Young Writers Society

Um, this is one of my earlier stories, so I know that I repeat and do all that crud... so... ^-^V have fun. Oh, just a warning, I might have stopped writing in the middle of a paragraph or idea -.-" I used to do that alot. X(

Also... congrats to the person who reads this COMPLETELY through -.-" Sorry that it's so long. If I cut off in the middle, it would make even less sense XD XDXDXDXDXDXD..... XO

A small boy sat in the snow next to the softening stream, dozing slightly. The silence made him gaze at the reflections dancing on the stream’s frozen surface. He sighed irritably; what was taking his friend so long? They were supposed to break the ice tonight. Just as he was about to give up, the fool finally came, completely out of breath.

“Iistengel, I’m sorry I dozed off…”

“Very well done Briind. Just let me sit here and freeze to death. I see how it is.”

“I’m really sorry…”

“Forget it.”

Iistengel quickly stripped down, laying out his thick caribou robe. Briind did the same. The two paused, gazing breathlessly at each other. Iistengel offered a feral grin, and then bowed to his friend.

“After you Eisen. You are the best looking after all.”

Briind grinned and saluted his little friend. He then leapt into the water, the thin sheet of ice cascading away from his body. Iistengel watched happily as his friend turned and motioned for him to jump in. Iistengel grinned breathlessly, and sprang into the air, landing in the tepid water. There was another shower of ice flying through the air. Iistengel shot into the air, flinging back his hair.

“Feels good huh?”

Iistengel smiled sweetly and nodded. Briind had his point; the water felt very good after months of not being able to wash. The boy leaned himself down in the water and began to scrub his greasy scalp. Briind smiled craftily and mimicked his movements.

“Yes, the red really shows through.”

Iistengel smacked some water at him. The other ducked away, laughing. Iistengel stared across the huge valley, taking in the beauty of the night. He saw a raven glide across the low moon. A slight chill crept into his body.

“I’m going to get out now Eisen.”

The boy waded to the snowy shore, hopping onto his thick blanket. He quickly put on his boots, wrapping himself in the huge fur. Briind did the same and grasped his clothes. Iistengel blushed and grabbed his. The boy smiled sheepishly at him and began to lead them through the slick snow walls to his snowed in hut.

As soon as they arrived, Briind plopped down by the fire, pulling off his boots. Iistengel copied him, slightly surprised that his body was so chilly.

“So, what now?”

Briind turned to look at him. Iistengel gazed back at his friend, feeling himself glad and excited to be with him.

“Now, we sleep.”

Iistengel shook his head, half annoyed, half earnest.

“No, what do we do?”

Briind smiled sleepily in response. He yawned and rubbed the boy’s hair gently, quietly appraising the flame red locks.

“Eisen?”

The young man smiled sleepily, continuing to rub Iistengel’s fine hair. The boy hardly noticed. He was looking around the small tent. He gazed at the knife he had gotten from his friend. It was a very good blade. He could just touch the hide of an animal, and the knife would simply sink into it. He looked around, eying the traps that Briind helped him make. Iistengel smiled at that; Briind was such a nice guy. The lad remembered with a pang of fear that Briind was quickly reaching manhood, and would leave. Where would that leave him? The thought of having no person to aid him in time of need, of being utterly and completely alone, considered a freak by all who saw him… it made the poor boy want to cry. He turned to face his friend.

“Briind?”

The young man nodded, rubbing Iistengel’s hair more slowly. Iistengel swallowed the fear he felt growing rapidly inside of him.

“Eisen? When you grow up, where are you going to go?”

Briind heaved a sigh, his handsome black eyes opening blearily. He saw the anxiety in Iistengel’s face and managed a half smile before he replied.

“I’m not going to leave you Wrhaden.”

With that he closed his eyes, rubbing Iistengel’s hair even more gently. Iistengel felt himself quiet a little. Briind was right. He had to stay anyway if he wanted to marry the princess Snoweska. Iistengel sighed in relief. Yes, Eisen would stay as long as he loved Snoweska. The boy yawned sleepily. He gazed at his friend with undying admiration.

“Briind?”

“Hmm?”

“When I grow up, I want to be just like you.”

“Hmm…”

“Briind?”

“So, you want to marry my girl?”

Iistengel smacked his shoulder. Briind chuckled in response. Iistengel smiled in spite of himself and snuggled closer to his friend.

The lad woke with a start to a raven’s caw just outside his tent. He groaned and crawled towards the sound to shoo it away. Iistengel opened the tent and looked around; it was dawn, considering the pale colors of the night, or what was left of the night. He rubbed his eyes and gazed at his still sleeping friend. The boy smiled happily. It had been very fun to break the ice with him. Everything he did with Briind was fun to do. The lad stood and stretched. He clothed himself quickly and began to feel around for his large pot, the one with the lid. He detected it quickly, and walked out of his tent to cram it with snow. He returned to see Briind still sleeping soundly. The boy forgot about him quickly, being more concerned about melting the snow over some coals than a lethargic young man.

Briind awoke just as Iistengel finished making breakfast. The boy smiled at his friend and brought some broth over to him. They both drank in silence. As soon as they finished, Iistengel took both bowls and set them aside to be washed.

“Man, you are a good cook.”

The boy merely blinked at his words. Briind glanced at him uneasily and kept speaking.

“Yeah, sometimes, I think your kind of… strange…”

Iistengel just stared at his friend. Briind returned the gaze with crackling eyes. He smacked Iistengel’s shoulder, laughing.

“Go on Wrhaden. I won’t stop you.”

Iistengel gave his friend a purely wild look and flew out of the tent into the blaze of sunshine.

