Post by Jjairr Wolfhound on Aug 16, 2011 3:53:33 GMT -5
(Originally written years and years ago; modified several times as I learned a bit more about how to write a coherent story. What follows is the tale of Jjairr's second day in Hydlaa, based on true events and dedicated to Shalieso, who I don't think I ever saw again.)
A Shortcut to Mushrooms
By Jjairr Wolfhound
Candles and a smoldering fire proved the only sources of light in Kada-El’s Tavern. The great carved doors were closed, owing to the rain drenching the city outside. Murmuring voices could be heard in the corners of the tavern, making business propositions or discussing the prices of gold.
Upstairs on the second floor balcony, a single figure perched. She, unlike the better part of the Hydlaan population, didn't mind the rain. In fact, she loved it - the way it smelled, the way it felt, and especially the way everyone else seemed to complain about it. The figure was in fact Jjairr Wolfhound, a sixteen-year-old enkidukai that no one in Hydlaa had ever heard of and that no one seemed to notice.
An average-sized enkidukai, Jjairr had long ginger fur striped with black. She wore a pair of long, loose brown trousers held up with a scarred leather belt and a dusty red tunic that clashed horribly with her fur. A canvas haversack lied abandoned nearby, underneath an awning. A pair of golden falchions rested on top of the haversack, dangling from a second belt.
Twirling on her bare feet, Jjairr turned her face to the sky, laughing and blinking rain drops from her hazel eyes. She heard a creak and stopped, glancing around to see where it had come from. Finding nothing, she was about to continue her dance, when she heard a voice.
"Up here."
Jjairr glanced up and found herself gazing at the face of a slender male Xacha balanced on the wooden beams spiderwebbing out from the tavern structure. His eyes were filled with laughter as he smiled at her. His rain-soaked white shirt and gray trousers dangled off his lanky frame.
"Hello," Jjairr said, flicking raindrops off her tail. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you."
The Xacha smiled again. "Not at all. It's good to see youth enjoying life so much."
He slid off the beam, landed on his feet beside Jjairr, and extended his hand. "Shalieso," he said.
"Jjairr Wolfhound,” Jjairr said, gripping the man’s hand with her own. “Nice to meet you."
The rain began to lessen, causing them both to look at the sky and sigh. Jjairr lowered her gaze back to the Xacha and began to search for a topic of conversation. Her thoughts settled on the wooden beams, and she asked, "How did you get up there, anyway?"
"I jumped off the roof,” Shalieso said. “It's simple - I'll show you sometime. You just have to watch where you step.”
Shalieso laughed as Jjairr tried and failed to suppress a shiver. "Let's get inside and dry off," he suggested.
Jjairr agreed, scooping up her things and following her new friend inside. He led her down the stairs and into the main room of the tavern, taking a seat in front of the fire.
"Have you been in Hydlaa long?" Shalieso asked as Jjairr placed her things on the bench beside her.
Jjairr shook her head. "I only arrived yesterday," she said.
"Where are you from originally?" Shalieso asked, wringing a bit of water from his shirt to add to the puddle already accumulating by his feet.
"Russyrius,” Jjairr said. “It's a little town on the second level."
"Why did you leave?"
"I was sick of the small-town life," Jjairr said.
Shalieso nodded. The pair looked up as the tavern doors opened and a small group of Ynnwn wearing cloaks strode inside. From her limited view of the doors, Jjairr could see that the rain had stopped and the clouds had begun to disperse. She looked back down and found Shalieso watching her.
"How about you?" Jjairr inquired to break the silence. "Where are you from?"
"Here," Shalieso said. "I was born in Hydlaa."
"What's it like here?" Jjairr asked, watching the Ynnwn get drinks at the bar.
"Well, the people are weird as hell, but it's a good place to live," Shalieso said. "High crime and mortality rates, but strong economy and not a bad education system.
"Oh.” Jjairr blinked, Shalieso’s words having directed her attention back to him. “That’s… Good.”
There was another awkward pause as neither individual met the other's eyes. Then Shalieso asked, "Want to go mushroom hunting with me?"
Jjairr looked up, an incredulous smile playing on her lips. But Shalieso’s face displayed no jesting.
