Meanwhile, back in Yenga the villagers are beginning to awaken and begin their day. Throughout the village all seems calm when suddenly the calm atmosphere is disrupted by shouting. Many stop what they are doing to look over. Chief Yetzan is yelling at Natutu, “ I told you yestermorrow, you must make a choice. Time is nearing for you to grow up, be the dhanda you were meant to be!” As Yetzan finishes yelling he walks away from the lower gates towards the village market. There are several villagers gathered whispering amongst each other as Natutu stands back at the gates embarrassed. Yote meets with Yetzan in the market, looking past the chief at Natutu in the distance, he then turns his attention back to Yetzan who huffs before he complains, “ I don’t think that kooje will ever be a dhanda. It pains me that he is mine.” Yote darts his eyes to the side before answering, “ oi my chief deeze fings take time. In de meantime oiv gavard de lookers, an de listeners. We’re ready to search for deemze pale skinned dhandas wot Dwege an Giblet had spoke of.” Yetzan smiles, “ ahh yes some excitement. Do we know where they were headed, or why they are here?” Yote shakes his head, “ no my chief, only dat dey are where dey shouldn’t be an dey ave a weapon we could use.” He smirks as he imagines what he would do with such a weapon if he had it in his power. Yote fantasizes taking the village by force for himself, as Shukara falls in love with him and his newly acquired weapon. Yetzan notices Yote is in a daze, snapping his fingers in front of Yote’s eyes there is no response. “ Hey Yote! You alright?” Suddenly Yote snaps out of it, “ huh, wot appened?” He asks. Yetzan bewildered by Yote’s actions replies, “ I was about to ask you the same thing. Anyhow let’s get going, the more time we waste the further away we may have to travel.” Yote nods in agreement. “ Yes my chief, royt away. Everyone will be gavahed just outside de village, we will start de search on Allmeya’s farm.” Yetzan nods, “ sounds good to me. I’ll meet you there.” Yote smiles before leaving Yetzan’s presence, as the chief turns around to call for Natutu. “ Well you going to stand there all day or what?” He shouts. Natutu looks over to see his father calling to him. He makes his way over towards him. Yetzan says, “ we are to search for those dhanda’s you heard about yestermorrow.
We will start at Allmeya’s farm and continue from there.” Natutu smirks, “ alright. Should I bring anything?” Yetzan shakes his head replying, “ no, just focus on the task.” Natutu nods and excitedly begins to walk away from his father who shouts, “ and Natutu!...” Getting his attention Natutu stops to look back. “ What is it?” He asks. Yetzan concludes, “ this doesn’t change what I said yestermorrow either. You better choose a madja or I’ll make the choice for you.” Natutu huffs, “ yes farjer!” He replies, walking away. Yetzan notices a group of villagers watching off in the distance. He shouts, “ what are you looking at?” They quickly disperse and act as if they are all busy. Yote gathers all those partaking in the search just outside the market, Errow, Chargus, Lutzi, Dwege, and Giblet. All standing before the short statured advisor to the chief who’d demanded their presence. Natutu makes his way towards the group from off in the distance. Yote begins his speech, “ oim sure dat some of yews are wondering why it is dat eye’ve gavered yew here.” Chargus and Errow look at each other for a brief moment with a quick half smirk as Errow raises his eyebrows. Darting his eyes to the side he signals towards Lutzi standing at the very end of the group looking forward. Giblet and Dwege pretend as if they don’t know what Yote is going to say as he paces about in front of the group. Natutu approaches stopping between the two one step in front. Dwege looks over at Giblet who nods to him. Both men take a half step away to make room for Natutu to join the group. Yote turns back to see Natutu enter the conversation, “ as oi wos saying, dere as been word of a few dhandas dat don’t belong ere, ow would you say...” he tilts his head side to side as he rotates his fingers in an attempt to come up with an answer. “ Creeping about?” Natutu offers up a solution to Yote’s loss for words. “ dats it, dey been creeping about on Allmeya’s farm as far as we know. We are ta break into groups an search de area. Chargus, yew go wif Errow an check the perimitah.” Chargus and Errow nod and smile as Yote continues, “ Dwege an Giblet, yew retrace de steps yew took yestermorrow. See if peraps dere’s somefing you missed. Lutzi you are to go wif Natutu and search de ole ouse. If yew find anyfing, and I mean anyfing that could lead us to dem tell me immediately. You ave your orders, now go.” Yote commands as he flicks his hands as if to sweep the group away with the back of his fingers. Dwege and Giblet nod and begin to walk in opposite directions. After a few steps Giblet notices Dwege walking in the other direction. He turns back to chase after him. Yote shakes his head taking a deep breath. “ Doze tew are opeless!” He mutters. Natutu turns to face Lutzi, “ well we should probably get going.” He says walking towards him. Lutzi breathes heavily before responding. “ Sure thing.” He replies. The six men headed to the farm outside the village as Yote stands there. Yetzan approaches from behind, “ well what will we do then?” He asks startling Yote who quickly turns around to face the chief. “ What will we do?” Yote repeats. Yetzan opens his eyes slightly as he lowers his head, “ yeah that’s what I asked.” He mentions as Yote thinks and looks around. “ We’ll search de unting grounds. Cover more area dat way. If dey’re out dere we will find dem” Yetzan smiles, “ sounds like a plan.” He says as he pats Yote on the shoulder. Yote looks down at Yetzan’s large hand right next to his face. Stepping forward Yote wastes no time. Yetzan’s hand still holding tugs the chief to follow until he removes his hand from the little man.
