Flower Gleam and Glow

[Mariahya]

Scars go deep, but they can't find it... Flame so bright make the daylight look dark... Artigas Mari pulled her hair down from her braid, a smile on her face from just having laughed at Hartley, her brother. They were training and he had tried to sneak up on her, but she of course had defeated him. It had been 5 days since the news of their father. He had been captured by the Mountain Men and there was a good chance that he was already dead. Mari had needed a distraction that day so she and her brother had returned to the outskirts of Trishana to practice training among the Glowing Forest. She wasn't ready to return to her village and to face her mother, but she needed to be back in familiar territory. She looked around and closed her eyes, breathing in the familiar air. The trees were lined with glowing leaves and butterflies that floated above in the evening air. She and Hartley had been traveling most of the morning and had spent the afternoon training. Before she knew it, it was now....evening. They had set up camp a bit ways away from the clearning where they were training so she knew that Hartley would want to get back soon. She turned to him. "You go ahead back...I am just going to sit and think for a while...clear my head..." She saw the concern cloud his vision. "I promise I'll be careful...you'll hear me if I need help." She smiled softly and placed her hand on his arm lovingly. She bowed her head softly in return to his and watched as he made his way back through the trees. Mari sighed happily. She loved Hartley but he was always afraid to leave her alone. She knew the only reason he left her now was because they were home. There would be few dangers in these woods that Mari could not handle. She was nearly done with training as a Second and the Trishana people would recognize her if she came across any in the forest. The wind blew softly, her long hair tousling around her face and her dress flaring out as well. It was the one she wore for training, the Trishana colors dyed into the fabric. It wrapped around her chest and flowed out below her hips. Beneath it, she wore tight black pants. Her mother had made her clothes for her before she had left. She wore it to train to be sure she was comfortable with what she would one day wear in battle. Mari walked past some of the trees, her hands running over them slowly. She was training to be a leader of her people. She was young but she felt like she was ready. Hartley, as protective as he was, knew she could do it too. He was the one who saw the potential in her and took on the challenge of beginning her training all those years ago. Mari took another deep breath and grabbed a large branch above her, pulling herself up into the tree, many of the glowing butterflies landing among the branches around her. She laughed softly as one of them brushed her face. Yes, she was expected to fight and kill and defend. But today she just needed to be a girl...and laugh and forget about her responsibilities and the fact that not far from her home, there were evil men torturing her father and many more of her people....

BY SKYLARK'S FOLLY AT ADOXOGRAPHY & CAUTION

[Artigas]

Artigas had been walking for the majority of the day and left the comfort of Trikru territory behind several hours ago, technically he wasn't strictly allowed to venture from the territory of his clan and he certainly wasn't allowed to trespass on another clans territory. That was not how things were done, a clan stayed in their own designated territory, that way fights didn't break out between different clans. However, Artigas was tired, he'd grown up in the village of Tondc and spent most of his childhood training to be a great warrior and although the boy adored everything about his home and the people he shared it with, he needed more. His training was not yet completed but he craved adventure, he wanted to see more of the world than just the territory of his own people. This was the first time he'd actually followed through with his plan to leave, never before had he actually had the courage to cross the border of their territory. He knew that his parents would not approve of this, but they didn't need to know, nobody needed to know about his disobedience because he had every intention of returning to his village before the sun came up the next day, if anybody asked about his absence he'd make up an excuse but he didn't expect anyone to be suspicious. He'd always been an adventurous child, it wasn't unusual for him to disappear for most of the day and although he was often punished for skipping out on his training and avoiding his chores the punishment was always worth the time he spent out in the forest on his own.

The sun was slowly beginning to set and Artigas was aware that it was beginning to get dark but still the boy remained reluctant to begin his journey back to his village. He'd left Tondc with nothing but a small bag that contained a small amount of food that he'd taken early that morning before many were awake to witness the theft and he'd taken so little that he didn't suppose anyone would miss it. He had a knife on his hip and a spear in his hand knowing that it would be foolish to leave the village without a weapon, nobody went out without a weapon unless they wanted to face certain death, nowhere was safe from the predators that prowled the ground. This forest intrigued him though, all around him he was beginning to notice things, the trees were glowing or at least their leaves were and strange butterflies were beginning to make an appearance, fluttering overhead and some even landed upon him but he was quick to bat them away. Artigas recognised the butterflies, they had them back in Trikru territory but he'd never seen this many in the same place before. It was strangely beautiful how the forest glowed whilst at the same time Artigas couldn't help but feel wary, he'd heard stories of such a forest that glowed. He slowly came to the realisation that he must be within Trishana territory and although he knew that he should turn around and head home instead of continue to trespass on their territory and risk discovery, he couldn't help but take a couple of steps forwards.

