finally got off my ass and did some writing!! blurb that takes place before the Karmen tribe was even a thought in anyone's mind- ormen and nomen meet for the first time and kimen's there a little bit too
Metal clashed metal, weapons meeting shields. The sun scorned battlefield lay barren under their feet, parched earth allowed only to sip on the sweet red wine that flowed freely from future scars. These ruined lands had been the final destination of many a soldier, and like clockwork, they prepared to take another young life as he lay bloodied and bruised against a cold, hard rock. His medic tended his side feverishly, determined to save what had already slipped between his fingers.
"Kim, chill out, I'm fine!! It's just a little cut- you seriously don't have to worry." The Chigyobi huffed, swatting at his younger sibling. The fidgety Kanokko squeaked and stumbled back. "But Nom-- it's bleeding!! What if it gets infected?? At least let me bandage you up…!!" They pleaded, ears pinned flat backwards, pulling their best puppydog eye. Nom snickered a little, slightly amused with the insistence of the aspiring nurse. "...Yeah, okay, fine." He offered out his injured arm to the deer, who immediately set to work dressing the minor wound, muttering excited little 'thank you's all the while.
"You know I'm gonna get a billion more of these every time I spar, right? Your fur's gonna be grey as slate by tomorrow if you worry over every little one like that." He pointedly flipped his tail, playfully ruffling Kim's fur between their antler stumps. "Well-- m-maybe I wouldn't hafta worry about you if you weren't so-- dumb, and, and-"
"Oh, shush. I aced the entry exam for training, didn't I??" He interrupted, lifting the deer up under their arms mid-bandaging and shaking them around. Kim squawked in alarm, squirming and kicking and unable to bite back amused giggles as his older brother teased and shook him about like a ragdoll. "P-PUT ME DOWN- I DIDN'T GET TO FINIIISH-"
It would have to remain that way for the time being- the soldiers overseeing training suddenly gave the signal that break was over. The Chigyobi sat his brother down on the ground and collected his wooden axe and shield. "Gotta get back on the field- cheer for me, alright??" He chimed to Kim, flashing a smile before hustling back to the group of young Pons being partnered off at random.
"I-If you say so-!!" Kim's voice was small, and barely travelled the increasing distance between them and their brother. They fiddled anxiously with their ear, their mind immediately overtaken once again with worried thoughts. As capable as their brother was, they also weren't exactly wrong when they insulted his intelligence earlier- overconfident was perhaps a kinder term. He was just too sure of himself- he never worried about anything! The fish could dance at the edge of a cliff without the thought of slipping and falling so much as crossing his mind until he was halfway to the bottom. Even Kim knew they could be irrational at times, but they'd rather be irrational than… under-rational. They just hated to see their brother hurt. Maybe that's why he downplayed his injuries so often- trying to give them less to worry about! They groaned out loud, yanking on their ears. GAH, WHY DOES THEIR BRAIN HAVE TO GIVE THEM SO MANY PROBLEMS ALL THE TIME???
Nom was well appreciated among soldiers and classmates alike for his amicable nature- it was jokingly said that he should've been a Kibapon instead of a Tatepon, since his friendly aura alone could make the most disagreeable kiba in the stable docile. It was the hope of his overseers that the same rang true for rebellious students- hence why Nom found himself paired off with a particularly unpopular Fumya. The undersized trainee shot him a glare packed with enough venom to put a Manboth on it's knees, gripping his axe concerningly tight.
Nom chuckled nervously- he'd heard rumors here and there about Ormen- just about everyone had by now- but he never read into gossip too much, especially the unfairly negative type. Even the kind of rumors that suggested he once jammed a spear right into someone's eye for asking him about the weather down there, or that he'd made insulting remarks about the Almighty on several occasions and still hadn't repented for a single one. That was all just hearsay, and what did it matter if it was true or not? Maybe he was having a bad day when he poked someone in the eye, or maybe his criticisms of their God had some merit, and everyone was just too stuck up to care.
That being said, he had barely noticed he already had his shield up to his face as the training overseers went over instruction. You know, just in case.
