Din and the Riverside (Flashback & Solo)

[Caehli Galesong]

((Intro)) When I was young, only eleven winters old, I was positive that the worst feeling ever was to miss out on something. Nothing felt worse than feeling left out, not feeling the same joy or surprise as your friends. Not only did you feel boiling jealousy but pain and loneliness. This pain would lodge itself in my chest like a terrible cold and all my emotions would bubble up until I could not take it anymore. Jealousy or animosity would spill out like a geyser, bursting trying to reach the blue skies. I remember feeling excruciating pain the days the women would take their young girls out and wash clothes by the river. It was just a custom of the women in my encampment to teach their daughters how to wash and dry clothes by the riverbed. They would sing songs of praise to Zulrav and other gods as they toiled over their family's laundry. You see at around Springtime, all of Endrykas would travel up along the coast to trade with Riverfall, at this same time the rainy season would act like our herald to the Akvatari. Showers, monsoons and storms would foretell the coming of the trading season. Rivers would snake themselves in the Sea of Grass like veins of fresh rainwater in the vast body of plains. It was just convenient for the wives, sisters and mothers to wash the clothes along the riverside at the end of the day. Slowly as time passed it became a tradition among our encampment, so that they could pass on secrets and tricks to the next generation of brides to be. It was infuriating and upsetting for me because after all to this day I do not know my mother. Kalla the Eypharian women who gave birth to me was a deadly femme fatale. She had lured my father in with her exotic skin and drug him down into a emotional death with her eight arms, like some sort of terrible spider.Then she disappeared for ten months only to appear again for only a moment.After giving me the breath of life she left me in the Sea of Grass helpless and defenseless to the wolves and what have you. Although my father weaves the story into some sort of sick fairy tail, I see it plain and simple. She came and left, honestly I'm surprised that she carried me for the nine months. I was lucky that Zulrav had been watching over me, somehow the winds carried word to my father to come and rescue me from the clutches of creatures in the plains. Now don't get me wrong I adore my father but there are some things a mother can do that a father can't and vice versa. I also yearned to feel the gentle hands of a mother, maybe hear her soft voice lulling me to sleep with song. However I will never do those things with Kalla. When I was younger maybe five or six I had noticed something different between the small family of my father and I and the other pavillions. When I placed what was missing I was bewildered. Well where had she gone? Why wasn't she here doing things mother should do? What had happened to her? I had asked my father about her my mother Kalla and he had only told me the minimum information about her. She had gilded skin like me and she was absolutely lovely and at the same time dangerous. That was the start of my jealousy, because I wanted the same things the other girls in my camp got.I wanted my mother to hold my hand.To soothe my tears with tender care.To gossip and talk with about the men of the encampment. I wanted to take the laundry by the riverside and wash them with her. Something as trivial as washing clothes mattered so much to me. And so my jealousy and loneliness flooded up in me spring after spring. It hadn't changed until the eleventh spring along the coastline of Riverfall.

[Caehli Galesong]

"Caehli..Caehli where are you silly little colt?" My father called out to me."Come out come out where ever you are...".I could only giggle in reply and peek out at him from my hidey spot.I tried my very best to suppress my giggles as I hid behind some brush. It was our little game at the end of the day. I would hide and he would seek, always.As usual he would look behind under every nook and cranny and would scratch his head in mock confusion,astounded to where his "little colt" had gone.Of course he was pretending that he could not see or hear me every time I hid.And only acted like a fool for my own enjoyment. When I was young it astounded me how my father could never find me, my excitement and mischief would wear my patience thin and eventually I would reveal myself. After all it was the chasing that was most fun about our game. I could not take it anymore, at the young age of eleven I thought I could outrun my father. When his back was turned I jumped out and screamed at him in delight. Like always he would turn around "surprised" and chase after me claiming that he wanted "Little Girl Soup" because it was the "most scrumptious"."You can't catch me " I taunted to my father. Although clearly his gait would surpass mine like always he played along like a good father should. After " finally" catching up to me he gathered me up in his arms ,despite my peals of laughter and cries, and tickled me until I was breathless. After our game we were heading back to our pavillion like every afternoon. Everything was perfect until I saw them. The girls and their mothers hand in hand carrying the baskets to river. The jealousy stole my joy away and pain replaced my delight. It was too late for my father, despite his best efforts I ignored him all the way back to our tent. I was silently fuming by the time we were sheltered by the gentle coolness of our tent. However nothing would soothe my envy. While my father lit the lamps and hung them in our tent I writhed in silent agony.I found myself overcome with thoughts of her, Kalla. I never called her the appropriate name "Mom" or "Mother" simply because she had never been my mother. She was the woman that abandoned my father and I . When the tent was lit up in warm glow I could no longer take it."Why" I blurted out impatiently. My father looked down at me with a knitted brow "Why what..?" he asked as though he didn't know. 'Why did she leave?" I said the word she like it was a disease ridden cow. My father had heard it all before, and answered like he had before.His eyes would meet mine and he would force himself to smile "Because she was too lovely for the plains to behold! She was as.." "Free as the wind, Yeah I know dad" I spat, she was free like a careless whore in my mind. However my father romanticised her for his own sake. To remember her in the best light was the only way he didn't become overcome with hurt and greif. My hands had curled into tiny balls of fury "She left us because she didn't want us.." I said softly "Like she's better than us or something..." I whispered as though the pain would not allow me to shout and scream. "She left us because she didn't want us..." I stated. My father's blue eyes revealed that he knew all along. However my father was too much of gentleman to betray Kalla. He just said nothing, he continued hanging up the lanterns silently. He hoped that if he stayed silent I would stop. However that wasn't the case. I had taken eleven years of her abandonment and it finally broke me. "Face it dad..She left us, that women..." "..Caehli.." "That worthless..." "Caehli don't" "That soulless whore...she doesn't give a damn about us she-" I was cut off by my father slapping me across the face. I was surprised and speechless. My father had never put a foul hand on me before, so this was foreign and shocking.It was more of the action that surprised me than the pain. His eyes met mine, they were mixed with rage and an unmeasurable sorrow. Then they were lightened with realization and then grief.However before I could even hear him speak I had bolted out of the pavillion like a frightened calf in a stampede. I had run so far and so fast that I couldn't even think. I just wanted to get away from here, away from my father and away from the terrible thing I said. I knew my father still loved her, and yet I hurt him by speaking ill of him. She certainly deserved it but my gentle father didn't. I raced away as the sun set and there was nothing but darkness around me. I was alone, so alone. Not then but always, I always felt alone and empty because of that terrible woman. When I finally stopped due to exhaustion I found myself at the root of my despair. The cool rushing river flowed at my feet and like the current had rushed so quickly it became white water, I began to sob and weep miserably.

