The sun coated the earth with its light. A deluge of warmth and color echoed along the river and to the trees. The feathers of the upright aves shined with an ultraviolet luster that only made their pink color contrast more starkly against the bright blue of the sky and water. Riverside reeds knelt before the wind that brushed past the pink feathers of the aves and began to pull the heat and sweat from a near motionless young woman.

“Tao,” Nima called. 

Pulling the fresh morning air into her lungs, Tao felt awake once more. She felt the cloth sticking to her body. She felt the itchiness of the sweat as it trailed along her skin. Her lips were dry. There was a numbness to her legs. She was beginning to get a headache — from dehydration, no doubt. 

She slowly unfurled her legs from their criss-cross position, and eased into a series of stretches.

“Tao,” Nima repeated.

As Tao stretched, she only offered a small smile in answer.

“Chief wants you,” Nima immediately turned back once she delivered her message. The dyes that streaked along her arms suggested a more important project than ensuring Tao went to see the chief. Nima should’ve seen to it that her duty was fulfilled rather than relying on Tao to stay true to her word. In fairness, Tao knew people considered her one of the more responsible younglings in Ur. Even so, it was best to see things through to the end.

A yawn forced Tao to take another breath after she finished stretching. She knelt beside the river, and splashed some water over her face, and washed some of the sweat from her body. 

Perhaps it wasn’t urgent, so the chief had only told Nima to deliver a message and not to bring Tao back. The young painter had learned to listen to her elders the hard way a few times already, and wouldn’t risk losing the key ingredients to her favorite pastime by neglecting her duty. 

Another cool breeze pulled the heat away from Tao, pulling her toward Ur. She gave another look over the pink aves before giving a curt nod to one that met her eyes. Its head tilted in question, and she simply gave a small smile in answer.

----------------------------------------

“Get down here,” Quan growled, “right now.”

Balancing along one of the lengthier branches, Ertia spun the spear off her back and cut one of the hanging spikefruit. 

Quan leapt back as the fruit thumped onto the ground where he’d just been standing.

“Alright, that’s it,” Quan leapt onto a thick branch, more than two meters from the ground. 

Spinning her spear around, Ertia cut three more spikefruits from overhead branches. 

Quan completely avoided them by simply hopping up along the branches on the opposite side.

Ertia leapt, her spear whistling as it tore two more spikefruits free.

One almost hit Quan square on the head before he twisted in midair and performed a double jump with his qi.

“No fair!” Ertia cried out.

Quan landed right beside her, “Stop playing around. The chief really does want to talk to you.”

“Whatever happened, it wasn’t me!” 

“You’re not in trouble. He just wants to talk to you.”

Ertia took a measured step back, and took a deep breath. She could do this. Just like she practiced. 

In one instant she smacked the spear into a whirl toward the ground that tore half the branches down with it.

As if he knew what was coming, Quan had leapt at the exact moment the branch was cut, and tackled Ertia.

Before she could even try to free herself, Quan twisted her limbs in midair and folded her like laundry as he alighted on another branch. He pulled her arms back until she felt like they would pop from their sockets.

“Mercy!” she cried. “Mercy!”

“Only if you promise to see the chief,” he said. “Right now.”

“I promise!” she said through clenched teeth. “Let go!”

He dropped her. 

With a sharp intake of breath, Ertia’s limbs moved like lightning as she righted herself to land on her feet. The drop was from such a height that she had to roll after landing.

“What the hell’s wrong with you, bilge brain?” Ertia yelled, “You trying to kill me?”

“You tried to drop me from the top of the tree,” Quan said.

“Yeah, but you can do ‘Second Flight’ — I’d just crack open like an overripe spikefruit.”

Quan rolled his eyes, “You’re fine. Don’t be so dramatic. Just go talk to the chief already.”

“Fine, I will,” Ertia brushed some of the dirt and grime from her hair. As she went to collect her spear that was sticking out of the ground, she readjusted her clothes to a more comfortable position.

Pulling free her weapon, she gave her brother an annoyed look, “What.”

“I’m making sure you actually see the chief,” he said.

“I promised, didn’t I?”

Sighing loudly, he pinched the bridge of his nose while squeezing his eyes shut.

