Fall, 22, 515
Mid morning
Part I
Mid morning
Part I
A new day and time, new smells to find and things to see. Lilun lay on a roof top watching people move in the market. A human woman was tugging a child behind her, Lilun had seen her before. She came here to sell some leathers of things caught in the swamp, her boy child would sell things he made from the animals bones and teeth. The females mate had died from something in his lungs and she was alone now but she was always smiling and laughing; always looking strong. The man who followed beside her talking and haggling over a shiny orange skin thing, he liked to dance and lived here but he wanted to move somewhere else. Not strong like the blue men and not much for all the training and hard work, he was a simple sort and his eyes were on the strong jawed woman and her son.
Lilun flicked her tail and turned to watch someone else. A scraggly old man walking down the street with a much younger one, a woman with pale gold hair leaned into the touch of one of the blue men batting her eyes. A young blue one ran down the streets laughing as a dog followed in his wake trying in vain to get the stick the child had; the father was following behind at a more leisurely pace. Not many young blue ones, in fact this one was no doubt much older then he looked. The sound of many voices was like the rustling of the fall leaves as they blew and bustled about on the ground. Sometimes she wondered if that was what they all were, little leaves rolling in the wind not yet knowing they were soon to be quieted by snow and never seen again.
A loud cry had her strange colored eyes moving from the running child to look at a man trying to shove an unwilling goat toward someone who must have bought it. The creature bleated and cried but humans were strong and it was soon being pulled away from the market to a place Lilun knew smelled only of blood. She was scared of that small place and knew from other Yowlwing it was better to avoid it, better to close her eyes and ears and turn away. She knew for a fact a Kelvic had gone that way, and she hadn’t seen him since. The world was cruel but amazing and with all the things to learn and see. Lilun couldn’t have been more pleased to be born so close to this big bustling city with all its strange beings even if in all their wonder they too were cruel things.
Like many of her wonderings she thought of her bonded and felt that place inside her empty as always but reaching. There wasn’t anyone to reach to yet, and she wondered watching those bellow her if she would ever fill that place. Lilun remembered asking her brother what her bonded would be like and he snorted and told her they would be whoever they were. Hardly helpful and to her young mind unimaginable and impossible since how could they not be like her? Even now she had wants and desires of who they could be. She wanted someone strong and sure but they didn’t always need to be that, someone with warm hands to pet her and arms able to hold her. They would be someone who would see her for just herself and not a Kelvic; someone who could be quiet but also full of energy and dreams. With a soft sigh she laid her head on the roof as a man pulled a cart just below her.
Would they be a friend, a lover like the humans had or even a mate? Would she grow to hate them, or to love them and if she loved them; could she be so cruel in hoping they would love no other but her? She did not think so, but deep down she thought it was so and worried that because of it she would find no bonded. She was to make them happy above everything, no matter the pain to her; Lilun would love them no matter what they did and should their arms wrap around another then she would just watch and love them anyway for all that she was. A little girl was giggling as she played with a ribbon tied to a stick waving it back and forth to make it flutter. Children, she was still somewhat one but not for much longer. She would grow and she knew she wanted a child for herself.
Once she got to hold a baby, its little fists and feet kicking and twitching as it fused in her arms and it smelled like spring with its pale blue eyes looking into her and seeing nothing but someone to take care of it. It was trusting and loving, nothing else. It wanted warmth food and care and all of that it saw in her. It could not see that she was different, couldn’t tell that unlike it she wasn’t human. Babies were special because they held nothing but the dreams of the future and the hope of today. Closing her eyes Lilun stretched out and opened her wings drawing a giggle from the little girl as she spotted the little white cat. Lilun would have smiled if she could, instead her tail waved back and forth making the child coo as she tried to get Lilun to come down no doubt to pet her, but those little hands hurt and squeezed her to tight so she stayed where she lay just watching.
The child’s parents were buying food but every now and then the man or woman’s eyes moved to the child to see she was safe and sound. What would it be like to leave both a bonded and a child? Would they miss her, or would they long have accepted she was Kelvic and would die? So many things she could only guess at until her head spun. Then maybe there would be no one to leave behind at all because she would simply be alone and which one she wondered, would be worse? The little girl had given up on calling her down as her parents called after her, with a little wave of her hand and ribbon she left to trot after them. Standing up she gave herself a quick shake to ease her fur in place before she set about getting down and shifting. Then of course there was the whole pulling on the clothes deal.
