OLD . DAYS

[CrimsonMoon]

Her ears twitch faintly as they reach the thinning line of trees, the smell of honey had grown so overpowering that it eas nearly impossible not to start growing hungry. The small village was scatter across the narrow glen. Men and women worked together foraging or cleaning hides or doing other chores while children played, there was a certai air of peace and quiet that floated in the air like a warm blanket. A herd of horses with oddly lean bodies grazed nearby.

N'Reak smiles brightly, seeming to relax visibly," It's so much quieter than usual... Everyone must be nervous about the ceremonies..."

[Light]

His stomach growls softly from the sweet smell, and he swings his head back and forth slowly, looking around. "It seems... nice, really nice,"

[CrimsonMoon]

N'Reak beams," I'm glad you like it, now come on, you'll wanna meet my daddy," she chirps and begins to jog ahead, her hands brushing the tall golden grass as she passes

[Light]

He winces a bit and follows her in a quick walk, his hand braving the tall golden grass, brushing against it. He looks all around, his eyes consumed by the nature.

[CrimsonMoon]

The girl moved slightly faster as theyreach a hut near the outskirts of the village," Papa," she calls," Papa!"

A huge man that could only be described as bear-like appears," N'Reak who-"

" A boy who got hurt! I call him No Name," she answers immediately, glancing back to grin at No Name

[Light]

His dark grey bangs fall over his eyes as he lowers his head for a moment. He raises it back up after a moment, looking at the large man and his daughter once again. He wasn't scared per se, just... wary.

[CrimsonMoon]

The large man crosses his arms over his broad expanse of a chest and glares down at No Name, a scar was plastered over his left eye, making him look even more fearsome," You know how we are about having outsiders in the village during the moon's final cycle," he rumbles sternly

" He needs help," N'Reak murmurs, her head dropping,"... And he's my age... And he's nice..."

The man's gaze softens faintly

[Light]

No Name stands still, his shoulders shaking a bit as the man stared down at him. "S... Sorry for intruding during a sacred time to your people, sir,"

[CrimsonMoon]

The man blinks slowly and shakes his head," It's quite alright, my boy, it is more of a... Safety issue for you rather than us." He pauses and taps his chin,"... If you wish to stay than you'll have to take part in the ceremony,"

N'reak smiles at him excitedly, nodding enthusiastically

[Light]

He glances at N'reak before nodding his head, "A-ah, N'reak told me a little about it," --he didn't know how he felt about being told it was a safety issue for him... it made him jumpy.

[CrimsonMoon]

The man nods with a small smile, sitting down right in the grass and crossing his muscular legs," There is a process in the ceremony called 'The Trial', where the ones involved test their endurance against an element of their choice... N'Reak will be participating as well so you won't be alone."

[Light]

"Testing endurance?" he questions, "it sounds difficult," he crosses his arms nervously; if a girl was gonna be in it, it couldn't be that bad... right?

[CrimsonMoon]

" You shall see, it is rare for an outsider to witness our actions," The man explains quietly

N'Reak smiles and sits against No Name's legs," But for now... We get to rest. Are you hungry?" She asks, smiling up at him

[Light]

He swallows, and hearing N'reaks' question, nods is head. He felt empty--and his stomach felt like it was folding on itself, "Y-yeah,"

[CrimsonMoon]

She stands again, taking his hand and pullin him toward the hut," Come," she cooes, the smell of warm, drying berries hitting him like a wall. The scents of the village were almost too much to handle.

N'Reak quickly kneels next to a gourd in the corner of the dark hut, scooping up a handleful of dry berries and holding them out to him," Huckleberries," she chirps

[Light]

He takes them from her, eying the berries for a moment before putting one in his mouth. This place--it smelled so sweet, but it had all these other scents too, it was making him dizzy. "Good..."

[CrimsonMoon]

She smiles and pops a few into her mouth, walking back out to wearher father was dozing in the warm sunlight, lying down nearby. N'Reak looks at No Name and smiles sleepily," Don't be scared... Ok? Cuz i'll help you..."

[Light]

He slowly follows her, his eyes downcast to the ground for a moment before looking back at her. He sits down in the grass, putting a few more berries in his mouth, "... Mm." he dips his head, and lets his eyes fall back to the swaying blades of grass.

[CrimsonMoon]

N'Reak lies down, watching him for a few seconds before sighing and closing her eyes

[CrimsonMoon]

N'Reak lies down, watching him for a few seconds before sighing and closing her eyes