Twenty-Nine - Tarka

It was so dark in Alden's room. Really cold too. And quiet.

Even though I was used to the quiet, and even though I was a cold-blooded creature, it still didn't feel natural to me. Maybe it did, but I was too busy thinking to even feel comfortable and fall asleep.

Alden was lucky. He at least had his mother. I would give anything to have my mother back. To feel her embrace and to hear her say, "Tarka, I'm proud of you, and I love you!" I will never be able to hear those words in that sweet voice again.

I wondered where his father was. Was he killed? Will he ever come back? Why do I even care?

Poor Alden. His brother was dead, his father missing, and his mother probably heartbroken. At least she still has him.

I still have him, too. I wonder, does she think we're "together"? What does she think of a Viridian in her house? She hasn't expressed any hard feelings towards me yet. Just her grief. Maybe she doesn't know what we know. Wait, of course she doesn't! . . . What would I talk about with her? Would I even have a chance to talk to her? Would Alden introduce me? He didn't when we walked in and saw her. We had all gone straight to bed.

I couldn't handle it anymore; I couldn't sleep, so I got up from the bed, and opened the door. Only one light was on in the kitchen. The door creaked so loudly when I tried to open it slowly, so I just swung it open and stopped it before it slammed into the wall. I tiptoed as quietly as I could to Alden's brother's room where Alden was sleeping. I cracked open the door and peeked in. He was passed out on his brother's messy bed, with his clothes still on. Laying on his back made him snore. I stared at him for a few seconds to take in the precious sight before I closed the door again.

"I can't believe he came back," a voice whispered behind me that made me jump. I turned around and let out a huge sigh of relief. "Could you not sleep either?" I asked his mother.

"No, I almost never sleep at night anymore. I've always been afraid of the dark, but my husband has always been here, and he made me feel safe. He was my rock and safe haven. Now, he's gone," she shook her head slowly as if she didn't believe it herself.

My heart went out to her. "I've lost someone I loved, too. Two people in fact."

"From the war?"

"You could say that one of them was. The other was my mother; she fell very ill and passed away less than a year ago."

"Oh, dear, I am so sorry . . ."

There was a slight awkward silence for a few minutes. Then, I stated, "I guess you know that I'm a Viridian. You must hate me."

"No, I don't, dear. You seemed to have protected my boy while he's been banished, and I am truly grateful."

"Do you love him?"

"Of course I do. He's my son. However, I know he has hard feelings towards his father and I because when his brother was alive, Alden was the lesser of the two in both of our eyes. And for that, I am sincerely sorry. I hope he will forgive us, especially me," she said quietly, looking straight ahead with tears brimming in her eyes.

"He seems grateful to be here; at least he has a home to go to."

More silence.

Then, she turned to face me again. "So, my question never got answered. Why did he come back? And why are you here with him?"

I let out a deep breath. "It's a very long story, but I'll try to sum up. We met in the Viridian jungle when he was just wandering around, and we met up with a Brackin man --"

"A Brackin man!" she gasped, then hushed her voice again. "Was he dangerous? Did he try to hurt both of you?"

"Oh, no, no! He never tried to hurt either of us. He had been banished from his own people, too. He had murdered someone, on accident."

Alden's mother's eyes got wide, then relaxed again. "I wonder . . . No, it couldn't be."

I didn't know what she meant by that, so I continued. "Anyway, we ran into a man, a really old man named Rhythmus. He is not part of any of the three tribes, so I don't know what kind of a creature he is exactly. But he told us that we had to go back to our own lands and try to stop the war, because Lesion, the Viridi elder, is trying to convince both lands to go to war with each other. Once that's done, and they've turned on each other, he plans to take over both tribes and rule everyone!"

Alden's mother stared blankly at me. After the story had seemed to sink in, she asked, "Really? Can it be true?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed in a whisper. "I know Lesion personally. He's responsible for my . . . friend's execution. He is very evil and must be contained or destroyed before it gets worse."

She sighed. "I know I've only just met you, but I trust you. I like you."

I smiled bleakly. "Thanks."