A couple more minutes wouldn't hurt, he'd be gone before anyone ever knew that he was there. So continuing on his journey he walked soundlessly through the glowing forest, taking his time to investigate anything that interested him. Unfortunately, he was a curious boy and being in such an unfamiliar setting meant that he was drawn towards anything new that he came across, examining the leaves on the trees with an almost childlike curiosity. Artigas was just reaching out to touch one of the butterflies that hovered nearby when he heard a familiar sound. It surprised him, he'd thought he was alone out in the forest but the sound that he could hear now sounded an awful lot like laughter and unless the birds had learnt how to mimic the sound of human laughter then he was not alone and somebody else was nearby. However, instead of retreating like he should've done after hearing the laughter, the boy started to move in the direction that he'd heard the laughter coming from, cautiously moving so as to not make a sound to alert the other person aware of his presence. Peering out from behind a tree he spotted the person whom he figured had been the one laughing, it was a young girl who looked to be around his own age and she was sitting in one of the glowing trees seemingly laughing at the butterflies that sat in the branches surrounding her. It was such a peculiar sight that Artigas couldn't help but stare

"What are you doing?" he softly called to her before he could stop himself, the question slipping past his lips before he could give it a second thought. This girl didn't seem like much of a threat and it didn't look as though anyone was with her.

Mariahya

[Mariahya]

Scars go deep, but they can't find it... Flame so bright make the daylight look dark... Artigas Mari laughed even more as dozens of the butterflies started to surround her and land on her arms and cheeks. They would flutter away at the movement of her laughs, but they stayed for the most part around the young girl. This was what Mari loved most about her land. There was beauty in it. Sure every clan had their own special territories with something special about it....but Trishana was quite literally a Glowing Forest. Mari wouldn't want to live anywhere else. She saw many of the butterflies start to fly away but she didn't pay much attention to it. It was getting dark so she was sure there was a place they always went as the sun set. There were a few that stayed by her and for that she was grateful. It wasn't that she was scared of the dark, more so of being alone. She liked to be alone to think...but the thought of being alone for too long wasn't something she favored. One more butterfly landed on her nose and she laughed again. "What are you doing?" Mari  gasped and turned her head and the butterfly flew away fast. She searched for the source of the voice and looked down to find a boy who looked about her age hiding behind a tree. Spotting him, she slowly jumped down from her branch and stayed by her tree. She didn't recognize him. "I was just playing...." She said softly, not wanting to get too close to him yet. She couldn't see what he was wearing but already she could tell that he was most likely not from Trishana. Most people from her clan were not phased by the children playing with what they found in the forest.   Mari took a couple steps closer to the next tree that was near to him and bit her lip looking over at him again. "What are you doing?" She asked repeating his own question to him. She was in her own territory....but he was not so why would he be here of all places? Trishana was, for the most part, a peaceful people. So why would someone from another clan need to come here? Mari wasn't sure, but she intended to find out. She would keep up her innocent charade until she learned more about him. If she came right off as confident and fearless, he would either run or return the same and she wasn't ready for him to learn that she was second in training. There was no need to throw that around. She wanted to know about this boy...and why he was here.....Because if it was to harm, she would need to call for Hartley and alert the others...but if he, like her, was just being innocent and exploring, then she had no reason to alert anyone...and to just keep playing alongside him.

BY SKYLARK'S FOLLY AT ADOXOGRAPHY & CAUTION

[Artigas]

As the girl jumped from the tree, Artigas' first instinct was to take a step backwards. He knew that the way of most clans was to train their warriors from a young age and because of this he knew not to underestimate this girl. She looked innocent enough but he'd learnt from a young age not to judge an enemies strength by what they looked like. "Playing?" he asked sceptically, she seemed to be too old to be playing around like a child. Maybe the Trishana did things differently than Trikru, that was a possibility because although Artigas enjoyed the rare light hearted moments that he shared with his friends, they were few and far between. The majority of his time was taken up by chores, training and of course his frequent 'adventures'. "Aren't you a little too old to be playing with butterflies?" he questioned her, the corners of his mouth twitching up in a smirk, amused by the girls childish behaviour.

