Flashback What It All Means (Solo)

[Kanri]

Timestamp:
26th of Summer, 505 AV
Early Morning

It had been a strange and particularly rainy week. Rainy weeks are perfect for young children, like Kanri, who did not considered herself to be "young"Kanri should be Eight years old, if I did my math correctly. at the time, to go splashing about and getting everything wet. Even while most of Wind Reach was indoors, there was always the Courtyard of the Sky, open to the elements. Kanri had happily spent all of her free moments in the rain because getting wet was just the Sort-of-Thing-To-Do in the Rain. Sadly, the rain cleared up and that putting an end to playing the puddles.

The most fun part about puddles was not the actual water in the puddle, but the light bouncing off. The way the reflections rippled and cast off fun images, like stretched torches, whirling cloaks, and moving walls, held her attention for very long periods of time. Then, once bored with that, she would move on to soaking any and all of her friends to the core. Of course, by that point, all of them were soaked and shivering anyway so they would quickly return inside after that, dry off and warm up, and dart happily back outside to repeat the process.

On the morning of the 26th of Summer, the first clear morning in a long time, Kanri's father decided to take his daughter out hunting. Kanri would never refuse a chance to leave the city. He never took her very far from home but it was exciting all the same. And now that she was truly a Yasi and not really just a tiny little kid, it seemed like she never really got to talk to them any more. Sometimes, it seemed like she couldn't stray far enough from her parents, even though they weren't really clingy. But others, it seemed as though they were specifically trying not to spend time with her. Kanri had read a few books because, as she found, she liked stories. And in some of them, she read of a hero who would have parents that took really care of him or her and, in turn, they would be nice to their parents. Perhaps they were not very realistic books...

She met her father at the Sanikas Gate that led down from the city with her little bow for shooting toy arrows and the Talon Sword that was much too big for her. Jiath, her father, was equipped with a beautiful Inartan bow and his trusty, young hawk Sheja.

"Hey, Kanri!" her dad exclaimed as she came up. He chuckled a little upon seeing her sword. "Kanri, you aren't really planning on bringing that sword hunting, are you?"

"Of course, Dad! It's like having brother come too!" Kanri answered, her tone implying that it was obvious.

"Kanri, you can barely carry it. That means you will be clumsy and every animal in the league will hear you. I'll wait while you go put it back," her father said, thoroughly amused.

"But, the sword makes me feels safe. Plus, I'm strong enough to swing it now!" Kanri protested. Adults were so bothersome at times!

Her father sighed, seeing how determined she was. "How about this? I will carry it for you. That way, your 'brother' can still come but it won't be in your way," he compromised.

Kanri didn't settle for compromises. "No! I promise it won't get in the way. Please?" Kanri begged him.

She watched him contemplate the idea carefully. She could wear the sheath on her back and, granted it was heavy and cumbersome, but the older Yasi did it all the time and so did the adults so it must be the Way-to-Wear-Carry-Sheaths. And it would get in her way, perhaps, but that was the price of being protected by her brother! Her father would surely understand.

"Alright, but if you bring it now, you can't ask me to carry it for you later, understand?" her father proposed.

"Yes, dad! I understand!" Kanri agreed eagerly.

"Good. Then, we're off!" He said and started down the steep mountain road, Kanri following happily in his footsteps.

[Kanri]

"Hey Kanri, you like stories, right?" Jiath asked as they headed down the road. As she had grown more distant, he only caught bits and pieces of her interests so he had to ask. And it would be a little while before they were far enough from Wind Reach and Sanikas Road to catch anything.
"Yes, I want to become a storyteller someday!" Kanri exclaimed excitedly.
"Yes, well storytellers are important. If it weren't for them, all stories would be lost. But I don't think the other Inarta really like storytellers. You should become a falconer or a glassworker instead! Or even an Endal! And you can tell stories in your free time," he suggested gently.
"Storytellers aren't important, though, right? That's why they are chiet. And chiet are just Dek that aren't as retarded, right?" Kanri clarified. She felt like an Important Person because she corrected her father.
Jiath paused uncomfortably for a moment. "Kanri, the Dek aren't retarded and neither are the Chiet. Every caste is important. You should never use 'retarded' to describe people. Don't you remember anything I've said on this matter in the past?"
"Dad, I think you're wrong," Kanri answered smartly.
He chuckled. "Oh? Why's that?"
"Because I asked my teachers and classmates and they all think you're wrong," Kanri said. She felt Sorry for her Silly Father.
"Well, I'm afraid my opinions and morals are not up for majority vote," Jiath answered playfully.

