Flashback Stray Feathers

[Yas Heron]

Beginnings are more often than not the most humble. A joyful--and yet a very much painful--bringing of life into the world, and then the child growing up to become someone that some may love and others may in fact hate. That is what Eva and Ulric seemed to think, when they got their firstborn son. Two bounty hunters in a state of purest chaos, bringing someone into the world despite the ever constant dangers that lay in the world around them; The world of Mizahar. Yasser Al-Ghameq-Archlyte came to the world in approximately 491 AV, sheltered within the wilderness and within the grand spaces that came with it. Among the strange, Valterrian-twisted game and with not much company but the two that sired him. It was funny that he got his mother's very dark red hair and eyes, and maybe his father's ears... It became something of a personal joke amongst the trio about whom the young boy resembled the most, and had led to some stale table banter.

Eva Al-Ghameq herself was a Benshira, one of the many desertfolk who travelled around Yahebah and the grand spaces of Eyktol. Whenever asked about her personal history, there was always a shrug and a smile in that person's direction despite how irritating that always was. While the tan woman was never truly forthcoming with her past, the one things that was known at the time was that she directly was a Reimancer, and a Falconer. The magic in and of itself, one would surmise, caused alot of rifts within her community. The desert race was all too suspicious of magic, and would shun it whenever possible. Ulric Archlyte himself was a famed swordsman, and dubbed "The Wolf" for some of his more 'wildman' like traits, and all that his own son knew of him, he might've been one of the Drykas though it was impossible to tell at the time; It had been more than a few seasons since he had been home, so it probably didn't really matter They were both human, so perhaps it wasn't something to be directly discussed. These two outcasts made their family, and Yas had been always happy with that. Much to their surprise, the child grew to be a lover of books and the more intellectual arts that went into it. Reading, writing, and arithmatic became his domain, but as did introversy.

Many a time, these things could be both a help and a hindrance...

_

12th Summer, 502 AV

The young Yas smiled and gave a little wave at his parents as they left. Bountyhunters didn't often do all that well in cities, and many a time would stay away from them, but there were times this rule had to be broken to do their job right or even to get some supplies that they couldn't normally have on hand. This was probably one of the few times he was going to be home by himself, and tight quarters with two other people around constantly would probably put everyone on edge. "Are you sure it is alright to leave him here?" His mother frowned to her lover, who only gave a broad grin in return. Some remark was made, which was whispered so that his child would not be able to hear and retort to. They departed on a pair of horses, and were already galloping through the woods. Brushing his hair out of his eyes and glancing back in the house, the dishes and other dirty things that lay unattended to were taunting him. "Nuts to that..." The sun was shining in the sky, and the birds were chirping... He had a little time to kill. This was a time to go out and enjoy a good book, not be stuck in the house for a few hours. Going to down alone was probably going to take them at least half the day.

The chores could wait.

The few books they had around? He had read through them countless times, and more times after that. The young boy couldn't help but do a childish giggle when his mother finally bopped him on the head with one of the harder covers. "If you want more books, go and write some!" It wasn't an unfriendly comment, but alot of the time they weren't able to just out and out go to some library. More than a handful of the books had been grabbed or scavenged from the shelf, and he ran into the woods. There was always a good clearing, in which the sun gave some light and warmth but the shade would also provide the temperment not to blind him if he ever came out on the rare occasion. Just the place was found, and a few of the animals scurried away at the sound of his footsteps. The first book he found was that of the Common language. While his mother did speak her native language and was quite fluent in it, she did not force her son to learn unless he wanted to.

"Well, lets see...The grammar of that..." He took out a feather and a little bit of crushed and paste-like berry. Eva's falcon never took well to her son, and she always wondered why... Needless to say, it had ended up with one less feather every other week. Most of that afternoon had been spent just looking over the literature he had. The subject of math had become boring by this point, as he already knew the basics to get around. It was the books on magic and alchemy that really intrigued him. Maybe magic was mistrusted and dangerous, he once thought, but the reputation won't change unless someone tried to change it themselves. A fantastical thought to be sure, and one of childlike hope and wonderment. There could not have been a more perfect day to be out, and not in some dingy little place in the middle of no where. Napping a little out here wouldn't hurt! Yas found the sweet spot where the tree seemed almost to fit to his back and laid there for a few hours.

Then came the shock of the evening. A roar had awakened the boy, and caused him to jerk up in sheer panic. He hadn't meant to sleep in as he did, and would probably have to get home as fast as possible before either of his parents disciplined him. But while that shock passed, a new one came to light. It looked like a bear, standing on two hind legs, was standing right in front of him with its head to the closest branch possible. Sneaking out instead of doing chores was one thing, but this animal could seriously hurt him. What was he to do but attempt to crawl away? His heart pounded in his little chest, and the boy started carefully crawling around. The dry grass lightly crunched under him, and a quick look back at the creature; Its ears were perked, and it was looking around. With a start, Yas straightened his back and started to run. The creature roared in agitation behind him, moving off the tree and after him. Maybe bears only age vegetation and fish, but no way was he going to stay there with it to find out otherwise.

