“If I find him, I will shoot an arrow to his foot!†Raih'a Kaatah declared with a stern scowl as he held his bow in his hands almost as if he were preparing to fire it. “That would stop that boy from wandering for a while!†Raih'a concluded.
The whole clan was worried and irritated. Yabi'to Jakkya, the youngest member of the Shriekshroom Clan, was missing. He had fiercely declared that he was ready to come of age, and would wander the Black Shroud to find glory, and make a name for himself. The problem was; however, that he was only twelve years old.
Kiht Jakkya gave a fierce disapproving scowl to Raih'a Kaatah after his remark. She knew he wasn't serious, but she didn't find the situation to be humorous in the least. Yabi'to was Kiht's only surviving brother. He was one of the only two siblings Kiht had left.
Zana Jakkya, Kiht's older sister, noticed the fire in the expression of her feisty younger sister. Always being the more composed, graceful and wisest of the Jakkya siblings, Zana gently placed her left hand on Kiht's shoulder. “We WILL find him sister, be at ease†Zana assured in a gentle, comforting tone.
However, Kiht's emotional fires weren't so easily extinguished this day. She turned to her sister in an aggressive jerking motion causing Zana's hand to slide off of her shoulder. “He is likely going to become Diremite food! I will not be at ease!†Kiht retorted, her voice and tone being louder and harsher than she had intended. The clan members had begun to gather around in a circle; talking amongst themselves with everyone trying to speak at the same time. Their voices were overlapping each other, and nothing was getting properly planned or even understood. The voices quickly hushed as a robed figure stepped into the center of the encircling clan members. All attention was quickly drawn to the figure of an old woman. She was Raih Kaatah, eldest member of the clan, and the leading Matriarch.
The Matriarch composed herself as the clan hushed around her. They all looked to her; prepared to hear what she had planned. Raih looked to Kiht with a sympathetic expression. “Little Yabi'to most likely set off hours ago while we were all asleep†Raih explained while looking to Kiht and Zana; her tone sounding apologetic. The Matriarch then redirected her gaze to the rest of the clan; looking around at the 8 other individuals.
“What we should do is quite obvious. We will spread out in every direction, search every corner of the Shroud and refuse to stop until we find the Jakkya boy.†The Matriarch briefly paused then looked back to Kiht and Zana. “We will each set off alone. This will be very dangerous; however, we must do this if we are to cover as much ground as possible. I want you all to swallow your pride, and ask for assistance from anyone that seems willing. We will all meet back at this spot in one cycle. If we have not found the boy by then, we will set off again in another part of the Shroudâ€. After another brief pause, the Matriarch looked around at all the other clan members again. “No time to waste!†She ordered.
At the Matriarch's final words, the clan members scattered; arming themselves with their weapons and gearing up. Kiht grabbed her trusty feathered bone harpoon and strapped it to her back. “Nymeia, please help me find him!†Kiht whispered to the goddess of fate. She then set off into the Black Shroud with quick even strides.
![[Image: zF9rBFq.png]](http://i.imgur.com/zF9rBFq.png)
Kiht wandered for quite awhile; putting all of her tracking skills to the test. She listened to the reactions of the birds, watched the patterns in the soil, smelled the air and examined the brush. The Shroud was Kiht's home, but there was no denying the elaborate nature of the place. There were countless changes in terrain to navigate. Rivers, rocks, hills, trees, and thanks to the Gridanians, settlements. The forest was complicated, and there were many places Yabi'to could be.
On the other hand, the main paths that were traveled by caravans and Gridanians were the places where Yabi'to was least likely to be. If he had been on those paths, he would have been discovered by Wood Wailers by now. The Matriarch was likely going to attempt to contact the Gridanian authorities to see if they had found Yabi'to. This meant that Kiht's best choice was to search away from the main roads. It was a daunting effort though. Navigating through brush was slow and physically demanding. However, Kiht soon found what she thought was a clue.
