sighed. Unfortunately, Blue had a point. He bowed to the Elder and murmured, "My brother is right. Tourmaline can stay with us while he heals-- and we will be there to act as guards should anything...unexpected happen."

The implication was clear: if Tourmaline turned on them, Blue and Citrine would be there to cut him down.

The older kulshedra tried not to look at their guest. Much as he hated to admit it, Blue was right on more than one account-- he was starting to like the stranger, just a little. He seemed...calmer than other outsiders he'd met. Sort of tranquil in his wanderings. It was strangely fascinating.

Tourmaline heard the threat under the words, and as much as he hated hearing them, he knew that they had to be said. It was only right and proper that Citrine and Blue would put their tribe over the life of a stranger. His tribe would. They had no obligation to him other than to give him shelter for a night - or in this case, until he healed - but beyond that, they weren't beholden to him for anything more. Tourmaline glanced back and forth between Citrine and Blue and then returned his attention to the Elder. In the end, the decision was hers.

"I really don't want to impose," Tourmaline said softly, directing his gaze downward. "And I don't mean to cause trouble."

He really didn't want to cause an issue for the brothers with their Elder or their tribe. They were risking so much by bringing him in to begin with, and he didn't want some mistake or transgression on his part to reflect shame upon the brothers or the Elder for allowing him to stay.

Tourmaline's gaze found Citrine's though, after a moment, and he found that Citrine was trying not to look at him directly. He didn't know what the other Kulshedra was thinking, but there was a strange light in Citrine's eyes. Unlike Blue's, which held mischief, Citrine's were calm and calculating, as if he was thinking of something beyond the current situation. Something about that, and something about the way Citrine held himself, brought a little amusement to Tourmaline.

"Once a warrior, always a warrior," Tourmaline whispered to himself, finding the other Kulshedra fascinating to watch. He was fierce and yet gentle, protective and yet giving. He supposed if there was anyone suited to protecting him - or ending him - it would be Citrine.

Tourmaline returned his gaze to the Elder and waited for her decision.

The Elder looked between the three of them, blinking slowly. Then she sighed and bowed her head slightly--a small nod.

"Very well. He may stay until he has healed."

Citrine felt himself relax, just slightly. Blue smiled, his tail flicking back and forth. "Great! C'mon then, stranger, we'll show you where you can rest."

His brother rolled his eyes. "Here." He held a hand down to Tourmaline. "I can help you up."

Tourmaline blinked as Citrine offered his hand, and he hesitated for a second before he reached to take it. He allowed the other Kulshedra to pull him to his feet, and balanced on his uninjured foot before he gingerly put the other down and tested it with his weight. He could walk on it, thanks to the Elder's ministrations, but he was going to have to rest as soon as her reached Citrine and Blue's home. It wouldn't do - and it would be quite rude - if he attempted to try and do more than he could after the Elder had taken the time to ensure that he would heal properly.

"Thank you," Tourmaline said to Citrine, his voice low. "I'm sorry to be a burden to you. And I'm sorry I'm imposing on you."

He realized then that he'd been holding onto Citrine's hand a little longer than he should have. He dropped his hand, and Tourmaline averted his gaze, hoping that the slight color that stained his cheeks went unnoticed. He glanced back at Citrine after a moment, then limped past him toward Blue, waiting for the younger Kulshedra to show him the way to his temporary home.

"It's really no trouble," Citrine replied quietly, a platitude that even he wasn't sure was entirely a lie or not. When Tourmaline dropped his hand so quickly he found himself flushing a bit as well and cleared his throat, turning to offer a quick bow to the Elder.

"We're not too far, c'mon!" Blue chirped cheerily as he led the other two back out into camp. "Here, Tourmaline, lean on me-- since Triny seems too shy to act as crutch again."

"I'm not--!" Feeling his cheeks get hotter by the second, the older brother snapped his mouth shut with a glare and a soft growl. No point trying to argue, Blue would just twist things around.

Tourmaline wasn't sure what was going on exactly, except for the fact that Blue was incredibly good at pushing Citrine's buttons and making his older brother feel rather childish. It was actually rather amusing, because the banter between the brothers reminded him of home, when his own siblings would argue amongst each other for one thing or another, and then in the next breath, they would be the best of friends.

But he didn't want to make Citrine uncomfortable, so he accepted Blue's offer of leaning on him so as not to put weight on his injured ankle. As he draped his arm around the younger Kulshedra's shoulder, he glanced back at Citrine. He saw the glow to the other man's cheeks and couldn't help the warmth that flooded his own cheeks. Tourmaline quickly looked away from Citrine and concentrated on matching Blue's stride as best he could as they left the Elder's tent and headed for the brothers'.

What was he getting himself into? Tourmaline didn't know. He'd met few strangers on his journey that were willing to aid him in some fashion, and fewer still that were willing to aid him without asking for anything in return. He felt as though he could trust the brothers', and he couldn't deny that there was something about Citrine that he liked. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it was undeniable all the same.

"Thank you, Blue," Tourmaline said at last, after they'd walked some distance in silence. "I don't mean to be such a burden on you. If there's anything I can do to help, or return the favor, just let me know, and I'll do it."

"Oh, don't worry about that," the younger kulshedra chirped easily. "Honestly it's just great to meet someone new! Not much opportunity for socializing with strangers with a war on, y'know?"

Citrine winced a bit, but kept his piece. He'd worked most of his adult life to make sure that his brother never knew the realities of that war, and he'd be damned if the younger man's occasionally off-color comment would crack that facade.

He knew Blue wasn't naive, but he'd also never seen the front lines of this conflict. He could joke about it, and did, because it was what made the world make sense to him, made it less horrible. Citrine wasn't about to take that away.

"You said you've been traveling, right?" Blue suddenly asked Tourmaline as they approached the brothers' tent. "Where are you from? How long have you been gone? Are you ever going back? What've you seen?"

"Blue." Citrine cut in quietly, lips quirking up just a bit on one side. "Breathe, kid. Let him answer."

Tourmaline smiled at Blue's eagerness. He could understand curiosity - it was, after all, what sent him on his own quest. And he was more than happy to answer the youth's questions. When Citrine barked at Blue for pestering, Tourmaline couldn't help but smile. He supposed he'd been much like the younger Kulshedra once, always asking questions, always yearning to know more, always looking beyond what was to see what could be.

"I've been traveling for many suns now," Tourmaline started, a smile still on his face. "I'm from a tribe far to the west, where the long sands and the sea meet. And I've been gone for... about two years. And yes, I'll have to go back."

His smile faded at that. Yes, he'd have to go back, and soon. If he didn't return at the appointed time, then he would be considered dead by his tribe and disowned, and he would be homeless, tribeless, and that wasn't a fate Tourmaline wanted. He'd promised himself that he would return home at the appointed time, whether he'd seen everything he'd wanted to see or not. He could live with the disappointment of not knowing everything the world had to offer, because he had already seen so much. But he knew he couldn't live with the idea of never seeing his family or his homeland again.

Tourmaline looked at Blue and gave him a smile, trying to hide the sudden melancholy that had come over him when he thought about home. "As for what I've seen, I've seen quite a bit. Large bodies of salty water, plains full of golden grass as high as your shoulders, men that are so in tune with their horses that they're practically one creature. I'll show you my collection and my journal. I have plenty of stories to tell."