The boy sat atop the mountain face, gazing down at the melting valley. The raven glided past him, landing a foot behind him. Iistengel gazed at him, lowering his gaze.

“Good morning Beihhou. I’m sorry I didn’t come earlier. Breakfast you know.”

The raven cocked his now sleek head. Iistengel bit his lip, blushing slightly. What a lame excuse! He remembered when he had first found the Beihhou as a half grown chick, flopping pitifully on it’s side, trying to stand, but unable to. Natiirik, the chief’s son, was about to crush it mercifully into a painless death, if only Iistengel had not come. Iistengel laughed out loud at the memory, remembering how he had simply walked up, poked the flopping creature, then scoop it into his arms to take home with him, leaving Natiirik in a very awkward situation. The Beihhou let out a squawk. Iistengel followed his gaze out to the huge world before him, the untouched beauty filling him with wonder. He plopped on his stomach, breathing it all in. The valley spread so that the soaring mountains looked like white tents on the horizon. The fine blue ribbons spread and weaved it’s way through the valley, plummeting down a cliff in the distance, only known because he had been there, and that mist would rise from it. Iistengel shivered with delight as the high wind blew in his face. This was the place where he found refuge from all the troubles that he faced. The peace and the silence made his eyes more aware of everything around him.

There was a small nibble on his arm. Iistengel smiled and turned to the half ebony bird. This bird was a very bad omen among his people; it was said that the Beihhou would bring misfortune and greed to whomever it encountered. Iistengel on the other hand, found that the Beihhou was a pretty clever bird, considering how hard it worked to get food, and avoid getting massacred by the villagers. Another pinch, this time a little harder. The boy turned and smiled at his friend.

“Yes, I am thinking about you.” The boy gazed at him for a second, then looked back out over the land.

“Sometimes- I don’t feel like I really belong here Beihhou. I know Briind will always be there for me, but I keep getting this sinking feeling, as if I am going to leave, or one of my friends is going to leave.”

The raven responded by picking the boys pockets. Iistengel laughed and gave him some rabbit meat from his other hand. The bird swallowed it whole, gazing at the small boy expectantly. Iistengel sighed and pulled out some blueberry mush he had made last fall. Beihhou seemed glad to have it, for he wouldn’t let Iistengel have any. The boy pretended to be annoyed.

“What? None for me? You aren’t going to share?”

The bird cocked his head, and then considerately pushed the tiniest scrap to him. Iistengel laughed at him, pushing it back. The bird, however, insisted that he eat it. The boy beamed down at him, gobbling the last of it. A black swarm on the tundra caught Iistengel’s eye, making him groan: the gathering of the spring reindeer. How he hated it at this time of year. Especially since they were just turned loose with the wild reindeer, just for the variety of the coats. “Well Beihhou,” the lad sighed, “It looks like duty calls.”

Iistengel watched with slight envy and disgust as the other boys thundered past on their reindeer to herd the caribou into a pen. He had no reindeer; being a loner meant not to have all the privileges that one with a pedigree could have. This meant that his job was to scare any stragglers towards the pen or clean away from it. This is what the boy hated most about hunting: the killing of those that got in the pen. He had snared and killed rabbits before, but seeing such large, majestic beasts be brought down left him a little queasy. Iistengel tried to ignore the animals in the pen and turned to see Natiirik, the chief’s son, charging a black calf that was just maturing into a wiry bull. Iistengel felt suddenly sick. It seemed that Natiirik could be very cruel sometimes in his hunting, though he respected every beast he killed and buried the parts he did not use. Iistengel watched as the young thing trotted by, thinking it had fooled the hunter. It trotted not a pace away and snuffed the ground. It took that fatal step forward, and fell into a snare. The beast crashed to the ground and began to kick wildly. Something stirred in Iistengel; he thought of all the things that the caribou would be turned into; probably a fine cloak for Natiirik, or he would give it to his sister Snoweska. Natiirik had stopped his beast a ways in front of the pen. He saw and now charged forward towards the helpless animal sprawled on the ground. Iistengel decided to break the rules just once. He raced to the deer as fast as his legs would permit. The sound of Natiirik’s reindeer echoed in his head, making the beast sound as if it had blades for of hooves. The boy raced forward to the back end of the now heaving beast and raised his hands to Natiirik who was nearly upon them.

“No Natiirik!”

The chief’s son reared his fine spotted reindeer in the air crashing down just behind the trapped beast, snow spewing everywhere. Iistengel stared at the sharp hooves, just inches from his hands. The thought of being trampled curled his fingers protectively underneath his palm. The boy looked to see Natiirik give him a look of pure venom.

“What is the meaning of this?”

Iistengel felt his face grow warm.

“I desire to have this beast.”

Natiirik’s face expressed the deepest amount of loathing the little boy had ever seen.

“My, I thought you would have grown a little since the Beihhou.”

He turned his reindeer away. Iistengel tossed his head up, his face burning in fury.

The chief’s son paused his reindeer, turning cold eyes on the boy. The young men gazed uneasily from Natiirik to Iistengel. There was a long pause. The young willowy creature was now quiet, breathing a controlled breath. Iistengel turned his gaze upon it.

“Iistengel! Wrhaden!”

The lad turned blazing emerald eyes towards the young man who had called his name. He saw Briind race towards him, a spear in one hand. He paused on the slushy ground beside Iistengel.

“Wrhaden, are you alright? I thought you had gotten…”

He broke off, panting heavily. Iistengel offered an unnatural looking grin, and stood. He was surprised to find himself shaking slightly. The boy gazed at the reindeer’s still form. He could feel Briind rubbing his head both affectionately and worriedly. Briind had always liked Iistengel. When the boys had found him on the riverbank, huddled in a ball, it was the five-year-old Briind who picked up the tot and carried him to the chief. Not the noble Natiirik as so many people thought. Iistengel’s eyes focused once more on the black reindeer. Briind called some of his friends over to help him stand up the creature. Iistengel proceeded to tie one of the creature’s legs up so he couldn’t run away.

