I remember my mother would come into my room when I was a child. It would be the middle of the night, but she’d come to wake me anyway. She would be over excited to tell me about the story she just read and I’d wake up and be over excited to hear it. That’s what me and my mom shared before she passed, the love of myths and legends.
We were stuck in our small village, forbidden from traveling due to our people’s outdated beliefs. Before she married into our culture, she was an adventurer, a cartographer she called it. Mother would always rant about how she’d much rather be an adventurer, not bound by her duty to map out the unstable land. I promised her that I would get my chance, that I would explore Arcadia and come home to tell her if the legends she read were true. I didn’t escape home soon enough, so I’ll tell her when I see her again. Why did I tell you this? Because when I finally woke up, I felt like my mom was shaking me with excitement, telling me how adventure awaited me.
I woke up in a daze. I was in a tent but had no recollection of how I got there. Whispers could be heard outside the tent. I expected to be in pain because of my arm that was wrapped up in a fresh bandage but I wasn’t. I got up from the bed and made my way to the exit. The sun blinded and surprised me, masking the four men who stood before me. Finally noticing me, they began to act strangely; two shook their heads, one covered his eyes and the last one laughed uncontrollably. Managing to get some words in while laughing, he yelled, “Young Hare! Your boyfriend woke up and he is already naked for you!”
So here I am now, getting dressed in their wares that are all too familiar to me. This is the Glory Pack tribe. They are the least barbaric and most respectable of the Western tribes. They are skilled craftsmen, making beautiful jewelry out of anything they can get their hands on. They then enchant their jewelry, giving them magic properties. I’ve always wondered about the process so I hope they’ll be a chance to observe.
Ready to go, I stand in front of their makeshift mirror and look myself up and down. Not too bad. The tan I got from my battle with the sun made me almost as dark skin as one of their men. Still without a top, I wore a robe bottom made out of some unknown fur. Bones with strings were used to tighten the waistline. There were plenty of loops and notches to attach whatever knick-knacks you’d want. The sandals both completed the outfit and saved the soles of my feet from the searing sand.
I step closer to get a good look at my face. My new tan gave me a unique appearance. I had the features of a Concordian and the skin of a Westerner. My red eyes were the most distinct feature. I push my black hair out my eyes even though it wouldn’t affect my vision, I just think I look better that way. I’d look even better If I got it cut shorter. I leave the tent and am greeted by a tribesman. He was the one who laughed…
“It is a pleasure to have you. I am Were-Bee but you can call me Bee.”
“It’s a blessing to be in your care. I’m Vidian. I hope I don’t make too much trouble for you.”
“
You can drop the respectfulness, we are equals around here”
“Understood, but please forgive me as I’ve done it so much I can’t help myself.
“There you go again. Here come meet the alphas, they’ll enjoy the admiration”
In Arcadia, it’s a sign of respect to abbreviate your words, as to waste less of their time. I was raised to always speak this way, so it’s hard to change.
We made our way through the small village. The village consisted of tents all within throwing distances of each other and tarps that gave much needed escape from the sunlight. Men stood near the tents and watched. Women peek out the tents while their kids whispered questions about me into their ears. It must be their first time seeing an outsider. I’m sure they weren’t scared, almost every man was taller and buffer than me. Bee was the skinniest of the men I’ve seen so far, even skinnier than me, But judging by the gold jewelry that hanged from his skirt, he was well respected.
“Do not worry, they do not bite.”
“I’m more worried that I’m being a bother.”
“No, they love seeing a warrior like you. Judging by those burns, I would guess you were in the Sere for over a week. Everybody here respects you!” As if it was scripted, all the tribesmen grabbed their shoulders in a salute.
“But we over here do not. We know you were saved by Young Hare.” Bee laughed again as we reached our destination. I was getting angry that he was laughing at me, but to be a good guest I bit my tongue.
We exited the web of tarps to once again meet with the sun. In front of me sat the 3 Alphas. The two buff men looked to be twins while the old man looked more fragile than the rest of the village. They sat on a huge wooden bench that wrapped around in a nearly closed circle. The bench was crafted with care. Carved into its back was predators stalking their prey while also being stalked, starting with a werewolf and ending with a snake. A dragon watched over the animals from the left end. You could tell the person who made this thought of it as more than just a bench.
“This is our guest Vidian,” Bee introduced me to Alphas while I took a bow.
“It’s a blessing to be in your care. The bench is a beautiful piece.”
“We welcome you warrior. Come sit.” I sit on the opposite side of the bench.
