Two boys meet by the river on opposite beds, watching the other with intrigue and the urge to connect.
One early afternoon many, many moons ago, a young Talen was partaking in his daily routine of dozing off on the dusty banks of the river, when a noise distracts him enough to only just take notice of a wispy white dog? Or a boy, maybe? On the opposite bank.
Patting down the dust from his worn clothes, he curiously plucks a stone from the shallows, clumsily skimming the rock over their way. As it sharply clacks against the lone tree, something the size of a kid his age flinches behind it. Talen in glee lets out a call for them to skim it back.
A boy slowly pokes his head out from behind the tree, uncurling from its safety as he nervously fishes around the knoll for and picks up the small smooth piece of chipped slate. He steps over great roots making his way to the shore, pulling the knees of his bottoms away from the small splashes of water in his way.
Squinting over the water to Talen’s energetic figure he shyly barks back “I-I’m not sure how?”.
“It's easy!” a cheerful yell rings out as Talen, barely keeping balance, pushes all his energy into a full body gesture feigning the action to take. The boy perks up at the demonstration with an eager smile. Looking down at the stone, confidently rubbing his fingers into a firm grip, he winds his body back, before finally launching forward with all his might. In a flash the stone slipped loose, skipping at speed across the water landing with a sudden splash at both sides of the river.
“You did it!!!” muffled words heard under the warble of water, attempting to lift himself up out of the shallows, gasping, soggy and shocked.
With another great splash, feathered hands reach out for his, helping him to his feet.
“I haven’t ever seen anybody do anything like that on their first try! That was amazin’!” Talen remarks overjoyed at his new friend’s show of skill.
His face falling as their eyes meet, the boy near tears, cold and embarrassed.
“I-I’m sorry” he splutters out.
“Here l-let’s”.
Talen helps the boy now looking more like a pup, back up onto his bank of the river under that lone tree, taking off and wrapping his old poncho around him.
“Sorry you got all wet”, he says quietly after a while, hanging his head and pulling at the grass under his clay clad wet boots.
The pup now, who seemed to look more boy-like, pulled the ratty poncho down, his head popping free, wiping away muddy hair, from his hazy blue eyes.
Looking down at the blades of torn out grass and small blue flowers at his toes, then to the boy sitting next to him.
“Do you- Do you know how to make these?” he says, threading and knotting two flower stems delicately together.
Talen looks up wary in his eyes, he doesn't meet the boy's gaze just yet, letting go of the clumps of grass as his eyes meet with the steadily forming chain of flowers.
“I’d seen my mom do those, didn't ever get shown how” he looks back to his clumps of grass doubtful.
“I could show you?” Muffled a reply from beneath the poncho.
“What? Show me? But…” he trails off, head sinking into his knees.
A baby blue flower pokes through, gently poking the tip of his nose.
“You showed me how to do that cool rock thing”.
Bursting down his own walls “But- but I made you fall!” Talen exclaimed.
The boy shines him a sheepish smile, twirling the chain of flowers between his fingers, “and it was fun! Fun to have a friend”.
Their eyes meet once again, all of the two’s anxieties having drifted away down stream, their shared deep desire laid bare and rang clear, all the two of them ever wanted was a friend.
Their arms strewn round one another in comforting reassurance as chuckles of muffled joyous laughter slipped between the cracks.
That day the two of them felt a wholeness they never had before, returning every day by the river to play, tell stories and grow up together.
Everyday until the red war came.
Hello, hello!
If you made it all the way down here conga rats! [a treat 4 u! 🥞]
Seriously tho thanks, I've been really trying to practice my writing for HeartFeller and other things.
This is the backstory to two key characters from my game, that isnt really in the game in this form [ at the moment anyway ], Talen Cairo and Lord Faolan Rend, theyre both around 7-10ish here.
The brief overview of his story contains aspects of emotional abuse, and core themes of working through trauma, if those are themes that upset you please do not read further.
[ An old withered book gives off a soft glow beneath a stale dusting of night sand, plunging his hands into the depths a vulture picks out his prey. Emesurable power now comfortably nesseled in his palms, the pale magenta captivating buried desires in its light. ]
Talen [ he/him ] a beastly avian of breared vulture decent, watcher over the people of the Dueling Dunes and light of Harrow's heart. A man thought to of held so much care for his people, abandoning them all in a thinly veiled sacrifice for their safetly. Some saying his intentions were stained with mailiace, others benevolence, others still judging more his choice of successor.
His murky actions in life leaving his dear friend Rend and Harrow expecially troubled, his choices at once both true to character and dangerously out of line. Rend suspects more to this act, while Harrow just wishes to forget...
