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Mar 11

Tongues

A young paleolithic elf goes on a journey to become a priest of his clan. 8.7k words

The sun was hot upon the riverbank, its rays caught upon the dark silt washed up in the night by the flood waters. Ti raised herself up from where she slept, taking her hand out of the water. She stretched her arms and took a breath, feeling the sun's warmth against her bronze skin like a kiss. The priestess felt good about this day, as the signs were as clear as the sound of running water to her pointed ears. It was time.

As she returned to her tent, the goats bleated at her from their pens, but she ignored it, such was her joy. As she entered, she spoke. "Anubiset, I have news."

Anubiset was a young man of only 100 floods, he had only just stopped growing. A curious boy, it was no wonder that Ti had taken him on as her apprentice. His ears twitched and his golden eyes instantly fell on her, stopping his work of grinding herbs. He stood from his seat on the floor and asked, "What happened? You were gone for so long, is it good news?"

"It's the most wonderful news," she said as she held his face. "I've been watching how you work, how you help the others in camp, how you learn. I believe you're ready to become a new priest."

Anubiset's eyes widened, and his ears perked up, "You think so?"

"No, I know so, I dreamed it upon the river, both the sun-god and the river-god agree that you are ready for your trial."

There were stars in Anubiset's eyes as he was told this. He was ready. He stuttered a bit as he asked, "What must I do, Priestess?"

Oh, how Ti smiled to see her apprentice so happy. She kissed the top of his head as if she was his very own mother and said, "Tell your parents and come with me to the river. The camp will be eager to hear of your progress."

Anubiset nodded and left the tent, nearly knocking over the bowl of herbs he had been pestling earlier. When he arrived at his parents' tent, he found the both of them outside of it. His mother was finishing leather, and his father was making kohl. He pulled both of the elves into a hug, much to their surprise, their ears perking up. His mother dropped the bone she had been working while his father held fast to the bowl.

Anubiset's father asked, "Good news, I hope?"

Anubiset nodded, telling the both of them, "Priestess Ti said I'm ready to move on in my learning. I'm ready for my trials."

His mother gave a shout of joy and hugged him even more tightly, "Oh, that's wonderful!"

Anubiset's father patted him on the back and told him, "You've grown up so fast. It feels like just yesterday I found you among the reeds, and now you've seen 100 floods."

No one knew who had abandoned Anubiset all those years ago. No one confessed, no one had recently given birth when the head priestess had inspected them, no one would ever know who it was. They only knew that Anubiset's parents took him in as their own alongside their son. Though both parents looked quite unlike him. Both of them were shorter, his mother's face rounder and his father's more square while Anubiset had sharp features, not to mention that the golden eyes could have never come from them, his mother had blue eyes like the river, his father green like leaves.

Either way, Anubiset said, "Thank you, Baba. Priestess Ti said we need to go to the river's edge. No need to keep everyone waiting."

"Of course, but you need to be beautified first."

"He's already beautiful," Anubiset's mother said.

Even more beautiful then." He retreated into the tent and returned with a reed. Pointed, but not sharpened, and thin too. "Close your eyes."

Anubiset did so dutifully as he felt his father draw on his eyelids, starting from the inside on both the top and bottom, both halves meeting at a sharp point. Luckily, it was a quick thing, and they headed to the river's edge. Ti was waiting there with everyone else. All of them looked at Anubiset with pride. Ti took his hands before raising one up. "Good people, my apprentice, Anubiset, is ready to take on the title of a full priest of the sun god!"

The camp cheered and the pride was palpable. From an abandoned baby to a priest, no one had seen it coming. No one except Ti, that is.

But before he could be called a priest, he had to prove himself, show that what he had worked to was worth it. To solve a problem in a completely original way through magic. The gods must also smile on him, so nothing taboo or vile. And to do that, he had to declare what he planned to do.

He had been thinking about it for quite a while. Ever since he learned about the trials. When Ti asked, "What is your quest?" Anubiset was quick to speak.

"I wish to speak to the desert-elves and end our quarrel."

The cheering became more muted then. The desert-elves were a band who had quarreled with the camp before, and it was getting worse. They weren't dangerous, but they weren't friendly either.

If Ti disapproved, she didn't say, only telling Anubiset, "Then your journey has begun. Fulfill your quest, work your magic."

Anubiset's kohl stayed on as he set out, the dark pigment protecting him from the bugs and sun. He took a pack full of supplies, enough to last him for a good long while. He had no idea how long this would take, but he held no fear in his heart. Even if he was gone for a few moons, he knew the camp would be there until the river began to dry.

The first place he went were the burial grounds outside of camp. They were somewhat in the desert, the air dryer than the air by the river, the ground dryer as well. A better place to let the dead truly rest. Those buried by the river were consumed by the ground, eventually, with their bodies gone, they would be pulled from the other side and into nothingness. Here, they were preserved and peaceful.

