Yokan

Culture

• 
  

  

  
  The shaman of Yokan's former tribe are those born with a genetic trait called by them The Blessing, a gift from their Gods that enables shamans to do great things meant to support and give aid to their community. Those born with the blessing are expected to choose an element and follow the 'path' or philosophy that element coincides with much like a sect of a main religion each with its own patron God and a elemental spirit meant to help the shamans on the way to learning and following their path. Each path has its benefits and detriments, and there are supposed to be at least one shaman of each element to help create a perfect balance. Each shaman who has chosen a certain element has both an elemental aspect to their Blessing as well as two Psychic aspects for each element. Most shamans will, however, only live long enough to specialize in one psychic aspect.
  
  
  
  
  An Au'lessi child born with the Blessing is for all extents and purposes part elemental, but one that is neutral in its qualities. Although shamans are born already attuned and inclined to a certain element in most cases, they are capable of removing their attunement and realigning with a different element at will. Because of the malleable nature of the Blessing, shamans are directly affected and indeed part of the elements they choose to align themselves with.
  Without access and use of their attuned element, they are much like addicts and will experience typical symptoms of withdrawal from the loss until they are weaned of their element. During points of high emotion, however, a shaman aligned with an element other than the one they originally were born with will always revert to the characteristics of their 'birth state' only for that brief period of time.
  
  Only shaman of the highest caliber and longest lifespans choose to live their lives aligning to various elements.
  
  There are certain traits all shaman share no matter what element they've aligned themselves with. They can always feel or 'see' through their element as long as they are in contact with it. They also possess an unnaturally long lifespan which allows them to hone their abilities over a greater amount of years. For a reason that is somewhat unexplainable, they always have an incredible amount of stamina which allows them to recover from wounds that would be otherwise
  fatal and push beyond the natural physical limits of the mortal body. Finally they each are able to psychically communicate with the spirits of the element they are aligned to.
  
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Water:
  The Water Shaman is one of the most important paths, their patron god being Au'Assana of the Eternal Tide. The path of a water shaman is that of self suppression and self control for the sake of the greater good. They play a vital role in society for their ability to remove their own feelings and thoughts from a situation to provide a neutral perspective during disputes. Water shamans are seen as the most useful of all when it comes to their actual elemental and coinciding psychic abilities as they are meant to be the perfectly devoted tools to the handling of many different types of situations.
  
  Because the Au'lessi have no form of handwriting to pass down their vast span of history, the water shaman are depended upon to be their historians. Their psychic ability involves a process called The Transfer by which a shaman can absorb the memories of both shaman and Au'lessi alike, preserving the knowledge of recently deceased individuals and the wisdom those people can provide. For this reason, it is vitally important the water shaman have a well-trained buffer against being overwhelmed by the many personalities they've absorbed and must have an incredibly structured mind to handle all of it. Hence the need for self suppression and self control to protect the individual from in essence losing who they are to the memories of others.
  
  Their psychic specialty is Psychometry.
  
  
  Fire:
  The Fire Shaman is also a path of self control but in a different form and their patron God is A'un of the Burning Heart. Where as water shaman seek to suppress the self, the fire shaman seeks to focus the self. Through training a fire shaman can use their own emotions to enhance their instincts almost to a supernatural extent, making every move they make and every word they speak flawless in execution. They make the perfect warriors and incredibly passionate leaders who help to remind people that sometimes logic can't compensate for gut instinct.
  
  The fire shaman's psychic ability centers around the enhancement of emotion. Primarily this ability was used to help make soldiers more battle ready and steadfast, to soothe the wounded and to buffer fear with courage or triggering the flight response in their enemies.
  
  Their psychic specialty is Energy Healing.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Stone:
  The Stone Shaman looks outward not only from themselves but from their own people to see the greater picture than most can ever perceive. Their God is Nameless, for like his stone shamans who follow his path he sees the world turn on a grander scale than simply what he can do to change it. Where as a water shaman asks themselves 'what can I do to help my people?', the stone shaman asks 'Where will their actions lead them?'. Both a detective and a seer, stone shamans are known for seeing patterns where most do not in all forms that they may come from. The practical application of such is recognizing signs of bad weather or environmental change, or even predicting quite accurately the actions
  of the people they observe as they tend to know them better than they know themselves.
  
  The stone shaman's psychic ability centers around clarity of thought and the clearing of emotions from the equation, essentially the opposite of fire shamans. Where a fire shaman seeks to stimulate emotion, the stone shaman dulls it to allow for logic to take over.
  
  Their psychic specialty is Scrying.
  
  
  Air:
  The Air shaman also looks outward from themselves in that they are always seeking a way that things can be done better. Like Mu-en of the Ever-Shifting Skies who is their God, those of the air path are always looking for ways to improve every aspect of Au'lessi existence, usually by way of innovation. The air shaman asks themselves, "What can we use in ourselves and our environment to effect change?" and they are the ultimate team player. They take on many roles in society from building better homes to encouraging others not to dwell on their troubles but see how to fix them.
  
  The air shaman's psychic ability centers around stimulating inspiration much like a Greek muse. Most inventions and innovations the Au'lessi currently use can be traced back to an air shaman.
  
  Their psychic specialty is Telepathy.
  
  
  
  

  

  
  
• 
  

  

  
  
  

  Prologue:One Left

  
  
  "Why are some Au'lessi born with the Blessing and others not? Can you really make Others heads explode just by looking at them?! Will I be able to do that? Since I'm the new shaman now, do you have to call me Honored? Do I still have to call you Honored?" The old shaman let out a long, drawn out groan of displeasure, "Yo'k'an."
  "Have you gone out beyond our territory?"
  "Yo'k'an!"
  "Did you really kill thirty of the Others all at once?"
  "Yoooo'k'an!"
  "Does it hurt??"
  
  The old croc swung his arm out weakly to deal a slap to the wide-eyed adolescent to ease the ongoing flood of questions, to which young Yo'k'an lift his hand up to his cheek, rubbing it sorely and mumbling, "You hit like a female." The shaman let out a loud thock from a snap of his jaws, silencing the youth that knelt at his bedside. Nodding afterward in a pleased manner, the ancient beast let his age-blind eyes drift closed once again, breathing a rattling sigh before speaking, "I haven't the time for your questions, hatchling. I am dying and you have far too much to learn. If I only had the time. Many generations of knowledge will die with me if you do not FOCUS!" He pushed himself up with a shaking arm, half turning to face the youth before groaning and laying down, "Ahhh. Now then."
  
  The white hand with it's splitting gnarled claws lifted from the bed, water slowly drawing upward from the damp well-packed ground of his hut. It slowly swirled along the walls as more and more gathered to the travelling pool while the young croc wriggled happily and leapt to his feet eagerly with a gleeful laugh. For moments as the ancient shaman shouted, the water's steadfast rolling along the walls ceased to move and began to dribble slowly down them, "Yo'k'an! SIT still, and focus." The adolescent jumped once, and then sat down obediently, his thick stubby tail waving behind him eagerly. He had no idea what was coming. Males and females alike, decades his elder, wept like children from the first session of the Transfer, but there were none with the Blessing left to tell those tales, only U'hess. He knew in his sword-rent gut this would damage the young crocodile, if not leave him irreparably insane, but there was no one else, no choice left but this. Outside the hut, Yo'k'an's mother wept openly, her cry only becoming louder and more violent when she heard her precious son's first shrill screams.
  
  

  
  
  
  

  Rise Of The Honored

  
  
  Yo'k'an peered through the leafy undergrowth, his skin perfectly blending with his surroundings as he crouched on the outskirts of the forest beyond the swamps, the median between his homeland... and their's. He stared bitterly at their solid wooden walls that closed those furred and scaleless faces off from view as they bustled about vigorously to their daily chores. Why couldn't they see that they were one and the same and there was no need to continue raiding the Au'lessi homes and lands for provisions and able-bodied laborers? They would give and share, happily, if asked... but all attempts to communicate had failed long before Yo'k'an was of age, before they killed U'hess, their last great shaman. Now the burden that should have been shouldered by many shamans of all elements rest squarely on his weak shoulders, and he would not fail his people any longer. He may not be a good water shaman, but he'd grown to be an adequate raiding party leader.
  