Both Blue and Citrine suddenly gaped. "You...you have a tribe?" the younger man mumbled as they approached their tent.

Citrine elbowed his brother sharply and gave him a quick, harsh look. Just because the two of them had assumed that Tourmaline's solitary status meant his tribe no longer existed clearly didn't mean it was true-- and he really didn't want his pest of a little brother making the poor man uncomfortable.

"I-- I mean--" Blue blinked, eyes wide, then added quickly, "Yeah, I'd really love to hear some stories!"

Tourmaline blinked at their shock at the mention of his tribe. Had they thought he was alone simply because he was traveling alone? His lips quirked as amusement flashed through him, and he couldn't help but laugh, displaying his fangs as the deep sound erupted from his chest and echoed into the open air. He leaned heavily on Blue as he laughed, eventually subsiding into hiccuping gasps as he tried to breathe and contain his mirth.

"Of course I have a tribe!" Tourmaline exclaimed, grinning brightly. "They're waiting for me to return even now. And I will, eventually. I haven't yet seen all there is to see." And he likely wouldn't, Tourmaline knew, only because the delay of his twisted ankle would eat up at least a day or two of travel time, and he didn't have much time left. He would eventually have to turn around and follow his path back home. "And once I return home, then I'll have wonderful stories to tell them, just as I'm going to tell you."

Tourmaline ruffled Blue's hair lightly, then looked over his shoulder at Citrine. He smiled at the elder brother, lifting his shoulders in a shrug. "My tribe has certain traditions that they observe, things that have been done since time immemorial. My traveling is one of those traditions."

Citrine rolled his eyes as he ushered the other two into their small hut, still helping Tourmaline make his way on his injured ankle.

Blue chuckled a bit and ducked away from the hair ruffling with the ease of many years of practice as a younger brother. "You lot leave the tribe as part of tribe tradition?" he asked with wide eyes.

Citrine shot his brother a quick, warning look, trying to tell him silently not to pry if it was going to make their guest uncomfortable.

Tourmaline took his time in answering, settling on the ground where he could stretch out his leg and rest his injured ankle. He pulled his pack from his shoulders and set it beside him, looking up at Blue with a fanged smile. "It's complicated."

He paused to order his thoughts. No outsider really knew the nuances of the tradition, and not many who lived within the tribe would describe it to outsiders. They never really described it to those who lived within the tribe either. It was always an unspoken thing; everyone knew about it, but no one actually talked about it. The young were free to go or stay as they chose, and they knew the rules if they chose to leave. Some returned, some did not. Why, Tourmaline couldn't say. Perhaps they'd found something more fascinating out in the world than they could ever find at home, or perhaps they had met with tragedy in their journey, or perhaps they had returned but only after it was too late. There were many reasons, but none of them were ever spoken of.

"My tribe isn't nomadic," Tourmaline began after a moment. "We stay in one spot. The hunting is good, there's good water, and we seem to be in a place that sees travelers once or twice a year. Three times, if the weather is kind. No one really knows when the tradition started, but... when the young of my tribe reach a certain age, we're given a choice - stay with the tribe or go see the wider world. I chose to go see the wider world. But I intend to return, and I must return before the winter stars can be seen in the sky." Otherwise, he added silently, I won't have a home to return to.

"Huh." Blue plopped down onto his bed mat, pressed up against the left-hand wall, as he listened to the other kulshedra talk. He gave a low whistle when he finished, shaking his head and leaning back on his bed. "Fires. That's...huh. Weird."

"Blue!" Citrine, having crossed to sit cross-legged on his own bed, scowled and hucked the nearest object at his brother's head-- an apple he'd tucked under his pillow for a snack, as it turned out.

"Ow!" His younger brother jolted upright, rubbing his head and scowling. "What? It is!"

Tourmaline laughed softly, his shoulders lifting and falling as he shrugged. "It is kind of strange, to outsiders. Most strangers don't understand our customs. This one isn't widely talked about, either. We learn of it only when the young start talking about things beyond the village. The elders tell us, I mean."

His smile faltered then as he remembered the Elder taking him aside and telling him of the tradition, especially after Tourmaline had listened wide-eyed as a child to the tales that the traveling merchant had told, and then began to speak of seeing and doing the same things as that merchant. He shook himself, and Tourmaline pulled his pack to him, opening it to pull out his journal.

"That's the way of things, you know. For the young to question what is and what could be, to challenge the old way in favor of the new." Tourmaline smiled as he stared at the cover of his journal, running his fingers over the worn leather. "So when I return, I'll tell my stories of what I saw and what I learned, and maybe someone will be inspired to leave the village and explore further than I did. Or perhaps my stories will be enough and none of the young ones will choose to leave."

He looked up at Blue. "Perhaps you've traveled for your entire young life, and so the world is very small to you. But to my tribe, the world beyond our village is very large and filled with the unknown. We're content to remain within our own borders, but... sometimes we have to learn what exists beyond us. Otherwise, how can we grow as a people?"

"Oh, we don't travel," Blue replied quickly, shaking his head. "I mean, it sounds fascinating, but we just...can't. Have to defend ourselves these days, y'know?"

Citrine winced slightly and shuffled where he sat, staring sullenly at the wall. Once upon a time their tribe had employed many members as scouts, wanderers in constant search of fertile lands or new wonders. He had no doubt Blue would have been such a member of the tribe, if the position was still held.

War changed things.

"You should rest," he murmured to Tourmaline, a little abrupt. "You hungry? We can get you something to eat before it's full dark."

Tourmaline smiled, nodding at Blue's comment. "Not many do what they want, but they always do what they must. Perhaps one day you'll get to travel and see the world. Until then, I can tell you stories about what I've seen."

When Citrine spoke, Tourmaline looked toward him, offering him a smaller smile. "Thank you. That would be appreciated. I haven't eaten since this morning. I try not to eat too much, to spare my supplies. I don't want to impose, though. I do have my own." He gestured to his pack then, meeting Citrine's eyes and silently giving him the option of staying or leaving as he wanted.

Almost unable to help himself, Citrine snorted quietly when Tourmaline offered to tell Blue stories and his brother's face positively lit up.

"Careful what you promise," he muttered as their guest's eyes moved toward him. Standing, he arched his back in a long stretched and flickered his ears, his tail waving once in a large arc to work the kinks out of his lower back.

"I'll grab some food. You two can...talk, or something." With the barest hint of a smile for Tourmaline, he assured, "We can spare a bit of food for you, don't worry about it. You'll need what you have when you're on the road again."

Tourmaline nodded, though his expression was still uncertain. "Thank you... that would be nice."

As he watched Citrine go, he turned his attention back to Blue, offering the younger Kulshedra a smile. "Your brother is very kind, isn't he?"

He turned his attention to his pack then, pulling it closer so he could begin to rifle through it. He'd promised Blue stories, and stories he was going to give the younger Kulshedra, but first he needed to have the proper tools. Stories were much better told when there were objects connected to those stories to show. And, if Tourmaline had to admit, he enjoyed the opportunity to talk, because it would give him practice for when he returned home and told his stories to his tribe.

