#ghark

An unexpected hunting expedition left the tribe’s children without instruction from their elders that day. Forest was delighted to get out of their learning for the day. He loathed being inside, stuck to a seat where he was expected to sit still and listen to some boring adult drone on and on about what berries could kill you and which ones were medicinal. 

Afterall, when was he ever going to need that information? 

With. his parents permission he invited three of his closest friends to join him fishing at the lake adjacent to is home camp. 

The fish that day were plentiful and Forest and his friends were excited to bring home their scaly supper to their parents. 

“I think I got one!” Onal called, yanking his fishing stick back as his line was tugged. 

“Hold fast to it!” Ibha said, her own rod held steadily in her hands. 

“Ah it got away,” Onal said glumly. 

“At least you didn’t fish up a rock,” Ghark called. 

The children roared with laughter. 

After Class, Forest and his best friend Ghark were discussing most seriously the subject of the wooly mammoth. As they argued about who could take a mammoth down themselves, Forest’s eyes wandered around the classroom and came to stop on Ibha. She was sitting in a quiet corner, her eyes roaming the room almost mournfully. Ghark and Forest shared a look and a moment later, Forest had invited Ibha to join them outside under the shade of the leopard lean-to.

Ghark lay in the trodden grass, watching as Ibha and Forest rapidly dropped into excited conversation.

“My father won my mother’s heart over a mammoth hunt,” Ibha said. “He gifted her a tusk when he asked her for marriage.”

Ghark from the grass called up, “better than my dad! he gave my mom a baby.” The three of them roared with laughter, although, none of them yet knew what that meant. 

Quickly their conversation shifted to other matters, to family, to friends, to favorite games. 

When Sky emerged and called his children home for the night, Ibha dipped her head in a little bow. 

“Thank you for inviting me to your play.” Ihba said gratefully to both Ghark and Forest. “I am thankful to make friends as fun as you both.” 

Fern and Forest’s days seemed to be endlessly busy the older they grew. Now they were at an age where their parents, much like the other parent’’s in the village, wanted their children educated. 

Amongst the other children, they would not only grow as individuals --

they would also learn to work within a community, to see themselves as but one part of a whole collective. 

Before their first day’s instructor showed up, Fern took a seat next to a boy named Bori. The two seemed to hit it off immediately and they dove into excited conversation. 

Across the room, a shy Ruko sat next to Dandelion, looking over at Fern longingly. He was the first friend Fern had made when she came to live in the tribe, but lately she seemed to forget him. Dandelion urged him to strike up a conversation, but Ruko rejected that idea. His heart pounded so loudly at the thought that merely standing up seemed an impossibility. 

Dandelion urged him to strike up a conversation, but Ruko rejected that idea. His heart pounded so loudly at the thought that merely standing up seemed an impossibility.  

Ruko was’t the only sim feeling out of sorts either. Little Ibha, sky and reserved, sat by herself, trying to keep herself calm. Some of the other children had made fun of her when she was younger for her shy nature and tendency to hide behind her mother’s skirt. She could do this, she told herself. And if she was brave and stayed, she might even make a friend. 

While most of the children were meandering around the room or bouncing from seat to seat, Loyalae and Limili were watching the entryway. They were the very first to see their instructor. 

“It’s Sky!” Loyalae cried out and the room turned to see Fern and Forest’s father walking in. 

“Hello, children!”Sky said cheerily. “Are you ready for today’s lesson?” 

The room responded in murmurs. Forest was blushing deep red at the sight of his father and did his best to not look as embarrassed as he was. 

“Alright, take your seats,” Sky commanded. The children did as they were told. 

“I’ve been asked by the elders of this tribe to be our first teacher.” Sky looked around the room, trying not to let his twinkling gaze linger on his dear children. He could see their mortification. “We’ll be talking about tracking today.” 

The room was abuzz with excitement. The two best trackers in the village were Tsala and Sky, but Tsala was often busy with her crawling toddlers. Sky was eager to share his skills. 

“Tracking is a vital skill for you to learn for survival,” he began. “You will learn to follow the tracks and droppings of animals.”

“What about people?” Ghark asked. “Can we follow other human’s tracks and...droppings.” 

The rest of the children went wild with snickers, Ghark especially. Even Sky cracked a smile at the childish joke. 

“Actually Ghark, that’s an excellent way to keep yourself and your clan safe against invaders. Maybe you’d like to volunteer to illustrate?” 

Ghark turned a bright red as the rest of his peers doubled over in uproarious laughter. With their attention back on him and his lesson, Sky continued his instruction. 

This is pretty much what Ark's listening to right now.

A mist had settled over the Watchful Source this morning, he stood vigil as he often did, keeping a high perch that looked over the small community. His thoughts drifted to the past week, taking time to consider all that had transpired. The dance, the moment they drew in close, the feeling the look she gave him evoked. To an outsider it may have seemed a calculated seduction, but in truth each step was a test, feeling out the water, seeing where the currents flowed. He was surprised that it all went as it did, he had always enjoyed Vilathara's presence within the Inflorescence. She had a strength of spirit that he admired, and an adaptibility that he could only marvel at.

Ghauri's reaction to all of this was all the more amazing, he admitted his fears but he embraced her as a part of our union. His fears would fade in time, once he saw that he was not being replaced, but instead their own circle was growing. Naer's reaction was more expected though he has adapted well after some adjustment. There is still adjusting to be done for both sides, Naer hopes to have another that will assume his role when he is weary, but projecting his traits on another would not change the nature of who each of them were.