Play Date

The wind blew steady over the fisher's village. The sky was clear and when Etyl tried really hard she could see the silhouette of the islands that marked the end of the river and the beginning of the ocean. Etyl strained her neck and squinted, hoping to see Sven's little boat.
"See it yet?" Navim asked?
"No." Etyl pouted, trying to distinguish Navim from his twin brother Dru for the umpteenth time. With their 14 years they were two years her senior and Etyl didn't like that. The two of them often played by themselves, running away when she came close. Because she was younger. Because she was a girl. Even if they were related.
"I think I see it!" Ojua cried.
"Where?" three excited voices yelled.
Ojua coughed and tried to not be swept away by the enthusiasm like a young woman her age, she was 13, should. She tugged at her long braid and found a few loose ends she tucked away. Trying to sound like an adult she answered:
"I think I saw it coming in from the eastern islands. I bet Sven is alone!"
But she could not disguise her excitement much. Her voice thrilled on the mention of Sven's name, the young man she loved. He was 17 and with his tanned skin, blond hair and bright blue eyes he was the idol of all the village girls.
The twins caught her gazing in the distance with a goofy smile on her face. They chuckled, got hold of her reddish brown braid and pulled it hard.
"Oh Sven!" Navim called in falsetto.
"Oh Ojua." Dru answered with a low booming voice, "Let me kiss you!"
"Quit it!" Etyl called, shouting and chasing the boys, trying to get her friend untangled. Her black hair foiled behind her and mercilessly tangled itself with the long colourful scarf she was wearing. Dru caught wind of the girl's situation and couldn't resist giving the scarf a pull, causing Etyl to cry out in pain.
"Didn't I ask to wait like good kids?" A voice called from the bough of the ship.
"Sorry Ahynna." the twins said, instantly turning into good, loveable boys.
"Is it only you Ahynna?" Ojua asked.
"Sven wanted to wait with the gear on the islands." the girl answered.
With her 18 years she was the older sister of Sven. Today the both of them had volunteered to take the younger kids to the islands for a lesson in fishing and hunting. Well that was the official version of the day. They would also play and goof around and keep out of their parent's way when they prepared for the yearly harvest festival.
The trip back to the estuary islands was fast with the wind blowing at such a steady speed and on the boat for once, the twins didn't make any ruckus. Etyl suspected because Ahynna had a bad reputation of being short-tempered. She and Ojua sat at the front of the boat. Ojua was being silent and no doubt lost in visions of Sven. Etyl regretted that she didn't have anyone she loved yet, but only to give Ojua an idea of how it felt to be neglected. Not that Ojua would notice in this state. Etyl sighed and hoped she wouldn't become like that and that it was just a phase for Ojua.
"I see Sven!" Navim called.
"Oh Sven!" Dru giggled in a slightly lower, wavering falsetto voice.
The two boys got lost in a fit of laughter and Ojua tried to ignore them maturely. Etyl sighed and went to the bough to throw out the ropes to Sven.
"Hi precious." Sven smiled.
Etyl sighed, recovered and smiled back. Maybe he couldn't help acting that way to every girl in the vicinity. Maybe it was his idea of being friendly. She wished he'd just quit it.
"Hello Sven." Ojua smiled.
"Goodday Ojua." Sven smiled back.
"Hey boys, come help for a bit. You don't expect the girls to do all the work, do you?"
"They seem to be quite able." Navim objected.
"I already had to help getting up the festival stall this morning." Dru complained.
"That's no excuse. You're older." Ahynna called and the boys reluctantly got up.
"What are we going to do today anyway?" Dru asked.
"Survival training." Sven grinned and for once he looked scary, or so it seemed to Etyl.
"Do we have to?" she asked.
"How hard can it be?" Ojua said, trying to look both mature and tough.
Etyl wanted to remind her that although there were not really predators on the islands, it was still dangerous. There were cliffs and cracks and trees and maybe even traps from other hunters.
"Don't worry." Ahynna said and smiled reassuring, "We're splitting up in two groups and me and Sven will go along."
"We'll make it a race." Sven said, "First one to return here with the ingredients for dinner wins."
"And the losers cook." Navim added, looking at the girls with absolute confidence in his eyes.

