Ja'ren A'lenthin

Pretty sure it's just ePeen - that's the only reasonable explanation there is for this type of behavior, and I admittedly enjoy it when other tanks do this. Thanks to certain friends teaching me the SO FUN dps rotation for WAR...I let them have it for maybe a minute then rip it off and keep it. Provoke be damned, good luck taking hate when I just crit for 1.2k twice in a row right after you voked. :3 On a different topic - doing WoD..that first trash pull? Tanks. You tiny little babies in your tin-can suits: STOP TANKING THOSE DAMN GARM/CHIMERA MOBS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ALMOST-ARENA-WIDE FIRE AOE. DAMN. Seriously getting hella annoyed at this shit. They literally tank the things in that tiny little safe spot at the center of the room so now the melee can't hit the things without dropping dead due to the fire tick + ram's voice. >_____>

Basically this was my Qarn HM last night cept the tank stood in the spikes and died faster than I could blink. Kinda funny I bet, considering we had just done a big pull no problem - the guy didn't do anymore big pulls after that. C'mon tanks, yeah use the spikes but don't stand in them, if you're suddenly dying RATHER FAST - maybe you should check where you're standing? Also, healers, during the cactus boss - ads spawn? Don't kite them for gods sake, go stand on the tank so they can flash and grab them. Makes life so much easier for all of us - and the fight goes that much faster.

Still interested! Ja'ren has been writing a lot lately so this would be fun, and neither frequency nor anon matter. Just wanna meet new faces, possibly, err handwriting(?), heh. \o

ALL OF THEM. Seriously. I'm already planning out consecutive playthroughs as I do this current one. V: And possibly thinking of shelving this current one to make a male and go after Dorian. HUE.

Yes. Yes he is.

Interested as well~ Something to do when some of my classes are horribly boring. >.> -cough-

((Incase anyone isn't picking up on it, the bit between the lines is a flashback)) ~2 years after the events in "The Red Eye of the Twin Adder | Ja' is now 20 years old~ Ja'ren was inside the Alchemist's hut, dressed in, rather flashy attire - it was a bard outfit, multicolored and vibrant. It was designed to draw attention, or so Ja' assumed. He hated the thing. Pinks and purples made him look like some sort of..flamingo trying to attract a mate. He shifted in his seat, uncomfortable within the confines of this hideous outfit, and annoyed that Big Red and the old elezen had laughed when he came through the door. "You done laughing yet, you two? I know it looks ridiculous, but I -had- to wear it." He huffed, crossing his arms at the two, and when neither stopped giggling, or in Red's case, squeek'n, he rolled his eyes and made to leave. "Sit down, lad. I want to hear about yer year-walk, and from the harp-bow on your back ye've got quite the story to tell." Ja' glared at the elezen, but sat back down, his expression looking slightly relieved that he didn't have to go outside in this outfit. "Aight, well, lemme back up a bit first, you know how that bard came into town two years ago, right?" ------------------------------------------------- Ja'ren was sitting on a rock next to the spring at Apkallu Falls deep within Old Gridania, he was humming quietly as he strummed a very small, very old, harp. It was the one Ja'ren Tia had given him when they were boys, despite it's age it was still perfectly sound, as Ja' had taken extra good care of it, carefully repairing it or having it repaired whenever it needed. He was in his usual working attire, except the shirt he had on sported the Twin Adder crest on one shoulder. Normally, he'd be out completing some odd task or another, either for the Alchemist or the Adders, but this was a rare moment where he had no new jobs, so he was quietly playing one of the songs he used to play for Ja'ren Tia. He had chosen this spot because most of Gridania's inhabitants didn't walk back this way often, seeing as it was one of the more round-about ways of reaching the markets, and he'd be able to clearly see anyone coming. He didn't like it when people overheard him playing, they always tried to come over and get him to sing or perform for them. This made him uncomfortable. He wasn't used to that kind of attention, and usually just gave the person a sidelong glance before stalking off to find another spot to play. Ja' paused, glancing up at the sky in a mournful reverie as his childhood memories flashed through his mind's eye - one after the other in rapid succession. Ja'teeh diving in-front of him, Min'iah crying, Ja'ren slowly whithering away into nothing.. Then he blinked, snapping himself out of the memories of his past. He couldn't afford to dwell on those emotions now, and his fingers twitched, hitting a few jarring cords that made him jump. "Ugh. Out of sync." He exhaled, trying to relax, placed his fingers at their proper positions on the strings, and played, long and hard, short and fast. Not stopping, his fingers a whirlwind over the tiny harp as a mournful melody echo'd through the falls. His face contorted, his focus absolute, and a small tear slowly made its descent down his face. He was so engrossed in his playing, that for once, he did not notice the Adder in uniform bolt up to him, saluting upon reaching his side. "Sir!" The small lalafell stood at attention, waiting for acknowledgement. Ja'ren jumped, his fingers once again hitting the wrong strings, making a horrible -twang- which caused his ears to flatten against his head. He turned, glaring at the Cadet, his tail twitching irritably, "What?!" "Sergeant requests your assistance, sir! Right away, sir!" The little lalafell saluted once more, before turning to scamper back to the nest, he paused, and mentioned, quietly, over his shoulder, "Um. By the way, sir, there's a bard in town, you should go see him! You play quiet well and he might..be able to teach you some things." Ja' nodded, "I'll think about it, thank you." As the lala ran off, he climbed to his feet, returning the little harp to his pack, and stretched. He wondered quietly to himself what the Sergeant wanted. Far as Ja' knew, there weren't supposed to be any new jobs until tomorrow. ~Moments later~ Ja'ren strolled up to the nest, arriving a few minutes after the lalafell who had summoned him, to see the Sergeant talking to another tall elezen, who looked even older than the Alchemist. The man was dressed in traveling attire, with a large harp-bow upon his back. Ja' stared for a moment, letting his brain register what he was seeing, then shook his head and walked up to the pair, giving a light salute to the Sergeant. "You called, sir?" "Ah! Red Eye! Yes, I wanted you to meet my friend here, Roderic, meet Ja'ren, he's the boy I mentioned in my letters." The old elezen peered down at Ja' - scrutinizing the boy with eyes that looked like they had seen so much, then smiled and stuck out a hand. "Pleased to meet you, Ja'ren. I hear you're quite the archer." Ja'ren grinned in reply, grabbing the man's hand and giving it a firm shake, "I dunno about that." He released the man's hand and glanced up at the Sergeant, "So no horrible monsters attacking the locals? No odd jobs to perform? Just meeting a friend? Seems a bit tame, boss." The Sergeant laughed, but it was the bard who jumped in with, "After hearing of your abilities, I might've requested to meet you. You sound like you'd make a fine bard, assuming you're willing to learn how to play instruments." Ja'ren gave a half grin, cocking his head to one side, "I dunno that I'd be any good, uh, what's a bard do anyway?" The man grinned, "We channel aether, much like a healer or mage, but we use our songs to imbue our comrades with strength. Some can call upon the wind to speed their steps, others can call upon the elements to grant mana to a person, the list goes on." "Eh, sorry to say I'm not really that good at instruments, thanks all the same." As Ja' turned to say a polite farewell, a trio of recruits at the back of the nest shouted, ""DON'T LISTEN TO HIM. HE'S FANTASTIC." Ja' froze, his ears slowly lowering until they were flat against his head, "Been eavesdropping, have we?" He called to the back of the nest, and the recruits who had hollared looked sheepish and turned away from the annoyed mi'qote. The bard chuckled, "The secretive sort, are ye?" Ja'ren turned back to face the man, and nodded, slowly, "It's not..something I wish to broadcast to everyone. I prefer..playing for myself. Not for others." "At least try, boy, let me teach you. At the very least you'd be able to help around here even more than you do now." The man was earnest, sincere in his plea to teach the boy - something Ja' was picking up from the man's aura. He closed his eyes for a moment, Ja'ren Tia's face flashing through his mind, before blurting out, "Alright." The bard smiled, spreading his arms wide, "Let's go then! Come, we'll go into the forest and see what you can do." ~A year later~ "Today is the day, boy. Today you start your year-walk. You ready?" Ja'ren, Roderic, the Alchemist, and Big Red were standing on the porch of the Alchemist's shack. Ja'ren was outfitted in traveling gear, a bow on his back and a harp at his side. He was about to set out with Roderic on a walk-about throughout Eorzea. They would be going from place-to-place, playing songs and learning new ones along the way. Roderic claimed this was how all bards perfected their art - by picking up on the soul of the land, through the songs of it's people. He nodded, grinning, as Big Red and the Alchemist said their goodbyes to him. "Ye' be careful, lad. I don' want my gopher-boy coming back battered and worn." Ja' smirked, "Pfft. You know me, I avoid danger. I'll be fine. Thanks, old man." -------------------------------------------- "And I went around with Roderic, we played so many songs I'm surprised I can remember them all. Oh! I learned how to change my voice too, watch!" Ja'ren's expression changed as he attempted to look as much like Roderic as he could, "C'mon boy! Louder! The audience cannot hear you when you whisper!" The Alchemist's eyes widened in shock, before he began laughing, "That's an interesting skill ye've picked up, lad! Careful it don' get ye' into trouble one day!" "Tch. I'll be careful, but I -may- have some fun with it later on."

