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Takes place somewhere between the ice and dark tribe.
While Rajko, Ylva, Momoka and Fintan had progressively been heading south, the traveller in the distance from them had been steadily making her way to the north.
Kamala had no set destination to her mindless walking. Such perhaps could be taken as odd, for the further she travelled north the more she began to regret her decision to head this way. She had set off on a mission of sorts, and was determined to see it come to fruition! She simply needed to go as far as she could until running into a customer for her makeshift travelling store. That was the goal. Once a successful transaction had been made Kamala would eagerly turn around and head back to the familiar forests of Earth Tribe territory.
Yet despite all the trekking and all the walking she hadn’t come across anyone interested in purchasing her wares for sale. It was almost unbelievable if it weren’t for the fact that she was taking a very indirect route across country. Still, Kamala had hoped to run into at least one other b’alam on her journey that needed one of things she carried. Yet, as facts would have it, she had not.
To some extent she was glad with this fact. The food rations she carried had done well to allow her to survive thus far but unfortunately they had expired quickly. It still left a bitter taste in her mouth that she was forced to throw out bork eggs after they had gone bad. Not to mention the fact that Sparrow, her trusty alpacow had tried to eat the suckers after Kam had chucked them into a field. That was her bad, really. She knew that Sparrow loved eating and eagerly chomped up anything. She just hadn’t expected the cow to try and eat stinky, smelly bad food. Lesson learned, don’t leave anything edible within ten feet of the giant eating monster!
Issuing a loud sigh Kamala gently tug on a rope she had bound around Sparrow’s neck, the ‘cow slowly lopping forwards with steady, lumbering footsteps. Presently the critter was trying to chew on Kamala’s tail. Every time it got close to snatching her swaying appendage with it’s teeth Kam swived it out of the way, leaving Sparrow to bite into air and produce a grunt of dissatisfaction.
Pickings were slim here. Grass hardly grew and with less and less fields of anything that remotely resembled grass it took Sparrow a good long time to graze, and even longer to convince to begin walking on the trail once again. Given what Sparrow was accustomed to consuming the alpacow was probably beginning to feel pains of starvation.
A rumbling noise issued from Kamala’s own stomach, signifying that pains of starvation would soon be felt by herself as well. Still, she pressed onwards with hopes that she’d come across another b’alam sometime soon.
Thoughts of abandoning her search for a successful trade crossed her mind, as they had several times over the four weeks she had spent traversing the realm. ‘I’ve come too far’ she thought quietly. ‘Going home now would make for an unacceptable defeat.’ She needed to continue. She needed this victory. With Clan Bayeux’s fate up in the air, leaning heavily towards all but mostly being disbanded Kamala wasn’t sure she had a home to return to. In all honesty the thought terrified her. Therefore she needed a trade to make her feel accomplished, to remind her why she had chosen to be a merchant to begin with. To prove to herself that she was fine, that even if her home was gone she was survive and thrive in the big wide world all on her own.
Given how her journey had progressed so far she was beginning to have doubts of her own capabilities. Though deep down inside she was hopeful for success.
Sparrow visibly was now showing it’s irritation on not being allowed to munch on Kamala’s tail. The alpacow let loose a moan of frustration, and tugged back on the rope Kamala was using to lead it by. Startled, Kamala’s whole body jerked backwards and the Nantili let loose her own snarl of discontent. “Listen here you! I’m hungry as well, but you don’t see ME trying to eat YOU do ya?!”
She response was Sparrow reversing even further, an awkward movement in where the alpacow’s bags it carried nearly slid off its backside. The animal “mooed” with alarm and attempted to pry itself away from the rope that bound it to Kamala’s grasp.
“Sparrow!” Kamala cried. “What’s going on with you? Calm down.”
It wasn’t until the intrusive presence of another spirit in the area that Kamala was aware of why Sparrow was tense.