Kiht was brought to a pause near a seemingly random part of the Shroud. It was not the environment that immediately stopped her, but a scent. She lifted her head and started repeatedly sniffing the air. It was the feint scent of a male Miqo'te! It wasn't that male Miqo'te were particularly smelly, but Kiht could distinguish the pheromones of a male using her race's innately powerful sense of smell. The Summer breeze was quite helpful as it was perfect for carrying the various smells of the environment.
Kiht began thoroughly examining her surroundings. She took notice of some brush nearby that was oddly out of proportion in age and size to the brush surrounding it. The younger brush seemed to form a path. This wasn't really an unusual sight in the Twelveswood, but some of the branches and stems of the bushes and plants were broken in a few places. Kiht bent down near the vegetation. She sniffed the broken parts. They were fresh! Someone or something had recently stepped through the brush! Combining that with the feint scent of a male Miqo'te, and her hopes soared. She burst into what she had intended to be a run, but the brush was so thick that she ended up crashing awkwardly through it like a mad boar. She followed the nearly gone path at a hectic pace. Suddenly, the scent had become stronger! She was getting closer. The brush along the trail was showing more and more damage. The person or creature that went through before had started moving faster with more forcefulness. Was Yabi'to in danger? She wondered.
“Yabi'to! Sound off my brother!†Kiht yelled ahead; hoping that he was close by. She continued to crash recklessly through the brush as fast as she could. However, she would be stopped finally by a root that was stronger than her foot. She tripped and tumbled with a surprised “eeek†into a not-so-clear, clearing. Kiht quickly jumped to her feet and brushed herself off with her hands. She'd be blushing if she had thought someone had seen such a disgraceful display of agility and balance. She began to survey the area. An ancient-looking elm with some undergrowth, and six small wooden houses were the most prominent structures in the area. Kiht was suddenly hit with an eerie feeling of familiarity, but maybe her mind was simply playing tricks on her as a result of her fatigue. The place was obviously abandoned, but Kiht couldn't immediately figure out why. She didn't have time to think about it, for the scent she had been tracking was right there! She could not tell exactly where he was, but she could definitely tell that the male Miqo'te was very close by. She began to slowly assess the environment. However, now that the scent was stronger, she could tell it wasn't the scent of Yabi'to. She knew her brother too well, and this was not his scent.
But if it wasn't her brother she had found then who was it?
“Hello?†Kiht called out to the area.
The whole clan was worried and irritated. Yabi'to Jakkya, the youngest member of the Shriekshroom Clan, was missing. He had fiercely declared that he was ready to come of age, and would wander the Black Shroud to find glory, and make a name for himself. The problem was; however, that he was only twelve years old.
Kiht Jakkya gave a fierce disapproving scowl to Raih'a Kaatah after his remark. She knew he wasn't serious, but she didn't find the situation to be humorous in the least. Yabi'to was Kiht's only surviving brother. He was one of the only two siblings Kiht had left.
Zana Jakkya, Kiht's older sister, noticed the fire in the expression of her feisty younger sister. Always being the more composed, graceful and wisest of the Jakkya siblings, Zana gently placed her left hand on Kiht's shoulder. “We WILL find him sister, be at ease†Zana assured in a gentle, comforting tone.
However, Kiht's emotional fires weren't so easily extinguished this day. She turned to her sister in an aggressive jerking motion causing Zana's hand to slide off of her shoulder. “He is likely going to become Diremite food! I will not be at ease!†Kiht retorted, her voice and tone being louder and harsher than she had intended. The clan members had begun to gather around in a circle; talking amongst themselves with everyone trying to speak at the same time. Their voices were overlapping each other, and nothing was getting properly planned or even understood. The voices quickly hushed as a robed figure stepped into the center of the encircling clan members. All attention was quickly drawn to the figure of an old woman. She was Raih Kaatah, eldest member of the clan, and the leading Matriarch.
The Matriarch composed herself as the clan hushed around her. They all looked to her; prepared to hear what she had planned. Raih looked to Kiht with a sympathetic expression. “Little Yabi'to most likely set off hours ago while we were all asleep†Raih explained while looking to Kiht and Zana; her tone sounding apologetic. The Matriarch then redirected her gaze to the rest of the clan; looking around at the 8 other individuals.
