Closed Into The Emeralds

[Ruby Majalenka]

[1st Spring 511]

To Ruby, it seemed on the rough wooden trunks of the jungle facade backdropping Shining Scale Village were carved creased faces - some the smiles of predators, some of victims' horrors - blending with the dark and dim under the canopy into an art depicting the spirits peering and sneering from within.

Barely a hospitable welcome.

She walked along the main village path, occasionally nodding to greet any Myrians she made eye contact with while silently cursing her mother. 'Find a place to sleep for tonight, gears for tomorrow, and friends for ever.' as the White Scholar said it to her daughter as dusk started to rage on the western skies, while in reality she simply wanted to spend some time under a lush spot she passed earlier. However the White Scholar once again proved her strange wisdom as Ruby did find the Myrians interesting.

Myrians lived in raised wooden longhouses, perhaps to anticipate summer flash floods or wild animals, with the area under the house usually for pigs or chickens. Their outhouses served as a bathing place also, situated on a pond to allow refuses to be eaten by the catfishes that the pond was full of. Ingenious.

Another thing Ruby noticed was that laziness was not tolerated; she never saw a Myrian taking a rest without a tired look on (though young Myrians were not without mischief; a few threw Firecracker Flowers at her early on to which she jumped in surprise but enjoyed the lingering honey scent released) And judging from the amount of leather-working related objects around, it seemed the cannibals' proficiency extended beyond survival, weapons, and the art of killing. Another week with them and she might've noticed they were also a matriarchal society.

The great race had equally magnificent mounts. There were the Myrian Tigers, enormous cats with grass-patterned camouflages and sabre-sized fangs which was used as the upgraded version of horses by the more distinguished riders. Ruby couldn't get the exact measures of the beast, but she knew riding on one would spread her legs to their limits. As if to belittle the beast's strength, there were still the Tskannas, massive six-tusked bluish-green pachyderms whose peaceful demeanor betrayed their appearance, although several swarms of Comet Blood Moth still dared to feast on them as of now.

Despite the dangers, Falyndar was not without allure.

A funeral pyre for 30-year-old man was on the village square that day. As the flames were lit, a dance telling the life story of the deceased was in motion. It started as humble and whimsical, the rhythm of the small drums neatly tattered in the manner of a walking infant, the ribs xylophone conveying a curious innocence. As the rhythm of the drum grew fast and adventurous, the xylophone maintained its manner to soften the transition into what seemed to be adolescence before gradually settling down, the drum carrying on. Seconds of gap. Then two short conch shell flute staccatos ended by a long persistent note boldly announced the blooming of adulthood. Along with the intensifying of the big drums, other woodwinds and rattles mimicked the sound of the woods. The atmosphere of a hunt. It ended all of a sudden with all the drums and dancers letting out a short powerful shout.

The wounds suggested that in a hunt to prove himself he was struck down by the supposedly prey.

"And his soul will be reclaimed by Myri." whispered a voice beside Ruby. It was customary for her mother to suddenly appear at the most convenient times. "It was said that Myri struck a deal with Dira."
Ruby thought for a moment. "But fate was Lhex's domain, wasn't it ? Reincarnation is fate, right ?"
"But death is Dira's domain, dear. Death is before reincarnation." she said, patting her daughter's head as Ruby leaned on her.

Glancing at the sharp-shadowed emerald jungle canopy, they silently agreed that it might not be so bad to be killed here after all.

[Traverse]

It was a rare thing to see Konti in Falyndar. Myrians could respect a race of all women, even if their amicable nature prone to healing and seeing the future unnerved them to a degree. The individuals of the Shining Scale village had seen more of the scaled aquatic race than most any, however, and at the very least no Konti was going to bring trouble. Because of this Ruby and her mother had found almost sincere hospitality and curiosity upon their arrival.

The clan elder, Certilop sat watching the affair with even eyes that had seen a lifetime of the dangerous consequences of Falyndar's wilds. A few tears from the hunter's family were shed, a grim air to the proceedings, but upon the end of music, swaying bodies ceasing a more calm drum beat reverberated through the village. Crackling fires had been roasting meat as the central one had consumed the man's body. Suddenly bone and wooden cups with water and fruit juices were being passed around along with sticks slathered with crackling meat. The Konti were provided with sustenance as well, and fresh fruit was available to the two along with the pig meat, a large boar that had been brought back along with the body.

Though the Leaping Fish clan wasnn't unkind, this was still a night of death, and no one was particularly chatty either, if the Konti women wanted to depart from the village into the jungle which had killed one of the Leaping Fish's warriors, they would have to ask.
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[Ruby Majalenka]

"Don't you have to watch your figure ? The secrets of the universe may be guarded by scholars, but the world is run by fools who quell none their impulses." said the White Scholar with mild disdain when her daughter accepted a stick of boar. "That rule only applies to you, mother. I am but a young girl, it'd take a special kind of libido to fall for a flowerbud like me." she replied with mock formality while taking a bite out of her boar. "Though personally I think there's nothing wrong with paedophilia-" Her words were cut by her mother's nudge. "The phrase silence is golden proves true for you, unless you've learned what kind of topics are appropriate in public places." On a rare display of affection, she patted Ruby's head. "See the boar in your hand. What differs it and us is that we inquire into the truth of our existence. Who are we ? What's our purpose for existing ? Why do we suffer ? How can I liberate myself from this suffering ? It is out these simple questions that civilization is established, maintained, and toppled." Ruby waited. It was her mother's habit to always put the question last. Meanwhile she was preparing to refute with the case of Kelvics. "Animals do not plan that far ahead because to them death is simply a discomfort. Those who build kingdoms and pursue knowledge as a buffer against death are those who regard death more than what it actually is; a cruel faceless abyss that's constantly trying to wrestle the gift of life from our hands. In truth, since our fates are already determined from the very beginning, life, and the implied gift of choice, is an illusion. Therefore, we are already dead, in philosophical terms." Forget the Kelvics, Ruby just wanted her mother to shut up now. "Of course, I haven't delved into the duality of predestination and our free will, but I see you've heard more than you can absorb at the moment." The White Scholar smiled benignly. "Now that's how a proper academic language sounds. If you like to satirize sexual topics so much, at least learn to conceal it behind verbose language." From the corner of Ruby's vision, a beautiful short-haired woman emerged. She wore a dress made of sisal, a common cloth in jungle areas woven from stiff tropical bast plants. There was something about her that stood out, and attracted Ruby to her. "Mother, do you think she might help us if I ask nicely ?" to which her mother nodded with concealed interest. If only she had been more mature, Ruby would've been aware as her mother that the reason Targuv stood out was the air of death and murder surrounding her. As Ruby approached her, Targuv eyed the little Konti the whole time. Ruby felt a thrill with a tinge of fear as she tried poorly to act natural and avoid eye contact until she was close enough to talk. "H-hello." she bowed, awkwardly. "I'm wondering if you could help me and my mother find a guide willing to take us through the woods to Taloba ?"