Twisting her head to as far left as she could Kamala caught a slight glance of a bulky looking Nantili hiding in the woods. She felt her fur p***k with sudden fright, but Kamala forced herself to relax. She had never encountered a truly aggressive, savage b’alam in her whole existence. She could allow herself to not become agitated like Sparrow was.
“Hello?” She called to the strange Nantili in the bushes. “If you’re trying to sneak up on me I’m afraid it’s not going very well.” She almost added “sorry about that” but became distracted with Sparrow’s insistent tugging. “Could you maybe stop hiding please? My Alpacow is unfortunately one of the kind that startles pretty easily.”
Ylva was shocked. She prided herself on her hunting, and stalking capabilities and here came this… creature that was able to detect her without trying very hard to do so! She let loose a series of grumbling, dissatisfied noises and then ruminated on how to proceed from this point onward.
Next to her, Rajko nodded slowly and together the duo walk out from the brush and onto the apparent path that this Nantili was using. Together using their bulk they blocked the entirety of the way, but this wasn’t on purpose and Ylva instantly regretted having positioned herself directly next to her mate.
Ylva’s first impression of Kamala was that she looked sickly. The poor b’alam was missing the face-gems that Fintan possessed, nor did she seem to have his fluffy ears and tail. With lack of fur coverings she appeared significantly underprepared which begged to question what on earth she was doing in this not quite warm, but not quite cold area.
Moreover that creature. It was unlike anything Ylva had ever seen, or hunted before. It possessed long fur but somehow it also looked chilly with every hit of winter wind that it endured. Such an odd duo, and they both looked startlingly alike. Similar to how Rajko appeared next to his own foofaloo companion.
“What are you doing here?” Ylva asked rigidly. She doubted this skinny b’alam was a thief, but until she introduced herself as otherwise the yellow-eyed Nantili was not taking any chances.
Kamla eyed the two b’alam cautiously. She had seen few of the ice tribe in her lifetime, but even now they appeared tall, stocky and intimidating. Maybe Sparrow had good reason to be on edge? “I don’t mean any trouble. I’m just a merchant, selling my wares.” Then, as if a switch had flipped in Kamala’s brain she suddenly grow much more friendly, less wary and wore a large smile on her face. “Speaking of, you two wouldn’t happen to be interested in anything would you? I carry tons of goods! Meats, produce, even a couple fur pelts…”
If she carries pelts why did she not wear them? A snarl threatened to move on Ylva’s face but she could sense no other spirits in the area, and she could visibly detect the uh, alpacow was antsy from her unfamiliar presence.
Though frowning, Ylva meant no harm. “No we-”
“Yes.” She was cut of. Curiously she turned to look at her mate beside her. He sensed her looking and gave her a longful look. “We’re low on supplies, it’s a happy coincidence that we ran into this merchant.”
Ylva digested this. Hmm. Yes, yes that was true. They were short on food and- “Wait hold on, you never answered my question. What are you doing out here ‘merchant’?”
The Nantili was frightening, Kamala had to admit. Still, the Tahtil seemed interested in what items she could offer them, and this was enough to not be mindful of the fear pricking at the back of her neck. “It’s as I said, I’m looking to trade my wares. I dare say few merchants have gone this close to the tundra before!” She gave a brisk laugh.
“Seriously though, don’t mind Sparrow. Ee’s just a bit agitated that ee hasn’t had anything to eat today!”
In a friendly gesture Kamala reached into her travel-pouch she always wore and pulled out a small, chewable herb snack before proceeding to feed it to her familiar. The alpacow, apparently satisfied ceased to make any further moaning or grunting noises as it chewed.
“You said you have food, provisions for sale? What exactly did you want in return for them?” Not that Rajko didn’t have utter and complete faith in his mate’s hunting skills, food was beginning to dwindle. If they didn’t stock up now they’d be left to rot away to nothing during the harsh season he had a sneaking suspicion that was creeping up.
