Imdi, the little boy.
Date [standardised human time]: July 6th, 2119
(17 years, 1 month, 28 days before the invasion of the radji Cradle).
Imdi was both scared and excited as the buggy rolled to a stop. Scare-cited? Excit-ared? Maybe I’ll learn the right words today! Baba had been right; the trip out here had been long and boring. One could only look at fields for so long, and the sea was naught but blue at this distance. The city had been more interesting, so many buildings pressed so tight together that in some places they started to climb like trees. It was a noisy, concrete world, a forest of mortar and metal. In some ways it was foreign and empty, but in another it was so full of the lives of so many people.
“Ready?” Baba asked as he killed the engine, looking over at him.
“I guess,” Imdi said softly. Some doubt or nervous energy must have been written across him, for his father placed a paw on his arm. Imdi smiled nervously up at him.
“You’ll be fine, son.” he told him. The door closed heftily as they left the buggy, and Imdi took in this strange new world. He looked about as they moved away from the noisy traffic, passing into the schoolyard with its playgrounds, greenery, and diggery. It would be an odd three days, the first he had spent without his parents. Without Ku…
A few weeks ago, they had all sat down together one evening to try and explain… well, everything to him. His sister was different, he knew that, but what surprised him was that other people might hate her for it. Ki-yu had looked uncomfortable, almost shameful throughout, like she wanted to be somewhere else. It had made Imdi sad, and he insisted that if Ku could not go to school, neither would he. Her big dark eyes had drunk him in, a wan smile on her face.
“You’ll go for both of us, little brother,” she had told him.
A creche of children were filing their way into the school, a reddish-coloured woman stood at the entrance, greeting the youngsters as they entered.
“Hello!” the woman boomed cheerily as they approached, her illustrious ochre fur glistening even redder in the sunlight. “You must be Imdi.” Her voice was deep and flowing, authoritative.
“H-hello,” Imdi said nervously.
“Oh, you’re a cute one!” she clucked.
“Priestess,” Baba said in greeting, bowing his head. The woman looked him up and down, placing her paws behind her back.
“My, my, a man with manners.” she chuckled, Baba making an awkward laugh of his own. “I take it you’re Braq?”
“In the flesh,” The Priestess just raised her brows at him, the slightest of curls to her lip. “I- er…” his father stammered. “You- um- have me at a disadvantage, Priestess…?”
“Rylett,” she said with a soft smile. “Oh, relax you silly boy before you burst something. Can’t an old woman have some fun?”
“Not old, surely?” Baba said, seeming to regain some composure. Rylett smiled deviously beneath her brows at him.
“Alter boys…” she muttered, a smile still in her eyes as she looked pointedly back at Imdi. “I take it your son won’t be following after his father?”
“I sure hope not,” Baba murmured, turning more serious for a moment. “That’s not an issue, is it?”
“Certainly not. We pertain to all faiths here.” Rylett brought her paws together before her, smiling genially. “Of course, parts of the curriculum mandate some scripture.”
“We realise that.” Baba’s brow furrowed slightly. “We want him to know our history, our culture. Just… no sermons, expectations of faith.”
“I understand,” the Priestess nodded, then tilted her head. “Might I be so bold as to ask why?”
“That- uh… my father was a man of the clergy.”
“Ah. Say no more,” Rylett tittered. ”Would it be terribly heretical of me to say that I sympathise?”
“My father would say so.” That made the Priestess outright laugh. Her smile, as warm as sunshine, made Baba chuckle.
“What’s this noise Sister?” a thin gravelly voice called out. For the briefest of moments, Imdi thought he saw Rylett’s eye twitch as she turned. A man, his fur as white as snow, had ambled out of the entrance. His loose skin was pink beneath his fur, his eyes wet but sharp. He’s got a very fuzzy face, Imdi noted.
“I was just doing introductions with a new pupil, High-Priest,” Rylett said as she sighed out the last of her laughter. The man shuffled forward, nodding to Baba with a smile before fixing his gaze on Imdi.
“Hello, young one,” he said, groaning as he used his cane to kneel before him. “My name is Irt. Who might you be?”
“Imdi,” he said, considering this frail person in front of him. “Why’re you so saggy?”
“Imdi!” Baba said at once, stepping forward. “That’s rude! I’m very sorry Father!” The man just chuckled wryly, waving him off.