~3 days later~ A large crowd had gathered at the Blue Badger gate - mostly consisting of guards with their weapons drawn. They looked afraid, which was understandable seeing as a large female coeurl was growling at them, with a large rust-red squirrel perched atop her head. The guards would be laughing if the female didn't look like she'd rip their faces off any second. The squirrel was waving his paws at the guards, trying to tell them to lower their weapons, but to the gathered crowd, Big Red just looked like a silly little squirrel waving about. Suddenly, the Sergeant assigned to Ja'ren's group strode over, signaling the guards to back off, which they did, but kept their weapons out and ready. "Someone go get Red Eye! He'll know how to handle this." At the Sergeant's word, a guard nodded and ran off to the Adder nest, returning shortly with Ja'ren in tow. The boy looked annoyed, eyepatch covering his signature eye, the scar showing, and marched over to the Sergeant. "Something the ma- Oh." He cut his sentence short as he noticed Big Red, who leaped atop the kid's head, then the large coeurl who looked at him with something akin to a grin on her face. It looked like she was saying, "Found youuu~" "The hell are you doing here Big Red, and why did you bring her?! You -know- she can't come past the gate." Big Red only chattered down at the boy, hanging upside down so he could gaze straight into Ja's eyes. His face seemed to say, "She made me! Threatened to eat me whole!" Ja'ren just laughed, "You'd get stuck in her throat, lardbutt. Yer too fat for one bite." At this, the squirrel huffed, crossing it's arms as it straightened and moved to Ja's shoulder. The Sergeant watched the two with interested, before glancing at the coeurl then returning his gaze to Ja'ren. "This is that female from the poacher's den, isn't it?" Ja'ren nodded, slowly rolling his eyes, "She's been following me since that job. Alchemist calls her Co'latia - apparently her knew her when she was a kit, and she's gotten it into her head that she has to protect me or something." The tall elezen chuckled, "Well, find a way to keep her from scaring the locals." Ja'ren gave a mock salute, "Yes sir! C'mon you two, back to the forest you go. You can tag along for this assignment I just got." He ushered Co'latia and Big Red out the gate and into the forest, the guards looking on in veiled surprise as the boy climbed onto the coeurl's back. The female stretched, then bounded away into the forest, leaping lightly as if Ja'ren and Big Red were light as feathers upon her back.

