Chapter 7 A Wary Acceptance

“Be kind to those in need. They are your brothers, sisters, and at times, you yourself.”

-Teachings of the Great Spirit

Amal Village, Forest of Despair

Aira

I hate this… I even promised Vebrumma I’d call her Wakan from now on but she wouldn’t budge on the matter! It’s already been three weeks since I was forced to teach Daniel how to speak. He was scary after seeing him destroy a field with his bare hands but who knew he’d turn out to be so boring? All he does is study or meditate all day. And he’s sooooo slow. Why can’t he memorize things faster? Father even gave him a children's story book but I still see him looking at the alphabet scroll!

At this rate, I might be teaching Daniel for months oohuhu… I don’t get to see Chumo as much anymore because of him. A few days ago, Vebrumma called off the guard detail so I can’t even have Chumo here with me every other day.

I sat glaring at Daniel as he recited a children's song I taught him while drawing the corresponding pictures on a platter of dirt. “Mother… met an ancient… fairy… Asked of her… whom she… should marry… One hunts… dragons… one conjures… storms…”

Sooo slooow… I ended up eating my secret stash of candies every night to cheer myself up. I’ve been saving them since I was little but now I only have three left… What am I going to do? Oohuhu…

Glancing at my father’s treasured hour glass, it’s finally about time to end today’s session. It’s mid afternoon now and I have to get to my other chores. Maintenance on the furnace, preparing dinner for father and me… no time to see Chuno before dinner again… sigh. Maybe I should just marry him already.

Father says to wait a little longer until we get to Althea but it’s already been four years since I’ve come of age with no sign of leaving this place anytime soon. At nineteen, women normally have little ones tottering about. Having Chumo’s child… I’ll have to have another talk with father on this matter.

“That’s it for today. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I mutter and get up to leave.

“Aira,” Daniel called, bowing his head. “Thank you.”

At least he knows to be grateful. Sigh. Giving him a smile, I picked up the hourglass and left for my home.

…

Daniel

It’s only been three weeks but I’m making good progress on the new language. Thanks to Baglin and Aira, I can say a few different phrases now and almost memorized the alphabet. It definitely helps that I’m immersed in the language, hearing it spoken each day and having to speak it myself. I’m learning something new everyday. Aira doesn’t seem to like me but I’m grateful nonetheless.

Placing the tray of dirt outside, I spread a roll of leather on the table and looked over the notes I’ve compiled so far.

…

Language of the New World

Bufu - Boar

Katoo - Evil, wicked

Araka - Dragon

Gallus - Blue chicken thing

Cerastes - Giant snake

Puleh - Pure/Human

Lalai - Run

Sooah - Good

Ket - Listen

Ele - Because

Ululu - Afraid

Uleteh - In trouble, punishment

Tooat - succeed

Eechee - Climb

Sheutla - Tree

Olta - Come

Eh-eul - Leave

Ggeutchi - A type of edible grub

Hatla - Home

Soomha - Life

Sova - Awake

Pho - Breath

Eheto - Everyday

Haesan - Day

Yunan - Night

O-hh-meu - Want for food (hungry)

O-hh-tla - Want for water (thirsty)

Heuk - Fire

Chaheuk - Cook or form with fire

Huwa - Thanks

Huwanna - Thanks (respectful)

Han - Great

Ddibi - Dumb

Wakan - Title of holy one/healer

Ookito - Bring

Jeutla - Soup

Heumeh - Stinky

Juat - Stop

Datah - Here

Doh - That

Gitaran - Funny/silly one

Otahla - Call

Ahktahli - Language

Ohlen - What

Shutalo - Mystery/Unknown/Don’t know

Tahl - Speak

Ohata - Greetings/Hello

Korro - Rest

Chaku - Stuff/Items

Elatsu - Behave

Tsakana - It’s okay

Leti - This

Beh - Again

Joonga - Lazy

Meukun - To eat

Tlakun - To drink

Komah - Work

Ahkun - No do, do nothing

Waju - Teach

Hanah - Daughter

Kahno - Son

Ahbbata - Father

Ullena - Mother

Waluam - Elder

Wuluat - Ancient

Deelo - Long time

Satoli - Hunt

Selo - Turn

seloselo - Spin

Vileta - Spread out

Tukoom - Storm

Feja - Fairy

Jah - However, but

Jee - If

Eh - The/a

Pa - And

Tahtah - Yes

Tahna - Yes (respectful)

Aht - No

Tou - You

Toulei - Yours

Ha-oo - Everyone

Teh - Them

klo - He

kla - Her

Fah - Me/I

Pahno - Mine

Hahno - Our

Tekun - Puts a word into action usually only “kun” is added to end of a word

?

Na -

La -

Et -

Tte -

Eum - Word attached to a noun to signify ownership (My/Mine)

Tah - Placed at the end of a word to make it a statement. Sometimes used at end of a sentence signifying a strong statement

Suh - Question mark? Similar to “Tah”

Ahm - Placed at the end of a sentence when speaking to someone greater

Noh - Added before “you” for respect

Hhkah (sound the “h” with clenched teeth) - expression of disapproval

…

It’s a work in progress but I’m getting there.