"Yeah, okay," she said, getting to her feet and buckling on her falchions. Shalieso stood also, making his way to the door, and Jjairr followed him, swinging her pack over her shoulder.
Shalieso said nothing as he led his companion to Hydlaa's main gate. Respectful of Shalieso's silence, Jjairr remained quiet as they passed the Windowless Tower and headed into the forest.
Jjairr blinked at the sudden darkness. "I didn't realize these trees were so thick," she said, looking upward and seeing a roof of leaves and branches arching over the wide forest path.
Shalieso didn't respond. Jjairr looked around and spotted him kneeling at the base of a gnarled tree.
"Look, Jjairr,” he said. “Here's what we're after." He straightened up and turned, a three-tiered purple mushroom clutched in his hand. He offered it to Jjairr with a smile.
"Cheers," Jjairr said with a grin, dropping the mushroom into her haversack.
The pair continued along the path, coming across a stray mushroom every now and then and adding it to their growing stock. After a few minutes, they emerged from the forest into a wide valley bordered with steep rock walls. They turned the corner, revealing a path in the form of a wide dirt track that wound its way off through the hills. Instead of following this path, however, Shalieso turned right, cresting a short hill. Jjairr hurried to catch up with him.
"Hey!" she called, as the Xacha disappeared over a second hill. "Where are we going? The path's that way!"
As she reached the top of the second hill, Jjairr's foot caught on an exposed rock, causing her to overbalance. She tipped forward, swearing as she tumbled down the slope. When she opened her eyes, she found that she had come to rest at Shalieso's feet. He was grinning at her.
"I have never heard those words used in that context before," he said, offering his hand.
Jjairr scowled at him as she took the proffered limb and pulled herself to her feet. "Yeah, well..."
"And," he interrupted, watching her brush grass off of her clothes, "we're taking a shortcut."
Jjairr stopped her primping and glanced at him, her head tilted. "A shortcut to mushrooms?"
"That's right," Shalieso said. "Now come on. They're just over this hill."
Still smarting, the enkidukai followed her companion up yet another hill. Upon hitting the summit, Shalieso spread his arms wide and announced, "Welcome to the mushroom fields."
Jjairr was conscious of her jaw hanging open and made a conscious effort to close it, her eyes wide. Laid out before her were hundreds upon hundreds of three-tiered, purple mushrooms. They coated the sides and floor of the wide valley - and the multiple mushroom-covered mounds dotted around the area convinced her that they grew on the rocks, as well.
"What in Talad's name makes them grow like this?" Jjairr asked, following Shalieso through the mushroom sea.
"Blood," Shalieso answered without hesitation.
"Blood?" Jjairr echoed, depositing a few fresh fungi into her bag. "What do you mean?"
"This is an ulbernaut graveyard,” Shalieso said. “They come here to die."
Jjairr wrinkled her nose. “Well, that explains the smell.” She looked at the mushroom-covered mounds with a new light in her eyes. “So those are…”
“Corpses,” Shalieso said with an affirming nod.
Jjairr nudged a huge, curving claw aside with her foot. “Don’t people buy ulbernaut claws?” she asked. “We could make a fortune.”
Shalieso stopped walking. "Jjairr..." he said in a strange tone.
“What?” Jjairr asked, kneeling next to the bone. “It’s not like they need them. And the way I view it, it’s better to take them now than kill them for them.”
"No - Jjairr!"
Jjairr turned around, and swore. A giant Consumer was headed straight for them, going as fast as his six legs could handle. From what Jjairr could tell, he looked angry - but as Consumers have very little facial expression, he could've been bored for all she knew.
"RUN!" she shouted, whipping around and tearing past her companion. He seemed to snap out of his temporary hypnosis as she passed, and joined her sprinting through the mushroom field. The fact that Jjairr was leading and had no idea where she was going didn't seem to occur to either of them, as they ran full-out down the valley.
They finally stopped, panting hard, next to the base of a humongous stalagmite. Leaning on each other for support, the two gazed around the landscape, trying to establish a heading.
"I think the road is that way," Jjairr said between breaths, pointing.
