There had been nothing to say as K'takka delivered her lesson, nothing that could have altered its outcome or the minds of those involved, and so K'deiki had not spoken. That did not mean she remained passive, however, and as her half-sister and half-sister's grandson attempted to impress upon her own wayward great-granddaughter, K'deiki had devoted her energy to prayer.
Knobby hands worked themselves rhythmically into the soft sand beneath her knees and the many layers of the colored cloth adorning her body, and with each slow, aged breath, she sought their Warden's wisdom and protection for her family. K'ailia had need of it most of all, she thought, not to shield her from the consequences of her actions but to guide her, to teach her. The Warden was ever willing to offer lessons to those who would listen, though even as she prayed, K'deiki wondered if now too few of their young were willing to listen.
She could sense K'jhanhi's presence near and knew what the old man thought and felt without asking. The silence of his bitter rejection was a kindness for the young girl bowed on the ground before them, a sign that he did not wish to push her further. With a heavy heart, K'deiki recognized that it also meant he had given up. There would be no lessons from him, no prayers for their great-granddaughter, and she couldn't fault him that.
She lifted her head as K'takka called for K'yohko once more, took in the shadowed forms in the tent cast in oranges and yellows in fire light, and finally spoke, her voice rattling out from her ribs, "We have seen what your actions have done to your mother. We saw it in how she came to us desperate and hateful of herself. In abandoning your family, you risked breaking them, when we have already lost much. Will you only see that once she's become as empty a shell as my own daughter?" Her words dragged from her throat with difficulty, and she coughed once, a dry, raspy sound, before continuing, "I do not want you to have to watch your family crumble so that you may learn a lesson. Think of others, K'ailia Yohko. Do not think of your wants for now. Think of others."
Knobby hands worked themselves rhythmically into the soft sand beneath her knees and the many layers of the colored cloth adorning her body, and with each slow, aged breath, she sought their Warden's wisdom and protection for her family. K'ailia had need of it most of all, she thought, not to shield her from the consequences of her actions but to guide her, to teach her. The Warden was ever willing to offer lessons to those who would listen, though even as she prayed, K'deiki wondered if now too few of their young were willing to listen.
She could sense K'jhanhi's presence near and knew what the old man thought and felt without asking. The silence of his bitter rejection was a kindness for the young girl bowed on the ground before them, a sign that he did not wish to push her further. With a heavy heart, K'deiki recognized that it also meant he had given up. There would be no lessons from him, no prayers for their great-granddaughter, and she couldn't fault him that.
She lifted her head as K'takka called for K'yohko once more, took in the shadowed forms in the tent cast in oranges and yellows in fire light, and finally spoke, her voice rattling out from her ribs, "We have seen what your actions have done to your mother. We saw it in how she came to us desperate and hateful of herself. In abandoning your family, you risked breaking them, when we have already lost much. Will you only see that once she's become as empty a shell as my own daughter?" Her words dragged from her throat with difficulty, and she coughed once, a dry, raspy sound, before continuing, "I do not want you to have to watch your family crumble so that you may learn a lesson. Think of others, K'ailia Yohko. Do not think of your wants for now. Think of others."
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"Song dogs barking at the break of dawn, lightning pushes the edges of a thunderstorm; and these streets, quiet as a sleeping army, send their battered dreams to heaven."
Hipparion Tribe (Sagolii)Â - Â Antimony Jhanhi's Wiki