“It’s quite alright, and now I know him to be observant. An excellent quality in a young boy.” Leaning heavily on his walking stick he pushed himself up, patting Rylett’s paw as she offered him an arm. “Do you know why you’re here Imdi?” Imdi looked to his father, who raised his brow expectantly.
“To learn?”
“Very good,” he said. “I take it you’ve never seen an old man before, hm?”
“We live rather remotely,” Baba told the priests. “This is his first time in the city.”
“So we’ve heard,” the old man said thinly, the lightest of squints in his eye. The two men regarded each other for a long moment. In a shockingly spry movement, Irt tossed the cane straight up into the air, catching it as it fell. Turning, he rapped the handle against the top of the doorframe. Words had been carved into the wood.
“Do you know your letters, young one?” Irt asked. Imdi looked down at his feet, shuffling awkwardly.
“He… struggles with the letters,” Baba told them.
“There’s no shame in not knowing something,” Rylett said with a quiet smile.
“Well said sister,” Irt said, waddling over to Imdi. He gave the boy a gentle prod with the walking stick. “Ignorance is an acceptable part of life, lad, so long as we don’t choose to be ignorant.” With a sniff and a smile, he glanced up and then over at Rylett. “Class should be starting soon sister, why don’t you take him in?”
“Yes Father,” she said, but Baba knelt down in front of Imdi first.
“How do you feel?” he asked. Imdi looked up at the strange new people, standing before the strange new building, with its strange old words.
“N-not sure…”
“A little scared?” Baba smiled gently when Imdi nodded. “It’s okay to be scared, you know? It’s not a weakness, just a sign that this could be important.” He rested his paw on his son’s shoulder. “You remember what we talked about?” Poor Ku…
“Yes,” Imdi whispered, biting his lip.
“Good boy,” he smiled, “now c’mere.” Baba pulled him into a big, warm hug, rubbing his spines flat. “Be good,” he whispered. “Pay attention.”
“I’ll miss you, Baba.”
“The next three days will fly by,” he said pulling back. “But I’ll miss you more.” That made Imdi giggle. He looked over to Rylett, who, smiling, extended an auburn paw to Imdi. “Class will be starting soon.” Together they walked into the school. She reached up and tapped the doorframe as they passed through. “You’ll know this off by heart soon enough.” Behind them, Baba and the old man had started chatting.
“Will we be expecting any others?” he heard Irt ask. Imdi looked over his shoulder at the doorway, making Rylett stop as well. Father and son’s eyes met.
“No,” he said blankly, feigning a farewell wave. “Just him.”
~*~
The first day was so full of interesting things it was overwhelming. From learning the layout of the tunnels, to meeting his classmates, to learning what a class was. The teachers explained that at his age his days were mostly going to be spent with the other younger children, doing a mix of activities to strengthen his reading, writing, and social skills. This was, at his age, mostly manifested in the form of games and activities. He was so preoccupied he did not get the opportunity to go outside during lunch, but that was okay as most of the other younger kids stayed away from the yard.
“There,” one fluffy young girl warned him, “all the big kids play. They can get rough.” He had hardly got to grips with this before the next activity was thrust upon him.
Imdi barely noticed when the bell rung, signifying the end of a day, and the children were rushed to their dinners. A fine meal of oats, anuana, and vegetables for the whole cohort was spread along two lengthy tables in the long hall that served as chapel and mess. The noise of so many people eating and chatting, bickering and laughing rung out around the hollow chamber, seeming to ricochet in Imdi’s eye sockets. After the main meal, a special treat of sweetened fruit was handed out, triggering squeals of delight and merriment from the children. At the far end of the hall, Irt and Rylett sat at a wide table alongside a bunch of other adults Imdi had not met. The priestess was older than Mama, but she was almost certainly the youngest adult there, her chin resting atop her pinched claws. She looks bored, he thought as he wolfed down his desert. Sensing his gaze, the Priestess looked to him. Something about her eyes disquieted him, making him look away, which was odd as he quite liked the Priestess. Having finished his dinner, Imdi looked about the room.