All four groups split up in their search, heading out on various course in the same direction. Meanwhile at the edge of the grasslands Jex and Narfeesh make it into the clearing. The sound of the waves crashing ashore can be heard nearby. The air becomes cool and moist as the vast ocean is spread from end to end as far as the eye can see. Reaching the top of the cliff where the ground changes from soft and grassy to jagged rocks, Jex and her father stop for a moment. She smiles at the sight of the bright blue water. “ You haven’t been here for a long time!” He tells her. “ Yes I remember when I was a kooje, you and mahmu took me here.” He smiles a very large grin as he reminisces about those days. “ ahh yes your mahmu loved coming here!” He exclaims. Jex proceeds to ask, “ why did we ever stop coming here?” Narfeesh replies, “ I am reminded of your mahmu...” His large smile begins to fade. Jex nods, “ oh right... sorry to bring up painful memories.” Narfeesh shakes his head. “ ohh no it wasn’t you. Being here incites the old thoughts. Never mind that thought, what do you say we head down there.” He asks as the two approach the cliff’s edge he points down. Looking over Jex gasps, “ do you see that?” She asks. Narfeesh looks down, focusing his sight in the general direction she is looking. “ What is that?” He questions placing his hands over his brow to block out excess light from above. “ It looks like a large piseczis, do you think it swam ashore?” She replies. “ Quickly, this may be our fortunis. If it just died recently we can still use it for meat!” Narfeesh excitedly states. Making his way down the side of the cliff he quickly gestures for her to follow. Jex climbs down the rock ledge onto the loose slope leading down.
The two hastily make their way towards the beach where they’d seen the large object washed ashore. As they run across the sand closer they notice many dead creatures along the waterline. The large slumped over one becomes closer. The two then gain a better perspective realizing what they thought they had seen to be incorrect. “ That’s not a piseczis! It’s a dhanda!” Jex says. Narfeesh nods in acknowledgment before he instructs her, “ quickly turn him onto his back.” The two of them bending over to push the pale skinned man from his side. All the while behind them the waves crashing ashore in a never ending bombardment with the land. The rocks that litter the ground, battered by the water. Smashing against each other in an endless battle until only grains of their once whole being are left in their place. Settling only to be swept up by the next crashing wave moments later. As the two Tirbalians quickly work with the unconscious body they are unaware someone is watching from the distance. “ Listen to the center for Any boomba?” Narfeesh commands as he points to the chest. Jex leans in placing her ear onto the unusual fabric clothing the body. There is a very slow beating of the heart. “ Yes I can hear it. Boomba...boomba.” She replies, Narfeesh nods as he then instructs the next steps. “ Grab the legs, I’ll grab underneath his shoulders. We have to take him to the base of the cliff there.” He says pointing to the rock face that they had climbed down from. Jex nods, she quickly moves into position grabbing both legs, Narfeesh grabs the upper body firmly. He nods giving the signal to lift as the two stand to their feet lifting the limp body of the unconscious Atlantean. The two walk in unison over the sand making their way to the cliff to hide beneath the rocks protruding from the cliff walls. Placing the body down the two both pant to catch their breath. “ Why here of all places?” Jex questions. Narfeesh points up to the rock above, “ if they come looking for us from above where we were they will not see us down here.” Jex looks up, “ ahh..” She says bringing her head back down, she then notices the foot tracks and trail in the sand they made coming over. “ What about the markings in the sand? They will see those for sure and then they will know.” Narfeesh looks over his shoulder, he nods in agreement. “ You are probably right.” He replies. Bending forward he grabs a handful of sand. Stepping a few steps out from the cover of the rocks he tosses the sand into