She started to stand up from the cushion she had been sitting on and yawned. "For once in a good while, I'm feeling sleepy. I guess I should head to bed. You should do the same, and both you and Alden should explain more in the morning."

"That sounds like a plan," I nodded.

"Goodnight dear girl," she said. "Oh, I never asked your name, what is it dear?"

"Tarka."

"That is one of the most beautiful names I have ever heard. Goodnight dear Tarka."

"Goodnight," I echoed. I slept more peacefully that night than I had in months, now that I had found a friend in Alden's mother. For a moment, I had two friends in the same house as me. Two more were out adventuring who knows where.

For a moment, all was right with the world.

Twenty-Eight - Alden

We stood at the rock I had run to so many times growing up. With the war ensuing I figured they hadn't  moved around, so we had maybe an hour or two until we got to civilization. It was all becoming real to me: the searing pain of my brand, the guilt of leaving my family, the anger in Callow's naive trust in Lesion.... I mourned for my people. When I left I mourned for myself and my brother, but now I realized this was about them; the people I had once resented really were my family, whether I had realized it or not, and I knew I had to mourn for them as well.

Tarka reached her hand out and gently gripped my arm just above the elbow, giving a small twitch of a smile. She knew this would be hard, I think more than I had. I glanced up at the sky, and noticed the sun beginning to pass the top of the sky. It wouldn't be long until it started to get dark.

I tapped my hand against Tarka's and gave her a smile. "Well, we should be on our way now, it'll be getting dark soon." She gave a quick nod and dropped her hand from my arm. "It'll only take an hour or two to get there... if they haven't migrated to a different spot in the desert." I explained, moving around my once-treasured rock.

We walked for a long time, no words being spoken. I respected that about Tarka; we didn't have to have conversations to be comfortable with one another. I wonder what my brother would have thought about all of this. The thought of me telling him about Tarka made me smile. No doubt he would have me sent to the medic for testing. I was picturing the confused look Fastus would have when Tarka and I stumbled upon a giant wooden pole lying abandoned in the dessert. I bent down to look closer and realized, underneath burn-marks, were markings of Callow's old hut.

"We're almost there." I said, glancing at the place his giant hut use to be; it was nothing but sand. "Lets keep going."

It took us about ten minutes to find ourselves in the middle of what appeared to be a ghost land. We walked into town between the cattle's hut and the recruiting tent, but even the usual sounds of the animals was lost. Out of curiosity, I slipped into the cattle's hut, but no one was inside except for a helpless, half starved creature and the smell of what I imagine death to reek of. I backed out as fast as I could, tripping over Tarka who was standing behind me.

Pushing me back to a standing position, she commented, "This looks bad." She looked at me quickly before adding on, "Unless it's supposed to be this way..."

I shook my head, trying to gather myself. "No, this isn't good." A panic started to rise inside of me, and my heart start racing. "My parents." I ran as fast as I could to my parent's hut, and didn't bother to slow down as I rushed inside. "Mom! Dad!"

My mother walked out from behind the flaps that lead to her and my dad's bedroom, her cheeks significantly sunken in, and her eyes heavy with dark circles. She dropped the wooden bowl she was holding and stared at me looking dazed. "Alden?"

My breathing slowed down, but a new fear began to rise inside of me. What if, after all this time, she never knew I wasn't a traitor? What if my own mother hated me? "It's me mom... it's Alden." I choked out.

She exhaled a large sigh, as if she had just remembered to breathe, and her thin fingers of one hand covered her mouth as the other reached out to me.

I grabbed her hand and held it to my face as I stepped closer, letting out a sigh of relief. "Where's dad? What's happened here?" I asked softly.

Her head bobbed a little bit and then she peered into my eyes. "I thought they had you too, they take everyone. Everyone leaves...."

"What do you mean? Where's dad?"

"We are just so small, so frail. The Brackins make us tooth picks, and he laughs at us." She looked at me with an anger I had never seen in my mother in all my years, even though she always seemed so upset with me. "Lesion laughs at us all."

"They sent dad to war, didn't they."

"Everyone leaves." She said, staring off into the distance before her eyes settled on Tarka. "Everyone leaves." She told Tarka.