Behind the staff was a great dais, and the carved wooden likeness of three women stood there. Each was taller by a head than the last, the rearmost being twice as tall as a natural radji. They were exquisitely painted, and great care had been put into their shaping. The closest to the front was clad in a sash of brilliant mauve and violet fabric, beneath which silver chainmail peaked. Her stance was tall and proud, her left palm held flat to the assembly, her right gripping a tall spear. To her right flank stood a woman draped in azure and olive colours, coiling about her form like tendrils. In her paws she held aloft a book, her head bowed so as to intone forevermore. She stood at the right hand of a wooden goddess. The largest idol was garbed head to toe in white flowing garments, her arms thrust low in supplication. In contrast her head was held high, free from any features of a face, her skin a smooth sparkling sable. The light of the hall seemed to warp and dance across the inky visage, like the last embers of a fire burning in oily coal.
The wizened High-Priest stood from the table, shuffling up the steps to stand on a raised platform at the left hand of the wooden divine.
“Students, thank you all for joining us for the first day of a new year. For some of you this will be your first year here, and you have much to do and learn. For others, this may be your last year with us before you move on to other pursuits and join the wider world. To all of you, I ask that you be respectful, curious, and that you have a wonderful year.” There was scattered applause, mostly from the staff table. “We will now conduct prayer; any non-denominational students are excused, should they wish it.”
Imdi would have liked to have stayed and watched, but his fatigue caught up with him, and he decided he wanted to go to bed. Yawning, he joined the other students funnelling from the hall.
The dormitories were two separate subterranean structures, segregated by gender, and divorced from the original construction. Individual dorms broke off from a long hallway which terminated in a large bathroom.
His dorm was a small pentagonal chamber that was rounded at its corners to almost form a circle. Along each of the four non-entry walls was a small alcove, holding a bed and a wooden cabinet. Two of the four beds were already occupied, save the one sitting beneath the small slit window that protruded above ground level. The room he shared with three other boys, all of whom were a bit older than him. The first to greet him was the youngest of the three, a tawny radji called Roklin. He had a sweet childish voice, which was good because he did not seem to stop talking. The second boy he introduced as Erryt, gesturing to an older, brindle-coloured, squirrelly-looking youth. Erryt had an oddly thin, twisted muzzle, like he was constantly trying to get something out of his teeth. He pulled his narrow, pinched snout up from the book he was reading long enough to offer a crooked smile and a wave.
Imdi was settling himself onto a bed when another boy joined them. This one called himself Motley. He was the most interesting looking one of the bunch due to his strange black and white fur. It swirled across his body in an odd, random pattern, like someone had tossed black paint over Irt. Curiously, the swirls were also present on the skin beneath his fur. His real name was Marlo, but everybody—even some of the teachers—used the jape-name. Motley himself seemed to be in on the joke and took it in his stride.
“Sorry bud, that one’s already taken,” he said casually.
“Oh, sorry!” Imdi yelped, jumping from the bed like it had bitten him.
“Don’t worry. You can have that bed,” Motley tossed a paw at the lone free alcove. Hesitantly toddling over, Imdi pulled back the thick separating curtain of his alcove and tested the mattress. “The beds are comfy enough,” the speckled boy said, leaning on the wall, “but this one’s right beneath the window.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Imdi asked.
“Nothing, most nights. But on colder ones it gets a bit biting.” He reached into the cabinet and pulled out some folded woollen blankets. “We asked the custodian for some nice thick ones when we heard you’d be coming.”
“Oh, thanks!” Imdi said. The older boy smiled sheepishly, tossing his harlequin head.
“Don’t mention it, I’ve got a reputation as a pest to uphold.”
“Menace?”
“Oh, yeah!” Roklin squeaked. “What was it Priest Harbek called you?”
“A certified and persistent menace,” the boy said proudly, before turning back to Imdi. “How’d you find your first day, newbie?”
“Um… different,” he mumbled. “I don’t see that many strangers at home.”
“Not from the city, huh? It’s a lot to take in,” Roklin said. As if in answer, Imdi yawned squeakily. The other boys could stay up and talk, he just wanted to put his head to pillow.
~*~
That night he saw what they meant about the cold; he was grateful for the extra blankets when he woke up shivering. What blankets could not solve was Motley’s snoring. Curtain or no, the older boy’s snorts and snuffles rumbled around the room, reminding Imdi of how Baba had snored when they stayed in Ki-yu’s den. The thought had made him homesick, and he dreamt of the lodge, and running and playing with Ki-yu in the sun. He slept so solidly that Roklin had to shake him awake for breakfast.
