004. Cold - Prompt Table for Cascades and Waterfalls for 30randomkisses
The rain bucketed down in uneven icy cold sheets. At once the children were called into shelter and most came without complaint. The pools turned chilly quickly and it took a while to warm up afterwards, especially if it rained for a week straight. They lived in a rain forest, after all and at times they lived without the sun for almost a fortnight, having to stride out to the far edges of the small island to find dry wood and unspoilt food.
The elders sat while the young adults strung up as much protection from the elements as they could, Doran offering what help and instructions he could. Tothis did what he could, but his main concern was Kiliy who had a large infected wound down her side - she'd run into a tree that had poisonous spindles - and she wasn't making things any easier for him. First she tried to run off and be one of those herding the children inside, and then she tried to collect the blankets which had been left out in the open and were already soaked. A stern word and his hand firmly around her wrist and there was one less problem for him to worry about, although it now meant that he couldn’t be one of those out in the wet helping.
Soon they were set though, a roof more or less over their heads and the young ones wrapped in what dry blankets they had, being seen to by the woman who were taking the opportunity to feed them while they could and also see to the small wounds the kids had managed to earn. Doran was on his feet and surveying the nearby area with his son by his side, a few of their family were still out in the forest somewhere and hadn't returned yet, and they were discussing the possibility that they had found their own shelter out there somewhere.
"Should have guessed this would happen." Doran murmured, "It was unnaturally hot this morning..." and his son nodded, his attention flicking away as Kiliy tried to make an escape from his side. He grabbed the cords which were tied around her neck - everything else out of reach - and, although it resulting in choking her for a moment, he soon had her in his grasp once again.
"Tothis..." Doran shook his head, disapprovingly, and Kiliy turned her hurt eyes on the elder's son.
"You're not going out in the rain. Your wound needs to be dry." Tothis ignored her stare and rearranged the cords around her throat, trying to also ignore the angry red marks they had left. "...If your wound gets wet, it will become infectious to those around you. Don't be so selfish Kiliy."
"How ironic you should choke me with what binds us together." she said softly, unwinding his hands from her gently before she turned and moved to the back of the shelter, sitting well behind everyone else among the elders, making sure there was no space anywhere near her for him to join her.
"Patience is needed, with her." Doran moved his son to the edge, any from everyone else, and looked at him seriously through his old, broken eyes. "Maybe you don't remember as clearly as I do - as she does - what happened to her when she was young, so-"
"I remember." Tothis cut in. "That white man..."
"Because of it, trust is hard for her. Be kinder." Doran offered as words of wisdom, but his son shook his head.
"Trust isn't the problem - she feels... unworthy." Tothis stared angrily out at the rain falling around them. "She doesn't know how to act at times because she doesn't feel right in the place she has. So she rebels. What can I do about that?"
Doran sighed and then stepped out from under the shelter and beckoned his son to join him after having a short word with his partner Danåy, asking her to keep an eye on everything for him while they were gone, and not to let Kiliy out in the rain or out of her sight at all. They watched as Danåy took a seat beside young Kiliy who had her head wrapped in her hands, and then they moved off silently. They walked for a short while until they came to another small shelter and Doran sat slowly, the movement making his bones ache. He waited until he was comfortable and his son had eventually taken seat beside him, and then he began to talk, holding up his hand at Tothis for silence.
"What I doubt you remember... is that before the incident Kiliy was showing hints of becoming quite extraordinary - there were a few occasions which at first had us quite worried... until we realised what it was."
"What was she showing?" Tothis asked, but Doran shook his head and continued on with his story.
"Unfortunately that's what made her stand out to the white man who... took her. As a very young child she had the voice of an angel and she also got flashes of what was to come - like how she can now, only… more detailed. As if they weren’t enough, she was starting to prove a certain control over plant life as well... but that was lost after the ordeal, as was her voice."
Doran fell silent for a while and let his son absorb it all. Kiliy... the Kiliy he knew had a rough, low voice, as if it had been once broken. The other females in their family had lighter voices, some like bells... why hadn't he picked up on it before?
"If she were still the same... we would not have a worry about food or healing... we would have all the herbs and roots we could ever need." Doran sighed, shifting his tired bones around into something more comfortable. "... Her voice was gone too... she didn't speak to anyone for months. As you know, she still has glimpses of what may happen in the future, but it's weak and isn’t as vibrant. ...She should be so much more advanced than what she is. She's but the shell of what she should be, yet we hardly realise because it's all she's been for years... its how she's grown."
Tothis didn't say a word, his eyes slightly wide and his mouth grim, his hands rolled into fists as he accepted the information and thought it over.
"...That's why I think she has issues with trust... and why I think you need to be softer with her..." Doran offered, and then closed his eyes, leaving his son in peace.
"...That wouldn't be the way to deal with it." Tothis eventually disagreed once he’s pieced it together in his mind. "...She wants to know who she is and what she can be... she doesn't want pity and tender words... Excusing her anger and mistakes will only infuriate her as she won't know what the limits are."