the air. Jex inquires, “ what are you doing?” Narfeesh watches as the sand blows slightly to the left. “ Did you see that? The wjindis will cover our tracks in time.” He explains. Puzzled Jex shakes her head, “ what do you mean?” Narfeesh steps back under the rock cove. “ The wjindis will blow the sand over and cover our tracks. If we attempt to cover them ourselves it may end up looking unnatural, then when or if they do come pursuing us and they see it they won’t know why but they will know something is out of place.” Jex breathes heavily, “ alright, so what now?” She says in response. Narfeesh shrugs replying, “ I don’t know but this dhanda needs our help right now, so we should do what we can.” Jex looks down at the very pale skin, and light hair. “ Yes but who will help us when we need it?” She asks. Narfeesh replies, “ patience dawtea, everything in it’s own time. Perhaps we are meant to find this dhanda. By helping him in turn we are helping ourselves.” Blinking several times Jex questions her father’s words, “ what? How does that even make any sense?” She then asks irately. Narfeesh looks at the ground behind him before sitting back onto it. Exhaling he responds, “ you still have much to learn, and I will not be around forever to teach you.” He says inspecting his palms. Jex brushes the ground behind her with her hand before she lowers herself down to sit also. Crossing her legs she then interlocks her fingers into each other placing her hands onto her lap. “ Why do you say this?” She asks. Narfeesh replies, “ there is so much more to this life then we are allowed to know. More than we are able to experience in a single lifetime. This is why it is important to learn as much as we can in our short time. This is because when our time is up, if we have not passed on what we have learned then we have not lived effectively.” Jex scrunches up her nose as her eyes begin to tingle. Narfeesh continues, “ think about your mahmu, in her time there was much she had learned but yet never got the opportunity to pass on to you. Now that you are growing and becoming older you have to learn those same things but on your own.” Jex nods as memories of her childhood rekindle, she half smiles thinking of the time when things were simpler. Her father concludes what he has to say. “ So although at this time it may seem imprudent to assist this dhanda, in the grand scheme of things perhaps he is a necessary piece to our puzzle that will assist us later on, teaching us things we could not yet learn on our own. He has been intertwined in our fate for a reason, and as so we should take this moment to embrace that and help him.” Jex smiles, she looks at the Atlantean on the ground and then at her father. “ I think I understand farjer.” As a small tear rolls down her cheek she spots something out of the corner of her eye. She bends forward to push herself to her feet. “ What is it?” Narfeesh asks, as she moves closer to the edge of the cove to get a better look, However nothing is there. “ I thought I saw something.” She replies looking down the beach as the waves crash onto he sand and retract back into the large body of water. Looking over his shoulder Narfeesh comments, “ could have been your eyes playing tricks. We will need to gather some food, and get moving again soon. Who knows when those goonji’s will arrive, and I don’t want to be around when they do.” Jex steps back into the cover behind the rocks. “ Yes, what shall we do then?” She inquires. Narfeesh replies, “ you stay here with the dhanda, I will go gather. If you hear anything try to remain calm.” He stands to his feet dusting his back and legs off. Jex sits back onto the ground, “ be careful.” She warns as Narfeesh removes his satchel placing it onto the ground beside her. “ Don’t worry, I will be right back.” He reassures her. Grabbing her fathers satchel and pulling it close she nods, “ alright. Be safe and step soft.” Narfeesh nods before turning to gather. He walks along the cliff base to avoid making more foot prints in the sand. Jex opens her father’s satchel removing the golden relic to inspect it. In the distance the one who had been watching the entire time sees Narfeesh leave, as well as Jex holding the golden stone.