Kanri had never thought about it that way. Even though a lot of people said the Dek were not smart and the Chiet were just glorified Dek, (she was proud to know such a big word like 'glorified') maybe they were all wrong and her father was right. No, that was not possible. Even if all the people in the world thought the sky was bright orange all the time, the sky would not change its color and remain its beautiful, crisp blue. So, her father was just one of the majority who saw the sky as a orange while everyone else thought it was blue.

Yet, the thoughts kept coming back

They reached some large boulders at the side of the path. Jiath and Kanri both scampered up them and sat there for a few minutes. They really weren't that huge but to Kanri, everything still seemed Just A Little Bigger Than Little Me.

"Kanri, I had a story to tell you," Jiath started. "There were two cities. One thought that true power was held in quickness and strength. The other city thought true power took its time and was careful."
Kanri interrupted. "Were there starcrossed lovers that fell in love?" she asked eagerly. She had already found some patterns in her stories.
"No, the cities decided to demonstrate what they held was true power. They fought a war," Jiath went on to explain.
"Which city won?" Kanri asked.
"Neither! The first city charged in and crushed the second. But the second had already poisoned all the of the first city's food stores. They destroyed each other," her dad said with a grin. Kanri thought it was a little weird to see him so happy over a bunch of people dying.
"That's a terrible story! What's the point of that?" Kanri inquired, thoroughly confused.
"The point is that either both of them were right, because they both won. Or neither of them were right because they both lost," her dad said simply.
"So which is it?" Kanri pleaded impatiently. He simply raised an eyebrow. Then, Kanri realized. "It's a paradox!"
Jiath laughed and shook his head. If it wasn't a paradox, then what was it? "Come on now, we must get going if we want to catch anything."

[Kanri]

They turned from the road and began to make their way into the forest. They were still fairly close to Wind Reach so they would not catch anything too spectacular. Maybe nothing more than a rabbit or a squirrel. And, of course, the birds were forbidden to hunt or eat. As they stalked on through the forest, Kanri heard the birds singing and saw the squirrels scampering through the treetops, but nothing seemed slow enough for her to shoot. She could barely hit a still target right in front of her!

She nearly fell over as she walked right into her father, who had stopped.

"Kanri, you know if you always have your heard in the clouds, you will never catch anything. One of the first rules of hunting is to be aware of your surroundings. There is no tracking without awareness and no hunting without tracking," Jiath commented, ruffling her hair. Before she could protest, Jiath went on. "Now then, you see these rabbit tracks here? They look fairly recent, don't they?"

Kanri nodded, even though the tuft of grass looked no different to her. Or maybe he wasn't talking about the grass, but the dirt. No, the grass definitely looked parted. Or did it? Kanri changed her mind and shook her head.

Jiath chuckled. "Don't worry! It takes a very long time before you develop an eye for this sort of thing, Kanri. Especially if you're cooped up in the city all the time. Look behind you on the ground. Can't you tell where you have stepped?"

Kanri thought he might be right. There was a roundish shape there in the dirt, and there, the stick had been moved. And just around the bend, she had bent a twig on a bush, but she had not broken it off.

"Animals do not leave extremely obvious tracks. You must become aware of all the things around you," Jiath stated.

Now, it was all good to hear that. But learning what Things To Be Aware Of was difficult for a young child, especially at eight years old when they have become convinced they are "grown-up" yet still are little tykes. Kanri had concluded that tracking was a matter of finding little movement in objects on the ground, which led to the quick discovery of ants trotting across her path. So, she stopped to watch them. Instead of giving her a futile lecture on focus and awareness, Jiath joined her.

Kanri's mind was still very much on the story Jiath had told her about the two cities. So, she asked, "Why did you tell me that story, Dad?"

"There is no story that is not worth hearing," Jiath answered simply.

"But what does it all mean?" Kanri asked, refusing to let go of her question.

"Kanri, there once a little sparrow who grew up among eagles. The sparrow tried hunting, but it was no good. The sparrow tried fishing, but it was no good. The sparrow was not good at doing things that eagles did. Yet, the sparrow looked down on all the other birds because she was raised by eagles." (Kanri failed to notice the subtle change her father included, from "it" to "she" but, as she thought back, she recognized this.) "The sparrow was no better nor any worse than any of the other birds. Neither were the eagles. They all played their role in the food chain," Jiath finished cryptically.