"So, uh… how about this weather, huh?" Nom tried, hoping to start off with something polite, and immediately wanting to kick himself. Oh my god, why was that the first thing to fly out of his mouth. His shield moved just a smidgen closer to cover his eye. "Uh… did you do those piercings yourself?? They go great with your eye color, haha-"
"....Shut up. I just wanna get this over with." Ormen hissed in response, bringing his axe to the ready. "Noted! I totally get those Monday blues!! We'll be done in a jiffy, haha!!!" It was Wednesday, and Nom was suddenly beginning to wonder if Kim was justified in worrying for him. Sure, the cat was far smaller than him, and he was top of the class when it came to strength, but didn't that just make him a bigger, slower target?
The soldiers gave the signal to begin, and once again the sound of clanking and thumping weapons filled the air. Ormen clearly didn't need to be told twice, charging forward and swinging his axe hard. Luckily, it embedded itself harmlessly in Nom's shield. The Chigyobi was impressed with the knockback he experienced, struggling to steady himself. However, he noted the motion of the swing was rather sloppy- and, since the axe was now stuck, his adversary was just as good as unarmed.
He spun on his heel, using his large tail to his advantage and slamming it into Ormen's side. His axe was dislodged, as were his feet from the soil they were dug into, and he was sent rolling on his side with a yowl. "Careful with your swing- you wanna drive with your left hand!" The Chigyobi called to his partner, hoping the friendly criticism might resolve any bad blood building up between them.
He hadn't accounted for how fast someone could recover from a fall when they were angry- his pupil constricted fearfully as he saw Ormen already back on his feet and charging again. This time, his shock made him slow to ready his shield- he had to block with the hilt of his weapon instead, and another swing knocked it straight out of his hand. He ducked to retrieve it, muttering a frantic curse under his breath and cringing as he felt the blade of a wooden axe just barely brush the scales on the back of his head.
"You're dead." Ormen spoke dryly, and Nom nearly forgot that was customary when you'd bested your partner in training- every scenario they practiced was meant to mimic a real combat scenario as closely as possible. Losing meant dying on the field- apprentices were strongly reminded this by their overseers, but between classmates it was almost a sort of joke. It was… sort of hard to take it as a joke when he said it like that.
"I-I guess I am. Hah…" Nom panted, carefully rolling over and ever so lightly pushing the sharpened tip of Ormen's axe away from his very vulnerable and very large eye, prompting the Fumya to grudgingly lower it. "...Nice, uh- nice job out there. You're pretty quick on your feet… resourceful, too. Y'really just have to get your swing down- and timing."
"...Why are you still talking to me?" Ormen asked. Though he sounded angry- Nom noticed just about everything he said sort of came out angry, and wondered if it was just his voice- there was a tinge of genuine confusion in his voice that wasn't typically present in sarcastic remarks. "Like, we're done this session. Don't you wanna go chatter with your friends or whatever?"
Nom just sort of shrugged, pushing to his feet and abandoning his weapon and shield in the dirt. "We finished early, so I got time to kill. Plus, I can talk to those guys whenever I want- but, y'know, this is the first time we got partnered up, so I figured I'd get t'know someone new today! I'm Nom! Aaand you arree…?"
The tiny runt stared at the hand offered to him like it was made of snakes, and it's owner wasn't the slightest bit phased about it. "Uh- Ormen. You- haven't already heard of me-?" Very warily, he dropped his axe to accept the shake, his previous fury cooled down to outright befuddlement.
Yeah, he absolutely knew who this guy was- but he certainly didn't wanna give him any more reason to mark him down as another enemy. And he did feel a twinge of pity for the Fumya- he certainly didn't have any friends to go back and chat with after this session. His name alone kept people away from him- for some reason, the tribe was convinced he was little more than a bad omen, that the very act of keeping him alive spelled their future downfall, and so it was foolish to welcome something so grave into their ranks with open arms. Though he wasn't physically branded, that name might as well have rendered him so.
"Nnnope! Never have, ahah!! Glad I did, though- seriously, I wasn't kidding about your piercings. Think you could do me like that?" The fish inquired, presenting a nervous smile. "You… don't have ears." The fellow Rarepon replied, deadpan, his hands silently moving to one of the heavy gold bands piercing his large ears to fidget with it. It sort of reminded the Chigyobi of Kim. "Well duh- I think I'd look pretty silly with ears- but y'could pierce my fin! It's basically the same thing!"