“No more games.” He glanced up for a moment, “You have until noon.”

“Whatever…” she said. 

With that, he finally walked off.

----------------------------------------

“You’ll want to take a gill mask, too.”

“Yes, sister.”

“Don’t forget how cold it can get at night.”

“Yes, sister.”

“And the caves will have plenty of lujì you can use to burn or eat.”

“Yes, sister.”

“What else…” Yang thought aloud.

Ravi wasn’t sure if she could bring so much extech with her during the trial, but supposed it didn’t hurt to ask. It wasn’t like she’d be helpless without the stuff. It would just make the trial take a little longer. 

“Oh, there’s these striped primates that like to go into the caves, too. Keep your food on you at night, and your quiver. They’re opportunistic thieves,” Yang warned.

“Yes, sister,” Ravi replied. Primates were good meat. She could probably leave a few berries around at night and shoot one.

“The varanus have a poisonous bite, so wash it quickly and use plenty of ash.”

“Should I return if it becomes infected?”

Yang thought for a few seconds, “Yeah. We don’t want you to lose a leg. You’ll just have to take the trial again next year.”

Ravi nodded, “I think I have everything I need, then.”

The two sisters looked over the supplies spread over the floor of the cottage. Besides the various extech, there were plenty of rations, bandages, spare cutlery and tools. Some of it might never be used, but chance favored the prepared.

Yang pulled Ravi into a one-armed hug, “I think you’ll do great. Oh, and if anyone asks, I helped only because you asked.”

“Yes, sister.”

----------------------------------------

Though those who wished to undergo the trial could ask to perform it under the same moon, they did not decide on the week. Their parents decided the week, but the chief decided the day. It was the right of those undergoing the trial to refuse, but they must wait a year and a day before they can qualify again. Once finished, those who succeeded were no longer considered younglings. 

Tao had once considered it an honor, but such vision had been spoiled by certain fools in Ur. When she had brought up such insights to Iroh, he had laughed and said she should be proud of herself for gaining such wisdom. He had asked what she could learn from such fools. She had answered with one word, “Foolishness.” And his eyes gleamed, and he pointed to her and said, “And now you know what you must not do.”

Since then, she had begun to understand what it meant to practice humility — to not overpromise, and not underdeliver. 

Iroh told her that many pray to the ancestors, but do not honor them. The physical act did not matter so much as the meaning behind it, and some people were quick to forget to do things that were meaningful. They did things impulsively, letting the world determine their fate instead of making choices for themselves. 

When she had asked why the day of the trial was chosen for her, he only laughed and said, “If you told me what day the next flood would come, wouldn’t it be better to prepare a day early anyway? And if a day, why not a moon?”

Since then, she had begun familiarizing herself with all of the tools and weapons and armaments that she could get her hands on. She asked, of course, when people were willing to teach her. But for some things, like the handheld extech, she had to find private time with. It was a good lesson in patience. Besides, she would only take such things in an emergency. 

Iroh likely knew what she had been planning, but didn’t mention it to anyone. He had taught her the technique of ‘Recall’, after all. And, besides, everyone did consider her to be one of the most responsible younglings in town. If anything did go missing, then Tao would have a good reason for it. It was only for emergencies.

Quiet cursing, followed by the occasional scoff, called Tao’s attention toward the west. Past the litany of shrubbery was the well-toned body, and signature bone spear, of Ertia. The girl was always a whirlwind of emotion — positive, negative, both — and she seemed to have at least grabbed her armor for the coming trial. Despite the dirt and grime and frown on her face, she was still the spitting image of beauty. Tao allowed herself a moment to envy the girl’s looks before Ertia spat a wad of phlegm on the ground, then brushed dirt over it with her foot.

Tao sighed softly, prompting an immediate glance from the girl. However, Ertia’s gaze never rested upon Tao, and continued scanning around the woods. 

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Whos’ there?” Ertia called, and Tao felt goosebumps along her arms.

“Just us three for the trial, it seems,” another voice called from above.

Ertia pointed her spear skyward, and Tao followed with her eyes.

