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“Don’t you dare!” A clawed hand snatched the juicy looking fruit from the man’s hand just in the nick of time. Rakan’s face saddened as he watched the large woman whisk his beloved honeyfruit away.
The older man sitting with Rakan mimicked his pouty face,“Aww, look honey you upset him.”
“You know you’ll keep him up all night if you give him those!” Her voice was firm but it carried a soft motherly sound with it.
“But mom!” Rakan’s childish voice called out to her as he put his hands between his legs.
The shiny vastaya rolled his head around to get a good look at the woman with the same mocking sadness in his eyes,“Yeah mom, why can’t he have some honeyfruit?” He was not helping the situation.
She growled in silent anger at her lover, he made life a little harder each time he opened his big mouth. After hiding the prized honeyfruit deep in the pantry she stepped into the small bedroom. With unanticipated swiftness she pinched the older man’s cheek and tugged his face back and forth, his coy smile turning into a toothy grin. He sat up on the bed giving the other vastaya room to sit down. Before he could lock eyes with his lover he sat little Rakan between his crossed legs.
She got close to his tall pointed ears and let her breath go to make them twitch. “What were you thinking Kan?” Her voice trailed off in his ears.
“How much I love my son,” He laid his chin on top of his head and hugged the small child “And how much I love to see you mad.”
She rolled her eyes, a small grin crossed her face,”careful hun, his feathers are coming in.” She put a hand on Rakan’s shoulder.
“I know I know,” He pulled the boy closer to his chest “Can you believe it Raina? He’s gonna be six tomorrow…”
“I feel like he was just three yesterday.” Her eyes were beginning to droop.
Kan took a deep breath,“Me too…” he let out a long sigh causing Rakan’s ears to flick.
The family sat in silence for a minute it was nice to enjoy each other’s company but, a long yawn broke the silence.
“Sorry lil man, we’ll let you sleep” Kan picked up the drowsy child and pulled up his covers, Raina held what the man pulled. He set Rakan down and pulled away so his mate could tuck him in, he stood in the doorway waiting for her to join him.
“We love you Rakan.” Her tone was like his covers, warm and soft.
“I love you too…” Rakan could barely keep his eyes open. The last thing he saw before sleep took him was the metallic silver of his dad’s feathers and the deep red of his mother’s.
Tomorrow would be his special day.
Rakan woke up early that fateful morning. He slid out of bed and walked into the hallway, the light clicking sound of his claws on the wood floor could be heard. Like every morning Rakan walked into the small bathroom to check on his feathers. Today was already beginning to feel special, his feathers had finally touched the ground when he stood. His mother always told him that when a boy’s feathers touched the ground it was a sign that they were going to get their powers soon. Although Rakan hadn’t the slightest clue of what power his feathers held.
His dad had shiny silver feathers that felt sharp like a knife but sturdy like a shield. His mother’s deep red feathers felt nothing like his dad’s, her feathers always had a warm but soft feeling whenever he touched them. Rakan held onto his feathers feeling the softness of the feather and the stiffness of the quills, it felt like they were both his mother’s and his father’s feathers. A loud grumbling sound interrupted his thoughts, it was time to eat.
He let the feathers fall back into place and walked out to the kitchen. Both of his parents were in the kitchen preparing breakfast, how long had he been in there?
“Good morning champ!” Kan’s strong voice boomed throughout the dining room, Raina smiled at her mate’s enthusiasm.
“Happy birthday Rakan!” She turned her head to look at Rakan, and quickly turned back to make sure breakfast didn’t get burned. Rakan could smell exactly what his mother was cooking. Pancakes… his favorite.
After a filling breakfast with his parents they let him outside to play. Rakan brought out his dad’s tall wooden staff, He would swing the staff around and pretend he was the hero in the stories his father told him. Like the hero in the stories Rakan loved to explore, he would journey through the thick unruly bushes that surrounded the tribe. He would hit and tap every shrub in his way until he reached his favorite spot, A secluded area of gravel near the large moving stream that surrounded the outskirts of the tribe. He sat down on a rock near the calm waters to dip his toes and poke the bottom with dad’s staff. Small petals and leaves from nearby flora float gently down the stream, sometimes they would get caught between his toes. He always paid special attention to nature, listening to all the sounds the forest made. Rakan could hear a song when he came out to the less quiet parts of the forest, the forest’s symphony created harmony no matter what.
A tall pale man wearing a red cloak with long black feathers walked past him with a particularly large pot on his shoulder. He knelt down by the stream and began to fill the pot, he looked over his shoulder right at Rakan; their eyes locked.
His Amber eyes took control of Rakan,“Hey there little guy.” His deep voice sounded a little gravelly and quiet but the warmness in his smile made him more welcoming.
“H-Hi” Rakan stumbled over his words. The boy looked down at his feet, he couldn’t hear nature’s song anymore. He had seen the pale man in his tribe before but he never saw him at any festivities or gatherings the tribe had.