I moved my mother gently back into her room. "You need some sleep, I'll find you food tomorrow." I gently set her down on the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. "Rest up, I'll be here when you wake up."

When I was sure she had fallen asleep I returned to see Tarka standing awkwardly next to our dinner table. "It looks like Rhythmus' table."

"Yeah..." I said, peering into Fastus' room. Everything looked torn up, and splintered wood scattered the ground. I sighed and moved to look in my room and found everything in order. It made no sense to me that my room would be tidy when I was the traitor in the family, but at least I could let Tarka sleep in there. "My brother's room is trashed, so you can go ahead in sleep on my bed."

With a sigh, I walked back to the table and sat down on one of the cushions. My head spun from everything that was going on, and all I could think is that my mother doesn't hate me like I always felt she did, but what does it matter if I can't keep her safe? I looked up at Tarka, my eyebrows furrowed. What if I can't keep her safe either? I would have nothing, nothing but despair.

Twenty-Seven - Tristram

I was excited. So excited that after our meeting, I ran off into the jungle forgetting my tent.. and my sword, pack, and food. Well I actually forgot everything. That wouldn't be the only mistake my excitement caused. After a minute I realized Rhythmus wasn't following me... and that I was walking West, not East where my destination was. I walked back to Rhythmus's home just in time to see Alden and Tarka disappear into the foliage. Rhythmus stood next to the door with all my provisions packed up next to him. While his face was stoic, his amusement at my excitement clearly showed in his eyes.

A short hour later, we arrived at the Brackin border. Legend has it that hundreds of years ago,the three tribes were once again at war. This happened a good five or six times throughout our long history but this one was the first. We all had started on campaigns of expansion and the three armies met in battle over a small, yet fertile, section of land. In the middle of the battle, a flash of light stunned the armies and a man appeared in the middle of the field. He spoke with an amplified voice and demanded to speak with the leaders of each tribe. The four of them met in the middle and here the wizard, for that is what the man was, laid down the borders for each of the tribes. The middle section where this fertile meadow was would serve as the wizards home and he would take a section of land as a buffer zone against the others. Since then, the descendants of the wizard have lived on the land, each also practicing the art of magic and serving as a neutral diplomat in order to keep peaceful negotiations and not allow one tribe over power another.
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Map of Terraro

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When I saw the Brackin border, I realized that we had been inside this middle neutral zone, having patrolled this border myself back in the day. This man next to my, Rhythmus, was a wizard. Once more, excitement overtook me and I stepped over the border, back into my homeland, to safety, to fam-

       "You there, stop." A guard spotted me cross the border and my brand shone in the moonlight. I then realized a second oversight my excitement back at the camp had caused: I was banished and condemned to death for reentering my territory, as Alden probably was too. For the second time in three days, I saw men with swords running at me, but what would I do this time? Should I run or should I fight my own brothers?

Twenty-Six - Tarka

There was a teapot sitting in my empty tree hut back home. Every night for months, I would make myself a cup of tea, and the water would finally get hot enough to the point of bubbling. I'm pretty sure the amount of steam coming out of my ears was more than that kettle produced, and the blood in my lizard veins turned more hot than that water.

"I KNEW it," I muttered under my breath. Then, I thought to myself, "Anything against Lesion is music to my ears."

Tristram and Alden turned toward me. "Do you know anything about him? He is one of your leaders."

"I know he's a dirty scumbag, personally."

"Ouch, what did he ever do to you?" Tristram asked.

Alden said nothing, only looking at me with a slight anticipation. I shook my head.

"We'll talk about that later. So, what's going on exactly?"

Rhythmus looked at each of us before explaining. "I guess you young ones have been out in the jungle for so long that you don't even know."

"Know what?" Alden asked.

"There is now a world war being fought this very moment."

All fell silent.

"That's terrible!" a depressed Alden exclaimed, eyes widened.

Tristram slammed his fist down on the table. "That coward! Scoundrel!" Composing himself, he quietly asked, "What should we do, Rhythmus?"

"We must convince the Brackins and the Palkins that Lesion is the evil one creating all the chaos in the others' worlds, not each other. Since the three of you are all from these three lands, you should convince your people to stop the war before more damage is created. If we don't succeed . . ." Rhythmus trailed off. "Well, let's just hope there'll be a world left to live in."

