#kalari

“Gari!?” Yaui exclaimed, “what on the gods green ground are you doing here?”

“Yeah, your supposed to be hunting not sneaking around the town.” Jaf added.

“I got lucky and hit my mark on the first try, albeit I was only able to get one before nightfall, but it’s better than nothing.” Gari said pulling the dead harget off his shoulders.

“The horns on this one, are so small are you sure he will be able to feed you, your cousin, and your Auntie?” Jaf asked.

“You know we can help you if if you need it, if it wasn’t for your damned uncle you would have the thrim to buy meat at the shop rather than having to hunt everyday.” Yaui said cursing in the sinners tongue.

“Watch your mouth, you know if. . .” Gari’s words where cut short when the bishops came up behind them swords drawn.

“And just who do you two think you are spitting on the altar of Norwesd,” Gari gave his friends a dirty look, “and who are you hanging out with these two vandals, now scram if you don’t want to be treated as on of them.”

“He is Gari Kiplier Tuke Tie’est descendant of Kelfn Noitanigami Gelto, son of Kadyr.” Jaf spat at the bishops. Gari gave an annoyed look at his friend, then nodded. The bishops then sheathed their swords and gave a small bow then left heading back for the temple.

“I hate you.” he said looking a Jaf, “you on the other hand need to watch your tongue, you know very well that your friendship with me is the only thing protecting you as it is, but if one of the towns folk hear you speaking in the sinners tongue I will be able to do nothing to save you, the same goes for you Jaf, any slip up in your native tongue and you will be killed.”

“Sinners tongue, it is called retupmoc and our families believed it was the tongue of Zoccra the god of purity.” Yaui said.

“Yeah, but what they didn’t know was that the main landers hate us and everything to do with us, if they did we would be at home with are families alive and well singing praises to this god of purity. Tyc czjn vdvb’c kbv bwx xj khj kowbj. Jaf said to Yaui saying the last part in retupmoc.

“We are not, we have each other and Gari.” he responded hugging Jaf, “and that is more than enough, anyway back to what I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted, we can help you Gari if it is coin you need.”

“Your help is not the kind I nor any of my kin want, especially after my uncle, come it is dark and the sisters shall soon rise, have dinner with me, I am sure my Auntie will not mind.” Gari said making for his home with his friends in tow. When they reached the house the flame of a fire shown through the windows, Jaf and Yaui stayed back when Gari approached the door, Gari’s aunt was known for angering faster than a Krro with a knife in his leg and it was this that made Gari wish he could be back with his friends away from the line of fire. His knuckles were just about to hit the door when it was thrust open by his aunt.

“And by what gods do you think you can just come back here without meat!? Hmm!?, hmm!? None I see. . .” she screamed at him.

“Auntie I do have meat see,” he pulled the harget up by its feet, “I also have friends who have empty bellies and would be delighted if you would feed them?”

“Who is it, you wouldn’t dare bring Jaf and Yaui back here would you. . .” she looked over his shoulder and saw them staring down at their feet. “Fine. I will feed them on one condition, they will not speak a letter in the sinners tongue in my presence, and just know I will hear it if they do and I will report them to the Monks.” she said turning back inside with the dead animal in her hands. Gari turned and waved his friends inside.

“She said she will feed you as long as she hears naught of your native tongue.”

“Fine, but she better not ask any stupid questions about us again it gets harder to speak your tongue when she pisses me off.” Yaui says going inside to sit by the fire.

“Can do, oh by the way is your cousin here?” Jaf asks.

“Don’t know, but you should know she is starting to wonder if you’ll ever ask for her hand in marriage.” Gari says.

“I want to but I don’t have any money to provide for her.” he says heading inside and calling for her.

“She’s not home, she went to the temple to pray for… things.” Gari’s Aunt says.

“I am now Auntie, I heard Jaf’s voice right?” Kalari says looking around for Jaf.

“That you did my dearest.” Jaf says coming from behind the staircase.

“I missed you.” she says kissing Jaf.

“And I you, I nearly forgot how red your eyes and hair truly were.” Jaf said moving to a chair by the fire.

“Kalari I wouldn’t do that where Auntie might see.” Gari said sitting on a stool laughing at the worried looks on his cousins face. Yaui was braiding his jet black hair for it came undone while he ran from the bishops.

“Curse the mouth on you cousin, if it weren’t for those untelling yellow eyes in your head I would know the truth from you.”

“My eyes is it why not my hair or my skin. But accusing me of lying by the blue blood in my veins I never lie, I never said Auntie could see you, only that she might see you.” Gari laughed out.

“Gari if you never lie then I am not purple.” Yaui scoffed out in disbelief.