As she repeated his question, his hand tightened around his spear and he couldn't help but reach for the knife that was at his hip. "I'm just taking a walk" he told her with a shrug, passing the question off as if it was unimportant and he made sure not to give away information with his answer, not that there was anything to give away, nobody knew that he was no longer in Trikru territory apart from this girl. He had no intention of harming this girl though, she had not made a move to attack him and he knew that his clan would never accept him back if he committed an act of war against another clan. His people would probably kill him just to win back the peace.

"I'm not going to hurt you, it's not worth the trouble" he let out a chuckle as he saw how cautious she was to approach him. He knew that his presence probably unnerved her and it wasn't that hard to guess that he was not of Trishana "I am Artigas kom trikru, who are you?" he asked her trying to figure out who the girl was without sounding overly curious. There weren't many opportunities for him to meet people outside of trikru. Occasionally a patrol ran into a nomad that was trespassing on their territory but they didn't usually live long enough to engage in a proper conversation with the boy and often they were hostile and more interested in fighting their way to safety than with talking with a curious second.

Mariahya

[Mariahya]

Scars go deep, but they can't find it... Flame so bright make the daylight look dark... Artigas Mari smiled gently seeing him back away from her as she got closer. He was smart. He was clearly trained like she was to not be too calm around new comers. When he questioned her playing, she smiled and laughed softly seeing him smirk. "I'm only 16....still a child at heart...you have to be with so much fighting going on..." She said tilting her head and taking in the boy before her. He was taller than her and built like a  warrior. Her eyes raked over him cautiously, and then landed on his eyes a smile back on her face. There was no doubt in her mind that he was trained to be a warrior. Sure, he didn't come right out and say it. But she could tell by his stance and the way he kept moving his hand to his weapons. She knew he was trained to fight and trained to kill. But little did he know, so was she. She smirked when she saw him reach for his concealed weapon. She assumed it was probably a knife because she too had one wrapped by her waist just in case. But she wouldn't tell him that..... Her eyes remained steady on his when he said he was taking a walk. "You are far from home, no?" She said pushing some hair out of her face that the wind had thrown before her eyes. "I do not recognize you...." She said softly. Sure she had been gone from her village for nearly 11 years, but she knew the children who were her age and he was certainly not one of them. When he said he would not hurt her and he laughed, she let out a laugh softly and walked a bit closer to him. Artigas kom trikru....ah so he was Trikru. Very different from Trishana ways. "I am Mariahya kom Trishana....you may call me Mari.." She said, her voice soft and gentle. He was a kind young man...that much she could tell. But he was cautious, like her. She walked right up to him, her small frame even smaller next to him. "You are young too..." She said looking up at his face. "Don't you like to play?....forget the world and just be a child sometimes?" She said keeping her eyes on his. She let out a soft laugh as a butterfly flew between them and landed on his nose. "See? They want you to play too..."  Mari reached out her hand and let the butterfly crawl onto her finger before letting it fly back out into the evening air. She turned back to him "You must like to play and explore if you found yourself all the way out here....." She said looking up at the tall young man.

BY SKYLARK'S FOLLY AT ADOXOGRAPHY & CAUTION

 

[Artigas]

As she revealed her age to him it just brought more confusion to the boy, back in his village the time for play had long gong. He was a man now, his duty was to protect the people of his clan, to serve his Heda and give up his life if it was asked of him. Play was for the younger children, the children that didn't have such responsibilities and those that were to be warriors might not even have the opportunity to fight at all, he'd certainly been trained from an extremely young age. The children of farmers and merchants could afford to waste time with play, not the children that were destined to fight though, they didn't have that luxury.

Nodding his head at her question he smiled "Yes, Trikru territory is a long way behind me now" he confirmed as he risked a glance over his shoulder. "But I enjoy walking... It can be strangely peaceful when you're on your own" he muttered by way of an explanation not bothering to mention that he was tired of his own territory and eager to see more of their world. That was not important and not something that she needed to know. As she gave him her name he dipped his head "It seems a bit late for you to be out here alone, I am far from my home, what's your excuse?" he questioned her, a hint of suspicion in his tone as he raised an eyebrow at the girl. It didn't look like she carried a weapon and Artigas assumed that she was either very brave or extremely foolish, probably the latter.

As Mari closed the distance between them, his first instinct was to tense and resist the urge to go for his knife. He'd told her that he would not harm her and he had no intention of going back on his word and besides, he did not make a habit of threatening innocent girls just because he was uncomfortable about them being so close to him. At her words, his brow furrowed in confusion "I am not a child..." he told her, genuine confusion sparkling in his eyes at the suggestion that he should act like a child and play with other children his own age "I am a warrior, there is no time to play when our people rely on us for protection" as the butterfly landed on his nose, he couldn't help but scrunch his face up and resist the urge to bat it away as the girl reached out a hand "I have no desire to play, like I said... I'm not a child" he told her again, rubbing a hand over his nose after the butterfly was gone.

