Member
Kangutso
Lord Zee
Dinh AaronMk
Timemaster
Lunamaria Hawke
Taeryn
Nallore
Sigma
ButtsnBallsSerenis and the Wuhdige
It was a frigid morning. The naked branches of the woods were drizzling with snow like salt from a shaker, and the inhabitants had long since tucked away in their homes and holes. The only sound vibrating through the forest soundscape were two adjacent pairs of steps, denting the snow with low crunches. With a broad smile under his whiskers, an emboldened Jokuanhe led his slightly less bold betrothed Julempe, daughter of old Yupe, between the whitened trees. While they held hands, Julempe struggled to keep the pace of her partner, often falling behind a little. Jokuanhe eventually turned and gave her a sympathetic, wry smile.
“Juley, are you getting tired? Did you forget to eat breakfast again?”
The young girl stopped and twiddled her thumbs sheepishly. “It’s just… We’re really far away from the cave. We haven’t really explored the island yet and, well, we don’t really know what’s out here. The mainland had bears and things - the kind that took grampa.” She hung her head. “Maybe we should turn back.”
Jokuanhe sighed and went over to hug her. “Look, it’s not that far left. I told you, it’s the prettiest place I’ve ever seen. It’s got all these icicles and things that the Skylight shines through - it sparkles like the stars!” He pulled away to see Julempe smiling faintly.
“Like the stars?” she asked softly.
“Just like the stars,” Jokuanhe affirmed and tugged her along. “Come on. It’s just over this hill. With newfound vigour, the selka girl followed along. Eventually after climbing the rocky hillside for what to a selka was a frightening amount of time, the two reached a small clearing at the top, surrounded by grey-barked trees. There trees, however, were far from naked, and in the absence of leaves icicles had taken their place, hanging off the branches like a whiskers off selka lips. Julempe stood gaping, letting out quiet gasps. Jokuanhe grinned at her.
“Told ya, didn’t I?”
“Oh, Jokua…” she started and leaned her head on the taller selka’s shoulder. “This is like nothing I could’ve imagined…”
Jokuanhe wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Happy you like it. Look, if you really squint and look, you can almost see--...” He froze and Julempe frowned at him.
“Jokua, is something wro-Woah!” Jokuanhe pulled her along behind a nearby boulder and put his hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened as she looked up at her partner, who put one finger of his mouth and peeked over the side. There, in the distance, came a great, flying beast.
Serenis shivered, holding her arms close to herself. Even with the protection Kree provided, she could feel the frigid air on her skin. Kree growled curiously as he glanced upward, noticing his companion’s discomfort. Serenis rubbed him gently in response. “I’m alright, Kree. It’s just a little chilly, that’s all.” Things were looking rather depressing for them, though. The tree branches Kree usually ate to stave off hunger were now covered with icicles, making them harder to eat properly. There were few animals they could find to hunt down as well. Serenis wanted to make their journey more comfortable for Kree, but she wasn’t sure what she could do in a situation like this.
Suddenly, Kree began to dive, taking Serenis out of her own thoughts. “Kree? Where are you going?” As they flew closer and closer to the ground, Serenis could see a pair of humanoid seals. Kree landed next to them and began to sniff them, trying to determine if they were edible. The larger of the two stepped in front of the shivering smaller, snarling fiercely at the dragon, yet its eyes betrayed a hint of fear.
“D-don’t touch her!” yelled the larger one.
“Kree, stop it!” Serenis yelled. At once, Kree backed away from the two frightened Selka. Serenis slid off of Kree’s back and walked up to them, bowing. “Please forgive us, he hasn’t properly eaten in a few days,” Serenis apologized.
The smaller selka broke out of her cower and the larger one lowered his guard a little. “Wh-what are you? Are you from the western tribes? You don’t look like Selka!”
“My name is Serenis, and this is Kree,” Serenis introduced themselves. “We’re… visitors from a foreign land, traveling the world and seeing all that the gods have created.” Kree began to grumble, turning his head left and right in search of food. “Umm… we would appreciate it if we could have some food and shelter. We’ve been traveling for a while now, and could do with some proper rest,” Serenis begged, smiling weakly as she put her hands together.