It was a calm place, one that conveyed the rest those under the sand were experiencing. The piles of stones stacked together marked where a person rested. Anubiset bowed his head, wishing the departed a good morning on the other side, where they continued their lives forever more. He spotted a jackal among the stones and nodded at it, "Good day, Jackal."

The jackal did not respond, for a jackal had little to say during its sacred vigil. Instead, it blinked at him before pouncing on a scorpion that came too close to the stones.

Anubiset looked upon the stones properly now, sighing when he noticed yet another knocked over pile on the outskirts. This is why the river elves quarreled with the desert-elves; they had no respect for the dead.

Of course, that was not the only reason, but even still, it was a low blow. How would they feel if their dead were dug up and desecrated? It hadn't gotten quite that far, but it was bound to get worse if something wasn't done.

Anubiset piled the stones back up and when he finished, the jackal came over to the grave-pile and sniffed it. It seemingly approved of Anubiset's statue and went to continue its vigil. Anubiset continued his journey, following the river to find shelter so he could find a place to set up a fire pit and put his things down.

After a good while of walking, he came to an outcropping overlooking the river, sheltered from the sun, facing where it rose from. It faced away from the river as well but was close. It was not a slight upon the river god, only an acknowledgement of who Anubiset got his magic from. As he set his pack down and began to dig a small fire pit, Anubiset thought on what he would need. No doubt that it would need to go both ways, there was no use if only one person understood the other. In the worst-case scenario, the solution would need to be forced upon the desert-elves, though the thought of that made Anubiset's stomach hurt. It would also need to work quickly. And most importantly, it would need to be made with things found in the desert, if he was to speak to the desert-elves. With his fire pit made and his tools hidden, he took a scant few things with him into the desert. His water skin, a second, empty, water skin, cloth, and leather.

Scorpion venom was a terrible thing to experience. It was painful and it caused shakes and a fever. If a small child was pricked, they would die. However, in a small amount, it made a solution more potent. It opened up a person's blood to magic and allowed for even the most novice of apprentices to make a powerful potion.

That was why Anubiset was looking for holes in the sand as he walked. When he found one, he wrapped his hands in the leather he brought and started to dig. The leather served two purposes, it protected Anubiset from the hot, rough sand, and was thick enough to somewhat protect him from a sting. He was already sweating after a short amount of time but didn't reach for his full water skin. He did not want to until he found his prize.

When he did, it was a small one. Not a baby by any means, but small, and he smiled. A small scorpion was much more potent than a large one. He carefully held the scorpion between protected fingers, and had it sting the cloth he had put over the spare water skin and kept it there for a moment, before dropping the creature back into the sand. Now was the moment of truth, as the scorpion skittered away, Anubiset shook the water skin slightly and was relieved to hear that there was enough poison to slosh around slightly.

As he went back to the outcropping to put away the poison, he thought of what else he needed, pulling some dried meat out of his bag and eating. Not all of it, just one strip. He couldn't exactly forage at the moment, after all. It wasn't the most pleasant meal. It was tough, and difficult to chew. The flavor was nice though, smoky and salty. As he was pulling at the meat, trying to get a bite off, the thought occurred to him. Of course. Salt.

Anubiset headed to the salt flats then, making sure his water skin was full as he set off. However, these weren't just any salt flats but knowing salt. Just as scorpion poison could open the blood to magic, knowing salts opened the mind to the unknown and the true nature of things. It could do many things when mixed with other ingredients but, by itself, it made your senses sharper. A little bit would make a hunter hear a rabbit in the brush and make a gatherer able to smell the sweet figs on the tree. Too much, however, would bring sensitivity to the point of pain. Every word and breath and touch would be an agony.

Anubiset remembered treating such a thing as he walked. He was very young, only 37, which, for his people, meant he was nearly in the middle of his childhood. A hunter, frustrated by a bustard, had eaten several fistfulsafter he had stolen a full bag from Ti. Instead of catching his quarry, however, he screamed out in pain. Barely able to make the walk to Ti's tent, he flinched endlessly. Anubiset had been ordered to make the hunter drink as much water as he could, no matter how much the hunter complained about how much it hurt to swallow.

Anubiset poured water into the man's mouth, Ti lit a fire inside the tent. On top of that, she boiled water in a clay pot, steam and smoke filling the space. It was an awful feeling; Anubiset, Ti, and the hunter all sweating, the boy walking back and forth to collect more water from the river, the man continuing to cry and moan in pain. Anubiset had wanted to leave the situation, but Ti told him, "If you do, this man will continue to suffer. I can't tend to the fire and make him drink as well.

Anubiset had wanted to yell, to tell her it wasn't fair, but he didn't, instead, he continued to give the hunter water as he sweat out the knowing salt. Eventually, he had no more knowing salt within him, and Ti gave him water with just a few pinches of mundane salt and pieces of fruit in it, telling the man, "Drink, or you'll faint. And get some rest."