“Hey, Briind, could I keep him with your reindeer for a while?”

The youth nodded in reply. “Sure. Father probably wont mind, but right now, lets just get him there.”

Iistengel laughed at his friend, and assisted in leading the deer towards the village.

Iistengel sighed in delight; he had been able to touch the beast, and even run his hands all over his body within a few days of the capture. That was not usually what happened with reindeer; they would fight and kick and squeal until the moon turned blue and Natiirik spouted snow. Thankfully, there was only one really dangerous incident, which threatened Iistengel with banishment, but nothing too serious. This reindeer was young enough that he wouldn’t die if held in captivity. Neither would he fight every step asked of him. The boy held out his hand again for the reindeer to sniff, hand quivering. The beast made a lazy attempt, then snuffed the ground and munched whatever plant had been left there the night before. Iistengel smiled happily; his reindeer was a very wonderful creature; he had hair that was a deep and impressive black, making him one of the most beautiful and unusual things he had ever seen. This also made quite a few people envious. He would hear the people whisper about his reindeer, then gaze skeptically at their own creature. Iistengel shook his head; he could not see what they were so desirous of. Spotted and patched reindeer were harder to come by than a plain black reindeer. The boy mused. He had seen many plain, dark caribou run with their common coat of brown and white. When the village began to breed the animals, they came up with beautiful patched creatures, and lovely spots had just started to appear. In fact, the most common color for tamed caribou was black.

The reindeer snorted. Iistengel woke from his thoughts and grabbed some of the shrubbery near his summer hut and cut some of the larger boughs off of a blueberry bush.

One of the chief’s sons, Siriita, raced past him, then stopped and looked at the beast. “Wow.” the toddler said. “Can I have that?” he asked walking closer to the beast. Iistengel smiled, feeling quite superior to the little boy. “Oh, you’d have to ask Natiirik -” the boy was instantly gone. Iistengel shook his head and moved to another bush to cut some branches. He came back to the reindeer. The lad stroked his fine catch. The beast shied for a moment, then perked his ears and was making some small grunting noises. Iistengel smiled putting the fodder near the tied up creature.

“Iistengel!”

The boy turned in surprise to see Siriita come with huge tears in his eyes. “Nat said that I could have him if you died. I don’t want you to die!” The toddler threw his arms around Iistengel’s knees, sobbing and shaking uncontrollably. Iistengel shook his head; sometimes Natiirik had a very bad joke in his head. “It’s all right Siriita.” Iistengel soothed, “I’m sure Natiirik was joking. You know how weird he can be sometimes.” Siriita looked hopefully up at his friend. “So,” he sniffled, “You’re not dying?” Iistengel coughed. “No, I’m not. Tell your… brother that he’s dumb.”

“Am I?”

Iistengel turned to see Natiirik leaning on the fence, eying him with slight humor in his eyes.

“Never mind Siriita. He already knows.”

The toddler laughed and raced up to his brother. “Nat! Nat! I love you Nat!” The tot flung himself at his brother and was soon begging him for Iistengel’s reindeer.

“Please Nat! I don’t want Iistengel to die!”

“I guess he can live -”

Siriita positively exploded with happiness. “Thank you Nat! Thank you!”

The boy raced away, moving as fast as his stubby legs would permit. Iistengel laughed again and turned back to his beautiful reindeer. The animal had finished the food and was now drinking deeply from a grass basket. Iistengel was wondering what the toddler was doing. He put the incident out of his mind until Siriita suddenly came back with his sister Snoweska. Iistengel greeted her warmly. Snoweska smiled shyly in reply and studied the reindeer Siriita was talking about. “Iistengel said I could have it!” the boy exclaimed joyously. Snoweska smiled and nodded thoughtfully. “He is a handsome creature.” She said smiling at Iistengel; the lad felt his heart give a wild thump. Did the princess find him attractive? He shook this thought away, feeling faintly disgusted at that thought. He turned to look at his reindeer with evident pride. “He is isn’t he?” Iistengel said with a feral smile. He was pleased to find the girl taken aback by his comment. Iistengel stroked his beast as he snuffed for more food. “Well.” he stated turning his emerald eyes on Snoweska. “We’d best go and do our daily rounds.”

The next day was just the same as others. Clouds making the atmosphere look like some gigantic ocean. All was quiet, except for the sounds of a few morning and evening animals. Iistengel sighed and scooped some more water into his large grass basket. He was the only person who awoke at that time of day. It was pleasant because he could do whatever he pleased, without being nagged by Natiirik or his aggravating friends. The wind on his face reminded him of his reindeer; the beast was still too skittish to leave the pen without bolting. The boy smiled, remembering all the silly things his pet would do. The boy mused these things for a while. He wanted to get some bells to put around the animals feet. A nice deep, rich color to throw off the black of the beast. The lad was debating between a red band and red woven with white. Of course, his beast would have plain bells, nothing like the ones that Natiirik had in mind for his reindeer. Iistengel scoffed; deep red bands with golden bells.

The boy stood, taking the basket in both hands. He glanced at the sky, and then scanned the horizon, just as all the children were taught. He was just about to turn away when he suddenly spotted a light afar off near the center of the river. The boy poured the water back into the tributary, and raced towards the village.

“Wiirsa! Wiirsa!”

The chief’s son erupted from the largest tent. Iistengel ran straight up to him, ignoring the children and others giving him annoyed gazes.

“Natiirik, there is a jewel on the river.”