The larger selka lifted his guard again with a scowl, but the smaller grabbed one of his arms and shook her head. She turned to Serenis and smiled. “I am Julempe, daughter of Yupe, and this is my man Jokuanhe, son of Tokuanhe.” Jokuanhe frowned at her for giving away their identities so quickly, but eventually just sighed. “We are of the Wuhdige tribe,” she continued. “We have fish if you want - lots of it, and a cave nea--”
“No! We don’t know you yet! You could just be like one of-... One of the other tribes that lie to steal our things! How do we know to trust you?”
“I’d never do that!” Serenis exclaimed as she took a step back, horrified at the thought. Kree poked his head in and glared at Jokuanhe, instinctively protecting Serenis, but a quick rub on the head calmed him down and he pulled back, returning his attention to the surroundings. “[Please, all I ask for is a place for a day’s worth of rest. I won’t be any bother to you,” Serenis asked again, bowing deeply to them.
Julempe put her right hand in her mouth and looked at Jokuanhe with wide, wet, pleading eyes. The male selka frowned at her at first, though he eventually capitulated with a huff. “Okay, fine,” he groaned and waddled down the hillside. Julempe grinned widely and hopped gleefully in place. She then beckoned along Serenis and Kree.
“Come, friend! The cave is this way!” she said, walked over and eagerly reached for Serenis’ hand to pull her along.
Serenis smiled as she was led along by Julempe. She felt that they were going to get along swimmingly. Kree snorted, then began to follow them. All he could think about was what they were going to eat when they reached their next destination, and hoped it would be something tasty.
The four walked almost two hours, though that was mainly due to the fact that the selka were extremely slow pedestrians. As they broke through the foliage into a clearing not far from the sea, however, Serenis could see between the remaining trees a cave in the cliffside, like a crack down the stone that spread into a triangular doorway into the mountain. A few more selka, mainly females and pups, were playing out in the snow, lobbing snowballs at one another and chasing each other in clumsy gaits. A few of the children came running over to Jokuanhe, who had jogged ahead to greet them. The mothers in the distance smiled at first, but then saw Serenis and froze - they then saw Kree and panicked, hurrying into the cave along with as many pups as they could shepherd. Jokuanhe’s and Julempe’s faces both drained of colour as Tokuanhe, Tokuhe, Yupe, Odende and all of the Elu brothers rushed out with stocks and stones in hand. The eight selka stood snarling and glaring at the newcomers, brandishing their improvised weapons and their sharp teeth.
“Jokuanhe, Julempe! Get behind us! There are two monsters chasing you!” Tokuanhe cried.
“Chieftain, no! They aren’t monsters! They’re actually really nice! Her name is Selenee and the funny dog is named Kolee!” Julempe defended as she picked up one of the pups who were curiously biting at Serenis’ dress, thinking it was a jellyfish. Jokuanhe sighed and shrugged at his father, who still waved his stick as the others lowered theirs with perplexed looks on their faces.
Once again, Kree tried to come to Serenis’ aid, but Serenis was quick to calm him down again. “It’s an honor to be here,” Serenis said, bowing at Tokuanhe and the other Selka who came to confront them. She turned her attention to Kree, realizing that perhaps his large size and threatening appearance would make anyone not used to him uneasy, and came to the conclusion that something should be done about it.
“Come on, Kree,” Serenis clapped her hands twice, and Kree began to shrink down. Kree soon found himself half buried in the snow and scrambled over to Serenis, climbing up and wrapping himself around Serenis’ neck more tightly than usual. Serenis could feel how cold he was, and placed a hand on a portion of his body to help spread a bit of warmth to him. “My name is Serenis, and this is my faithful companion Kree,” Serenis introduced themselves to the Selka. “We are visitors from a foreign land, and we hope to appreciate your hospitality.”
“Appreciate our hospitality?” Tokuanhe said with his fists on his hips, one of them still clutching his trusty stick. Females and pups were beginning to peak out of the cave at the distinct lack of outside commotion. “Just what have you been telling her, son?” He gave Jokuanhe a stern frown.