Shalieso didn't reply. His face had gone pale, and Jjairr could feel him shaking. She gave him a moment to recover on the pretext of checking the horizon for their pursuer.
"I agree," he said after several moments, still breathing hard.
"Shall we head that way then?" she asked. "We can walk," she added at the look on his face. He nodded, and they set off again.
Twenty minutes later found them still hopelessly lost.
"All right," Jjairr said as they stopped once more. "It's starting to get dark and I really don't want to have to deal with the wilderness at night. Any ideas?"
Shalieso glanced around, deep in thought. After a moment, he swore so badly that even Jjairr blushed.
"What's the matter?" she asked, turning to look at him.
His response was to point. The Consumer was less than 200 feet away, on the crest of a nearby hill. It paused, nose in the air, then abruptly turned and headed their way.
"Good gods, that thing doesn't give up!" Jjairr said, exasperated.
"Only one thing for it," Shalieso said.
Jjairr looked at him, expectant.
"Split up," he suggested.
"You're crazy," Jjairr said. She placed a paw on one of her falchions and made as though to draw it. “We’ll make a stand!”
"Don't argue,” Shalieso said. He grabbed her wrist to prevent her from drawing her weapon. “And don’t be stupid. Head towards that big stalagmite, and I'll draw it off."
"Draw it off?" Jjairr asked. "I can run faster than you, and you haven't got a weapon."
"Who says?" Shalieso asked with a grin, pulling a small glyph from his shirt pocket. "Now go!"
The Consumer made its way steadily up the hill. Jjairr took one look at it and made up her mind. She could hear Shalieso chanting in a foreign language as she sprinted toward the stalagmite - and hopefully, the road.
--
Sure enough, less than an hour later found Jjairr resting in Hydlaa plaza. She lounged down at the base of the statue, feet resting in the cool water. A mug of lemonade sat close at hand, next to a tray piled high with purple mushrooms bearing a sign that read, "Mushrooms - Two Tria Each".
Jjairr smiled, waving as a white fenki approached her.
"Hey Kiirani," she said by way of greeting.
"Hey," the fenki returned, seating herself next to Jjairr. "How was your second day in Hydlaa?"
Jjairr smiled ruefully, glancing at the mushrooms next to her. "Eventful," she said, taking a sip of lemonade.
A Shortcut to Mushrooms
By Jjairr Wolfhound
Candles and a smoldering fire proved the only sources of light in Kada-El’s Tavern. The great carved doors were closed, owing to the rain drenching the city outside. Murmuring voices could be heard in the corners of the tavern, making business propositions or discussing the prices of gold.
Upstairs on the second floor balcony, a single figure perched. She, unlike the better part of the Hydlaan population, didn't mind the rain. In fact, she loved it - the way it smelled, the way it felt, and especially the way everyone else seemed to complain about it. The figure was in fact Jjairr Wolfhound, a sixteen-year-old enkidukai that no one in Hydlaa had ever heard of and that no one seemed to notice.
An average-sized enkidukai, Jjairr had long ginger fur striped with black. She wore a pair of long, loose brown trousers held up with a scarred leather belt and a dusty red tunic that clashed horribly with her fur. A canvas haversack lied abandoned nearby, underneath an awning. A pair of golden falchions rested on top of the haversack, dangling from a second belt.
Twirling on her bare feet, Jjairr turned her face to the sky, laughing and blinking rain drops from her hazel eyes. She heard a creak and stopped, glancing around to see where it had come from. Finding nothing, she was about to continue her dance, when she heard a voice.
"Up here."
Jjairr glanced up and found herself gazing at the face of a slender male Xacha balanced on the wooden beams spiderwebbing out from the tavern structure. His eyes were filled with laughter as he smiled at her. His rain-soaked white shirt and gray trousers dangled off his lanky frame.
"Hello," Jjairr said, flicking raindrops off her tail. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you."
The Xacha smiled again. "Not at all. It's good to see youth enjoying life so much."
He slid off the beam, landed on his feet beside Jjairr, and extended his hand. "Shalieso," he said.
"Jjairr Wolfhound,” Jjairr said, gripping the man’s hand with her own. “Nice to meet you."