The second day felt much like the first, a blur of half-remembered names and topics. This time when lunch came, he made sure to stretch his tiny legs into the yard. The other young kids could have their toys and games, he wanted to be above ground in the fresh air.
At first, he went over to the playing frames, but found them too difficult. Most of the digging pits were already occupied, and the diving bowl had lots of scary looking older kids hanging about in it. Imdi doddered over to the gate, looking out at the big, paved road, listening to the cars roar and thwop by. The thick trees guarding the perimeter wall seemed like small saplings compared to the great sentinels of his home. He was going to turn back to the school when someone called out to him.
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“Oh! Hi Imdi!” He looked about. Sitting at the base of a tree was a familiar face, although Imdi was not sure from where. The cream-coloured girl clearly recognised him, bouncing up and down and beckoning him closer. He waddled over, the two of them were at eye level with her sitting against the tree.
“Hey! I didn’t know you went here,” she said in her light voice. “I guess it’s your first week, huh?” Imdi nodded awkwardly. She’s so familiar, but who? The girl tilted her head at him. “You don’t recognise me, do you?”
“Um… almost?”
“Well, I guess that’s better than not recognising me,” she laughed. “I’m Callio. We met on the beach!”
“Oh!” Imdi gasped, brightening. That day had been strange. Ki-yu and I played on the sand, then in the woods. Then she disappeared… I guess she didn’t want them to see her. Was that why Baba had been so scary?
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “It’s… busy here.”
“The first few days are the worst,” she said screwing up her soft nose. “I was so happy to get home after. Don’t worry, you’ll get through it. How’re your parents?”
“Okay,” he supposed. “We had a lot of snow this winter, so they had to retile the roof.”
“Oh yeah!” she said nodding. “Papa and I lost a lot of our crop. He’s headed out to Caiyu for some fancy farming equipment, something from one of the iridians or something.” Callio paused to wave to somebody behind him. “Do you guys grow stuff in the forest?”
“A little bit,” he told her. “Mama keeps a garden, but most of the work is in keeping the forest healthy.” A crunching of the leaves signalled that someone else had joined them, a larger but thin boy stepping past Imdi to lean against the tree.
“Hey Callio. Who’s the kid?” he said.
“Yotun, meet Imdi,” she said, the gap in her teeth showing as she smiled. The taller boy turned to him, looking him over.
“The kid from the beach?” Yotun’s eyes narrowed a little, something unnameable resting there; not quite scary, but not quite safe either.
“Hi,” Imdi squeaked.
“So… what do your parents do?” Callio asked. “What’re the woods actually like?”
“It’s okay,” Imdi said slowly. “It’s a lot quieter than here.”
“That’s it? It’s quiet?” Callio looked disappointed.
“W-well I think it’s pretty,” Imdi added hastily. “In spring all the flowers come out, and all the frost melts so the rivers are full. Autumn is fun as well, cause all the trees drop their leaves and you can run around kicking them up.”
“And the snow!” she said. “You mentioned the snow.”
“So much snow,” Imdi giggled. “It’s usually taller than I am. And there’s lots of animals in the forest, vyrryn and brynn, stiplets and fiirits, lots of cool stuff.” Yotun snorted, looking away.
“A lot of people find the woods scary,” the girl whispered, like she was telling a secret.
“Really? Why?” Imdi asked.
“They say there’s dangerous things in the woods,” Yotun said darkly. “Evil things.”
“That’s why Papa set up the fence. Have you ever seen anything scary in the woods, Imdi?” Callio asked.
“No…” he said evenly. “We go out regularly to check on the monitors.”
“Monitors?” she said.
“The ecologists keep shadow monitors, release them into the forest,” Yotun muttered to her. The girl blinked and turned back to Imdi.
“So, you’ve seen them?! Actual predators?!” A few of the kids on the courtyard stopped in their play, overhearing the outburst.
“Well, yeah. They’re kind of cute actually.”
“They aren’t ‘cute’, they’re dangerous,” Yotun said, stepping up from the tree. “You don’t know anything about the forest.” The bigger boy made to walk off, but he was stopped in his tracks. A press of children was slowly growing around them, and Imdi looked about cautiously.
“Predators?” one whispered. “Did she say predators?”
“Yeah,” another replied, “and then the little one said they’re cute.” Gasps and susurrations rippled around the growing crowd. Callio shuffled to her feet uncertainly.
“You keep predators?!” A nearby child asked.