When it was over, Ti and Anubiset headed down to the river, planning to both cool off and get clean. As she stepped in though, Anubiset stood on the shore. Even as Ti was up to her shoulders, contentedly washing her face, he felt angry. No, it brought more anger to him if anything. Ti asked him, "Why don't you come in, Anubiset, the water is such a relief."

Oh, Anubiset wanted to get in. It was already hot that day, and he was unbearably sweaty from being in that tent for so long. He simply shook his head in defiance. "No? Aren't you uncomfortable, child?"

He finally blurted out, "How could you do that? It hurt him! I thought he was going to die when he kept sweating and suffering!" He found himself crying, hiccuping as he wiped his face with his fists, embarrassed as his ears pinned back. He was far too old to be crying like this.

Ti came out of the water then, crouching to his level before pulling him into a hug and rubbing the back of his head as she shushed him. "Because I knew, for as terrible as it was, it was the only way to cure him. Yes, it was scary, and I wish you had not seen such foolishness from him, but there is no need to panic when we know what to do. If I had not done what I did, he would be screaming well into the night.

At the time, Anubiset also didn't understand, "Why do we keep something like that? It was bad for him to steal, but why keep something that hurts people?"

"For the same reason the hunters keep poison, and your mother keeps those foul barks and animal brains for her leather, because it is needed. It only becomes dangerous when there's too much. Remember this, a poison is only a poison if you take too much."

Knowing this, Anubiset was careful as he traveled to the salt flats. The salt here was a strange color, a reddish blue. As he breathed the air, Anubiset felt his senses grow a touch sharper, the crunch of salt under his feet a touch louder to his own ears. He scooped the salt into a pouch, each scoop made him think of Ti and her advice. It also made him think of how he had only started coming here a few floods ago. Where once, as a child, he had hated the salt, it was now admittedly one of his favorite ingredients to use. And hopefully, it wouldn't interact with the scorpion poison in such a way that it caused horrible pain.

But that left him stumped as he went back to his shelter, the sun starting to go to the other side. The poison and the salt together would only cause pain without another ingredient. But what was he missing? As he sat in the outcropping that protected him, he pondered this as he ate the other half of his meat strip.

As he was eating, it hit him. Speech, language, tongue. Yes, it made perfect sense. But what kind? It wasn't as if most animals spoke the elven languages. He could think of a scant few, and they did not understand it. Though, that was what the poison and the salt were for. The first he thought of were birds, the myna and the parakeet. It was rare, but they spoke when they sang sometimes, though they clearly didn't understand what they were saying, simply putting words into their songs. Oh, but they were small. It hurt his heart to have to harm the three or four necessary, and surely no god would approve of that. Of course, there was another option but, no, no, it wouldn't work. He had to use birds.

He knew he had to set out and catch a bird in the morning. The problem was that he was no hunter. Anubiset's parents preferred to gather, his mother's skill more suitable to treating skins other hunters brought back than taking down game herself. He learned how to make traps from them, of course, but rarely used them. In fact, Anubiset's father found him while gathering reeds for kohl. He wasn't too sure how knowing what seeds and leaves and mushrooms to eat would help him, beyond baiting the traps.

Either way, he went to sleep, laying down near his fire and hoping everything would work out. In the morning, it wasn't hard to find some striped nuts growing along the river. It was tempting to eat them himself, but he refrained. He had dried meat, and he could find more food later. Instead, he set to braiding rope, the riverside a pleasant enough place to do so. When he was done, he finished the trap and hid in the brush.

It didn't take long for a bird to appear. A parakeet. A beautiful bird with green feathers and very light red and black feathers around its neck. It liked to make squeaking noises and say the occasional word, like "hello." Anubiset hesitated to pull the chord, but solving this issue with the desert-elves was more important than pretty birds. As the parakeet continued to eat the nuts, Anubiset yanked at the chord hard.

The bowl over the nuts fell on top of the bird as it squawked and screamed on the inside, also banging its beak against the vessel. As Anubiset approached, he thought he could be quick about ending the poor thing. The problem was that he underestimated how much the parakeet wanted to live. When Anubiset lifted the bowl and grabbed the parakeet, the pretty little thing turned its head around and bit the meat of Anubiset's hand, taking a chunk out of the elf and causing him to let go.

The bigger problem was that Anuibset screamed when the bird bit him, scaring off every other bird nearby. If he was to get another, Anubiset would have to chase after them, which is exactly what he did. Anubiset grabbed his pack and chased after the birds going upstream, grabbing a rock as he did. He ran for what felt like ages, though he knew it wasn't for very long at all, his hand still bleeding as he did. Perhaps it had been a bit ridiculous to become angry at a bird for biting him, but he needed this more than anything, He couldn't disappoint Ti and he couldn't fail.