Ojua + Etyl + Ahynna

"Why couldn't I be in Sven's group?" Ojua sighed.
"Because the boys wanted to make it a gender competition." Etyl sighed.
"Because I couldn't handle the boys for a whole day and they wouldn't be split up." Ahynna added, "Besides, it will be more fun with us girls."
"I wouldn't consider survival training fun." Etyl sighed, "What do we need anyway?"
"Anything edible." Ahynna said, "But here that would be fish, berries and some roots maybe."
"Don't you know?" Ojua asked.
"I do, but you're the ones that need to learn. I'll just judge."
"We'll look for a stream then." Etyl shrugged, "I think there were some edible roots where we docked. Berries we can just pick from the bushes when we walk back."
"I thought you didn't like survival training." Ahynna smiled.
"I don't..." Etyl sighed.
"Etyl's just smart." Ojua added, "She'd never get lost in the first place."
"So which way should we head to get to the stream?"
"Oh I know!" Ojua exclaimed, "I think I saw a stream joining the sea in the West."
"West is that way." Etyl pointed.
The three girls started walking and soon were lost in pleasant talks of daily life in the village and the excitement about the coming festival.

Dru + Navim + Sven

"Ok boys, it's important to know what we're looking for on the island. Any ideas?"
"No need." Navim smiled and patted his backpack.
"We brought whatever we need." Dru added.
"We can just return in an hour or two and no-one will be the wiser."
Sven sighed, looked at the backpack and said: "First, this isn't supposed to be easy. And second, Ahynna will notice immediately that you brought food with you since just about everything in that bag doesn't grow on this island. Come on guys. Where's your sense of adventure?"
"I'd rather sleep." Dru said.
"Or swim!" Navim added, "I can see the sea!"
"Where?" Dru asked excitedly.
"There! Let's go!".
Navim rushed through the bushes toward the blue sparkles of the sea. Before he could turn around to see if his brother was following, the ground beneath his feet ceased and the sudden downfall made his stomach lurch up into his throat. The last thing he felt were hands trying to grasp him, but it was too late.
"Navim!" Dru called.
Sven crawled up from the ground.
"I wanted to warn you about the cliffs", he sighed, "Navim?! Are you ok?!"
Dru and Sven waited, trying to find a clear spot where they might see where Navim had ended up. Finally some scraping sounded from the beach below and a wavery voice cried: "Dru?"
"Navim!"
Sven had to hold the boy back lest he'd fall down to the beach too.
"Navim? Don't move!" Sven called, "I'm going to try to find a way down."
"Dru." Sven added, "Go back and head west. Go find the girls and ask them to meet us with the boat. Navim sounds like he's not in any danger, but he might have broken something when he fell and I doubt he'd be able to climb back out."
"But..." Dru started.
"It's important that you go." Sven said.
Nearly in tears, Dru started to run, trying to figure out what was west. He couldn't really tell but he knew the girls had gone the opposite way when they'd started.

Running

"Ahynna!" Dru called, forgetting all possible dangers when he spotted the honey blonde hair of the older girl in a clearing between the trees. He fell down before her feet and had to catch his breath before he could say another word. Both Etyl and Ojua crowded around him, wondering what this was about.
"Navim fell... And can't get back up and Sven... told me... to get you to take the both and meet him on... the beach."
"Where did Navim fall?" Ahynna asked in as comforting a tone as she could manage.
"I don't know. We were walking up and suddenly we saw the sea and Navim fell."
"Do you think you had been walking an hour before he feel?"
"No, we'd just left."
"Then I know the place." Ahynna smiled reassuringly.
She stood up, signalled the girls to gather their things and said, "We'll go back quickly then."
"Will Navim be all right?" Dru asked.
"Did he talk?" Ahynna asked.
"Yes."
"Then it doesn't look that bad." though she knew that if he was bleeding things could become ugly. Just to be sure she thought a little outside help might be needed. Ahynna whistled and a small white and gold creature appeared before her.
Etyl, Ojua and Dru were surprised at the sudden appearance of a faerie drak.
"Ahynna, you have one of those?" Etyl asked.
"I've been keeping her a secret." Ahynna said and then turned to the faerie.
"Sinsa! Go find help, preferably a knight with drak and have them meet us. Make sure you let them know it's urgent."
The faerie chirped and flew away.
"Now let's go." Ahynna urged the others on.
Even jogging, it would still take them close to half an hour to reach the dock. With the boat and the wind as it was now, sailing to the beach would only take a few minutes, but she worried about the time that had been lost when Dru was trying to find them. She also worried about her brother since the only way down the beach she thought they were at was a vertical climb with barely enough hand and footholds.