"I really don't want to cause you any trouble," Tourmaline said softly.

"Triny?" Blue scoffed lightly and glanced after his brother, then shrugged. "Yeah, he's alright, I guess. Worries like an old biddy and nags like he's my mother, but... Well, there are worse brothers, I guess."

Despite the complaining, there was a hint of affection in his tone. His attention quickly shifted though and he twisted to better face Tourmaline, drawing his legs up onto his sleeping mat and curling his tail around himself.

"So! About those stories..."

Tourmaline smiled at the sound of affection in Blue's voice. It reminded him of the love his own siblings had for him, despite the fact that he was a ghost to them at this moment in time. He missed his family, he missed his home, and Tourmaline knew that nothing would stop him from trying to return at the appointed time. If he missed it... then all that would be gone.

"Ah, yes, stories," Tourmaline said with a wider smile. His eyes sparkled with pleasure at being able to share what he'd discovered. He shifted to a more comfortable position and settled the book upon his lap and opened it. "Let's see... some of these are tales of what I saw while traveling, others are stories that were told to me by others. Where to begin... ah, here."

Tourmaline gently turned the page to a story he'd written down about a princess born of the sands and wind of a land far away. He decided that Blue would enjoy this one the best, since it seemed that the younger Kulshedra also had dreams of wandering, but couldn't. Tourmaline took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Once, when the world was young, the sky and the earth mingled together, inseparable." Tourmaline said, keeping his voice soft. "But eventually, the wind wished to have the sky for itself, and the water wished to have the earth for itself. The wind and the water conspired to separate the sky and the earth, and succeeded. With the earth and the sky no longer together, the wind and the water had what they wished, and created the world as we know it today. But the earth mourned the loss of the sky, and created dry places where water couldn't touch, and it was the earth's only form of rebellion. But the wind saw these dry places, and began to covet them. The earth became dry and sandy, and as the wind swirled the sand, the wind came to love the sand, and the sand came to love the wind."

Tourmaline's expression softened, and he caressed the page which held his own sloppy handwriting. "The sand and the wind were together always, and from that union came a princess. She was of both the earth and the wind, and she gazed longingly up at the moon in the sky, as if she was willing the moon to come to the earth and join her. But it was the stars who noticed her, the stars who watched her from afar, and they spoke to the sky of the princess of the sands. When the sky noticed her, the sky fell in love with her. But because the sky was so far away, all the sky could do was watch the princess as she stared longingly at the moon."

He looked up at Blue then with a small smile. "The moral of the story is to never want more than what you already have, because then you will lose everything. At least, that's what the person who told me it said."

Blue listened with rapt attention the whole time Tourmaline spoke, and when he finished the younger kulshedra settled back on his mat and smiled crookedly, giving him a quick nod.

"I like that one," he enthused. Eyes brightening a bit, he added eagerly, "But do you have any stories? About places you've been, things you've seen, people you've met-- anything?"

Tourmaline laughed, nodding as he shifted into a more comfortable position. He flipped a few pages in his book until he came to a page covered in pressed flowers and leaves. He showed the page to Blue, his fingers pointing to each flower as he spoke.

"When I went far to the north of my village, where the rivers came together and flowed into a large delta, I discovered a field of flowers that I'd never seen before." Tourmaline touched one of the flowers gently, running his fingers over the dried petals. "It was a field of them, all kinds. So many colors, so many shapes. I don't think I even saw all of it, but I picked one of each as I came across them, making sure that I found as many as I could. And while I was there," he turned the page, showing feathers of ranging sizes and colors, "I saw many birds, from herons to hunting hawks, and I found their feathers here and there."

He shifted then to set the book on the floor between them, his hands hovering over the book for just a moment, as if he were about to change his mind. "Here, look for yourself. Just... be careful."

Blue's eyes widened and his pupils grew so round and large they almost entirely ate away the color of his iris for a brief moment. He shuffled forward and reached out almost reverently, then hesitated and flicked his eyes back up to Tourmaline.

"Are you... Is it really okay if I--?"

Before he could finish the question the door creaked open and Citrine nudged his way inside, awkwardly balancing three plates in his arms. "Alright, so it's not much, but it's food--"

He froze when he saw the other two kulshedra crouched together over a book. His eyebrows crept up, looking more than a little bemused. "You, uh...what's going on in here, exactly?"

Tourmaline looked up as Citrine entered, his eyes slightly wide and his mouth curling slightly into a small 'o'. Then he flushed slightly, and he averted his gaze, his expression soft and prideful, if a little embarrassed. His eyes rested upon his book and he reached out to lightly touch the page, his fingertips gently caressing the pressed flowers upon the sheaf of paper.

"I was just showing him the things I found on my journey," Tourmaline replied. "I have all my stories contained in here, with things I've found. Flowers, feathers, leaves. Anything unusual, anything I've never seen before, I've stored in here, so I can take it home with me."

"Oh. Well. Uh...don't let me interrupt?" Citrine lifted the plate he'd brought a little awkwardly. "I just... If you want... I thought... Food?"

Blue snorted and his brother shot a glare at him. The younger kulshedra rolled his eyes and gave Tourmaline a droll look. "Yeah, unfortunately he's pretty much always like this."

A fresh roll of bread flew through the air to smack Blue in the side of the head; he yelped and toppled sideways, swearing at Citrine while his brother smirked.

Tourmaline watched the exchange between the brothers with wide eyes, uncertain exactly what was going on. He'd had his fair share of teasing when he'd been young - and had done his fair share of teasing when he'd been young, too - but he'd never really experienced anything like this. Being one of the older of his parents' offspring, he'd been responsible for watching and caring for his younger siblings, and never would he imagine throwing food at them as a punishment to a tease.

He looked at Citrine, blinking slowly. "Yes, food, um. Thank you."

He lifted his hands to take the plate from Citrine, his fingers lightly brushing the other Kulshedra's as he relieved Citrine of his small burden. Tourmaline shivered, then turned away from Citrine and set the plate on the ground between him and Blue, his gaze focusing back on his book to avoid looking at either of the brothers.

Citrine felt his cheeks heating beneath his scales as his eyes suddenly snapped focused on the way Tourmaline shivered when their fingers brushed together, and he resisted the urge to snap his hand back too quickly.

Retrieving the roll that had beaned him in the side of the head, Blue muttered a few choice curses at his brother before patting the space on the cot beside him. "Well c'mon. You haven't eaten either, right?"

"Uh, yeah. Okay." Trying to force himself to focus on anything but the way their guest's eyes flickered back toward his book and the sudden softness that came into his face, Citrine moved to sit beside his brother and grabbed a spare roll, gnawing on it distractedly.

"So, um...what exactly were you two talking about? Don't let me interrupt or anything, just pretend I'm not even here."

Tourmaline glanced up at Citrine and offered him a small smile that showed a slight bit of fang. "We were talking about my journey so far." Using one hand, Tourmaline turned his book so that Citrine could see the pressed flowers, grasses, and feathers scattered among the pages. "I was describing to him the sea of grass I discovered on my first days out of my village, where all these flowers bloomed. I'd never seen anything like it before in my life."