[align=center] ~A few weeks later~ "Oy! Ja', slow down, not everybody can move on the ground as fast as you do in those trees!" A young recruit, about 20 years of age was panting from the ground, as Ja'ren paused to lean up against the tree he was in. Despite being a fairly new recruit himself, he had been put in-charge of a small group who's main objective was to stop poachers in the Shroud. Obviously, there was someone in the group who ranked higher than he did, but that man's objective was to make sure Ja'ren didn't lead his group astray. Now that Ja' had stopped dancing from tree-to-tree, the other recruits stopped to catch their breath. They weren't out of shape, Ja'ren had just been moving extremely fast, completely focused on reaching their destination and finishing the job they had been assigned. He still wasn't used to interacting with other people, so he tried to keep his missions as quick and painless as possible. Something the higher-ups in the Adders were beginning to notice. They continually assigned him bigger and bigger jobs, and each time, the task was completed promptly and with no casualties or injuries. Yet. "Caught your breath yet? We're almost there." The Sergeant assigned to their group looked up at Ja'ren, scrutinizing the boy for the hundredth time. The kid was gazing off into space, but the man knew better. He knew Ja' was sensing, seeing things the others couldn't. What the boy saw was unknown, but it had kept everyone safe so far. "Ready your weapons. Couple more strides and we'll be upon them. There's a couple animals around, try not to hit them. I'll take out the forward scout, rest of you take down the resistance. Set the animals free before moving further." Ja' sounded like a Sergeant himself just then, barking orders, his tone low, serious. A rare thing for the boy. The recruits obeyed, knowing it would be a waste of time to try and argue, and the group moved forward, quietly. It took but a few moments, before Ja'ren could clearly spot the forward scout, though he could only see the poacher's aura, it was more than enough for him to make the shot. The poacher went down, without any noise, the arrow Ja' used was tipped with a paralyzing poison, as were the other arrows he and the recruits had, and the group quickly moved in, the recruits fanning out to take down the other poachers. Just as they were beginning to set the captive animals free, Ja'ren yelled, leaping down from the tree and ripping off his eyepatch, revealing his red eye. "ANGRY COEURL. MOVE. MOVE. GET OUT OF THE WAY OR YOU'RE CATFOOD." All of the recruits immediately moved out of the way, except for one. A small female mi'qote, who froze with fear as the large female Coeurl bore down upon her, claws out, about to strike. Ja'ren moved, quick as a blink, shoving the girl out of the way, and turning to face the large clawed paw as it slashed down at him. At the last second, he backstepped, but not enough to avoid injury. The coeurl's claw sliced across his left eye, opening a gash that started to bleed. Thankfully, it didn't actually damage his eye, a product of his backstep - it had put him just far enough away to keep the claw from piercing his red eye. He staggered, ignoring the pain, it was nothing compared to how his eye throbbed some days, and stared the coeurl down. The mi'qote female whimpered, and crawled over to the other recruits who had taken refuge behind an empty cage. The Sergeant watched with interest, yet again the boy had seen, or sensed, incoming danger, and yet again he had kept someone from getting hurt. The coeurl snarled, circling Ja'ren as the boy stared straight into the animal's eyes, as he turned to follow the wild-cat, the other recruits gasped quietly at the wound, and the eye. In the light, it appeared to be glowing red, and someone whispered, "Red Eye..." Ja'ren snarled at the coeurl, attempting to assert himself over the female. He knew these animals respected strength, and would attack if he showed any weakness. The image of Ja'teeh jumping infront of him when he was a child flashed through his mind, and his face contorted, making him look even more fierce, almost scary - demon-like. The coeurl continued to circle, growling low in her throat, before she finally noticed the small catboy's eye. She froze, growl sticking in her throat, and stared back at the boy. Ja'ren stared back, face frozen in a snarl, and the coeurl female slowly stepped forward, sniffing at him and his eye. She seemed curious, like she had never seen something like this before, but suddenly her eyes softened, as she suddenly stretched her neck out to lick the boy's wound. "Wha-" Ja'ren's face suddenly swapped from the snarl to shock and surprise as his eyes grew so large they almost popped out of his head. The female ignored his protests and continued to clean the wound, when she finished, she inspected her work, and appearing satisfied, turned to leap into the forest. The Sergeant and the recruits looked on in unmasked surprise. Had that coeurl just..treated Ja'ren like one of her kits? As this realization suddenly sunk in, a few started chuckling, and soon, the entire group was shaking with laughter. Ja'ren just glared, before scooping up his eyepatch from off the ground, and wiping his face on a sleeve. "When you're all done wasting time, let's get back to give our report." The small female mi'qote, who Ja' had shoved out of the way, slowly walked up to him and looked up into his face with tear-filled eyes. "Thank..you." She mumbled before scurrying off, recruits following, but the Sergeant remained behind. He walked over to clap Ja'ren on the back, "That was well done, kid. Let's get you to a healer." Ja'ren rolled his eyes, shaking his head no at the tall elezen, "It's just a scratch, I can handle this myself." He reached up, pulling his glove off of his left hand, and held it over his eye as a healthy green glow illuminated his face. The cut slowly healed, skin knitting together, leaving behind a scar over his red eye. The Sergeant chuckled, "Just full of surprises, aren't you." [/align]

[align=center] ~The next day~ "Hey! Come back! I'm not gunna hurt you! I just wanna talk!" A tall elezen, dark skin, dark hair, and wearing the crest that denoted him to be a Sergeant in the Twin Adder - was running after Ja'ren as fast as he could go. The man had seen Ja'ren in the forest the past few days, and was continually impressed with the boy's archery. He had yet to see the kid miss, and noticed he seemed to have some sort of sixth sense about where things were. Nothing caught him off guard, at least, as far as he had seen. The boy was perfect, and could be a great asset to the Adders, if only he could catch him to convince him of this. Sadly, the boy was getting away, Ja'ren had climbed straight up a large tree well before the Sergeant had even gotten within earshot, and was leaping from branch-to-branch tree-to-tree with little effort. He was being led by a large red squirrel, the two seemed to be working together to escape the man pursuing them. "I said wait! Please! I'm not-" The boy was gone. Vanished into the greenery that made up the canopy of the Shroud's forest. Why had the kid run off like that? He hadn't draw a weapon, nor had he made any sort of threat. Was the kid just jumpy? Or was there another reason? The elezen rubbed his forehead, trying to think of how to find the boy, when it hit him. The Alchemist - he would know where the kid was, or at least be able to help find him. That old coot always knew everything of interest about the goings-on in the forest, so he set out for the man's hut at a brisk pace. It took a few minutes, longer than the Sergeant had anticipated, the path to the Alchemist's hut was overgrown with various plants, and the man didn't think it was wise to cut them down to make his path easier. The old man loved his plants, and quickly got into a bad mood if anyone disturbed them. He marched up to the doorway, and was just about to knock when he could hear voices from inside, along with the occasional squeek. "He came right at me! He -chased- me, old man! What did you do?! Tell them to come get me?! From the voice, he assumed the one speaking was the boy from earlier, seeing as he knew the Alchemist was much older, unless he had somehow discovered a potion to restore youth. Without knocking, the Sergeant burst through the door, and scanned the room for the mi'qote child, quickly moving towards him upon spotting him. The minute the door flew open, Ja'ren had his bow up, an arrow knocked, and was aiming it at whoever stepped over the threshold, he hesitated for a moment upon seeing who it was, but once the man started coming for him, his arm locked in place and he snarled. "Stay the hell away from me. I -will- shoot if you take another step, pointy-ears." The Alchemist merely raised an eyebrow at the scene before him. Content to let it play out without interfering. The Sergeant froze, raising his hands in the air, "I'm not gunna hurt you, kid. I just wanted to convince you to join the Adders. I've seen your skill with that bow, and how you somehow know when things are coming. Hell. You knew I was coming without even -seeing- me. We could use someone like that. Someone who could keep our other recruits out of unnecessary danger." The boy didn't lower his bow, and gave the man a confused look, his eyes narrowing into slits with suspicion. Convince him to join the Adders? That was wildly convenient given the conversation Ja' had been having with the Alchemist the day prior. He glanced over to the old elezen, who was merely smiling, shaking his head. "Ah' didn't send for 'im, lad. Though it is well timed. I just finished the final touches on that enchantment, as well as made the cloth into an eyepatch for ye', so ye' have no excuse now." Ja'ren huffed, lowering his bow and placing the arrow back into his quiver. He gave the Sergeant one last glare before marching over to the desk and gathering up the eyepatch for inspection. The Sergeant straightened, suddenly very glad he hadn't snuck up on the boy earlier. "Why the heck do you need an eyepatch? You seem to see well enough." Ja'ren grumbled, "None of your business," before turning around to stare directly at the man, intending to see how he reacted to the color of the eyes staring him down. The Sergeant took a half step back as the boy's strong gaze bored into him. It felt like the boy wasn't quite looking at him, but at something around the edge of the man's profile. Appearing satisfied, the kid stared directly at the man, giving him a fierce smile. "Just like everyone else. -This- is why I wanted an eyepatch. So people like you would stop staring and freaking out about the color of my eye." The man shook his head, as if trying to shake the boy's gaze off of him. "I don't care what color your eyes are. What matters to me is how you seem to have some sort of sense when potential danger is coming. We've lost too many good men and women to dangers that could have been avoided." Ja'ren crossed his arms, after putting the eyepatch over his red eye. "I cannot promise anything." "I don't expect you to. I only expect you to put those skills to use, assuming you join." Ja' looked over to the Alchemist, who nodded, appearing to give approval for whatever was being asked of him. The catboy looked back over to the Sergeant, then to the squirrel on the windowsill, who also nodded, before sighing, relaxing his shoulders slightly. "Fine. I assume I need to follow you back to the nest to enlist?" The Sergeant smiled, a wide happy smile, "Yes. Then there's a small form to fill out, a uniform to make.." [/align]