  Suddenly, the wooden wall split apart from a small section, and Yo'k'an jerked his hand down to his staff, his heart leaping in his chest from a equal mixture of fear and excitement. His tail tip thudded to the ground, his head ducking out of the underbrush smoothly to peer along the tree line for his companions, until he heard the faint series of thumps that came afterward. They were ready. Each beastly brute wide as ancient trees crouched still as statues, males and females alike ready to leap at a moment's notice and become worthy of more honor marks upon their bodies. Yo'k'an was not like them, his body thin and frail by comparison, a twig among trunks with few marks of honor to his scales that proved his worth, but still they followed him. He was proud of his people, though not all of them would return home on their own two feet.
  
  Turning his attention forward again, the male rolled his shoulders, observing the hunting party that slowly made its way from the split in the wall, which then sealed up behind them shortly after they had all filed out. He waited, his fingers gripping his staff so tight his knuckles ached as they marched down the path toward them, their leather armor dully gleaming as they walked away from the Bright beginning to rise from its bed. He counted twelve... twelve against thirty three, not counting himself. He never did. Water shamans weren't supposed to make the final blow if they could prevent it lest it sever their connection to the Blessing. His was already weak enough as it was without the guidance of an elder shaman, and he would need every ounce of his connection to do what needed to be done. The Others gradually passed the tree line unmolested, their arrow launchers and their unyielding blades bristling cautiously as if simply waiting for an ambush. Letting them pass, he slowly bowed his head, shutting his eyes passively as he counted out their footfalls gradually passing further into the forest. Finally, he lifted his staff barely off the ground as his other rest flat upon it, giving a light shake that rattled the seeds softly contained in it's gnarled bulb, sending the first signal out. The warrior nearest him, his second in command and son of the long dead Honored U'hess, E'k'haa thumped his tail twice, starting a line of thumps from each able body that hid in a fan deeper into the forest ahead of the hunting party until they reached the last male.
  
  Yo'k'an waited in silence, his head bowing and his breath held tight in his chest until finally he heard the strange language of the beasts ring out clear as day as birds began to scatter in the distance.
  
  "FIRE! Get the others! We have to contain this now before it reaches the city!!" heavy footfalls thundered back toward the walled settlement in a panic, bellowing noisily all the way, "FIRE! FIRE!". Their voices were strange.. harsh even to Yo'k'an's ears, nothing like the elegantly simple language of his people where an entire conversation could be had in near silence just by the movements of the body and patterns of breath. So very different. He filtered away the word 'fire', stored in the vast pool of knowledge swirling in his mind. Mayhaps... one day he would know enough to understand these people better who lived among mixed species freely yet slaughtered his own. It was his duty to continue learning and trying to understand... so that one day there might be a chance a peace could be brokered. It was the final wish of Honored U'hess. But in the meantime, Yo'k'an concerned himself with the living. The town erupted with activity as men burst through the split in the wall carrying buckets and shouting so noisily that even if the shaman gave the call to battle now, they probably wouldn't hear it. He waited, watching and counting along the way as unarmed beings of every species and color ran out from the settlement.
  
  Among the chaos of people running into the forest, Yo'k'an's people remained perfectly silent and hidden even as smoke curled within their nostrils, and they squinted uncomfortably as the Bright rose further from his bed and the fire began to cast away the shadows from the forest. Finally, the crocodilian judged it time. Over sixty Others had traveled into the forest, and only stragglers remained heading toward them. WHUMPF! Shhhkshhk shk shk shk shk shk shk. Yo'k'an beat his weighted tail heavily into the ground and shook his staff as he stood. His second in command stood as well, and the shaman thumped his chest, pointing toward the stragglers running up the path. Giving a single nod, E'k'haa was off along with his compatriots, filtering swiftly and silently toward the sounds of chaos and the Others that were soon to be food for the insects. Yo'k'an turned toward the path and hid behind a tree as the first of three stragglers went running into the forest close to him. He quickly stuck out his staff as the male ran by, knocking the wind from his throat immediately and bringing the heavy gnarled end down upon his skull gently to render him unconscious. Hiding behind the tree again, he would wait for the second and third to pass the tree line. The Bright was becoming more prevalent now, making the shaman squint painfully as he relied instead on his other senses for timing. The second footfalls came thundering up, and stuttered to a halt abruptly when he noticed the unconscious body of the first, "Wha?! Jeoff! Lawd whaddja do, run inta a tree?!" Yo'k'an smoothly padded around the back as the sounds of slaughter began in the distance, and jumped out quickly behind the second, a beast of a flesh-type Other almost as tall as himself. He'd swing his staff around his throat, gripping both sides as he pulled the male against his body and sought to choke him out, the shaman's arms tensing as the man gurgled and struggled for breath. His interesting fleshy face began turning a brilliant red while his eyes bugged out in alarm. Yo'k'an's head cocked to the side curiously... green like wet moss, flesh mottled with brown flecks, and blazing fire on his head. How interesting! He found himself staring with curiosity until the Other's eyes rolled up in the back of his head and he let the heavy body drop. Then, the world around him burst with color hemmed in blur as a heavy wooden bucket collided with the back of his skull.
  
  "LEAVE MY FATHER ALONE!"
  
  The shaman stumbled forward immediately, partially dowsed with water soon after, and instinct suddenly kicked in. He swung behind him blindly as his eyes shut when he turned toward the Bright, and heard the sound of a high-pitched squeal. Panicked, he desperately lunged toward the source of the sound lest it alert the settlement and bring the rest of its warriors upon his people. Squealing, the female Other turned to run, and the crocodilian gave chase immediately, hazarding to open his eyes long enough to make a flying tackle toward her. The two landed in a tumble as she squealed again, writhing and kicking the reptile's stomach as his arms swept up, one circling her waist and the other clapping over her mouth to cease her panicked noises. He breathed deeply, shutting his eyes as he gripped the female, rolling over to rest his weight upon her while his ears strained to hear how the battle went and whether more were coming from the settlement.
  
  "It is your turn, Honored Yo'k'an. The battle is won. I shall end these conquers for you." E'k'haa stood behind the shaman, head tilting to the side as he eyed the younger croc's prey, his beastly nude form covered beautifully in the blood of their enemies with his crimson-painted tail swaying rapidly behind him. The shaman winced visibly to his offer.
  
  Yo'k'an lowered his head as the female below him whimpered and breathed heavily through her nose, his eyes finally peeling open to stare down at her mud-flecked moss-eyed face. He lift his gaze to her flaming hair, suddenly consumed by the beauty of its flowing waves seeming to burn in the growing blinding light of the Bright. Fire burns all.Finally, his pale gaze dropped to her eyes, for a moment locking with her terrified stare before he offered a shake of his head, "No. Let these ones return to inform the Others of our victory. Gather our warriors and head home. I will put out the fire."
  
  E'k'haa squinted down to the female who stared wide-eyed up to the shaman, terror obvious in her gaze as an amused smirk quirked up his face, "As you wish, Honored... though I question your taste in females. Her delicate flesh is only good for meat." The sennibalism joke seemingly lost on his young compatriot, who still stared at the female beneath him had the brute's expression becoming serious, however, and he turned away and began to jog back toward the warriors he belonged to, ready to make the long trek home.
  
  Yo'k'an waited until E'k'haa had departed before he slowly pushed off from the female, kneeling over her as he spoke softly with his hand still gripped over her mouth, "I have spared your life and your family's. It is little comfort I'm sure, but...Perhaps one day you might do one of my people the same."
  