"Dad, you're confusing me. Why are you telling me all these stories?" Kanri asked, narrowing her eyes in the most suspicious look an innocent child can give.

"Kanri, every story has a message just for you. But it is up to you to figure out what it all means," Jiath answered. "Now, back to hunting?"

[Kanri]

Kanri followed her father as quietly as she could through the forest but her mind was not really focused on the hunt. She was thinking about all the stories her dad kept telling her. Jiath told the Confusing Stories That Made You Think. Sometimes, it meant something really important and sometimes it meant nothing at all.

Also, the sword that was jangling against her back was really starting to bother her. It was really heavy and uncomfortable. She had promised not to complain but with every step she took, it just reminded her that it was still there. And what was there to fight all the way out here, really? She had been silly. But she was also stubborn and she wouldn't let her father know he had won. And when she got back, she could be proud of herself!

He put out a hand and motioned for her to stop. There was a pair of rabbits hopping about at the edges of the clearing ahead of them. Jiath put a finger to his lips, carefully pulled an arrow out of her quiver, and handed it to Kanri. Kanri's eye widened and then her mouth broke into a huge grin. He was going to let her take the shot! Kanri placed the arrow in her little bow, just like she had been shown by her teachers. She drew back the bow and, trying to keep in mind all the shooting tips she had heard in her mind, she let the arrow fly.

It missed terribly. It bounced off a tree trunk far to the left of where she had been aiming. The rabbits scattered away into the bushes. Jiath pressed his lips together, coughing to hide a laugh. Kanri would never make an archer. Contrary to a majority of the Inartan, it always felt awkward to her to have a bow in her hands. She much preferred the Talonsword to just slice-slice-slice through things. But archery, admittedly, was more useful because you could hunt with it.

"Kanri, you have to aim, you know. It wouldn't hurt for you to take some more time to aim properly," Jiath advised, after recovering from laughing.

There once was a sparrow who was raised among Eagles...

"I don't know if I'll ever make a very good archer. I am not patient, dad," Kanri bemoaned.

"Don't give up so easily! You'll be a fine little huntress someday. You just gotta put your mind to it!" Jiath answered reassuringly.

...She tried hunting, but she was no good... The little sparrow was not good at doing things that eagles did...

Kanri looked away from her father sullenly. "I don't know, dad..." Behind that smiling, happy face, was there a father that didn't believe in his daughter? Was he the Lying-Sort-Of-Dad?

"Kanri? You okay?" Jiath asked her, picking up on her suddenly serious tone.

"...No. You don't believe in me, dad," Kanri accused him quietly.

"I never said that. Kanri, you're my wonderful, beautiful daughter!" Jiath protested. "Come on! Don't be so sad just because you missed one shot! You have plenty of other opportunities. I'll help you next time!"

"...Okay, dad," Kanri said obediently. But that scowl didn't disappear from her face until much later.

[Kanri]

Kanri followed her father a little bit more through the Unforgiving, her brother's sword really starting to bother her now. It had been about an hour since they had left but Kanri did not know if she could really carry it for the rest of the day. It slammed uncomfortably into her back whenever she took a step. And her father had decided to hike uphill through the valley and the sword seemed to be dragging her down. She could not quite keep up with him any more. He noticed and they took breaks often but neither of them spoke. He seemed to sense his daughter was not in as good of a mood and Kanri did not care what he thought any more.

Stupid stories! There were plenty of stories not worth hearing! Stories were not meant to hurt people! They were meant to inspire and share joy. Stories shaped the Child's View of the World. She supposed she still loved him. She could forgive him. But not right now.

The crook in the valley they were climbing was very steep now. Kanri would have had trouble even without a Sword-That-Was-Too-Big on her back. Her foot caught a tuft of loose, dry grass and she tumbled down the hill with a shriek. She Flopped at the bottom of the hill on her side. She regained her bearings and slowly sat up. She expected her father had to make the trek down to be beside her.

He was not there. He stood at the top of the hill, where he waited for her, laughing! Even Sheja, who perched on the tree branch above him, seemed to be gleeful. Kanri felt really mad now. It wasn't very nice! Kanri fumbled to her feet, red with anger.

"You're the worst father ever! I mean it!" Kanri shouted, letting all her anger at the injustice boil over. "You say that your child is worthless in a story and then, when she can't walk up a hill because she is smaller than you, you laugh at her! Not encourage, not try to help, not even see if she's okay! Any normal person, doesn't have to be a dad, would help a little girl! You're mean, you stupid meanie!"

