A Trial and Foraging [Backstory, Hipparion Tribe RP]

[Lyraciilee]

K'luha quietly sat in the shade of her tent, carefully weaving with her broken down wheel. She looked at the wheel with pursued lips, scrutinizing all the scratches and the broken legs. It would need to be replaced soon. She would have to make another trip to Ul'dah soon... 

 

She paused in her weaving as the tent flap was pushed aside and K'ailia entered. K'luha opened her mouth to greet her daughter but sharply shut it again when another followed through the flap. The dark hair and familiar face of a family member that had already left. K'luha's lips set in a thin scowl, though her eye shown a great deal of pain and fighting emotions. 

 

K'luha sat there silently for a time just looking at K'mana as she announced her return. Part of her wanted not to acknowledge her, but part of her wanted to beat the shit out of her stupid little sister.

 

Instead, she quietly stood, lips still pursed tightly in a line. She walked up to face K'mana, whom was taller than her despite being younger. There was a moment of tense silence before K'luha sharply moved her hand to slap K'amana's cheek in a sharp open-handed gesture. She looked more furious than perhaps anyone had seen her for a moment before the look broke down into tears and she moved to hug her sister in one of her bone-crushing hugs, taking no mind of her broken arm. 

 

"K'mana you stupid stupid idiot!" she sobbed loudly, pressing her face into K'mana's shoulder, wetting her clothing with hot tears.

[Torvhan]

K'mana winced in pain as her arms was crushed into her chest but stayed silent as she wrapped her other arm around her older sister and returned the hug. She stayed there for a few moments before speaking. "K'luha, I know you were worried, and I want to tell you everything that happened but I am not sure I have the energy to repeat the story twice. Nor do I think we have time to spare. I think you should be there when I report to the elders as a senior huntresses. I promise you, that we'll sit down later when everything settles back down after whats coming."

 

She slowly freed herself from her sisters embrace and looked at K'ailia "I think it would be best if you waited here while I report to the elders K'ailia." K'mana grabbed K'luha's hand and all but dragged her from the tent. As she marched towards the center where the elders would be gathering.

[Lyraciilee]

If K'mana said there was no time to spare, then something was wrong. Were it not for that, K'luha would have forced her down and made her talk twice, regaurdless of how tired she was. It was her own fault anyway for running off like that during her trial. Running off into the desert without supplies for twelve days? She deserved death for such stupidity! But... K'luha was very glad she had not died. 

 

She allowed K'mana pry her free and take her hang, dragging her off towards the center of camp where the elders would supposedly be. If they could make it. Those old bones were getting slower and slower, she swore. It worried her that her Grandparents were quite that slow these days now. Still, she hoped they hurried up if K'mana had something important to tell them.

[Atem]

It took what felt like forever, as time has the tendency of standing still while waiting.

 

Finally, with their backs against the center fireplace sitting on small stools, they gathered: K'deiki calm and unmovable, K'jhanhi with his serious expression, K'takka with her white tattoos and K'atem talking away.

 

"Children... children lets gather around, form a healthy tree! Give the new leaf some room and let our newest hunter speak!"

[Torvhan]

K'mana blanched visibly as the elder spoke the word, Hunter. K'mana spoke her voice wavering "Sir...you honor me prematurely. I hope that the information I bring proves useful to the tribe, but I will not hide the truth from this council. I abandoned my Trial based on a feeling I had."

 

K'mana spent most of the next bell telling the story of the past 12 suns. When she finished she looked worn and tired. "Elders I firmly believe that we should prepare for battle." The message finally delivered, her task finished; relief flooded into her, she had finally warned the tribe. The weariness she had been holding away previously crashed in like a tidal wave and she slowly collapsed to the floor.

 

K'rei caught K'mana on the way down. "We should let her rest," the unknown huntress spoke as she lay K'mana softly on the ground. K'rei then looked up at the elders "I know that I am not of your family, but if you would trust the words of another huntress. I believe that your young K'mana is ready. Not only did she save my life, but the past 4 suns the pace we set could only be described as brutal, few huntresses as young as she would have been able to maintain a pace such as that for so many suns. She loves her tribe, and I believe she truly believed her feelings would lead to the betterment of the tribe."

 

K'rei paused momentarily "I know you have other things to concern with yourself with, but I would like to join your tribe, I lost my own tribe during the fall." She looked pained as mentioned that event, but she hid it quickly and added. "Whatever your decision, my spear is yours to command until you pass this ordeal."

 

With their message delivered, K'rei slowly left the tent carrying K'mana to let the elders discuss the incoming threat.

[Lyraciilee]

The story was long and weighing heavily on K'mana it seemed, but the more K'luah listened to it, the more it pained her. Leaving on such a feeling, running into the Amalj'aa? It was too close to a story she knew. Too painful to think on. K'luha clenched her fists and bit her pointed canines into her lip. 