Anubiset skidded to a stop after a time, no longer focused on the bird, for he came upon a grim scene. Upon the banks of the river were a pack of dead hyenas. No, not hyenas, they had hands. These were hyena-men. Some were mutilated beyond recognition, some were bitten in half, and others were simply twisted and punctured. Were it not for the guarantee that most of the rest were no doubt devoured, it would have been considered a small pack.

And the culprit was right there. The river dragon was a truly massive creature. It was bigger than anything else that lived in the river, even feasting on crocodiles, their corpses found chewed in half. It mostly left the elves alone, as it knew they meant the river no harm. Even so, most elves avoided it in turn. And yet, Anubiset was right here. If he so wanted, he could have reached out and touched its long snout, he could see the veins in the great fin on its back from the way the sun struck it, he could even see its webbed feet flexing and relaxing as it dreamed.

Anubiset remembered something frightening that happened when he was about 14 or 15 floods old. At that time, he was just barely old enough to create memories. It had been night time and he had been sleeping, having a pleasant dream he couldn't remember. He woke up to an odd, garbled voice outside the tent. It said, "Helloooo? Helloooo?"

Anubiset didn't recognize who it was, but he was curious. His ears twitched at the sound as he rubbed his eyes, removing himself from his brother's arms to get up and open the tent to see who was calling. However, no sooner had he opened the tent flap did his mother grab his arm and yank him back harshly. Anubiset looked at his mother in confusion and hurt at first, not sure what he had done wrong. But his blood ran cold when he saw the fear in her eyes. She put a finger to her lips, asking for his silence. He nodded and watched as she did not fully open the tent, but moved the hide away just a crack. He looked out and saw the source of the voice. It wasn't a desert elf or a lost member of the river tribe or a stray human, but a terrifying creature walking on two legs. A hyena-man. Though it called out in a strange, warbled voice, it was still calling out in the speech of elves. Anubiset now knew that hyena-men did not understand such speech, simply mimicking like some horrible bird. Hunters had managed to chase the stray beast away, but it stuck with him. It was why he had briefly considered them before firmly deciding on birds for this quest. And the danger was why he had not decided on hunting them.

But there was the river dragon. It could wake up at any moment, and a creature such as this would never tolerate theft from such a grand feast. He looked at his bag and his wounded hand and got an idea. Anubiset opened his bag and rooted around in it before he found it; the dried meat that had been meant to sustain him. The problem was, though, that a dragon would not trade such a fresh feast for something dried. For a fair trade, the dragon needed something fresh. It needed blood. Thus, Anubiset took out his knife and scraped at his wound until it bled again and rubbed it with the dried meat, hissing at the sting. He placed the now bloodied meat in front of the dragon's snout and waited for a reaction. The dragon smelled the meat and its nostrils twitched, though it didn't wake up. A success perhaps? There was only one way to find out. He went to one of the hyena-men, one with its head still attached, and opened its mouth.

Anubiset made a face as he reached in and grabbed the hyena-man's tongue, the slimy appendage pulled taught so he could go in and cut it off. He sawed through the horrid thing with his knife, his injured hand itching and burning as it touched the tacky saliva within the hyena-man's mouth. The blood that came from the tongue as he cut it was dark and thick.

Finally, the tongue was free, and Anubiset couldn't help but frown, his nose crinkled, his brows furrowed, and his ears pinned. Nevertheless, he wrapped the tongue in some fabric and made his way back to his alcove.

When Anubiset arrived, he immediately set to work. He first ensured that the venom had not been lost, shaking the skin and finding that he would not need to get another scorpion. He then set to lighting his campfire, making sure the heat of the flame was at the right strength. He then coated the tongue in knowing salt and set it up on the spit so it could dry. While it did that, he took his mortar and pestle out of his bag. He also took out allium, some willow bark, and other herbs, grinding them before washing out his hand with water and applying the poultice, the itching in his hand finally relieved. Grinding this medicine was actually a good, grounding experience. The stone pestle resting against his hand was a comforting weight, it reminded him of all the time he had spent with Ti, since he was a tender young boy, only having seen 30 floods. Now he was a hundred floods old, making his own solutions, the sun guiding his hand. As he wrapped up his hand and turned the tongue on its spit to fully dry, he felt proud.

He looked out at the sky as he cleaned out the mortar and pestle, noting the path the sun had taken. It was late in the day; the sun was going to sleep. He let out a sigh in relief that he had set up the tongue before it got dark. The sun god got to see that Anubiset was here, and he saw that Anubiset was trying to help people, just as Anubiset knew that the sun god was trying to help people. The sun god made sure the sun kept things warm and dried up the rain and did so many other good things. Even when the sun god grew sick and had to go to bed early, he was trying his best. That was all anyone could really do.