“W-well-” Imdi stuttered.
“I told you, must be from the freaks in the Brackwood.”
“Hey!” Callio called out.
“Shut up,” Yotun growled. “He’s just a kid.”
“Why don’t you pay me to rich boy?” Imdi wanted to get away from the confrontation, but the scary towering mass of angry students penned them in.
“Bet they’re diseased!”
“Who’re you feeding to them, pred lover?”
“They should all be destroyed!”
“No!” Imdi blubbered, making the crowd jeer.
“What?! They’re dangerous!” a girl spat.
“Of course they aren’t!” he implored them. “Mama and Baba wouldn’t let my sister and I play out there if–”
“Sister?” Yotun said slowly. “You… have a sister?!” Suddenly the boy became angrier than the mob nearby, and gripped Imdi by the shoulders. Yotun’s sharp claws dug into his flesh, making him cry out and drawing gasps from the crowd. “Name,” he snapped, his voice quiet but maddened. “What’s her name?!” Tears welled in Imdi’s eyes.
“Hey!” Irt barked across the courtyard, his cane tapping out an allegro as he advanced.
“What’s she look like?!” Yotun whispered between his teeth as the mass parted for the High-Priest. He easily pushed the older boy from Imdi with a foot. He’s stronger than he looks, some part of Imdi noted, pain aching in his shoulders. Irt pulled Yotun up by the wrist.
“What in the Protector are you doing?! I won’t have scuffles in the schoolyard!” He turned to the crowd, shaking his cane. “Shame on the lot of you. Bystanders are facilitators.” Grumbling and chuckling the crowd slowly dispersed, although a few still lingered nearby. “What’s the meaning of this, hm?” he said, looking between the three of them.
“Nothing,” Yotun mumbled, a heat in his eyes. Irt looked Imdi over, taking stock of his snivelling form.
“I doubt that. Imdi, lad, are you hurt?” He tossed his head at Callio. “Take the boy to the nurses office.” The cream-coloured girl looked shaken, hesitant to move. She glanced at Imdi with fearful eyes. “Hurry up lass, he’s not a pyq! When you’re done come find me,” he said in a voice that brooked no argument. Spinning, he marched Yotun away across the yard and into the school. Callio still stood there, and despite himself Imdi felt pity for her.
“S-sorry,” he mumbled, turning from her to hide his sniffles. “It’s all m-my f-fault.” He tried to wipe the tears from his eyes. “Sorry, oh, sorry.” The leaves crunched as the girl stood behind him, her paw resting lightly on his spines.
“C’mon,” she said quietly, “let’s get you looked at.”
~*~
The scuffle had left no lasting impact physically, but it seemed like his social standing had fallen through the floor. It was hard to focus on his activities when older kids would whisper in the halls, and he found himself counting down the hours until the bell rang. When it finally did, and he went to have some dinner, a dozen or more heads turned when he entered. Children fell back when he tried to get something to eat, recoiling like he was sick or something. Yet they kept looking, kept whispering. He accepted a small portion and retreated to a corner of the room.
When he went to go to bed, the rest of the dorm had shied away from him too, Roklin and Motley even barring him from entering. It was only when High-Priest Irt had come along to ask why he was not abed that the boys had at last relented. Imdi had managed to close his curtain before he started to cry. I want to go home! he thought as he sniffled. Why are they so mean? He felt around for the blankets but could not find them. They’ve taken them, he realised. I guess I don’t deserve them anymore…
Motley’s snoring started to echo about the chamber, and Imdi found it harder to ignore than ever. This night was colder than the last, and the chill started gnawing at his bones. He shut his eyes and could see his bedroom, could hear his father’s sonophone, smell his mother’s cooking. He could run with Ki-yu in his mind forever. But no matter how tight he shut them the shivering cold remained, and even his tears still wet his cheeks.
“Are you alright?” someone whispered through his curtain, startling him.
“G-go away…” Imdi whimpered. There was a long pause.
“Is it true?” the voice asked. “Your family keeps predators?” Imdi pulled back the curtain, turning his teary eyes out at Erryt. The older boy sat alongside Imdi’s alcove with his arms wrapped around his knees.
“What do you care?” Imdi sniffled. There was no fear or judgement in his eyes, rather his muzzle was twisted into a puzzling expression.
