K'iara watched the huntresses as they slowly began the trek back to camp, kills in towe. Her eyes glanced back along the horizon, her nose picking up a familiar scent on the breeze. She turned away, hooking her axe securely onto her hip before moving out away from the others...
The Tia moved almost silently in the night. Somewhere near what looked like a small pond –a surprising sight after his days in Sagolii-, his eyes spotted a single beast under the moon. It was the same kind the huntresses had been fighting, looking deceptively harmless as it drank water. K’rahto hid behind a rock and took a moment to observe his prey. Soon, it’d be his to claim.
K'iara had followed the all too familiar scent of her brother through the strange terrain, as if she were hunting another animal of prey. Tonight it seemed, her foolish tia brother would be that prey indeed. She stalked through the soft dirt, pausing every so often to check the dirt for his prints. They were not yet used to this terrain, and prints seemed to linger everywhere one looked. K'iara made her way towards the top of a small craggy boulder and perched herself there, glimmering blue eyes scanning the horizon. She spotted a thin shadowed form in the moonlight glow and growled deeply in her throat. "K'rahto..." she grumbled to herself, gently descending from the boulder.
“…?!â€
The sound of that voice didn't fail to startle him, albeit he managed to prevent himself from making any alarming noise. With a frown and the beginning of cold sweat in his forehead, K’rahto slowly turned his head to the approaching figure. K’iara… Even in the darkness, he could still see the look in her eyes.
“Why did you follow me?†He muttered with annoyance, barely raising his voice. He was alert in her presence, that much was clear from the way he stared at her every movement.
K'iara's ears twitched faintly as she stepped lightly across the dirt, closing the gap between them. Her expression was angry, even her eyes seemed to burn with anger towards her brother. "Why do you think? We don't hunt alone, brother." she spat back at him, hissing ever so slightly with every word.
“I’m not one of your huntresses!†He replied, and this time his voice was loud enough for the beast to notice. The animal raised its head quickly at the sound, and wasted no time to start running away, much to K’rahto’s dismay. “W-wait…!â€
It was too late now. He’d never run as fast if he tried. A heavy and frustrated exhalation escaped his lips then. "It could have been mine..."
"You're my brother! You're part of the tribe! Huntress or no!" K'iara hissed back, stepping forward sharply and grasping at his arm in an effort to yank him towards her. "K'yohko plays by the same rules, and the time he hunted alone he came back with his arm half fallen off and a burned torso. If you hunted sanddrakes along, you would have just died." K'iara hissed furiously at her brother again.
No matter how well K’iara meant, her words were nothing short of aggravating. Even when she grabbed his arm, K’rahto wouldn’t look at her. He’d just turn his head to the ground with a frustrated frown, fists tightening. The memory of K’nahli’s eyes lingered. It always did.
“I can’t be like any of you,†he said, his tone restrained. “If the Nunh can’t hunt alone, then I must prove that I can. Otherwise…†The sentence was left unfinished.
"You'll die." K'iara hissed in return, yanking hard on his arm again. "You're not K'yohko. You're never going to be him by running off to do stupid shit. And what was that with K'nahli huh? Thought you would just take her for yourself out here to be closer to K'yohko?"
“I didn’t touch her!†If K’iara wanted a reaction, she only needed to mention K’nahli. K’rahto’s head turned to her quickly as he yelled, eyes burning. At that moment, he even had difficulty understanding everything his sister was saying; all he could hear from her lips was ‘she’ll never be yours. You’ll never be Nunh’.
"Then why were you on top of her!?" K'iara hissed back, pushing at her brother to knock him over. Violent against tribe members was forbidden, but that didn't mean she couldn't rough him up a bit.
K’rahto felt his back impacting against the rock behind him as K’iara pushed him. His eyes closed tightly for a second, before an aggressive glare escaped from them again. That was all he could do, for K’iara had always been stronger than him. It was lucky that she wasn’t a Tia, really.
“She was the one who pu—!!“ He trailed off. “We just fell, alright?! It was an accident!! You can’t truly believe that I’d do anything to her…!â€
Was K’iara actually accusing him of breaking the rules with a huntress? The irony was certainly bitter; if only he was brave enough to do that, perhaps things would have been better.
K'iara narrowed her gaze as her brother was blushed back uncomfortably into the rocky cragg. She stepped forward, her fists clenched tightly. She supposed she could believe they only fell, but for K'rahto to run off afterwards so quickly?
"You don't hunt alone." she insisted angrily again.
The Tia growled from the depths of his throat, before his head turned down to the side once more. Anger and frustration coloured his eyes, but he said nothing more. Nothing at all, as if unwillingly yet submissively accepting his sister’s command. He was still part of the tribe, and its rules were his.
K'iara found relief in his lack of a response. She stepped forward to more gently rest a hand on his shoulder. "Come on. We should return before they start the challenge."
With no other choice, the always humiliated Tia followed his sister. His eyes still refused to look at her, his mind full of voiceless thoughts. The Nunh would be challenged that night and new rules might emerge from the result of that fight. If K’yle Tia won, then…
The huntresses had arrived long before K'iara and K'rahto. They moved quickly, celebrating their kills with loud cries of victory before they laid them out along the bonfire's light for the others to inspect. Large thick beasts with tough hides would make good clothing, blankets, and tents from the weather. K'iara slunk in along the back, a close eye on K'rahto as they entered the camp. She let him go where he pleased, instead joining the rest of the huntresses to grin in excitement at their success.