Eventually, the tongue was done. It took hours upon hours, far too much time, in Anubiset's opinion, but what choice did he have? When it was dry as it could possibly be from the fire and smoke, he took up the wretched thing and broke it into pieces before adding it to the cleaned mortar and grinding it down. But it would be worth it. He knew it would be.

When the tongue was broken down into small pieces, he added the venom and continued to pestle the substance until it had been rendered into a clumpy, brown powder. By the time he had finished, the sun had come back. Now was a good a time to sleep as any. If the sun god approved, he would tell Anubiset in his dreams. So, Anubiset left the shade of the outcropping, drank plenty of water, and lay down to sleep in the sun.

In his dreams, he walked in a field of reeds. He didn't know what it meant, but in his dream, he knew it was not the land of the dead, for there were no elves feasting and resting and enjoying the sun, but it did feel familiar. As he walked, he came across a young woman about his age. She looked confused and scared. He asked her, "Where are we?" But the sound out of his mouth did not sound like his own speech. It sounded like the desert elves. She responded to him, it sounded like his own people's speech but he did not understand a word of it. She grew more afraid and ran. Anubiset tried to follow, but the reeds trapped him and he woke up with a start. Well, there were certainly more pleasant ways to be told to continue the work, but he heard the message loud and clear.

The sun was rising out of the other world again and his back was burnt. Good. Anubiset took up the bowl of mixed ingredients and gave them another pounding with the pestle, breaking up the clumps. He then held the bowl up to the sun and spoke, "The tongue of a beast that speaks but does not understand, so we may hear each other. Knowledge from the salt flats, so that we may understand each other. Venom from the smallest of creatures, so that this understanding may be potent." And there was only one more thing to do.

He needed to put his own heart into it, his own essence and magic. He placed his hands over the bowl and whispered, spiritually making an effort as well. He wished and prayed and felt himself grow just a bit weaker, felt something leave him as he begged the sun god to let this work.

When he pulled his hands away, there was the smallest glow to his palms, yellow like the sun, like his own eyes. The bowl didn't look any different. He picked it up though, needing to test it out. He poured it out into a small bag before taking a pinch and licking it. It tasted horrible, but he felt a tingle of magic working through his mouth and head.

The way the journey worked was the same for every priest. You could not come back unless you could prove that your solution worked. Ti had taken many days to come back when she had gone on her quest. She had made a sleeping potion to bring the first of the goats to their pen in camp. The issue wasn't so much that she struggled to make the potion, but in finding a way to prove it was her potion that allowed this. The goats would always squirm out of her arms when she tried to bring them in awake to pour the potion on them once she was in camp. In the end, she had needed to make a chord, knock out the goat, and bring it back with its legs tied up. She then put it back to sleep in camp with her potion. It was a story she told often, at first to entertain him when he was a little thing, then, when he was older, to impress the difficulty of this journey. It was not as simple as working your magic and coming back. You needed to use all the skills at your disposal if you were to ever come home.

Thus came the hardest part of Anubiset's journey, finding a desert-elf. Obviously, he could not drag them to camp kicking and screaming before force-feeding them the powder. They weren't goats and he was no monster. No, he would need to convince one to try a strange powder and then hope that the horrific taste wouldn't make them want to attack him for poisoning them. After all, understanding would not help if someone thought they had been wronged.

He walked for a while, first across flat rock and sand, and the sand became looser and looser as he walked, course and rough. And they eventually became dunes. Crawling up one, the hot sad burning his hands, Anubiset finally saw the desert-elf camp. He made sure to carefully slide down the sand dune, lest his first introduction to these people be falling down face first. Once he got down to the camp he called out, "Hello?"

The desert elves looked at Anubiset in surprise, recognizing that he was not one of them. Some of the hunters took up their spears, no doubt ready to shoo him away. Anubiset raised his hands in a sign of peace, holding the bag of dust so they could clearly see it. "I come to you as a friend." As he said this, he patted his own chest before gesturing to the camp. "This dust will allow you to understand me." He touched the bag before cupping his ear and pointing at the group.

There was a murmuring among the group, which Anubiset could understand. He smiled to know the dust was working. A hunter asked someone, "What is he going on about?"

Another hunter responded that, "I think he wants to share food if we liten to what he has to say."

Someone else scoffed, saying, "They can barely share water, let alone food."

It was then that a young woman about Anubiset's age stepped up, beckoning to him as she said, "Let me see."

Anubiset handed the bag to her. When she opened it, she raised her eyebrow as she looked at Anubiset, "What is this?"

Anubiset told her, "You need to try some." He made a pinching motion with his middle finger, pointer finger, and thumb before rubbing his gums, trying to spare her from the taste.

The girl looked between the sparkling dust and Anubiset with distrustful eyes before doing as he said, taking up a pinch of the dust and rubbing it into her gums. "Eugh! What is this? Are you trying to poison me?"

No, only trying to understand you and help you understand me.

Yes, well, this is fou- wait." She looked at him in shock before she covered her mouth. "I understood you."