"Well, we can't ALL go together. We have to split up somehow. But we can't go alone; we need to pair up," the Brackin strategized. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was loving this already and wanted to redeem himself. I could see that in Alden's eyes, too.

"I'll go with Tarka," Alden piped up. I raised my eyebrows at him, and finally agreed that the two of us would go together.

Tristram turned to the old man. "And what about you, Rhythmus? Are you coming as well?"

"I suppose I must; since I don't belong to anyone's land, I would be on a neutral ground with everyone. Well, except with Lesion," he grumbled.

"Then it's all settled then! Why don't you two go towards the Palkin land," Tristram pointed at us, "and Rhythmus and I back to the Brackins'?"

I shrugged. "I really don't care where I go. I won't be accepted anywhere anyway."

Alden and Tristram both sighed as if to say, "Whatever, don't even go there."

"Now, now, don't fret my dear," the old man patted me on my scaly back. "You don't know that. Honestly, Tristram and Alden might not be accepted back in their homelands either."

"Oh yeah, they were banished. I almost forgot."

So, we all went our separate ways.

About 45 minutes or so into the trek, Alden turned to me. "So, you were prompted to tell a story about Lesion. What did he do to you? Did he hurt you?" he asked with concern in his eyes.

"Not physically . . . to me. I don't know if you really even care to listen to me. I don't even think I should be telling you this. Why should I trust you?"

"I've kept you safe thus far."

Good point.

I took a deep breath and dove in. No turning back now.

"A year ago, I met someone at the supermarket. His name was Damian. He was a natural Viridian rebel," I chuckled remembering that day. "He became my best friend. He was there for me when my mother passed away and when my father . . . kicked me out of the house."

Alden's eyes drifted toward the ground. "Oh . . . I'm sorry."

"It is the Viridian custom. At age 16, you are considered old enough to live on your own and create a life for yourself. But he really did want me out; he never loved me like my mother did. After she died, I had nobody but Damian. He didn't have anyone either; his parents were gone. He needed me, and I needed him."

We stopped at a creek for a water break and to rest a few minutes.

"So, what about Lesion? What does he have to do with this?"

"Well, I already told you that Damian was a rebel of sorts. He knew something was going on, and that they were evil. He wanted to expose them, but he never got a chance to." I started pulling some grass out of the ground. "The leaders found out about his plan to expose them, and they captured him from his hut and arrested him. I was nearby and ran to the leaders, kicking and pounding them with my fists, screaming at the top of my lungs to let him go. Two more leaders grabbed my arms and held me tight. Lesion emerged from the group and told me that Damian was a traitor to his people, and he needed to be punished. I screamed at him all the more, but he and the other leaders ignored me, and the leaders that held on to me tied me to a tree. 'Damian!' I screamed for him, but I couldn't see him. I finally got free of the bonds, but no matter how long I ran in their direction, I couldn't find them. The next day, I went into the market and found newspapers of the news that Damian had been sentenced to death; he was put up in a tree to be pushed off and fall to his death below on the jungle floor." I took a deep breath, realizing I hadn't been breathing at all for the past three minutes. Salty water started dripping out of my eyes before I could control myself. "I ran all the way back home without stopping, and I cried on my bed for days. I didn't eat for nearly a week. And now I have no one." I started sobbing. "Alden," I looked at him and then buried my face into my lap. "I loved him."

Alden was silent, unsure of how to take in all of what I had said. He scooted over closer to me and wrapped his arms around me. After a few minutes, he whispered, "Tarka, I had no idea. No wonder you don't trust anyone. I am so sorry. Shh shhh shh, it's okay. Please stop, I hate when girls cry," he urged. He gave me a handkerchief he had in his pocket. I wiped my face and blew my nose.

"Please don't ever use that against me." I could barely whisper as I buried my face into his chest.

"Never."

Twenty-Five - Alden

The three of us stared at the old man who seemed to be carrying buckets full of tools and scrolls. Save the world? I felt a sickening nausea roll over me like a sweeping wave. Just when I thought I was going to vomit, Tristram let out a rumbling laugh, causing him to bend over with his hands pressed against his knees.

