Fantasy Dreamers- Pathfinders of the Nogha

[LostPrimarch]

By the time the sun reached its apex in the sky the canyon camp of the Nogha was alive with movement and chatter, more so than usual. Young men and women would sit and stand around the narrow stream chatting as they did their chores like tanning leathers, washing out pelts, and cleaning clothes. Meanwhile the children would scurry up the winding paths climbing sheer walls here and there as they made their way to the top of the ravine and the plains above, the occasional rope hanging from the edge would make their climb all the more safe. In the yellow grass of the upper plains the elders were gathered. The seven of them sat in a circle, each wrinkled with age with skin darkened by decades of sun. Yet this day their wrinkled leathery faces were adorned with smiles as they made their ceremonial garb. The three men whittled away at bone, bound sinew into cords, and squeezed wild flower dye into bowl of blood. Meanwhile the four women would take the cords and whittled bone using them to weave together ornate vestments and headdresses. They each spoke but only when the bone pipe made it to them as had been their way for generations now. “The last pathfinders leaving today bodes well, the skies are cleared and the sun merciful.” Said the first woman accompanied by an exhale of smoke. “Yes though the pathfinders themselves may be less eager to welcome this journey than the weather is…do we know how they feel about this? Said the man with his blood bowl adding to the smoke above the elders. “A good question. Gilliam does not speak on his feelings. Yuel seems eager but her family has yet to speak on it. Ki’ashya seems to be excited and her family fully supports her.” The second man set his crafts down for his counterpart to take and let out a huge cloud before passing the tobacco to the fourth elder. “We are ready, go ahead and paint the garb.” The woman would say before letting out a loud whoop. A nearby scout would rise from the tall grass nearly imperceptible before due to wearing many leaves of grass to camouflage himself. “Go and tell the pathfinders the time is now.” She would tell the man who would nod before letting out his own his own whooping call as he sprinted towards the canyons edge. Other scouts in the canyon below would look up to see their leader sail off of the edge of the canyon for a brief moment of time appearing to fly before plummeting downwards. As he got closer one would see the rope in his right hand. As the rope reached its maximum length the scout would let go transitioning to a horizontal rope a mere 20 or 25 feet from the ground which would catch the rest of his momentum before he dismounted landing before the other scouts and giving their orders to pass on to the pathfinders. Nodding the scouts would scatter heading for the homes of each of the selected pathfinders.

BuggaBoo Spoiled Bread
​

 

[Spoiled Bread]

One of the scout could be seen running tirelessly upwards a quite steep hill. Along the way he could see uneven terrain had been transformed into terraced farmland where reddish mutated wheats grow healthily. The house of Marshall family was an isolated one, it was built on top of a hill and next to the edge of a cliff, overlooking the vast plain below. Upon arriving at the house the first thing the scout noticed was the crying sound of a woman coming from inside the house, then he saw a few people seemed to have been waiting for him at the front. A young teenage girl playing with a large black dog, a hunched old man with an outlandishly bright purple hair napping on a chair and a white haired woman looking directly at him.

The scout had never interact much with any of them but he immediately recognized the two mystics in front of him. Thor the Storm was a living legend, they said he once dueled a gigantic flying monster and called the wrath of the sky to strike it down. Meanwhile Yuel was known more for her ice blocks which started some iced drink craze every summer. Not much people witnessed her do any fighting but the sheeps under her care had zero death from any predator so it should mean something.

"Greeting. The elders gave their blessing. I will guide you to the meeting point." The scout kneeled and stated his business. When he finished his sentences the crying from the inside grew louder while the white haired woman sighed and nodded.

"I see. Please wait for a moment. I will be ready soon." The woman entered the house and there seemed to have been some argument as he could hear wooden utensils being thrown around inside the house. He was pondering if he should intervene but the young girl, who was probably the pathfinder's younger sister, kept playing fetch with the dog. Totally ignoring the banshee-like wailing from the inside. As if it was nothing more than everyday occurence. After a few minutes of non-stop screeching things suddenly calmed down. Yuel stepped outside while carrying her mother on her shoulder. The mother was still sobbing but wasn't histerical like before.

"It will be allright, mother." Yuel tried her best to reassure her mother, which didn't seems to work as the mother shoot her a glare before turning her head towards the old man.