"The butterflies don't want me to play, they can't talk" he muttered, watching as the butterfly fluttered off into the air. He listened to Mari talk, but he got the feeling that Trishana was different than Trikru, she did not seem to understand their ways. She didn't understand that warriors didn't play, not even those younger than himself, they couldn't afford to act like children, not when their people depended on them for protection. "I've told you... I like walking, I like exploring because as a warrior I need to have a picture of what the world outside my territory looks like in case I'm ever required to leave my territory, perhaps to gather information..." his eyes flickered down as he spoke, this wasn't strictly true. He liked to explore because he was curious about the world that he lived in, he was curious about the world beyond Trikru territory, but he wasn't going to talk to her about his interests. He barely knew her.

Mariahya

[Mariahya]

Scars go deep, but they can't find it... Flame so bright make the daylight look dark... Artigas Mari smirked as Artigas questioned her being out here alone. She wondered how long it would have taken him to notice. "One...I don't need protection...but thank you for being concerned." She bowed her head gently. "And two...my brother is not far....he has set up our camp only a walk away." She raised her eyebrow at him. "But I don't think I'll need him to come to my rescue anytime soon." She smirked again. Artigas was underestimating her, she could tell. But Mari was more than capable of taking care of herself. She had killed warriors in her day....ones that crossed paths with her people while she trained. She was not one to kill for fun, but she would kill if it meant protecting those she loved. "As for being out here, my brother and I had been away for some time..." She didn't tell him why just yet. "We had gotten word only a few days ago that our father had been taken..." She ran her hands over her arms. The mention of it gave her chills. "The Mountain Men took him....and so we stared to make our way back home..but we stopped here because I fear I am not ready to face my mother and admit to myself that he very well could be dead." She shrugged and looked away from him for a moment. "So I come out here...and play for a while to forget why I came back.."  As he spoke harshly against her child comment, she laughed again. "In Trishana we all claim to be children until we can't anymore. There is nothing worse than forgetting your youth and how to be carefree. When we are not fighting, we find time to play. It's the only thing that keeps us sane anymore." She frowned as he pushed away from the butterfly. It was such a gentle creature and he couldn't seem to let it in.  Mari watched the boy carefully. He was intriguing. "I think you you came out here because you are like me..." She whispered softly watching his eyes. "You can't help yourself when it comes to exploring..." She smirked. "It's okay to admit you're curious...it will only make me  like you that much faster." She raised an eye brow and smiled. Her eyes darted to the left of him, hearing a sound. By the noise she could tell it was some kind of bird. She smiled again. "And how could you not want to explore a forest as beautiful as this one?" She said spinning around as leaves fell from the trees. "I promise...you can be a child here...at least for a little while..." She said gently, keeping her eyes on his...

BY SKYLARK'S FOLLY AT ADOXOGRAPHY & CAUTION

[Artigas]

At her words the boy raised an eyebrow "I wasn't suggesting that you needed protection, I'm sure you're capable of defending yourself" of course he had his doubts but he wasn't going to tell her that. He knew many girls that wouldn't take kindly to people doubting their capabilities as warriors. As she mentioned a brother, Artigas glanced around as if expecting to see the boy watching them nearby but of course there was no one to see "A brother? Older?" he asked her, curious about her family. He had no siblings himself, his parents had struggled to conceive a child and so there was only him but he had a close bond with the other children in his village, viewing them all as his extended family. As she spoke about not needing to call her brother to come to her rescue the boy couldn't help but smirk "I wouldn't be so sure, it's dangerous to speak to strangers... You never know who they really are" he joked as his grip shifted on his spear.

As she spoke of her father, he lowered his gaze "I'm very sorry to hear of that" he muttered, he was lucky that he had both his parents, a lot of children his own age had lost one or both of their parents and he didn't know what he would do if his mother or father was no longer there, he cared for them both deeply and couldn't imagine living without them although he knew that one day it was a possibility that he'd have to say goodbye to his parents, if he was fortunate enough to outlive them. "The mountain has claimed many lives from my clan, many people have been taken and never returned" the mountain men were a constant threat that hung over the twelve clans, unfortunately it was the clans that were nearest to the mountain that suffered the most, Trikru and Trishana were among some of the clans that were located closest to the mountain.

