The Rain Festival [Open]

[Cayenne]

When: 1st of Summer 510 AV
Where: The Training Yards and the Plaza, Taloba
What: The Rain Festival
Who: Everyone!

There had been eager anticipating building in the last few days of spring. The weather had actually been fairly dry, and any Myrian knew that the build-up of dry weather meant that a real shower was well on its way in. But the dry days had been useful - they had been spent preparing for the summer floods, because once the rain came down, things had to wait. Makutsi would arrive with all the gusto that came with the torrential downpour, and She did not wait. There was always much to be done - any planting, the herds had been moved to the summer feeding grounds, caches and stores were checked and resupplied, food and herbs had been gathered... The Raindancers had been out in the plaza, each of them performing their own unique dances in unison, practicing, preparing, ready to embrace Makutsi when she came. Everyone knew the floods were coming. The only question was how soon.

Still, too, some of the older Myrians prepared the Quoalelye... a monstrous, water-based obstacle course designed to be completed in the pouring rain. It was erected in the training yards of the city, beside the barracks, and was for the unknowing to look at it, it was an utter mess: it involved vine bridges and swings, rotating wooden discs, ladders, long bamboo poles, rope climbing, wooden walls, and more. The Quoalelye was separated by age and gender to increase the competition, and the champions of each age group would face off against each other, male against female. Winning was simple. All that one had to do to win was to complete the Quoalelye, was to have the fastest time in the test of endurance, dexterity, strength, and determination. Not everyone competed, but many did. Chief amongst the rewards were bragging rights, a trophy, and a tattoo. Something that shocked any outsiders who witnessed the spectacle was that the children ran the exact same course as their elders did. But the way the Myrians looked at it, it was simple and straightforward: the jungle made no allowances for age, only for experience.

Last night, the green Watchstone atop the Tower of Bones had flared to a brilliant yellow, bringing forward a chorus of whoops throughout the city, passing from household to household. The floods were coming! By morning, white-haired elders were watching the sky. There was an almost restless energy amongst Taloba's denizens, eager and ready, waiting for the Rainbringer to surge in. By midday, the clouds were gathering: grey at first, and getting progressively darker until the sky itself was almost midnight black by early afternoon, Syna's rays all but blocked out over a large portion of the city. Not less than a bell later, there was an electrifying feeling building in the air, enough to make one's hair stand on end. At last, the skies opened overhead, and the rains released the first of the fat drops, coming down in the hard, relentless rain that was the hallmark of the summer season in Falyndar.

Colourfully dressed Myrians poured out of buildings, many of the children shouting and shrieking as tskannas trumpeted. The rain beat a steady rhythm as it fell, soaking everything that was out in it in a matter of moments. That meant that the festivities would begin in minutes - and the youngest children would start the Quoalelye. Those near the training yards could a young-looking woman, pale white long, dark hair, dressed in the traditional Myrian style in blue-dyed linen, her arms upraised, as she stood on top of the highest pole of the Quoalelye. Everyone in the city, however, heard her proclamation, and they knew who it was. "Let the Rain Festival BEGIN!"

The Goddess of Water, the first Raindancer, the Rainbringer herself had arrived.

[Pit]

Pit would be probably be leaving the jungle before Summers end. Now was the time to enjoy his last festival til his return. I almost feel like a child again, anticipation is high. The Festival and feast were as much fun as the contests. Pit had changed since his injury and recovery. More alive and more curious.

The Rain Festival was the grand celebration of Makutsi, and her life giving rain. Cleansed and renewed the jungle would continue to teach, challenge, and sustain it's people. The Quoalelye would be a great challenge, to the skills of any of Myri's people who choose to participate.

[Aira]