“I dunno… it’s… interesting is all.” He shrugged, frowning slightly. “That wasn’t right, what happened in the yard. Or these idiots.” Erryt smiled crookedly at Imdi. “Don’t worry, Roklin falls asleep in seconds, and Motley…” He tilted his head pointedly as a snore resounded through the chamber.
“Is… is it always like this?” Imdi croaked at him, sitting up and drawing the thin blankets he had left up about him. “Say o-one wrong thing and…”
“There’s always something,” the boy muttered. “Kids can be shitty like that. We’re all so caught up in ourselves that we can forget everyone else is in the same hole. Before you, Yotun was always being picked on. His families rich, everyone thought he was stuck up. Then it was Motley, no one had seen anyone like him when he showed up. He hates the name, you know? But he hates the idea of showing it more. So now he’s Motley.”
“I just…”
“Want to go home?” Erryt finished for him, nodding slowly. “The first one is the worst. And whilst it doesn’t feel like it, they’ll move on.”
“But… why me? What did I do?” The brindle boy tilted his head at him.
“You… really don’t know, huh? Your family keeps predators, Imdi. That’s…” he blinked at him with a slight shudder. “Doesn’t it… freak you out? Don’t they scare you?”
“No,” Imdi said quietly. “I actually… quite like them.”
“Really? Why?”
“They’re just…” ‘Not a word’, Baba had said, ‘don’t tell anyone.’ “They just aren’t as scary as you’d think. They aren’t mean, they’re kind of silly.”
“Silly?”
“The baby lizards are, yeah. They try and eat anything, even, like, fruit bigger than them!” Imdi giggled despite himself, and the older boy smirked.
“I’d… like to see that, actually,” he said, standing. He crept over to Motley’s alcove, and carefully opened his cabinet. Retrieving Imdi’s blankets, he tossed them over to him. “Try and get some sleep Imdi. It won’t make it better by itself, but it’s a start.” He turned away and sat on his own bed. Imdi was grateful for the warmth, laying down beneath them.
“They picked on you too, huh?” Imdi realised. The boy just smirked at him as he lay down, his lopsided face warping into something almost normal against his pillow.
“Welcome to school, Imdi. Good night.”
“…Good night, Erryt.”
~*~
For the third day, Imdi mostly kept to himself. He tried to keep interested in his classes, tried to focus on his letters. But he could hear the whispers at the back of the class, see the way the other kids looked at him. When lunch came, he dare not go back into the yard, so he went to explore the library. He was still struggling with his letters, so thought he would try to find something he could read. Settling down amongst the shelves, he pulled a large hard book and opened it. Imdi tried mouthing the letters as he read them, but it was a pain to keep track of the whole sentence. When he finished one word, it would slip from his mind like water into sand, and he would forget the last one. He tried a different, softer looking book. In this one the letters were larger, but that did not help the sentence problem, so he tried another, flicking through the pages to find a word, any word that he recognised. Why’re they getting so blurry? he wondered. The words would not come to him, no matter which book he looked at. Desperately he flung book after book from the shelves, flipping through them in a fit, flinging them behind him to flutter to the floor. Eventually he joined them, crying in a pile of scripture. His nose rubbed raw against the musty pages, his tears wetting the ink.
“You know,” a voice boomed softly between the shelves, and Imdi looked up from his tears to see Rylett standing over him. “The biblian would be quite distressed to find her books in such a state.”
“I’m sorry,” he muttered, trying to clear up the small library around him. “I- I didn’t m-mean to–”
“It’s okay,” she said, kneeling down before him carefully picking up the books.
“W-what’s a biblian?” he snuffled.
“Someone who looks after the books.” It had not occurred to him that these books might need looking after, and that they might be upset should he damage them.
“Sorry… I didn’t know there was one.”
“Oh, she’s a horrid old thing,” the woman said, blowing dust from an old tome. “Ugly and conniving. She’s been here so long she’s read all these books a dozen times.” Placing the book on the ground between them, she faced it to him and opened to the borrowers slip. The name Rylett was printed there more than any other. Imdi sniffed a half-hearted giggle at the jest.
“I guess you heard about what happened…” he said.
“I don’t think I’ve seen Irt that angry in a while. Quite a feat for your first week.”
“I’m sorry… I don’t know why Yotun was so mad.”
“I’ve already heard what Yotun has to say,” she sighed picking up another book, and gently smoothing out a bent page. “I’m more interested right now in how you’re doing.”