Tourmaline turned his attention back to his book, gently turning the page to reveal a drawing of a river delta done in a charcoal stick. "I drew this. I did my best to detail it as I saw it, but I'm not that great of an artist. It was sunset, and I was making camp. And the way the sun was sinking below the horizon made the water shimmer and sparkle like it was a gemstone and not actual water."

He nibbled on his food then, remembering that day clearly. The stars were only just beginning to ignite in the sky, and it was his first night away from the village. He'd been terrified. His hands had shook while he'd built his fire, and he'd barely been able to eat because his stomach was so tight. He'd been up half the night, afraid to fall asleep, because there had been sounds in the night that he hadn't recognized.

How far had he come since then? Tourmaline didn't know. But he definitely wasn't the same person now as he'd been then.

He looked up at the brothers, smiling. He'd have to put them in his book, definitely. Show his people that there were others like them, and kind ones, too.

Blue was utterly enthralled, eyes wide as he listened to Tourmaline talk while nibbling on his own food. Citrine was just as intrigued, if he was being honest, but he managed to play it a little cooler than his brother.

"When do you have to go back?" Blue asked suddenly. He scooted a little toward the edge of his bedroll and propped his elbows on his knees, resting his chin in his hands. "You said you need to return to your village soon or they won't let you back, right?"

Citrine blinked. That was news to him.

Tourmaline smiled, but there were hints of bitterness to it. "Soon," he said, his voice soft with sadness. There was still so much more he wanted to see out in the world, but he would only be able to spend perhaps a few more weeks traveling before he needed to head home. "When the first blue summer moon rises in the sky, I'll have to start my journey home. And if I'm not home by the time the red moon glows, then I'll have no place to return to."

Perhaps he was being generous in his estimates of time, Tourmaline decided. The two moons rose at different times each year, or so he'd noticed as a child. The deadline wasn't spoken about by anyone in his tribe, but if one was smart and observant, he or she could guess roughly what time certain rules had to be observed. Tourmaline assumed that he had plenty of time left before he had to turn around, but he also didn't want to travel too far and miss the opportunity to return to his tribe because of sheer distance.

Realizing the brothers were watching him, Tourmaline turned his smile a little brighter and looked toward them, his eyes shining despite the depression he'd just filled the tent with. "But it's fine. I'll make it in time."

Citrine and Blue had both gone quiet, looking at him with a mix of curiosity and almost wariness as he seemed to drop into a reverie for a few moments. When Tourmaline snapped out of it, the brothers exchanged a quick look before glancing back at him.

"Well, uh..." Blue blinked, then chewed lightly at his lower lip in thought. "That's...that's good. That you've got a plan and everything..."

Citrine resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his brother-- it wasn't like he really had anything better to say, anyway.

Tourmaline shifted to become a little more comfortable, then closed his book and reached for more food. He took his time eating, using it to cover his embarrassed silence. He hadn't meant to open up so much to the brothers, but there was just something about them that set him at ease. When the silence between the three of them became too much for Tourmaline, he finished his bite, then shrugged.

"It's a plan," he agreed, "but one that's kind of still in progress. There's still plenty of time for me to accomplish what I want to accomplish and return. And then..." Tourmaline shrugged again. "The Elder will consult the Flame and ask what my fate is to be."

Although, Tourmaline thought, I kind of already have an idea.

He was one of the rare colors among his tribe, that of a mixture of pink and blue, a beautiful palette that was most definitely meant to be a servant of the Great Fire. It was really just a formality, a ritual that his tribe followed with every generation, and would continue to follow until they could no more.

Tourmaline lifted a hand and scratched at his cheek, smiling. "Everything happens for a reason, right? We just have to follow our chosen path and see where it leads us."

Once again the brother's exchanged a look, silent gazes speaking volumes.

But then Blue just shrugged and flashed his easygoing smile at Tourmaline. "Yeah, I guess so." He got to his feet and arched his back, stretching his arms up toward the ceiling with a massive yawn that nearly seemed to split his jaw open. "Well, I've got an evening patrol tonight, I should get moving."

Citrine frowned. "You didn't tell me that."

His brother pulled a face at him. "Yeah, because I knew you'd pitch a fit if our patrols didn't line up and I didn't wanna deal with that." Citrine glowered and Blue crinkled up his nose at him. "But hey! Now you've got someone else to occupy your time-- worry about the newbie, not me."

Before the older kulshedra could respond, his brother all but fled from the hut. Citrine, already halfway standing, flopped back onto his cot with a muttered curse.

Then he seemed to remember they had a guest and felt heat flash across his face, twisting to look at Tourmaline again. "Uh, well...S-sorry about him. He's just...young?" he offered rather lamely. Desperately casting around for something else to say, he landed on, "You said your Elder will divine your fate from the Flame--how do you mean? Like...whether you'll be a hunter or a warrior or...something?"

Tourmaline took a moment to eat a little more of the meal that Citrine had brought to avoid answering for as long as he could. The question the other Kulshedra had asked was a personal one, and one that Tourmaline wasn't sure exactly how to answer. And with Blue no longer there to act as a conversational shield, Tourmaline wasn't exactly sure how to talk to Citrine. But he did need to answer him. After all, Citrine had been nice enough to bring him to his village and convince his Elder to let Tourmaline stay for the night. Or for however long it took for Tourmaline's ankle to heal.

"Something like that," Tourmaline said at last. "The Elder will peer into the Flame, asking for Its great wisdom to reveal the path that I am to take. I'm not exactly sure how it works, but this is the way it's always been done."

He shifted to return his book to his pack, then looked up through the strands of his hair towards Citrine. "Although I don't think I'm going to be a hunter or a warrior. If anything..." Tourmaline looked away from the other Kulshedra then, his expression caught somewhere between uncertain and almost delighted. "If anything... I might become a Caretaker of the Flame."

Citrine's eyes widened a bit and he arched his brows. "Wow," he noted, almost too evenly. "That's...impressive. Can I, uh--"

He winced when he realized how personal the question was, but he couldn't seem to stop himself from finishing: "Could I ask what makes you think that'll be your place?"

Tourmaline smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. The question was intensely personal, but he also understood why Citrine was asking the question. For him to assume that his future would be exactly what he thought it would be was extremely pretentious. For a moment, he thought about what his answer would be. If he answered too flippantly, he was sure the Flame would hear and become upset with him. So, Tourmaline took his time in answering.

He lifted his arm, allowing Citrine to see the dazzling combination of blue and pink scales along his forearm. "This is why," Tourmaline said quietly, his voice somewhat subdued. "When I was born, the Elder told my parents that he'd never seen anyone like me before and had said they were blessed by the Flame to have me. So... I heard that a lot, growing up. How special I was. How blessed I was. So... the logical path for me to follow is to care for the one who made me this way, don't you think?"

He hoped he didn't sound arrogant. Tourmaline knew that his words could be taken as such, even though he said them with conviction and truth and full belief that this was where his destiny lay. Of course, Citrine's beliefs might be different than his, as not all tribes were the same, and so he hoped that maybe the other Kulshedra might forgive him for his thoughts.

The young warrior allowed his eyes--for really the first time--to roam unabashedly over Tourmaline's scales, tracing the way they spiraled over his skin in whirls and waves, glinting in the dim light.