The rains fell and for the first time in Days Aira felt refreshed. There was something about the excitement everyone around her carried with them that she could not help but feel herself. And she needed something to take her mind off of Zuuk. The Quoalelye would offer her the chance to do so. Aira no longer felt anger toward the circumstances of his death, she had dealt with those responsible and freed herself of that. Aira gripped her the upper part of her right arm, where Myri's mark smoldered a blood red. Sadness was no longer apart of it either, for Zuuk would return once more to the Myrian's. What plagued her thoughts now was the loss of her connection with the Myrian's. Despite her birth, despite her features she not a Myrian. The purpose of bonding with a rider was so she could find her place in Myrian society. It might seem selfish on the outside, that of all the things she mourned, it was the connection Zuuk had given her to what she had always wished were her people that was mourned the most. Perhaps it was to, but Aira could no more control how she felt then she could the rains that now fell. As her thoughts returned to the rain falling Aira stepped from her perch and into the rain. The kelvic let the water wash away the depressing thoughts, leaving nothing to ruin the day of celebration. She was in human form at the moment because competing in the Quoalelye as a Myrian tiger wouldn't have been right. As such she wore her simple clothing, which covered only enough of her as was appropriate. It was thin enough so that should she need to shift at a moment's notice the fabric would tear without issue, but thick enough and dark enough that the rain wouldn't reveal anything beneath the cloth. After all, it would defeat the purpose of wearing it if the constricting clothing hid nothing. The ensemble was cheap, so as to be easily replaceable should she be forced to break free of them. Aira moved from her little alcove of shrubs and trees, where she had been napping, to the training yards beside the barracks. Her particular group might not be up yet but there was enjoyment to be had in watching the others move through the course.

[Siiri]

Damn, Siiri thought. More rain.

All her life, Siiri was taught to love the rain. And she did. It brought life. It cleansed the jungle. It filled the wells and fed the plants. But on the flip side, Makutsi's torrential downpours made hunting next to impossible. True, it hid one's own scent from the prey but it also erased trails and effectively masked the presence of other predators in the jungle. It made travel difficult. It muddied the training grounds so much that the warriors had to move to an indoor training facility. The worse part, it flooded the Basin, and the creatures that call it home go wild all around Falyndar. It was not unusual to find crocodiles and other semi-aquatic creatures like snakes near the walls of Taloba, carried by the water currents or expanding hunting grounds because of the flooded lake. It was a difficult time for the Snapping Jaws clan, they who were tasked to keep the crocodile population in check. The archers stationed at the walls may have a wild time about it being supplied with endless targets for practice but Siiri's clan had to drive the water lizards back to the Basin proper or the trigger-happy guards would decimate their numbers.

The rain was important, yes, but Siiri did not have to like it. From under the canopy of the barracks, she watched the festivities, apart from the children and other warriors who were dancing under the pouring rain. Some had already started trying out the Quoalelye, challenging friends and rivals alike to see who could finish the course with the fastest time. Siiri wasn't sure if she wanted to participate. There was plenty of time to get wet.

It would almost be constantly raining all season long.

[Satu]

Two days ago, Oni and her band of warriors had brought Satu to Taloba. No matter how she protested, her pleas and demands to be turned loose into the Jungle went unheard. The Konti had no need of cities or towns; she only had a mad, foolish wish to wander into the unknown of Falyndar’s Wilds. But since her arrival, there was a feeling in the air, an expectancy that built with each passing hour. The Hearts of the strange people surrounding her were energized, fervent in their enthusiasm. This Excitement began to fill Satu also; she could not keep it out. Something was about to happen! She knew not what, but a restless energy consumed the HeartSeer. She needed away, out of this long house! It was too confining and she felt trapped within its walls, with Oni watching her always. Satu needed Freedom! She needed to witness what was transpiring out there in Taloba. “Let me go!” Satu screamed at Oni in Common, though the Konti was not bound or held in any way, “Let me go!” Turning, madly she whirled, and ran out the door, long legs taking her quickly away. The clouds had gathered and darkened the sky above her as she ran and Satu’s Heart pounded with the myriad of borrowed feelings. Rain drops fell and soaked her clothes as she moved through the streets. The rain touched her delicate scales, and saturated her hair. Oblivious, to the effects of the weather, Satu welcomed the rain and the moisture against her skin. If only she could be submerged within the liquid embrace of Laviku once again! This downpour though was as close as she was likely to get to water for any length of time, so she would receive it as best she could. Water was her life and joy; it was a reminder of the pleasant times before - In her mad dash, Satu caught wisps of conversations, but she did not speak the Myrian’s language nor understand their harsh, strange words. Quoalelye? What could that mean? But one word rose up to her ears, one word she knew… Makutsi! Laviku’s daughter! Was it possible that she was here? Satu’s Heart swelled. The Water God’s fluid daughter, so near! Surely, a glimpse of the Rain Bringer would bring Satu comfort in the form of flowing waters. And through Makutsi, Satu would feel Laviku’s soothing touch once again. Myrians surrounded her now. She was in the midst of them, turning around and around in the rain and the crowds. Children yelled and shrieked, and what sounded like horns, blared. Satu felt she had been among these people a lifetime, so intently did she feel their joy and excitement.