With that bout of insults, which cut off her father's laughter for a moment or two, Kanri turned and headed back through the forest without her dad. She would just go home without him. She would tell mommy that dad was being mean. Then, he would pay. Her mother was daddy-sized too! She could beat him up, because she was not big enough.

After a minute or two of walking, she stopped and really looked around. Nothing looked familiar here. Maybe she had seen that tree before? Or that stone jutting out there? Or maybe not. She didn't know how to get back to Wind Reach. She started off again. But if her father didn't try to come find her very quickly, she would probably wouldn't get back at all! Kanri was completely Lost. She almost felt like crying but she refused. It was his fault, wasn't it?

Then, she noticed that the birds had become quieter and everything was very still. She tried to become aware, like her father said, but she could not pick up movement in any direction. Then, she thought she saw something, a faint outline hunched down in the grass near her. She took a step towards it but she still couldn't see clearly. It was probably a rock but she didn't think it had been there before. Kanri took another step forward. She was about ten feet away. It was a tan color and it was fairly smooth. Nifty! She didn't think rocks like that formed in the forest! She took another step forward.

Then, it was clearly not a rock anymore. The cougar leapt out of the grass with a silent, boneless motion, its teeth bared and claws extended. Kanri screamed, tried to drag out her sword, and wildly swung at the cat. Its claws missed her barely as Kanri stumbled backwards on the ground. Kanri tried to get up and be brave, to fight off the cougar.

A hissing sound. The cat screeched. An arrow landed in its thigh. Another arrow. It smacked into its upper body. The cat was scared now and began to whirl around to leave. Another arrow that hit its target; the neck. The cat stumbled away a few steps before falling. Its pain was vocalized in its voice. It stuttered, croaked, and was dead. Kanri turned to see who had saved her.

Daddy had come back for his little girl.

[Kanri]

Kanri just stood there for a moment, a little awestruck. Sheja promptly flew around Kanri, as if seeing if she was alright. Jiath first went to examine the Cougar body. As Kanri looked at it now, it really did not look that big or frightening. Jiath took out his arrows as best he could, put them back in his quiver, and then came over to Kanri.

She didn't feel well. She was shaking a little and she thought she might throw up. It had not really ever hit her, that she might die someday. That she might ceased to move around and have fun and talk to people... It just sort of hit her. Not in the fullest way, as Kanri was still very young.

"Kanri, are you alright?" Jiath asked, bending down to her level.

Kanri shook her head. She was too old for this. She was eight years old already! She was too old to be crying! But she felt awful all the same.

When she broke down, Jiath was expecting it. Jiath rocked her gently, crooning soothingly in her ear. She didn't really know what he was saying but slowly, Kanri brought her sobbing under control. Maybe she wasn't too old for crying...

"Kanri, let's go home," Jiath decided. He took the talonsword and sheath from Kanri and slung it over his own shoulder. Then, he picked up Kanri, set her on his shoulder, and the two headed home.

As they headed home, they saw a trio of Wind Eagles and their riders returning flying in, high above them.

"Do you want to be an Endal, Kanri?" Jiath asked watching the sky with the same, child-like wonder she had.

Kanri thought about it very carefully. Then, she said, "Once, there was a sparrow who lived among the eagles. She was not good at anything the Eagles did. The sensible thing for her to do would be to fly, somewhere far far away, where she would be valued. But the sparrow could not even fight off a little cat on her own. She knew the eagles did not believe in her and she knew she might never be an eagle. But the sparrow knew that all she could do was believe everything had its place in the world. Belief in her world, believing that she had meaning, the sparrow knew that was all she could do."

Jiath chuckled and set her down to walk the rest of the way on her own. He also handed her talonsword back, recognizing she now had the strength to go the rest of the way. "And was that meaning, Kanri?"

Kanri grinned in response. "Well, that's my job to decide What It All Means."

[Warhawk]

Kanri

Skills	Lores
+4 Tracking	A Father's proverb
+3 Hunting	The Feeling of being lost
+5 Survival	Being a sparrow among Eagles
+1 Persuasion	Attacked by a cougar
+2 Archery

Warhawk thoughts

That was a well thought out thread, and a great story of a Father passing on his knowledge and morals through proverbs and fables. I have to say that this is a perfect way to teach a character how to live, and a great flashback thread. Kanri, keep up the awesome writing I'm looking forward to reading more.

As all ways questions, concerns, and ideas just PM me or post in my office Want a thread modded send me a PM too, I am accepting requests for Wind Reach now.