“I am Were-Hound, oldest of the Alphas. This is Were-Hawk and Were-Eagle.”
“Nice to meet you.” I direct my greetings towards Hawk and Eagle but they only stare in response.
“They do not talk much, especially not to outsiders,” Bee chimes in.
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“Bee, show some respect. He’s a guest here. As a guest here you may stay as long as you need to recover.”
“It seems it won’t take long in your care,” I express as I stretch, showing how healed I am already.
“You see, the rings are the only reason you feel like you’re in such good health. You still need to rest, you’ve might’ve torn a few stitches already.” I look down and notice 8 rings, one on each finger.
“Amazing… I didn’t even feel them.”
“They are made by our finest hands. Once they run out, you’re on your own.”
“Thank you so much, I can only hope to repay you in some way.”
“You can thank us with your words. Tell me, what are you. Not human, maybe a puppet or from Mira’s Forest?”
“I’m just Concordian.” It took me a second to understand. “Oh, my eyes. They are gifts from the god Ciris.”
“So you are like a deity? Prophet?”
“No, I’m just... lucky. Ciris sees everything and he saw I needed help.”
“Lucky Rabbit! That will be your name.”
“Hold your tongue Bee! We do not give outsiders names. You will behave in front of our guest. Take your position seriously.”
“Sorry, sir.” Bee sank in his seat.
“How do your tribe names work?”
“Each boy is given at prefix and name as they grow up. When they complete their trial they earn their generations clan name, this one being Were. every second generation, the Alphas get together and change it. The last generation was War, due to the wars for land that were going on. We have changed it to Were, showing that we have had a change of heart. We’re no longer just beast, we’re human too.”
“I see.” I couldn’t say much because it sounded backward to me.
“Look who finally showed up. Young Hare.”
“Join us, Young Hare.”
Young Hare was different than I Imagined. She was no bigger than Bee and had short silky hair. Hare was different than the other girls, whose skin was lighter due to being restricted to the shade. She was as dark as everyone there. I’d love to see her cute face smile, but she was in no mood.
“Vidian, this is Young Hare. She saved your life man, show her some respect,” Bee said with a few giggled here and there.
I stood up and bowed, “I’m Vidian. My life is in your debt.” She looked at me but didn’t say anything to me.
“I beg you to reconsider Were-Hound. My trial did not come to a fair conclusion.”
“You had the choice between becoming a warrior and saving a life. You choose wisely, you should be proud of your decision.”
“Young Hare, women are confined to the shade for good reason. Your skin can’t take the harsh heat and you have a better affinity for magic than men. Just let us men do what we do best.”
“Shut up Bee, don’t forget I use to beat your ass as a kid.”
“That’s enough Young Hare. Respect nowadays is hard to find.” Hound looked back and forth at the two. “Your trial is done and you did not pass. You should be honored your way of life was tolerated up till now. We have rules and they will be followed.”
“I can do it, I can do it without water. Please, father, say something.” Hawk looked at me before opening his mouth.
“We have rules for a reason.”
Hare stormed off and I drifted off. I do remember the boring stuff we talked about after that, but I feel like this narrative is much more interesting. I use my eyes to play out the future and locate where Hare would be at night. It was as I thought, she was trying to sneak off somewhere, I wonder where… I sneak up on her as she’s preparing to leave.
“So the sun never sets in The Sere but on the edge, it’s the regular day and night?” I visibly startle her. Her face went from straight fear to anger within seconds.
“SHH you idiot, I’m trying not to be caught.”
“Are you going in The Sere?” She didn’t answer. “I think you forgot to pack water.”
“That’s the point. It’s to prove I’m better than everyone before me.”
“Bee said he barely had enough water to last him.”
“Yea, well Bee is a pushover. The only reason he’s an Alpha is that Uncle Eagle is an Alpha.”
“What about your sandals. Here they are.” I go to hand her the sandals and she swats them to the ground.
“What's your problem?”
“You are. If you never showed up I’d be a warrior right now. There was no way I was going to fail, but I just had to save you. I’m the idiot, if you got yourself in that situation you should have gotten you’re out.”
“I think you did the right thing.” I crack a smile but she didn’t seem too happy about the joke.
“Want me to give up? That’s what you wanted right? For me to just be a useless tool for enchanting. Well, that’s not going to happen, I’ll prove myself.”
“I don’t want you to give up. You’ve come this far, you got to get what you want. I just don’t think this is the right way.”