[Caehli Galesong]

The night eventually lulled me back into a calm stupor. My eyes red, and my throat aching from shrieking. There was a dull hurt in my head and dust clung to my face,where tears made salty paths on my cheeks from crying.Only a occasional hiccup and sigh left me now.I was exhausted. I was ashamed for crying so hard. I was no longer a babe I had no need for weeping. I was also terribly ashamed of the way I spoke to my beloved father. As if his love did not do enough if not more than Kalla ever could.Before then I never considered how my father felt about my jealousy of the other girls and their mothers. Did it hurt him to see me glare at the other families? It must have, because I practically stated that his companionship was not enough for me. I rose from my sorry fetal position and sniffled quietly. After I stifled the last of my hiccups, I breathed in slowly. The river was not to blame for my emptiness, my father was not to blame for my anger, Kalla was. It was her fault that I felt this way, this jealousy, anger and resentment. I had to face the facts that Kalla left and she certainly was never coming back. I was also supposed to be thankful that my father saved me that day in the Grass, eleven years ago. And I was certainly because there was no one kinder, more patient or gentle with me than my father. I owed him an apology when I went back to our campsite. I stood slowly and shakily exhaling as I pulled myself to my feet.As I turned to head back to my pavillion I heard a rustle and snap. My heart halted for a moment in surprise. This was no rabbit behind me, it was something bigger...and it was watching me. I felt scared but tried my best to stay calm. I tried to remember what to do in case of an animal attack but I came up blank . Rather stupidly I slowly started to walk backwards instinctively. There must of been a root or rock because I tumbled into the cool water. It was dark cool and black and swept me under into the darkness.

[Caehli Galesong]

The water swept me under. I couldn't see, I couldn't breathe. I hardly knew which way was up. Not that it mattered the current was going so fast I couldn't do much to keep my head above water. I was running out of air, losing conciousness. My body began to feel so heavy, I began to feel so sleepy. The cold water now almost comfortable now... All of a sudden, I felt something clamp around my shoulder. It was sharp, hard and very painful. I yelped, my cry muffled under water. I struggled for a moment before the pain became more sharp. As though the pressure was increasing or something. My eyes widened looking out into the watery abyss, was there some sort of predatorial fish in the river? Then all of a sudden I was pulled up, and out of the water. I was being pulled up onto the land. My body halfway pulled up to shore,I desperately crawled my way back to land. The pain was still there, but the pressure gone. Once I became aware of my surroundings, I felt hot breath on my neck. A snuffling sound, hard but gentle. I looked up to meet the eyes and nose or a horse! 'How odd...' Was all I could think before the horse reared up and started trampling the ground. I nearly rolled back into the river in fear of being stepped on. It whinnied and cried in anxiety, almost as if it was scolding me for falling into the river. After the horse's hissy fit, it snuffled me urgently. Nose pushing into my skull, it was checking to make sure I was alright. "I'm fine! I'm fine thanks..except for my shoulder..." I grumbeled now clutching it, very aware of the bleeding and throbbing pain again. The horse snorted in reply, bringing my attention to its very dark eyes. Something in his eyes drew me to him, I felt comforted and strong when I looked into them. His eyes were deep and sympathetic, his whinie soft and gentle. Almost consoling like. It was as if the horse told me 'I will be your refuge, I will understand and care for you. As you will do for me'.It didn't take much for me to put everything together. My mind now clear as I realized who this stallion was. He was mine, my bonded horse. He was what would make me a Drykas, and I was what made him Strider.Glee overcame me as I pet his muzzle to make sure he was real. He was as real as the bite on my shoulder,which would later become a proud scar and memento of our meeting. Little cries of relief and joy leaving my mouth. I staggered to standing position and hugged his head as though I had known him all along. And I had, we we're just waiting to find each other. In reply the stallion nickered gently, his nose nuzzling the side of my head. He was as relieved and joyful as I was. Now calm after saving my life. It was clear to me that I would follow and care for him for the rest of my life. We were each other's destiny and fate. With Kalla now forgotten for good, I struggled to climb up him. I realized how big my stallion was. Staddling him I felt powerful and a sense of belonging, I needed no one but him and my father now. Kalla was obsolete because my Strider was who would replace her. My heart was fixed and my sorrow long gone. In a way I had found what was looking for.My comfort and solace, my Strider Din. Without much more to say, Din and I head home. To my father and to home, where I would finally be at peace. END

[Jackalope]

Results! Caehli : Experience +1 Running Lore A Mother Unknown A Father's Emotion My Strider, Din A good little flashback. Not too much in the way of skills, but I gave what I could. PM me if you have questions or think I missed something.