~This first bit a summary to set the scene~ It's two years after the events in "The Boss of the Forest" - so Ja'ren is 18 years of age. He's matured a lot in a short amount of time, making friends with Big Red, and various animals in the forest. The Alchemist encouraged Ja'ren to enlist in the Twin Adder, seeing as how the boy is a skilled archer, and has to deliver supplies to them anyway. The elezen believes this will be a good way for Ja' to slowly interact with people and learn to tolerate his strange ability. ~And so begins this part of Ja'ren's story~ "C'mon lad, this is a great opportunity for ye! Ya' tell me all the time about the hunting and tracking ye did back home, ye' could put it to better use for tha' Adders. Plus, ye'd be making more gil for yeself, and not have to rely solely on me." Ja'ren glared at the elezen over his bowl of stew, pausing between bites long enough to growl, "I don't think so. Last time you had me go into Gridania, my eye started bleeding again. It's done that almost everytime I deliver something for you, and you want me to just spend a majority of my time surrounded by people?! Are you crazy? No, wait, don't answer that." He quickly finished his dinner, and marched to the sink to do the dishes as per usual when the Alchemist mumbled at his back. "Ah'm not gunna be around forever, lad." Ja'ren froze, the words cutting into him like a knife, his shoulders suddenly looked like they were weighed down with rocks, "I know that, old man. I'll..think about it. Meantime, will you continue to work on that enchantment?" He sighed, finishing up the cleaning before turning around to face the elezen and lean up against the sink. "I'd not be hesitating if there was -something- to help my eye. If you can find anything that at least dampens the affects, I'll join up without a second thought." The Alchemist chuckled, waving a hand to the pile of potions and magic crystals upon his desk. He had been working tirelessly the past few days, trying to find a solution to the boy's problem. "Ah'm close to a resolution, I think. The enchantment I had ye' test the other day seems to be the best one I can create, so now I just need to set about strengthening it and reproducing it consistently." Ja'ren grinned, a relieved smile upon his face as his shoulders suddenly relaxed. The thought of not having to worry about his sight made him practically dance for joy. He wouldn't have to worry about his eye bleeding, or people staring, or just avoiding him altogether. He'd be able to act normally and finally explore this land without fear. "Fantastic! I'll leave you to it then. The usual pickings for tomorrow or you got a new list for me?" "The usual, lad." Ja' nodded, grabbed his bow from its spot against the wall, and headed out the door. As he left, Big Red, who had been upon his perch on the windowsill, leaped onto the boy's shoulder, quietly nuzzling his head into Ja'ren's neck. The two had grown close the past two years, whether from the insane amount of acorn cookies the boy fed him or just a natural bond, it was hard to say. Either way, the squirrel had nearly doubled in size, and now looked like a large rust-red puffball on Ja'ren's shoulder. The boy chuckled, and rubbed Big Red's head, then took off into the forest to hunt for the usual herbs and game the Alchemist needed for his research.

The Alchemist and Ja'ren were enjoying a freshly cooked meal, one the tall elezen had prepared himself from the fish and various herbs Ja' had brought in with him. The two ate in relative silence, with Big Red munching on some acorn cookies by the window. Ja' had been asking various questions: How had Big Red learned to communicate like that? Why did the other animals defer to him? How did the Alchemist know the little squirrel? The Alchemist had merely chuckled and launched into a long winded explanation on how he had found the little squirrel as a babe, and raised him as best he could. The little guy was a runt, and had seemingly either fallen from the nest or been abandoned entirely. As Big Red grew, he watched the elezen more and more, until he began to mimic everything the man did. Overtime the Alchemist had realized this and started teaching the squirrel more complex hand motions so it could communicate better. As for the other animals in the forest, the elezen was something of a caretaker for the various creatures within the forest, having helped many an injured animal. And since Big Red was essentially his 'son' - the other animals automatically deferred to Big Red because they alread held the Alchemist in such high regard. "Ah', know it sounds far fetched boy, but ye' saw how the animals acted around Big Red. Ye' know its the truth. A strange truth, but truth nonetheless. An' it's not been all bad, little Red 'as been able to use the other squirrels in the forest like an information network. Helping me locate plants an' herbs, an get to injured animals before it's too late." Ja'ren gazed at his food for awhile, Big Red and he had something in common, it seemed. Both had been, possibly, left for dead by their parents. He let this thought roll around in his head for a bit, his expression making him look much older than he was - eyes looking weary, head bowed low, shoulders slumped. The elezen looked down at the boy over his glasses, realizing he may have drudged up old memories. "Ah'm sorry if I hit a nerve, lad." Ja' looked up, roused from his sudden flashback, "Eh, s'not your fault. So now what? Am -I- supposed to take orders from Big Red too or what?" The Alchemist chuckled, "That's up to you, lad. Though I will say Big Red could be -very- helpful, considering you are aiding me anyway, he could make your work much faster." Ja'ren narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the red squirrel. He didn't like the idea of taking orders from a pipsqueak, but then again, he -could- if they weren't pulling his leg, the squirrel just *might* be useful. "Alright, but I am -not- giving up squirrel hunting. That gunna be a problem?" Big Red stopped munching his cookie to gaze up at the boy with large, sad eyes. Ja' raised an eyebrow in response, but remained firm in his decision. "I gotta eat too, ya know. Unless you can magically provide a constant supply of food, I dunno how we're compromising on this one." Big Red stared at his cookie, long and hard, thinking, trying to figure out a way to stop the boy from murdering all the squirrels in the forest, but came up short. Not able to think of anything, he gazed up at the Alchemist, his face saying, "Heeelllppp!" "Ah' can probably help with that, but you'll have to do even more work for me, lad." The elezen motioned to his workstation, "Majority of my work goes into the city for the Twin Adder or the local guilds to use with their new recruits. While ye' deliver what I've made, ye can buy supplies for us with the money you receive in return. An' we'll share meals together. How's that?" Ja'ren looked a tad surprised, the old curmudgeon was gunna -allow- him to eat meals with him everyday?! He couldn't believe his luck, he nodded eagerly, quickly finishing off his meal and rushing to clean his plate at the sink. "That sounds fantastic. Not something I expected from you though." The elezen chuckled, "Ye'ave done good work for me, boy. An' I see no reason to say nay. Plus, maybe you'll become better friends with Big Red. I 'ave a feeling you two will be helpful to one another later on in your lives."