  The flame-haired girl stared up in confusion as the beast above her hissed, growled, and clicked, her eyes darting everywhere in a panic while she squirmed and cried, quite sure the end was near with the threatening sounds that erupted from the feral native. But, as his hard-scaled hand slowly withdrew from her mouth, she ceased to move, her face registering surprise when he stood away from her, grabbed his staff, and turned to to walk deeper into the woods. She remained laying there, her eyes lifting to the forest roof while he walked away, breathing out a shuddering breath. Slowly picking herself up and dusting herself off, she ran back to her father and Jeoff, still stunned as she looked toward the depths of the forest through the smoke, wondering how it could be possible she was left alive. Those monsters were always thorough, only a few having lived to survive any encounter with one of them. Turning her attention to her family, Aiwynn put it to the back of her mind.
  
  The fires burned bright in Yo'k'an's village that night, but Yo'k'an lingered away from the fire, squinting slightly from the brightness of it. All of his people were generally nocturnal, but Yo'k'an was the only one who could well be blinded by a particularly bright light. He hated the sun and fire, but this night he remained out of his hut... for his people's sake. In small groups his people approached to congratulate and honor him for his deeds earlier in the day. His face was scored with the proof of his honor, leaves covered in ash paste hiding them from view to help encourage the distinct raised scars that they would become. Finally, he was worthy of the title of Honored, but it didn't make him happy. Still, he smiled, and clicked and rumbled happily as he was supposed to, accepting the gifts of meat and goods as graciously as a shaman was supposed to. His mind, however, was troubled. A victory today... but what about the next? The Others would recover even from such a heavy blow as this, and it was promised they would retaliate like ants swarming from their squashed home.
  
  Near the fires, E'k'haa told the story of the battle, and the grand sight of Yo'k'an drawing water from the ground to quench the fire before it could spread any further. He described in great detail the black scar on the land their people had carved because of the shaman's plan that would forever mark a border between the Au'lessi and the others. Yo'k'an, figuring he had spent enough time among his people, pushed himself up to a stand to head back to his hut. Shamans were not supposed to live among their people, remaining divided but closer to nature they strove their whole lives to become one with. At the moment he made to turn away, however, he heard E'k'haa call out from the fire, "Our Honored wishes to speak now! Let us give him our eyes and ears!"
  
  Stopping with a wince, the shaman turned back and leaned upon his staff, staring out at the fire as he took a long deep breath, "You honor me, E'k'haa. My people who fought as my arms and teeth this day have honored me as well. Those who remained at home honor us all by providing food for our bellies and the weapons that arm us against our enemies, still performing their duties in the wake of the chance none of us would be returning to our mates, children, and siblings. It is you who fought... and I who this night must bow to you and those returned to the earth from whence we sprung. I honor you all." He'd pause, and slowly dropped to his knees before him with his staff held horizontal with both hands. His body craned over then, planting his knuckles to the damp loam, "I thank you all." Rising back up, the male stood up with a smile, and gestured out to the complete silence that was his people, "You deserve this celebration. Drink wine and be pleased, rest your heads when you have satisfied yourselves, for the nights to come we must push on, and prepare for more victories to be won!" A cheer rose from the masses, crocodilians jumping to their feet in excitement as the drums started up.
  
  Yo'k'an turned, and made his way once again toward his hut, his staff's butt squishing into the ground as he followed the less-traveled path that lead out to the Honored's glade. The area surrounding the glade was an ancient section of the swamp, untouched for hundreds of generations and forbidden from logging or hunting within its borders. Once long ago, the territory would have been occupied by other shamans from other elements.. but their glades had been retaken by the earth. He walked in silence through the underbrush with the path home known by heart until he reached the entrance. The glade itself was perhaps the most protected place in the vast swamp lands, like the others of its kind long abandoned among his village and those of their sister tribes. They were created by rings of massive pillars of stone that circled the glade, and the swamp had grown around the stones, leaving an impenetrable wall covered in vines and reinforced between the gaps in the stones by stalwart ancient trees that formed the roof of the glade itself. Most of the land within was water and trees jutting from it, with only a built up path down the center that lead to Yo'k'an's hut and a small patch of land for farming or a couple swamp beasts for food directly to the left. The shaman pushed aside the leather flap that closed off his wooded hut, and collapsed into bed immediately. He prayed inspiration would come to him in sleep that might give him some clue of what he could do to save his people.
  
  

  
  
  
  

  Beyond The Body

  
  
  Two years had passed since Yo'k'an's first great victory for his people, and now another shaman had been discovered. She was younger than Yo'k'an was when he discovered his own Blessing, but just as exuberant as he had been when he met U'hess for the first and last time. Yo'k'an's patience was beginning to wear thin as the little croc ran around chasing the small dragon-like Water Wyrms that lived exclusively in the ponds of the glade, rather than taking on another Transfer. Yo'k'an observed from afar, leaning against his staff with a half sigh and small smile on his face, letting her play for the time being. Things had been quiet for almost a year after several other victories of his people had occurred with Yo'k'an leading the way, teaching the Others more caution in attacking the Au'lessi outright. They no longer had the numbers to attack en mass as they had before Yo'k'an, so for now, young Sse-ah could be a child a little while longer.
  
  After a time, Yo'k'an sternly lead his ward into the hut, and gestured for her to take her seat at the pool of water he had rooted out beside his bed, and lined with smooth river stones to keep as a permanent fixture of the hut. The male grunted in surprise when he noticed a glowing Water Wyrm swimming in the pool, and jerked his head to Sse-ah, "What is that doing in the Transfer pool?! Get it out, now." Smiling sheepishly, the small crocodilian padded up to the pool and scooped the creature out to be returned to the water outside while Yo'k'an lift his head and smoothed back his dreads while looking up to the ceiling, mumbling, "Gods help me this scaled little beast will drive me mad." He took a cross-legged seat between the pool and the bed, waiting until Sse-ah took her place on the other side across from him. Clearing his throat, the male dropped his eyes to the pool, lowering his hands toward the water as his ward did the same, "Today, we will learn of the stories of the water spirits."
  
  "Why don't you just tell me the stories, Honored? Why do we have to use the Transfer Pool?"
  
  Yo'k'an sighed, his eyes lifting to the ceiling again before withdrawing his scaled hands from the water and splashing the excess at the little shamaness, "Because. Words... are like a river. In time, all rivers split, and divide, leaking out to ponds and streams and spreading thin the power of the river. Or, they lead to the sea, completely diffusing what once was. Words and language will change over time depending on the person telling the story, like a river, and with them, the meaning of the story. The Transfer is like this pond. More water can be added to it, but none will leave it except by our hands. That is the duty of the water shaman, to remember every story, every birth, every death. If we can help it, we must make the Transfer at the time of death for every member of the tribe, to preserve their essence and their impact on our world and tie them in to the roots of the mind, so they live beyond the body... in us."
  
  Sse-ah tipped her head to the side, leaning forward and lowering her voice, "Do the Others perform the Transfer too, for their people?" Yo'k'an waved his hand in dismissal, sneering, "Of course not. They don't have the tie to the land like we do, little Honored. They worship the Bright and surround themselves in walls and stone paths and wear leather on their feet to completely cut themselves off from everything that could keep them in connection with this world." Relaxing, Sse-ah touched her hands into the water once again, remarking softly, "That is sad. They are alone."
  
  The lesson continued well on into the night until the Bright crept against the vines that covered the glade and the little crocodilian was exhausted and feverish. Yo'k'an carefully put her weakened body to her own bed, and tucked her in with a parental adoration before he padded out of the hut, looking contemplative and unable to sleep himself despite how badly his body ached from the transfer. He grabbed his goggles hanging from a branch near the exit of the glade, a little invention he'd come up with that allowed him to walk during the Bright time unhindered. They were carefully carved of wood, tied behind his head with a strip of soft leather, and circled two pieces of dark colored glass one of the hunting parties had found along the beaches many miles from the swamp itself. Something his small ward had said intrigued Yo'k'an, and a plan was already beginning to form in his head for another attack. But this one would be different.
  
  Yo'k'an skirted the outside of the village until he reached E'k'haa's hut, and sidled in silently while the massive beast snored along with his equally massive mate. Crouching down beside his great head, the shaman leaned down, and whispered with a hint of smile in his slithered grunts, "Arise, Brightshine. Time for breakfast."
  