He listened as she spoke of the ways of her people and he wasn't afraid to say that Trishana sounded weird, the way they viewed play and how they held onto their youth. "That sounds weird... In Trikru, the warriors do not play" he told her with a frown "I cannot remember the last time I played a game with my friends just for fun, everything is to enhance our skills, it is always a competition of who can be the best" he explained as he watched Mari curiously "play is for the children of farmers and merchants, those that do not have the responsibility of protecting other people" he couldn't help his confusion, the way she spoke about playing like a child, as if it was the most natural thing in the world when to him it sounded alien.

"I am nothing like you" he muttered in response to her words, he didn't know whether or not to take offense to these words, he was sure that they weren't meant as an insult, but this girl was so childlike and he was a warrior, all he wanted to was prove that he was a capable warrior, he had no need to play childish games. "Curiosity... It can be dangerous, it can lead you to go towards danger instead of away from it, curiosity is why I'm standing before you in the territory of a rival clan whilst my parents have no idea where I am" he chuckled with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "What makes you think that I want you to like me? I barely know you" he asked as he continued to study the strange Trishana girl. Listening to her whenever she spoke, it was true the forest that she called her home was truly beautiful, it looked so different to the forest where he belonged and yet it still felt vaguely familiar. The sounds of the forest were familiar, the sound of the birds and the insects that lay all around them, they went unseen but they were there. "I am not supposed to act like a child, I am not a child... I am a man and men don't waste time on childish games" he told her gently, it was the lesson that had been drilled into him time and time again by his mentor and he wasn't about to go against his mentors words. Who knew what could happen if he acted like a child, maybe it wouldn't happen today but maybe one day he could be wasting time playing a game and whilst he was busy acting like a child terrible things might happen, another clan could attack his village and whilst he was acting like a child, he could miss the warning signs and before he knew it his whole village could lay slaughtered because he had failed to raise the alarm. Something so extreme was unlikely to ever happen but he simply couldn't take that risk. 

Mariahya

[Mariahya]

Scars go deep, but they can't find it... Flame so bright make the daylight look dark... Artigas Mari smirked when he suggested that she was capable of defending herself. He had no idea. She couldn’t wait until she decided to tell him who she really was. It was certainly going to be a shock to him. She could tell that he thought she was simply a girl….nothing more. But she couldn’t wait to see the look on his face. As he asked about her brother, she smiled. “Hartley…yes he’s older by a few years….he has been looking after me ever since I was born. My own personal protector you could say.” She smirked. Granted Hartley was her protector and her trainer and he would join her when she became Second, keeping her safe and being her advisor. Seeing him smirk at her words about not needing rescue, she cracked a smile and laughed silently. “I don’t think you would hurt me…” She said keep her gaze steady on him. “If you were going to attack you would have already taken out that knife hiding at your hip…” She said never taking her eyes off of his, a smirk breaking out over her features. He had tried to hide his knife, but she knew it was there. “I appreciate your being sorry, but there is nothing to do now except be prepared to fight the Mountain Men. My people have been prepared to fight back but the time has not been right….soon Trishana will fight back…because they have taken too many of us now.” She said trying not to get angry. She knew Trikru was another territory that lost people to the Mountain. It was sad that those people could not just let the Grounders live in peace. Mari listened to him explain Trikru and his people. “Our warriors fight….they certainly train and fight more than you think..” She wouldn’t say how often considering she was in the forest now to train, though he had no idea. “Trishana just lives peacefully….so play is natural for our people. It isn’t that we don’t pay attention to wars and death, it’s just we try to find ways to break away from it for a while.” Mari tried not to be offended by his words because she knew he had no idea who he was speaking to… Mari took a step closer to him, not taking his eyes off of him as he said that he was nothing like her. She smirked again. “I am more like you than you think Artigas kom Trikru…” She said just above a whisper, her voice unwavering. “Curiosity is only dangerous if you are too stupid to not pay attention. Adventure is natural….but you have to just watch for the world around you or you’ll find yourself in trouble.” She knew he was an explorer and enjoyed being free. It was clear by his laugh. “I never said you wanted me to like you…I was just saying that I would like you faster if you took down that mask of a warrior and joined me in some fun.” She smiled sweetly. Her eyes followed a bird that flew behind her and she turned to face the winged creature, its feathers slightly glowing. At his words of not acting like a child, she turned to face him, her eyes bright. “And I am a woman…but I make time to remind myself that life is short especially in a world like ours…” It was clear that she was not a child. She was already developed at 16, her body curved in all the right places, her hair long and dark as it framed her face and shoulders. Mari had seen a lot in her 16 years…more than this boy had any idea of…but that gave her all the more reason to act as she does.

