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 Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 5:41 pm
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 5:42 pm
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It seemed oddly funny to Jendara how one B’alam’s cruel words could leave such deep, unhealing wounds. She remembered that horrible day as though it were yesterday. She could still hear the harshness of his voice as he called her a freak, could still see the look of repulsion glistening like fire within his blue eyes. Though, this time the memory did not bring tears to her eyes as it had previously. Her heart still felt as though a weight sat upon it, threatening to crush it at any moment should she but take the wrong step. That was why she thought it best to alienate herself from others so that she may never have to face their icy stares, or hear them murmur about her supposed madness. Her heart simply couldn’t take another blow like the one she had already suffered.
The sound of the underbrush rustling nearby was enough to cause her to abandon her sunbathing post atop a boulder, and take refuge among the trees where her color would camouflage her to any who might call her a freak. Though no one drew near she could hear voices off in the distance and decided it was about time she moved on anyway. Her entire body trembled as she abandoned her hiding place, the fear of unkind words following her until she no longer heard whoever was speaking. It hadn’t taken much for the once innocent B’alam who saw only beauty within this world become distrustful and fearful of it. She again felt as though she had suffered a crushing defeat as she crept away into the darkness.
Her only joy came from the bones that would tell her stories and sing to her. She had collected quite a few since her encounter with Haru that day, but because she had no place to store them she had taken to burying them in various places within the forest. Each rested beneath a little mound constructed in its honor, and each was marked by a rock smoothed by the stream where she suffered both her greatest heartbreak as well as her greatest triumph. The very first bone she had ever carved still remained quite dear to her as it seemed to have been telling her story even before she had experienced it.
Her worries seemed to dissipate as the first of what had to be nearly a dozen mounds came into view. Though the others were spread over a great distance, she knew where each one was as well as what it housed. As her claws slowly shoved the dirt from the top of the pile she couldn’t help but to wish that she could find a more appropriate way of storing them. Though they were trash to many she often worried that someone would stumble upon them. At that thought the image of Haru snapping a bone in half came to mind and caused a chill to shoot up her spine. There wasn’t a day gone by that she didn’t wonder what story had been lost as a result of his cruelty. What masterpiece would remain forever unfinished because of his lack of understanding?
The image faded as the song of a bone caused her ears to flick forward. The first within the pile had finally been freed of its grave, and she smiled down at it as one would at an old friend. “I am sorry to have left you for so long.” She cooed. The song flowed through her mind like the silver threads of a spider web sparkling in the golden rays of the sun. Her heartbeat matched its rhythm and her head began to sway softly back and forth. The words became clearer the longer she listened, and soon the story of a selfish tahtll who forcibly laid claim to a gorgeous nantlil began to take shape. The urge to chew once more swept over her but, as so many times before, she was forced to ignore it. She would not tell their stories until she found the right place in which to keep them. It simply wouldn’t be right to cover them up with dirt and leave them behind. It had made her feel awful when she had to do that to the bone she had first carved. It just seemed too sad to treat such great beauty without care.
With a mournful sigh she placed the bone back where she had found it and once more constructed the mound. Each day that went by like this meant the chance of her stashes being discovered increased at an alarming rate. The mounds were by no means invisible, and soon curiosity would spur someone to uncover them and take them from her. She yearned for a safe place to keep them, a place where she could be herself without having to constantly dodge unwanted attention. She longed for a home in which she could carve all day and all night if she wished. A home with a special place specifically designed to showcase the stories she would tell through the bones.
With a quick press of her nose to the mound as a mother would to her cub Jendara turned her back and resolved to find a place like the one she had been dreaming of immediately. She had been searching for quite some time, but she would find it today come what may. With the flame of determination ignited within her soul she set out to find her safe haven, the place in which the Bone Scribe would be able to reside and make all of her fantasies into a reality.
Minutes turned to hours and as the sunlight began to fade, so did her hopes of finding a sanctuary. Frustration caused her brows to knit together and soon she came to a stop, her eyes remaining trained on the ground as she brooded. Surely there was a place for her, there simply had to be. Freak or not she belonged somewhere. In a last ditch effort she called out the knowing presence she had felt so many times before; the one that provided her with so many answers when she first awakened. Reaching out with her soul she pleaded for help, she begged for assistance and prayed that her endeavor would be a success.
As though she had been heard a gentle breeze picked up and tugged at the long braid hanging over her shoulder. She did not fight it but instead followed its lead, allowing it to guide her as it saw fit. “Thank you.” She whispered serenely. Her feet continued to move but she closed her eyes, deciding to completely trust whatever force was at work and only open them when the breeze died away. To some it may have seemed foolish, but to a deranged freak it made perfect sense. The thought inspired a small giggle to bubble up within her throat, and finally float along the breeze that carried her.
Time had no meaning as she was pulled along, though she could tell that night had fallen by the sudden chill in the air. The breeze suddenly fell away and she was left stationary for the first time in what seemed like forever. Her paws sank into the dirt as though it were gripping her tightly and welcoming her to her new home. She began to open her eyes hesitantly, but soon found herself staring slack jawed at the nearly perfectly circular entrance to a cave. The light of the moon illuminated the Spanish Moss hanging over the entrance like a delicate curtain. “Home..” Her voice quivered as she said the word, but even as it came out she knew it to be the truth.
Without even a moment of reflection she moved swiftly past the entrance and into its depths. Almost immediately it opened into a decently sized cavern with what seemed to be a table formed from a boulder sitting in the middle of the room. Even now she could tell it was perfect. Her Earthen instinct took hold as she put her claws to the rock wall and gave it a little scratch. The rock was firm but would give with enough force, she could easily carve shelves into the walls should she need the space. But that was not all that this place had to offer.
Her eye suddenly caught another tunnel leading someplace else within the cave. When she drew nearer the smell of earth beckoned to her and she descended once more into the darkness, a jolt of excitement and anticipation pushing her forward. When at last the tunnel bottomed out she found it quite difficult to see, but as soon as what she presumed to be a cloud cleared the moon’s path the room became flooded with moonlight. The silvery beams illuminated the roots of some great, forgotten tree that made up the bulk of the area and she soon became overwhelmed with delight. This was it, this would be the perfect place to display her bones!
Without a moment to lose she shot out of the cave with the unbridled enthusiasm as a freshly woven cub. She had found her sanctuary and she would not lose another moment, it was time to collect her bones and bring them home. She had much work to do, and many stories to tell. Everything was to begin now.
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 5:43 pm
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