  E'k'haa grunted, opening an eye lazily while his mate stirred and rolled away from him on the bedroll, "What do you want Yo'k'an? It's past Brightrise." The shaman chuckled, his head tilting to the side as he rose back to his crouch and planted his staff, feigning offense to his second-in-command, "That is Honored to you. I wanted to let you know I am going to go scout out the Others' settlement. Send a guard to look over Sse-ah for me? She is resting now."
  
  The older croc grunted again, and planted his head firmly into the bedroll, offering a dismissive wave, "Fine. Go on then. I'll send someone to watch over her. Do I even need to bother telling you to take caution?" The shaman simply smiled and shook his head before slipping back out of the tent. Heading out of the village immediately, Yo'k'an made his way through the swamps toward the settlement. It was a decent half-a day's march to the place, and during his travels, the male allowed himself the luxury of looking around. He reveled in the beauty of his home as he often did, enjoying the gradual transition between gnarled trees and damp shallow ponds to towering ancient sentinels and hard-packed earth as he passed into the divide between his home and their's. Had there been other shamans as there used to be, Yo'k'an would have spent his teenage years as an explorer rather than a general, travelling their entire realm at least once to connect with all the different environments nature had to provide, but now all he had was the memories of previous shamans to go on. He knew of snow, and ice, and knew how cold it felt but had never touched either. He vaguely wondered if there was some great power in that time of travel that he had missed out on that kept his Blessing so weak. Perhaps that was a vital part of becoming a shaman he had sacrificed to remain where he could be protected. His people could not lose their last shaman. After Sse-ah had completed the transfers, there was a chance Yo'k'an would be free to complete that important journey.
  
  In the forest, Yo'k'an let his feet fall more carefully, paying attention to where he stepped as he avoided the beginnings of the stone path the Others had tried to build early last year. They had only made it halfway through the forest before the Au'lessi had put a stop to it, lest their large wooden and metal carts became capable of travelling the hardened path and transporting deadly warriors directly into their territory. There were still piles of stone and supplies at the end of the path long abandoned by the Others. Before heading further, Yo'k'an paused as he spied a nest above him, and started scaling the tree carefully to see if the bird bed might yield a tasty surprise. To his pleasure, it did indeed, and the shaman sat on the high branch with his tail laying straight along it while he sucked the half-grown birds and the slimy yolk they were still attached to out of their shells, munching quietly while he looked down toward the path. Suddenly, he saw a flash of flame, and instantly leaned forward, heaving to his feet and crouching on the branch. His eyes wide, he'd stare cautiously toward the origin of the flame, looking for signs of smoke as he leaned this way and that from his vantage. When he didn't spot it, his brows furrowed in confusion, and he shoved the last two eggs into his mouth and started to crawl along the branch back to the trunk to get down, his staff still propped against the base. While he began the climb down, a 'crack' echoed, and he went still, head jerking around abruptly to spy the origin of it. What was going on? Seeing nothing again, the shaman crept down the rest of the way and let his foot hit ground silently, his fingers finding comfort around the worn grip carved into the wood.
  
  He waited in silence for a few minutes, listening for the sounds of a growing fire and finding no evidence to it, his back planted solidly against the trunk to protect his backside as he stood alert. Out of nowhere, an arrow whizzed by his torso and embedded itself in the trunk, sending Yo'k'an's vision to the left toward the origin of it. It wasn't flame! It was hair. A stern moss-eyed gaze was surrounded by a red mop tied back with leather cords, mud-flecked face briefly bowed as the owner of the arrow notched another to prepare to fire. Yo'k'an launched into action immediately as he saw the form of his attacker, approaching swiftly with hope he would reach her before she got her sights on him once again. As he leapt toward the archer, her bow jerked up and let loose another arrow, and Yo'k'an grunted as the thing landed between his ribs on the right side. Barreling forward despite, he'd tackle the female and knocked the bow from her hands while he crawled up and sat down on her stomach. His staff held up in threat, he let out a few warning chomps down at her as she lift her hands up toward her face to protect it with an ear-piercing shriek.
  
  Yo'k'an went still as recognition came to his face that... this was not the first time he'd tackled this particular Other. His brows furrowed deeply, chest heaving as the adrenaline of battle drained as quickly as it had come. Yo'k'an lowered his staff slowly, letting the gnarled end rest against the ground, moving his hands up to lightly grip her wrists and draw her hands from her face, locking eyes with her as he'd done those two years ago. His head cocked to the side in gesture of curiousity, clicking a few times and breathing out a soft hiss while she stared up at him wide-eyed. Finally, he'd slowly set the staff down on the ground, holding his hands up in a disarming way as he spoke in a gentle, whispered way, "I will not harm you, as I did not those years ago. This... is fate to meet twice in the same manner." She stared at him blankly as if not understanding, and the shaman dropped his head before slowly easing off her body and hunkering down in a crouch beside her weapon while she scrambled away with his staff gripped in her hand, "I came here, intending to scout out your settlement and set a trap for a hunting party to capture one of you... and here you are, again." His hands flexed over the grip of the bow while he picked it up and laid it over his thighs, head darting down to the arrow still sticking from his ribs. Luckily, it had hit on the outer side, the dangerous metal tip having narrowly missed his lungs... though it would still need to come out. For the moment, however, his fist curled around the base, and he snapped off the feathered part of the shaft with a soft grunt. Resting his fingers around the wound itself, the male looked up to the bewildered woman, and staggered up to a stand, stretching his arm out toward her and holding out the bow, pointing to his staff gripped protectively in her hands, "You can have this back if you give me back my staff. Kill me now, and my people will fight to the last child... or come with me, and we will learn to speak... together."
  
  

  
  
  
  

  Rivers and Words

  
  
  Aiwynn stared keenly at the path ahead, mindful of the one behind while she leveled her bow at the beast's backside toward the meat below his ribs. She wouldn't get such a lucky shot between the ribs again, though she hardly doubted even this scrawny brute's skin was thin enough to penetrate the plated scales from behind, but still, her arrow at his back was a comfort to her as she followed him. If this was a trap, it was a foolish one, a waste of manpower though perhaps that is why they sent out their smallest warrior to the task. But he'd tried to speak with her, maybe, when everyone had told her her entire life they were just dumb animals, acting out of instinct to protect their territory. They had even maintained that facade of ignorance even when the beasts were smart enough to set traps for them. She'd never believed them anyway, knowing from personal experience they seemed to communicate with each other and purposely spared her life and the lives of her father and uncle. And here he was again, eagerly leading her through the swamps, the same male that had saved them before, clicking, grunting, and hissing at her with what she could only guess was a tinge of excitement on his breath. He gestured and swung his tail in pointed ways, every movement and breathy hiss hinting to her that he was having a very one-sided conversation.
  
  They'd been walking almost a half a day and Aiwynn was beginning to think this was a bad idea when the sun began to set. She hadn't told anyone where she was going, having jumped the wall to go hunt by herself as she'd done many times before, ensuring her family was fed among those who starved. Good food was hard to come by with the threat of the beasts looming on one whole side of their land. They couldn't farm and could only barely hunt on the other side for the supplies they needed to feed a growing city. They had tried to expand upon initial settlement but had been stopped by the beasts where the most fertile land was and the rivers came from for irrigation. Maybe somewhere in that reptilian brain, this beast could see they were killing her people. It was a wild idea, but Aiwynn had to try.
  