“Juley said we should bring them,” Jokuanhe said and threw his arms into the air. Julempe stood next to her man and looked pleadingly at Tokuanhe. Meanwhile, the other males slowly began to approach Serenis and stare in awe at this alien creature.
“Please, chieftain! They said they’re really hungry and really cold! We have lotsa fish still, right? We could--” Her words began to quiet as her demeanour shrank before the large, scowling selka that was Tokuanhe. Even Jokuanhe instinctively began to shuffle up in between his partner and his father. The chieftain’s glare soon left the girl, however, and he pointed a fat, grey-furred finger at Serenis.
“Listen here, you! I’m the chieftain around here, and I made a promise a long time ago to not only protect my own family, but to protect all families that are part of my tribe! As a pa, I will not hesitate to wack you if you try to attack my family, got it?!”
“I know about family all too well,” Serenis replied. Placing a hand over her heart, a solemn expression on her face, she added, “I swear neither Kree nor I will harm your tribe, on the honor of Arae, the Goddess of Family.”
The selka all looked at one another. Tokuanhe tilted his head to the side. “The goddess of family? Ain’t heard nothing about her, but…” He sighed and eyed the pups still fruitlessly nibbling at the hems of Serenis’ dress. “... If you say you know family, then we oughta make sure you can return to them. After all, what wouldn’t I do to return to mine…” He squeezed Jokuanhe’s shoulder tightly and smiled. “Come on inside. There’s plenty of fish for you to eat and walls to keep the wind out.”
“Thank you,” Serenis said, nodding to him. It was then that she finally noticed the little pups around her. “Hey now, that’s not for eating, little ones,” Serenis said gently, grabbing the sides of her dress and pulling the hem away from them. The pups kept hopping around her legs for a quick minute before they realised the dress wasn’t coming back down. They then decided to pounce one another, their game slowly turning into a round of catch as they waddled down to the beach. The selka did everything from grinning to cackling, and some even chased after the pups to play. Tokuanhe shrugged laughing.
“Pups,” he mused. “Come now. You must be freezing.” He and the other selka went to the cave entrance.
Serenis followed them inside. The cave ceiling was perhaps a little too low for a lady as tall as her, and forced her to bend down when standing anywhere but the centre. A beam of light shone in through a long crack in the ceiling that stretched from the opening to back of the cave. The cave was full of selka of all ages, most of whom at first cowered up against the wall at the sight of Serenis, but slowly grew more curious than scared at the funny humanoid. Tokuanhe sat down at the far end of the cave next to a female holding a pup, a small girl playing with a stick and a young boy suckling his fist. Tokuhe and Jokuanhe each offered Serenis a raw, juicy cod.
“Please, have a seat wherever you’d like.”
Serenis sat down in front of them, accepting the fish with a smile. It felt rather slimy on her hands, but she tried not to let the disgust show on her face. Instead, she brought it close so Kree could examine it first. Kree gave it a good sniff, then proceeded to snatch it away from Serenis’ hands and jump down to the floor, ripping apart large pieces of the fish as he ate it. Soon there was only a fraction of its skeleton left, which Kree continued to nibble on to get any remaining scraps out of it. The onlooking selka clapping excitedly. Serenis simply watched Kree with contentment, glad that he was getting what he needed.
Agoi was combing her reluctant son Agu’e’s fur with a jagged shell and gave Serenis a suspicious scowl. “Is the fish not to your liking?” she asked and Agu’e tried to use the distraction to escape.
“To be honest, I don’t really need to eat,” Serenis confessed. “Most edible things we’ve been able to find have been given to Kree.” Kree raised his head, but soon realized no one was talking to him and returned to his fish skeleton, scooping out the last eyeball with his tongue and swallowing it whole. Done with his meal, he returned to Serenis and coiled up onto her lap. Agoi sneered and dragged her son back into a tight grip and kept combing him.
“Agoi, stop torturing the poor boy,” Tokuanhe muttered. Agoi stuck her tongue out and rolled her eyes, but Agu’e managed to pull himself out of the hold. “It’s fine, mom, I’m pretty now!” he snapped at her. Agoi put her hands on her hips with an angry frown, but said nothing more.