Natiirik turned his loathing eyes to gaze quizzically at the river. Iistengel was pleased to have his attention.

“There, in the middle of the great river, there is a jewel coming towards us.”

Natiirik followed the boys pointed finger to the jewel on the water. “I see. Get the warriors.”

Natiirik smacked Iistengel on the back to send him off. Iistengel complied, but was shocked; had Natiirik actually patted him? That was a little hard to swallow. Iistengel shuddered and moved to Briind’s tent. “Hey, Briind!” He called, “Natiirik wants all the village warriors outside. That means you and your father and brother.”

Briind did not respond. Iistengel stormed into the tent.

"Eisen, wake up.”

Iistengel blinked in the sudden darkness. He studied the persons under the animal pelts. He quickly identified his friend and shook him.

“Briind, we need to get the warriors. Please, get up.”

Briind rolled over in his sleep and mumbled something about Snoweska. Iistengel groaned inwardly. He shook Briind more violently than before. He even kicked him. The youth simply rolled over and smiled dreamily. Iistengel suddenly understood.

“Oh, um, by the way… Snoweska is looking for you.”

Briind opened his eyes, blinking several times. A huge grin split his face.

“Really? Hasrinn is looking for me?”

“No, but now that you’re awake, you can help me round up the village warriors.”

“No kidding?”

Iistengel shook his head. Briind grimaced, and rolled over. He groaned and sat up in his thick pelt.

“What are the warriors called for?”

"There is a jewel on the river. I think it is Aruba the Merchant. He said he was going to come back when it was late summer and it’s late summer now…”

Briind smiled and scuffed Iistengel’s hair. “Alright. You go get the rest of the families on the eastern side, and I’ll round up the ones on the western side. Deal?”

Iistengel nodded eagerly. Briind smiled merrily and sent the boy on his way.

Iistengel raced to the waters edge, determined to be the first to greet Aruba. The entire village came out of their tents to see if it was the famed merchant. The boy was almost lost in the mass of adults and children alike as the rush to the river’s shore began.

Soon, people were shouting, calling to their kinsfolk for this and that. Within moments the sleepy little village had turned into a bustling center for trade. Iistengel smiled and again looked towards the river, eager to see exactly what kind of jewel it was. He quickly identified the large boat bearing the name Fox in copper letters on its side. Other people saw too and the commotion grew to an even greater climax.

“Hello all people of the Wolf Village!”

Iistengel could almost see the famed man now; wrapped in some foreign cloak, or wearing tall boots and a pure white tunic, as he usually did. A few of the children squealed at the voice; the one who brought toys and jewelry from far off lands. The adults crowded closer to the shore of the river, even more eager than the children. Iistengel quickly excited about these things, but he was too wise to call to the wonderful man on the boat. He would be busy enough when he landed on shore.

When the ship drew close to shore, Aruba jumped out of the boat and sloshed through the water towards the shore and mass of villagers. A general swarm of people greeted the man with great zeal. Iistengel was surprised that Aruba could get a word in edgewise. The young man caused some of his men to pitch some small foreign yurts along the shore, causing the village people to stare and speak quietly amongst themselves, raising the commotion to an absolute peak. Iistengel sighed, and offered a feral smile to the bustle, and headed towards his tent to wait for evening.

The next day, the market was completely set up, attracting the gaze of all in the tribe. There was a mad frenzy in front of each yurt, turning the village into on of its most active ways of life. Most were fighting and shouting to get the best buy, and bargaining for the pelts of foreign animals, or other items. Iistengel hung back, though pleased to see the commotion. It was good to see some commotion in the usually dull, isolated village. The youth turned and walked to his small home wondering if he could trade anything with the famed Aruba.

“Iistengel!”

The boy turned and was nearly run down by his best friend.

“Briind, what are you-”

“Iistengel! It’s perfect! I found the perfect thing for her!”

Iistengel had not trouble of knowing whom Briind was thinking of. “Briind,” Iistengel began tactfully, “I think you should wait. Remember last time you saw something perfect…”

“Come on I want to show you.”

Briind took Iistengel’s arm and dragged him into one of the white yurts. Iistengel blinked in the sudden shade. He was just about ready to give Briind a piece of his mind when the youth stopped at one of the displays of jewelry.

“There.”

Iistengel wrestled out of Briind’s grip and scowled at the display. It was a necklace made of a plain silver chain. The centerpiece was a sky blue, six points star. Briind was overjoyed to have found it. “What do you think?” Briind stated sounding jubilant.

“Well, it is nice, but I don’t think -”

“Perfect huh?”

Iistengel gave his friend a strange look. Briind grinned and moved to another place that sold headbands.

“I was just kidding.”

Iistengel shook his head and moved to the same spot. Both quickly identified the perfect thing for princess Snoweska. When they agreed on one, and the thing was paid for, they headed out of the tent and into the light. Briind shifted uneasily as they drew closer to a tent displaying knives.

“Hey, um, Iistengel… I have to get some beaver skins and um…”

“Hey, um, Iistengel…could you give this to Snoweska for me?”

“Well, uh... yeah.”

Iistengel smiled and shook his head; he hoped he would never like girls if they were this much trouble.

“Sure Briind. What ever you say.”

The youth beamed and gave Iistengel the fur wrapped headband, then moved to the knives. Iistengel sighed and moved through the crowd to the chief’s tent.

“Snoweska…”

The princess turned, her fine black eyes sparkling. Iistengel blushed under her gaze. “Um, Briind wanted me to give you this.” He thrust the furred and jeweled headband towards her. Snoweska took it carefully, eying it with gentle eyes. “Was there anything else?” She asked shyly. Iistengel hastily shook his head.

“Oh. Well, tell him thank you for me, will you?”