Anubiset nodded, telling her, "That means it worked."

"By the gods, that's amazing. How long does it last?"

"I don't know. It could be an hour, or it could be a day. But it worked, and that's what matters."

"What do we do now?"

"Now we go to my camp. I need to prove that you can understand me and that I can understand you. There's also another matter we need to discuss with our priestess."

When the girl shied away, Anubiset assured her, "You're not in trouble! There's just something we have trouble understanding about what you do."

"That we do?"

"I'll explain when we get there."

The girl hesitated. It was, after all, foolish to walk off with a stranger. She looked to her camp before looking back to Anubiset. She then went up to one of the hunters and said, "He wants me to go with him to speak to their priestess. I don't think he's dangerous and I believe what he says."

"The hunter looked between the girl and Anubiset, squinting at the young priest before he said to the young woman, "You can go. But if you're not back by tomorrow, then we'll come get you. If they have lain even a finger on you, then we'll destroy their camp."

"Yes Father."

Well, at least Anubiset learned that the desert elves were loving and dedicated parents. He told the girl, "Tell your father we'll treat you as a friend."

The girl said just that to her father before she left with Anubiset, her waterskin already on her. She needed nothing else for such a short journey. As they walked, she asked Anubiset, "So, why do you hoard the river?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you have those camp markers so far out and all over up and down the river. Obviously, that means you claimed the river.

Of course we don't own the river. The river belongs to no one. It's a sacred thing. And if you think we can claim it away from the river god and his dragons, well, you overestimate far more than it's safe to.

"Wait, the river has a dragon?

"More than one, actually."

"I thought dragons only lived in the desert."

Anubiset shook his head, "They live by the river as well. They love to eat crocodiles. In fact, I bartered for some ingredients from a river dragon."

The girl looked at Anubiset in amazement and said no more.

Anubiset was curious though, "What is your name, anyways? Mine is Anubiset."

"It's Sekah."

"It's a nice name.

Soon, they arrived at the camp. The sun had not yet set into the other world, but it was late. The watch was surprised to see Anubiset so soon though, and with someone following him no less. One of them asked, "Who is she?"

"Her name is Sekah and she is a friend. Please treat her as one. I have found a way to talk to the desert elves, and she's agreed to speak with Ti."

"Hello there," said Sekah, and the watchman looked at her in confusion.

Anubiset told Sekah, "They don't understand you." He then turned back to the watchman and said, "She took a powder I made and can understand you, but you didn't take it so you can't understand her."

"Either way, go to Priestess Ti as soon as you can. She says she's been waiting."

Anubiset nodded and led Sekah to Ti's tent and he wondered if Ti had seen him return in her dreams. Did she know he would be swift about this?

When they arrived, Ti was in her usual clothes with no regalia, so Anubiset knew that she had not predicted that he would come back with someone else. Ti asked Anubiset, "Who is this?"

"This is Sekah. I can understand her, and she can understand me. She's going to tell us why the desert elves keep knocking over grave piles."

Sekah looked absolutely mortified at that, "We have done no such thing! How could you say we would do something like that?"

Ti put a hand to her own chest, startled by the sudden outburst, telling Anubiset, "I did not understand a word of that, but I assume she is not happy with what you said."

She's not. And you can't understand her because you haven't taken the remedy needed. Here." He took out the bag and opened it once more for Ti.

She observed it, its color and how it sparkled, and she asked. She took a pinch between her fingers and let it fall back into the bag, feeling out the texture. "How do I take it?"

"I licked it and that did the trick. It doesn't taste very good though, so I had Sekah rub it on her gums"

Ti nodded and, ever the dutiful priestess, took a pinch of the medicine and rubbed it into her gums, cringing at the taste. "Terrible, but medicines often are." She then looked to Sekah and asked her, "What is your tribe's name, child?"

"We are the Lion clan of the Desert tribe.

"And we are the jackal clan of the river tribe. What Anubiset says is true." She bid Sekah, "Sit, we have much to discuss."Both her apprentice and guest sat down. "Was I correct in thinking your yelling was out of a feeling of insult?"

"Yes, Priestess, our people would never do something so dishonorable as to disrespect the dead. We would certainly never knock over grave piles.

"And yet you have. Or, if not you, someone else has. Each day, we leave our camp to check our dead only to find that the stones of their piles have been toppled over. Can you explain this?

Sekah looked to Anubiset with fear in her eyes and Anubiset realized, "You thought the grave piles were camp markers, didn't you?"

Ti asked, "Camp markers?"

"Sekah said earlier that she believes we're hoarding the river. That we mark our campgrounds far beyond what is reasonable."

Sekah covered her face in embarrassment as she nodded. "We thought that if we challenged you, we could take the river."

"Your people seek war, then."

"No! We do not want war, but we felt we had no choice. We thought we could, at least, intimidate you with a challenge and take the river."