Sitting astride one of the branches was Ravi, with a rucksack and quiver at her back, and a khukri hanging from her hip. She was stringing her bow as she spoke, “I knew it would happen sometime this week. Last moon, the chief did it the last week of the moon, and the one before he did it the second. He never likes to do it in the first week, and avoids doing the same weeks for moons so close together, so… Yeah, it was probably this week or the next.”

Blinking her eyes in disbelief, Ertia said, “This is the trial? I thought we were just doing a hunt.”

Ravi shrugged, “That, too.”

“Why do you have so much crap, then?”

Ravi shouldered her bow, “You should prepare for everything.”

“It’s a hunt,” Ertia said. “What more do we need than weapons and armor?”

“A friend,” Ravi leapt from branch to branch until she finally alighted on the ground. She turned to the bush Tao was hiding behind, “Or two.”

Squinting her eyes, Ertia shouted, “Tao?? What are you doing sniveling behind that bush there?”

Slowly coming to her feet, she answered, “I’m waiting.”

“The sign said, ‘Stand ready,’ not hide behind the bushes like a coward,” Ertia pointed her spear at Ravi, “And you. Why are you waiting in the tree? You plan on jumping the chief?”

“Not today,” Ravi answered.

“Not today,” Ertia repeated as her spear slowly sank to the ground. “Wait, do we have to work together? You can be useful in a hunt, Ravi, but not her.”

Schooling her features into pure impassivity, Tao said, “I could say the same.”

“What??” Ertia pointed her spear at Tao, “Say that again.”

Tao looked Ertia dead in the eyes and said, “I’d rather have a sharp mind than a sharp spear.”

Ertia suddenly struck her spear into the dirt. Tao didn’t flinch. 

“Uh, guys…” Ravi laughed nervously.

Two things happened in an instant.

Ertia must have kicked her spear, as it flew toward Tao alongside a shower of dirt.

Tao leapt aside, tugging herself into a roll as she hit the ground.

In the next instant, Ertia was digging her heel into Tao’s chest, sending the girl flying into the trunk of a nearby tree. 

Gasping for breath, Tao felt qi flood into her body, reinvigorating her with life. She could end this in an instant.

However, looking into Ertia’s face at that moment, something made Tao hesitate. 

Spitting blood, Tao swallowed her pride, “You win. You’re stronger than me, Ertia.”

Ertia’s eyes searched Tao’s face for a hidden meaning behind that line. After a few seconds, her arms fell to her sides, and she went over to retrieve her spear, “Like that was even a fucking question.”

As Ertia bent to pick up her spear, Ravi stomped it out of her grip. 

“Hunters watch each other’s backs during a hunt,” Ravi said.

“It’s the trial,” Ertia growled. “You said so yourself.”

“It’s a hunt,” Ravi’s voice suddenly carried a terrifying gravitas.

Ertia just glared up at Ravi.

“Promise that you will never raise your weapon against us during the hunt. Or I will break you, Ertia.”

Tao tried to keep her breath steady despite her chest singing resonant waves of pain and fire. 

“I promise, alright?” Ertia answered.

Ravi nodded her head toward Tao, and Ertia sighed loudly.

“I promise not to raise my weapon against you or Tao for the duration of the hunt. Whatever. Get off my spear.”

Ravi walked past Ertia, grabbing something from the side pocket of her rucksack. 

“Take off your shirt, we need to dress the wound,” Ravi ordered Tao.

After a few minutes of painful ointment and bandaging, with a sprinkling of ash, Tao was feeling a little better. Better than being kicked in the chest, at least.

Ravi looked overhead, “Passing sun is almost over. I wonder what’s taking the chief so long.”

“Patience is restraint,” Tao answered. “You get better at it the more often you practice.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ertia said. “‘Repetition is the mother of learning.’ We’ve all heard the same proverbial words of wisdom as you, Tao. You’re not special.”

Instead of immediately biting back, Tao took a moment to consider Ertia’s words. 

Iroh had chosen for her to follow the path of the shaman when she was very young. He had said she had a curiosity and wonder that must be preserved and protected. Perhaps she had let such praise get to her head. Besides, if she really was special — at least, better than Ertia — then she should act the part.

“I remind myself of their wisdom constantly because, like you said, I’m not special. I’m liable to repeat the same mistakes as our ancestors if I don’t make the effort to learn from them,” Tao answered.