[Miharu Mindi]

Miharu slipped up behind her bondmate, staring out in wonder as water poured out of the sky. She'd never seen anything like it - oh, she'd experienced the occasional light shower on her travels here, but nothing that even came close to this. The only thing it might have reminded her of were the snowstorms in Taldera, when the snow fell so hard that the entirety of the world became white as far as one could see - which was usually one a few feet.

Her entire right shoulder and chest were heavily bandaged, and her right arm was in a sling and bound to her side with more linens. The left side of her face was covered in thick black ink, the tattoo marking her as bonded to a Myrian, while the right side was a mass of swollen bruises so thick her eyes wouldn't open more than a squint. She wore her green sarong today, honey-wheat curls braided and wrapped around her head to keep it out of the way.

"What is all this?" she asked, her voice tinged with wonder as she pressed herself against Siiri's side, just behind her arm, as if her bondmate might shield her from the wretched water that might any moment encroach upon them.

[Seyp]

Seyp was in the middle of the city when it began, the first drop grazing his a strand of his hair that hung about his face, forcing a quick blink of surprise in reaction, though such didn’t visibly show on his face. The downpour soon picked up as an almost wall of water droplets began to bombard the very ground Seyp stood along. “So it begins,” Seyp said as Myrian’s took the street in cheer and celebration.

Seyp slowly tilted his head back, his eyes closing as heavy rains pelted his face, and the rest of his body, soaking his clothing that it began to cling along the frame of his upper body, outlining the toned curves of his abdomen and chest. While he wasn’t overly large, he was still Myrian, and their way of life, the very jungle they lived in, demanded a certain physical conditioning. One adhered to it, or one died.

His hands slowly ran through his hair, slicking it back before he leveled it out to gaze around the celebrations already starting. Drums began to beat, barely audible and in sync with the rain’s beat itself as sprits of water danced upwardly with every hand slapped along the skins stretched out over deep and shallow pots. In the mix of people cheering and the music echoing throughout the area, Seyp heard a familiar voice nipping at his ears. His head turned to see T’wala approaching, one of her daughters stepping along with her. They soon stopped before him as his gaze shifted between the two of them. T’wala’s daughter, Mukali, was much like a younger version of T’wala herself. Tall and long dark brown hair. An example of both beauty and intimidating physique.

A curved serrated sword rested along her shoulders as she looked to Seyp with an expression mixed with both curiosity and superiority. Mukali was one of more than a few daughters of T’wala’s that didn’t hold Seyp in high regard. She felt him weak, too unskilled to be considered a true Myrian, and that his practice in Malediction was a mere tool to compensate for that lack of training and skill. “He won’t do it.” Mukali said to her mother, turning her head slightly to her, but not taking her eyes off of Seyp.

“He might,” T’wala said with a smile on her face, “as I recall he used to beat you in runs when you were children.”

Mukali scoffed, a frown crossing her features as if she had been reminded of some great shame. “That‘s when we were children. We‘re grown up now, and he likely can‘t even call himself a man.” Mukali said, before suddenly looking away as T‘wala gave a quick look.

“Do what, if I may ask?” Seyp then finally said, his voice barely reaching a level they could hear over the rains.

“The Quoalelye, of course.” T‘wala then said.

“And why would I do that?” Seyp then asked, raising a single brow as he gave T‘wala a sidelong glance of suspicion.

“Told you.” Mukali said, rolling her eyes.

“Because you‘ve skipped them every year since your parents died.” T‘wala said before reaching out and grasping Seyp by his shoulders. She then forced his body to turn until he was facing the direction of the training grounds, and with subtle pushes, began forcing him to walk towards them. “It‘s time you started bringing your family name some more recognition other than just through Malediction. You‘re mother and father was great with such, but they also could keep up with any other Myrian physically.”

“What incentive do I have to do that?” Seyp then inquired, turning his head slightly as he still felt T’wala’s hands along his back.

“You’ll shut my daughter up finally?” T’wala offered in a tone wondering if such was enough.

Seyp just gave a subtle sigh, looking back towards the training ground as his head lowered slightly. “Fine, I suppose that will do, assuming that you really wouldn’t be giving me the choice in the end?” Seyp then replied, looking back to see T’wala nodding to confirm such.

Seyp finally began stepping forward on his own, his hands slipping under the folds of his shirt, pulling it off his frame. Such would just get in the way on the challenge in the end.

Seyp soon found Mukali stepping alongside him, both of them heading for the same line for their age group. “Try not to get yourself killed running the gauntlet.” Mukali teased with a slow snicker, before having the snicker suddenly halted as Seyp’s shirt was thrown into her face, clinking to her skin.