“Name one time I’ve lied, I’ll wait.” Gari spoke confidently smiling till he saw Jaf smile.

“That one time at the temple, the time at the market, the time at the. . .”

“Yes we know Gari lies about his name and other things, I on the other hand will not lie about my name I am and always will be, Jaria Noitanigami Holestfer conjariupaestful.” Auntie said with the air of being pure and clean.

“We know you are mother, as does everyone in the town, though not for the reasons I would like.” Kalari says to her mother taking a seat at the dining table along with everyone else.

“Before we eat we must thank the gods for they provided us with this meat and we thank those who provide, we praise Norwesd the goddess of all gods, and kahnpadpyre the goddess of life. . .”

“This I forgot about this your auntie prays longer than I take to say her name and it takes me a good long while to say here name.” Jaf said his belly begging for the food before him.

“That she does but after hearing for a couple of years you learn to block it out.” Gari whispers to Jaf.

“And to Alam the god of war, who gave us the power to hunt and fight, may this prayer please you and let us fill our bellies.” Auntie finished and they ate. “Yaui how are you? Have you seen any other Zoccrists?”

“Auntie.” Kalari says in a warning tone.

“No, but I will tell them to sacrifice you to Thgirweniaw if I do.” Yaui replied his eyes never leaving his plate, he slowly looked up and cursed her in krroic.

“What did you just call me!?” Auntie said in a warning tone.

“I called you a gcbtr.” Yaui said calmly standing.

“I am no such thing, you foul creature it was a blessing your family died but a curse you survived, you hcaip.” Yaui ran at her dagger in hand.

“Call me what you will but I’ll be damned to hear you speak of my people, you ybpwvon xzwhj.” Yaui said holding the blades tip at her throat.

“Yaui leave her alone or we are no different than our own, leave her alone or I will leave your side as a friend and brother.” Jaf said standing hand on his own blade. Yaui moved the blade and left the house.

“I will need to go after him Kalari, make sure your Auntie knows I am sorry, I will miss you my love.” Jaf said following Yaui.

“You really need to help Jaf get Yaui’s anger under control, he angers faster than mother, and she angers fast even for a grothra.”

“I know, but that can be done tomorrow, the sun will rise soon and I want to be asleep before it does. See you in the morning.” Gari says heading up the stairs to the farthest of the three rooms. He opens the door takes off his shirt and sandals and falls on to the bed to venture the land of sleep guarded by the sister moons Artlu and Jrustcor. That night he dreams of an angry shadow of black and red and the death of many pain the heart of six shadows of white light. He is awoken by the sounds of pots and pans clanging together, He pulled his shirt back on and slipped his sandals on and ventured down stairs. When he turned and saw the kitchen he saw it was Kalari rather than Auntie making breakfast.

“Where is Auntie?” he asked his voice thick with sleep.

“She is asleep still, but I grew hungry so I decided to make some lemon wheat.” she responded without turning to look his way.

“Smells great cousin, have you heard any news about the rebellion against grothra-cnys, grothra-leic, and nilffin?” he asks grabbing a slice of the cake.

“No i haven’t been out yet, you should go find out and bring the news back to me.” she says turning from him.

“Are you okay? Your not are you, you’ve been crying, why were you crying?” Gari asks concern for his cousin crawling on his face. She turns and starts crying on his shoulder.

“Its Mother she said I am not allowed to see Jaf again as long as I wish to remain under her roof.” she said in between tears.

“I’ll talk to her, make her see some sense and remember that your her daughter and she loves you, but for now you need to get out and breath the air of the forrest it will help calm you maybe we can find Jaf and explain the situation.” Gari says holding his cousin by the shoulders and giving her a look of hope and kindness.

“Yeah, yeah that sounds good, maybe I can jog around the town a couple of times before lunch.” she stands taller and holds herself like a proud Ember-kin. They left and made for the market at the center of the town.

“You know Jaf wants to marry you.” Gari says casually.

“Then why doesn’t he go and do it already I have hinted that I would love nothing more than to be his wife I have even resorted to having you tell him out right yet he still hasn't done it.” she says pulling a coin sack out of her pant pocket, “We are growing low on coins, soon if we do nothing about it we will have nothing.” she says her mind still saddened by love.

“Firstly he want to marry you, he feels that because he has no coin he will be unable to provide for you and make you happy, secondly I thought I told you I am to take a position at Jartee’s shop in seven days.” Gari says looking around for a traveler from towns outside the forrest.

“What I have never heard of this from your tongue nor my mothers.” she says shocked.

“Really? Oh well, you know now, anyway I think I see a traveler from the north, maybe he has news on the rebellion come on lets go ask him.” Gari says leaving his cousin behind to ask the stranger.