After a minute or two, Tristram straightened up, wiped a tear from his eye, and said, "Good one, old man. Save the world."

The old man look at Tristram, his face in an unamused stare of seriousness. "Please, call me Rhythmus." He said, heading towards the door of his hut, sitting just to our right. "Old man... I could take you all with my pinky finger." He mumbled, shuffling inside.

We looked about at each other briefly before following Rhythmus inside. Sure, he was a complete stranger and just randomly told us to do the most burdensome thing, but I think we all felt a certain responsibility to see this guy through. Crazy or not, he was the first person we had come across that hadn't tried to kill us in a long time aside from each other.

"How old do you think he is?" I whispered to Tarka as she followed behind me.

She stared past me for a moment, probably to get a look at the man in the giant green cloak, which easily blended in with the color of the trees and bushes around the area. Shaking her head Tarka looked back at me, "I am not use to this kind of species... fifty?"

A chuckle emanated from the center of what appeared to be a decent sized hut made of wood. Rhythmus stood in the middle of a large circular room, placing his buckets upon a table that looked almost like an exact copy of the table my family ate meals on. I wonder if they're okay... if we are at war... if they miss me as much as they miss my brother.

"So, the young miss Tarka believes me to be of fifty years old?" Rhythmus said, giving a small smile to a wide eyed Tarka. "Oh, I know all about you three." He said, sitting down on a soft beige cushion. "Please, have a seat."

We glanced at each other once again.

"Hmmm..." Rhythmus mused. "It would appear you three all seem to rely on one another to do anything."

"That's not true." I huffed, plopping myself down on a cushion across the table from Rhythmus. "I can make my own decisions."

Rhythmus stroked his beard for a moment, eyes slitted and concentrated on me. "It is not a bad thing, young Alden. Having trust and respect to consider the feelings and instincts of those around you is a good practice, indeed."

"Yeah, sure." I said, crossing my arms and staring at the table.

The others sat down, Tarka to my left and Tristram to my right.

"So, how old are you then?" Asked Tristram, who still had a smirk pulling at the side of his mouth.

Rhythmus seemed to sigh. "Oh, I do not even know anymore. I last track around five."

"Five years old, really?" Scoffed Tristram.

"Five hundred, sir Tristram."

Tristram eyes fell away, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"So... what do you mean we have to save the world?" Tarka asked, in a quiet, hesitant voice.

Rhythmus rolled out one of his scrolls so that it faced us. On it was a giant image of Terraro, separated into the three Territories that each of us came from, and in the middle sat a small, squiggly square. Rhythmus pointed to the little square with a long, gnarled finger, "This is where we are. The center of Terraro." He said matter-of-factly, "As you all know, Palkins and Brackins have been long time friends, learning and surviving off of one another. But, over here, " said Rhythmus, dragging his finger to a spot in the Viridian territory not far from the square, "The Viridi people have simply kept to themselves, until Lesion got a taste of power." Rhythmus looked up, staring each one of us in the eyes before saying, "Lesion will bring this whole planet into chaos and destruction. He, alone, can destroy everything I've worked so hard to create."

Twenty-Four - Tristram

Obvious right slash
       *CLANG*
He blocks
Feint low, stab high
       *CLANG*
He blocks
Roll behind and stab in the back
       *CLANG*
He blocks
Alden goes in for the wrist grab
       *THUNK*
A nut hits his head. This momentary distraction gives me time to place my feet so that Alden stumbles over them and falls to the ground. I place my blade to his lower back "dead".
     "No fair," Alden said, "Tarka threw the nut at me!"
     "Because I told her to," I replied. " You have to learn not only to be aware of your surroundings, like noticing Tarka had been throwing nuts at you since we started, but also not to be distracted." Alden grumbled inaudibly and went for a drink from the nearby well. Tarka dropped down next to him. "It wasn't that bad Alden, you've really improved! He usually gets you with that roll and stab move."