Iistengel nodded. “Yes of course I will princess.” Snoweska smiled sadly and moved to her tent.

“Wait!”

Snoweska turned to face the little boy quizzically. Iistengel rushed on, his face quickly turning the color of his hair.

“Briind wanted to… um…”

Iistengel shook his head feeling incredibly foolish. “Well, anyway, Briind wanted to give you this.” Iistengel hugged Snoweska quickly. The princess blushed, and then smiled.

“Please tell him thank you.”

Iistengel was studying the selection of knives from the desert. He always thought they were interesting when they came from other places: different handles, different edge, length, etc. Again, he was nearly run over by Briind.

“Eisen if you ever do that again-”

“What did she think?”

Iistengel shook his head; his friend was completely smitten by the princess. He decided to taunt Briind into madness. That always gave him a good laugh.

“Oh, she thought it was alright.”

“Alright? Like I could do better?”

“Mm…”

“Iistengel! Come on! Tell me.”

Iistengel suddenly had a very wicked idea. He smiled slowly. Briind was positively dying with curiosity. There couldn't have been a more opportune time.

“Well, I think she liked it, but it seemed like you could have done... better.”

“Better?”

“Didn’t I just say that? Anyway… she wanted you to do that face… thing…”

Iistengel elaborated this with his hands, making a rather disgusted kind of face. A cloud of confusion descended upon the older boy. Then, just as suddenly he understood. A huge grin split his face.

“Really?”

“Well, she was being really polite but you could tell -”

Briind was almost too happy to contain himself. “Aw man, I wish I could see her right now!”

“Speak of the angel, here she comes.”

Briind whipped around just as the princess entered the dim tent. She noticed them as she looked around.

“Oh, hi you guys. I was just looking for you.”

Iistengel choked a laugh at the comment. He promptly began to show her his knife, allowing his friend to get up his nerve. Iistengel could see why Briind was in love with her; she had deep, entrancing eyes, so full of spirit, and life. Her body was slender, but well built, just like her mothers. Iistengel saw Briind’s uncertainty and inwardly groaned; good time to chicken out Eisen. Well, he wasn’t going to let his friend back out of this one, and the knife was losing her interest anyway.

“Um, princess, Briind wanted to say something to you.”

Snoweska gave him a quizzical look and turned to look up at Briind. The young man gazed at her hesitantly. Iistengel watched as he slowly placed his hands on her soft face. The boy began to study his knife with a steady, unchangeable eye. He had to admit though, it was rather sweet. Most guys weren’t as nice as Briind when they did this. They would grab the girl roughly and rub her face furiously, as if their life depended on it. Not Eisen. He was very nice when it came to girls. Iistengel simply shook his head; Eisen was so hopeless. At that moment, something caught his eye in the tent door. He looked towards it, and felt his heart plummet; it was Natiirik.

“Eisen.”

The boy kicking him. Briind’s eyes flicked to the door at his name. He immediately stopped cuddling the princess. Snoweska saw too, and lowered her gaze to the ground. There was a tense silence.

“Hasrinn, go to the tent.”

Snoweska’s eyes filled with immediate fear. She walked obediently away, pausing beside her brother.

“Wiirsa, you… you’re not going to hurt them, are you?”

Natiirik stood there; gazing at Briind with such ice that Iistengel felt it creep through the tent into everyone’s chi.

“Go to the tent Hasrinn.”

Snoweska gazed at him with slight fear and shock. Tears filled her eyes as she silently obeyed her brother. Iistengel listened as her footsteps faded into the babble of the crowd. As soon as he deemed his sister beyond earshot, Natiirik was instantly in front of Briind, hand around his throat. The youth struggled against his grip.

“If you ever come near my sister again I will kill you.”

With that, Natiirik dropped Briind, adopting his usual aloof manor. Well it was definitely quick enough, Iistengel thought with some relief. Natiirik gazed at the youth with slight disdain.

“Pathetic. I thought you would be smarter than your little friend here.”

With that, he turned on his heel and left the two boys there, his voice leaving a frozen wake. Slowly, the people in the tent began to revive, and continued their dealings with the lesser merchants. Iistengel couldn’t believe them; were they the same villagers that respected and feared Natiirik?

Briind stared after the prince, hopelessness creeping into his eyes. Natiirik paused at the door, then stopped and pondered in the most maddening way. He then turned ever so slowly and gave each boy a disdainful, uncaring gaze. Iistengel glared at the man. He raised an eyebrow, then left without a word. Iistengel saw Briind sink to his knees, sadness, and hopelessness filling him. Something snapped in him at the look of his friend.

Iistengel stormed out of the tent. He whipped his irate gaze at every person until he spotted Natiirik. The boy charged through the crowd. He came right behind the man and landed a well-aimed kick. Natiirik whipped around, looking around above the boy’s head.

“Down here bright one.”

Natiirik looked down, loathing what his eyes beheld. Iistengel returned the gaze with little less venom.

“What do you want child?”

“Funny, I was about to ask the same thing.”

Natiirik’s eyes narrowed. “What is this about Iistengel?” He asked folding his arms.

“Oh, nothing much, you just threatened to kill my best friend. What, do you think I‘m happy about that?”

“Your ‘friend’ should have been smarter than he was just then.”

“Oh very well done Natiirik. I thought you knew him better than that. Well, since you don’t, let me fill you in; Eisen is in love with Hasrinn.”

Iistengel flamed when he saw the smirk on Natiirik’s face. He kept his voice calm with some effort.

“Do you honestly think that Eisen would play a stupid game like that with the princess? Haven’t you heard the elders speak of him with nothing but respect, just as they did for you?”

“What do you know about love Wrhaden?”