It was with a touch of terror that entered him, when he fell over the tree and his side hit the ground. A low crack sounded, and that made the boy howl in terror. The bear was only a few feet away, and coming to him. The basics of animals had never been his forte, but this creature seemed angry that its territory was being threatened and it was not shown proper submission. Before the red haired lad really got any leeway or other thought of running in his head, a brown feathered falcon screeched and began to peck and rake its talons at the bear's head. Blood, and what looked to be vitrius fluid was squirt everywhere. That seemed to be his chance to leave, and that falcon... Yas knew where it came from. A shard of ice whizzed by his ear, as he moved, and struck that night's adversary square in the chest.

It was with a rush of comfort that a pair of arms grabbed him and hugged him tight.---

(OOC Note: This is to detail some of Yas' home life before he left for the university at a younger age. This is just the first part.)

[Yas Heron]

The next couple of days were the most excruciating. Yas' parents had saved him, but so too was Yas too traumatized by attempting to scale the beast, he refused to leave the house for any given reason. It had been a tense atmosphere since then, and his parents hadn't even bothered to discipline him. Maybe that was the right thing to do, maybe not, but that was an experience the boy would not soon forget. A couple days later, to which the date was forgotten, the boy's father began to give lessons about medicines. It seemed simple enough, and an extra bit of knowledge to satiate the perpetual hunger to learn. "Alright, boy...This is just a scratch, but I'm going to teach you how to dress it." The red haired boy looked on in curiosity at the things in the box. Linen wrappings, some ground up herbs, and what looked to be antibiotics were in the case. The basics, though to be entirely fair, that was always a good place to start. "See, the first thing you want to do is place the oil first before you put the wrapping on." The bountyhunter gave a broad grin and watched as his son began to follow his instructions. The gel that was made smelled horrible--like a mix of alcohol and something one would find buried under the grass.

"This...this smells awful." Yasser managed to squeak out, his blue eyes watering just from the fumes. That little comment elicited a hearty laugh from the far more experienced man. Yas had watched his mother and father patch themselves up constantly, from both mild wounds to more severe ones. It was strange that they were giving him practice in at least dressing some gashes or some deeper cuts. "Well you see Yas... Some people put the medicine on the bandage. But as you wear the bandage through the day, it loosens and starts to rub along the skin and wastes the little bit of medicine you could use elsewhere." The older man pointed at the cloth in his younger son's hands, who nodded in comprehension.

"If you apply the stuff shortly before the bandage is put on, it soaks in. See?" Yas' hands were not dextrous, in the slightest. But, that didn't stop him from trying to do what he could. Unfortunately, he pulled too tightly at the last wind, and his father winced, the scars around his face wrinkling with discontentment. While obviously he was ecstatic Yas dressed his first wound, and seemed to do pretty decently.

"Thats, uh...a little tight, son..."

"Sorry..."

Yas' head bowed, and he rubbed the back of his neck. He still had alot to learn, and there was a difference between reading what was in a book and actually applying it to a physical situation. To him, it was simple mathmatics, but applying inertia and force exactly was probably the biggest problem there. It had been a couple hours of similar dressings, and he started to get better at it. The first dressing was too tight, the second too loose, and the third and forth somewhere in between. Each time, the boy seemed to relax and seemed to noticably become that much happier that he was helping effeciently and--to his eyes--not getting in the way. Now, it wasn't the boy's intention to become a full time healer but for the time being this would have to suffice. Ulric grinned and ruffled Yas' red hair, giving his back a firm slap to get him on his way. The night air was cool for summer and many a thing went into the boy's mind. He did enjoy practicing that, surprisingly enough... There was one book on medicines he could no doubt research to make more of an impact, but since the incident with the dire bear he wasn't going to out and ask for something like that so soon after.

He sighed, letting his mind wander as he headed back to his room. There were so many stories of facing great beasts, decoding ancient texts, and the Gods making their way across the world. While he was scared to go anywhere, a little boy's sense of adventure tends to find an outlet. A light pop snapped Yas out of his senses and he looked around. What was that smell? Incense? The boy cocked his head and looked around, looking rather puzzled to where it was coming from he found it. The one room in the house that was normally empty or used for storage. While he had no siblings, maybe that was there as a slim hope for one in the future. A cautious tiptoe towards it, and peeking through the crack in the frame depicted a strange scene. There were multi-colored candles all around the room, and a prayer rug on the floor. It was strangely serene and inviting but another crystal blue eye peered right back at him with an almost playful glint. The familiar feminine voice of his mutter called out "Boo!", the sudden sound made her child yelp and fall onto his buttocks with his arms out to either side of him.