He turned his head back to his now full pot, he hoisted the pot back onto his shoulder began to head back to the village. Rakan kept his gaze towards his feet when the man walked past him again, he heard him mumbling to himself.
“Almost noon already, where did the day go…” Rakan looked to the sky, he was right the sun was already on its way to set. He would go back soon too but he wanted to listen to the stream’s song a little longer but, he couldn’t hear the song anymore. With a sigh Rakan pulled the staff out of the water, he spun his body around planting himself and the staff on the ground. He looked up to watch if the Dark feathered man was still there but he was already gone. With a skip in his step Rakan started on his way back, he was going to get that honeyfruit his mom had taken from him last night.
CRASH
A startling sound broke Rakan from his honeyfruit haze, it sounded as if something had been shattered nearby . Rakan began to move faster, he wanted to be in the safety of his tribe again. He pushed the beaten brush out of his way, Rakan kept pushing and shoving, finally he pushed out into a less dense area of brush.
His ears shot down to his cheeks, a loud scream could be heard nearby. The delicate child’s knees began to knock and his lips started to quiver. Peering through the thin bush that hid him from the rest of the tribe, there was a large lhotlan laying on the floor with arrows in his chest. Rakan took two steps back, He rubbed his eyes. He wanted to believe he was just seeing things, he looked back through the bush not to confirm if what he thought he saw was real, but to check on the tribe.
There were strange men clad in a gray metal armor. A black and red symbol stood out on their chests, not to mention the weapons they wielded. Rakan moved back into the brush, he heard more screams, screams that could shatter glass. He grabbed the staff for support, something his legs had began to fail to do. Rakan took a deep breath, the air smelled like smoke and ash, tears had began to form in his innocent eyes. He was afraid to go forward but this was supposed to be his home, he knew of no place else. He began to creep out of the brush, clutching his father’s staff for support. Right as he set foot into the open a familiar man snatched Rakan back to the safety of the brush. Rakan yelped and dropped his father’s staff, fear had a deathgrip on the poor child.
“Ssshhhh” The man put a finger over Rakan’s mouth and shushed him, those same amber eyes taking control of him again. The man looked up from Rakan, to see a group of men walking towards the brush the two had been hiding in.
“ Shit ” The larger lhotlan swore to himself, Their cover was blown.
Rakan stared at the man’s pale face, shock had began to set in he struggled to move his arms. More tears escaped his eyes, his whole body quivered with horrible fright. The raven of a man hoisted Rakan over his shoulders putting most of his body in the hood of the red cloak. He began to jog back through the brush to the stream.
“Hold tight.”
Rakan put his shaky hands under the tall man’s chin and locked his hands together, when he felt that the child had a firm grip he increased his speed. He ran at a surprisingly fast and steady pace letting nothing in his path stop him from getting away. Rakan bounced up and down everytime he took a step, his whole body felt numb and tears finally blinded him. All he could think of was his mom and dad, it hurt his heart to think about his parents not making it out of the village safely. His grip began to loosen without him noticing it, finally his hands became unstuck. He would have fallen off the man’s large shoulders but right as they fell the man reached both of his hands up to grab the child.
Exhaustion and shock had finally taken their toll on the child, he let his emotions carry his consciousness away.
“Hey kid,” He shook his shoulder,”please wake up.” The voice sounded worried.
He didn’t want to open his eyes but what else could he do other than lay down? Slowly Rakan opened his heavy eyes again. He was greeted by a pale face with amber eyes and a concerned frown, he sat up for a moment to observe his surroundings. He was in a dull room laying on a small and rather dusty bed, the room was illuminated only by a candle lit on a nearby nightstand. Rakan rubbed his eyes, he hadn’t noticed it before but tears were welling up in them. He turned his head in confusion it all felt so surreal to him, without warning his body began to quake again.
The man’s pointed ears began to fold back, how could he help the mourning child feel better? He wanted to tell the child that he was safe and sound now but that wouldn’t help the situation, there was nothing he could say to end his agony. The depressed look in his bloodshot eyes, his world had fallen apart at such a young age.
Should I?
“Hey kid, can I ask you something?” Rakan turned his head in the voice’s direction.
It’s wrong to take them but...
“What’s your name?” He scooted back in the rickety chair he sat himself in giving Rakan more room to get himself together the best he could.
“...” The only response he received was the clicking sound of chattering teeth.
He needed to get the child to speak, maybe he should introduce himself first.
“My name is Hamada,” He crossed his arms and hid his mouth under the thick hood of the cloak “not that you really care about that right now.” He said under his breath.
“...Rakan.” Came a quiet voice.
Finally something!
Another moment of silence passed between the two. What could he say to a broken person?
“Is the bed comfortable?” The abandoned shack wasn’t much to behold, it looked like it hadn’t been used in years. Barely any firewood for the fireplace, some candles, and a few dusty pieces of furniture including the small bed left in the small bedroom. The villagers said the owner had passed away a long time ago, he didn’t believe them at first but he started to now.
“...” No response.