“I obviously know more than you Wiirsa.”

Natiirik came close, suddenly quiet. “Do not tell me I don’t know about love. You have no idea what you’re talking about you stupid boy.”

A fire like never before filled the boys chest. The flame shot from his tongue before he could make himself stop.

“No, you’re the one who’s really childish; you are the one who wants to see everything dead that doesn’t obey your every little command -”

Iistengel could feel the cloud of silence building around him, as if he and Natiirik were the only two people standing there.

“When will you ever stop being such a child Iistengel?”

“Yes, well, growing up doesn’t always mean being a person like you.”

A silence seemed to fall over the village. Natiirik’s gaze became a sheet of iron. Iistengel gazed defiantly back at him, emerald eyes piercing the blackness in front of him. The man finally turned and strode off. Iistengel stormed off to his tent.

Iistengel walked down the riverside, throwing rocks into the tranquil water. The evening was quickly turning into night. The boy did not notice however, for his mind was wandering to other things such as what he had done with Eisen and Hasrinn. He hoisted his basket higher onto his side; it was close to dinnertime, and he needed to catch a fish. He set the basket down on the water’s edge, and was about to move into the water.

“Hello boy.”

Iistengel turned to see Aruba striding up to him. He was wearing a plain white tunic and fitting leather pants, and the tall boots just like he usually did. The boy could think of a million things that Aruba had told him about. He was thinking what the mans name would be, had he lived in Wjhanir.

“You have a funny way of saying hello.”

The boy came out of his thoughts. Grinning shyly, he kept walking. The young man caught up to him, and continued in silence. Iistengel skipped some more rocks across the river, completely absorbed in his own thoughts. Where had Aruba come from, he often wondered, had his life always been on the road? Did he have a family? Where did he go besides Wolf village?

Aruba stopped for a moment, situating his large belt and yawning. Iistengel gazed at the man with admiration. He spied on Aruba’s belt a shiny stick like object on his left side. Glad to not be reminded of earlier days events, he commented on it.

“What is that?”

Iistengel pointed to the large shiny object. Aruba looked down to his side. “Oh. That is my sword.” He continued walking, obviously pleased by his superior knowledge. Iistengel did not notice his demeanor, and continued to stare.

“Is that a stick?”

Aruba had stopped walking and gave the lad a strange look. Iistengel was about to ask what was wrong when the man laughed. Iistengel offered his odd grin, not understanding the laughter. Aruba smiled radiantly. He took the stick and drew it out of his belt. Iistengel was surprised at the thing; it had two shiny, metal sticks one crossed over near Aruba’s hand, but the other side appeared to be a blade.

“What kind of stick is that?”

Aruba laughed at that, tossing his head back. Iistengel smiled his natural smile and pulled off his shoes. He moved into the water, searching diligently for a fish. He soon spotted one, and tossed it into his basket. He soon had three large catfish sprawled in the basket.

“What are you doing little boy?”

Normally, Iistengel would balk at that phrase. Yet when Aruba said it, he could sense great affection from him. He sighed nonchalantly.

“I was just catching a fish for dinner.”

Aruba nodded, eyes wise and deep. Iistengel liked Aruba’s eyes; they were the same deep emerald green as his. “Would you like to see my reindeer?” Iistengel asked suddenly. Aruba seemed puzzled by the question. Iistengel looked at the young man with wide innocent eyes.

“I wanted to see if I could trade anything for some reindeer bells.”

Aruba smiled sweetly and nodded. Iistengel copied his movements, taking in the sun-warmed tones of skin, and the black hair. He again wondered where Aruba came from, and where he lived. Iistengel picked up the basket and moved to his tent as fast as possible. He saw Aruba leisurely pacing beside him.

“Make yourself at home. I’m going to clean these fish outside.”

Iistengel showed various items of worth to Aruba, and then dashed outside to quickly clean his fish.

When he returned to his tent, he set the fish on skewers to cook over the fire. He wasn’t particularly worried about Aruba; he could catch his own fish. Iistengel was about to comment to the merchant when he noticed that he wasn’t in the small tent. Panic rushed into the boy as he searched for Aruba around his tent. He quickly found him next to the penned reindeer, studying his eyes and teeth. Iistengel raced up to him and began reprimanding him.

“Hey! What are you doing? I leave for a second and you’re gone! What’s up with that?”

“What, were you worried or something?”

Iistengel paused his tirade and gazed at the warm green eyes. He couldn’t think of a suitable response without revealing his innermost feelings. Aruba smiled and moved to the reindeer.

“What is the beasts name? He is quite a handsome creature.”

Iistengel smiled weakly and said that so far the beast had no name, and then related the rescue of the animal. Aruba nodded, visibly impressed with Iistengel’s courage. The conversation wound down, leaving the two to pat the reindeer thoughtfully.

“Would you like some fish Aruba? I’ve got more that enough for me.”

Aruba turned and smiled, he seemed a little sad when he looked at the boy.

“Of course.”

He pulled some red and white bands out of his jacket, and six plain bells. He handed them to the boy in front of him.

Iistengel was racing across the tundra to the braided river. He plunged into the clear water; it was such a lovely day, and his friends were playing follow the leader. Iistengel smiled secretly. Some girls were playing with them, and he knew how much they despised getting wet, even on a warm day. “Iistengel!” one of the younger girls squealed as she jumped in, “Why did you go in the water?” All the boys laughed at that.

“Silly girl!” Briind stated peering into the water. “Don’t you know that boys love to get girls all wet? Iistengel was just doing us all a favor."