After our flight yesterday, Alden had expressed a renewed interest in swordplay. After swapping escape stories, he had insisted on practicing then and there. With the light fading and Tarka's eyes drooping, I had promised him we would practice today after they had rested. I had needed no rest. The old man, while I was passed out, had healed my wounds and renewed my body. Even my handful of battle scars had disappeared. So had the old man. I hadn't seen him since I had woken yesterday and he hadn't returned.

Alden came back. He was using a short sword we had found in the hut, I was using the sword from the soldier I disarmed yesterday. We took our stances and he attacked first. He went straight for a low stab, feinted, twirled and surprised with a slash from the right. I saw it coming in the shifting of his feet and counter, sidestepping his slash and stabbing at his exposed chest. He blocked we continue to exchange blows. I notice Tarka preparing a nut... and a flicker of movement in the woods to my left.  I was distracted and wasn't prepared for the side block Alden delivered, stunning me and flicking my sword arm high above my head with no chance of return. He pointed his sword at my chest. "Dead" he grinned.
     "Go Alden!" Tarka shouted from the trees.

I gave Alden a quick approving smile before looking back into the forest as the old man appeared from the tree line. "I'm glad to see you are still here," the old man said, " as I knew you would be. My name is Rhythmus and I am here to teach you how to save the world."  

Twenty-Three - Tarka

For being creatures that live in trees, Viridians are very clean people. None of them like to get their hands too dirty, so to speak. I, however, was not like most of my people.

I had forgotten how to have fun by myself, let alone with another person. Especially with someone I'd only just met recently and really didn't know anything about. What was it about this Palkin? He was not terribly handsome. He was humorous to a point. Why does he remind me so much of Damian?

Maybe he would be a good replacement . . .

After somewhat snapping back to reality, I realized just how covered I was in mud. There was a small patch of hair on both of our heads that wasn't muddy. I giggled from deep within my belly like a little girl at the sight of him. I must've looked pretty funny to him, too. Laughter really is the best medicine for a depressed spirit like mine. Not being able to climb trees because of my shoulder really stunk. I guess I would have to adjust. No matter.

Alden wiped his face off as best as he could, but didn't get much off, forgetting that his hands and arms were also covered with the earthy brown stuff. "I would ask if we could find the river again, but what if Mother Beasty comes back?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't suggest trying to trek back up there. Let's see if we can find a lake or maybe the river will wind down towards us. Besides, even if we can't wash up, we could use it as a good camouflage."

"Good idea, Tarka."

The way he said my name made my stomach almost hurt. Something flew around inside of me like the pesky mosquitos we get around the hut in the summer months. The last time I felt like this was with Damian.

"NO, Tarka! You're not giving away your heart to this guy that you barely know." "But you could get to know him." "And something happen with him too?! No way. You're crazy." "Do you want to spend the rest of your life alone? Then get over it."

I love having bipolar thoughts.

As the two of us walked on down the way with the mud beginning to dry and crust on our skin, I noticed there was more wildlife near the river that I had never noticed around the village. It was more refreshing out here away from the trees than I had learned from my parents.

We found a light at the end of the day in the distance. Maybe Tristram is trapped there, we both thought. We reached the camp and crawled around in the tall grass, trying to find him. With him nowhere in sight, we crawled to what seemed like the back of the camp and hid behind some thicker trees.

Alden, still trying to keep as silent as possible asked, "You don't think they would've killed him already would you?"

I shook my head. "They would want to question him and possibly torture him before they did that."

"Where do you think he is then?"

"That's a good que-"

My heart seemed to leap into my mouth as I was looking around us, for in the tree branch above us sat a very large man staring at us. Alden was quick to put his hand over my mouth to keep me from making noise. The large man came down from the branch as quietly as possible. He crouched down by us and grinned.

The fear in my heart turned to joy. "How did you escape?!" I half-whispered.

Tristram grinned even bigger. "I'll explain in a minute. Boy, am I glad to see you guys!"

Alden raised his eyebrows. "You seem a little TOO excited to see us. What all happened to you?"

"I feel like I should be asking you two that question. What on earth are you covered in?"

"Earth," Alden and I stated at the same time. Tristram chuckled. "We had a run-in with a furry beast and her baby, and it didn't go over so well."

"Well, I'm sorry I missed out on the fun. I guess I should tell you all about my grand escape now."