No two kulshedra really had the same pattern to their scales, but with colors like that... No, it wasn't surprising that Tourmaline was chosen of the Fire. He must be, mustn't he?

"Beautiful," Citrine murmured without thinking. The word seemed to hit his ears a full second after he'd uttered it. A very slow blush began working its way up his neck to color his cheeks, heating the skin beneath his own scales. Rather delayed, he blinked, then his slitted pupils blew wide and he stared at his companion for a moment with his mouth partially open, face by now very red.

"I, uh, I mean..." He swallowed thickly and all but lurched to his feet. "You're probably tired, I just-- I'll go. Sorry. I shouldn't have-- I'll go."

Tourmaline flushed as he heard Citrine's murmured word, and he ducked his head, pulling his arm close to his chest as if to protect it. He didn't know what to think of the other Kulshedra's description of him. It wasn't the first time he'd heard that word used to describe him, but it hadn't come from any other Kulshedra. Mostly it had been humans that had used the word to describe him. And just like all the times before, Tourmaline's first thought was that he didn't think he was beautiful at all. He didn't think himself attractive in any way. The colors and patterns of his scales were just different from others', and that was what made him unique. It didn't make him more beautiful or more ugly than anyone else.

He glanced up at Citrine and saw that the other man's face was bright red, even under the orange scales that covered his face. Tourmaline quickly looked away and back at the food in front of him. He didn't know what to say. There was a strange awkward silence before Citrine suddenly stood, and Tourmaline looked up at him, his heart skipping a slight beat even before his ears registered the other Kulshedra's words.

"Um, yeah, a little." Tourmaline replied, his voice subdued. "It's... it's okay, really. It's not the first time I've heard that... Thank you. If you have to go, go. I don't want to keep you from your duties."

So deeply embarrassed that he wasn't sure he'd even be able to get proper words out, Citrine mumbled something like, "'snotaproblem," under his breath and bobbed a quick nod in Tourmaline's direction before he all but fled the little hut, in such a hurry that he accidentally let the door slam shut behind him.

Fire preserve me. The young warrior shook his head as he made a beeline for the borders of the little village, hardly looking up from his feet as he set himself on guard near the eastern perimeter. Sure, he wasn't actually on duty tonight, but he had absolutely no idea what else to do with himself. He certainly couldn't stay in the hut with their guest, not after making such a complete ass of himself.

Tourmaline watched Citrine go, uncertain of why he seemed so flustered. Was it because of what had been said? Tourmaline flushed, his heart beginning to pound with uncertainty. He could remember the sound of Citrine's voice, that sound of awed reverence, speaking that single word that described Tourmaline's appearance. He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. That word had been said in many ways before to describe him, so why did it sound so different... so wonderful... when it was said that way by this person? Tourmaline lifted his hands to his face and pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. His chest expanded as he inhaled a deep breath, and he let it out just as slowly. He pulled his hands from his eyes and opened them, staring at his lap.

It meant nothing. It didn't mean a single thing. It was just a reaction to seeing them. Tourmaline told himself. I doubt they've seen anyone like me before.

Shifting, Tourmaline moved to finish eating the food that Citrine had brought - he didn't see the sense in wasting the food, and he didn't want to insult the tribe that had so graciously taken him in - and then looked for a way to clean himself up. That done, he pulled a blanket from his pack, shifted to lay down on the pallet that had been set out for him, and covered himself, closing his eyes tight to try and sleep.

It was long in coming, because his heart and mind simply wouldn't stop racing, but Tourmaline finally managed to fall asleep, curled up tight beneath his blanket.

Citrine did not return to the hut until nearly dawn, just barely beating his brother home--because Fire knew the younger kulshedra would quite literally never let him live it down if he found out that Citrine had forgone almost a full night of sleep because he'd embarrassed himself in front of their guest.

Carefully, he opened the door a crack and peeked inside. Tourmaline still seemed to be asleep, curled up on the extra mat they'd dragged in for him. Exhaling quietly, Citrine crept inside, shutting the door as quietly as he could before all but tip-toeing his way across the small space to his own cot.

Tourmaline woke when the door opened. He'd become a light sleeper in order to protect himself in the wild where there was no one to keep watch. He didn't know if that would change when he returned home, but waking up enough to identify the source of the noise was probably something that would come in handy. He didn't know how, though. Perhaps he'd figure that out. But that was neither here nor there.

Tourmaline cracked his eyes open just a pinch to watch the door swing inward. He watched Citrine peek in and look at him, and he supposed he must have done a good job at pretending to be asleep, since the other Kulshedra entered the hut and quietly padded across the room toward his own bed. Tourmaline remained still until Citrine had settled, and then he shifted slightly, rolling over just to be able to Citrine's face.

The other Kulshedra still seemed to be ruffled, Tourmaline thought, but he didn't say anything about it. Perhaps it was just one of those things to be forgotten. After all, they were strangers to each other, from completely different worlds, and perhaps that was just how things were. So Tourmaline rolled back over and closed his eyes, and tried to fall back asleep.

Blue was only an hour or so behind his brother, and he was not nearly so concerned with keeping quiet.

"Morning, everybody!" He made his way cheerfully into the hut and across the floor to his cot, giving Citrine a quick nudge with his toe as he passed.

"Oh Fire preserve me." Citrine groaned and rolled to face him, scowling. "I hate you," he mumbled.

Blue laughed as he flopped onto his bed. "No ya don't. C'mon, you weren't the one who was up all night; Elder's got your assignment for you."

Citrine couldn't very well argue with that, not without revealing that he had in fact been up all night, and for a very embarrassing reason. With another groan he forced himself to his feet and stumbled to the door.

He managed to mutter a quick, "Want breakfast?" to Tourmaline as he passed.

Tourmaline woke with a start when Blue entered the hut, his eyes going wide and inhaling sharply. He watched as Blue started across the floor and nudged his brother to wakefulness, wondering if that was a local occurrence between the brothers. Tourmaline hid a yawn behind his hand and shifted to push himself upright. He was stretching when Citrine stepped over to him, and he tensed as the other Kulshedra passed close.

Then he heard the question and shivered, hoping that Citrine and Blue hadn't seen. "Yeah, breakfast would be nice."

Pushing himself to his feet, Tourmaline was glad to see that his ankle would support his weight, though he still had a limp. Even still, he moved after Citrine, taking his time so as not to aggravate his injury.

Citrine glanced back when he heard the uneven tread to Tourmaline's gait. He winced and cursed himself internally. He shouldn't have let his own insecurities get the better of him, override basic decency.

"Here," he muttered, stepping closer and offering his shoulder for the other man to lean on. "You should be taking it easy. Maybe I can find a sturdy branch to make you a crutch or something..."

Blue's eyes flicked back and forth between them--luckily behind Tourmaline's back--and his eyebrows slowly crept up toward his hairline. Citrine caught the edge of his brother's expression and frowned. Don't you fucking dare.

Blue smirked and raised his hands peaceably. I'm not saying anything!

Tourmaline blinked as Citrine came up to his side and offered his shoulder to lean on. For a moment, he hesitated, unsure. He could, after all, walk on his own. It was with a limp, but he still could walk on his own. But he realized that he would heal faster if he accepted the help of others, and so he reached out to take hold of Citrine's shoulder, allowing the other Kulshedra to take most of his weight. He thought nothing of it, merely a kindness the other man was showing him. Despite that, his heart gave a little flutter, and there was a flash of heat that went through his frame, there and gone in a rush and leaving him cold for the briefest of moments.