Ertia gave her a dirty look, then scoffed and turned away. Let her chew on that, then.

“Do you think we should go back?” Ravi asked.

“The sign said to come here and stand ready,” Ertia said.

Past trials could take place during the day or twilight. The general gist of each trial was a hunt in the wilderness, but she couldn’t remember anyone being forced to wait for a substantial period of time. It could be due to their number being so few. Maybe there was a last minute change that had to be done. But the chief would have known the day of the trial. Was waiting also part of the trial?

“I think we should wait,” Tao decided.

“Of course you’d be happy about that,” Ertia added.

Ravi frowned at Ertia’s back, but the other girl was just spinning her spear in her hands. If this was part of the trial, then Tao would give it her best.

“I can recall objects,” Tao explained. “I’ve spent time with everything I could get my hands on in Ur. Almost anything you can think of, I can have in my hands in an instant.”

Ravi’s head swerved to her, wide eyed, “What? Anything?”

Tao nodded, “I can only do it a few times before I need rest, but almost anything.”

“Oh yeah?” Ertia was leaning against her spear, “I want the subspace armor thing.”

Tao frowned, “That artifact is locked up, Ertia.”

“You said you know how to recall objects, right? Okay, Iroh said he was able to recall an object in a cave he went in as a child, and made a chest of coins appear right in town. We see the artifacts every year during inventory. You telling me you can’t do that?”

“You need to ask permission before you use artifacts,” Ravi said. “Don’t do it, Tao. Besides, it would only get us in trouble.”

“Whatever,” Ertia went back to practicing with her spear.

Unable to hold back a small smile on her face, Tao concentrated on a mental image in her mind. She had spent the past moon charming people into letting her handle extech she knew they’d never let her use. But also, waiting patiently for people to be a little less alert, or fall asleep, so she could sneak past and learn an object well enough to recall.

Ertia stumbled a step as she was suddenly thrown off balance. She looked around for a moment before turning to see Tao holding her spear overhead.

Glaring daggers at Tao, Ertia stomped over in a fury.

Tao held the spear out to her, and Ertia took it without a word. 

Tao only met the other girl’s eyes, knowing there was nothing she could say to make this moment better. 

Turning on her heel, Ertia muttered, “Whatever,” and walked a distance away.

“Tao…” Ravi scolded.

“What? She can’t call me a liar.”

“Please don’t provoke her.”

Tao was just doing it to prove what she was capable of. Teaching Ertia a little humility in the process was just a nice bonus. But, if she was to act with a bit of wisdom… 

“That’s about all I can do,” Tao offered. “I have practice with my sling, and can protect myself with this small buckler, but I’m not much for a fight. How about you?”

Ravi smiled, and patted the blade hanging from her waist, “I have my khukri, and my bow. And I specialize in the water style.”

If Tao remembered correctly, that was one of the forms that focused on dodges and counters. It took a terrible amount of agility and practice to be any good at it. Considering how quickly Ertia capitulated to Ravi’s demand, she was probably a force of nature.

“I’m a warrior,” Ertia called out. “All I need is kill.”

Not a very helpful answer.

“You move pretty quick,” Tao said.

“No shit,” Ertia twirled her spear in her hands.

Patience.

“Were you taught any other special techniques?” Tao tried.

Jabbing the butt of her spear into the ground, Ertia answered, “I can detect qi if I concentrate. Not far, but if I focus more qi into my senses, then I can probably detect as far as Ravi can shoot.”

“That’s helpful,” Tao said.

“Yeah,” Ertia kicked her spear up and laid it across her shoulders, “I know.”

“Using artifacts without permission carries a steep punishment, young Tao,” a voice rumbled behind them.

Immediately rolling back, Tao crouched low to look at the stranger. 

The chief let a rippling distortion fall past his shoulders and swing behind him. The distortion shifted into an ordinary looking brown cape. 

Tao shifted from a crouch to genuflect, “Chief.”

“Chief,” she heard Ravi and Ertia echo behind her. 

“And it seems you still struggle to tame your fury, young Ertia,” the chief folded his arms. “You must learn to wield it as you do your spear.”

“Yes, chief,” Ertia shouted from a distance. 