“Right way huh? Correct way. Well, let me tell you this story. This sand we’re standing on didn’t use to be sand. It was grass as far as you can see to the west. Trees grew and plants flourished. It was our first generation, the Tamed, who changed it. They were the greatest craftsmen to ever walk this land, you know why? Because they never stopped crafting. The grass was weaved into celebratory crowns for those who passed their trials. Plants and fruits became beautiful baskets for neighboring tribes. And the trees became the biggest houses you’d ever see. But nature was reaching its limits. Before the trees and grass could grow back from all their taking, war struck; all the houses became targets, all the baskets became poisoned and the land became barren. So was it wise to use up all our resources?”
“I don’t understand the point of the st…”
“Point is the first generation wasn’t right about a lot. What everyone thinks is ‘the right way’, doesn’t mean it’s correct.”
“That’s right. And it’s so hard to change what the majority thinks is right, no matter how wrong it is.” Hare looked at me. I felt this was the first time she was seriously listening to me.
“I’m not saying they’re correct, I’m just saying this won’t change their minds. Trust me, I’ve had experience. Maybe there’s a third option you haven’t thought about.”
“Yea right…” Hare stood up and finished stretching. “Just don’t tell anyone where I’m going”
“Good luck I guess.”
I watched her walk out of the tent leaving behind nothing of importance.
I exit next and on my way back to my tent I run into Hound.
“Hey Were-Hound, Hare just left to repeat the trial.”
“You just let her go!?!”
“I figured as an outsider I should remain in my place. I thought it’d be best If I told you”
“Damn her, we’ll have to start a search immediately.”
For an old man, he ran pretty fast. I continue towards my tent when it hits me. It felt like I was smacked in the face with a shield. I could barely hold myself up. The rings wore off already. The pain in my arm went from unnoticeable to unignorable. I’m, pretty sure I’m going to fall again…
You don’t know it, but I could have stopped her. I could have her become the obedient enchantress they wanted her to be. I could have had her come with me or go through with the trial. If I was feeling a bit fiendish that day, I could have made her fight against her people. A silver tongue is the strongest weapon, but even it falls flat compared to my eyes. I could have gone through that scenario as many time as needed until I got the outcome I wanted, but I didn’t. This book isn’t about me, it’s about Arcadia and it’s stories. I’m just a minor character.
Anyway, I’ve been pretending to be passed out for 2 days now. The tribe seems anger at me, so I wanted to get in as much rest as I could before I ‘wake up’. I rise from my bed and I’m welcomed by Hawk. He lay his hand on my right shoulder.
“Your job as an outsider is not to stay in your place. It is to do what is right.” The giant of a man squeezed my shoulders until I screamed in pain. “Move.”
Throbbing in pain, he escorted me to the other Alphas. Everyone looked at me with fiendish eyes, Bee even had on his serious face.
“As punishment for coming into our village and getting our brave warrior, Young Hare killed, You are now banished from all associated Western tribes. If we see you after today Red Eyes, you are as good as dead.” Were-Hound had clearly meant what he said. I should just walk off and accept this outcome, but I can’t do that, not without saying something first.
“Were-Hare is the only true Were here. That sounded funny but it isn’t, it’s the truth. You claim that you’re Were now because you’ve changed but you yourself are not open to change. All she wanted was change.”
“Having lycanthropy does not mean you are open to change, it means you change randomly.”
“Like how you changed from speaking to me respectfully to this? You don’t actually have lycanthropy and be glad for that. You can be open for change if you wanted.”
“Leave Red Eyes, before I stick my fist down your throat,” Bee exclaimed.
“You don’t give outsiders names remember? Guess that randomly changed too.”
The Glory Pack, a western tribe so stuck in its traditions, it refuses to change. I was warned about them by my old sparring partner. His name was Flightless-Drake. We called him Drake. He was born as a twin to a sister. He inherited her ability to enchant, so he wanted to train both his skills. It came to the point that he passed his trial, but the Alphas told him he must stop practicing his enchanting too. They didn’t listen when he said he liked enchanting more. He left his Were name behind with his village. He had once said, “Not even Werewolves want to change.”
My next destination was Manavela Mountain. It was right passed High Reach Mountain. As the name applies, it’s pretty high, so I decided to go around. This required me to dip into the Sere for a bit. At the very edge of the Sere is this giant forest that wraps around Manavela. Right at the edge of the sand is where I found it. A normal man wouldn’t have seen it, but I did. I dig under the ground in exactly the right spot and manage to wrestle it from out the sand. It brought tears to my eye. It was a Glory Pack sandal. I dig out the other one and leave both our pairs on the nice green grass instead. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll see her again.