 

Even as K'mana fainted, K'luha fought raging feelings to kick her sister's limp body and cradle it until she healed. But whatever her feelings, there was one that she was sure of. That an outsider would dare to ask for permission to join them when she knew not what they did, and that she would pick up her sister without letting K'luha attend to her? Oh no, K'luha did not like the arrogance of that woman one bit. 

 

K'luha snarled loudly and like she was prone to, skidded fast across the dust to block K'mana and the outsider's exit; kicking up her signature miniature sandstorm behind her. 

 

"K'mana does not deserve to pass her trial." K'luah stated loudly, narrowing her gaze at the outsider. "She has shown more than anything, that she is still nothing but a child. Abandoning her tribe on a 'feeling'. Running into the desert without supplies. Running head-long into a pack of Amalj'aa and nearly getting killed. Bravery and Foolishness have a very fine line running between them, and her poor decisions have only demonstrated her childishness. An adult member thinks of the tribe before herself. An adult makes self-sacrifice without doing so in vain. An adult knows her limits and strives to sustain the family, not abandon it on a whim." K'luha looked sharply to the elders, her ears flattened and her tail flicking behind her, a sign of her torn emotions and yet serious declaration. 

 

"She is still a child. She has not earned her place by abandoning us on a foolish whim that just so happened to work out for her. And yet..." K'luha paused, still looking to the elders. "I believe her sheer dumb luck does warrant her another chance. Let her fight with us against these Amalj'aa. Let her show that she is brave and not foolish. That she can take the time to prepare herself properly, and that she will self-sacrifice for the good of the tribe, rather than the good of herself. That is my proposal." K'luha gave a curt not and rounded her head towards K'rei, baring her teeth. 

 

"As for you... You do not touch my sister and aide her like you know her. Give family who has cried and worried and lost days of sleep the privilege to treat her. You want to be a part of our tribe? Go do something more useful like begin setting up our defense for this attack." K'luha hissed loudly, stepping forward and moving to take her younger sister in her arms.

[Torvhan]

K'rei looked at the angry woman shocked for a moment, but slowly smiled. "I apologize for my brazen actions, I acted before I thought, I meant no disrespect." she carefully passed K'mana to the other woman.

 

She looked at K'luha "The results of are her trial are of course yours to administer; but it would have been remiss of me, to not speak for the courage I saw from the woman who saved my life. However on your other statement," She cocked her eyebrow. "I am no shaman, nor can I speak for the spirits but...dumb luck does not lead someone almost 300malms where one just happens to find a captured member of the Hipparion Tribe and word of an impeding attack on their tribe."

 

"I shall assist in preparing the defenses as you commanded" K'rei snapped a quick salute before retreating from the tent. When she left she was grinning. K'mana's sister was a firecracker but she obviously cared for her little sister. These were good people and she owed this tribe her life, she would have to fight hard to repay that debt. She sought out one of the senior huntresses to receive instructions.

 

((K'rei exits the scene stage right!))

[Atem]

K'manas story caused a storm of opinions and discussion amongst the gathered. The elders had gotten up to bother gather thoughts and restore a sense of order. They passed looks, signals and expressions hidden in the subtlest of motions. Except for K'jhanhi who was in a heated argument with a nunh.

 

It took quite a while for things to quiet down. As the elders finaly sat back down there was a tense smell in the warm evening wind. they knew that it was their guidance that decides the clans direction. But they where to old to carry the burden of their decision. Their experience gave trust to their children. Yet a mistake would be costly for their families.

 

K'takka spoke first into the expecting eyes:

"There have ever been two reasons for the Hipperion Tribe to fight: for food and to protect those of us who are to old or young."

 

K'jhanhi continued:

"We are the most dangerous predator in this desert. Because of our cunning, our planning and the pack-work to bring down the bigger, the sharper teethed and the thicker scaled."

 

K'deiki picked up:

"Azeyma watch over us all and as she travels across the sky so do we travel to avoid catastrophe. The only value we can not replace is the Miqo'te next to you."

 

She looked to K'atem next to her, who noded and then put her hand on the ground taking a fist full of sand. She raises the open hand to eyehight and spoke:

"The Sagolii is vast." She tossed the sand upward where the breeze spread it: "No one will ever find these grains again, yet they will allways be part of the desert, wherever they go. But even the desert ends where the deep ocean fights the land. If the grains fall into the waters they will not make a difference in the fight."

 

Each elder had given a diffrent wisdom on the problem they faced: Survival, their thoughts on fight or flight.

The campfire was started as it would surely become a long evening, perhaps even night of preparation and deliberation.