The rain began to lessen, causing them both to look at the sky and sigh. Jjairr lowered her gaze back to the Xacha and began to search for a topic of conversation. Her thoughts settled on the wooden beams, and she asked, "How did you get up there, anyway?"
"I jumped off the roof,” Shalieso said. “It's simple - I'll show you sometime. You just have to watch where you step.”
Shalieso laughed as Jjairr tried and failed to suppress a shiver. "Let's get inside and dry off," he suggested.
Jjairr agreed, scooping up her things and following her new friend inside. He led her down the stairs and into the main room of the tavern, taking a seat in front of the fire.
"Have you been in Hydlaa long?" Shalieso asked as Jjairr placed her things on the bench beside her.
Jjairr shook her head. "I only arrived yesterday," she said.
"Where are you from originally?" Shalieso asked, wringing a bit of water from his shirt to add to the puddle already accumulating by his feet.
"Russyrius,” Jjairr said. “It's a little town on the second level."
"Why did you leave?"
"I was sick of the small-town life," Jjairr said.
Shalieso nodded. The pair looked up as the tavern doors opened and a small group of Ynnwn wearing cloaks strode inside. From her limited view of the doors, Jjairr could see that the rain had stopped and the clouds had begun to disperse. She looked back down and found Shalieso watching her.
"How about you?" Jjairr inquired to break the silence. "Where are you from?"
"Here," Shalieso said. "I was born in Hydlaa."
"What's it like here?" Jjairr asked, watching the Ynnwn get drinks at the bar.
"Well, the people are weird as hell, but it's a good place to live," Shalieso said. "High crime and mortality rates, but strong economy and not a bad education system.
"Oh.” Jjairr blinked, Shalieso’s words having directed her attention back to him. “That’s… Good.”
There was another awkward pause as neither individual met the other's eyes. Then Shalieso asked, "Want to go mushroom hunting with me?"
Jjairr looked up, an incredulous smile playing on her lips. But Shalieso’s face displayed no jesting.
"Yeah, okay," she said, getting to her feet and buckling on her falchions. Shalieso stood also, making his way to the door, and Jjairr followed him, swinging her pack over her shoulder.
Shalieso said nothing as he led his companion to Hydlaa's main gate. Respectful of Shalieso's silence, Jjairr remained quiet as they passed the Windowless Tower and headed into the forest.
Jjairr blinked at the sudden darkness. "I didn't realize these trees were so thick," she said, looking upward and seeing a roof of leaves and branches arching over the wide forest path.
Shalieso didn't respond. Jjairr looked around and spotted him kneeling at the base of a gnarled tree.
"Look, Jjairr,” he said. “Here's what we're after." He straightened up and turned, a three-tiered purple mushroom clutched in his hand. He offered it to Jjairr with a smile.
"Cheers," Jjairr said with a grin, dropping the mushroom into her haversack.
The pair continued along the path, coming across a stray mushroom every now and then and adding it to their growing stock. After a few minutes, they emerged from the forest into a wide valley bordered with steep rock walls. They turned the corner, revealing a path in the form of a wide dirt track that wound its way off through the hills. Instead of following this path, however, Shalieso turned right, cresting a short hill. Jjairr hurried to catch up with him.
"Hey!" she called, as the Xacha disappeared over a second hill. "Where are we going? The path's that way!"
As she reached the top of the second hill, Jjairr's foot caught on an exposed rock, causing her to overbalance. She tipped forward, swearing as she tumbled down the slope. When she opened her eyes, she found that she had come to rest at Shalieso's feet. He was grinning at her.
"I have never heard those words used in that context before," he said, offering his hand.
Jjairr scowled at him as she took the proffered limb and pulled herself to her feet. "Yeah, well..."
"And," he interrupted, watching her brush grass off of her clothes, "we're taking a shortcut."
Jjairr stopped her primping and glanced at him, her head tilted. "A shortcut to mushrooms?"
"That's right," Shalieso said. "Now come on. They're just over this hill."
Still smarting, the enkidukai followed her companion up yet another hill. Upon hitting the summit, Shalieso spread his arms wide and announced, "Welcome to the mushroom fields."