The boys laughed at that, some of the girls smiling shyly in response to this; Briind was a nice looking boy, and all the grandparents of the village reckoned that he would be the most handsome when he grew up. Iistengel smiled at that; he didn’t doubt that Eisen would be the best looking of all the young men; he had black hair and black eyes that reminded Iistengel of a raven. Briind suddenly shot his hand into the water and was holding a fat fish.

“Oh no… look out girls, I just might make you clean it!”

Briind raced at the girls with the fat fish making some of them scream and run back to the village. The few that stayed giggled with half disgust and jumped into the water, soon looking for colored rocks. Iistengel studied the liquid blue sky and smiled his feral smile; today was going to be a very busy day. First, he was going to go hunting wild hare with Briind, and then he was going to finish his fur clothes he was making himself for the winter. He still had to make his quiver, and finish his winter mittens; the only thing was that he couldn’t seem to find any beaver. He’d have to look harder. He had managed to get a wolf pelt all by himself. The boy swelled with pride; it was a lovely pelt, dark gray in the center and growing close to white as it came to the edge. Iistengel was snapped out of his thoughts when a shower of water hit his face. “Wake up sleepy head!” Briind stated with a smirk. “What is it Wrhaden? Are you dreaming of a girl or something?” At that, the girls that had been with them instantly moaned their opinions of him. Iistengel grinned oddly in response and kicked some water at his friend. “Maybe.” he replied mischievously. The girls instantly squealed their annoyance.

“What is going on here?”

The children turned to stare in horror at Natiirik, the eldest of the chief’s sons. He turned to the girls. “You go back to what you were doing and don’t talk to these boys again.” The girls picked up their baskets and moved towards the mountain to pick some berries. Iistengel stared after them, wondering if they were going to burst out laughing when they were far enough away. Iistengel admired their long, fine braids and their bright glass beads that showed multicolored flowers with fringe and such on the bottom. Natiirik grabbed his attention again. “You boys,” He stated to the others, “Don’t you have traps to check?” The boys looked stricken and soon dispersed themselves in various directions to check their traps. Natiirik then gave Iistengel a long hard look.

“You had better finish your parka Iistengel.”

With a gaze that could crack a glacier, the young man left, heading back to the village at the base of the mountain. Iistengel stared at the ground, angry tears filling his eyes. Just a few days ago, he thought that Natiirik and he would get along better. This just proved how changeable the youth was. Iistengel kicked the water and walked slowly to his small dwelling on the edge of the village. The boy was incredibly frustrated to hear some of the girls giggle as he passed their birch paper houses; he knew he was funny looking, and it bothered him abominably. He pushed these thoughts away when he approached his small dwelling. The boy greeted his tame reindeer warmly; the animal seemed content to nuzzle him and continue munching the tundra around it. Iistengel sighed helplessly and entered his tiny house.

Iistengel gummed the inside of the caribou hide to complete softness; he wanted his boots to fit his feet perfectly so that he would not waste any part of the animal he had. Iistengel was surprised when there was a knock on the pole of his door flap. Snoweska, the chief’s daughter, entered the small house somewhat hesitantly. “Iistengel,” she stated shyly, “My father wants to see you.” Iistengel felt his heart plummet when he heard that; he knew that this could not be good. Knowing how Natiirik could be. The boy nodded wordlessly and followed her to the house of the chief.

“Natiirik has told me that you were disrupting the children’s work again.”

Iistengel blushed at the accusation. He bowed his head, unable to speak.

“That and the Kjss incident.”

He could almost see the satisfaction in the Wolf Prince's eyes in perceiving that Iistengel was now in trouble; almost everyone could see how much he liked the chief’s daughter, and no one ever let him come near her unless they could help it. The chief nodded at his son’s remark, “Yes. That is true.” The chief agreed cautiously, watching his son carefully. “That was quite the disturbance…”

“Disturbance?” Natiirik spat shooting to his feet. “Disturbance? The boy nearly destroyed the whole village!”

“It was and accident.” Iistengel offered quietly. Natiirik rounded on the boy, his black eyes afire. “If my sister is to marry, it is not going to be a misfit boy who just appeared one day with no nobility whatever.” Natiirik took a step closer to Iistengel menace dripping from his every word. “We should have been rid of you the day you were found by the river.”

“Wiirsa. That is enough.”

The prince pursed his lips and took a step back, fists clenching and unclenching. Iistengel however, jumped on his words.

“Shouldn’t have been born? Take a look in the stream Wiirsa. Bullying the children all the time. It’s no wonder people don’t like you. You are so mean they wish you were never here.”

“At least I can live in the village and not have to worry about my posterity.”

“At least I don’t have fish for brains and a goat’s face Fureissah.”

There was an immediate silence in the tent. Iistengel gazed at the young man in hot contempt. Natiirik met his gaze, then slowly, every so slowly, bowed his head, blushing terribly. Iistengel blinked in surprise; where were the retorts? Was he just thinking about one? No, Natiirik looked beaten down, as if he had lost everything.

“Boy, you will have to leave the village.”

Iistengel jerked in surprise at the chief’s angered voice. His worst fear was confirmed. He heard the condemning sentence, suddenly getting an idea. “I will leave on one condition.” The chief looked at him with dangerously black eyes. Natiirik gazed at him with slight disdain.

“You are in no place to compromise Wrhaden.”

Iistengel continued, his mouth going dry. “You must promise that Eisen and Hasrinn can and will be married when the choose. Otherwise, I will stay, and cause even more damage than I already have done.” The chief gave his son a sidelong glance.

“You are in no position to make a pact Iistengel.” The chief repeated. Natiirik blew out his breath in disgust, glaring at the ground. Iistengel swallowed hard, trying to be rid of the waver in his voice. “Thank you for listening. When do I have to leave?” he asked quietly, trying not to stare at the ground; he could see patterns of sunlight, dancing on the floor.