  Mud had started leaking into her boots, and the woman grunted in displeasure as it sloshed around against her toes. Finally, she called out to the scaled being, "Hey, stop a second, would you?" He paused, and looked back to her, letting out his funny little clicks while his tail slapped at the water. She'd look up to him, and held her notched bow in one hand as she peeled on boot off, and then the other, and paused to undo her belt and slip their loops at the back onto it, left to hang against her hip. His eyes went wide and he began to approach, making Aiwynn level her bow at his head, speaking defensively, "That is close enough, mister," until she realized... he was staring at her feet. He clicked and growled, but she got the distinct impression it was not a sign of aggression. No, it was definitely curiosity, and he crept closer and hunkered down lowly-like as she lowered her bow. Cautiously, the boy glanced between her bow and her feet as he got in closer... and hesitantly, the human leaned over to her right foot, and lift her left up from the mud and wiggled her toes at him. He erupted with noise, a smile pulling up that harsh, stoic face as her toes wiggled at him, and Aiwynn couldn't help but laugh at his apparent excitement, "Have you never seen toes before?! You have 'em. They're just a bit different is all." Cocking his head to the side, the male looked up to her as she spoke, shoulders lowering as he let out a long, slow breath, "Aaa." Aiwyn shook her head in confusion, and gestured with her bow, "Enough 'bout my toes. Go on then."
  
  It wasn't long before Aiwynn soon smelled cooking meat and campfire, and her body tensed as she saw the first reptilian beast come into view... a massive, towering brute that could easily rip apart one of her people in seconds. He held a crude spear, and like her escort and all others of their kind she'd seen... was completely naked with a groin as flat as any woman's. They were all like that, though. It was only in the face that one could tell if they were male or female at all, though her more keen-scented furred companions could tell far better than herself with their noses. Unlike her leading crocodile, this one wore many scars on his body, and he immediately leapt to attention as they came closer, and started running for them. Aiwynn stepped back as she felt his weight thundering underfoot, and leveled her sights on the approaching enemy, but her escort stepped forward, seemingly purposely where her bow pointed as he lift his paws up to the vicious beast. The beast immediately slowed down and finally stopped while that hissing and growling came out of him again, and soon they where both doing it, back and forth while their tails slapped and their posture shifted smoothly. She stared in wonder at their communication. How could that possibly be a language?!
  
  The brute ran off, and her escort turned slowly toward her, stretching his arm out and taking her hand as he began leading her through the village. From out of huts and water surrounding the village, more of the brutes came to spy on her and her new acquaintance, staring wide with their many colored pale eyes at Aiwynn and 'speaking' up a storm so much that the sounds filled the air with the softest roar of conversation she'd ever heard. They seemed to be heading out of the small village itself when again she felt the thundering of running under her muddy feet, and she turned around abruptly while all conversation ceased at once. It was Red Tail. Aiwynn's heart nearly stopped as she stared at the brute that came to a stop in front of her, her escort the only thing standing between her and certain death. While he now was unpainted as he usually was in battle with his tail blood red, his scars and mass were unmistakable. Every colonist knew to avoid Red Tail when he came barreling into the fray. By their count he'd killed almost a hundred of her people alone, and it was he she'd seen speaking with her escort those two long years ago, the one her escort had protected her and her family from. At first, their 'words' seemed amiable, almost friendly... but that soon degraded as the sounds they made got louder, and their postures changed to more aggressive stances. There was no way in hell her scrawny protector could fend off that brute by himself! Aiwynn backed up a step, almost backing right into a beast that had snuck up behind her, who stared down at her sternly. She looked everywhere for some way out, but was soon surrounded by bodies as the noise from the two reptiles got louder and louder. Suddenly, her protector thundered his tail down heavily upon the ground three times, and thudded the butt of his staff against the ground, which seemed to stay Red Tail's fury. With an almost royal bearing to him, her protector lifted his voice and projected his hisses above any mumble of the crowd. Red Tail's face soon softened as the smaller spoke, and within minutes afterward, most of the people returned to what they'd been doing.
  
  Lead out of the village then, the human girl was soon more at ease to discover not a single person had followed them, and her eyes came level to some sort of building seemingly made out of trees and hints of massive stones. She stared in awe as she was lead through a curtain of vines, which opened up to reveal a beautiful glad within. Blue lights danced in the waters surrounding the single path to the hut in the back, and fireflies danced among the vines that hung from the branch ceiling. Out from the hut came running a funny little sight, a fat little wide-eyed crocodilian child! It was adorable! It skirted her protector completely as he knelt down and held his hands out, and ran immediately to latch itself to Aiwynn's leg, making her squeal and laugh as it clicked at her happily and wagged its tail around like a dog, "Oh my God, aren't you adorable?! Is this little bundle of energy your's?" She'd look up to her escort, who crossed his arms over his chest while looking down to the child, the two communicating in their rapid sounds. Soon, the little one detached from the human's leg, and ran into the hut eagerly. Her protector lead her within the hut as well, and she looked around briefly before she noticed that both the crocodilians were sitting around a small stone pool of water. Finally letting her bow go slack, Aiwynn stowed her arrow away and slung the bow over her shoulders as she moved to sit down between the two. The little one chirped at her with what had to be a stern tone, and wiggled her chubby hands in the air before leaning over and shoving them in the water abruptly. The male let out a small 'keh keh keh' of amusement, and did the same, looking up to the human expectantly.
  
  Aiwynn hesitantly rolled up the sleeves of her shirt, looking between the two expectant reptiles with a nervous expression, and slowly shed her gloves, laying them on her lap before she carefully rest her palms on the stone edge and dipped her fingertips into the water.
  
  "Aww, look at her little claws, Honored!"
  
  "Hush now, concentrate."
  
  Aiwynn let out a cry of pain and she abruptly jerked her hands back and sat bolt up as a burning sensation covered her fingers, and she shook her hands rapidly in frantic alarm, blowing on them softly before looking up and exclaiming loudly, "What the hell?! Is that acid?!"
  
  The tall reptile tilted his head and clicked out softly in his throat, moving over to Aiwynn with a look of concern as he reached out and took her hand before she could jerk away. He'd give her fingers a soothing stroke while she looked up at him in bewilderment, and used his other hand to gesture to his head, then pointed down at her fingers. Staring blankly between the two gestures he repeated, she'd say slowly, "Were those... your voices in my head?" He'd change the gesture, pointing to his head, mouth, then her fingers, and slowly Aiwynn nodded, "It was your voices. You're.. trying to speak to me in a way I can understand." He'd go silent, staring at her blankly before moving back to his spot and dipping his fingers into the water, waiting for the girl to do the same. Hesitantly, Aiwynn did so, and waited for the pain to start anew... but this time she was mostly ready for it.
  
  "Can you hear me?"
  
  Aiwynn squirmed as the burning started at her fingers, but struggled hard against the instinct to pull her hands away from the pool of water.
  
  Y-yes... I hear you.
  
  Oh my Gods she speaks!
  
  Sse-ah, quiet. You need to concentrate, not talk.
  
  What the hell is this thing?! What is happening?
  
  It is called the transfer. I am Yo'k'an. This is Sse-ah. This is how shamans learn. We want to teach you our language. We wish to learn your's, but our mouths cannot speak it.
  
  The burning had traveled up Aiwynn's arm, and even those few brief seconds in the pool had her whole body shaking like a leaf as the burning set every nerve in her on fire. She bowed over, letting out a soft sob, "How do you do this? It hurts so much!" Yo'k'an tipped his head to the side as she looked over to him pleadingly, and he waited a moment before speaking, his low, confident voice ringing in her head, "It hurts us as well, but we are used to it. You will become used to it too." Finally, Aiwynn couldn't stand it anymore, and jerked her arms away from the pool, sitting back with a sob and rubbing her limbs furiously as poured from her eyes, whispering rapidly, "I can't. I can't, I just can't. It's too much." Sse-ah this time stood up on her chubby feet, and padded over to Aiwynn's side, sitting down and laying her small head on top of the woman's thigh, petting over it with a smile and clicking soothingly as if trying to calm the girl. The woman looked down at the small crocodilian, who spoke up to her, and lifted her brows, "You.... are... Shea." The girl lifted her head, bright-eyed gaze lighting up even further as her name was spoken, and she'd look up to Yo'k'an with a bright smile, clicked a few times, then hissed and breathed out, "Sshhaaa! Sshaaa!" Aiwynn let out a soft laugh, and smiled, "That's not what it sounded like in my mind, Shea. And you." Her gaze turned to look at the male, her words softening, "Yokan..." The male smiled and nodded pleasantly, and repeated his name, "EeeeyOOoo" Click "Aahnnn". Aiwynn's brows lifted... not even sure if she could properly produce the series of noises needed for the crocodilian language, but she'd finally nod her head, and repeat, "Yokan. I will try. For both our peoples."
  