Today she was on a mission, a very important one! Find the book place. This was a really big city; surely she could find the book place! There was no more time for thoughts of questions not to be answered no matter the importance of such things! Now on two legs and with a shirt of baby blue and a skirt a darker steel blue, she hurriedly entered the market with her bag clutched in her hands. It was different just to watch people, very different. Men and women called around her about what they sold and she had a few show her their wares in hopes to buy them. A human male child stared at her and tugged at his mother’s sleeve and she looked up at her before away. With a slight frown Lilun looked at herself. She was dressed, her hair soft and nice but some people she supposed were never going to be happy.
She walked silently and with careful footfalls all too knowing of the things dropped here, which is why she realized she forgot shoes. Looking at her feet she gave a sigh but she didn’t bother to stop and fish them out. People around her thinned and Lilun took to checking signs and listening as people talked. At one point she spotted a young man holding books and turning the way he came she continued until she saw a woman leaving a building and holding one of the books in hand. The book place! Cheered she hurried into the building only to find, this was hardly the book place. Inside smelled of males and the sound of sticks striking sticks or bodies as a huff of air being expelled was heard. Scowling she looked deeper inside to see it was a lot of blue men fighting but there to was others.
She watched for a tiny bit only to suddenly have a hand fall to her shoulder. Making a little squeak as she jumped Lilun looked beside her then was forced to look up. Purple skin, not blue. Red pupils grew larger in light pink eyes but the man was smiling not looking angry. It didn’t matter thought because Lilun was very close to crying. “Are you interested in learning, or?” The voice was kind but still the hand was on her shoulder and she wasn’t happy about it but as soon as she had looked at the hand it was taken off. Could the purple man read minds! Her eyes snapped up to him and he actually smiled. Creepy. “No, I would lose and I don’t think girls can fight?” She looked around but there really was only boys, maybe it was just for boys now but the purple man hummed and looked her over as if finally noticing something he nodded.
“So what are you looking for that made you seem so unhappy to be here?” Lilun found the guy even creepier now; he had to be reading her mind. Forget the fact that he likely had just seen her unhappy looks both at the occupants and his hand. “Book place, need to ask them questions and find books.” The man nodded and with a very careful hand nudged her to look back to the front door. “See when you leave you need to head right then up, just keep going and you will see some benches and a cluster of buildings. The building there at the end is the library. You can borrow, read and buy copies there. What else are you wanting to ask?” The light touch had left her as soon as she was turned but now she turned back to him. “Job and house don’t have those yet.” The man nodded. “That’s easy, go to The Riverfall Citizenship, Housing, and Labor Aid Office; didn’t you get a scroll when you came into the city?” Lilun hearing the thread of suspicion looked away and down. “I can’t read the squiggle pictures, and if I fly up I can’t find it when I am down.” The man made a soft soothing sound.
“Well okay but maybe you should ask sooner for help. When you leave here go right and then straight, you will cross the water and soon you will find that building. Just fill out the papers and someone will help find what good you can do in a job and find you a nice home okay?” Lilun smiled at him and nodded ready to leave but was stopped by a question. “How old are you?” It was an easy question but for a second she had to think. “Almost one now, almost an adult!” The man made a funny wheezing sound but gave a nod and this time his hand went to her head in a soft pet and Lilun liked that a whole lot more than people touching her shoulder. Of course she didn’t know the other had found out she was a Kelvic by her simple answers. Not to mention people didn't fly. “Remember what I said. If you need more help than just ask someone, people are friendly. Now off you go, I have class to teach!” Lilun gave him her best smile she could before hurrying toward the door, scents of sweat and sounds of hits fading away as the door closed.
She took his directions her eyes open to find the benches even trying to remember the way back so after she found her books she would find the way to the other place she needed to be at. First get books because books make people not be stupid and she could learn more stuff, like fish. Was there fish books? Then she had to go and get the home part down and the job because people here were supposed to work and if she didn’t that was really bad and she might have to leave which was really bad. Bag clutched to her chest she could smell the animal furred doll and was comforted but every worry was gone with a zip of energy and excitement when she saw the benches at the building. Books place was found! One step done; now lots more to go but that was really okay. All good things had to do with tiny first steps. She hoped.
