She was born to a woman in Kenash who sold her girl children to the slavers and worked her sons to the bone. Born weak and small, deaf and blind with a pale hue that spoke of death to the superstitious woman; Lilun was nearly killed on sight but it was her oldest brother who spared their mothers hand and took up Lilun in his arms and defended the babe from their mother venomously until throwing up her hands the woman gave the child to her oldest with the warning she would pay nothing for the babe’s life. So it was Lilun lived unknown to her mother, a female and in just a few weeks her eyes cleared and her ears opened; and she changed.
Her oldest brother was delighted and swore he knew his sister was a Kelvic, pink eyes and white hair could be nothing else; definitely not some spirit their mother thought she had been, or wrong in the head. The brother’s name was Kinba and besides him Lilun had two more brothers name Jerik and Truts; short simple names for bastard children their mother claimed. Lilun was not named by her, but her oldest brother who said if she could be known as a girl it would have been Luna like the moon cause it’s what she looked like when she was born, only lots more pink cause blood. He said Lilun sounded girly enough but not too much so no one would know. Kinba was thirteen when Lilun was born but he had a job working in the swamps picking roots and what money he could keep from their mother he had bought food for Lilun and even begged clothing off of others.
It was a harsh place Kenash, dangerous animals were everywhere and the people were cold and unfeeling in the section they lived in. No one had the money they wanted but the slavers and if you went to them you were likely beat or worse. Still Kinba was a strong and smart boy, stubborn and thrifty but all too easily he was led by the ear into trouble and come home with bruises. Jerik was the son of some Isur and at ten he had a large mouth and big hands often swinging them about when he lost his temper. Truts on the other hand, was a pure human and thought that made him best, even if he was five. Kinba though was the son of a Drykas and would tell Lilun how when he saved up enough he would go in search for his father.
Unlike the rest of them Kinba got to meet his father and they got along well; but the father had been tricked by their mother into believing his son was safe and well cared for wanting to stay with her. Scared the man would return Kinba was taught by their mother grudgingly. He knew his letters and some numbers so when he went root picking he would always haggle and fight over prices since he knew better ones cost more. When Lilun learned to walk Kinba started teaching her to talk. Mostly Lilun was left alone, her brother gone out working and her mother whoring. Teaching her to speak went slowly and painfully but Kinba was a kind soul and he did not mock his sister who stuttered then would cry.
As Lilun was able to move more, Kinba took her out with him and soon together they picked more roots then any of the other boys but while Lilun would give what she made to their mother, Kinba would only give a tiny bit and so saving soon became much easier. It wasn’t always work, Lilun had trouble sitting still and working for a long time but also learning so Kinba would often let her change to stretch her small wings away from prying eyes. It wasn’t safe if anyone knew Lilun was a Kelvic or worse a girl. Kinba would make her swear never to change without him, and never take off any clothes. Lilun grew quickly and their mother didn’t miss her fair looks and suddenly she was in her gaze.
She would brush her hair and scold her for being dirty, or she would make her eat more because her ribs showed too much. Kinba would quickly usher her away from their mother saying that she had said Lilun was his. This worked for a little while but when Kinba and she were outside working Lilun changed and for the first time she managed to fly. She was four months old at this point and she and her brother had saved a lot from working together, Lilun had also learned she could hunt animals and those sold much better than the roots. She was seen though, and word reached their mother so very quickly. Kinba and Lilun came home only for Kinba to be struck by a heavy fist and Lilun snatched into a grip of their mother. She stunk of alcohol and her teeth were becoming poor because of her new drug addiction.
“A Kelvic, she was a fucking Kelvic and you said nothing you good for nothing son!” Lilun was shook at each word. She was still small and far too thin, the rough treatment made her start crying. “I could have sold her for tons and you kept her to yourself!” Kinba was picking himself off the muddy floor; a bruise was under his eye. “You didn’t want her, said she was mine! I paid for everything for her now let Lilun go!” Their mother laughed and shoving and pulling Lilun she went to a closet where they were punished. A small dark and wet room that locked on the outside; Lilun was thrust into it, the door slamming in her face.
She had been in here before, she would cry and be unable to stop and angry their mother locked her away. “That was before, this is now. You’re a child and have no right in talking to me like that. The Kelvic’s gunna make me rich! A female Kelvic is good gold.” Lilun paled in the dark sniffling and crying. She heard her brother swear it wouldn’t happen then no sound at all. A couple of days went by like that she was forced to change to keep warm form the wet cold of the room, and then the door was opened and she was picked up. She quickly started purring and curled into the warmth of her brother. “Come on Lilun, were going. I got us a ride out. You to Riverfall and me to where dad’s band was last seen yea?” She didn’t care at the time, didn’t think about it only happy to be out of the dark.
Their other two brothers met them looking unhappy but sad. “Jerik, Truts keep good; get away when you can ya?” The two other boys nodded and then they were off Lilun clutched tightly to her brother despite mud coating her white fur. It was dark she saw as they hurried out, a man with a cart and horse was waiting looking angry for doing so; his face souring when he saw the two. “I thought you said it was your sister, what’s that then?” He peered at the dirty creature his lips lifting in a sneer. “A pet?” Kinba sneered right back shoving his hand out clutching Lilun tighter so not to drop her. “Like I was saying my sister, she’s a Kelvic; not going to be a problem.” The man grunted and counted the coins before looking the two over some more. “Yea well,” and he thrust a coin back to Kinba. “She’s tiny.” Kinba wide eyed put the coin safely back with the others.
