The Native and the White Man (boyxboy)

(2) Marriage

Parijat's companion, Sachiv, followed after him, mimicking Parijat's dive, but once he looked down to see how high the ledge was when he jumped off, his eyes widened and he screamed, trying to prolong him from hitting the water with a painful splash. Sachiv wasn't a flying squirrel, just an ordinary one, so he eventually fell splat into the water, leaving a stinging pain on the squirrel's body. Naomi was looking for Parijat who still hadn't come up from the water. She was getting impatient with her friend and concerned. In the back of her head, she might of thought Parijat had drowned doing that stunt. But she knew Parijat wouldn't just drown from that, making her let out a jealous breath, “Show off.” She waited for Parijat to get up from the water, but, unfortunately, her patience was so small if could rival a pollen grain.

“Parijat! Parijat! I'm not going to swim after you if you don't come up from the– aaahh!” , Naomi was cut off by her scream when the canoe was tilted and turned upside down, Naomi going overboard and into the water right under the canoe. She went above to the surface under the canoe, her bangs stuck to her face and covering her eyes. Sometimes she hated it when she had bangs. Meanwhile, Sachiv was struggling to swim towards the canoe and get on top to get out of the water. Naomi panted, taking in deep breaths as she pulled her bangs aside, her brown eyes meeting Parijat's own brown eyes that were just sticking out of the water.

She glared at Parijat and said, “Don't you think... Hah... we're a little bit too old for this–”. Naomi was cut off once again when Parijat spewed out water from his mouth. Both friends squealed and played a small water fight for a while, splashing water onto each other. They were like little lids again. Once they stopped, Naomi asked Parijat help her turn the canoe over. Sachiv felt the canoe move and he squeaked, his tiny claws clutching to the wood. He screamed even more when the canoe was turned upside and he was again in the water. Parijat and Noami got on the canoe, Naomi grasping the paddle that was floating on the water, and Parijat looking for Sachiv. Parijat grinned and chuckled a bit, seeing Sachiv thrash around in the water trying to keep himself above the water. “Come on, Sachiv, no time to be playing around!”, Parijat said, getting Sachiv in his hands before Naomi started rowing back to their camp.

Parijat's pov:

The water was still as our canoe floated across it, ripples coming from the front. The wind was calm but still blew through the trees and grass, strands of my black hair flowing calmly with the wind. I hadn't seen my father in three months. I've heard that the northern tribe was strong and I was afraid my father would have lost the war and our tribe would have fallen into the hands of the northern tribe. The northern tribe was stronger than the southern tribe and much bigger than ours and the southern tribe's combined. But I've also heard that they were not smart. It was a wonder how Naomi told me that every warrior my father took with him was still alive. It was kind of unbelievable. At least four of our people had died during the attack of the southern tribe, but I guess the southern tribe was much more smarter than the northern tribe.

Naomi docked the canoe at the shore and my brown eyes caught with my father's figure, standing by my family's hut on the small hill as he watched us. I smiled and got off the canoe, running up the hill with Sachiv following behind. I jumped and embraced my father in a warm hug, saying, “Vaapas svaagat hai, pitaajee! I missed you!” (Welcome back, father!)

“I missed you too, my son. Come,” my father said, gesturing me to follow him inside the hut. “I have something important to tell you.”

I followed him in, awaiting for him to tell me the news. When we were inside I impatiently asked with an expectant smile on my face, “Did we win the war, father?”

“Of course we won, Parijat. I'm sure Naomi told you,” my father chuckled. “Anyways–”. My father was cut off when his feather hat fell down with Sachiv. I gasped and caught him just in time, chuckling at the silly squirrel and placing the crown back on the shelf. My father chuckled and continued saying, “Ahem. Anyways, Kabandha has asked your hand in marriage.”

“Kabandha? As in, the male warrior? Father, you do know I am a boy, right?”, I raised an incredulous brow.

“Yes, but then you look so much like a woman. And, don't forget your special ability to reproduce and not being able to produce, Parijat. You can't marry a woman if you are unable to produce.”, my father reminded me. I don't know why, but when I was in my mother's womb, I was told I was supposed to be born a girl. Instead, I was born a boy with... special parts. I have parts that belong to that of a woman's instead of a man's, thus how I am able to reproduce instead of to produce.

“Right,” I say, walking to the sheet of fur skin that served as a door and peeked out slightly to see Kabandha playing with children. Well, the children were climbing all over him while he kept a serious stance and face. I scrunched up my nose and said, “But, father, he's so... serious.”

“Marrying him will be the best thing for you and the tribe, Parijat. Like the steady river, you should also be steady,” my father said softly. I turned to him and he took out my mother's necklace. It was made from light blue stones tied up by a thin rope, a shiny tear drop shaped stone being the pendant. “Your mother wore this for our wedding. She would've wanted to see you wear it at yours,”

I pulled up my hair aside as my father put on the necklace. I glanced at it as it hanged from my slim neck. I smiled and thanked father, telling him I would think about Kabandha's marriage proposal. I then left the hut with Sachiv in my arms and went to the riverside where Naomi docked the canoe. She was nowhere to be seen, probably helping her mother with her younger siblings.