Baglin had an assortment of items so I traded two cerastes scales for a couple rolls of soft leather and a small vial of ink. With these I’ve been writing every new word I learned to help memorize everything.

Taking a feather pen I borrowed from a blue chicken outside, I started adding in the new words I learned today.

…

“Whew.” Today, I decided to walk around the village before dinner. Aside from physical training in the morning to keep in shape, I’ve been holing myself up, studying and meditating. I wouldn’t have made it here alive if it wasn’t for this power so I figure continuing to cultivate it wouldn’t hurt. But all work and no play makes Danny a dull boy.

The villagers are still wary of me but I try my best to be friendly and greet them. Usually I get a small nod but some of them quickly walk away as if being seen by me would infect them with something. I’ll win them over in time I guess. For now, I’ll learn to talk. Making friends can come later.

Reaching the small open space between the buildings and plantations, I see a small crowd chatting around something big hanging from a wooden post. “What the hell is that?”

Curious, I went to get a better look. Suspended by its feet was a large, pink, overgrown pig bleeding bright red blood from a slit throat. It was clearly a pig but, it’s limbs were weird, as if they were arms and legs. Are those freaking hands?!

“Ah, Daniel. ~ ~ ~ hunt ~ ~.” Dasan, the chief of the village spoke too quickly for me to catch everything but I guess he’s saying something about what the warriors hunted. Bowing my head, I greeted him and went back to gawking at the abomination. The mythical ‘Orc’ came to mind and I’ve read of them from stories without much thought but physically seeing something like this in front of me was unnerving. It’s like the pig was trying to become human. I felt revulsion as the image of something I’d normally eat was combined with the familiarity of a humanoid figure.

Okay, it’s probably not that bad. I mean people on Earth eat monkeys in some countries right? I could just… imagine this as something like a monkey… Ugh, even its junk looks human.

Unfortunately, whether it was the pink color of the skin or the hands and feet on the creature, I couldn’t remove it from the ‘people’ category of my subconscious mind.

Below the orc, were several large clay pots filled to the brim with its blood. Once the blood flow slowed to a trickle, the pots were moved out of the way, and one of the hunters walked up with a knife. He cut off the genitals, and threw it towards the onlookers, raising yelps and laughter. My eye twitched as I looked at the piece of flesh at my feet.

The hunter then started slicing into the beast, letting intestines drop with a *schlop*. That was my cue to leave. I should have stuck with meditation.

Saying goodbye to the chief, I turned and left the area. If I’m going to live in this world, I’ll have to get used to stuff like this I guess. There are going to be things that clash with the normalcy that I know. The sooner I accept and adopt the new norms, the better. Maybe I’ll ask to join them in their hunts once I can communicate properly.

Reaching the low stone wall of the outer perimeter, I strengthened my body with chi and climbed a tree to look over the village. Smooth, light brown rooftops of stone caught the late afternoon sunlight and stood prominently in the middle of a deceptively peaceful forest.

Off to the side, I see a single man digging a series of deep ditches, his rabbit ears drooped in exhaustion. While working the shovel, he was giving me angry looks from his hole. What’s his problem? From the looks of it, he’s being punished for something. Don’t take it out on me dude. When I tried to wave at him, he turned away and continued digging. Whatever.

I sat, taking in the view and thinking of my future. Will I stay here, living among these people? I’m not sure what I’d even do here. I was planning on living a simple life but that was back on Earth where I still had access to technology and the option to see the city whenever I wanted to. Here… it’s a little too simple. I’ll have to learn more about this world to see what my options are but if the level of technology is as low as it looks, I’ll have to keep my expectations low as well. Maybe I should build stuff… or become a teacher. That might be good.

Honestly, I still have reservations about being around people but this is a new start in more ways than one. I should learn to accept people again… though rooting out trust issues are easier said than done. A part of me even suspects ulterior motives from the Wakan, whose real name I learned was Vebrumma. Still, at least with her and Hania, it wouldn’t hurt to trust them a little. Though, there’s no way I’ll tell them I’m from another world.

Lifting a hand, I made a ball of chi and stretched it as far as I could. I’ve found that it can be stretched thinly to over fifty meters but the further it gets, the harder to control, eventually dissipating at the end.

Watching the yellow string of light twirl and loop before me, I sat in the tree pondering until sunset.

…

Sitting around the infirmary table, Hania said a prayer and we started eating. She often brought her daughter, Kaya, around and ate with me. I’m really thankful to her, not only for feeding and taking care of me these past few weeks but also making me feel welcome. It’s been years since I last sat down with someone for a meal. Although eating alone never really bothered me, it was a nice feeling, sharing a meal with other people.