"Both won't hurt. Do both" Doran suggested quietly. "...Train her in who she is - you know better than anyone else, including herself. But do it kindly. She's still not recovered from what happened, even if it was when she was only young." Doran smiled a little at a thought. "...You know, if I'm not mistaken - it was you who coaxed the first word from her again."
"It was?"
"It was. She was smittened by you, even when you were young. She was in awe by your... charisma."
Tothis scoffed a little and got to his feet, offering a hand to his father. “I’m sure you’re mistaken.” Was all he said, but he was in thought. She had always been around, like his shadow. He’d felt a calling to be protective over her before any of the others, and that’s what had started their relationship with each other. Maybe…
They walked back in silence and hardly made a noise as they rejoined their family. Many wouldn’t have noticed they were gone, but Tothis noticed Kiliy’s head snap up and her eyes find his before she tried to glare and look away, the relief evident on her face. Danåy patted the girl’s arm gently before she rose to join Doran, leaving a space beside Kiliy free. Tothis took it before she could cover it, and she glared at him as he moved close and went to touch her.
“Leave me alone.” She muttered. “I’m here, I’m dry. Go.”
“No.” Tothis replied softly, taking one of her hands in both of his even though she immediately tried to dig her nails into his soft skin. “…Kiliy… please.” he rubbed her hand gently, tutting under his breath. “You feel cold. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She answered softly. “…What did your dad talk to you about?”
Tothis thought about it for a moment before he decided to tell the truth. He needed her trust, after all. “You.” He answered simply. “He said I need to be more caring about you. Would you like that?”
She stared at him for a long moment before she pulled her hand free and looked away. “…I don’t want you acting any differently from how you want to, or feel.” She answered simply. “…If you acted on anyone else wishes it would be meaningless… therefore, pointless.”
Tothis sighed and looked away. It had stopped raining now, but water was still trickling down from trees above and she was cold enough as it was.
“Tothis, can you come here for a moment?” his mother called at the worst moment, and Tothis sighed once more.
“…I won’t leave you.” Kiliy muttered so quietly for a moment he thought he’d imagined her words. But then she looked up at him, her lips set in a firm line. “…Okay? So don’t… harp on and on about it. …I still - …it’s not like I don’t care… for you… still. Just go. I won’t go anywhere.” Her voice was softer now although she tried to sound angry, and he dipped in a kiss at the dip of her throat, just above the slits of her gills before he got to his feet and patted her hair before he left.
“Everything okay?” Danåy asked, and her son nodded.
“They will be.” He confirmed, and looked back at his girl who smiled a small, quiet smile before she looked away.
<--- 003. Hot
The elders sat while the young adults strung up as much protection from the elements as they could, Doran offering what help and instructions he could. Tothis did what he could, but his main concern was Kiliy who had a large infected wound down her side - she'd run into a tree that had poisonous spindles - and she wasn't making things any easier for him. First she tried to run off and be one of those herding the children inside, and then she tried to collect the blankets which had been left out in the open and were already soaked. A stern word and his hand firmly around her wrist and there was one less problem for him to worry about, although it now meant that he couldn’t be one of those out in the wet helping.
Soon they were set though, a roof more or less over their heads and the young ones wrapped in what dry blankets they had, being seen to by the woman who were taking the opportunity to feed them while they could and also see to the small wounds the kids had managed to earn. Doran was on his feet and surveying the nearby area with his son by his side, a few of their family were still out in the forest somewhere and hadn't returned yet, and they were discussing the possibility that they had found their own shelter out there somewhere.
"Should have guessed this would happen." Doran murmured, "It was unnaturally hot this morning..." and his son nodded, his attention flicking away as Kiliy tried to make an escape from his side. He grabbed the cords which were tied around her neck - everything else out of reach - and, although it resulting in choking her for a moment, he soon had her in his grasp once again.
"Tothis..." Doran shook his head, disapprovingly, and Kiliy turned her hurt eyes on the elder's son.
"You're not going out in the rain. Your wound needs to be dry." Tothis ignored her stare and rearranged the cords around her throat, trying to also ignore the angry red marks they had left. "...If your wound gets wet, it will become infectious to those around you. Don't be so selfish Kiliy."
"How ironic you should choke me with what binds us together." she said softly, unwinding his hands from her gently before she turned and moved to the back of the shelter, sitting well behind everyone else among the elders, making sure there was no space anywhere near her for him to join her.
"Patience is needed, with her." Doran moved his son to the edge, any from everyone else, and looked at him seriously through his old, broken eyes. "Maybe you don't remember as clearly as I do - as she does - what happened to her when she was young, so-"
"I remember." Tothis cut in. "That white man..."
"Because of it, trust is hard for her. Be kinder." Doran offered as words of wisdom, but his son shook his head.
"Trust isn't the problem - she feels... unworthy." Tothis stared angrily out at the rain falling around them. "She doesn't know how to act at times because she doesn't feel right in the place she has. So she rebels. What can I do about that?"