Jjairr was conscious of her jaw hanging open and made a conscious effort to close it, her eyes wide. Laid out before her were hundreds upon hundreds of three-tiered, purple mushrooms. They coated the sides and floor of the wide valley - and the multiple mushroom-covered mounds dotted around the area convinced her that they grew on the rocks, as well.
"What in Talad's name makes them grow like this?" Jjairr asked, following Shalieso through the mushroom sea.
"Blood," Shalieso answered without hesitation.
"Blood?" Jjairr echoed, depositing a few fresh fungi into her bag. "What do you mean?"
"This is an ulbernaut graveyard,” Shalieso said. “They come here to die."
Jjairr wrinkled her nose. “Well, that explains the smell.” She looked at the mushroom-covered mounds with a new light in her eyes. “So those are…”
“Corpses,” Shalieso said with an affirming nod.
Jjairr nudged a huge, curving claw aside with her foot. “Don’t people buy ulbernaut claws?” she asked. “We could make a fortune.”
Shalieso stopped walking. "Jjairr..." he said in a strange tone.
“What?” Jjairr asked, kneeling next to the bone. “It’s not like they need them. And the way I view it, it’s better to take them now than kill them for them.”
"No - Jjairr!"
Jjairr turned around, and swore. A giant Consumer was headed straight for them, going as fast as his six legs could handle. From what Jjairr could tell, he looked angry - but as Consumers have very little facial expression, he could've been bored for all she knew.
"RUN!" she shouted, whipping around and tearing past her companion. He seemed to snap out of his temporary hypnosis as she passed, and joined her sprinting through the mushroom field. The fact that Jjairr was leading and had no idea where she was going didn't seem to occur to either of them, as they ran full-out down the valley.
They finally stopped, panting hard, next to the base of a humongous stalagmite. Leaning on each other for support, the two gazed around the landscape, trying to establish a heading.
"I think the road is that way," Jjairr said between breaths, pointing.
Shalieso didn't reply. His face had gone pale, and Jjairr could feel him shaking. She gave him a moment to recover on the pretext of checking the horizon for their pursuer.
"I agree," he said after several moments, still breathing hard.
"Shall we head that way then?" she asked. "We can walk," she added at the look on his face. He nodded, and they set off again.
Twenty minutes later found them still hopelessly lost.
"All right," Jjairr said as they stopped once more. "It's starting to get dark and I really don't want to have to deal with the wilderness at night. Any ideas?"
Shalieso glanced around, deep in thought. After a moment, he swore so badly that even Jjairr blushed.
"What's the matter?" she asked, turning to look at him.
His response was to point. The Consumer was less than 200 feet away, on the crest of a nearby hill. It paused, nose in the air, then abruptly turned and headed their way.
"Good gods, that thing doesn't give up!" Jjairr said, exasperated.
"Only one thing for it," Shalieso said.
Jjairr looked at him, expectant.
"Split up," he suggested.
"You're crazy," Jjairr said. She placed a paw on one of her falchions and made as though to draw it. “We’ll make a stand!”
"Don't argue,” Shalieso said. He grabbed her wrist to prevent her from drawing her weapon. “And don’t be stupid. Head towards that big stalagmite, and I'll draw it off."
"Draw it off?" Jjairr asked. "I can run faster than you, and you haven't got a weapon."
"Who says?" Shalieso asked with a grin, pulling a small glyph from his shirt pocket. "Now go!"
The Consumer made its way steadily up the hill. Jjairr took one look at it and made up her mind. She could hear Shalieso chanting in a foreign language as she sprinted toward the stalagmite - and hopefully, the road.
--
Sure enough, less than an hour later found Jjairr resting in Hydlaa plaza. She lounged down at the base of the statue, feet resting in the cool water. A mug of lemonade sat close at hand, next to a tray piled high with purple mushrooms bearing a sign that read, "Mushrooms - Two Tria Each".
Jjairr smiled, waving as a white fenki approached her.
"Hey Kiirani," she said by way of greeting.
"Hey," the fenki returned, seating herself next to Jjairr. "How was your second day in Hydlaa?"
Jjairr smiled ruefully, glancing at the mushrooms next to her. "Eventful," she said, taking a sip of lemonade.