Dinner was vegetable soup again with a plate of roasted meat shared between the three of us. Hania placed bits of meat onto her daughters spoon as the little girl dipped it into the stew, carefully balancing it into her tiny mouth. Kaya’s short bunny ears and little hands melted me inside. She’s so adorable!

Kaya is with her mother most of the time but Yamka, the girl who threw the rock at me, sometimes comes by to take her away. The other day, after an outing with Yamka, Kaya came up to me during my meditation, with a fat green grub wiggling in her hand. “Guetchi!” She told me, followed by, “Eat it!”

I took the fat bug with two fingers, wondering if they bite when Kaya opened the little leather bag strapped across her shoulder, and pulled out another grub. I was horrified as she stuck it in her mouth, making a wet popping sound, and panicked, calling out to Hania. Her mother just laughed and assured me it was okay, eating one herself.

As long as there are other foods available, I doubt I’ll be trying the geutchies any time soon. It gave me a bit of a scare, but knowing Kaya tried to share her snack with me made me grateful to the little munchkin.

Looking at the mother and daughter, I made a silent promise to repay their kindness one day.

…

After dinner, I went into my dream world as usual. I’ve been cautiously exploring the world of gray these past 3 weeks. Whatever I heard on my first outing was gone but I would occasionally hear things scurrying away beyond the haze. For a while, the scene was unchanging no matter how much I warped ahead but just last week, I came across what looked like ruins of a building. The walls were crumbled and broken, barely making an outline of where the structure once stood. In the center were piles of fractured stone and dust making it difficult to tell what kind of place this was. Curious, I dug around for a while but once it was clear I wasn’t going to find anything, I moved on. Days had passed with nothing of note since then.

Arriving in my ‘sanctuary,’ as I started calling it, I went straight to the exit and opened a small hole through the barrier. Once I was sure there wasn’t anything out there, I expanded the opening and once again entered the world of gray.

After experimentation, I discovered, with chi, I could open a window into my sanctuary from anywhere out here. There was also an unseen connection between me and the last place I exited from. I couldn’t see or physically feel it but I knew it was there, connecting me to my hideaway.

Checking the mark I left in the sand, I continued traveling in the same direction as last time. I’m not sure what I’m expecting to find out here but I figure, the more of the unknown I know, the better off I might be in the future.

The thought that this whole thing was a bad idea crossed my mind a few times but whether I was high off of my new abilities or just excited to explore a mysterious world only I had access to, I kept ignoring it. Even if I decided to stop now, just knowing about this place would nag at the back of my mind until I returned again. Plus, that ruin I found added to my, already, burning curiosity. I have so many questions.

I’m speculating the light in my sanctuary is my soul or spirit and the body I have now is an extension of one or the other. But if that’s the case, what is this place? Some kind of spirit plane? There’s definitely something alive here that’s been following me while keeping itself hidden. If it’s a person, I might be able to get some answers. If it’s something else… I can handle myself. Probably.

I warped forward, keeping my ears open for any noise, ready to rush to whatever’s been following me, but all was silent. To my disappointment, it was another uneventful night.

…

…

…

***

The two moons shined brightly overhead as a wolfkin silently approached the well, where an Amal warrior was washing off a thick layer of dirt and sweat from his body.

“Trying to sneak up on me Mato? I can smell your ugly mug a mile away.”

“Ahaha, can’t help it. Old habits. How much longer do you have on the pits?”

“Ugh,” The rabbitkin grunted in regret as his month-long punishment was a constant reminder of is failure. “A little over a week left.”

Mato smiled, his fangs glistening in the moonlight. “Isn’t it a little unfair? I mean, nobody got hurt right?”

“Sigh. Yeah, but it was my watch. I became complacent, even falling asleep during my shift. Had it been a monster or Gathalian, those children… sigh. This was on me. I don’t like it but I deserve the punishment.”

The wolfkin furrowed his scarred brows at the warrior’s reply. “If it wasn’t for that pure, you wouldn’t have to be wasting everyday digging latrines. It’s the pure’s fault you’re in trouble in the first place.”

This time the rabbitkin furrowed his brows and stopped rinsing himself. “The pure, Daniel, isn’t responsible for my mistakes. Mato, what are you trying to do here?”

“Dakei, that pure has been a freeloader since he got here. He’s a leech. A parasite! We still don’t know where he came from! And now Wakan is just letting him roam freely as if he is one of us?! Help me get rid of him. We don't have to kill him, just... get him out of here.”

Dakei looked off to the side in thought. “Mato, you know the Forest Shadows are watching his every move. Wakan wouldn’t leave a stranger completely alone.” Turning back to the wolfkin with a concerned look, he spoke softly. “It’s true we’re showing Daniel a lot of hospitality but that is the way of our people. It is a shame, in the eyes of the Great Spirit, to turn away those in need. Besides, I heard he’s trying to learn our language. We’ll be able to learn of his origins soon…”

“He’s dangerous!”

“Mato! That’s enough my friend.”

“Your naivete will get you all killed!” Mato scowled and stormed away in anger.