"FATHER! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO GAVE HER THESE RUDICULOUS IDEA ABOUT THE OH SO GREAT OUTSIDE. NOW TELL HER TO STAY!!!" She barked at him. The old man opened his eyes slightly, his tired eyes darting left and right before locking his sight on Yuel.

"Our ancestor used to conquer the sky. Together with their trusted bird companion, they travel the world and visit the very heaven." Thor ruffled through his pocket and pulled a small box, he opened it to reveal a pendant. It was made of metal and shaped like an eagle. "Take it, Yuel. This is our family's relic. Let it witness your journey."

"FATHER!!!"

"Lenny, remember your promise to let Yuel choose her own life." The old man's words seemed to take Yuel's mother a few steps back and she hung her head dejectedly. Sensing the appropriate moment, Yuel took the eagle pendant and wore it.

"Grandfather, thank you for your blessing. Mother... I will come back home, I promise." Feeling she couldn't do anything more to convince her mother, Yuel lifted her backpack and nodded at the scout.

"Big sis! You're leaving now? Byebye! I want some nice souvenirs. Pitty, say your goodbye too."

"Woof! Woof!"

Yuel could only smile at her sister's carefree attitude and the dog's enthusiasm for everything. Hopefully, she would be able to keep those bright eyes. Yuel waved her hands at her family as she walked down the hill until they vanished from her sight.

 

[BuggaBoo]

"Kia" Ki'Ashya​

---

Another deep breath she took. Another shaky exhale she let out. The skinny, blonde-headed scout Tasia slowed her pace to a crawl.

The homestead itself was not that intimidating. It looked like any other that could be seen in the canyon. But the pair that draped the front steps, however, these two were unlike any other in the canyon. At the top of the staircase, Shauni lowered her brown chin, dropped a dead, dark-eyed slow blink at the teen. A soft clicking sound she made and a smirk formed at the corner of her lips. Upon hearing the sound, Miki stopped filing his nails and his immense form stood, his body nearly blocking sight of the main entrance. Like some kind of jungle predator, Shauni slunk her way down several steps. As soon as her huge, muscular form stood beside her brother's, she rested an arm on his shoulder. The pair of bruising Calvillo-Holmes siblings made quite the set of double-doored gates. Miki cracked his knuckles and raised his chin, staring down his nose at the skinny scout as she removed her colourful cap and shook out her golden hued locks.

"H-hail, Shauni and Miki of the Calvillo-Holmes family. On b-behalf of the Elders, I, T-Tasia, humble scout, lesser of your prestige, come to your grand--"

"I know why you're, here, Tassi. And I dare you to try to knock on our Mama's door," a sharp-toothed grin formed at Miki's mouth as he spoke, but there was no humour in his voice. At all.

"Oh. Dear. "On behalf of the Elders...?" Well then, in that case... Easy, little brother. Let her do her job..." Shauni removed her arm from her brother's boulder-like shoulder and descended two more steps closer toward Tasia. She then pointed at the scout, then at the main entrance, "Go on, little girl... step up then. On behalf of the Elders, do as you must..."

Tasia took two steps back as soon as Shauni descended two steps down, "Uhhhhh... truly then? Y-you said last time that if I e-ever--"

"That was then... this is now, no?" Shauni waved a hand ever so casually at the young scout. Her smirk widened into a toothy grin, dark eyes glinted. "Isn't that right, Mik'Andre...?"

The mountain of a man scratched a sharpened thumb nail at his bearded chin as if pondering. When his thumb stopped scratching he merely grunted in agreement.

"Uhhhhh.... welllllll if you say so then..." Tasia shuffled forward. The moment she put her moccasin upon the firstmost step, the siblings leapt from their higher position and each landed deftly beside Tasia. She shivered, knees knocking together as Miki and Shauni stared down at her, they were so close to her she could smell the herbage smoke on their breaths.

"But we need to talk to you about why you are reeeeeeally, here, Tassi..."

"I-I-I-I-I-I-I...." the teen swallowed hard. She was brave, she really was, but she just could not make eye contact right now with either of the bigger Calvillo-Holmes enforcers, "I'm here to speak with Ki'Ashya--"

"Of course, you are, dear..." Shauni put Tasia's cap back on her head, straightened it out, then smoothed down the wrinkles on the smaller girl's duster, "do the Elders know that you want to do more than speak with our sister, Tasssssi? What are are true intentions with our little Kia? Care to tell us what happened at the grotto near the stream...? Did something happen there? Something... naughty....? Hmmmmm?"