The next morning, Ja'ren was sound asleep, normally he'd already be awake - cleaning up, preparing for the days tasks, but after staying up late because of 'Big Red' - he thought he'd sleep in a little. Sadly, his rest was short lived as a group of 7 squirrels, plus Big Red, surrounded him, with Big Red climbing atop the boy's head, close to his ear. "Squeek! Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!" Big Red 'yelled' right into Ja's ear, which woke him with a start, knocking Big Red off his shoulder as he sat up, looking dazed. "Wha- What..the hells.." His eyes slowly focused, the squirrel troop coming into view, and his expression slowly changed to that of shock mixed with amusement. "You have GOT to be kidding me. I was certain the Alchemist was pulling my leg, but here you are." Big Red rolled his eyes at the cat-boy, signaling for him to follow, and scampered off into the forest, the troop following behind him, in line. Ja' watched them go for a moment, before giving in, grabbing his bow, and slowly tagging along. This was going to be one interesting day. ~A few hours later~ Ja'ren was leaning up against the Guardian Tree, his face morphed into a very large, toothy grin. He looked a bit wild, fierce with his fangs showing, but the large gathering of squirrels and other forest creatures seemed to not mind, or care that he was there. Big Red was sitting on a rock at the base of the tree, squeeking out what sounded like orders to the gathered animals. As they received their objectives, they bowed low to the rust colored squirrel and left to complete their tasks. Ja'ren still couldn't believe what he was seeing. Why in the WORLD were all these animals deferring to the small squirrel? He was hardly an imposing figure, nor did he look like he could provide any sort of 'protection'. Heaven's sake, the majority of the animals were much larger and stronger than the tiny squirrel. "I don't get it. Why? Why do they listen to him.." Hearing Ja', Big Red turned to look at the boy, the little animal's face seemed to say, "Be quiet! I'm -trying- to run things here!" Ja' chuckled, he was slowly picking up on the red squirrel's little mannerisms. When you got down to it, the little guy was very good at conveying emotion through body language, facial expressions, and paw movements. Something he probably picked up from watching the Alchemist and other people within the forest. Finally, all the animals had received their tasks, and left. Big Red slowly seemed to deflate, like all the talking he had done had drained him of energy. His entourage, which consisted of the same 7 squirrels from earlier, gathered around him, chitter-chattering in concern, but Big Red merely waved them off, motioning to Ja'ren. The group looked over to the boy warily, but slowly turned to scamper off into the forest. Ja' looked down at Big Red, one eyebrow raised in a question, but the little animal just pointed to himself, then to Ja's shoulder. "....I'm not a chocobo." Big Red rolled his eyes, and pointed again, making a hand gesture that looked like someone drinking a potion. "You..want to go back to the Alchemist?" Red nodded enthusiastically, and clapped his tiny paws together as if to say, "Good! You aren't as dumb as you look!" Ja'ren stared down at Big Red for a moment longer, before running a hand through his hair as he sighed. "Fine, you can hitch a ride. But this is -not- going to be a thing. Got it?" He knelt, reaching out so Big Red could more easily climb his way to Ja's shoulder, and the two set off into the woods for the Alchemist's hut.

Having arrived at the hut, Ja'ren lightly knocked on the wooden door frame, ignoring the large sign that read, "Busy. Leave me alone." A grunt was all he received in reply, so he knocked again, louder this time. "Cannae ye' read, idjit?! Sign says ta' leave me alone!" Ja'ren smiled, the Alchemist was an old curmudgeon who enjoyed his privacy, but the elezen would probably be intrigued by the squirrel in Ja's arm. He knocked once more, this time tapping out a tune on the wood, hitting the door in just the right spots so it sounded like a quick drum beat. A long, breathy sigh escaped from inside the house, before the door swung wide, "Ye' flea bitten vermin! I outta skin yer tail and make a scarf outta' it!" "If you did that, who'd bring you more plants and ingredients while you 'slave away' in your little workshop, old man?" The elezen huffed, raising an eyebrow at the boy, "Ah'm sure one of the animals here could do a better job than ye' iff'n it came down to it." In response, Ja'ren did his best to look wounded, which was actually quite convincing, so much so the elezen started to reach for the boy to see if he was alright. "I'm hurt you would even THINK of equating my outstanding work to such a low standard. I'm hurt. Really." The boy grinned up at the Alchemist, who straightened and scoffed - waving for the kid to take a seat. "So what brings ye' here so late, lad? Yer normally off frolickin' through the woods at this hour, are ya' not?" Ja'ren nodded to the, still dazed, squirrel in his arm, and the broken bow in the other. "I need more twine. This fellow's been trying to stop me from killing squirrels. Thought you might have a bit extra, and maybe some insight onto what this idiot is doing messing with my things." The elezen looked a bit baffled as he glances from the bow to the squirrel, but suddenly a flash of recognition appears on his face. "Tha's Big Red!" "Big Red? BIG Red? This guy is hardly big." "It ain't referring to 'is size, ye numbskull, it's referring to his status within the forest." "Pardon?" The elezen rubbed a hand down his face and took the squirrel out of the crook of Ja'ren's arm. He popped open a small vial from his desk, and placed a single drop of the clear liquid upon the animal's tongue. It took a moment, but suddenly 'Big Red' coughed and sputtered, coming back to life as the potion revived him from his stupor. "He's the boss of a large mob of squirrels, lad. E' been tryin' ta' stop ya from killin squirrels, ain't he?" "How did you.." "Ye' ain't the first nor last he's done this to, lad." Ja'ren slowly blinked at the man, boss of a large squirrel group? Had the Alchemist inhaled too many noxious fumes and finally gone insane? Did the man even understand what he just said? Ja' wasn't sure, and started fidgeting a tad. "The boss..of a squirrel group.. You're telling me this pipsqueak is the mob boss of the forest? You have GOT to be kidding me. You expect me to believe that?!" The man merely gave Ja'ren a look that said, 'You're one to talk' and pointed at the boy's red eye, "An ye' expect people to believe ye' about what ya' see? I see little difference between how believable either story is. I only describe what I have seen Big Red here doing. Why don' ya follow 'im and see for yerself? Here's some twine, fix yer bow and leave me in peace for awhile. I'll send the usual note tomorrow with what I require." Ja'ren looked skeptical but accepted the twine offered to him, quickly fixing his bow and rising to his feet. The squirrel looked up at the elezen with horror, like it was saying, "You want me to let the squirrel killer FOLLOW ME AROUND?!" Noticing the look, the Alchemist laughs, and grins wildly at the animal. "Do ye want the lad to stop killin yer brethren or not?" Big Red paused in mid chitter, suddenly looking torn, before nodding slowly and waving his paws in the air. At this, the elezen looked up at Ja', "E' wants ye to promise not to kill anyone while yer followin' 'im." Ja'ren mockingly placed a hand over his heart, "I do solemnly swear not to brutally murder any of the 'Forest Boss's' friends while I am stalking his every move. Now let's go, it's late, I'm tired, and I'd like to sleep without nutty here waking me up again."