“All the other kids hate me…” he mumbled, looking to and then glancing shamefully away from her eyes.
“I don’t think that’s true.”
“Yes, it is!” he squeaked. “They hate the predators, and the forest, so they hate me.”
“What your parents do isn’t your fault Imdi,” she said softly. Does she think, Mama and Baba are bad? Imdi gawped at her. She paused when she saw his expression.
“D-don’t talk about M-Mama and Baba th-that way,” he sneered through his tears. Does everyone hate us? Rylett glanced back down at the book in her paws. It was opened to an illustrious coloured plate depicting the wooden goddess, but this time there was a fourth paragon. He was cloaked in vermillion and dark scarlet, his left paw outstretched and beckoning, whilst in his right he held a knife.
“You’re right,” she whispered. “That was judgemental of me. I apologise.” It was silent in the library as Rylett gently closed the book.
“You’d like them if you knew them,” Imdi whispered to her, watching as she blinked slowly at him. “Everyone thinks they’re nasty, but they’re not.”
“Is that why the fight happened, Yotun said the predators were nasty?” He looked away from her abashedly, not wanting to talk about predators or Yotun or anything. “Callio… said the fight started when you mentioned a sister,” Rylett pressed him, her voice crowding close between the shelves. “Are you not an only child?” Anxiety flooded him. If she knows, then others will know, then they’ll come for Ku!
“I…” Imdi’s breath caught in his throat, and Rylett’s sharp face started to frown. Fear is just a sign that this could be important.
“Yotun denied that you said such a thing, but Callio was quite insistent.” Her eyes narrowed as Imdi looked up at her pleadingly. “Your father said… Imdi… is everything all right at home?”
“E-everything’s fine. Honest,” he whispered. “I… just…” He looked between the shelves; they were alone as far as he could tell. Tell no one, Baba had said.
“Imdi… you can tell me if something’s wrong.”
“It’s fine,” he insisted. “We’re fine.” Her reddish face was very close to him, her eyes searching him deeply. She pursed her lips and pulled back.
“What were you in here for anyway?” she asked, changing the topic. “Other than toppling my shelves.”
“I was looking for some help for my letters.”
“There’s no rush Imdi, most kids don’t start on them for another year or so.”
“But I want to! I… just don’t get them.” She smiled at him.
“I appreciate your enthusiasm, but these older accounts wouldn’t be the best place to start.” Having returned the books to their shelves, she offered him a paw up. “Let’s find you something better, huh?” He stood to join her, but something snagged on his mind.
“Is Callio okay?” he asked quietly, making her turn back. “I haven’t seen her since…”
“She’s okay,” Rylett said, smiling softly.
“I think I scared her,” he admitted. My only friend… Rylett reached over, placing a paw on his shoulder.
“Callio is a brave girl, she’ll be alright,” she said. “But she’s worried about you.” Worried about me? Imdi wondered as they wandered between the shelves.
~*~
When the bell rung signalling the end of the final day, the ground thundered as the children scarpered for the main gates. It was a kind of stampede, but a joyous one. Baba was waiting by the gate, grinning as Imdi ran over as fast as his little legs could carry him. He picked his son up, holding him above his head. Imdi gripped at his Baba needily, and the pride in his father’s eyes turned to concern.
“Hey…” he cooed. “What happened?”
“Can we go home now?” Imdi asked quietly. Baba kissed him tenderly on the forehead and carried him over to the buggy. As they settled in, Imdi tried to ignore the eyes of the other students, a gaggle of older youths sharing a snicker. Callio stood a short distance away, and their eyes met. She smirked at him forlornly, and he gave her a weak wave.
Baba was quiet on the journey back to the Brackwood and let Imdi talk. He thought he would have cried more in recounting his three-day ordeal, but he just told it like a story, a tale that had happened to somebody else. His father’s grip tightened on the wheel throughout, but he never said a word. It was terrible, Imdi could not stand it; his father was a man of laughter. That was the worst thing, the silence of a joyous man. Eventually he just ran out of words. When the mountains rose up ahead of them, they looked like old friends. Then the forest came into view, a great band of dark black and green spanning the horizon.
“I’m sorry Baba,” Imdi whispered, and his father glanced over.
“What for, sweetheart?”
“I… let you down.” His father rumbled out a sigh, but not one of irritation.
