The ground shook, two large booms echoed from the left to right. Surprisingly nothing else happened after the rumbling of the ground subsided. Slowly in confusion, the man inspects the situation, which admittedly what he sees confuses him even further.
The two ferocious beasts were not trying to eat them but instead... inspected them? With what kind of expressions were those? He was, for the first time in centuries, speechless beyond repair. He honestly could not understand the emotions on those beasts' faces but they most certainly were not the bloodthirsty ones he was expecting to see.
The leopard nudged Hong Luo's cheek whilst the gorilla tugs on her robe. Both looked quite out of place with those aggrieved eyes of brown and green.
Shhh! A ripping sound startles the leopard mid lick. She looks up at the panic stricken ape. Teeming with an angry warning, her raspy growl is followed up by a harsh snap at the unintelligent primate for daring to destroy the cloth.
The gorilla roared back, its large hand reached out to smack the stinky feline spitting in his face, but unexpectedly he was the one struck. A whine reverberated from his throat whilst looking downcast at the perpetrator, wondering why she hit him. He felt terribly wronged, but the one he cried to did not seem fazed.
"Enough is enough. Sit straight and no fighting." Both stop and amazingly follow the girl's words, a snack not big enough to fill the gaps in their teeth, listening so well like domesticated pets, the sight so terrifyingly intriguing.
Hong Luo continues to lecture. "What has happened to your manners? Your roaring has my ears ringing, your petty squabbles have needlessly destroyed beautiful scenery, the existing harmony of the forest's two apex predators gone like smoke in the wind. Mo Yin, so simple and abiding I understand, but Mo Meifeng? What did he do this time that fluffs up your fur to such a degree, huh? And please, prove me wrong, I'd rather not know if it was truly a petty reason resolved without such nonsense."
Hong Luo was flabbergasted and huffing air, completely not expecting such a reunion with these two. Trained and supervised by her monstrous parents, her mother and father did not spoil them rotten, in fact the amount of pain these two suffered through could rival the salt content of the ocean. So why, why had their learnings' degraded by such a large margin? Surely they haven't forgotten what awaited them, if for whatever reason they disobey their masters' clear cut instructions? Or perhaps with them gone, becoming lax and over confident, they naively assumed no consequence could be meted?
Watching them avoid her line of sight, she was not at all surprised that the both of them remained quiet. As expected, Hong Luo inwardly sighed. It was just as she deduced, they truly thought, like children left alone for too long, that the throne had become theirs and were on top of the world, like newly crowned kings and queens. Nothing could stop them, they probably assumed. And they would be right, only if 'she'd' never returned like it would have ought to be. Now? Oh, she'd cross her arms if she could, but instead settled for a 'harmless' smile and 'sweet' head tilt.
"No answer, huh? That's fine, there's no need for a 'verbal' one. So have my words treated as rhetoric." Innocently rolling her eyes across the scene of the crime, she inadvertently watches the naive beasts relax. With a slight chuckle, "what's left can be said and done once returning home. ---Now then, quickly dismiss those others and hurry back. The sun will be setting soon, and I wish not to walk through the woods in the dark, especially during such weather. Off with you."
Tail wagging and feet hopping up and down, those two 'gullible' giants rushed off to roar away those noisy bunch, glee obviously exciting them over 'escaping' trouble and the punishment for said wrong doings. Hong Luo just shook her head at the sight, no longer paying them any mind, especially since the patient on her back was writing for her attention.
Friends of yours, the words formed on her shoulder blade asked. Hong Luo softened, indulgence relaxing her shoulders. "More than that, siblings, or childhood companions is a more accurate comparison. --From my earliest memory they've been there, for the good and the bad, right at the side of my parents, trained and raised into what they are now, or what they should have been, protectors for this daughter, their only child. --Although not perfect, being more silly minded then a panda, they are still such adorable goofballs one will always forgive, perhaps reprimand a little, but still nonetheless have leniency, and with their intimidating size, that alone would scare away trouble, far far to the other side of the world if need be."
They've never hurt you, he further asked, which resulted in loud laughter, catching the attention of the disgruntled goofballs directing traffic. "Them? Hurt me? Never. As dangerous as they appear to others, the level of threat towards myself is at most pilfered food, or crushed for cuddles. Though they are quite clingy if left unchecked, loving to go a mile once accepting an inch. Yes, they truly are such harmless goofballs down to the core. So you need not worry, for me or yourself. I'll deal with them if ever they get out of hand.---Good, looks like they're done. With them, we'll reach my home much faster. Soon you'll be fine with no need to write out your thoughts, talking up a storm at every given minute, I promise you that. Everything will be okay."