Pink heat burned at Tasia's cheeks and instantly her gaze found her leather moccasins super interesting at the moment. She swallowed hard and wiped the sweat from her hands onto her duster. Her breathing became ragged as she shivered. They were going to break her in half for certain.

---​

A sudden blast of light lit up the faces of Miki and Shauni, several rainbow colours strobed away at the tips of their noses. Miki swatted at the motes futilely. Shauni hissed and spun about face. The sound of something else landing just behind Tasia made the skinny scout jump.

"Ancient's love, you two!! Leave her alone!" the sound of Kia's musical noted voice was such a welcome relief to the blonde scout, "Seriously, I'll kick your asses!"

Kia kicked their shins instead. Miki and Shauni stopped rubbing their dark eyes and when they opened them once more, the hardness and intensity had vanished from within.

"Listen. If me n' Taze wanna kiss our stinkies together, we will just--"

Miki made a sound of disgust and stuck out his tongue. Shauni reached down and clamped a hand over her little sister's mouth. "Ashy!! Girl! Really! Yuck, sis. You just have to say it like that...?!"

Kia yanked her sisters hand from her mouth and flipped her rainbow-y coloured ponytail indignantly, "Ey, if you can't cope then go home, lil' girlie...! Want some play-by-play recap, huh...? What about you, Miki...?"

The big man scowled, dry-heaved then shook his head. But a heartbeat later a smile flashed from his eyes and mouth as he roughly mussed up his small sister's hair. Shauni reached out, caught her sister's hand and squeezed it. "Ey, Ashy... if she breaks your heart, 'member... we will break her. In half. And in half again. And again. Again. And agai--"

Kia squeezed her big sister's hand then deftly stepped behind her and began to shove repeatedly at the small of her sister's back, ushering her back up the stairs. "Whatever. Now go back to being all edgy and poser-y on Mama's doorstep. Go before I kick both your asses... Good lil' boy n' girlie..."

Miki mussed up his little sister's rainbowy head one last time then marched side by side back up the steps with Shauni. The musclebound pair each jabbed a playful elbow into each other's sides then chuckled softly; they were not doing their job properly unless they put the fear of the Irradiated Beasts in the heart of their little sister's girlfriend.

---​

Tasia fidgeted a bit when Kia reached out and interlocked fingers with one tan hand. With her other hand, she reached up and stroked Tasia's heated cheek, "Ey... Tazi-taze... easy-easy, 'kay? They just giving you a hard time. They just jealous..."

The scout turned to catch Kia's kiss with her brown cheek as a safetly precaution; there was no way she would kiss Kia on the lips until the pair of bruising enforcers were well out of eyesight and mind. Understanding full well her girlfriend's trepidation, Kia just laughed softly and leaned into the taller girl warmly. Tasia was four years younger than Kia but Kia was still Miki and Shauni's precious little sister and everyone in the tribe knew just how over protective they were over her.

"Ohhhh... but my brave little scout here to rescue me from my Mama?" Kia pulled Tasia's arm around her and began walking away from the staricase and rounded the corner. Once concealed from her siblings' burning gazes, she immediately stole a kiss from her girlfriend's lips. "Where we going today, bae? Oh! You wanna go swimming? We could invite Kage, Pooks and... maybe even Leena wants to go...?"

"Oh. Ki.. bae, You... No, I... You. I mean... you--" the full weight of the reason she was here hit the girl and tears began to well up in her eyes. She was brave, she really was, but this was for real now. Kia was leaving. She could barely choke out the next few set of words: "--on behalf of the Elders, I am here to tell you that you have been Selected..."

Kia's big pink eyes popped open even bigger. A mix of thoughts instantly blended together with the realization of what Tasia said and the tsunami of emotions she too could barely hold back. Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over. The smaller Kia reached out and nearly leapt into Tasia's arms.

They held their embrace for several heartbeats longer. When the sobs finally ended, both turned to head towards the gathering point of the Elders. Both girls held hands as if in a deathgrip, leaning into one another, but neither said a word as they trudged towards the end of the path together.

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