  

  
  
• Sweet Summers, Cold Winters

  
  
  Aiwynn returned to the Au'lessi encampment many times during the summer under the cover of nightfall, her waking hours turning to the evenings while she slept the day away neglecting her lessons. Her father had noticed, and he questioned her frequently, but she would simply smile silently and waft back to sleep or off to get some of her work done. He thought it was a man... and in a way he was right. It took the entire summer before Aiwynn could learn the Au'lessi language, and though she still had trouble pronouncing those gutteral clicks and trying to imitate the ever important tail thumps and body language, she stumbled on through with gusto. Soon there was no need for the Transfers, though she'd gotten used to those as well, as Yokan was quick to pick up her language. He tried his best to pronounce even the most simple of words and failed miserably due to the crocodilian tongues being fused to the bottoms of their jaws, but damned if he and Shea didn't try their hardest. Ekha was the only one who stood stalwart in his belief that she was a spy, as that was what the fight had been about the night she'd arrived as she'd soon found out through the Transfers. She'd remained in the encampment for four days that time before Yokan was comfortable enough to allow her to leave. She'd had to lie to her father, saying she'd been lost in the woods.
  
  Yokan had even... in his own way, helped her people in secret, startling an entire heard of swampbirds into the settlement area that were easily caught up and took well to breeding in captivity, but still her people starved. They refused to put down farmland on the swamp-side of the forest despite her attempts to say she believed the Beasts would be no trouble if they simply left them alone. Things were going to come to a head, and Yokan and Aiwynn both knew she couldn't stop it alone, only delay it. A woman's words would hold no weight, but Yokan's?
  
  Aiwynn's hand trembled with nervousness as she held the small, sharp surgical blade gripped tight until her fingers were white as he laid down stretched over his bed. Shea lingered at the head of the bed with gauze and alcohol from the settlement, ready to be handed out after Aiwynn made her cuts. She sat on his chest to get the proper angle, his jaw dropped wide while his eyes shut, looking far more at peace than she was about the matter. Aiwynn could well be condemning Yokan to a slow, painful death by starvation should his wounds get infected or should she nick a major blood vessel. She'd been given permission to practice it on a couple crocodilian corpses but still she was unsure of herself. One slip and all hope died with the young, brave shaman. Ekha would murder her for revenge and then her people would swarm over the Au'lessi like a plague and wipe them out in hours.
  
  Yokan looked up to her expectantly after waiting with his eyes closed, and let out a few affectionate clicks before shutting them again. Breathing heavily, she gripped the tip of his tongue, the only flexible part of it, and started to saw down one half, her head tilting to the side as she inspected where she was cutting until the meat pulled free and she could stretch the flap upward and see where the muscles connected. Yokan grunted and let out a pained bellowing distress noise at the pit of his throat Aiwynn had never heard before, but Shea knew what to do. The young shamaness flickered her paws, drawing out the blood that was spilling down his throat in small lines as she uttered soothing words to him, "You are fine, Honored. You will get through this. Breathe through your nose and it will be over soon." Her words helped soothe him as Aiwynn began stitching that side up quickly, though her hands were soon covered with blood. Finally, she was done and more focused, cutting open the other side with greater ease and thinking to herself one side was going to look alright and the other horrid as his body jerked a few times beneath her. His eyes fluttered only to roll back in his head while she started stitching up the other side. Finally done, she reached for the alcohol, and poured it down the croc's throat, causing him to bellow and immediately sit bolt upright and up end Aiwynn from her perch, the girl tumbling back against his legs, shouting, "I'm sorry! It had to be done!" It was Shea that grabbed him by the dreadlocks and yanked him back down to the bed abruptly, her fat paws shoving gauze in his mouth after he spit the liquor to the ground. Finally, it was done. The human tumbled off the bed and bolted for the door flap, emptying the contents of her stomach just outside with Yokan rolled over and groaned, his head swimming freely with the blood loss.
  
  Healing was far tougher than Yokan had expected. A chilly bitter winter hit and he got to see his first snow even if it was brief, but he could not eat. Anything touching his tongue burned like fire, the freshly shorn muscle as sensitive as his netherbits, if not more. Any winter typically slowed his people down, both in speed and metabolism. Yokan spent hours of the day sleeping outside sunning himself on the rocks just to get some small semblance of warmth while Shea at night would float raw water-meat down his throat just to keep him alive. It didn't take long for infection to set in to the wounds, and not long following, the infection spread. Tall and proud turned far too quickly to tired and emaciated. Yokan soldiered on through his illness, hastening his lessons with Shea to twice a night as if he feared his time might be coming. Hours before daybreak, Aiwynn would put their sweating, ragged bodies to bed before making the numbing trek back to her city.
  
  Near the end of the winter,she let out a shout of surprise as she sifted through the vines at the entry of the glade and ran direct into the barreled chest of Ekha. Her head lifted, backing up through the vines vaguely until she saw his submissive posture, and the softening of his ever-stern brows. Leaning forward and ducking her head to mimic the Au'lessi posture of concern, her arm outstretched, the side of her smooth hand brushing along his bicep before clasping it, clicking and hissing smoothly in their language, "What troubles you, Ekha?"
  
  The brutish male backed up, and dropped down to a crouch on the path, propping his elbows on his bent knees as he stared down at the ground, "Yo'k'an is my Honored... but also... my friend. Those years ago, when he let you live, I was... enraged. How dare our shaman endanger us all by letting people live, those who could go on trying to kill us. You hit my Honored. Twice!" The male stamped his right fist into the ground, though in the quiet manner of the Au'lessi, his voice still barely raised above a whisper, "That day he brought you back to the village with an arrow in his chest, I wanted to snap your frail neck and be done with this. He had to be insane, too many spurnings from our females because he is so small and weak. But, I listened to his claims that we could learn to speak as one because he is my Honored. I have watched you slip into this village... and you have become more Au'lessi than Other and so I speak to you as a brother, not your enemy." The male angled his head to the side, and then reached out, cupping her hands in a single grip of one of his massive ones, glancing up, "Do not leave us this time, sister. Stay with him. I have never seen him so..alive or so strong. You are his hope, and therefore, you are our's as well. If he dies, you must teach Sse-ah. Please, Aa-ynn."
  
  Aiwynn's brows lift as the man spoke, her head turning toward the path through the swamp that lead to her home. Ekha's plea was a powerful one, and his offer tempting. He was right that she'd become more Au'lessi than human. Their soft way of speaking was charming and forced her to listen, truly listen, far more than she ever had in the past where volume was the key to getting a point across. She no longer cared for gloves or shoes and rarely wore her shirt's arms and pants' legs loose, always rolled up to show her scrawny legs. She appreciated their nudity, and the honesty that came with it. They never had anything to hide, even their thoughts were always reflected in their movements. It was beautiful. But she was still human, and her people starved. Even now they waited for spring to come, eager to expand their lands and end their hunger....but when she thought of those concerns, she realized it wouldn't matter. The more she taught Yokan and Shea, the more likely it was some peace could be brokered. Breathing out softly, Aiwynn smiled up to Ekha, "I must go back to get more arrows and some supplies. I wish to teach Yokan and Shea writing. It is how we Transfer. Someday, you can record your lives in case there is no shaman to Transfer."
  
  The human girl rushed, jogging most of the way back home until she reached the abandoned stone path in the forest. Seating herself on a pile of the large flat stones as she always did, she'd pull her boots back on her feet, carefully rolled down her shirt sleeves and pulled her hair out of the leather strips, adjusting it daintily to fall around her shoulders. It was the last time she'd perform the familiar ritual. Checking herself over quickly, and satisfied with her appearance, Aiwyn shouldered her bow and quick-marched toward the city with a small smile on her face, unaware that eyes watched her from afar. Breaking through the tree line, she crept over to the southern side of the settlement, and scaled the wall quickly as she knew every foot and handhold by heart.
  