Together Again

Sven tried to hurry. But he knew that if he fell he wouldn't actually improve the situation. In stead he tried to keep Navim talking.
"Navim... are you hurt somewhere?"
"My leg feels wrong." Navim said, "And my head hurts really bad."
"Do you feel sleepy?" Sven asked.
"Not really, but it feels like someone's pounding on me with a hammer or something.
"Are you bleeding?"
Inch by inch Sven climbed closer down. Soon he'd round a bend and judging from where Navim's voice sounded from he'd be able to see the boy.
"There's a cut on my face and a few scrapes on my arms and legs."
"That's good." Sven called, "Keep a look out, soon we'll be able to see each other."
Close to an hour had gone by and Sven still had a ways to climb down. He'd had to make quite a detour to a place where he knew he could safely start climbing down the cliff. He rounded the curve and down below he spotted Navim's orange shirt.
"Can you see me?" he called down.
"Yeah." Navim called back, sounding a lot better already.
"Keep a look out on the sea. Ahynna might be coming any minute now."
Sven paused for a moment and let out a sigh of relief because the boy looked like he was ok aside from his leg which was twisted. Sven knew it was broken, but as long as there were no open wounds Navim would be fine. Sven's biggest concern for now was to keep the boy awake and occupied.
When he'd climbed down another few feet he heard Navim call.
"I see a boat!"
"Are they coming towards you?"
"Yeah."
"That's good."
When 10 more minutes had passed, a dark shadow flew overhead. Sven looked up, fearing a thunderstorm had suddenly gotten close, but to his astonishment the figure he saw overhead was that of a drak. Next to him his sister's faerie drak Sinsa appeared.
"Ahynna got help, huh?" Sven asked the creature.
Sinsa chirped happily in reply and fluttered around him, being more of a nuisance than a help. At the same time the drak landed, the boat also beached and soon the beach was bustling with people.
The knight, a woman with very short hair and a muscular built dismounted and not much later Sven felt a tap on his back. The head of the rain drak appeared right next to him and she said: "You cansh climb ons my back."
"Thank you." Sven answered and gladly released his hold and let himself be carried down to the beach when the rain drak lowered herself on her four feet again.
"Where's Navim?" he asked the moment his feet touched the ground.
"I'm taking care of him." Ahynna answered, "Aside from a broken leg he's just bruised. He might have a mild concussion though."
"It seems like I wasn't really needed." the knight said.
"I didn't know how bad the situation was Ylleina." Ahynna sighed, "Thanks for coming."
"How could I not with your faerie flapping around me screaming." Ylleina shrugged, "Since I'm here and my duty is to transport, how about we end this outing at the castle? I'm sure that boy could use a check up."
"I wouldn't want to bother..." Ahynna started before the voices from four throats echoed: "Yes!"
"I see. Maybe my task will be easy then."
"What task?"
"I was out on a judging trip to find people to go to various castles. It's a kind of exchange program to bring new bloodlines to Acicade. Darwysh has already taken a liking to you guys so you should pass easily to other castles."
Both Ahynna and Sven wanted to object, but seeing the looks in the eyes of the youngsters who'd never been inside a castle, let alone had seen a drak from close by they caved.
"I'll take the boat." Ahynna sighed, "Can you handle Navim?"
"Without a problem." Ylleina answered.

Stats and Draks:
Ahynna and Earth Guposri (f)
Sven and ??? ()
Ojua and Wind Karosei (f)
Navim and Forest Yasuna (f)
Dru and Plant Naelos (m)
Etyl and Night Allanri (f)

All images were made by me with images found on the web.