“Am I really so predictable, young Ravi?”

“Yes and no, chief,” Ravi answered. “Your presence was a surprise to me, but your pattern of choosing days for the trial is quite predictable.”

“A compliment and a critique,” the chief chuckled. “Such grace. I shall do the same. Tell your sister that it’s quite clever to plan an excursion with fledglings in the same week as your trial, but also obvious what her real motives were. I’ll allow it for now, but never again.”

“Thank you for your understanding, chief,” Ravi said.

“Young Tao,” the chief uncrossed his arms and approached. Tao could feel sweat pouring out of every pore in her body. He simply touched a finger to her chin, and she instantly met his eyes. There wasn’t anger or disappointment, however.

“Unless you wish to condemn another to death, do not call upon any of the artifacts,” the chief’s voice rang with absolute authority.

Tao tried to swallow past a lump in her throat, “Yes, chief.”

The chief stood to his full height once more, “For your deception, you will have to perform the trial with the injury young Ertia gave you. And Iroh will be barred from speaking to you for a year and a day.”

She could feel his words press down on her like a waterfall, “Y-yes, chief.”

“That man likes to cross boundaries when he thinks he can get away with it,” the chief rumbled. “He should have curtailed your cunning instead of letting it fester. I may have expected such behavior from him, but I had more hope for you.”

Tao could feel the hot sting of tears in her eyes. How could she be so stupid as to even mention her plans out loud? Just to prove something? She should have just taken the spear from Ertia without opening her dumb mouth. 

“Permission to speak, chief,” Ertia called out.

“You haven’t done the trial yet, young Ertia,” the chief said. “Children are always free to speak.”

“Maybe Iroh knew the kind of punishment you’d inflict on Tao for recalling things without permission,” Ertia said, “and thought you’d leave a more lasting impression.”

The chief hummed in thought.

“You said it yourself, that you expect him to act in such a way,” Ertia continued. “But who chose him to be her teacher, chief?”

“Enough,” he bellowed. “Don’t presume to know so much, girl.”

Tao swallowed. Was her hearing impaired? Was Ertia defending her?

“Can you relieve your punishment for Tao until the trial is over? It’s unfair to judge her so harshly when her teacher led her down the wrong path,” Ertia continued.

The chief stomped past Tao, and stopped a distance away. She couldn’t make out the words over the sound of her own heartbeat, but the chief and Ertia seemed to have a back and forth. 

She felt a hand gently touch her left ankle, and turned enough to see Ravi give her an encouraging smile. 

A blur of motion and a crash.

Tao yelped as shards rained around her.

The chief bellowed, “You will perform the trial as you are, and you will not return without the head and eggs of the chupacabra.”

She could hear him stomp off to the west. Once his footfalls were out of earshot, Tao immediately turned to where Ertia was last.

Ertia had a frown on her face, and a naked torso.

Her armor had been shattered by the chief.

Her eyes met Tao’s, “Children are always free to speak, my ass. Looks like I’m not the only one who needs to tame her fury.”

“Are you okay?” Tao asked.

“Yeah, it’s whatever,” Ertia held her spear across her shoulders again.

“Uh, I didn’t think to bring a spare top,” Ravi said as she approached.

“We can wrap you in bandages, at least,” Tao offered, as the three came together.

“Nah,” Ertia shrugged, “We’ll kill something with fur soon, and just skin it. I’d rather eat and do the rest of the trial tomorrow anyway. I’m pretty tired after all that crap.”

“Here,” Ravi dug a blanket from her rucksack.

Ertia just pushed it back into her hands, “Not until I wash up, first. Today stinks almost as much as I do.”

Frowning in thought for a moment, Tao suddenly had a moment of insight.

“What’s that grin for?” Ertia asked.

“Huh?” Was Tao grinning? “I just realized I could get us plenty of supplies.”

Ertia smiled back, “Oh yeah, you can just recall anything, huh.”

“The chief said we can’t take artifacts, but there’s nothing wrong with grabbing some soap and clothes, right,” Tao smirked.

“I think we finally settled on something we all agree on,” Ravi said.

“Yeah,” Ertia said with a shit eating grin, “the chief can be a real asshole.”