  Aiwynn hurriedly gathered supplies, shoving books, paper, quills, and ink into her knapsack in a rush. She grabbed a few shirts and pants from the shelf.. and then stopped, letting the cloth drop on the floor with a small smile. Shouldering the knapsack, she'd step out of her room and froze when she saw her father Orin slowly closing the door. He stared at her with his head bowed and his reddish brows lowered dangerously, "And where are you goin', young lady? Onna lil trip t'see yer Beasty buddies? I ain't paid good money fer y't'be learned by th'priest t'shove it all away fer bows an' scalies. You were just gunna leave... and not say a word, weren't you?" His face turned red with anger, a look of hurt in his eyes as he took a step forward.
  
  Aiwynn looked to the front door, and slowly dropped her knapsack from her shoulder, "Father..they... aren't what we think they are. I've tried to tell you but you won't listen. They're intelligent, and wise. And they want to share their lands with us. They've wanted peace all along. We attacked them."
  
  The man let out a bellow, his hand jerking back, pointing toward the forest, "No, Aiwynn. We never lead them into a trap! We just wanted farm land t' survive, a road so we could scavenge deeper into the forest! We're bloody starving an' you've been playin' house with th'enemy like a disloyal brat! So watcha got there, huh? Robbin' me blind and ditchin' me, yer own father fer those heathen brutes!" He'd stomp forward, bending down and dumping out the contents of her knapsack, books thudding and a bottle of ink skittering across the floor. The sight only enraged him more.
  
  Orin grabbed his daughter by the wrist, "Y'gunna teach 'em t'read an' write like they'll ever be anythin' but brutal murderers?!"
  
  Aiwynn's face heated up, and she shouted back abruptly, "Yokan has never murdered anyone! He's a shaman, just like our priests. He saved you the night of the fire trap, father, and me, and uncle Jeoff! You owe him your life." She shook with anger, seeking to jerk her wrist from his iron grip, "You're hurting me, let me GO!"
  
  His face sneered, head jerking down to level with her's, "Yokan izzit? Now I know who I'm gunna kill first. Y'shouldn't have come back, now yer gunna watch 'em all die, instead of dyin' with 'em." Grabbing her bow with his other hand, he'd whip it off of her as she screamed, and dragged her out of the house to alert the garrison and get some rope.
  
  

  
  
  
  

  To The Sea

  
  
  Yo'k'an heard the sounds of running long before the thundering of E'k'haa's feet ever tamped down the path to his hut in the glade. He slowly drew his blanket from his clammy body with a shaking hand, and carefully moved to sit heavily on the edge as he grunted softly. Sse-ah stirred as well, tumbling out of her small cot and landing on all fours as she gave a shake out of her small frame... eager and alert as always even after a hard evening of Transfers. Yo'k'an envied her resilience... the Transfers were much harder on him, and they still had so much to go. How had U'hess done it so smoothly with his dying breath? The shaman was unsure if he could do the same, shaking his head as he called out to his ward, "My staff. E'k'haa seems in a hurry." Sse-ah leapt up and moved to grab the gnarled staff, and held it up to Yo'k'an with a gentle smile. She was truly a caring little one, the shaman comforted to know his people would be in good hands once she'd matured. The sickness had embittered him, hating his own weakness and feeling just as terrible as he had been as a child after the mass Transfer U'hess performed on him left him ill and crippled through most of his adolescence. Still, he forced a gentle smile for his apprentice, "Stay here." Pushing himself up to a stand on weakened legs, Yo'k'an made toward the flap that covered the entrance of his hut in time to peel it open and find his old friend standing panting in the frame. He spoke only one word, "War."
  
  The shaman's thoughts were torn. He knew his ultimate duty was to preserve the knowledge of his people, but he wished deeply to join E'k'haa as he ran back to the village where crocodilians prepared for battle. A scout had spotted the Others gathering at the edge of the swamp, a windfall for them.... perhaps there was enough time to do both. If the Transfer didn't kill him. Sse-ah sat, shaking like a leaf across the pool from her Master while he prepared himself. They both knew this would not be like the other times, and there was no comfort he could give her for the pain she was about to feel or the agony a shaman experienced as.... for a time, the self was lost to the memories of their people. Yo'k'an had been so scarred from the experience that he had built the pool, vowing to allow his own ward a choice always in whether she wished to continue. But now, there was no time left for choice, only action.
  
  Gathering his will within him, he shut his eyes and lift his hands above his head slowly, calling the water from the damp floor of the hut as U'hess had done so many years ago, the water drawing upward in lazy spirals to begin rolling along the walls. It slowly ambled along, the shaman's weakened state slowing its movements as he focused all that remained of his memories to be diffused within the fluid, it beginning to glow softly as the river peeled off the walls and shortened its spiral to caress over Yo'k'an's back. Some memories, he pulled from the pool, those only for him... a shared kiss on pale, soft lips after a vigorous dance by the fire and the dreamy look in her mossy eyes afterward. The rush of embarrassment and desire when E'k'haa embraced him in his hut after his first strategic victory. Neither scandalous or sinful, but still they were his alone. The deep love and connection he felt for them both, however, he left in. The glowing water coalesced closer and closer until it passed around the two shamans and began to circle between them. Then finally, every memory was passed, and the water paused only for a moment before it shot out abruptly to the small seated form of Sse-ah, her eyes snapping shut and body bracing as the water formed around her body in a thin sheet. She took a few deep breaths as the pain set in from every angle, but soon she couldn't control it anymore. As Yo'k'an's sight hemmed with blur at the edge and leaned back against his bed, her breaths became unnatural shrieks of the purest agony known.
  
  Somehow, Yo'k'an dragged the convulsing form of his ward to her cot, binding her in blankets while his sight wavered in and out in time with his labored breaths. It was will alone that allowed him to drag his body up his staff, using it as a life line to limp out of the glade. The vines behind him slowly wove themselves in a pattern, and then hardened like wood behind him as he stumbled away, sealing his apprentice within the safety of the shrine. He made the agonizingly long walk from his home to the village with little concept of time, fearing he was too late to try and stop the war only to find... his people all gathered at the far edge of the village, staring out only yards away from the Others standing outside of it. Aiwynn was at the front, bound in rope and gagged while her father, that man he'd saved years ago, holding the other end of the rope. E'k'haa sought to stop Yo'k'an as he tried to break away from the crowd, but the tired shaman shoved his shaking hand up, shouting, "NO!"
  
  A few of the Others began chuckling softly as the enfeebled shaman broke away from the wall of muscle and death and staggered out to meet the enemy. Orin himself chortled softly, gesturing, "That is your leader? That is the great Yokan my daughter is all a-twitter over?!" The crocodilian bowed his head in shame, his eyes shutting briefly before he gave a push to his staff and willed himself stand tall. He walked without falter toward Aiwynn, tall and with as much noble bearing as he could muster as his pale green eyes leveled severely on the large red-headed father of his friend. He bravely came to stand before the smaller human woman, and bowed his head, lifting his hands to gently untie the gag covering her mouth while Orin glared at him but remained silent in the wake of the intimidating stare. Yo'k'an lowered his gaze then to Aiwynn, who stared up hopelessly at him and whispered out in his language, "It won't work, they will not listen. I tried Yokan." The shaman's black claws brushed under her chin briefly, hissing back to her softly, "Be my voice, Aa-ynn. If I can stand, you can speak."
  
  Yo'k'an's tongue still ached, and even in his own language it was agony to feel it move as he spoke. His body ached, feeling like it would give out from beneath him at any moment, and he could barely even feel his feet planted in the ground. When he addressed the others, he and Aiwynn spoke nearly as one, two people in two different languages communicating the same thoughts, "I am Honored Yokan, water shaman of this tribe, and I am a child of a pointless and destructive war, like Aiwynn. I have played my role in the slaughter of your people, as has she. I still bear the wound of her arrow in my chest from where she shot me when we encountered each other for the second time. The first encounter was on the dawn of my first great victory, the day you know as the Fire Trap, a day that secured for me my position as Honored... but that is not what used to be a way for a Shaman of my element to gain honor. There was a time when my people looked to Water Shamans for only one thing: to preserve the memories of our people for future generations. Your people call them scribes, keepers of knowledge nothing more. But, as I said, I am a child of war... and the last shaman that remains. You have killed them all save me."
  