“So, Selenee,” began the old, quivery voice of Yupe, followed by a pause and the tug of some grey whiskers. “How come you don’t need to eat? Did you eat earlier, perhaps?”
“That is a secret I’d like to keep to myself, at least for now,” Serenis said mischievously. “Also, my name is pronounced ‘Serenis’, not, um, ‘Selenee’.”
“Se-le-neesi…” Tokuhe attempted quietly before Jokuanhe shook his head and elbowed him gently. “No, silly, it’s ‘se-le-neesh!’” Tokuanhe grumbled. “Boys, you’re being silly. She just said it’s ‘se-ren-yees’. Learn to pay attention.”
“O-on second thought, you can just call me ‘Selenee’,” Serenis said hastily, a pained smile on her face. Eager to change the subject, Serenis moved on to say, “So, why don’t you tell me about the families living here? This tribe is quite the sight to behold.”
The selka stopped bickering over pronunciation and collected themselves. Tokuanhe stuck a finger in the air and grinned. “Why, naturally! As I am chieftain, I will first present my own family - the Tokuan family! This is my wife, Okako’e, daughter of the Dondweh…” The chubby Okako’e nodded her head. “Pleased to meet you, Selenee,” she said in a silky smooth voice. Tokuanhe pointed at Jokuanhe and Tokuhe. “Those two are my eldest sons, Jokuanhe and Tokuhe. That’s Odante, my eldest daughter, Yukuanhe, my youngest son, and that little furball,” he pointed at the small clump of white fur resembling a rough approximation of a selka, “is my youngest daughter Oka’e. We Tokuans hail from all the way back to the First Beach--!”
“We all do, chief,” came Elop’s snickering voice.
“I know we do, but it sounds really nice to say!” Tokuanhe huffed. “Well, as good a time as any. That one over there is Elop, eldest son of old Elupo who sadly passed on last winter.”
Elop and his siblings hung their heads and beat the chests twice in salute. “Yeah, we miss that old blubber ball sometimes,” he started. “Anyway, I’m Elop. This is my wife, Agoihe.” A timid female, who had been hiding behind Elop while he talked, peeked around him, waved shyly and hid again. Elop sighed and continued, “These here are my brothers Eliap, Jo’eliap and Eliul…” The selka in question all waved excitedly, little Eliul skipping up and down. Elop pointed to six females of various ages. “... And these are my sisters Ego, Egwoi, Yegwa, Agoweh, Aguhe and Ellahe.” The six girls giggled - the oldest two who Elop had identified as Ego and Egwoi were each holding two pups in their arms.
Tokuanhe nodded. “Good kids, the Elus,” he chuckled. “Yupe, share a bit about your kin.”
The old selka shrugged. “Wouldn’t want to overwhelm her either, chieftain, but…” Yupu crossed his arms over his chest and snickered. “Forgive our old man - he’s so careful nowadays, with that hip and all.”
“You be quiet, boy!” Yupe grumbled and wafted his fist at the smirking selka’s face.
“Sure, pa,” he mused. “Anyway, that’s Yupe, my pa. That’s ma, Tuko’e--”
“My sister!” Tokuanhe said and thumbed his chest proudly. Tuko’e shook her greying head and rolled her eyes.
Yupu chuckled. “I’m Yupu, his eldest son. That there is my wife Dondu’e.” A young selka female quickened from her sleep. “Wuh?!” she exclaimed and the surrounding tribesmen cackled. “These are my brothers Yuge, his wife Togo’e, and Yupi, and, uh, our sisters…” He took a deep breath. “Yui, Julempe, Yugege, Joo, Eguyu, Ugu, Yulee and Uyu…”
“You fo’ggot meh!” came a high-pitched squeak from a small, white-furred pup in the back who walked clumsily up to Yupu.
“Oduye, we’re talking about sisters now, not daughters - you’re my daughter.”
