
The bright sunlight floating through the canopy was the first thing to awaken the young Miqo’te; the smell of freshly cooked meat incentive to rise. Young Val, barely older than a kit, immediately went about his daily chores along with the rest of the Wolf tribe. It was small, barely more than fifty members, well over half of which were female. Of the handful of males, three were considered nunh. Like the creature they’d taken their name from, the strongest of the three nunh, W’tende, was known for being fierce and wise. He was the leader of their “pack,†an offshoot from the main tribe, and had his choice of mates first and foremost. The two others had their choice from what was left over. The rest of the males were the tia of their tribe.
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Val went with the tias.
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While Tende was the leader and sired more offspring than the rest of the tribe, more often than not they turned out to be female. Many began to wonder if he would ever give the clan a new male to pass on his lineage until Val arrived. He was birthed by Tende’s most prized mate, W’diah, and there was certainly no doubt that he was Tende’s son. The Seeker had his mother’s ash blonde hair from birth. He was fair like she was, yet he had his father’s almond eyes and fierce gaze. For coloring, he borrowed blue from his mother and gold from his father. He was leaner than the other tia, not to mention better built. Even as a young adult Val noticed the looks the other females gave him as he strode by in confidence. The other tia, however, did not share the enthusiasm of the tribe’s females. Val often talked down to them even though he himself was a tia. He felt as if he were the proverbial prince of his tribe; the title of nunh his birthright.
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After a morning of washing the tribe’s clothing and assisting with picking the berries of nearby bushes, Val and his tia brethren finally settled down to finish what was left of the cooked meat. This had been routine for the Seeker. Val especially hated stitching the clothing, which was a job that needed tending to often due to the various trials of the forest. It wasn’t always like this, thankfully. Some mornings Val would be taken aside by the other nunh or Tende himself for private training. His weapon was to be a spear like the rest of the hunters, male and female alike, fashioned from one of the many ash trees that littered the Shroud.
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With renewed energy and a full stomach, Val retired to see if his mother required any assistance with her chores. His tribe was on the move and had thus vacated their last area, having picked it clean and little game remained. She could have been anywhere: washing clothes, picking berries, skinning the kill from a recent hunt, tending to her mate. Nevertheless with such a small tribe, finding her would prove to be rather simple. In fact, he nearly bumped into her as he rounded a tree on the way to the nearby stream.
“Val!†Diah called out in surprise, nearly dropping the small makeshift basket of berries she carried in her hands. “Don’t scare me like that! And put a shirt on. There’s no telling what’s in this part of the Shroud. You could get hurt, or worse!â€
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Val took a moment to look down at his bare chest, marred with a few scars and scratches from branches and briars he’d ran into. He looked back to his mom just to make sure she’d notice him roll his eyes, “Oh c’mon. A flimsy little shirt isn’t gonna make much of a difference. Besides, how’re the women supposed to get a good look at me if I go covering up everything?â€
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Diah stared at him in disbelief before a cheerful laugh rangout. She reached across to rest her hand on Val’s head and ruffled his hair, “You are certainly your father’s son. Did he teach you that during one of those ‘lessons’ of his?â€
“No. He taught me this,†Val said as he turned to show her. A lengthy scar ran its way from his shoulder to the center of his back. Gruesome as it might have been, the wound had scabbed over and seemed to be healing nicely. This was largely due to the medicinal herbs used on the wound. They were painful, but they healed wounds remarkably well. The women had told him that it would make him strong, like Tende.
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“Well,†Diah finally asked after surveying the wound, “Didyou learn from your mistakes?†Despite her words and stern outward appearance, her voice carried a soft and gentle tone to it. She was not allowed to be motherly in public, so in private she made sure that Val was taken care of. She knew of his destiny and knew that the road would be arduous. Val smiled to her. The women often cared for their children, though few of them had ever been as caring as Diah. She smiled at him with large, blue eyes and lifted a hand up to tuck some of the sandy blonde hair from her visage. Diah was lovely in every sense of the word. She, like many Wolf tribe females, was known for being independent and self-sustaining. She hunted with the rest of their tribe, prepared their food, tended to the clothing and ensured far more than the other females that their mutual mate was kept satisfied, all without a single complaint. She knew her place, knew what was expected of her, and carried out her job flawlessly.
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“We’ll know in time,†a third voice rang out from beyond the two, deep and commanding. Tende stepped from beyond the tree before Val managed any sort of response. He was everything a nunh should be. His face was oval shaped and he looked upon Val with piercing, golden eyes. He had long, black hair set in braids. Some strands were left alone, however. From them hung several tribal beads fashioned from wood and dyed blue in color. Like Val, he did not wear his shirt. He trained daily and was naturally fit on top of that, lending to a well-muscled physique. It was meant to intimidate and discourage those that dare challenge him for his nunhship. So far, it had worked.
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Tende made his way past Val to Diah, his eyes trailing over her body. She often knew what this meant and found herself looking from Val to Tende with a pleading look in her eyes. He gave a soft grunt before speaking up, “Boy.â€
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“Father,†Val replied obediently. Cocky he was, ignorant he was not. He knew what it meant to defy the tribal leader.