Turning her head to look at the man, expecting to see some small bit of hope, but unfortunately she was met with deathly cold eyes, and a cloud that had risen from the base. This jolted her heart, terrifying her into a statue. No! That was not there before. His eyes were perfectly fine not too long ago. Not good, not good at all! She had been too lax, letting distractions separate her from the situation of her patient. Hong Luo, how ludicrously foolish of you! If any further damage were to be sustained, she didn't deserve to live anymore.
Calming herself down, not showing a bit of her true feelings, Hong Luo smiled brighter and repeated, trying to imbue reassurance in her tone, "everything will be okay. With me here, nothing will happen to you. This I swear."
The man simply laid his chin atop her head once more, no longer communicating with her, and going silent. It was as if the exhaustion was too much, causing him to swiftly fall faint. This was further confirmed by the weight on her back turning heavier.
When her head turned back around that gentle smile was no more and a fierce determination had etched itself into her brows and pursed lips. Hong Luo silently marched herself over to Mo Meifeng, the confused Leopard. She orders for her to lower herself. Both her and the man were then lifted up by Mo Yin the primate, and secured in place by a green vine light aura. As if sensing her wrong mood, the beasts didn't make a fuss, and when told to hurry home, left just like that, with the remaining beasts looking on in confusion.
Still the rain fell, harsh and unloving towards this world submerged in dark clouds, ones that seemed adamant in swirling in place, refusing to move on. The winds cut through the mountains, sliced their way through forest, and into populated areas, stirring up sounds of dread and gloom. It passed by indigenous figures in the trees, ones swiftly rushing out of the forest after spotting an alarming disturbance. Following right behind the racing beasts, it swished Hong Luo's hair past her line of sight. It rustled the hood hiding an ailing face, the bloodless countenance of the dying man on her back. Lightning strikes and thunder booms. The storms outside and inside the heart raging to outdo one another.
• • • •
Barbarian tribe Nahele of the forest.
One of the three indigenous clans located at the eastern side of Ash, which includes the Mashkosi of the grasslands, and the Tahoma of the leaping water. Named after the forest they reside, the Nahele are experts of logistics and tracking, herbology and spirituality. Even though the Nahele are only the second largest of the four great clans, its importance far outweighs the Tahoma, the largest, stretching deep into the capital, the City of Ash, and right into the good graces of Emperor Jie. All the healers residing in Ash came from Nahele, or at least studied in the clan once upon a time, becoming sturdy branches with well founded connections in noble clans, including the imperials.
Although the time has not yet arrived, once a year the aspiring echelon of water and wood experts converge here, due to not only the high concentration of essence, but also the teachings and experience that the capital can not provide. Of course the other three clans, including the sister clans of the Mashkosi and Nahele in the west, and the solitary Pillan of the western mountains, are not exempt from this once a year excursion. And it was this very excursion that the current leaders of the Nahele and Mashkosi had been solemnly speaking in great detail over.
A gust of wind shuttered the windows, the rain dropped like an overturned bucket. It wasn't long until the lands were drenched. A mere 15 minutes of rain had the whole lot drowning, no one willing to take a single step outside. And the adjoining village Iolanthe, unlike the Nahele clan acting ignorant of the rain, was doing just that. Not a soul was in sight in the village blooming with violet flowers.
"Ha! The accuracy of you lots' forecast is amazing just as it is terrifying. And what was it again, a month's worth of rain? If it hadn't come from your mouth, not even you could stop me from breaking open the dolts who dared to utter such a ludicrous prediction." Achak, the Nahele chieftain, with his arm resting on the windowpane, took his sight off Iolanthe village, and to the man who just spoke.
Arriving in record time, Istaqa the Mashkosi chieftain, was the first to shoot off the mouth in anger towards the latest weather prediction, and he in fact, burst open a few heads already seconds after arrival. Currently no death has been reported, but quite a few clansmen were shacked up in the medicine hut, and the ruckus outside still hasn't calmed down much. Achak could not help but inwardly sigh. Istaqa would compensate those few at the very least. As for the land and building damage--- he would have Istaqa fix that himself.
"Fine!" Istaqa slammed his mug to the table, his arm propped up by his knee, a mocking sneer glimmering through his beard. "If it plans to last this long, then it best put in some damn work, and take out those blasted flames kicking up a fuss. My lands have been seared into charcoal. And at this rate, that little excursion will have to be stopped, those nobles left to sully up the capital and blast a few holes in that 'good' emperor's ear." Suddenly, after the words left his mouth, he burst into laughter. "Good! Let it stop! Rain or fire, at least one good outcome from this deary mess can be had. Those snot nose spoiled brats I've had it up to here with, and as the years go by, they become that little bit worse."
"It isn't that they're becoming worse, your standards are far too high for any normal person to meet Istaqa." Halona, Chieftess of the Nahele, shook her head with a chuckle. Both her and Dyani, Chieftess of the Mashkosi walked in with platters of food.