“A memento if I do.” Seyp simply replied as he barely heard the insults Mukali yelled at him as he approached the end of the line.

[Hania]

With the rains being as unpredictable as they usually were in spring and summer Han was spending a good deal of his free time at his sisters house. Much to the displeasure of his sister's husband, but her children were happy about it, and that made up for the tension between her husband and he. They were sitting on the front steps of the house, he and the youngsters, where he was just finishing up his short lesson on tying a monkey's fist. The girls promptly started wailing away on the outnumbered boys who flailed back valiantly. He chuckled at the antics while the youngest started debraiding his hair for him. "Are you showing them how to kill each other again?" His sister appeared in the doorway behind him. "We are born with the know how of killing. I just provide them with the tools to do so." "....are their weights in those knots." "Naturally." His sister grumbled and stomped off to stop the miniature war before someone's head was split open.

"Why is everyone so excited today?" It was the youngest girl, still with her fingers in his hair. Han looked up at the sky and smiled. "I think it will flood soon. Do you remember last years rains?" He didn't hear any response so he gathered she had simply shook her head. Things fell quiet for a few minutes while the older children were shown how to properly use the weighted ball and rope, and Han watched the sky. He loved the rains. They always signaled a renewal, washed away last years problems, and brought a good start to the new season. He liked the water as well, but in Faylndar it was usually a bad idea to go swimming in something you didn't fill up yourself. And then it happened.

The ground was darkened with fat raindrops almost in seconds, causing excitement to leap into Han's chest. "This is a lot of rain." Remarked his sister. "Makutsi has to be here." White teeth shown behind smiles of excitement and glee. Even during the Rain festival the sight of a grown Myrian man running in the midst of a gaggle of kids was odd. They ran around randomly, soaked to the bone but still splashing through any puddle that had come into existence. His sister put a hand on his sholder when she caught up to them and started to remove his vest. "What?" "Try it." Han looked over her shoulder, the Quoalelye loomed in the distance, hazy amidst all the rain. "You're the woman, you do it." "And leave a man to rear my children? You're crazy. Besides, I'm starting to think you can't do anything anymore. Enough running around in the trees." Han sighed. He couldn't find a reason not to run the course, or object to her accusations. "Fine. But if I win you have to stop telling people you lose our sparing matches because I cheat." He heard her say something but with all of the rain, singing, and revelry the words were lost amidst the crowd as he moved to find a place in line for the Quoalelye.

[Pua]

Pua walked cautiously through the wild Falyndar jungle, staying close to the tree trunks. His bright eyes shifted restlessly from shadow to shadow and he held his new repeating crossbow cocked and at the ready. Experience had long since taught Pua that one did not traipse carelessly through this jungle, especially not alone. Every bone in his body quietly screamed for him to hurry, but he pushed his eagerness aside. Getting himself killed so close to home after completing his long trek in search of a better crossbow would be just too embarrassing. Flitting as silently as he could between the shadows, Pua noticed that the Jungle, usually soggy, was now only mildly damp. At sometime during his travels, Pu had lost track on the date, but Falyndar going through a dry spell could only mean one thing. Summer was coming soon. And with summer came the Rain Festival. Unconsciously, Pua picked up his pace. What luck to arrive back in his homeland just in time for such an important festival.

It couldn't be much farther now, Pua thought as he leaned against the base of a large tree and took a sip from his water skin. It felt quit light, probably only a fifth full. Hopefully he wouldn't need to find a stream to replenish it in before he arrived home. As he pushed himself off, a large fat drop smacked him on the cheek. Looking up, another splashed across his forehead, and then the rains started in earnest. A wide grin split his dark face and he boomed a hearty laugh as Makutsi's torrent bombarded him. With the rain to cover him, Pua made much faster time, and a bell later, Taloba's great walls rose up before him. "It's good to be home," he announced to no one in particular. Pua jogged over towards the gate. The gaurds there remembered the distinctive looking scout and hollered welcomes over the driving rain. Pua just flashed them a smile and waved as he hurried into Taloba's embrace after his long year of absence.

Inside the gates, Pua was greeted with a riot of color, bodies, and noise. After so long on his own, Pua was a little overwhelmed. After a brief moment as he let it all wash over him, Pua set off towards the lodgings of the Spirit Falcon Clan. It was empty, as was to be expected during the festival. Pua shucked off is travel pack and left it, along with his new crossbow, in his room. As much as he loved the weapon, there was no need for it within the city's walls, and it would prove awkward carrying it around during the bustle of the festival. He would have plenty of time to show off the fruits of his travel later. For a moment, Pua debated changing his clothes, but was in to much of a hurry to join in the celebration.