~Zing! Ker-thunk!~ An arrow narrowly misses a small, rust red squirrel as it scampers away in fear to a perch high atop its tree - upon reaching a safe height, it turns to glare down at the young mi'qote boy grinning up at it. It shakes its tiny paws, chattering something that sounds akin to a string of curses, and leaps away deeper into the forest. ""Mmm. Missed. He's got good reflexes." The 16 year old boy shakes his head, thinking to himself as he returns his bow to its place on his back. That squirrel had been showing up a lot lately. Almost as it if was tracking him somehow, and it was always showing up when he was just about to land another squirrel kill. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that rust red squirrel was trying to protect it's brethren. But that'd be silly, since when do squirrels look out for each other in that manner? The boy shrugged to himself, and set off back to his makeshift camp near the Guardian Tree within the Shroud. He still didn't like going into town to stay at an inn. Too many people, and everybody stared at him. Like he was some sort of oddity at a circus. He arrived at his camp, dropped his bow onto the ground with a soft thump and flopped down onto his sleeping bag - something he had received as payment for an odd job he did for the Alchemist who lived deep within the forest. The tall elezen was always looking for someone to do an odd job for him to he could continue his research. Something Ja'ren took advantage of as often as possible, for it beat going into town. There were far too many colors in town. They were overwhelming, sometimes to the point his eye started bleeding. It had begun doing this on his second trip for supplies, and how people had stared. No one even bothered to ask if he was alright. They just stared, some pointed, and others suddenly acted like he had the plague or something as they bolted away from him. These people were so strange. Nothing like the people back home. Ja'ren shook his head wildly, trying to calm his thoughts so he could sleep, it took awhile, but finally his overactive mind settled down and he drifted off into a light doze. He bolted awake a few hours later to the sound of a surprised squeek and a loud ~twang~! As he hoisted himself off the ground, he brought his fists up, ready to engage whatever idiot had gotten too close, only to find the rust red squirrel flat on its back, looking dazed. His bow was on the ground nearby, the string snapped. The little squirrel had been seemingly attempting to break the bow, but only succeeded in breaking the twine and hitting itself in the head with the wooden portion of the bow. Ja'ren stared at the sight before him, motionless, for what seemed like hours, before suddenly chuckling to himself as he picked up the bow and set it aside. He debated killing the squirrel right there, he could use the extra meat, but the bravery, or outright stupidity of the squirrel made him pause. What was the little animal thinking? This was definite proof the fellow was trying to stop Ja' from killing squirrels, but why? He couldn't just ask the thing, he didn't speak squirrel, but maybe the Alchemist might have some insight, seeing as the elezen had lived in the forest much longer than anyone else Ja'ren knew. His mind made up, Ja'ren scooped up the squirrel in one arm, and his broken bow in the other. He'd need to move quickly to reach the small hut before nightfall, but once there, maybe he'd get some answers. And more twine to fix the bow.

~7 years later~ Red was at the docks. A small bag over his shoulder and a bow-harp on his back. He had made his mind up, after seven long years. Seven years of living on the run. Moving from place to place. Never staying put for long. Some of the tribes more zealous hunters took it upon themselves to eradicate the source of their bad luck. Even after Red had left - things kept happening - and the tribe believed that Red had placed some sort of curse upon them. Red was musing, wondering if any in the tribe would dare follow him this far - to a new land. Or if they would stop, believing Red to finally have died to his own 'bad luck'. Suddenly, a booming voice roused him, "ALL ABOARD. ONE-WAY TRIP. GETCHER ASSES ON BOARD OR WE'RE LEAVIN YE HERE." Red jumped, and quickly stepped over to the large Roe who was writing down names on a small clipboard. The man looked Red up and down, then boomed, "Name, lad?" Red's mind went blank for a moment, before automatically busting out with, "Ja'ren." The Roe nodded, wrote the name down, then looked like he was waiting for something, upon not getting whatever it was, sighed and said, "An' yer last name?" Last name? He didn't have one. And he was NOT calling himself Tia. That name had always bugged him. Sounded too girly, not to mention he wasn't a Seeker, so it made no sense. He wracked his brain, searching for some sort of name to give, and randomly put together, "A'lenthin." It worked. If someone from the tribe followed him, he could just start calling himself A'len rather than Ja'ren. He grinned to himself, liking the name he had created. It felt right. Ja'ren to honor his brother, and A'lenthin to make it uniquely his own. A new name. A new life. A better one, hopefully. The large Roe chuckled, seeing the smile on the boy's face, "Ye' that excited about sailing ,eh, lad? Well, come aboard." He motioned for Ja'ren to walk up the steps, which he did, then looked out over the vast ocean before going below to find a comfortable spot to try and sleep. This was it. No going back. Not ever. As the ship sailed out from port, the wind suddenly grew stronger, and if you listened close, you could hear the faint sound of harp music, and laughter - a final goodbye as the ship sailed out to sea.