“Rakan, I’m going to step out for a few minutes, just rest for me alright?” Hamada worried for his sake, he had an important choice to make. He stood up and left the room.
After closing the rickety door Hamada sighed, he sat down on the floor and leaned back on the door letting moonlight from a nearby window hit his face. Seeing the child look so dead inside filled him with ugly feelings, feelings he would experience over and over again every time looked at the hurting child. He grabbed a long black feather that draped over his back, some of the feathers had intricate gray patterns one could only see in a special kind of light. Hamada despised using powers, even if it was for the greater good. The power to take a person’s memory was a useful gift indeed but it felt wrong to rob somebody of their experiences in life. All of the good and bad, everyone deserves to remember what made them who they are. He thumbed over a few feathers, observing the patterns other people’s lives had created on them. Even though they weren’t his memories they were never forgotten, each time he channeled magic into a scarred feather he could allow someone or himself to experience their memory.
The decision weighed heavily on Hamada’s head, to take all of the child’s memories of the village away or to let him deal with this tragedy his own way. He would lose all the happy memories of living in the tribe, any memories of his mother or father would be lost forever. The feeling of not having a family was all too familiar to Hamada, how would Rakan feel about that?
To take all of the good and all of the bad, could he really decide what was best for Rakan?
The quiet sound of soft sobbing could be heard through the door.
A child like him deserves to be happy, he deserves his innocence back, he deserves everything those men took from him. He can’t deal with a tragedy like this alone, as much as it pained Hamada to think about this option, it felt like the right one. He wanted Rakan to recover from all this, even if it meant he would lose all the happy moments in his life. A sweet but selfish thought crossed his mind, maybe he wouldn’t lose all of his family in the end.
The somber sound went quiet, Hamada got up and put his ear against the door. Not a sound to be heard. After waiting a beat he opened the door just a crack to check on Rakan, he was curled up in the bed with his feathers encircling what the blanket didn’t cover. The poor child cried himself to sleep.
Hamada drifted through the door, he sat down on the bed with Rakan. His long black feathers almost brushed up against his golden plumage. He went to touch Rakan to reposition him but right as his large hands came close to his small shoulder he hesitated. Instead he grabbed the feathers hiding his face and folded them back down to his legs, Hamada raised his own feathers and let them rest on the boy’s forehead. Rakan stayed asleep even with Hamada’s soft feathers brushing against his cheeks, the only noticeable reaction he gave was the involuntary twitch of his large ears.
Hamada watched the boy silently for a moment letting hesitation take control for a moment, his convictions returned. He held the feathers to Rakan’s forehead, he took a deep breath and began channeling magic into them. Soon Hamada’s feathers were glowing white, it almost hurt to look at such a bright light. After a moment a long dark pattern began forming on one of Hamada’s feathers, it began to twist and bend as it slid down the feather. The shadows bent into the shape of a familiar looking staff, another ribbon of shadow slithered along the edge of the feather creating patterns that resembled fire. After the black flames surrounded the staff the feathers stopped glowing white, Hamada let his breath go and began to gasp for air. Channeling all of his magic into the feathers robbed him of the little energy he had left over from running. Rakan rolled over onto his other side to face away from him, a tired yawn escaped the Hamada’s mouth. He put his legs up on the bed and his head on the same pillow as Rakan, soon both of them were asleep back to back.
Something small but sharp poked his back, he wanted to ignore it and sleep a little longer but somebody started tugging on his ears, Hamada rolled over to face the ear puller. Rakan was sitting up beside him smiling curiously at him, while his eyes still looked exhausted the rest of his face had a joyful look..
While Hamada was overjoyed to see Rakan smiling again, a guilty feeling was creeping around the back of his mind. “Goodmorning”
Rakan tilted his head before speaking, his ears flopped against his head.”Goodmorning…?” He sounded unsure of himself.
“What’s wrong?” He gave Rakan a worried expression, he feared that he may have taken too much away.
“I don’t remember your name,” The child looked discouraged.
He gave a warm smile to Rakan “My name is Hamada.” He waited with bated breath for the questions that were bound to come
Rakan frowned at him,”Who are you?”
He hesitated for a moment,”I just told you I’m Hamada…”
“No, I mean…” He stumbled over his words, but Hamada understood what he meant.
Real smooth Hamada… He thought to himself.
”I’m your…” The guilty feeling flared at what he was about to say,”Older brother, remember?”
“Oh yeah!” Rakan tried to hide his embarrassment for forgetting his own kin, or so he thought.
After a moment Rakan looked up to Hamada to ask him more questions,”Where are Oola and Oora ?” The Vastayan words Rakan used made it harder for Hamada to answer.
“Rakan…” He swallowed hard,”Mom and dad have been, um” He couldn’t find the right words,”They’re gone, Rakan.” Hamada couldn’t lie about this, he barely even knew his own parents.
“Oh…” He bit his bottom lip he didn’t seem upset yet. “Um, Hamada?”
“...yeah?”
“Can we eat breakfast?”
Hamada smiled, the human village was not too far away.
“Sure baby bro.”