BY SKYLARK'S FOLLY AT ADOXOGRAPHY & CAUTION

[Artigas]

He listened to her talk fondly of her brother and smiled, thinking not for the first time about what it might be like to have a sibling. He would've loved a sibling growing up but unfortunately he was never lucky enough to be blessed with one, he had enough good friends to make up for it though and he was content having his parents to himself. As she spoke about the knife that he had hidden at his hip, his hand instinctively flew to the weapon, his eyes narrowing in suspicion at the girl. "Something tells me... You don't need the protection of an older sibling" he told her, raising an eyebrow questioningly as his hand remained on his hidden blade. He had a feeling that there was more to this girl than she was revealing, a girl that had been raised by modest farmers would never have guessed that he had a blade hidden on his person although they might've had a suspicion.

"The mountain will fall" Artigas assured her "my father said so... It might not be today and it might not be tomorrow but eventually it will fall" he was aware that the mountain men were extremely dangerous, they had guns and a deadly acidic fog protecting their compound. However, they'd made a great enemy when they had started taking the people of the twelve clans, of course the mountain men were dangerous but one day they would have to leave their mountain home and when they did, the armies of the twelve clans would be waiting to cut them down for murdering countless of their people. Unfortunately Artigas didn't think this would be in his lifetime and he was disappointed that he would not be around to see their enemy fall, nobody close to him had been taken into the mountain, but he knew of people from his village that had been taken and the people of his village were his family.

The boy nodded thoughtfully along to her words "Trikru can be peaceful" he muttered "we laugh and joke on good days, but good days are rare when you have the mountain casting its shadow over you" he told her as he watched Mari. The mountain was in Trikru territory after all, the people of the woods clan were always being terrorised by reapers, always glancing over their shoulders in fear of being watched and then there was the added threat of the natural predators they faced daily, Pauna and the panthers that lurked in the shadows were just a couple of the threats that they faced day to day, there wasn't a lot of time to act like a child when there was so much to be fearful about.

As she took a step towards him, he couldn't help but slowly take a step backwards still cautious of her despite their prolonged conversation. The way that she knew of his concealed weapon and the way she spoke now of being more like him than he thought. The more he thought about it, the more it became obvious to him that she was not the daughter of a farmer, she'd been trained as a warrior like him, the fact that they came from different clans was irrelevant, they'd been trained to believe different things, to fight using different tactics but the signs were all there. "There is truth behind your words..." he told her as he listened to her speak "to be chained to just one area when there is a whole world to explore just seems so pointless, how will we ever discover what's out there if we just stay in our own territory, there is a whole other world for us to investigate and to learn about!"

Chuckling, he leaned his spear against a nearby tree before turning to her again "So enlighten me... What do you people do for fun around here?" he questioned her, back in Trikru territory he often climbed trees with his friends, went swimming in the lake and ran races to stay entertained, but each of these 'games' had a practical use and enhanced one or more of his skills whilst still managing to be fun but Artigas was curious to find out what the people of this clan did for fun, she was right, life was short and for the most part he enjoyed his life in the village of Tondc, it was peaceful, he enjoyed the familiar sounds and smells of his village but the familiarity was part of what made it boring and drove him to venture from his territory in search of adventure.

Mariahya

[Mariahya]

Scars go deep, but they can't find it... Flame so bright make the daylight look dark... Artigas Mari smiled when Artigas admitted that she didn’t need the protection of Hartley. He was starting to catch on. Watching his hand move to his blade, she smirked. She knew that her catching on to that hidden object was a surprise to him. She could see it on his face. She was sure that Artigas was going to be continued to be surprised by her this evening. At the mention of the Mountain, Mari turned her eyes in the direction of the awful place. It was about a days walk from Trishana, but it was close enough where she was always able to see it from her village. Luckily, this forest blocked the view of it for the most part…that was one reason she always loved to be in the trees….it hid the horrible truth beyond the branches. She smiled to herself as Artigas spoke about the Mountain falling. He was brave….she found that attractive. He was protective of his people as she was of her own. Mari laughed once more when Artigas took a step away from her as she took one towards him. He was much more cautious abut her now. She could tell. “You’re catching on hmm?” She said gently and flashed the blade on her own hip. “I won’t use mine if you won’t use yours….” She tilted her head and bit her lip innocently keeping her eyes on his, a smile on the corners of her lips. “I have explored my entire life…but I always return back to Trishana…back home….but I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else…” She said looking up at the glowing trees once more. Her gaze met his as he asked about what they did for fun. His laugh was infectious and she laughed along with him. Seeing him put his weapon down, she smiled. He was getting comfortable. “For fun? Everything. We chase each other through the trees, we catch butterflies..sometimes we hide from each other at dusk on clear nights like tonight and try to find each other…..it can be exhilarating…or completely scary.” She laughed a bit. “Anything that makes us smile or laugh…” She kept her eyes on his…finding this man more interesting by the second. "But I'm sure our 'fun' is much too childlike for a big strong man such as yourself...." She let a small smirk grow on her lips and couldn't help it before she broke out into small laughter.