"And you would have more water than the occasional oasis."

"Yes, Priestess."

"Interesting. And what made you think we were making camp markers rather than grave piles?"

Sekah turned bright red at that, her ears pressed flat against her head, "You'll think us fools."

"Try me," said Ti.

"We don't stack grave piles as you do, priestess. We bury our dead where it happened and move on, lest more death come."

"Every time there is a death?"

"Every time."

"And who maintains the graves?"

"No one, we mourn, and we move on. We remember where someone is buried and pray our respects if we return."

"I suppose that makes sense. But indeed, our camp markers are not piles of stone, we mark camp with reeds weaved together to form a barrier. We then place these in the sand."

Sekah nodded, asking, "What are we to do with the river then?"

"So long as you do not dirty or deplete it, whatever you wish. I shall show you the boundary of our camp and, in the morning, you will tell your clan what I have told you. Come." Ti stood up and Sekah followed. Ti gestured for Anubiset to follow as well, walking all the way out to the cardinal edges of camp and showing the girl the marker made of reeds. "So long as no one trespasses, everyone will be alright."

By the time they came back to camp, it was night. One of the women was cooking a goat over the fire, brushing it with honey as she turned it. The smell was sweet, touched by a hint of alliums. Under the goat, catching the liquid flavor, some mushrooms were cooking as well. Anubiset heard Sekah's stomach growl and told her, "You can eat with Ti and I if you like. She won't mind and my parents will likely join us."

"Only if it's alright with you," Sekah said, following Anubiset to sit next to the great fire. Sekah leaned forward, ears perking as she smelled the cooking goats, "It's amazing. Where did you find the honey?"

Anubiset conveyed this to the woman who said. "Downriver, there's a beehive there I smoked out."

Sekah nodded. In a dozen or so sun-ups, there may be more honey there.

When Anubiset's parents sat down, Sekah looked mildly surprised. Anubiset took note of this and told her, "They don't look very much like me, do they?"

Sekah shook her head and Anubiset chuckled, as did both his parents. Anubiset's father said, "Tell her how I found you."

Anubiset nodded and told Sekah, "My father found me in the reeds. He was gathering them for kohl and there I was, all by myself, not even crying. I was so young that the chord that held me to my birthmother was still pink. So, he scooped me up and brough me to my mother. Luckily, she had birthed my brother just a few sunrises before, and so I became their son."

"What happened to your brother?"

"He left to join the eagle clan; those are more of our tribe. He met a girl the last time we came together, and he was utterly smitten. I think we'll see him at the next flood. But it was an intense love, for him to leave the clan. That hardly ever happens."

Sekah nodded as she listened to all of this. However, she was soon distracted as the food was ready. It was just as good as it looked, sweet and tender and perfect. Selfishly, Anubiset knew this feast would be just a fraction of the feast he would be given when he was a full priest. It was always a momentous occasion, after all, when one passed training.

When the meat was gone, Anubiset's mother gave Sekah a bowl of something. "Here, for you. You're our guest, after all."

Sekah took the bowl and took out a striped nut, roasted and covered in honey. "Really? For me?"

"Of course, as I said, you're our guest." She encouraged Sekah to eat, and the girl gladly did. Anubiset couldn't help but smile. He wondered if this would end the feud. He knew they would have to speak to the tribe leaders soon, but he had a good feeling about this.

When the meal was done, Ti told Sekah, "You are not going out there in the night. There are far too many beasts about. Dragons, jackals, hyena-men--"

"Actually, a dragon killed the nearby hyena-men pack."

Ti looked at Anubiset in astonishment, "And you saw this happen?"

Anubiset shook his head, "I saw the aftermath. I, ah, used one of their tongues for the treatment."

Sekah looked a bit horrified and a little sick to hear this.

Ti sighed, "I can't say stealing from a dragon is wise, but I see why you did it." It was now that she finally took note of his wrapped hand and squinted, "Let me see that."

Anubiset sheepishly unwrapped his hand and showed that it was missing a chunk of skin. Ti tutted, noting, "Well, you cleaned it well enough, but you should wash it again and apply poultice. I don't want to lose my apprentice."

Anubiset nodded and told Ti, "I'll do just that. Thank you, Priestess."

"Oh, don't be so shy. You'll be able to just call me Ti, soon enough."

Anubiset smiled. He would be able to call her Ti soon, that was true. He didn't think he'd ever see her as just Ti, but they would both be considered fully learned. And when Ti passed on or got too old, Anubiset would take on his own apprentice. He thought of this as he washed his wound properly and rebandaged it, feeling pride grow like a flame in his chest.

The next morning, Sekah was ready to help with the talks and go home. She combed her hair, beat the sand out of her clothes, and stepped out into the sun, ready to stop any fights before they started.

Anubiset asked her,

Do you think they'll listen to you?