~3 weeks later~ Red couldn't see him anymore. Normally he could spot Ja'ren's aura from the edges of the camp, it had been slowly turning more and more black each day, but today, it just...wasn't there. Red circled the camp, keeping to the shadows so the guards wouldn't try to shoot him like they usually did, but could still not see any signs of his brother's usual vibrant colors. He was just about to finally work up the courage to go ask at the gate, when suddenly the entire tribe started flowing out, carrying a body. "Gods..no..nonononono. It can't..not him. No. Please..not him too.." It was all Red could do not to rush towards the body to see for himself, but he knew he couldn't step out from the shadow of the rock overlooking the camp. If he did, the tribe would try to kill him. The guards had their bows, lances, and swords - something they never carried when going to burn a body in the normal fashion. This must have been the last straw. To them, the "Cursed Boy" had now claimed 3 lives over the past 3 years. Along with supposedly being the cause of a food shortage and no new children being born. Every little bad thing they had begun to blame on Red, and this was no exception. "Why? Why..didn't you take it off..how could this..why you..wh-" Red froze. A guard had turned, looking right at him. The man's face slowly curled into a snarl, he raised his lance and yelled at the other guards. ""There he is! GET HIM." Collectively, the guards turned, and each bolted towards the young boy, who turned and ran for his life. Past the spring. Past the log where he and Ja'ren had sat every night, one boy playing music while the other danced, and finally past Red's small shack. As the guards came upon the shack, two stopped to tear the thing down, growling as they did so. Red continued running. Eyes blurry with tears. He couldn't say goodbye. Couldn't watch his brother's ashes fly to the winds as his mother's and father's had before him. Couldn't say goodbye to the one person who had meant so much. Who had stuck with him even after losing both parents. They had been brothers. In every sense of the word. And now Red couldn't even say "I love you." one final time. That thought made the tears flow faster, more freely, and Red had to continually wipe his face so he could see where he was headed. He couldn't stop. Couldn't pause or the guards at his tail would be upon him, stabbing and ripping him to shreds in mere seconds. He'd be dead. Dead like Ja'teeh. Min'iah.....Ja'ren... He ran. Faster than ever. Leaping over rocks, logs, ducking under branches, weaving through small passageways, until finally..he stopped. The sounds of pursuit had vanished. They had given up, but only after chasing him far out of their territory. So far, that Red was now standing on the coast - staring out at a vast sea of nothingness. He collapsed. The emotional and physical weariness suddenly hitting him all at once, and hugged his knees to his chest, burying his face into them. His whole frame shook as he sobbed. Deep heart-wrenching cries that said it all. Ja'ren was dead, and right then, Red wished he was too.

(( http://r.weavesilk.com/?v=4&id=moxl4zle8y <--Ja'ren's current aura at this time)) ((His colors are lavender, pink, yellow, dark green, light blue.)) ~5 months later~ Ja'ren fell - seemingly tripping over nothing, and moaned softly from his spot on the ground. The boy looked sickly. Frail. Like a good gust of wind would just carry him away in its cool embrace. Red rushed to his brother's side, slowly helping him to his feet, concern written all over his face. It was happening. What Red had dreaded. Had hoped was just a trick of his mind. Or his eye. Or both. The blackness from the bracelet had infected Ja'ren - slowly worming its way into the boy's aura, as Red has taken to calling it the past few months, and looked like it was slowly choking the other colors that surrounded Ja'ren usually. "You need to see your healer, Ja'. You're sick, please, stop coming out here to help me. You can barely stand or keep up as it is!" Red was partially in tears, the frustration he felt at not being able to help his only friend was overwhelming. How could he stop this? Force Ja'ren to remove the bracelet? Try to pull the blackness from him by hand? He had no idea. "I'm...fine. Just...need a breather." Ja'ren was gasping for air, like he had just been choked or had the wind knocked out of him, but suddenly started wheezing, when... Blood. Red froze, eyes growing as wide as dinner plates at the sight of Ja'ren coughing up blood. That was bad. Bad. Not normal. Sick. Help. RUN. He scooped Ja'ren into his arms, ignoring any protests the, now much lighter, boy might make, and bolt to the camp as fast as he could go. Between strides, he muttered. "BLOOD, Ja'ren! You just...blood..YOU'RE NOT FINE." They weren't far, but suddenly the distance from the usual spot by the spring to the encampment seemed like it would never end. Red ran. And ran. Panting as he held Ja'ren to his chest, doing his best not to jostle his friend and make things worse. He only hoped the tribe would still care for Ja'ren after Red was seen carrying him. They had become very superstitious the past few years, and blamed the majority of their misfortunes on Red. Everyone claimed dark clouds followed him, and brought the bad luck with them. Ja'ren had started to protest when Red suddenly scooped him up, but upon noticing the blood in his hand where he had coughed into it, promptly slammed his mouth shut, and let his friend carry him home. Upon arriving at the camp, he motioned for Red to put him down, but Red shook his head, and hollared at the gates for the healer to come get Ja'ren. "OY. Gir'tiah! Ja'ren needs help! Please!" It took a few moments, numerous guards coming to the gate suddenly to glare at Red, but a small, elderly female finally stepped out from the gate, and hobbled over to the two boys. She didn't make eye contact with Red, only motioned for him to set Ja'ren down, which he did, and she led the boy into the camp, leaving Red standing outside, looking like he didn't think he'd ever see his brother again.

((The boys are now both 8 years old.)) ((Figured I should clarify - Min'iah's death is recent, happened about a month or so before this.)) ~2 years later~ "Dammit Ja'ren! STOP THAT. I can't aim when you keep jerking my tail! I'm gunna end up putting that squirrel in more pain than is necessary." Red glared angrily at his 'brother' - though there was mirth in his eyes, and hissed slightly, showing his fangs. He turned back to face the squirrel that was attempting to escape the snare high in the tree above, knocked another arrow, aimed, and the small animal fell limp, killed instantly. Ja'ren chuckled, moved out from behind his friend to climb the tree, and cut the snare loose. "That was for that comment earlier. About mom." The boy smiled down at Red, a strained smile, that betrayed the sadness behind the mask of happiness he wore. Ja'ren leaped down out of the tree, squirrel in hand, and the two began the walk back towards camp, pausing at the outskirts. "I..sorry. I won't bring it up again. Promise." Ja'ren nodded, "Good. She's gone now, anyway. Whatever you 'saw' is gone as well. End of story." Red nodded, looking rather depressed that his best friend didn't truly believe him, but no one really ever had, so he wasn't sure what he expected. Acceptance? Maybe. However, deep down, he wanted to save his 'brother' from the same fate. What he 'saw' around Ja'ren's mom, was floating around the bracelet she had worn, which was now around Ja'ren's wrist. Red feared it would poison him, as it had his mother, but..after how Ja'ren had ignored the warning, the signs Red had seen, how could he make him understand that the only thing he had left of her..was possibly going to kill him? "I'll bring the stuff to the usual spot, don't worry. We -are- still brothers. Even without blood ties." Red grinned, that was the Ja'ren he knew and loved. The fun-loving brother who was there for him even when no one else was. After Ja'teeh had passed, the tribe stopped allowing Red to hunt with them, leaving him to fend for himself, but Ja'ren continued to play with the boy. They spent their time playing, hunting, rough-housing..normal things brothers would do. "Tch. Good. I'd have to come track you down otherwise, and we both know how much your tribe -loves- it when I do that. I've got a couple new songs if you've got time to listen tonight." Ja'ren laughed, and nodded eagerly, "For your music? I have all the time in the world!"