BY SKYLARK'S FOLLY AT ADOXOGRAPHY & CAUTION

[Artigas]

Artigas wasn't afraid of this girl, she intrigued him and the fact that he knew so little about her just made him want to hang around longer so that he might find out more about her. The fact that she didn't give much about herself away meant that she was smart and perhaps just as cautious of him as he was of her but if that was the case then she was doing a great job at hiding it. He heard her laugh as he backed away from her and arched an eyebrow quizzically "I'd rather be cautious than end up dead because I put trust in someone I'd just met today" he told her as his hand remained hovering over the knife on his hip. That was when she revealed that she had her own concealed weapon and he cussed himself for not being more vigilant, but it didn't appear as if she was going to use the blade.

"I've already told you that I have no intention of harming you" speaking quietly he followed her gaze as she turned around to look in the direction where he knew the mountain lay. That place had torn families apart and they were powerless to stop it, the reapers were strong and attacked often without warning in large groups. Artigas was tired of living in fear, there was more to life than just looking over your shoulder, fearing that every day could be your last, there had to be. As she spoke of her own time exploring he couldn't help but feel slightly envious of her, what he wouldn't give to have her freedom, to not be bound by duty. He loved training as a warrior, he loved the responsibility that he had to protect his people even if the task sometimes seemed daunting and there were many failures along the way when people could not be saved, but he longed to be able to explore other territories besides his own, he knew Trikru territory like the back of his hand. What he wanted was to see the world, see if there were lands even more beautiful than even Trishana territory with their glowing trees and wondrous butterflies.

Trishana and Trikru had different views on what fun was. Trikru trained their warriors to be brutal warriors that were not afraid to kill to protect their people, there was little time for meaningless games when you had to protect the villagers from harm. However, Artigas couldn't help but feel almost excited at the idea of exploring the games that the Trishana children played. As she spoke to him, he scowled "are you mocking me?" he allowed the question to slip from his mouth, her laughter only adding to the insult he felt. He wasn't used to being laughed at and he didn't like it, she could afford to act like a child and make fun of him for the way that he and his people lived but at the end of the day he didn't care for her judgement.

Mariahya

[Mariahya]

Scars go deep, but they can't find it... Flame so bright make the daylight look dark... Artigas Mari grew more and more intrigued by this man the more she stood around him. She smirked when she saw his reaction to her knife. She had been cautious about revealing herself to him and it paid off. She knew that he would have had no idea who she truly was especially with how she played off acting like a child. Sure, she was always childlike when she wasn’t fighting, but she certainly played it up around him. His words “Are you mocking me?” struck her differently than before. She could tell that he thought she was trying to make fun of him. She smiled. “Quite the opposite actually….” She took a step closer to him. “I truly do think that you are a strong and powerful warrior…and I am sorry that you don’t get to be as carefree as I me when you are in your own territory.” She looked up at him once more….her childlike activities seeming normal if you looked at her size compared to him. “But you are on my lands…and here it is okay to be curious…I promise…” She gave him another small smile. “I apologize if you took my words as something to demote you…” She kept her gaze on his. “I have been mocked my entire life for my position in Trishana….no one ever respects me or my training…” Even now…11 years later, people still scoffed at the idea of a woman being a Second…but she would prove to them how powerful she could be when the time called for it. Mari turned back to him. “Play with me? Just for a little while….before we lose all the sunlight…” She asked one last time, her big eyes glowing due to all of the bright trees around her. She didn’t know this boy too well yet, but she knew that deep down he wanted to play with her and be a child for just a short while if he could.