Doran sighed and then stepped out from under the shelter and beckoned his son to join him after having a short word with his partner Danåy, asking her to keep an eye on everything for him while they were gone, and not to let Kiliy out in the rain or out of her sight at all. They watched as Danåy took a seat beside young Kiliy who had her head wrapped in her hands, and then they moved off silently. They walked for a short while until they came to another small shelter and Doran sat slowly, the movement making his bones ache. He waited until he was comfortable and his son had eventually taken seat beside him, and then he began to talk, holding up his hand at Tothis for silence.
"What I doubt you remember... is that before the incident Kiliy was showing hints of becoming quite extraordinary - there were a few occasions which at first had us quite worried... until we realised what it was."
"What was she showing?" Tothis asked, but Doran shook his head and continued on with his story.
"Unfortunately that's what made her stand out to the white man who... took her. As a very young child she had the voice of an angel and she also got flashes of what was to come - like how she can now, only… more detailed. As if they weren’t enough, she was starting to prove a certain control over plant life as well... but that was lost after the ordeal, as was her voice."
Doran fell silent for a while and let his son absorb it all. Kiliy... the Kiliy he knew had a rough, low voice, as if it had been once broken. The other females in their family had lighter voices, some like bells... why hadn't he picked up on it before?
"If she were still the same... we would not have a worry about food or healing... we would have all the herbs and roots we could ever need." Doran sighed, shifting his tired bones around into something more comfortable. "... Her voice was gone too... she didn't speak to anyone for months. As you know, she still has glimpses of what may happen in the future, but it's weak and isn’t as vibrant. ...She should be so much more advanced than what she is. She's but the shell of what she should be, yet we hardly realise because it's all she's been for years... its how she's grown."
Tothis didn't say a word, his eyes slightly wide and his mouth grim, his hands rolled into fists as he accepted the information and thought it over.
"...That's why I think she has issues with trust... and why I think you need to be softer with her..." Doran offered, and then closed his eyes, leaving his son in peace.
"...That wouldn't be the way to deal with it." Tothis eventually disagreed once he’s pieced it together in his mind. "...She wants to know who she is and what she can be... she doesn't want pity and tender words... Excusing her anger and mistakes will only infuriate her as she won't know what the limits are."
"Both won't hurt. Do both" Doran suggested quietly. "...Train her in who she is - you know better than anyone else, including herself. But do it kindly. She's still not recovered from what happened, even if it was when she was only young." Doran smiled a little at a thought. "...You know, if I'm not mistaken - it was you who coaxed the first word from her again."
"It was?"
"It was. She was smittened by you, even when you were young. She was in awe by your... charisma."
Tothis scoffed a little and got to his feet, offering a hand to his father. “I’m sure you’re mistaken.” Was all he said, but he was in thought. She had always been around, like his shadow. He’d felt a calling to be protective over her before any of the others, and that’s what had started their relationship with each other. Maybe…
They walked back in silence and hardly made a noise as they rejoined their family. Many wouldn’t have noticed they were gone, but Tothis noticed Kiliy’s head snap up and her eyes find his before she tried to glare and look away, the relief evident on her face. Danåy patted the girl’s arm gently before she rose to join Doran, leaving a space beside Kiliy free. Tothis took it before she could cover it, and she glared at him as he moved close and went to touch her.
“Leave me alone.” She muttered. “I’m here, I’m dry. Go.”
“No.” Tothis replied softly, taking one of her hands in both of his even though she immediately tried to dig her nails into his soft skin. “…Kiliy… please.” he rubbed her hand gently, tutting under his breath. “You feel cold. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She answered softly. “…What did your dad talk to you about?”
Tothis thought about it for a moment before he decided to tell the truth. He needed her trust, after all. “You.” He answered simply. “He said I need to be more caring about you. Would you like that?”
She stared at him for a long moment before she pulled her hand free and looked away. “…I don’t want you acting any differently from how you want to, or feel.” She answered simply. “…If you acted on anyone else wishes it would be meaningless… therefore, pointless.”
Tothis sighed and looked away. It had stopped raining now, but water was still trickling down from trees above and she was cold enough as it was.
“Tothis, can you come here for a moment?” his mother called at the worst moment, and Tothis sighed once more.
“…I won’t leave you.” Kiliy muttered so quietly for a moment he thought he’d imagined her words. But then she looked up at him, her lips set in a firm line. “…Okay? So don’t… harp on and on about it. …I still - …it’s not like I don’t care… for you… still. Just go. I won’t go anywhere.” Her voice was softer now although she tried to sound angry, and he dipped in a kiss at the dip of her throat, just above the slits of her gills before he got to his feet and patted her hair before he left.
“Everything okay?” Danåy asked, and her son nodded.
“They will be.” He confirmed, and looked back at his girl who smiled a small, quiet smile before she looked away.
<--- 003. Hot