“Oh,” Oduye cooed and stuffed her fist in her mouth. “Woopshie…”
“Let’s see, who’s next…” Tokuanhe mumbled. “Odende, you go on. Tell us a bit about the Dondweh!” The muscular selka clicked his tongue between his sharp teeth. He snorted loudly and slapped two beefy males looking to be of equal age on their backs.
“These are my twins boys,” he rumbled. “Dondo’e and Donwah, the strongest boys in the tribe, I say!” The two selka boys hammered their unusually firm chests proudly.
“Now hold it, Odende, I said ‘tell us a bit’, not ‘tell lies’,” Tokuanhe challenged. “You know darn well that Jokuanhe wrestles both of your boys into the sand with his right flipper behind his back!”
“Pa, do you really have to--”
“I ain’t never seen him do no such thing, Tokky - who’s the liar here, HUH?!” Odende boomed and stood up. Tokuanhe also rocketed to his feet.
“We settle this now, you blubber clump,” the chieftain growled.
“You. Me. Outside,” the champion snarled back and stabbed a finger at Tokuanhe’s chest.
“First to fall loses,” the chieftain threatened.
“Prepare to lose, then, ‘chief’,” the champion spat back. The two large selka waddled out of the cave, radiating an oppressively strong aura.
“Oh, joy, here they go again…” Okako’e said and slapped a palm over her forehead.
Serenis greeted each Selka family with a smile and wave, occasionally adding a nod as well. The tribe was very lively, and Serenis could feel the community’s warmth for each other. However, the warm feeling soon disappeared when tensions rose between Tokuanne and Odende. Serenis was left in a panicked bewilderment when they began to leave the cave. “Wait, what?” Serenis said, swiveling her head between the two large Selka and the rest of the tribe. “Wh-what’s going on? What are they doing?”
“H-wahn! Tw-hoo! Threee!” came two voiced from the outside. Okako’e lifted her palm from her face and sighed.
“They are seeing who can lift the heaviest rock the most times… They always do this when they disagree over something.” Jokuanhe, Tokuhe, Dondo’e and Dondwah all hurried out after their fathers to watch - as did many of the girls. Okako’e shook her head. “I’m sorry, this must be odd to an outsider.”
“Well, I certainly haven’t seen such a custom before,” Serenis admitted. “It is odd, but every community has their ways. My role is simply to observe.” It seemed simple enough, really, but Serenis really wondered how such a custom came to be in the first place. There was just so much to learn.
“Our people didn’t have it easy to start off with…” Okako’e continued as she caressed the small, white face of the pup in her arms. “... After we got off the First Beach, there were a lot of fun things - and a lot of bad things… Tokuanhe’s pa, Tokuan, didn’t like life much with all the raiding and fighting, so he gathered his best friends and their families and went south along the tall mountains.” She pointed at the females of different ages sitting in the general area where Odende and his sons had been sitting. “The Dondwehs are Tokuanhe’s most trusted friends, but they lost a lot on the walk here. Odende was only a pup when old Dondweh and his wife were taken by raiders. It was thanks to Yupe that he survived at all,” she whispered. She then pointed to Agoi who still sat nuzzling her unwilling sons, surrounded by eight females, five of whom looking too young to be considered adults. “Poor Agoi may be a little coo-coo in the head, but she actually had four sons about a year ago, as well as a husband. Her husband and her eldest son got taken by fever. She used to be so sweet and kind… Now she only cares about protecting her boys.” She gave Serenis a sad smile. “Oh, but listen to me ramble. Hearing so many new names and stories must be overwhelming.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Serenis reassured her. “And my condolences for your losses,” Serenis put her hands together and bowed slightly.
Okako’e nodded in appreciation. “Thank you, it means a lot to hear that from an outsider, and it’s nice to finally be at peace after so many years of walking and swimming.” The pup on her arm let out a high pitched yawn and smacked its lips. It rolled his head around and stared at Serenis with large, round, black eyes. Okako’e smiled. “She usually doesn’t stare long at people she doesn’t like - I think she thinks you’re pretty.”
Serenis looked at the little pup and gave her a warm smile, reaching over to pat her head, the pup’s fur second in softness only to the expression on its face. “That means a lot to me,” Serenis said. This lasted for a second, then she returned her attention to Tokuanhe and Odende. “How are they doing? Who’s, um, who’s winning?” Serenis asked, gesturing towards the two Selka.