It didn't mean anything, the offer. Citrine was just being considerate.

"A crutch..." Tourmaline said at last. "That would be a good idea... I don't want to be a bother to you when I want to move around on my own."

"Oh, its's not a bother, I just figured you'd rather be able to move about on your own that have to be clinging to me all the time," Citrine replied quickly.

The second the words were out of his mouth he winced and looked away. Great. Now you're making him sound like a burden. Which was the exact opposite of what he'd been intending to do. Wonderful. He really was just mucking this up spectacularly, wasn't he?

"Ah...I just mean, seeing as you're not exactly planning on being here very long, it's probably better if you can get around yourself, yeah?"

And now he sounded like he was trying to get rid of him. Excellent.

Tourmaline blinked at the words that had come out of Citrine's mouth. For a moment, he was shocked, uncertain what to say in response to them. But then he realized that the other Kulshedra was right; he couldn't constantly rely upon him or Blue to help him get around. And he was intending to leave as soon as he could, without damaging his ankle any more than he already had. Tourmaline gave a little shrug and smiled.

"It would definitely help." he said. "I can't impose on you any more than I already have. And the more time I have to get used to it, the easier it'll be when the time comes for me to move on."

"Right. I'll just...do that then. Soon. Er, I'll try."

As they made their way out into the center of the village Citrine decided to just stop talking. He really didn't know why he was this awkward--sure, they rarely had strangers visit these days, but at this point he'd like to think that Tourmaline didn't exactly qualify as a stranger, at least not all the way.

"Well, if you wanna take a seat somewhere around that campfire there, I can fetch some food and be back in a few minutes," he offered after a moment of awkward silence, indicating one of the smaller fires scattered amongst the clusters of huts.

Tourmaline looked at Citrine out of the corner of his eye, trying to puzzle him out. But after a moment, he realized that the other Kulshedra was just trying to be kind without becoming overly familiar, and Tourmaline could understand that. If one became overly familiar with a stranger, then they lost sight of what was right in front of them. That was one of the lessons his own elders had tried to teach him and the others that wanted to leave and explore the world, but until that moment, Tourmaline hadn't understood it. And, perhaps, he still didn't. But he knew that Citrine held an important position in his village, as it was his duty to protect it, and if he was constantly dealing with an invalid stranger such as Tourmaline, he couldn't give his duty the attention it needed.

When Citrine indicated the campfire and offered a seat, Tourmaline nodded. He stepped away from the other Kulshedra when they reached the fire and settled down as carefully as he could to avoid aggravating his injury, then offered Citrine a small smile. "Take your time. It's not like I can go anywhere, right?"

"Er, right. I suppose." Citrine smiled at him sort of nervously, not entirely sure if that was the sort of joke he was supposed to laugh at or not. Before he could make up his mind, he turned and starting briskly toward the main fire with a quick, "I'll be right back with some food."

The few kulshedra around the smaller fire where Tourmaline now sat all seemed to sort of cluster together, just slightly, on some unspoken cue. They eyed the stranger warily, but with some curiosity too. It had been a long time since their tribe had allowed anyone new into the village, and no one seemed quite sure how to react.

Tourmaline watched him walk away, then focused on the fire and ignored the people giving him strange looks. He knew why they were staring at him, and he couldn't blame them. His people had often stared at strangers, too, as if expecting the other shoe to drop and the stranger to do something that put everyone in danger. There was nothing he could really do to assuage their fears, but he could be a polite guest and stay quiet and not cause trouble. These people had been through too much to throw caution completely away, after all, and Tourmaline understood that.

So he stared into the fire, watching the embers glow and crackle. He could almost imagine a voice whispering to him as the fire danced before his eyes, and he smiled gently, deciding that the Flame had agreed with his decision. He would heal, and then he would continue on, and bring the story of this clan of Kulshedra back to his own.

By the time Citrine had collected some food from the main fire--fending off a combination of questions, both curious and accusatory, and stares alike--quite a few minutes had passed and he found himself rushing a bit on his way back to Tourmaline.

He slowed sharply when he actually approached their guest though, noticing how his gaze was trained on the flames in front of him. H said he thinks he'll be a caretaker...maybe he's a Seer?

Not wanting to interrupt him, Citrine approached quietly and knelt a few from the other kulshedra, two bowls of a thick porridge dish clutched in his hands, and simply waited for Tourmaline to speak first.

Tourmaline looked up as Citrine approached and smiled as he saw the bowls. "Thank you," he said softly, reaching to take one of them. He returned his attention to the fire then for a moment, before looking down at the porridge and lifting the spoon to take a tentative taste. His smile grew a little wider and he looked at Citrine, a happy light in his eyes.

"This is really good," Tourmaline said, keeping his voice low just in case there was some sort of taboo against describing the deliciousness of the food. In his travels, he'd come across such practices, and now knew to be careful about what he said. "Thank you."

"Oh, well..." Citrine smiled a bit and reached up to scratch behind one ear absently, the tip of his tail curling in just slightly. "I mean, it's not like I made it or anything, I just fetched and carried, but ah...you're welcome."

He took a seat rather cautiously beside Tourmaline. Once he had, the other kulshedra around the fire seemed to relax, even by small degrees. Evidently, the young warrior's ease with their guest went a long way to putting the rest of the tribe at ease as well.

"It's still good," Tourmaline replied, offering Citrine a small smile. He glanced around the fire, noticing that conversation had resumed and it was now at a more normal level than whispers, and he turned his gaze to the fire while he ate. "I don't mean to cause so much trouble, you know. I don't want to be a bother or a burden to you or your clan."

He spooned some of the porridge into his mouth to quiet himself, simply rolling the soft food around on his tongue for a while before swallowing. He didn't know what else to say to Citrine, who'd shown nothing but kindness to him. What could he say, anyway? As soon as he was healed enough, he would be leaving, so he didn't want to get too familiar with Citrine or anyone else from the clan. He was afraid that if he did, it would make the parting that much more painful. Or, worse, he wouldn't be able to leave at all.

He glanced at Citrine. "If there are duties I'm keeping you from... you can attend them. I'm not going anywhere."

Citrine blinked. "What? Ah, no. No, don't worry about that, it--" He cleared his throat and lowered his head to shovel a few bites of breakfast into his mouth, forcing himself to just collect his thoughts and not act like a gibbering idiot, which seemed to be about all he could do with Tourmaline.

Swallowing, he cleared his throat and tried to clarify, "The Elder gave me some time to...take care of you? I suppose? I mean, seeing as Blue and I are the ones who...found you, however you wanna say it. And she, ah--" He cleared his throat again, a little more awkwardly this time, "She doesn't...really want you in the camp unsupervised. So, um...you're stuck with me? Just while you're here, I mean."

Tourmaline nodded. He completely understood about strangers being unsupervised. It was what his own elder decreed when a stranger entered their village and wished to stay for a time. It wasn't discouraged, the staying part, just the part about the stranger wandering around without an escort. It wasn't unusual for the warriors whose duty it was to protect the village to attack a stranger who was without their escort. Tourmaline had seen it happen a couple of times when he was small, but the village rarely got visitors that stayed for longer than a night or two.