“Oh, anything really!” Kamala waved a paw around while extending her telekinesis into her bag, rummaging through small pocket compartments and finally yanking free a small box which she hastily removed and held up for display. “I received this in exchange for milk from Sparrow. The bag itself was in trade for a pile of feathers.”
“How do you feel about bones?” Rajko questioned. He was thinking of Momoka. The water-fearing Nantili had recently become quite good at taking Ylva’s kills and fashioning the bones into various accessories. The task kept her mind busy, and allowed for less complaints while the group moved about, resting and eating as they saw fit.
“Oh! That’s a good idea!” Ylva agreed. “You’re thinking about Momo’s decorations right? I totally agree, we have way too many of them sitting around!” Her whole demeanor changing from abrasive defender to happy-go-lucky hunter was visible as the trader looked surprised.
“Our friends aren’t too far away. I could quickly run over and grab some of the things we could trade to you.” She addressed this directly to the trader, who nodded in acknowledgement.
Sparrow tugged on the rope once again. Kamala chuckled. “So long as you don’t take too long! This one is getting impatient.”
Ylva grinned and set about to trotting back through the forest the way she had come. “Perfect, awesome! It won’t take long I swear!”
Rajko opened his mouth to protest Ylva’s leaving, if only because the knowledge that HE could have gone to fetch the accessories instead lingered in his mind. Alas, Ylva was a speed demon. She was gone from shouting distance long before Rajko thought to open his mouth.
Now he was left alone with the trader. Presently she had her back turned to him, fiddling instead with the various bags and pouches her familiar was forced to wear. Presumably she was glancing at what she had to trade, and this left Rajko alone with an awkward silence to deal with. The merchant seemed unfazed with the empty lack of words to flirt between them but her very presence was making Rajko feel alone, and tense. He craved social interaction to fill the noticeable void.
“So... We’re looking for meats and pelts if you got ‘em.” Fintan could always use more coverage from the cold, and meats would keep the group fed for at least the next few days. “Oh, and any crafter-tools you might have on hand! Momoka will love if I get that.”
“Momoka… She your friend who was here just now?” Kamala chirped friendly-like. She carefully grooved through her bags and plucked out various things she felt her customers might like. Threads, jackalight slices, milk jugs and two small pelts from some sort of creature. What creature Kamala couldn’t discern, but that hardly mattered at this time.
After collecting all she could carry in one armful Kamala navigated her way back in front of Sparrow, and set down all her items at once. “Speaking. You uh… You wouldn’t happen to have a name would you?”
He felt himself lose his train of thought for moment. Rajko was… peculiar. It wasn’t as if he had any need to hide his name, but the b’alam felt it protection to give a name that was not his own. Now it had become habit, and paranoia being the backbone reason for giving a false-name to strangers. In case a encounter went badly and someone was trying to hunt him down or something. Oh weaver the nightmare that would be!
“Oh uh, I’m Reko. You?”
Sorting through her collection the darkened color Nantili barely lifted an eye as she said “Kamala.” She divided her items up so they appeared orderly and neat against the snow-dusted ground. The meat slices were protected from the dirt and the cold by having been wrapped in a fabric blanket to keep them safe and secure. Also because she was trying to prevent another “meat smelling bag” nightmare that had happened the very few first nights she had been a merchant.
With her task complete Kamala slapped on a jovial smile and looked in Reko’s direction. “So who's your other friend then? If not this Momoka person.”
Rajko gave a small laugh on thinking what would happen if he told Ylva that he had lead the traveller to think her name was Momo’s. She’d probably be terribly upset with him, for how dare he mislead anyone at all! ”Ylva. She’s my soulmated. Feisty girl but I couldn’t bare to live without her.”
Saying such aloud reminded him of how he had the desire to part from his group of friends, and how scary such a thought truly was. No more hugs from Momoka, no jokes from Fintan. By some miracle if he convinced Ylva to go with him they’d be on their own. The crew kept each other alive through balance, organized hunting and fishing times in pairs. If it was just them two then say goodbye to that schedule system. Rajko was already well aware of how much his beloved hated it.