BY SKYLARK'S FOLLY AT ADOXOGRAPHY & CAUTION

[Artigas]

She took another step towards him but this time Artigas made no attempt to retreat, he was confident that she wouldn't attempt to harm him and even if she did, he was confident that he could disarm her or at least reach his spear before she caused him injury. When she told him that she thought that he was a strong warrior, the boy couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face. "You think I'm a good warrior?" he questioned her, of course he wanted to prove himself to be a great warrior, he'd spent his whole life training so that one day he could protect the people he cared about. Looking down at Mari, he gave a slight not of his head, forgetting about his responsibilities for a while wouldn't kill him and he wasn't even within his own territory, he was not duty bound to the people of Trishana, he didn't need to act like the warrior he had trained so hard to be when none of his own people were around to protect.

Artigas raised an eyebrow as she spoke of her rank "What exactly are you to your people?" he asked in confusion. They had female warriors back in Trikru, they were treated with the same respect as men were, in fact the chief of his village was a woman and if anybody dared to question her authority he was sure they'd pay with their life. He was impatient to find out more about Mari, it irritated him that already she knew so much about his life and he knew so little about hers. He couldn't really call her a friend, not really... Friendship was too strong a word, but they had a mutual understanding that came with growing up in their world, feeling the pressures of training, having judgement cast upon them for even the slightest mistakes that they made.

He didn't understand why the people of her clan didn't respect her, she was obviously a talented warrior, she was observant and patient, two qualities that was valued traits that a warrior should have. "I will play with you" the boy finally gave in to the girl "but I cannot stay long, it is already getting dark and I need to be home before morning" he muttered knowing that his parents were probably already wondering where he was and why he had not returned to the village yet. They might even be worried, but he could not leave without offering the girl one game, of her choosing of course. He was unsure what she'd want to play, but it would be rude to spend all this time talking to her only to leave without engaging in a simple game with her, what harm could it do?

Mariahya

[Mariahya]

Scars go deep, but they can't find it... Flame so bright make the daylight look dark... Artigas Mari smiled when Artigas made no movements away from her this time. This was improvement. She knew he was starting to trust her….either that or he thought he could overpower her. She wasn’t sure which…but she knew he was silly to underestimate her. Maybe one day he would have to find that out the hard way. At his words of being a good warrior, she noticed a smile come to his face. She smiled genuinely in return. “I think you are a very good warrior Artigas kom trikru….” She kept her eyes on him. “You are clearly strong…and you are determined...and kind...and any trained warrior knows when to put down their weapon among another warrior…I have clearly gained your trust…or at least I have started to…” She said tilting her head with another smile. What was she to her people? The all fated question that she hardly ever revealed to strangers, never mind other clans. She looked down at her clothes, the colors of her clan reflected in the fabric. She turned her eyes back to him. “Since the age of 5 I have been training…my brother took me away from Trishana to a camp not far from here…he noticed from a young age that I had the potential to be a great warrior..” She looked up at the trees, smiling innocently at some of the butterflies. “On my 18th birthday, I will take my rightful place as second to the chief leader of Trishana….” She returned her gaze to him. “And by my 21st birthday I will most likely become the leader of my clan.” She watched his face for any reaction. It was common to see people react poorly to her. “There are many who support me…and on the contrary there are many of my people who do not agree with my ways. I believe that there is no reason for violence until it is necessary….” She smiled. “If you haven’t noticed, I am a very calm young woman.” She let out a gentle laugh…but a soft sad smile soon replaced it. “There are some who fear that my leadership may ruin what Trishana has built…but I know that violence only brings about more violence…” She looked down at her hands. “I have killed more warriors than my people realize…and I know that killing is necessary. I would never leave my tent without a knife at my hip…but the act of killing is the worst feeling in the world…I don’t wish it on anyone…” She looked back up at him. “I hope one day my people understand my ways….” Mari sighed and then felt a small smile play at the corner of her lips when he said he would play with her. “You will?” She asked quietly. Her smile grew. “I promise, I will do my best to get you home before morning…” She smirked. She pulled one of her scarves off of her body that was originally wrapped around her waist. She walked up in front of him and stood on her tip toes. “Trust me….” She said gently and wrapped the scarf around his head and over his eyes. When she knew he couldn’t see, she placed her lips by his ear, she had to really stand on her toes as he was so tall. “Count to ten….” She whispered “And then come and find me….” She smiled to herself and quietly backed away from him. She ran off into the nearby trees, a laugh escaping her lips and it echoed happily amongst the trees. Finding a tree not terribly far away, but not obvious enough to be found right away, she climbed up into the branches just high enough out of his eye sight and watched from above. Butterflies hovered around her, but she threw a twig down below to get them to swarm else where. They would give her away if they stayed for long. A truly genuine smile lit up her features…she was glad he decided to stay and play with her.

BY SKYLARK'S FOLLY AT ADOXOGRAPHY & CAUTION