“Hello excuse me but do you have any news relating to the rebellion?” Gari asks eagerly.

“Yes though it may not be the kind you want to hear, the leader Nissassa Ailseb Coulor Galetha has gained many followers and is rumored to have the trust of the krro, with his new found power he is planing to kill every grothra and grothra-kin he deems impure, and let me warn you he is no longer planing but doing I very nearly escaped Halgi if it weren’t for the slow-mindedness of the Krro I would be dead, and to answer your question I’am a blood feeder so you need fear no harm from me palemi.” the traveler uttered the last word like a curse.

“Thank you for the news, and I am sorry for your troubles.” Gari said turning away to think about this news. 

What will this Nissassa do, what has he done, how far will he go to achieve his goal, it would seem pretty far to make deals with the scum of the ground Krro. I wonder how far he will get before the clans fight back, I wonder if I should do something to stop him?

“Gari are you hungry?” Kalari asks.

“What, oh yeah I guess.” he responds snapping out of his trance of thought.

“Okay where should we eat? We could go to the the Holy Cup, or the Green Days?” she asks trying to orient herself in the town.

“I like the Green Days more, better apple blooms and the best lemon cider ever like I wish I could only drink it, but Hassau won’t give me the recipe.”

“Awww that's so sad if i cared I might even cry, we go this way then.” she says in a tone driven by hunger.

“Wait I need to do something first.” he then picked up a stick and began to draw in the dirt a symbol similar to a five sided circle with two lines through it.

“What was that?” Kalari asks.

“It was a way to tell Yaui and Jaf that we are at the Green Days, every day we check this road at least twice to see if one of the others has left a mark and if there is one it tells us where to meet the others.” Gari says holding the door to Green Days open for his cousin. He walks in and is assaulted with many smells of lemon, apple, and a strong waft of body odor. The room has some tables surrounded with two to three chairs, a bar at the far end of the rectangular room, the walls once were green, but now look a moss and wether that is because of age or actual moss Hassau will never say. Gari looks around and finds a table with three chairs and walks his cousin over to it and sits down. They sit in silence till one of the workers comes over to take their order.

“What do you two want.” the waiter asks obviously irate and impatient.

“I would like a sobubaco bun, with some lemon cider.” Gari says happily ignorant of the waiters mood.

“I would like the same.” Kalari says pulling out the coin sack and paying the waiter seven deovi. The waiter walks away in the direction of the bar to collect their order.

“So what news did the traveler have?” Kalari asks.

“Nothing great, he says that the leader of this rebellion Nissassa, has gained the trust of many including it is rumored the krro. He also said that this rebellion has began to kill off all the grothra and grothra-kin this Nissassa has deemed impure, he said barely escaped with his life, and that I needn’t fear him because he was a blood feeder, he was a real grothra-leic that is like the first time I have ever actual seen one with my own eyes, though I couldn’t tell anything was different till he told me, he also called me a palemi but like it was a curse.” he said ending in a bitter resentment for the traveling stranger.

“Well then, at least it is nothing to big yet maybe the teachers will help or maybe the Kigam families will, that would be amazing to be able to hear and maybe even possibly see a trebqu do some magic, you know how I love magic it is the most beautiful thing ever.” Kalari says before Jaf sneaks up behind her and sits down in the only other chair leaving Yaui to pull one up from a nearby table.

“Sorry about last night.” Yaui says straining to be calm about it and not begin his usual rant about how his people are treated worse than dirt among the main landers.

“Yeah I gave him a talking to after that and it seemed to have calmed him down a little at least for the moment, how did your auntie react to it hopefully it was better than what I am thinking.” Jaf says asking no one in particular.

“According my mother if I wish to continue living under her roof I am to no longer see you.” Kalari answers.

“Oh well… I guess we should stop seeing each other.” Jaf says as if it is decided.

“What no we can still see each other but I just need to find a new place to live, like with you.” Kalari says in a sweet and loving tone.

“Well I mean that would make the most sense, so yeah I guess you can live with me… wait no your not living with me my house is barely big enough for me what makes you think you can live with me anyway?”

“Probably the fact that I am your girlfriend of three years and it is about time we moved in together anyway.”

“Oh yeah about that I know that you want to marry me, but I don’t think you should I have nothing to give you, I have no money I am one slip-up away from being killed and I have almost no chance of getting a job.”

“I love you, you big stupid idiot I don’t need all that I just need you, and I am going to take that loving look on your face as a yes to this weirdly worded two sided marriage proposle.” Kalari says kissing Jaf and beaming with nothing other than pure happiness.