He ate in silence, cleaning his bowl with his fingers when the spoon would no longer do its job. Then he set the bowl down before him and sighed.

Tourmaline looked toward Citrine then and offered him a smile. "I don't think of it as being stuck with you. It's nice being able to talk with someone different from myself. To learn from others. I'm... just sorry it's this way." He laughed a little, somewhat self-deprecatingly. "If I could move around on my own, I guess it wouldn't be such an imposition on you to keep to my pace."

"Oh, hey, well--it's sorta my fault anyway." Citrine tried for a smile but it was awkward and sort of flickering at the edges. He'd been thinking about it since the previous night, and if he didn't say anything it was just going to make him feel even more ill at ease...if that was even possible at this point.

With a huff, he shook his head and flicked his ears back against his skull, glancing away. "You wouldn't have fallen if I hadn't startled you back there. I mean, I wasn't trying to, I just thought--doesn't matter. My fault, I just...wanted to apologize."

He rubbed at the back of his neck, the tip of his tail twitching slightly through the earth behind him.

"It's okay," Tourmaline replied with a chuckle. He looked away from Citrine and to the fire again, an easy smile on his face. It lessened a bit when he realized he was showing a bit of his fangs, so he angled his head a bit so his hair fell in front of his face, obscuring it. "I'm also kind of clumsy, so it isn't entirely your fault."

He finally looked at Citrine with a smile. "Don't worry so much about it. I'll be fine in a little while, and you won't even remember what it was like having me around. So, it's okay. And I've learned quite a bit about your tribe and your kindness, so I have quite the story to tell when I get back home."

Citrine smiled slightly in return, though he titled his head and furrowed his brow a bit in confusion when Tourmaline turned his head away. He had a nice smile, why did he want to hide it?

Alright, that wasn't any of his business. Stop thinking about it.

Then his expression fell slightly and he tilted his head further. "Well, that...I mean, I'm sure you're anxious to be on your way, but...I don't know if I'd want to forget what it's like to have your around. You're the most interesting thing that's happened around here in years."

The truth was, Tourmaline wasn't yet anxious to be on his way, and he did want to stay and observe this clan some more, but he didn't want to impose, and he didn't want to cause trouble. Yet he didn't say any of this to Citrine, only smiling at his words and lifting his shoulders in a shrug.

"I don't know if you will forget." he said at last. "I'm kind of memorable."

He chuckled at the expense of himself, his eyes falling to the blue and pink scales that dusted his body. He certainly wasn't easy to forget, considering his coloring. All the same, Tourmaline was sure the rest of the tribe would be more comfortable knowing he was gone and that he wouldn't be coming back. Still, even if they looked back on their memories of him with some kind of fondness, then that was just fine. Good, even. He didn't want to burden the tribe with any trouble he might cause.

"Well, I certainly won't forget your kindness." Tourmaline said, turning his head to look at Citrine with a close-lipped smile. "And who knows, maybe one day we might meet again. Wouldn't that be something?"

Citrine found himself chuckling quietly, and before he could stop himself he murmured, "Not sure if I actually could forget you."

Flushing, he quickly dropped his eyes again and started shoveling his breakfast into his mouth. When Tourmaline looked back at him again he swallowed quickly and gave a bit-too-eager nod. "Um, yeah. Yes. I--I'd like that."

He didn't bother saying that the chances of them actually meeting again once Tourmaline left were slim, if they existed at all. He didn't know much about the other kulshedra's tribe, but he'd gleaned that they weren't exactly big on people traveling, at least not once they'd completed this sort of sabbatical or whatever it was Tourmaline was currently doing.

And he...well. He knew what his life would be. In all likelihood, he'd spend the rest of his life fighting this war--and he had no idea how long the rest of his life would really be. Their enemy were desperate, they needed their Fire, and his own people would defend it to their last breath.

Tourmaline smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. Talking about what could be was quite fun, despite knowing how disappointing it was that it would never be. He didn't know what his future would be like, only that there would come a day where this part of his life would be over, and his place would be to remain in the village, doing whatever job the village elder and the Flame chose for him to do. The adventuring was a short-lived experience, but the memories of it were something that Tourmaline would treasure for the rest of his life.

He looked toward the fire, uncertain of how to continue the conversation with Citrine. There wasn't much the two could talk about, and Tourmaline felt it was safer not to get overly familiar with the other Kulshedra. He didn't know how far to pry in Citrine's life, and certainly he didn't want to dredge up any bad memories. He could just look around the village and know that these people hadn't had it easy. They had been embroiled in a war with another tribe, and they had become desperate to survive and wary of strangers. He knew how his own village reacted when strangers came in and stuck their noses into business they had no need to be sticking their noses in. And Tourmaline already knew that, as far as Blue and Citrine's cases, many of their tribe were set as warriors and had seen so much fighting already. He didn't want to bring up something that no one wanted to talk about.

Still... that wasn't reason to be sad and down right now, in this moment.

Tourmaline raised his head and looked at Citrine, offering a small grin that showed only the slight edge of a sharpened canine tooth. "So, what is it we're going to today? Besides make me a crutch so you don't have to carry me everywhere?"

"Oh. Well..." Citrine shrugged, offering a small smile of his own in return. "I mean, technically I'm not really on duty for anything more than a short patrol or two while you're here, so... Once I gt you set up with a crutch, you're welcome to do whatever you like, really."

He paused, glanced around the fire at the quietly murmuring members of his tribe, a few of them still glancing over at Citrine and Tourmaline with a combination of curiosity and wariness every so often. "...Within reason."

"Within reason, huh?" Tourmaline replied with a teasing smile. "So... no walking off without permission, or disappearing without telling anyone first, right? Or are you suggesting something more heinous? Something crazy? Something... strange?"

He didn't know why, but he enjoyed teasing Citrine for some reason, even if it felt strange to do so. There was this odd twisting feeling in his stomach that he'd never felt before as he spoke to Citrine, as he teased the other Kulshedra with a light tone and joking voice. Tourmaline looked away from the other male then and went back to studying the fire.

"If there's anything I can do to help, while I'm here, I'd be glad to do so. After all, you've been so kind to me, allowing me to stay even though you didn't have to." The tip of Tourmaline's tail twitched ever so slightly, betraying his nerves. "I don't want to be a burden."

"Ah, th-that's not--I mean I dunno about strange--"

Citrine cut himself off when he realized Tourmaline was teasing him, and it took a bit more self-control than he would have liked--or ever admitted--not to stick his tongue out at the other kulshedra like he would if he was still a child.

Or if it had been Blue, maybe.

He glared, opening his mouth to snip something back, but before he could Tourmaline spoke again and his expression suddenly softened. "Hey, look, you're not a burden or anything--"

"Hey there!"

Citrine started violently as a flash of blue scales and a bright smile abruptly inserted himself between the two of them. "Fires, Blue!" he protested, lurching to the side in an effort not to be knocked off balance entirely by his younger brother. "What the hells are you so energetic about? Didn't you plan on sleeping until noon?"