Ti confessed, "I don't know. My father is one of our best and smartest hunters, but he also told me your grave piles were camp markers."

"I don't think he could have known."

"And if he did?"

"Then your tribe will know what he did."

The sun was comfortably in the sky when the desert tribe arrived, though it was not fully in the middle yet. Sekah approached her father, who was at the front, and spoke to him, offering the powder. He took it and made a face, "That's disgusting."

"These are the things we must do, Good Hunter," Ti said. "Your daughter told us something interesting."

"Oh, and what did she say?" The man looked at Ti suspiciously.

She tells us you mistook our grave piles for camp markers. That you were trying to use bluster and intimidation to make us leave the river."

The man said, "How do you know that I wasn't trying to intimidate you by precisely by knocking over the grave piles?" He said this in a haughty voice, with his ears pinned back. Some would have interpreted his ears pinning as a sign of annoyance, but Anubiset recognized what it truly was. It was shame, this man knew just as much as Sekah did.

And Ti recognized this as well, refusing to take the bait and instead saying, "Because you are a man of honor, Good Hunter, or so your daughter claims. And she is not a liar, is she?"

Anuibset didn't think it was possible for someone's ears to pin that far back, but this man's did. He told Ti, "No, my daughter would never do such a thing."

"So, tell me, why issue this challenge? Why take the risk?

The man took a breath through his nose and let it out through his mouth before he explained, "My tribe wanders the desert. We go where there is water and good hunting. This is difficult. We do not always come across you when we come to the river, but every time we do see you, you're at the river. And we wonder why, why mark so far away from camp? Why claim such large swathes of the river for yourselves even when you aren't there? Why keep us from drinking it? And so, we decided that if we are not welcome, we would simply have to take it."

Ti shook her head, "No one can take the river."

The hunter gripped his spear and Anubiset stepped forward, though Ti grabbed her apprentice by the shoulder, "You misunderstand, Good Hunter, you cannot take the river because it is not something to be taken. It is something to be protected and cared for. Its healing and life-giving waters are a thing to be cherished, not coveted. The river god listens only to the sun god. We cannot stop you from using the river, it will simply flood or not, provide or take. To stop you, we would need a reason."

"The hunter considered these words and looked at his daughter. Anubiset saw the expression on Sekhah's face, it was one of hope, one that plead for something peaceful. Anubiset hoped Sekah's father considered her pleas. Hoped that by treating Sekah as a friend, her father would realize everything would be alright.

Sekah's father then spoke, "Alright, we will leave your grave piles be. We'll make camp by the river for a while before moving on. No more challenges." He looked to Sekah and told her, "Let's go home. The others will be proud of you."

As the hunters of the desert tribe left, Ti reached into Anubiset's hair and rubbed his scalp, his ears relaxing against the touch. "And I'm proud of you, Anubiset. Who knows what would have happened if we could not fix this. Come, you'll tell me how this powder is made and we'll celebrate."

Anubiset smiled and began to tell her exactly what the powder was made of with all the enthusiasm of a child, leading her back to their tent and showing her what he had access to, though he confessed, "I mentioned one of the ingredients was tongue of hyena-man and I was lucky to find a dragon with fresh kills, but it devastated a whole pack. Who knows how long it will be until more hyena-men come through?"

Ti nodded as she was told this and asked, "Is it possible to use the tongue of some sort of bird?"

"That was my first idea, but when I found the pack, I thought it would be easier to use it. The sun god also approved of the mixture, so I think it's the best ingredient for it."

Ti nodded, telling him, "Well make this last then and you'll have to ask the hunters to keep an eye out for hyena-men."

Anubiset nodded, looking to the pile of dust he already had. Just a small pinch was enough for it to work, so there wasn't much worry about what he had. He just had to make sure that it didn't spoil. For now, at least, they had no need to use it though.

When it came time for Anubiset to be celebrated, the dust wasn't even on his mind. He simply allowed himself to be painted in yellow, allowed himself to be dressed in the leopard skin shawl, and allowed his hair to be trimmed to perfection. People congratulated him and asked him for small blessings. He did not dance but sat by the fire with Ti, listening to the music. They ate fish and meat that was smoky and fatty and delicious. And when he went to sleep, he did not expect any out of the ordinary dreams.

And yet they did happen. Three women appeared in his dreams. All had curly hair, and one was very pale. Two strange creatures, one of stone and one like a giant bee, circled him. And then there was a dragon standing before him, standing on two legs and having extremely long claws on its hands. And all around him there was a scent of death.

When Anubiset woke, it was in a cold sweat and with a gasp. His heart was hammering in his chest, and he felt sick to his stomach. He ran out of his tent and towards the burial grounds, "Please no, please no." And when he arrived, he screamed.

The graves were empty.

#my writing #sam apollon #anubiset #elves #original elves #original fiction #stone and sorcery #fantasy #short story #8k words

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