Back on the streets, Pua joined in the collective good time as he made his way as best as possible within the press of people towards the training yards. Pua was fatigued from his journey, and hacd no real hopes of actually winning the Quoalelye this year, or any other year for that matter, but a little road weariness wasn't going to stop him from competing. After all, he was a proud Myrian warrior-scout. Along the way, Pua saw faces he recognized and called out in greetings, and responded to like greetings in turn. Some wished to hear of his adventure, but the beginning stages of the Rain Festival were no time to sit and recall past tales. He promised a full retelling later and continued doggedly towards the barracks and training yards.

[Cayenne]

Pit
"It's been a while," came a voice from behind him as one of his much younger cousins approached. The Myrian coming up to him now was maybe half his age, her hair woven flat from the hair line to the top of her center of her scalp, though the rest of it hung loose. "How have you fared, Pit of the Poisoned Arrow?" She came to a stop beside him. Her name was Kalki, and she had the same tattoo he did - a pair of crossed arrows, noting her of the Poisoned Arrow family. The rain had soaked her long brown hair and linen clothes, making them cling to the swells and curves of her body, the white cloth contrasting against her dark skin.

"Will you run the Quoalelye?" Kalki wanted to know, looking straight up to the sky and swallowing a mouthful of rain as it washed down before blinking more water from her eyes and looking back at the Myrian beside her. "Or not this year?"

Aira
The Training Yards were rapidly becoming filled with activity even in the downpour as Myrians of all ages swarmed around her, little ones calling their challenges to their friends and siblings and cousins, the older ones already boasting and shoving, preparing to watch the younger rounds and plot their own strategies. The Quoalelye changed every year, after all - oh, it always had its similar elements, year after year, but the order in which they were placed and what new obstacles were created changed with each Rain Festival. This one was no exception.

Even though she was younger than most of the Myrians, she would compete with the age group that her physical prowess put her in. It would hardly be fair if the adult-sized Aira was put in with the six-year-olds instead of the adults whom she resembled. "Aira! Up!" one of the little boys of the Tiger's Maw demanded hopefully, holding his hands up at her. Miko was too young to run the Quoalelye this year, though his older siblings would. "Up?" the toddler repeated again. "Up!"

Siiri & Miharu
"The rain," a younger recruit told Miharu helpfully in Common as he went by, stepping beyond the Myrian and her bonded Kelvic as the pouring water soaked him and his leather pants quickly. "Summer brings the rain---" he was interrupted, then, as his head snapped forward from the impact of a mudball that hit him square in the back of his head. Standing a short distance away was a grinning girl, barely past her coming of age if the newness of her tattoo - a crimson sun - was any indication. With a feral-sounding shout, the boy grabbed at the hnadful of mud, as much of it was left of it, anyway, considering how fast it was disintegrating in the rain, and whipped around, cursing vividly in Myrian as he spotted the girl. He flung the watery lump after her, but she was long gone. He was shouting after her as he gave chase.

"Young love," remarked Eena of the Swooping Talons as she leaned against a wooden post, nodding in greeting to Siiri and Miharu. "This is the gift of the Rainbringer, little wolf. All summer long." She watched the rain for a moment before stretching and pushing herself off of the post, preparing to go out into the downpour. "You explain it to her. My nephew is in the first round," the Myrian grinned. "One of these days, another Swooping Talons will win the Quoalelye. No reason it won't be this year," she waved and headed off. On the back of the warrior's exposed rights houlder was a tattoo of what looked to be a waterfall that dissolved into a multitude of raindrops. The tattoo, Siiri knew, signified that Eena had won the obstacle course as an adult... and the same tattoo was up for grabs this year.

Satu
"Off with you," the tall Myrian called back to her ward as Satu rushed outside. Oni was never worried about losing her, and she knew that the white kitten would never make it out of the gates. She stuck out, after all, like a moonfish in the waters of the Kandukta at night. The water soon had Satu's hair plastered to her head, her clothes sticking to her body as the rain gathered its strength and came down still harder with no end in sight. All around her, Satu's HeartSense was assaulted from every which direction. If there was one thing she had discovered in the two days that she had been living in this wild, overgrown city, it was that these dark-skinned savages never did anything halfway. Joy. Optimism. Excitement. Anticipation. So much Zeal! From some, she felt Pride, and yet from others, Apprehension. But the common undercurrent of Pleasure was always there.