No more was said about it as the man hurried them to the cart and with the sound of a lashing whip the horse was off. The traveling was slow, the man not in any hurry but it was still faster then had they walked. Lilun was allowed to change back and clean herself off. The man said nothing about it, not when one night Lilun came back carrying a plump rabbit in her jaws. The man was friendly enough and decided the two were running from something, he never liked Kenash himself. “You two know any good stories? I got a nice one for you, the Akalak; know why they being those colors?” Both shook their heads. They had only ever heard stories of the men there being funny colored. “Well said long time ago their race was like us, they had pink brown or black skin yea; well one day they were digging in the mountains and came across some stones.” The man took a hit from a pipe, the smoke curling yellow as he breathed out.
“Those men like the colors so they ground the stones up nice and good and made a paste. On a day to celebrate they covered themselves head to toe only finding after it didn’t come off!” The man laughed heartily but the siblings looked at each other in confusion. “They washed and bathed over and over and not a one could get the color off and when next one had a son low and behold it was the same color as the da!” Kinba smiled and nodded but Lilun just stared. The man huffed and poked the pipe against Lilun’s shoulder. “You gunna be living with them soon kid, better be thinking of em soon I suspect.” Confused Lilun had turned her eyes to his brother who grimaced.
“You can’t come with me, you are too small and you would get sick and die.” This was hardly fair and Lilun complained very vocally until her brother distracted her with a thin book. “Look I bought you something before, see this is a real one to not some made up one those ones ma had.” Lilun took the thin volume and opened it to find carefully written words and as she read she realized it was words she knew besides words that were unfamiliar or down right unknown. “It’s called Tukant, better to learn that while we are going there.” He reached up and stroked his sisters head before turning to the other man and discussing horses, an interest Lilun knew her brother nearly prayed to at times.
So they traveled on and Lilun with her brother help started reading the thin book. It was no worse than learning to speak the first time though for all of that Lilun much preferred flying or playing in the grass which was becoming more common as they kept going. The man warmed up to the two and started telling them of Riverfall since he traded there a lot. They liked fish there, and were big on being strong and active but they didn’t seem to hate those who simply couldn’t. He explained that they lived for hundreds of years and the siblings were amazed. “Yea you poor Kelvic living like you do, die before they even be out of baby years!” The man laughed unaware that Lilun had flinched and Kinba had looked away.
Lilun had been told by her older brother one day when Lilun had told him he would be just as smart when she was thirteen; that Lilun wouldn’t get to be so old. It was a sore subject and maybe a little why Kinba was leaving his sister in Riverfall. Days passed and the man told many stories all of which Lilun had trouble believing were true. He also told them about the slave trade and the price for fish; simple normal things the siblings never would have thought to ask about. He showed Kinba how to make a fire while Lilun took no interest in it at all claiming she had her fur.
Days turned to weeks and weeks into a month and Lilun grew before their eyes. Her body filled out some and her hair grew longer and standing beside her brother she started to look the elder one. Her brother only out of habit cut her hair again for her. She was read more of the language book and her brother soon took to talking to her in Tukant and Lilun was made to answer in the same even if she thought it made her sound like she was biting at her own tongue. One day they happen across a small bunch of Yowling and Lilun changed in a blink on an eye, taking off after them. This was the first time she and her brother had seen an animal like her. The small group was wary of her at first but Lilun soon had them in play.
Together they dived at each other trying to pounce on each other’s back in flight before making the other crash into the ground. Lilun realized she was a kitten to most of them when one of the females asked after her mother. She had nothing for this and said gone, and that was that. For the whole day Lilun was playing, the cart slowly moving along and the Yowlwings following it since Lilun did. When night fell the small group curled up together in a pile of fur and feather purring and chirping in their sleep, but as day came the others had to leave and Lilun sat again beside her brother watching as they flew off. They were happy and simple, and didn’t understand a lot of what she tried to say to them. She didn’t understand, and at asking her brother was told offhandedly that they were only animals before what he said made Kinba’s eyes widen and he hurriedly turned to his sister to find her gone.
Lilun had changed and took off. For a few days she stayed away from the man and her brother, only the man spotting her now and then reassured Kinba his sister was following but when Lilun did come back neither of them spoke about what had happened. The book was put away and her brother not really looking at her, handed her a small plush doll. It was a small white cat with pink stone eyes. It wasn’t anything amazing or even life like, but she knew her brother must have made it; the rabbit she killed must have given its fir for this. With a small smile she hugged her brother, the stuffed doll squished between them.
Lilun grew and reaching Riverfall she looked like she was in her early teen’s as she stood in human skin. Her brother and she parted, Kinba’s last words was that he was happy to have Lilun for a sister; the man had told her to go to the inn, handing Lilun a small pack and waving away her thanks telling her that her brother helped fill it out. She waved to her brother who smiled and have a cheerful full armed wave back, and Lilun just held the plush cat until they faded in the distance. Just like that she was alone; facing a future so unknown she couldn’t see a step in front of her.
She took a peek into her bag and couldn’t help the smile. Girl clothes in bright cheerful colors sat in the bag, her first pair she would own.
![[Note by Astator]](./images/note.png "[Note by Astator]")
Lilun 
by Lilun on September 16th, 2015, 6:21 am 
Mr. Blue, he can change colors and seems to like waving about pointy sticks. Also seems oddly fascinated with things on the ground. Maybe he just likes sticks? Need to find out how he changes colors and make him do it again! Also likes to stare and has shown concern over me hurting him, he is odd!
She is really amazing for a human, able to catch a fish without any hooks lines or claws! She’s sort of odd though, doing it when it’s windy and cold. That wasn’t so very smart, but she’s really nice and didn’t seem to mind me being Kelvic at all. Yay!