CHAPTER 3: JUST ANOTHER WORLD

Chapter 3: Just Another World

PREVIOUSLY

Nothing could effect Stakaya during a beautiful sunset. It matched his vibrant eyes as if they were one of the same in another life. To Stakaya, the sun setting on the horizon was healing. He closed his eyes and felt it's last bit of warmth before it grew dark. "This is what our people should always feel..."

.....

Two warriors stood at the top of the south entrance to the community. They were on guard shift. Before the sky began to brighten the next day they would summon two new warriors to take over watch. It wasn't an easy task, standing for what felt like lifetimes, but they both knew it was for their whole communities safety. The one on the left was Stak's oldest friend, and warrior. He was one of the few who survived from Stak's childhood community. His name was Dentyro. The right-hand guard was Dentyro's nephew, who he had raised ever since his brother's passing. They both watched as Kaya and young Stakaya left for their adventure. They knew why she was taking him.

Stak's face was lit fiercely by the bonfire's flames. "Nobody has ever had visions so vivid of Stakaya. I urge you to tell me if you are reliving your vision of last night truthfully. Well?" The woman now knew that she was in a position of great detainment. "What I say is true, Stak. Their is another child out there with your son's image, and aura." She paused. "I think Fray's clan has her. She looked so much like your boy I couldn't deny it... but her eyes..."

"Her eyes were the purest ocean I have ever seen. Just as piercing as Stakaya's." Stak reiterated what the woman said earlier. Stak looked troubled. The whole community was in an awe, some in silence. Everyone in the front row was either whispering with others around them, or looking over at the snow capped mountains to the north. Stak joined his community in a glare at those mountains. He got a chill down his spine as if he were half way up one of those peaks.

"Okay everyone, our community meeting is over." Stak said orderly. "Go back to your doings." Stak lifted his hand to the sun. The sun was about seven fingers away from the horizon. He ordered a few warriors to go and follow Kaya's trail, just in case something would happen. As the last groups of the community dispersed, Kara was wandering up to him with Ayak next to him. "Father what does all of this mean?" Kara asked. "Is this why Stakaya looks so special?"

Stak met his son's eye level by kneeling his hands on his knees and got close to his face. "Stakaya is no more special than you and Ayak are to Kaya and myself. All of these people are too." He pointed his finger and scanned the whole community. "These are your family just as much as I am, as well as Stakaya. We are one." He turned his eyes to meet Ayak's, but her head was down and she was in her head like usual. "Ayak, my flower, look up." Stak said gently. Ayak lifted her face slowly to her father's, who had somehow had a flower reached out to her. She broke a smile and a little laugh. "I care for you so much, both of you. Everything is going to work itself out." They all smiled. "When your mother and Stakaya get back, we will eat together, just our blood, nobody else, sound good?"
Kara and Ayak nodded in agreement and went running off towards the gardens.

Kara and Ayak were not the same age, but a lot of people forgot about that due how close they were, emotionally and physically. They were inseparable siblings. Ayak remembers when her little brother was small enough to be carried by Stak and Kaya, though those memories are blurry. She was not strong enough to hold him when she was a little girl, and it always made her depressed. Everything about the community was about strength. whether it's intellectually, or physically, Ayak felt pressures throughout her childhood. Being the oldest offspring of Stak and Kaya was a heavy weight on her small shoulders.

"When do you want to scare Fejwa while she is planting today?" asked Kara excitedly. "I think we get the best reaction behind the corn, although she might see it coming this time." Ayak was looking down as they walked. "I don't want to scare Fejwa anymore, Kara. She is getting older each and every sun, scaring her is only going to speed that up and gardening is not easy." Kara whipped his head around in shock, but then quickly thought about it and shrugged with agreement. "Well we already went out gathering for the day, It's not like Dentyro will let us pass him." He laughed at the wishful thinking.

Ayak never liked when there was still a sun in the air and there was nothing to do. Kara always had the impending training to become a warrior to keep his afternoon's busy, but Ayak was not built for the warrior's life. She accepted it. It did not bother her, because her mother was the greatest female warrior anyone in the community had ever seen.  She always looked up to her mother.

Ayak decided today she would go back to their family hut. Despite her brother's upbeat attitude, Ayak felt troubled about the visions of her younger brother. She gave Kara a hand on the shoulder and told him to go train. With two smiles and nods of agreement, Kara and Ayak split ways. As Ayak turned to head back to the hut, she heard a familiar voice. "Warm sun to you, Ayak." The voice was strong, yet had a spiritual comfort as well. It was Dentyro's nephew, Kato. Ayak turned around to be embraced by Kato's arms as well as his lips. She melted in. After a brief moment of love, she repulsed herself and realized he was suppose to be on watch. "Why aren't you at the gate?" Ayak asked surprisingly. "I was relieved by your father. He wanted to talk with my uncle about something." Kato responded with a smile. "We should go to the top of the leather hut, for the unset. I have been embraced by it's warmth all day and I know its going to be a beautiful one."

The two of them walked the circumference of the community behind family huts with hands held. Ayak and Kato were the same age, and the relationship between their families made them naturally connect. They used to play as little kids, running through the community like a playground. Unfortunately, Stak did not approve of Kato's affection towards his daughter, after all, he knows what young men are after. Ayak knew that Kato was respectful, and with her intelligence, she trusted him with her heart.

They finally made it to the front of the leather working hut where Mologri was at work, scraping away at a hid like usual. "Greetings, Mologri." Kato said as respectively as possible. Mologri mustered up the encouragement to turn around and wave back at Kato. He knew exactly what the two were planning. "Go ahead." He grunted. Kato and Ayak wittily smiled at each other.

They went to the side of the construction, where there was wooden storage containers along with different sized boulders for chipping away fragmented skinning blades. They both climbed up giving helping hands along the way, until they eventually were perched at the top of the roof's arch. It was a perfect view of the landscape. With the mountains to the far left and the sunset in the plains towards the right, it was something that these two enjoyed observing. Many of the community's members took this time to go outside the bordering wall to watch the sunset as well. Other than the community meetings, it was the other experience they all spiritually enjoyed sharing. Mologri gave a moments notice to Kato before throwing up a freshly made animal hide for their warmth. He put it around both himself and Ayak and they watched as the sun met the horizon.

"Is that Stakaya?" Kato broke the moment. Ayak went from falling asleep smiling to alert like a hawk looking for prey. Kato pointed over the left where the south gate entrance was. Stakaya was running up the hill. he was smaller then a bug, but she could tell that Kaya was not with her. She then scanned from his position down the hill and towards the right, where she finally spotted her mother. She was with the warrior search party making their way on the rest of the path.

"Oh no." muttered Kato. "What?" Ayak returned. He suddenly shot up to a standing position and pointed towards the rolling hills between the plains and the snow capped mountains. "Fray." Kato said in awe.

Ayak slowly rose to her feet, holding the roof post. She glanced up from where Kaya and the warriors were and saw hundreds of black shades. some were holding torches, some holding spears. They were getting closer and they were getting closer fast.