Meanwhile, at the abandoned Allmeya farm the three groups with their various tasks search about for any clues that will lead them to find what they are looking for. Giblet and Dwege walking around outside through the fields stop for a moment. “ What are we going to do if they don’t find those two dhandas we saw?” Dwege asks. Giblet shakes his head, “ what dhandas? You mean the ones that we made up? What are we going to do when they find out we lied? I don’t know probably get our heads cut off.” Giblet replies angrily. Dwege misunderstanding asks, “ well I thought it was your idea in the first place?” Giblet shakes his head, “ no you blurted it out, I wasn’t serious when we were talking about it on the way back. I thought you understood that!” Dwege answers, “ well don’t you think that if I knew that I wouldn’t have told them!” Giblet slaps his own face, “ please tell me you are not this stupid.” Dwege shrugs, “ what do you mean? How stupid?” Giblet exhales, “ we need to figure something out and fast, otherwise it’s going to be us we are hunting and not some made up dhandas.” Dwege tilts his head, “ how can we hunt for ourselves if we are right here.”Giblet Shakes his head, “ no it’s not us hunting us. It will be them hunting us. I give up let’s just leave right now before they catch on. That way we can have a head start.” He then begins walking away. Dwege still unable to comprehend asks, “ where will we go?” Giblet shrugs throwing his arms out to the sides, “ I don’t know nor do I care.” As he continues to walk along the path of the field. Meanwhile inside the house Natutu and Lutzi look around at the mess created. “ What do you think happened here?” Natutu asks looking around. Lutzi spots the broken cucass jar and various scattered belongings left behind. “ It’s hard to say. Looks like some kind of struggle took place. From what I can tell.” Natutu then walks towards Jex’s room, he smiles. “ It this her room?” He asks taking a deep breath in before entering. Lutzi looks over at Natutu to see him go in. He walks around looking at things on the wall, trinkets and odd things. Walking past the door he spots Natutu sprawled out on Jex’s bedding as he rolls around sniffing the ursus fur covers muttering, “ to think she actually slept here!’ As he laughs maniacally.
Brushing off the comment Lutzi spots a hand carved wooden ornament made from a tree that had fallen. On the top corner there was an intricate marking. “ What is this?” He questions lifting it closer for a better look. Realizing it was the very same symbol he’d seen earlier on the skin that he’d acquired. Quickly he places the ornament into his satchel. Standing in the door way to Jex’s room Natutu inquires, “ and just what do you intend to do with that?” Catching Lutzi off guard, he replies, “ well they won’t need it anymore now do they?” Natutu smiles, “ you’re right, I like your style.” Marching right back into the room he gathers the blanket and places it over his shoulders. “ I’m taking this home, after all she won’t be needing it now will she.” He laughs so hard he snorts stopping abruptly as he looks over at Lutzi who rolls his eyes. Natutu asks, “ well did you find anything interesting?” Shaking his head, Lutzi replies, “ nothing of any use to us.” As he begins to make his way to the door Natutu runs in front blocking him. “ What are you doing?” Lutzi asks slightly annoyed. Natutu holds out his hands, “ wait, show me what that was that you had taken first.” Lutzi leers at Natutu, “ why. What importance is it of yours?” Natutu becomes infuriated, “ it is very important. Do you want me to tell my farjer you are a pillager?” Lutzi sighs, “ and I suppose you taking her blanket is not considered pillaging?” Natutu turns his face into the fur draped over his shoulders, taking a big whiff he responds. “ No, it is very different. This blanket is useful and can keep me warm when I am cold. She will not be using it and I will, so I am not pillaging, just borrowing. Besides I will be having her as my wifge soon. So what’s hers is mine. Whatever it was you took was small and can be hidden, so it must not be useful. That means you stole it and only for your own sake. Very selfish and intolerable. My farjer will be hearing of this.” He smiles smugly. Lutzi scoffs, very displeased to hear what Natutu just said as he himself has liked Jex for as long as he could remember. “ Alright you sifaris sap, here...” as he digs inside his satchel for the ornament. Grabbing it he tosses it at Natutu’s chest. It spins as he fumbles it and clumsily drops it onto the floor. Lutzi rolls his eyes shifting his weight from one side to the other. “ Now that’s more like it.” Natutu says grunting as he bends over to grab the ornament. Standing erect he inspects the object. “ This is it? This piece of junk? At least take something of value.” Lutzi closes his eyes breathing deeply to remain calm. “ Looks like an imitation of the bigger one my farjer has.” Natutu states. Tossing it back, Lutzi opens his eyes snatching it out of the air. Natutu opens the door and steps out as Lutzi inspects the object for damage. Noticing a small chip protruding on the back side. Lutzi scoffs, replacing the ornament back into his satchel before he leaves the dwelling just as the wooden door swings shut slamming closed in the empty house.
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