Flashback A Friend [Part 2]

[Kiera]

Keira 46th Spring 513AV *OOC Note* I will be referring to Keira by the name she was given before she changed it. “Oh my—!” Reika’s voice echoed clearly across her room as she stared at the looming figure above her. Her mouth opened and closed as she looked at the tiger and then back at the collar in her hand. That…was not what she had expected. The tongue that rasped across her cheek made her squeak and flail. “Kor, stop!” The tiger stopped, only to stare at her and sway its tail from left to right. Amusement, washed off of him in waves. Reika stood up and scrambled backwards. Her eyes were still wide as she stared awestruck. It had been weeks since she had been gifted a friend by her father and day by day, she had spent it by the other’s side. By the morning of her third week, curiosity was already eating away at her. The black choker that was wrapped against her friend’s neck had been bothering her for weeks. She did not like that he was wearing it. Slave or not, he had quickly become her friend first and friends, did not wear things like that. At least, her friends would not. So finally, she had snapped and tugged the offending material off her friend. The subsequent transformation was one that she had not been expecting. Kelvic…her friend had been a Kelvic the entire time. Rubbing her face of the saliva, Reika groaned. She was just adjusting to her new found friendship so this…this was new. Staring at the tiger standing in the tatters of its clothes, the girl cocked her hand on her waist and huffed. “You could have told me!” Kor huffed, his tail swung just a bit faster with his amusement. Now it all made sense. The book her father gave her, the one on tigers that she read until it was worn. The collar, the snickers her father gave her when he thought she was not paying attention. He had simply been waiting for her to find out. “Jerk…” She murmured even as she moved to card her hand through the thick fur. Marveling at the softness, the girl ended up smiling before smacking the other on the shoulder. All it had taken was a friend and slowly, the girl had come out of her shell. It was more apparent, towards those she was close too but it obvious overall, none the less. “I am…going to have to learn about Kelvics aren’t I?” She gave him a half-hearted glare. Learning, was not something she was ever opposed too. She was naturally curious anyways. It would not be hard for her to find a book to read on them anyways. She was quite sure, her father had a book somewhere. And she was right. A single flight of stairs up and into the man’s personal library revealed a book, shelved neatly away in alphabetical order. It was thin but that was all there was in the small room. Petite fingers leafed through the pages. Some of it looked sparse, some of it looked detailed but overall, there was not much. Looking at her companion, she sighed before flopping herself down on the floor and nestling herself into the fur she was learning to like. She would read, she had too, until she understood something. Anything, was better than nothing. It would not be easy though. The scrawls on the ‘book’ looked more like personal notes and thoughts, it was already hard enough to understand but at thirteen, there was only so much she could actually grasp the theory of. Giving up after the first chapter, the dark haired girl sighed before looking at her companion. The only thing she had gleaned so far was something called bonds and…lifespans. Brown eyes narrowed with thought before she went back to the shelf to pull out the book about tigers. She quickly leafed through the pages until her eye spotted the time line. Her hand balled into a fist. Eighteen years…she would only have a chance to spend eighteen years with her friend before it ended. Eighteen years, felt like nothing to the thirteen year old girl. She snapped the book shut before turning away to curl and cling onto her furry friend. She wanted more than eighteen years. This was not fair, not fair at all. She curled even harder as she was nuzzled. “I don’t want you to die before me.” It might have been an utterly selfish thing to say but he was her first friend, her only friend admittedly. There was other children around of course but they were… different. She was not sure why but it was what her mother told her. They were the children of the slaves that worked for the family but for the life of her, Reika did not understand why her mother was so against her being in their company. Those kids…were just kids right? A bump against her head caused her to look up and her face cringed as she was licked. Her previous thoughts, were pushed aside as she parted her damp hair. “Kor…” She growled before speeding after the tiger that had bolted out the library door and down the hall. Laughter, echoed in the space they left behind.

[Konrad Venger]

Nice job! Your work has pleased The Sloth! Keira XP: Observation - 1 Anthropology - 1 Lore: Kor: Kelvic Slave... and Friend The Sadness of Mortality Researching Kelvics Click Me! : Awww, another fine little thread! Kinda lurched into something sad and desperate when she realizes his lifespan, and I can't help but think a thirteen-year-old WOULDN'T think that eighteen years was "short". But Keira isn't the average tween, so fair point made, ha! Oh, and please make sure you go back and edit your post in the Request Thread to reflect the fact this one is now done and dusted. PM me with any questions and later 'tater!