Even as she worked herself free from Oni to lose the herself in the crowd, she knew without a doubt that the Myrian would find her again. And it wasn't too long before Satu felt Oni poke her in the side, grinning down at her. "Makutsi is here. Come. I will show you the Raindancers." The rain weighed down Oni's mohawk, forcing it flat against her skull and over the crossed patterns of braids woven on the sides of her head. "Later, the Quoalelye. The children run it now, over there," she made a gesture in the direction of the training yards. She nudged Satu, starting towards another direction. "Do you like to dance?" The warrior had decided that dance was likely something the fragile little Konti would enjoy. It didn't matter, of course, that they weren't Raindancers. Dancing was part of the unbridled joy that came with Makutsi, and was as good a way as any to show their respect and appreciation for the Goddess of Water.

Seyp
As Seyp was making his way towards the Quoalelye, he heard a coarse chuckle. "Running it, are you?" He would know that chuckle anywhere, even if the quiet words that had followed it were hard to make out in the rain. Looking up at him was the gnarled, wizened body of Sulas, one of his teachers. Sometimes Malediction could go horribly wrong, and as every practitioner of the art learned, it was better not to be in range when it did. But the elderly woman had learned that first hand, even if what had happened to her had been partially healed by a Konti at the time. She still looked like she had been burned all over, her skin cracked and blackened. It had been worse, once, before Seyp had ever been born. But now it was about as good as it was going to get. Sulas walked with a heavy staff, her gait odd and off - she had, at one point, lost her left foot - all that was left was a stump where the foot should have been. As rumour had it, she'd lost it while she had been on patrol, and she had lost it to a Dhani.

Turnabout was fair play... because now Sulas used a staff to get around, and it contained the skull of a Constrictor Dhani. The entire skull, including the lower jaw, had been carefully preserved and embedded and secured to the wood. "You've some time yet. The children are taking their turns," Sulas gestured with the staff towards the Quoalelye. Indeed, Seyp and those watching could see a little girl struggling up the twisted rope, even as the rain came down hard on her, and it made gripping difficult. Her elders would be able scurry up the rope like a possessed monkey, but the child, not so much, not yet. When she was older, then it would be her turn to charge up that rope. "Remember, Bone Shaman. It's one thing to use what we make for advantages against others, but not in the Quoalelye," there was that dry chuckle again, "not that you ever intended on using such a thing, now, were you?"

Hania
As Hania approached the Quoalelye, he could see that the children were still running the obstacle course. It might well be a few bells yet before it would be his turn. There was a crush of children preparing to get in line, each of them waiting their turn. Some waited patiently, some impatiently, and some looked like they absolutely didn't want to run this course at all. It wasn't uncommon for parents to enter their children in the Quoalelye regardless of how the children felt on the matter - pride was seriously at stake. A lot of their future was in their children, and the Quoalelye was a test of skills and abilities. It always boded well, and set high expectations, when the children completed it, and more so well they placed well in it.

Hania recognized one of his nephews amongst those who looked very much like he'd rather be running through the water and dancing with the Raindancers rather than waiting to compete in the Quoalelye. Takak was big for his age, which, maybe, should have given him more confidence, but Hania knew that the youngling had two left feet, and the Quoalelye often reminded those that were clumsy or awkward that they needed to improve, or quickly, and told them so with broken bones. One wrong step could lead to several broken bones. He spotted his uncle, though, and waved as he fidgeted. It was enough to fool the kids, but Hania knew better.

Pua
Ovek must have been watching, because Pua had just had some truly good fortune to arrive when he did. Another day, and the jungle would have been well underway to being incredibly difficult to traverse for the season. The Myrians were well adapted to their jungle home, but with the rain coming down as hard as it was, it made for slow going, especially for one who had been out of the region for a while. But Pua was a Myrian through and through, and while you could take the Myrian out of the jungle, you didn't take the jungle out of the Myrian. Coming back to Taloba was like getting a taste of water after being lost in the desert.

There were plenty of old friends and faces he recognized around, but as he pushed his way towards the barracks, he could see the familiar frame of Siiri of the Snapping Jaws standing there under the overhang, a smaller, paler figure lurking right near her, staying close. Whatever she was, she definitely was not a Myrian, and considering Siiri's attitude for deyhan, this was an interesting development since he'd last seen her.