The Tia moved almost silently in the night. Somewhere near what looked like a small pond –a surprising sight after his days in Sagolii-, his eyes spotted a single beast under the moon. It was the same kind the huntresses had been fighting, looking deceptively harmless as it drank water. K’rahto hid behind a rock and took a moment to observe his prey. Soon, it’d be his to claim.
K'iara had followed the all too familiar scent of her brother through the strange terrain, as if she were hunting another animal of prey. Tonight it seemed, her foolish tia brother would be that prey indeed. She stalked through the soft dirt, pausing every so often to check the dirt for his prints. They were not yet used to this terrain, and prints seemed to linger everywhere one looked. K'iara made her way towards the top of a small craggy boulder and perched herself there, glimmering blue eyes scanning the horizon. She spotted a thin shadowed form in the moonlight glow and growled deeply in her throat. "K'rahto..." she grumbled to herself, gently descending from the boulder.
“…?!â€
The sound of that voice didn't fail to startle him, albeit he managed to prevent himself from making any alarming noise. With a frown and the beginning of cold sweat in his forehead, K’rahto slowly turned his head to the approaching figure. K’iara… Even in the darkness, he could still see the look in her eyes.
“Why did you follow me?†He muttered with annoyance, barely raising his voice. He was alert in her presence, that much was clear from the way he stared at her every movement.
K'iara's ears twitched faintly as she stepped lightly across the dirt, closing the gap between them. Her expression was angry, even her eyes seemed to burn with anger towards her brother. "Why do you think? We don't hunt alone, brother." she spat back at him, hissing ever so slightly with every word.
“I’m not one of your huntresses!†He replied, and this time his voice was loud enough for the beast to notice. The animal raised its head quickly at the sound, and wasted no time to start running away, much to K’rahto’s dismay. “W-wait…!â€
It was too late now. He’d never run as fast if he tried. A heavy and frustrated exhalation escaped his lips then. "It could have been mine..."
"You're my brother! You're part of the tribe! Huntress or no!" K'iara hissed back, stepping forward sharply and grasping at his arm in an effort to yank him towards her. "K'yohko plays by the same rules, and the time he hunted alone he came back with his arm half fallen off and a burned torso. If you hunted sanddrakes along, you would have just died." K'iara hissed furiously at her brother again.
No matter how well K’iara meant, her words were nothing short of aggravating. Even when she grabbed his arm, K’rahto wouldn’t look at her. He’d just turn his head to the ground with a frustrated frown, fists tightening. The memory of K’nahli’s eyes lingered. It always did.
“I can’t be like any of you,†he said, his tone restrained. “If the Nunh can’t hunt alone, then I must prove that I can. Otherwise…†The sentence was left unfinished.
"You'll die." K'iara hissed in return, yanking hard on his arm again. "You're not K'yohko. You're never going to be him by running off to do stupid shit. And what was that with K'nahli huh? Thought you would just take her for yourself out here to be closer to K'yohko?"
“I didn’t touch her!†If K’iara wanted a reaction, she only needed to mention K’nahli. K’rahto’s head turned to her quickly as he yelled, eyes burning. At that moment, he even had difficulty understanding everything his sister was saying; all he could hear from her lips was ‘she’ll never be yours. You’ll never be Nunh’.
"Then why were you on top of her!?" K'iara hissed back, pushing at her brother to knock him over. Violent against tribe members was forbidden, but that didn't mean she couldn't rough him up a bit.
K’rahto felt his back impacting against the rock behind him as K’iara pushed him. His eyes closed tightly for a second, before an aggressive glare escaped from them again. That was all he could do, for K’iara had always been stronger than him. It was lucky that she wasn’t a Tia, really.
“She was the one who pu—!!“ He trailed off. “We just fell, alright?! It was an accident!! You can’t truly believe that I’d do anything to her…!â€
Was K’iara actually accusing him of breaking the rules with a huntress? The irony was certainly bitter; if only he was brave enough to do that, perhaps things would have been better.
K'iara narrowed her gaze as her brother was blushed back uncomfortably into the rocky cragg. She stepped forward, her fists clenched tightly. She supposed she could believe they only fell, but for K'rahto to run off afterwards so quickly?
"You don't hunt alone." she insisted angrily again.
The Tia growled from the depths of his throat, before his head turned down to the side once more. Anger and frustration coloured his eyes, but he said nothing more. Nothing at all, as if unwillingly yet submissively accepting his sister’s command. He was still part of the tribe, and its rules were his.
K'iara found relief in his lack of a response. She stepped forward to more gently rest a hand on his shoulder. "Come on. We should return before they start the challenge."
With no other choice, the always humiliated Tia followed his sister. His eyes still refused to look at her, his mind full of voiceless thoughts. The Nunh would be challenged that night and new rules might emerge from the result of that fight. If K’yle Tia won, then…
The huntresses had arrived long before K'iara and K'rahto. They moved quickly, celebrating their kills with loud cries of victory before they laid them out along the bonfire's light for the others to inspect. Large thick beasts with tough hides would make good clothing, blankets, and tents from the weather. K'iara slunk in along the back, a close eye on K'rahto as they entered the camp. She let him go where he pleased, instead joining the rest of the huntresses to grin in excitement at their success.
![[Image: urVhoNf.png]](http://i.imgur.com/urVhoNf.png)