Okako’e peeked out into the daylight just in time to see Tokuanhe smash the large rock into the sand and point at it, shouting some incoherent, yet obviously utterly exhausted, banter at an equally sweaty Odende. The champion squatted down, straightened his back and lifted the rock high above his head, pushing it up and down with strained numbers. Around the two, their sons and many more were cheering them on. Okako’e giggled.
“Odende’s winning. I’ve seen Tokuanhe tired before and I know when he can’t go any longer.” Yukuanhe waddled over to Serenis, plopped himself down next to her and squinted at her pensively. Okako’e smiled wryly. “So, Selenee, what’s your home like?”
“Home…” Serenis said as she began to stare off into space. It wasn’t that long ago since she left Spekatha, but already it began to feel like an eternity to her. “There’s… a lot of grass. Grass as far as the eye can see, maybe even farther than that. There were trees, and lakes too, of all different shapes and sizes. They dotted the landscape. There were… a lot of them. It was a lot of work taking care of them, and I imagine there’s a lot more now. And… it was warm. It wasn’t just the temperature; there was love, too. Lady Arae was very kind. I wonder what she’s doing now…”
Okako’e smiled warmly, as did many of the other selka females who apparently had gathered around Serenis as she had spoken. Quiet coos from pups and the grunting and cheering from the outside were the only sounds breaking the silence that followed. “Your home sounds like a really nice place,” said Yui, eldest daughter of Yupe. There were hums of agreement.
“Is this Lady Alae your ma?” asked Ego, eldest sister of Elop, with a cock of the head.
“Hmm… I guess you could call her that,” Serenis answered. “It’s a little difficult to explain. Lady Arae created my home, and everything in it. Me included. She created the land to track families’ well-beings and maintain them, and I was the land’s sole caretaker.”
The surrounding selka all gaped. “Wah,” Julempe went. “Is… Is she like the big Killon? Can she make things out of thin air?” The others’ eyes widened as they looked between Julempe and Serenis.
“You are talking about… Kirron, correct?” Serenis said. “In which case, yes, very much so. Lady Arae is the Goddess of Family, much like Kirron is the God of… hmm, I can’t recall... but both of them hold very significant powers as gods.”
They sat with their eyes round as discs. In came a triumphantly cackling Odende followed by a shamed Tokuanhe.
“I’m sorry, boys, I lost the f--”
“Your ma is a goddess!” shouted Agoi in a frightened voice and pointed at Serenis. The selka all instinctively firmed up and Tokuanhe and Odende stood gaping.
Serenis looked around, confused. “Is- is that a bad thing?” she asked.
“... N-no! It’s just…” Okako’e started. Tokuanhe pushed himself forward and stood right next to Serenis, his blubbery belly hinting at considerable musculature underneath.
“It’s just that we haven’t ever met someone with a goddess for a ma,” Tokuanhe said. “C-can we have a blessing, please?!”
“Tokky!” Okako’e exclaimed. The large selka shrugged.
“W-well, this is my first time asking!”
“A blessing? I’m, uh, well, I-I don’t think I have that kind of power,” Serenis stuttered. “That’s really more of Lady Arae’s abilities than mine. And it doesn’t seem like you need any blessings, either. Just love your tribe and care for them, and I’m sure Lady Arae won’t abandon you in times of need.”
“Oh,” the chieftain said flatly. “W-well, any tips on how we can pray to Alae? Anything she likes? Does she like fish?”
“She gotta like fish. Who doesn’t like fish?” Yupe grumbled through his mustache-like whiskers.
“Lady Arae will take anything as long as you have love in your intentions,” Serenis replied.
“Huh… Well, if love between family is enough, Alae will get plenty of it from us!” Tokuanhe said cheerfully, followed by giggles and whoops from the surrounding selka.
Serenis simply smiled. This tribe of Selka was a lively bunch. She began to silent pray, Lady Arae, should these Selka be in a time of need, please help them. They’ve been through enough.