“Imdi, you haven’t let me down. I think you did well, considering. What those kids did… it was mean, you didn’t deserve that. But that’s why they did it.” He took his eyes off the road long enough to take Imdi’s paw in his. “Don’t you waste any thought on them, Imdi. They aren’t worth it. I love you lad, I always will.”
When they at last arrived back at the lodge, Mama was standing at the door waiting for them. She made a show of clapping at him, and whilst he smiled sheepishly, he did not think he deserved it. Imdi had barely crossed the threshold when he was thrown across the room, a massive weight across him. The floorboards squeaked beneath them as brother and sister slid to a stop beneath the table, Ki-yu licking at his face aggressively.
“Imdi, Imdi, Imdi!” she chirruped happily.
“Ow…” was all he could say.
“How was it? What was it like? Did you see the city? It’s very smelly, isn’t it? She sniffed him all over. “Huh that’s different, lots of new smells… Must be the other kids, what where they like?” Imdi started laughing at her, then all the more when Baba bent under the table and casually yanked her off him by the tail, the girl making a satisfying yelp. They all laughed and ate and played games together. He was home, and the thoughts of school faded away.
But they came back that night, and Imdi could not sleep. He waddled out of bed and through the hall.
“Hey… Ku?” he whispered into the dark of her room. “You awake?” A moment later her long face coalesced from the blackness of the doorframe above him.
“You alright, Imdi?” she whispered to him.
“Yeah,” he mumbled. “Actually… no.”
“Baba said that you’d had a bad time.” she whispered.
“Can I talk to you about it?”
“Of course,” she said at once.
“Oh. So… I don’t have to bribe you with these?” He showed her the jar of sylphberries he had stolen from the kitchen, making her chortle avidly. The siblings sat by the living room window, looking up at the stars. Ki-yu ate so many of the berries even Imdi felt sick. But she sat, and listened as he talked about the children, the teachers, his lessons, and the strange idols. She grew tense and alert when he talked about the fight.
“Yotun was mean to you?!” Ki-yu breathed, her supple form arching in muscular tension. She shook her head sadly. I hate it when she’s sad…
“It wasn’t really him,” Imdi mumbled, turning to her. “More the other kids. I just… wish I’d done more.” He reached up to her, pulling her wide cheeks up into a distorted toothy smile. She snorted down at him, before hugging him to her. “I just wish they could see you, Ku.”
“You don’t need to fight for me, little brother,” she said resignedly. “They’ll always hate me.”
“But they shouldn’t,” Imdi whispered, more certain of that than anything. “It’s wrong.” Ki-yu licked his snout affectionately, and he hugged her strong neck tighter. “I’ll show them it’s wrong,” he promised. His sister sniffled against him.
“You’ll have to learn your letters first, brother mine.”
~*~
The buggy rolled to a stop outside the school. The prospect of another week filled him with dread, but he did not want to upset his parents. He had spent the last few days trying as hard as he could to learn his letters. Ki-yu had helped a lot, even making him a notebook of all the letters and their sounds. Leaving Baba in the buggy, he strode across the courtyard, and sat himself down in front of the doorway.
Imdi looked up at the carved words. The frame was a lovely dark wood, the varnish wearing around the edges. The letters were chipped in places, but the words were clear. Pulling out his notebook, he focused hard on the letters, making each sound phonetically as he went.
“Wuh… i-i- tuh, no… thuh…” A few of the other kids muttered to each other, shooting him odd glances as they passed, but he ignored them. Rylett stood at her post, looking on.
“Imdi?” she said.
“Oh… vee… arr…” She smiled to herself, gesturing for the other kids to head in. Eventually, it was just the two of them again, but she did not rush him, did not push him. Instead, the Priestess just sat and waited.
“Wi-th kn…ow…knowle-grrrr knowledge, oh-veee- over- cuh- cuh…come.” he read aloud. “With knowledge, overcome.”
“Yes!” Rylett shouted. “Well done! And all on your own!” Imdi grinned to himself, for he knew that he was not alone. For Ki-yu, he told himself.
---
“Suddenly I felt a misty consciousness as of something forgotten– a thrill of returning thought; and somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me. I knew then that ‘w-a-t-e-r’ meant the wonderful cool something that was flowing over my hand. That living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free! There were barriers still, it is true, but barriers that could in time be swept away.”
– Helen Keller, The Story of My Life. 1903.