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“Find Kiza. Join him on the hunt. Do not return until you’ve killed something yourself.â€
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Val wouldn’t respond, at least not verbally. He turned and began to walk away to show sign of his immediate compliance. He heard a soft gasp from his mother, forcing a curious glance over his shoulder. Tende could be seen grasping his mother by her shoulders and pushing her against the tree. Val immediately averted his eyes. He knew what came next.
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Val went with the tias.
Â
While Tende was the leader and sired more offspring than the rest of the tribe, more often than not they turned out to be female. Many began to wonder if he would ever give the clan a new male to pass on his lineage until Val arrived. He was birthed by Tende’s most prized mate, W’diah, and there was certainly no doubt that he was Tende’s son. The Seeker had his mother’s ash blonde hair from birth. He was fair like she was, yet he had his father’s almond eyes and fierce gaze. For coloring, he borrowed blue from his mother and gold from his father. He was leaner than the other tia, not to mention better built. Even as a young adult Val noticed the looks the other females gave him as he strode by in confidence. The other tia, however, did not share the enthusiasm of the tribe’s females. Val often talked down to them even though he himself was a tia. He felt as if he were the proverbial prince of his tribe; the title of nunh his birthright.
Â
After a morning of washing the tribe’s clothing and assisting with picking the berries of nearby bushes, Val and his tia brethren finally settled down to finish what was left of the cooked meat. This had been routine for the Seeker. Val especially hated stitching the clothing, which was a job that needed tending to often due to the various trials of the forest. It wasn’t always like this, thankfully. Some mornings Val would be taken aside by the other nunh or Tende himself for private training. His weapon was to be a spear like the rest of the hunters, male and female alike, fashioned from one of the many ash trees that littered the Shroud.
Â
With renewed energy and a full stomach, Val retired to see if his mother required any assistance with her chores. His tribe was on the move and had thus vacated their last area, having picked it clean and little game remained. She could have been anywhere: washing clothes, picking berries, skinning the kill from a recent hunt, tending to her mate. Nevertheless with such a small tribe, finding her would prove to be rather simple. In fact, he nearly bumped into her as he rounded a tree on the way to the nearby stream.
“Val!†Diah called out in surprise, nearly dropping the small makeshift basket of berries she carried in her hands. “Don’t scare me like that! And put a shirt on. There’s no telling what’s in this part of the Shroud. You could get hurt, or worse!â€
Â
Val took a moment to look down at his bare chest, marred with a few scars and scratches from branches and briars he’d ran into. He looked back to his mom just to make sure she’d notice him roll his eyes, “Oh c’mon. A flimsy little shirt isn’t gonna make much of a difference. Besides, how’re the women supposed to get a good look at me if I go covering up everything?â€
Â
Diah stared at him in disbelief before a cheerful laugh rangout. She reached across to rest her hand on Val’s head and ruffled his hair, “You are certainly your father’s son. Did he teach you that during one of those ‘lessons’ of his?â€
“No. He taught me this,†Val said as he turned to show her. A lengthy scar ran its way from his shoulder to the center of his back. Gruesome as it might have been, the wound had scabbed over and seemed to be healing nicely. This was largely due to the medicinal herbs used on the wound. They were painful, but they healed wounds remarkably well. The women had told him that it would make him strong, like Tende.
Â
“Well,†Diah finally asked after surveying the wound, “Didyou learn from your mistakes?†Despite her words and stern outward appearance, her voice carried a soft and gentle tone to it. She was not allowed to be motherly in public, so in private she made sure that Val was taken care of. She knew of his destiny and knew that the road would be arduous. Val smiled to her. The women often cared for their children, though few of them had ever been as caring as Diah. She smiled at him with large, blue eyes and lifted a hand up to tuck some of the sandy blonde hair from her visage. Diah was lovely in every sense of the word. She, like many Wolf tribe females, was known for being independent and self-sustaining. She hunted with the rest of their tribe, prepared their food, tended to the clothing and ensured far more than the other females that their mutual mate was kept satisfied, all without a single complaint. She knew her place, knew what was expected of her, and carried out her job flawlessly.
Â
“We’ll know in time,†a third voice rang out from beyond the two, deep and commanding. Tende stepped from beyond the tree before Val managed any sort of response. He was everything a nunh should be. His face was oval shaped and he looked upon Val with piercing, golden eyes. He had long, black hair set in braids. Some strands were left alone, however. From them hung several tribal beads fashioned from wood and dyed blue in color. Like Val, he did not wear his shirt. He trained daily and was naturally fit on top of that, lending to a well-muscled physique. It was meant to intimidate and discourage those that dare challenge him for his nunhship. So far, it had worked.
Â
Tende made his way past Val to Diah, his eyes trailing over her body. She often knew what this meant and found herself looking from Val to Tende with a pleading look in her eyes. He gave a soft grunt before speaking up, “Boy.â€
Â
“Father,†Val replied obediently. Cocky he was, ignorant he was not. He knew what it meant to defy the tribal leader.
Â
“Find Kiza. Join him on the hunt. Do not return until you’ve killed something yourself.â€
Â
Val wouldn’t respond, at least not verbally. He turned and began to walk away to show sign of his immediate compliance. He heard a soft gasp from his mother, forcing a curious glance over his shoulder. Tende could be seen grasping his mother by her shoulders and pushing her against the tree. Val immediately averted his eyes. He knew what came next.