If she didn’t agree to go with him, then Ylva and Rajko would likely never reunite. That thought, paired with all the others sent a shudder through his spine. He couldn’t leave them. Not out of obligation like he had thought, it was fear of loneliness that kept him in their company. So he decided right then and there that he would remain with his friends for life. He’d put his foot down if they decided to head further south and hopefully they’d listen to his words of wisdom being “it’s way too hot to go any further.” Otherwise he’d probably melt.
“Ha ha, well, I guess everyone has different tastes when seeking their other half.” After fetching three more fabric stripes to start wrapping all the items up into Kamala set them next to the rest of the items laid out in preparation for Ylva’s return. She also retrieved a quickly diminishing stash of food pellets for Sparrow, in case it got any more ideas about munching on her tail again.
“Me? I’ve yet to find my perfect guy. I’m not so worried about though. Got all the time in the world to find him, right?” Tall, dark and handsome awaited for someplace in the world. Presently however all of Kamala’s focus was on her career. Her fascinating, interesting and rewarding job choice of being apart of the merchant’s trade. It made waiting for a mate seem like minor business.
Thundering footsteps that made Sparrow jitter informed Kamala that Ylva was running back to them. Considering how little time had passed it brought a reason of concern to Kamala of just how close these “others” were. Dhe might have missed seeing them had they not found her first, yikes!
As Ylva burst through the clearing, adorn with various bone ornaments, necklaces and earrings the nantili stopped to take a breath before turning to face Kamala, “I’m here. I’ve got your things for you!”
Kamala gazed at the prizes being offered to her with amazement twinkling in her eyes. Such fine craftsmanship! Such macabre but beautiful pieces on display! “Amazing! Come, let me get a closer look.” She eagerly shifted in place as she awaited for Ylva to approach and remove the various jewelry she had done herself up with.
With delicate care Kamala plucked each piece up individually. She spun them over and muttered things under breath that she was certain the others only caught bits and pieces of as they strained to listen. “Good… This one is…. That one would be… Yes, alright.” She continued like this as she tentatively looked over each jewelry item, then when she seemed to have completed her examination Kamala eagerly looked up at the duo hovering nearby. “The necklace for the pelts, the bracelet for the thread, needle and wool. The earrings pay for the meat provisions and milk, but this-” she held up a particularly intricate necklace, “I will give one item of your choice for. Any item.”
Ylva and Rajko exchanged looks. What would they purchase with that necklace? It had taken three weeks of hard labor for Momoka to craft it. It looked kind of creepy if Ylva was being truthful, but seeing the effort poured into it made the object endearing. She struggled to think of something equal in value to all those hours slaving away on it…
“The box you showed us.” She finally decided. Rajko seemed surprised, but did not voice a disagreement with this choice.
Kamala’s smile vanished in that instant. That box had been with her since her first few months on the job. She wasn’t the sentimental type, or at least she tried not to be in this line of work but Kamala was puzzled. The box had been stained, damaged and was drained of color from having been watered down and the mold having to be peeled off of it. “I’ll gladly exchange it but… It’s used and worn out, are you sure that’s what you’re wanting?” The last thing she desired was to rip off a client! That was bad for business!
“That thing looked like it’s been through a lot. That necklace took a lot of work to make. Only seems right that both items have roughly the same value.” Ylva explained. Again, Rajko made no comment. She gazed at him to examine his opinion but the brown Tahtil was busy eyeing the merchant.
“Well, if that’s what you really want.” She spoke with a slight shrug on her shoulders. “I won’t stop you.”
Ylva wore her successful smirk. “Perfect. Then consider this deal finalized!”
///Complete
1891 words for Kamala
608 words for Ylva
673 words for Rajko/Reko