Blue grinned at him, throwing an arm around his shoulders and conveniently ignoring his older brother's glare. Turning that bright grin on Tourmaline, he shrugged and said, "Eh, guess I wasn't as tired as I thought. Anyway though, you really planning on pitching in around camp?"

Citrine tensed. He had a bad feeling he knew where this was going. "Blue..."

"What?" Blue looked between the two of them, all wide-eyed innocence. "I mean, if he's gonna be here anyway. There ceremony is in less than three days, I bet he'd love to pitch in, see what it's about." He looked to Tourmaline again expectantly. "Right?"

"Huh?"

The sound was out of his mouth before Tourmaline could stop it.

He stared at Blue with wide eyes, uncertain of what the young Kulshedra was actually asking. A ceremony? What kind of ceremony? He'd never been involved with a ceremony outside his own tribe. Would they even allow it? Him, an outsider, helping with something that was so special? He couldn't even believe that Blue had said something like that.

It sounded too good to be true.

"Oh, I, uh," Tourmaline felt his cheeks heat as words failed him, his surprise grabbing hold of his tongue and strangling it. He swallowed hard and almost shrank backwards from Blue, as if the distance would allow him to find his words again. "I mean, I don't want to impose. I mean, I know that things like this aren't really... you know... meant for outsiders. I don't want to get anyone into trouble."

He looked over Blue at Citrine, uncertain what Citrine wanted Tourmaline to say. Should he decline? But he wanted to... he wanted to see this ceremony, and he wanted to help. What would the harm be, since he was going to be here anyway? But, he could tell that the offer made Citrine uncomfortable, and for some reason that bothered Tourmaline. He couldn't put his finger on why, but it bothered him. "Would... would it be okay? If... if I helped?"

"I, ah--I don't...Well, I--I'm not really sure," Citrine stammered in response, too shocked to do anything but speak truthfully.

He recovered enough to shoot his brother a quick glare, which Blue returned with an innocent smile, then looked to their guest again and shrugged a little helplessly. "I mean...if you want to, I can ask the Elder about it?"

He meant it to be an offer, but it came out more as a question, and yet another wave of heat threatened to dye his cheeks beneath the scales.

Tourmaline tried not to let his excitement show on his face. He really tried. But even as a kid he'd never been able to hide his excitement or interest in things, and his eyes lit up with anticipation, a smile spreading across his face before he could stop it. He was practically vibrating in his seat, his fingers clenching around his knees to keep them from making fists. His tail twitched with quick motions, and he felt a shiver run up his spine and down again. His scales lifted up and away from his skin slightly, as if he were getting gooseflesh, and he stiffened slightly.

"W-would you?" Tourmaline ventured, his voice low but still full of anticipatory excitement. "Ci-Citrine, would you ask? Please?"

Tourmaline hoped he didn't sound like he was begging. The last thing he wanted to do was sound like he was begging. If he sounded like he was begging, then it definitely wouldn't happen. In fact, the opposite might happen, and he'd be ostracized before he could even blink. He didn't want that to happen. But he couldn't stop or hide the expression on his face. It was far too late for that. So all he could do was wait in quiet anticipation for Citrine's answer.

Oh...hells.

No grown man should look that adorable. It just wasn't fair.

"Um, yeah. Yeah, I can do that. No problem." Citrine heard the words before he even fully realized he had actually said them. He started to scramble to his feet, kicking himself mentally, then once again felt his body move without his conscious decision to do so, pausing to glance back down at Tourmaline.

"Did you, ah...wanna come with me? Or you can wait here with Blue, I'm sure it won't take me that long."

Tourmaline blinked at Citrine's offer of joining him to ask the Elder if he could attend the ceremony. Doing so would mean relying on Citrine to walk, and that would mean leaning close to the other Kulshedra. It would also mean that the Elder would have cause to look a little too closely as to why Tourmaline wanted to witness this ceremony, and she might not believe that it was just out of pure curiosity, especially with the trouble that the tribe's enemies had been giving them.

Tourmaline swallowed and tilted his head. "I mean... if you think I should. But... I don't know how your elder would react to me being there when you asked. I mean... she might think I was asking you to do it because of some nefarious purpose or something. That I had other intentions than just curiosity." He dropped his gaze, suddenly regretting his earlier enthusiasm. "Maybe... maybe you shouldn't ask at all. I'm sorry I brought it up."

He winced, trying not to look too disappointed. He didn't want to seem like he was being selfish and ungrateful for Blue and Citrine's offer, but he also didn't want to get them in trouble. He didn't want them to suddenly be scrutinized because of him. Not by people who were looking to them to protect the tribe. He turned his gaze back to the fire and twisted his fingers together, uncertain what to do or say now. He felt embarrassed, foolish, stupid. How could he expect perfect strangers, people he'd only known for little more than a day, to allow him to watch their most sacred of rites and rituals? It didn't matter if he was going to be here during that time. What was sacred shouldn't be violated. Hadn't his elder beat that into his head often enough?

Thoroughly miserable now, Tourmaline kept his gaze on the fire, doing his best to keep his expression neutral so Citrine and Blue wouldn't see how terrible he felt.

"Whoa, hey now--"

"Oh don't be like that, it's really no trouble--!"

Both Blue and Citrine started speaking at the same time, stopped, looked at each other, made a few faces at one another that each interpreted correctly as What, do you want me to talk? No, I thought you were-- Oh never mind! before the elder brother huffed out a sharp breath and muttered, "It's really not--it doesn't hurt to just ask. I mostly figured you could come along and make a case for yourself, if you wanted. But if you'd rather not, you can just stay here with Blue."

The younger kulshedra nodded and shrugged, looking at Tourmaline with a sort of gently confused smile. "I mean, unless you don't actually want to stay? You don't have to, of course, it was just an idea..."

Tourmaline looked up at Citrine and Blue and tried to give them a small smile. "I want to stay. I want to see the ceremony. But there are sacred things between tribes that shouldn't be shared with outsiders. It's the same way with my tribe. I just... don't want you two getting in trouble for asking. The ceremony is important to you, right? It's important to the tribe? Then I shouldn't be interfering, because what if I mess it up? What if I do something wrong? I... I don't think I could bear it if misfortune fell upon you because of me."

He dropped his gaze again and turned his attention back to the fire. He honestly didn't know what else to say to the brothers, other than to just repeat what he'd said. He felt like a fool, for certain. But he was so grateful to his hosts that he didn't want to risk them, or his budding friendship with them, for something so selfish.

"Well, I mean..." Blue looked back and forth between his brother and their guest, a slight frown furrowing at his brow. "It doesn't hurt to ask. The worst Elder can do is say no. She might be a little peeved, but it's not like we'll actually get in trouble or anything."

Citrine shrugged, his attention on Tourmaline. He tried for an encouraging sort of smile. "He's got a point," he muttered, low and a little gruff. Why did he care so much about this? He felt like he was making a bigger deal out of the whole thing than he needed to.

Maybe he was just...out of practice with strangers. Yeah, that made sense.

"Look, I'll just--I'll just ask if it's alright for you to stay, maybe observe, if you want. Worst case scenario, we'll have to shut you up in the hut for the ritual," he tried to joke, smile slanting up to one side.