  His hand dropped to his side, pausing as his vision swam and he reached his other hand out to make a grab for Aiwynn, clasping her shoulder for support, "Nnn. I had always hoped in the back of my mind, that communication was a possibility. On the night of the Fire Trap the plan went perfectly. Many of your men went to slaughter and I offered to take out the stragglers, knock them out so the male you know as Red Tail could kill them for me, as I am forbidden to kill myself. I knocked out the brutish Jeoff, and then you, Orin, choking you with my staff until you passed out.. but your hair caught my attention. So different, you and I." He'd gestured to the large man, "Your daughter smacked me with a water bucket and yelled for me to leave you alone.. with no care for her own safety. The moment she hit me, she surely knew she was dead. She had no bow to guard her then. I'd never seen that sort of... sacrifice and care exhibited by your people. You were all just Others to us, but she was terrified of me. When Red Tail came to do his duty, I let you live because I know much about sacrifice... and fear and the love of a child to their parent."
  
  His words tapered off briefly, his vision coming back to normal for the time though he remained using Aiwynn as his support, and his voice, she facing the Au'lessi, and he facing the Others, "From the mouths of babes did I find a solution to my problem. My young apprentice questioned how your people retained your knowledge and it made me wonder if there was hope yet that perhaps we could not speak the same languages, but we could Transfer thoughts as the water shamans did. I came here again with the plan to capture one of you, and for the second time, I encountered Aiwynn, but this time.. I offered her a chance at peace, and she took it. She has learned our language because she believes as I do, that it is never too late to put down our arms and let words be our common ground. I can understand you, and even sought to sever my own tongue in attempt to speak your language. Those actions have weakened me, the last shaman greatly... but I gladly give my life in this pursuit." His mouth opened slowly, head tilting slightly as he displayed his red, stitched up tongue to the crowd of onlookers, who whispered in surprise. Closing his mouth, the shaman bowed his head, squeezing Aiwynn's shoulder, "This human woman and I are friends. Do not let our working together for both our peoples end in massacre. Your people are starving, and my people have the food, land, and resources to share. Let this moment be a new beginning... not an end."
  
  Though he was not a leader, Orin was urged forward by his compatriots, the older brute of a man still stunned in silence at the shaman's seeming eloquence and determination, spoken through his own child. He remained oddly quite as he was caught under the gaze of the tall emaciated reptile who gripped Aiwynn's shoulder. As he looked to her, she leveled her gaze to Red Tail in all his glory, who nodded sullenly to her as if she had done well. Orin looked over the crowd of expectant green-scaled faces, and finally lift his great hand to run through his blazing hair as he heaved his shoulders, "I cannot undo what's been done so far. I came here t'kill th'man that turned m'daughter against me and found him a greater, wiser man than I've ever been. Even 'bout t'die, he faces us with courage, and honor, and compassion. But it is because of 'im so many of our people were slaughtered, by his own admission. It's because of 'im we've struggled every day fer three long years. I'm willin' t'talk. I'm willin' t'bend, but by our laws, not with that man. Give him t'me as a sign'a good faith an' I give my solemn vow we will have his peace. One way er'nother."
  
  Yo'k'an barely heard any of it as Orin spoke, only listening to Aiwynn as she translated it into language he could understand. His hand felt like a dead weight on her shoulder, and he could barely detect the urgent, angry rumbles of his people behind him at the outrage of the man demanding their shaman as payment for peace. But before outrage and hatred could break out afresh, the shaman mumbled out in his language, "It is agreed. AGREED! My people. I am dead already. Preserve us!"
  
  Aiwynn turned as Yo'k'an's strength finally gave out, and she'd jerk her head toward her father as the tall being collapsed, "There! He said it, he agreed! Now untie me father, he's dying for all your bargaining was worth!" Aiwynn was quickly untied by her father, and the human woman fell to her knees, pulling Yokan's head up to her lap, cradling it as she hissed and clicked out in his language, "Yokan... please. Wake up. You can't leave me to do this alone. It'll never last without you. I love you, my friend, my Honored." Her head bowed over him, whispering softly as her words fell on deaf ears while two former enemies stared the yards across from each other. E'k'haa was the first to move. He planted his heavy spear dangerous end into the ground, and soon everyone followed suit. Looking across the way to Orin, he offered the slightest of nods before turning back toward the village. When he returned, it was with a basket of fresh-plucked fruits and vegetables. He stepped forward slowly, and offered it out to the human brute with a bow of his head, faithful to his shaman's wishes to the very end. Orin stared down, stunned at the food offered to him, and soon thereafter several other reptilian villagers had brought more baskets laden with meat, fruit, and eggs, giving out to other villagers soberly while E'k'haa crouched down beside Aiwynn crying like a babe and stroking Yo'k'an's hair, whispering softly, "Remain with us, sister. Let him go, he is the Earth's now, whatever your father does with him."
  
  Reluctantly, Aiwynn let herself be guided to standing by the brutish beast, and shot a hateful look toward her father as she was lead back into the village. Orin, wounded by the glare, winced, and handed his basket of food off to another before he crouched down and gathered the body of Yokan within his great arms. Heaving the dead beast up over his shoulder, he'd turn to head home with his people, satisfied on all ends with the way things had gone. There was an unsteady peace, and the wretch who had lead the war in the last year and turned his daughter native was his prize. Things were going well for him, until a soft cough uttered out from the corpse he toted, and immediately Orin's stern face flattened, a scowl drawing over his lips.
  
  

  
  
  
  

  Epilogue: Time At Last

  
  
  Yokan woke to the pleasant lulls of rocking, feeling more alive than he had in months with Aiwynn's last words on his mind. He'd mumble softly in his language as he tipped his head to the side on the hard wooden plank he laid upon, "I love you too, Aa-ynn. Where is E'k'haa? I heard him just now..." Weakly, he moved his hand up to grope for a touch that was no longer there only to realize his arm was chilled by cold iron. His head flopped to the side, staring at the iron band and vaguely wondering if he was dreaming as he pulled the limb toward him and heard the rustling of chains. Eyes slowly coming in to focus, he looked around in his dim surroundings and saw the huddled figures of Others nearby, all bound in chains. Brows furrowing in confusion, the male pushed himself up to a sit, and looked to the far wall where small circular windows were spaced evenly. Staggering to a stand, he stumbled over slowly toward the nearest window, stretching to the limit of his chain and standing on tiptoe to peer outside. Blue waves as far as the eye could see. Gasping and sitting down hard, the crocodilian coiled his tail around himself as he stared down at the wood floor in bewilderment.
  
  Just as he was filtering through his last moments of consciousness, the door to the ship's hold swung open, and a glowing lantern swung from the paw of a burly-looking silver cat clothed even more strangely than the Others he had met before. He called out in a booming voice as he shone the lantern down upon Yokan, making him squint, "We-e-elll lookit that. The shaman's finally up an' about. Ole Orin said ya'd pull through, an' turns out he was right. Good fer us, lad, and bad fer you. Now why don'tcha just settle yerself down an' enjoy th' luxurious accommodations. It'll be a few days still until we get int'a port. Lucky you, our first stop's Guilderiem. Lovely lil island an' they like th' exotics like you. So get ready t'put yer best face on an' prey y'fetch a profit lest I find'ya more worth it t'chop y'int'a meat fer the other slaves."
  
  Yokan felt over his re-stitched and bandaged tongue, his gaze turning back to the wood at his feet, comforting himself in his mind that his mission at home had at least been completed. He brought peace to his people, preserved his heritage in Sse-ah who would grow to be a wonderful shamaness, and he had earned the love and respect of the two people who'd mattered most to him, E'k'haa and Aa-ynn. He wondered what the Gods could possibly have in store for him now.