~The day after~ "Why! Why did you not listen! I -told- you to send him away! That he was cursed! Wh-" Unable to contain herself any longer, Min'iah breaks off into heart-wrenching sobs. She is held by another of the tribe, a female, and led away from the body of her deceased husband, Ja'teeh. Those left began the arduous process of preparing the body for burning. They did not like burying bodies, what with the possibility of a wild animal eating it as it decomposed, so this tribe burned the deceased and scattered their ashes to the four winds. Allowing the soul of the departed to watch over the land and those living within it. Red watched the proceedings from afar, and received many angry looks because he would dare to pay his respects to the only adult to give him a moments time - and save his life. The boy's face was wet with tears, and he was sniffling uncontrollably. He had seen everything. How Ja'teeh had jumped infront of the raging wild-cat that had been about to rip Red to shreds. Seen the beasts teeth and claws rip Ja'teeh's face and skin from his body. That sight alone had reduced the boy to a whimpering pile of tears. The images played over and over in his mind - he had SEEN the beast coming long before the others. Had tried to warn them. But the other hunters knew of Red's "strange sight" and believe the boy partially mad - and thus payed no heed to the warning. It was Ja'teeh who had listened, come running when another hunter startled the beast and Ja'teeh who had leaped to save Red when the boy tried to kill the wild-cat, but only succeeded it making it angry as it turned to kill whatever thing had DARED to shoot an arrow at it. "So..rry. Ja'...teeh." Red whispered between sobs as he watched the body begin to catch fire. He was determined to stay. To watch and remember the one who had taught him so much. Even if the tribe threw rocks at him, or tried to shoot him, he would stay. Stay until the ashes flew away on the wind. He wiped his tears away on his sleeve, and tried to sit tall, like Ja'teeh, when Ja'ren walked over, also in tears, and flopped onto the log, right next to Red. The two boys stared into each other's eyes for a moment, before both started sobbing quietly as they hugged each other. They sat this way, comforting one another as they watched the body burn, turn to ash, and slowly float away on the wind. The ashes performed spiraling dances in the air before flowing away in four different directions. "I want you to come to my house tonight, Red. You..it's not your fault. No matter what the others say. Dad talked about you all the time, and I -know- you did what you could to save him. We'll have to be quiet so mom doesn't hear us and freak out, so c'mon, we'll sneak in through the back." Red nodded, and wiped his face on his sleeve again as the two boys stood in unison and snuck away, into the night, towards the house. The two would fall asleep, side by side, the presence of the other a comfort to both.

~A few days later~ "Tis' but a scratch, Min'iah, I doubt it will do much harm." The large male Red had come into camp with a few days prior was being tended to by a smaller female, his wife. Her face was scrunched up in annoyance and fear - her husband had a long gash across his chest, a result from the days hunting. There was a salve already applied to the wound, and she was just beginning to apply a bandage when she replied. "A scratch?! You call THIS a scratch?! What happened? It was -that boy- wasn't it? Don't lie to me and say it wasn't. We all know a dark cloud follows him." The large male sighed, shaking his head, "I am unsure what happened. We had the beast, but somehow it escaped the trap and managed to graze me during its mad dash to freedom. -That boy- as you call him, is the reason the creature did not escape entirely. He's the one that brought it down with a well placed shot." Ja'teeh sat still while Min'iah finished wrapping his chest with the bandage, but once she finished, he stood up to prepare Red's portion of the days meal. "Why do you continue to allow him to hunt with the group? After what happened the first time? Now, this has happened, what happens next time when it kills you, love? The boy is cursed. Send him away, please, before it costs you or another in the tribe their life." Ja'teeh continued preparing the meal, though his tail had begun to twitch in annoyance. This was not the first, nor last time, Min'iah had pleaded with him to send the boy away. In fact, almost everyone in the tribe had come to him at some point with that request, and he always gave them the same response: "The boy deserves to live like any other. I will not send him away without at least teaching him how to survive on his own. What if I had sent -you- away, rather than allowing you to remain here and grow? Why does he not get the same chance everyone else here did?" That response made Min'iah look away in shame. She had known what the response would be - having heard it many times over, but she always thought Ja'teeh was just giving her lip service. "I do not want to see you harmed, Ja'- you know that. Nor do I want to see our son harmed. You've seen how much they play together. I worry the boy's luck will rub off on him." Ja'teeh paused, before bursting into laughter - it was a jolly laugh, one that would make anyone within earshot suddenly find themselves laughing along without knowing why. "And -you- know our son has enough good luck to outweigh the boy's bad. Let them play. I see no harm in it." The meal completed, Ja'teeh gave a meaningful look back to Min'iah, signaling that the discussion was over, the decision made, for good or ill. He picked up the food, and began the trek to the small shack outside of the camp - where Red awaited.

[align=center]~Red = my Ja'ren || Ja'ren Tia = the kid Ja' thought of as his 'brother' || Also - the color'd text notes auras in some cases~[/align] [align=center]Aura meanings[/align] [align=center]Reference pics for Ja'teeh, Min'iah, and Ja'ren Tia. http://i.imgur.com/pRYyN0z.png <--Ja'teeh http://i.imgur.com/phSDOkG.png <-- Min'iah http://i.imgur.com/3qqhd8c.png <--Ja'ren[/align] [align=center] "Hey! It's the freak!" A small, light-blonde haired mi'qote child pointed at the figure trudging into camp, behind a large adult male. The adult was carrying a mass of small, dead animals for the nights dinner. The small figure following him had dirty blonde hair with red highlights and black ear tips, but that wasn't what the other child was pointing at. The child was pointing directly at the small figure's red left eye. "Don't get near him or you'll catch his bad luck! Just like Ja'teeh!" The other children snickered, and began their usual name-calling. This had become a normal routine whenever the red-eye'd child came into camp. The small boy's figure hunched over, as if trying to hide from the slew of names being hurled at him, and just when it looked like he'd turn and bolt out of camp, the adult leaned over to whisper: "Go wait at the usual place. I shall bring you your portion momentarily." As the child looked up, big round eyes slowly welling up with tears, the adult smiled gently, the kindness in that face caused the boy to sniffle, nod, and wearily march over to his spot by the fire. He was joined by another small child, who sat down right beside him and held out a tiny harp. "Hey Red! Did it go well today? Wanna play something like you normally do?" Side-by-side, the two boys looked almost identical, except for their eyes and different face markings. One was a Keeper, the other a Seeker, the Seeker being the one holding out the small harp to the other boy. The names forgotten, the Keeper nodded, a grin forming on his face as he took the harp from the other child. "Sure. I'll play something - and yeah, it went well. I was able to kill things with one shot today, Ja'ren!" Red beamed at his best friend, and began playing a lively tune as his tiny fingers danced over the harp strings. Ja'ren smiled in return, and stood up to dance in time with the music, clapping his hands and wiggling his ears to try and cheer his friend up as best he could. The two children talked and laughed well into the night before parting ways - Red to his small shack well outside of camp, and Ja'ren to his family's home within the center of the compound.[/align]