April 12, 1172
Tavrin's gait as he approached was not the spirited stride Atala knew, but it was getting late and dark and cold, so she could ignore his demeanor for now; at least he was safe. "Good to see you back."He gave her a smile, but it didn't swell past his lips. His eyes were steely and alert, their gaze sweeping across the walled compound before at last settling on her own. "Is the baby here?"
Atala shook her head. "She's with your sister. Why? What did he say?"
It had been over a year now since their elders had left--their grandparents, both their fathers. They had managed so far, just as they always had, keeping out of sight for the most part, letting the Dovans go about their business as they went about their own. Creatures such as herself and Tavrin were a different breed from their forebears, and it had always felt lonely; they were not quite human, and yet hardly anything more, and so they had been left behind. It was only now that they had even been contacted, and not even with a proper visit--only a call from an old relic, heralded by a dream."He says they are well."
Well--that did not sound quite right. They had been "well" when one of the elders had returned from a hunting trip. They had been "well" when their grandfather had discovered another way to the realm of the ancestors. Where they were now, from what she'd been led to believe, the elders should have been far more than simply "well". "That's... surprising."
"So I thought." He crossed his arms against his chest and frowned. She supposed Tavrin was the patriarch now--if nothing else, he was the eldest--but she did not think he liked being the leader. He was a free spirit. He lived and let live, or at least would have preferred it to be so; unfortunately for all of them, the rest of them needed someone to make the decisions for them, as their grandfather had always been so willing to do. "All they ever wanted was to join the ancestors. The way their eyes always lit up when the thought was voiced, I would have expected ecstasy."
"Likewise." He looked almost sorrowful. The elders had not always been fair, but Atala and her generation had never wished them ill--they'd raised them, after all. Tavrin, like all of them, had hoped they would find what they were looking for. It was a blow to think they hadn't. "How did he sound?""Honestly?" She nodded. His eyes flickered to the forest floor as he sighed. "Disappointed."
Atala felt a twinge in her spine. Nothing pleasant ever happened when their grandfather was disappointed. "You think he'll find a way to adjust?"
"I can only hope," he muttered, the light of the setting sun streaking against his hair as he turned his head, "but really? It seems more likely that he'll come back here. Maybe not for a while--maybe not until we're all dead and gone--but at some point."
Frowning, Atala closed her eyes and stepped forward. When the elders had left, she and hers had ceased to be a part of "them"--at least, the "them" the elders saw. Now that they were something separate... were they fair game? The elders would not protect them from the elders. They were the elders now. "Because he is disappointed?"
"No." Tavrin's arms dropped to his sides, resigned, but not quite defeated. "Because he is bored."NEXT CHAPTER:
9 comments:
Well, this certainly has to be the earliest post in recent memory :S
A note on why Tavrin is actually speaking properly here: he and Atala are not speaking whatever language the Dovians speak. They're speaking their own language.
My general rule of thumb when it comes to languages? If the POV character understands the language being spoken, the dialogue gets written out in English; if they don't, the dialogue gets written out in the actual language. I occasionally break this convention for effect, but usually that's how it is with my stuff.
OK I saw the time over there and I had to say something
How the fish can you write like that this early in the morning?
I'm impressed you did though.
Oh no, oh no, oh no. This does not sound good at all!
Please don't have them come back. Especially not so soon after we got rid of them! *begs on knees*
Geneva's sacrifice will become meaningless! *sobs*
Oh noes! The evil Naron can't come back! Bad Naron, bad, bad!
*begins biting nails for Naroni*
Though Tavrin is awfully good as a leader, and Atala sure is a cutie! Those eyes she has are very pretty. :D
Joseph: I was pretty shocked too. I went to bed early-ish last night (about 1:30... early for me) because I had a headache, then ended up getting up early, and I was the only one home all morning, so... productive time? :P I had the pictures already, and it only took me about an hour to write the post.
But normally I am horrible in the mornings. Horrible :S
Ann: I'll assure you right now that I have no immediate plans for the Naron to return. I wrote this post with two objectives in mind:
1) Give some insight as to Tavrin's thoughts on Deian and the whole situation.
2) Establish the possibility of a return at some point in the near or distant (likely distant) future, just in case.
Morgaine: ...err, what I told Ann :P
Atala is probably the conventionally pretty one of the half-Naron? I can't remember off the top of my head what Iata looks like from her better angles, but judging by her family tree pic, she is very much Girl-Tavrin--nothing horrible to look at, but not quite as cute as Atala.
I believe those are Enayla's Knowledge Eyes--there's a link on Atala's profile page if you're interested, although I think they come bundled with a skin.
Tavrin does the best he can as leader--probably better than any of the rest of them would do--but I think if given the choice, he'd rather just frolic around and spy on the Dovans :S
Oh dear... oh dear, oh dear. This does not sound good.
Fortunately, it's not an immediate concern, but it's still something to keep in mind :S
Dun dun DUNNN! I don't know what else to say at this point. And thus I will read on.
That works :)
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