She laughed, opening the door and was dressed to the nines in almost traditional Benshira garb. It was like something one would see on a priestess: A red and gold two piece dress, with the lower skirt down to her feet and the brassiere covering the chest a jet black. Golden earrings hung from her lobes, finishing off the ensemble with a gemmed circlet wrapped around her head. The diamond in the center glittered as she moved to kneel right in front of him. "Jumpy?" Yas couldn't help but grumble, but there was still a smile on his face. His parents loved to tease each other, and sometimes the boy would walk in on some prank or joke or another without even realizing it. There was one special occasion where he ended up drenched in old cooking oil, with the intended victim being none other than Ulric himself. "Good timing, Yas. Please come in."

The boy brushed himself off and trot in right after her. Her demeanor turned from playful to serious as she turned around at the farthest end of the carpet. Blue eyes studied the other, as Yas followed suit. For some reason, he was nervous. Almost like he had done something wrong, and that made the little red haired boy sniffle slightly. There were those that were afraid of their parents, and many a time Eva did fall under the classification of 'Nobody would blame you for believing so'. "Dry your tears... What happened the other night made me realize that while we trust you to look after things at the house, you have no true defense." That statement was a mixture of regret and...something else. He could not directly pinpoint what was eating at her otherwise. Was there some strange hope that their child would grow up normally? Or perhaps some wondering that there would be no need to learn a skill to keep himself alive?

"You've shone...good intellect. Many a time, good reasoning. Don't get me started on trying to get you away from those books." The smile and glint returned at the last remark, fading just as quickly as it remained. A dagger came out of her belt, and she let it sit on the rug in front of her. "I...am doubting my decision, as it does come with risks. What I'm wanting to give you is by your choice only and you have to know when or how to use it." Her right hand index finger came up, and a single flame erupted from the tip. It was a little bead of fire, and Yas stared at it with wonder. Obviously he knew his mother HAD magic, but she never used it while she and her husband were at home. If she used it at all, he didn't know... Chances are she did, but the situation had to indeed be dire. The Heron was known for her tactical prowess in that regard. "Reimancy is the study of the elements. Learning to control them for one purpose or another. Fire, Wind, Earth, and Water all fall under this." The flame at her fingertip went out with a very soft blow of air. Yas bit his lip slightly, remembering the one book on the most notable people to have certain skills. Some went mad rather quickly, while others...are slowly becoming that way.

Magic was something to both be feared and respected simultaneously. Personal Magic came from within--well, all wizards or mages had their Djed, obviously. But Reimancers were said to be able to generate a special substance for general transmutation. "I will not force you, little one. It is your decision, and the initiation WILL hurt." She seemed torn between going through with the act or not, but her piece was spoken. Yas lowered his head, recognizing the circumstances for this offer to even be put forward. The bear could've been the end of him, just as much as any amount of magic could have been that night. Magic...well, he would have lied at the time if it was said that he was not interested in learning. But, the pure worry on his mother's face told all.

"I...do want to learn. I want to learn anything I can." The sentence came out, as carefully as anything. "There are things that might have to be taken care of on my own, someday." It was a surprisingly mature thing to say, but Yasser was a very smart child. The boy recognized the dangers, even when he was young. The Overgiving symptoms, the tremors, and all the nightmares that came with it. "Will you teach me?" His own youth slipped that extra question in without immediately considering the consequences. Maybe this would end his life early, but any sword or bandit that broke into the house to enact vengeance or ransack the place would do the job. Only that much quicker. Eva smiled and nodded, reaching forward to take her sons hands.

The incisions made in the palms did hurt, and the boy grit his teeth at the sheer pain of it. It was one thing to have a papercut, but this...making a purposeful gash was something else entirely. Eva's hands were placed over his, and quite soon there was a stinging sensation right in the palms that almost made the red haired boy jerk back. Was this the Res entering him? That was the initial thought, but he could not directly see it; At least, not until there was a sensation of something entering his nose and mouth that shouldn't. Coughing and gagging erupted, and he started wiggling as if to get away. "Breathe, Yasser, its almost over..." This was like choking on a piece of dry, preserved meat only the burning... Unlike anything that had ever been felt. This went on for seemingly forever, and Eva looked almost exhausted. The moment she ripped her hands away from her son, who fell backward and blacked out.

So began his teachings as a Reimancer.

___

(OOC Note: I'm going to have to end this particular thread a little early. There was going to be a larger story on his Reimancer training, but something came up that would make this flashback last alot longer than it should. So for the time being, this thread is up for Storyteller review.

[Abstract]

Hello Yas! Sadly, I've noticed you have yet to update your ledger for Fall expenses! Until you do so, I am unable to grade your thread... When you get to this, please PM me and I'll happily put it up here!