"Wouldn't that mess up your swimming, though? You guys are, like… built to be streamline. Something weighted would just put drag on you… and you'd get eaten by a crocodile 'cause you couldn't swim away fast enough." Was that supposed to be a joke? Nom hoped it was- though the mental image made him shudder a bit, he laughed alongside the tiny snicker Ormen gave. At least he was trying!
"Alright, fine, maybe just a bracelet! Those aren't so permanent- I could just slip it off when I get in th' water. Ooh- maybe we could get matching ones!! And engrave em with something cute- wait, aren't those just wedding bands?"
"Yeah, I guess sSO--" The Fumya nearly choked on air, tail bushing out behind him as he fought desperately for his life over how off-guard he'd been caught by such a casual statement. Nom just chuckled again- he was glad someone appreciated his humor! Though as he watched Ormen literally asphyxiate, he didn't realize it was that funny. Maybe he just didn't hear too many jokes… maybe that was why he was so goddang grumpy.
The soldiers called time- the last session of the day was over, and it was time to start returning to the barracks for a closing evaluation. "Whoops, sounds like that's it! Hey- maybe I can catch ya later for lunch? My lil' sibling's gonna be with me- but y'know, maybe you two have something in common! I wouldn't mind the extra company, really- up to you."
Ormen glanced up at Nom, speechless (and not just from nearly choking to death)- before he could wrack his brain for some kind of response, the Tatepon was already walking away. "Hope I see ya there!" He called over his shoulder. The runt was left alone, like he usually was- though something about this time was different. He'd never had an interaction so positive with a fellow trainee, or anyone in the tribe, really- aside from Hero and Meden. This was certainly a first, and it left him with several feelings he had no idea how to deal with. But among them was a faint, pure joy- that, he realized, required very little to manage. All he had to do… was savor it.
With an extra pep in his step, holding his head high, he made off to join everyone else at the barracks, ears perked and tail happily swishing behind him all the merry way.
"Nom, he was gonna kill you- I-I saw the way he had that axe over your head!! He was gonna kill you, and- probably bury your stuff in the woods, where nobody would ever find it-!!" Kim fretted as they struggled to keep up with their brother's stride. "Kim, you worry too much. He probably just got too into it, y'know? And even if he killed me, everyone woulda saw- I know for a fact you of all Pons wouldn't just… not tell an overseer or somethin'! Would've been kinda stupid on everyone's part, y'know?"
Kim had to force themselves to stop and realize their brother was right, as much as they hated it. Still… maybe he was just too cautious, but he didn't like what he saw during that session. That Fumya was too rough- too eager to start, and downright scary once he got going. Sure, he was all buddy buddy after the fact, but isn't any great serial killer if they don't want to look suspicious? Maybe it wasn't him who worried too much- maybe Nom was too trusting of scary little signs from the Almighty of horrible death and destruction.
"Nngjgh- f-fine, if you say so- but I don't like it too much. I-It just… doesn't sit with me. In my gut. A-And I trust my gut- I called that storm a few days ago, didn't I?? 'Cause my gut told me so!!" The Kanokko insisted. Their brother just laughed, ruffling their ears. "Maybe you ate some bad meat, and your gut's just mad about it. C'mon, Kim- can't you have a little faith in me? I'm your brother- we're supposed to believe in eachother, y'know?"
Finally, the little deer gave with a sigh. "...Okay, I guess I trust you… sorry for doubting you, Nom… I didn't mean it like that, I just--" "You don't have to be sorry! You just have to relax and stop letting paranoia and all that junk get to ya. Y'know- you'll be happier that way! And maybe you'll start growing a little better, you're practically the side of a Babatto."
"...Yeah… if you say so." Kim fought back another apology and forced a smile for his brother, who scooped him up and swung him around to help get his mind off things. "Hey-!! Put me doowwn- don't think I forgot about your arm!!!" Kim laughed. "Oh yeah? How're ya gonna reach it when I've got you all the way up there??" Nom teased. The two carried on together, eventually forgetting their worries on their way to the barracks.
Tomorrow was a new day, and hopefully one that brought good tidings with it.