Meanwhile, hidden from sight of the scarred camp, a crumbling, scorched stone bounced across the sands towards the faint plume that was once Dalamud, still lingering as a haze high above the horizon even so long after it had erupted into fire and destruction. K'haali right now felt rather like the stone, trapped in a sea of sand. Surrounded by strangers with familiar faces, yet completely disconnected and alone among them.
Another stone bounced across the sand, gouging a scar out behind it
When the tribe wanted to help the outsiders in their war, she'd protested. It was a war between outsiders, it was never the tribe's business getting involved in it. For all their bravado, war was a place where men killed each other, and she didn't want to see any of her extended family die, least of all for a fight that wasn't theirs.
They had of course ignored her protests, reassured her that they were going to "kick the Garleans right back to whatever continent they came from and wouldn't take a scratch doing it", K'thalen wearing that grin that spoke of limitless confidence. She wanted to believe them, but the glow of Dalamud by night said otherwise - if they had the power to bring down a moon, how strong were the Garleans in battle?Â
An uncontrolled sniffle, and staggered attempt at a deep breath heralded another stone, an avian head, tilted quizzically tracking it's flight.
When they left anyway, she'd rejected the platitudes of the tribe and instead sat vigil with only K'weh for company, curled up together, watching the horizon as long as Azemya would permit; sometimes even taking food with her. Watching for some sign Dalamud and it's controlling army had been defeated.Â
A stone is sent flying at the fine haze that was once Dalamud with as much force as she could muster, as if trying to send the stone back in time and knock it out the sky before the calamity could unfold.
Of course, it didn't work; Dalamud had still exploded in a conflagration of molten rock that seemed to tower all the way to the heavens, with a sound that almost shook the world from it's foundations... that alone had been enough to send Haali screaming, seeking shelter beneath the jagged rocks behind where she sat vigil, out of sight of the battle.Â
Could she have warned her mother, dragged her to the rocks too? Probably not, she must have seen the flames too there was no way anyone in Eorzea could have missed it, and it seemed like no time at all had passed before that dark shadow flew overhead and the desert turned to fire; the hunters had not only involved the tribe in a battle was not their's, but now it seemed they'd brought the Garlean's wrath upon their men, women and children in retaliation.
She curled her knees up to her chin and leaned back into K'weh's feathers as if trying merge with it and disappear from the world completely.
Mercifully, unlike so many others, K'nirha was not awake to suffer, instead rendered insensate by the firestorm that had left her burned almost head to toe, much of her hair gone, and scalp peeling. Carried to the makeshift infirmary she'd been left on her own while others busied themselves tending to their kin. There K'haali had been left to tend to her mother alone, she felt completely overwhelmed; the adult members of the tribe had been rendered to a juvenile state, sobbing, wailing and flailing helplessly against the situation. Deaf to any of her polite pleas for any kind've assistance.
She'd eventually fallen asleep, still holding K'nirha's hand, and had been nudged awake by K'piru tending to her mother after what seemed like an eternity.
Much of the sobbing had stopped and a degree of order had settled as everyone sat vigil with their kin, the look on K'piru's face however betrayed what she was thinking, making no attempt to hide it unaware she was being watched.
Suddenly, alert to K'haali's presence she'd turned and pressed her hand to her cheek warmly, trying to appear hopeful before quickly moving on to the next patient.
Closing her eyes she tried retreat to a comfortable spot in her mind with just her and K'weh surrounded by warm feathers.
Anxious days dragged by, with no sign of the victorious hunters. They'd have the answers, they were the tribes best and brightest; K'thalen'd be there with a huge grin and crates of medical supplies taken from the defeated Garleans as loot.Â
But when they arrived back that evening the mood remained just as dark, no celebrations, just a thin trickle of beaten and burned miqo'te, looking defeated; most directed to the makeshift infirmary midst the skeletal remains of the tents, still standing as no effort could be spared to remove them.
K'haali'd kept looking around urgently, inspecting every new arrival, meeting their gaze, asking, trying to find Thalen or any of her family that'd joined the war party. But they just kept looking through her, pretending she was invisible, or hadn't heard her.
It didn't work, even with her eyes closed the world around her still wouldn't go away. K'weh seemingly aware of her anxiety butted his head against hers.
When she returned to infirmary, her mother was gone, in every sense of the word, and the space on the tarp now occupied by one of the recently arrived hunters. She sat there, silently, next to the new arrival, both seemingly oblivious to each others presence while her mind raced with the possibilities, seeking answers - where had they taken her, was she ok, where is father, uncles, aunts...
"Where is everybody!?"
...she realised she'd shouted that out loud, and drawn the attention of everyone at the infirmary, as she'd made her way to find K'piru and word of her mother. Looking back sheepishly, she turned to walk away, only to plant her face squarely into the bandaged chest of K'yohko, who'd come to talk to her.
Another stone flew out from the mound of yellow feathers, though K'ile was fortuitously not in it's path as intended.
Unaware that neither K'ile nor K'piru had spoken to K'haali yet; his condolences had rather a different effect than he intended and she'd disappeared into the night in a trail of incoherent sobbing.Â
For the first time in her life, K'haali felt like a stranger among the tribe. When her mother was dying they'd ignored her for their immediate kin. When the hunters came back, they'd ignored her pleas for information. When she needed know where her mother had gone, K'piru was nowhere to be found. Even K'ile, her uncle, the one closest to her father hadn't come to her; that had fallen to K'yohko of all the people.Â
K'weh's head snapped to attention, and peered over the rock under which they were sheltered, back at the skeletal remains of the camp, barely a stones throw away.Â
For all the good running away would do though, the tribe was all she knew... she'd just have to make herself useful.