"Ugh, not you too Halona. Achak, my wife has been hanging around yours for far too long. If my sweet becomes bitter, I'll have your head, you hear me!" Suddenly a fist clocks Istaqa, and instead of blowing his top, his shoulders hunch. "Sweetie, why'd you hit me?"
"You know why." Dyani plopped down next to her husband, glaring daggers at the boorish man the size of a bear. "Halona has invited me to the rain festival a week from now, and I won't be missing it. Will I?"
Istaqa sat straight and nodded like a woodpecker, "Yes my sweet, of course you will be here for that. Why wouldn't you be? I most currently won't stop you. Yes. yes, yes."
Dyani smiled and pleasantly hummed. Kindly she stuffed her husband's mouth with a baby blue apple, and even refilled his mug. "Of course you'll need something to do whilst we wait for the performance and festivities. Be sure to fix the mess you made, every building should be as it were before your arrival. You'll do that for me, right?"
As expected, Achak smiled. Leave it to my sister to do all the work for me, and the wife slave to mindless follow along. Only that boorish man would think the honey badger was a rabbit. How naive. Sometimes he wonders if Istaqa has forgotten who introduced them. He smiled at the matchmaker, his wife refilling his own mug, and let her tug him over to the table to sit.
There the couples' conversations deviated far from the gloomy weather, the awaiting disasters, and even the looming black flames haunting the future. Odds and ends were talked about instead, the coming rain festival and who would be leading the dance. It was Catori, Achak and Halona's oldest daughter. Finally she could stall no longer and had been 'convinced' into leading the dance. Although the entire clan were well aware as to why she refused time after time, with the war chief's daughter's leg injured, and the other females of the tribe 'conveniently' indisposed or otherwise busy, the responsibility fell to her.
It has always been tradition in the Nahele tribe to celebrate the rain. The festivities following each form it would take, from the forming of clouds, the strike of lighting, the thunder calling out from the sky, and the fall of rain. Even the ripples, pitter pattering throughout all forms of water were not forgotten. It all culminated upon the rain dance, a sacred ritual passed on through the generations. A rite that all must go through at some point. He had danced it before, as did Halona and Dyani. Even his two other sons had long completed theirs, leaving only Catori to have yet done hers.
Speaking of his sons, Achak's sight fell outside the window once more, a scowl knitting his brows. "Halona, our sons and daughter, they went out hunting with the war chief's twins, correct?" His wife answered yes. He frowns, "Chogan included?"
She confirmed again, confused why he mentioned their youngest. "What's wrong? Has he returned already? ---Strange. They'd not left too long ago. Dyani and myself saw them off moments before setting up the food on the fire."
Achak's frown became worse hearing that. His sight moved, as if following something, until it finally reached the door, and then bang! The doors flew open and a rush of air was pulled out. There at the room's entrance was a small and lithe body drenched in water, heaving on air.
"Mother, father, the leopard and primate are on the move." A chill swept through the room at his words. Only the sound of rain, wind, and the exhausted gasp of the boy could be heard. All eyes fell on Chogan, and he shivered due to the attention.
Halona looked to her husband then to her son. "Where are the others?"
Chogan shook his head, indicating they weren't here. "Meztli and Kishil, Catori and Hiamovi followed after them, tailing not too far behind."
"Which direction?" Achak abruptly asked, startling his son into lowering his head, but quickly after he looked back up.
His thoughts ran themselves into a spiraling mess, but still managed to form an answer for his father. "They're heading towards Iolanthe, but somewhat eastward. I couldn't quite catch the exact location. —–I am no good, I have failed you father."
Just as Chogan lowered his eyes to his nose, and nose to the ground, his father, the mountain pressing down on his shoulders, rushed past him. In a daze he watched as his own mother, as well as uncle Istaqa zipped past him. Suddenly a hand fell on his shoulder, snapping him out of his shock. Aunt Dyani ruffled his hair and smiled. "It's alright Cho, you did well. Now go get yourself cleaned up. Those three will handle it."
Chogan just nodded, still terribly worried about his siblings and the twins. He'd once witnessed the destructive nature of that leopard and primate, the shaking earth, the topple trees disappearing into the distance, and which still haunts him. The aftermath that is now a fresh water spring, is the lasting proof, the evidence that those two beasts are forces of nature that no normal being could contend with.
He hoped everyone would be okay. Praying deep down no one would get hurt. His two small hands clasp together as his sight peered into the falling rain.
»»----- ✼ -----««
Kata's Corner: Have I mentioned how much I love world building? Ah, it is truly such a joy to the soul, and caffeine to the heart as you will, sparking that pesky pony to leap and prance off the walls, eager to burst out and cause utter chaos. In such a case, smiling is only nature isn't it, no? Though, perhaps, smiling to the point of hurting isn't... Ah but I digress, do carry on.