“What we should do is quite obvious. We will spread out in every direction, search every corner of the Shroud and refuse to stop until we find the Jakkya boy.†The Matriarch briefly paused then looked back to Kiht and Zana. “We will each set off alone. This will be very dangerous; however, we must do this if we are to cover as much ground as possible. I want you all to swallow your pride, and ask for assistance from anyone that seems willing. We will all meet back at this spot in one cycle. If we have not found the boy by then, we will set off again in another part of the Shroudâ€. After another brief pause, the Matriarch looked around at all the other clan members again. “No time to waste!†She ordered.
At the Matriarch's final words, the clan members scattered; arming themselves with their weapons and gearing up. Kiht grabbed her trusty feathered bone harpoon and strapped it to her back. “Nymeia, please help me find him!†Kiht whispered to the goddess of fate. She then set off into the Black Shroud with quick even strides.
Kiht wandered for quite awhile; putting all of her tracking skills to the test. She listened to the reactions of the birds, watched the patterns in the soil, smelled the air and examined the brush. The Shroud was Kiht's home, but there was no denying the elaborate nature of the place. There were countless changes in terrain to navigate. Rivers, rocks, hills, trees, and thanks to the Gridanians, settlements. The forest was complicated, and there were many places Yabi'to could be.
On the other hand, the main paths that were traveled by caravans and Gridanians were the places where Yabi'to was least likely to be. If he had been on those paths, he would have been discovered by Wood Wailers by now. The Matriarch was likely going to attempt to contact the Gridanian authorities to see if they had found Yabi'to. This meant that Kiht's best choice was to search away from the main roads. It was a daunting effort though. Navigating through brush was slow and physically demanding. However, Kiht soon found what she thought was a clue.
Kiht was brought to a pause near a seemingly random part of the Shroud. It was not the environment that immediately stopped her, but a scent. She lifted her head and started repeatedly sniffing the air. It was the feint scent of a male Miqo'te! It wasn't that male Miqo'te were particularly smelly, but Kiht could distinguish the pheromones of a male using her race's innately powerful sense of smell. The Summer breeze was quite helpful as it was perfect for carrying the various smells of the environment.
Kiht began thoroughly examining her surroundings. She took notice of some brush nearby that was oddly out of proportion in age and size to the brush surrounding it. The younger brush seemed to form a path. This wasn't really an unusual sight in the Twelveswood, but some of the branches and stems of the bushes and plants were broken in a few places. Kiht bent down near the vegetation. She sniffed the broken parts. They were fresh! Someone or something had recently stepped through the brush! Combining that with the feint scent of a male Miqo'te, and her hopes soared. She burst into what she had intended to be a run, but the brush was so thick that she ended up crashing awkwardly through it like a mad boar. She followed the nearly gone path at a hectic pace. Suddenly, the scent had become stronger! She was getting closer. The brush along the trail was showing more and more damage. The person or creature that went through before had started moving faster with more forcefulness. Was Yabi'to in danger? She wondered.
“Yabi'to! Sound off my brother!†Kiht yelled ahead; hoping that he was close by. She continued to crash recklessly through the brush as fast as she could. However, she would be stopped finally by a root that was stronger than her foot. She tripped and tumbled with a surprised “eeek†into a not-so-clear, clearing. Kiht quickly jumped to her feet and brushed herself off with her hands. She'd be blushing if she had thought someone had seen such a disgraceful display of agility and balance. She began to survey the area. An ancient-looking elm with some undergrowth, and six small wooden houses were the most prominent structures in the area. Kiht was suddenly hit with an eerie feeling of familiarity, but maybe her mind was simply playing tricks on her as a result of her fatigue. The place was obviously abandoned, but Kiht couldn't immediately figure out why. She didn't have time to think about it, for the scent she had been tracking was right there! She could not tell exactly where he was, but she could definitely tell that the male Miqo'te was very close by. She began to slowly assess the environment. However, now that the scent was stronger, she could tell it wasn't the scent of Yabi'to. She knew her brother too well, and this was not his scent.
But if it wasn't her brother she had found then who was it?
“Hello?†Kiht called out to the area.