Another stone bounced across the sand, gouging a scar out behind it
When the tribe wanted to help the outsiders in their war, she'd protested. It was a war between outsiders, it was never the tribe's business getting involved in it. For all their bravado, war was a place where men killed each other, and she didn't want to see any of her extended family die, least of all for a fight that wasn't theirs.
They had of course ignored her protests, reassured her that they were going to "kick the Garleans right back to whatever continent they came from and wouldn't take a scratch doing it", K'thalen wearing that grin that spoke of limitless confidence. She wanted to believe them, but the glow of Dalamud by night said otherwise - if they had the power to bring down a moon, how strong were the Garleans in battle?Â
An uncontrolled sniffle, and staggered attempt at a deep breath heralded another stone, an avian head, tilted quizzically tracking it's flight.
When they left anyway, she'd rejected the platitudes of the tribe and instead sat vigil with only K'weh for company, curled up together, watching the horizon as long as Azemya would permit; sometimes even taking food with her. Watching for some sign Dalamud and it's controlling army had been defeated.Â
A stone is sent flying at the fine haze that was once Dalamud with as much force as she could muster, as if trying to send the stone back in time and knock it out the sky before the calamity could unfold.
Of course, it didn't work; Dalamud had still exploded in a conflagration of molten rock that seemed to tower all the way to the heavens, with a sound that almost shook the world from it's foundations... that alone had been enough to send Haali screaming, seeking shelter beneath the jagged rocks behind where she sat vigil, out of sight of the battle.Â
Could she have warned her mother, dragged her to the rocks too? Probably not, she must have seen the flames too there was no way anyone in Eorzea could have missed it, and it seemed like no time at all had passed before that dark shadow flew overhead and the desert turned to fire; the hunters had not only involved the tribe in a battle was not their's, but now it seemed they'd brought the Garlean's wrath upon their men, women and children in retaliation.
She curled her knees up to her chin and leaned back into K'weh's feathers as if trying merge with it and disappear from the world completely.
Mercifully, unlike so many others, K'nirha was not awake to suffer, instead rendered insensate by the firestorm that had left her burned almost head to toe, much of her hair gone, and scalp peeling. Carried to the makeshift infirmary she'd been left on her own while others busied themselves tending to their kin. There K'haali had been left to tend to her mother alone, she felt completely overwhelmed; the adult members of the tribe had been rendered to a juvenile state, sobbing, wailing and flailing helplessly against the situation. Deaf to any of her polite pleas for any kind've assistance.
She'd eventually fallen asleep, still holding K'nirha's hand, and had been nudged awake by K'piru tending to her mother after what seemed like an eternity.
Much of the sobbing had stopped and a degree of order had settled as everyone sat vigil with their kin, the look on K'piru's face however betrayed what she was thinking, making no attempt to hide it unaware she was being watched.
Suddenly, alert to K'haali's presence she'd turned and pressed her hand to her cheek warmly, trying to appear hopeful before quickly moving on to the next patient.
Closing her eyes she tried retreat to a comfortable spot in her mind with just her and K'weh surrounded by warm feathers.
Anxious days dragged by, with no sign of the victorious hunters. They'd have the answers, they were the tribes best and brightest; K'thalen'd be there with a huge grin and crates of medical supplies taken from the defeated Garleans as loot.Â
But when they arrived back that evening the mood remained just as dark, no celebrations, just a thin trickle of beaten and burned miqo'te, looking defeated; most directed to the makeshift infirmary midst the skeletal remains of the tents, still standing as no effort could be spared to remove them.
K'haali'd kept looking around urgently, inspecting every new arrival, meeting their gaze, asking, trying to find Thalen or any of her family that'd joined the war party. But they just kept looking through her, pretending she was invisible, or hadn't heard her.
It didn't work, even with her eyes closed the world around her still wouldn't go away. K'weh seemingly aware of her anxiety butted his head against hers.
When she returned to infirmary, her mother was gone, in every sense of the word, and the space on the tarp now occupied by one of the recently arrived hunters. She sat there, silently, next to the new arrival, both seemingly oblivious to each others presence while her mind raced with the possibilities, seeking answers - where had they taken her, was she ok, where is father, uncles, aunts...
"Where is everybody!?"
...she realised she'd shouted that out loud, and drawn the attention of everyone at the infirmary, as she'd made her way to find K'piru and word of her mother. Looking back sheepishly, she turned to walk away, only to plant her face squarely into the bandaged chest of K'yohko, who'd come to talk to her.
Another stone flew out from the mound of yellow feathers, though K'ile was fortuitously not in it's path as intended.
Unaware that neither K'ile nor K'piru had spoken to K'haali yet; his condolences had rather a different effect than he intended and she'd disappeared into the night in a trail of incoherent sobbing.Â
For the first time in her life, K'haali felt like a stranger among the tribe. When her mother was dying they'd ignored her for their immediate kin. When the hunters came back, they'd ignored her pleas for information. When she needed know where her mother had gone, K'piru was nowhere to be found. Even K'ile, her uncle, the one closest to her father hadn't come to her; that had fallen to K'yohko of all the people.Â
K'weh's head snapped to attention, and peered over the rock under which they were sheltered, back at the skeletal remains of the camp, barely a stones throw away.Â
For all the good running away would do though, the tribe was all she knew... she'd just have to make herself useful.