“As soon as possible.”

Iistengel sighed inwardly, feeling horrible about the whole thing.

“Alright.”

Iistengel bowed humbly to the chief and Natiirik. He spun on his heel to prepare for departure.

“Iistengel?”

The lad turned to see the princess standing behind him staring at her feet. She fidgeted slightly.

“I - I’m really going to miss you Iistengel.” she stated haltingly. She gave him a quick hug, then, blushing by her boldness, made a hasty retreat. “Goodbye my friend!” she called over her shoulder. Iistengel smiled after her; how lucky he was that she was his friend! Iistengel fitted the halter on his reindeer and checked the blanket for the animal’s comfort.

“Hey! Iistengel do you want to -”

Iistengel turned to look at his best friend race up to him. The latter paused, gazing from the reindeer to the younger boy.

“Where are you going?”

Iistengel didn’t answer for a second. “I have to leave Eisen,” he said as calmly as possible. Briind seemed to be shocked. “You? Leave? Why, that’s insane! No one will ever hear of our village again!” Iistengel laughed in spite of himself; who hadn’t heard of the fire boy, the fox boy, even Wrhaden? He quieted after a moment, looking at his well-built friend leaning on his reindeer. Iistengel fidgeted, not knowing exactly how to say what he wanted to say.

“Briind?”

The lad turned his black eyes on him, full of charm. Iistengel turned away, suddenly feeling foolish. “Briind, will you protect her for me? Snoweska I mean.” Briind had mainly wonder in his eyes, but when Iistengel had said this last thing, the lad’s eyes softened, and he pulled the smaller boy into his arms. “Of course I will Iistengel.” He said softly, “Who else would protect her while you’re gone? The fish I caught?” Iistengel smiled and hugged his friend back.

“Besides, you know I would be more than willing to protect Snoweska…”

Iistengel groaned inwardly and shoved his friend away, making the older boy laugh. Iistengel suddenly remembered Aruba. He felt his heart plummet; leaving the village meant that he would never see the merchant again.

“Wrhaden? What is it? Why are you crying?”

The boy felt a hand touch his wet cheek. Iistengel jerked away, feeling a great sadness fill his heart. Briind rubbed his arm affectionately.

“I’ll be right back.”

The older boy raced away. Iistengel stood there, feeling a sense of hopelessness filling his head. The reindeer perked his ears and nudged the boy when he began to choke on tears.

“Hello boy.”

Iistengel quieted himself quickly; he was going to kill Briind. The boy turned to see Aruba standing there with fiery green eyes. The man smiled sadly.

“What is wrong?”

Iistengel stared at his feet, willing himself not to cry. “I…I have to leave Aruba.”

“Yes, Briind told me that.”

The man came a few steps closer.

“Iistengel, look at me.”

Iistengel raised mournful eyes to match Aruba’s gaze. Aruba had a beautiful, smooth face, making him look young and strong. Iistengel loved that face.

“Why did you say that to Natiirik Wrhaden?”

Iistengel bowed his head in shame. He could feel his friend staring at him in curiosity. Aruba continued, the anger quiet, but evident in his voice.

“Did you want him to feel like that? Do you really disregard a Prince in such a way?”

Iistengel jumped in surprise when he felt an hand smack across his face. He continued staring at the ground, eyes suddenly swimming. Aruba took the boy’s face in one of his hands.

“You never treat someone like that again, do you hear me?”

Iistengel nodded, keeping his eyes closed, feeling as if he was being stripped of all protection.

“You can have that name now.”

Iistengel nodded, blushing with anger. The man caressed the lad’s face. Iistengel felt as if Aruba could read his mind with those bright, deep eyes of his. He latched desperately onto Aruba’s words, trying to keep them close to his heart.

“Not all good byes are forever Iistengel.”

Iistengel threw his arms around the man, trying vainly not to cry. Aruba hugged him back, speaking in some other, melancholy language. He squeezed the boy slightly, and then pulled away. Iistengel looked up at the man, surprised at what he saw. The lad had never seen such a deep sadness in anyone that he now saw in Aruba’s eyes. The man gave the boy a warm smile.

“Farewell dear child. We shall meet again.”

The foothills of the mountains were large and difficult to climb. Iistengel greeted them warmly; he was only slightly upset that he had to leave the village. The place had no future for him anyway. What could he do there that he couldn’t do somewhere else? There were goats, marmots, and even a few bears to ease the monotony of the journey. Other than that, it was pretty rough. Iistengel had never been this far from the village, and was soon wondering if his whole journey would be this dull, or if this was the part he had to endure to get to the fun stuff. Suddenly, his reindeer stopped and snorted. Iistengel gazed at the back of his head in confusion, then understood; the creature was thinking the same thing he was. Iistengel laughed and urged the animal into a trot. The early summer was always breathtaking in his eyes, and now he realized that he was going to miss many of those on his journey. Iistengel looked back on the huge glacier valley with a touch of sadness now; how old would his friend be when he returned? Would they know it was he, or would they play the bear prank on him like they did to the last imposter? Iistengel shook these thoughts away; there was no use in turning back now since he had almost gotten to the center of the river valley. He noticed that the incredibly erratic weather was now pushing the clouds back to reveal a surprisingly clear day. Iistengel smiled; that would make the journey much nicer than what it could have been. Already, he felt the clean air invigorate him, and entice him to continue his journey. The boy smiled to himself and wisely unpacked his poor reindeer; he knew better than to be fooled by the midnight sun.

The boy had slept fitfully that golden night and was now finishing his winter clothes. All he needed now was some beaver to line his moose hide mittens. He was in no place where he could successfully catch a beaver, considering that he was in the mountains, and there were very few beaver in the mountains. Iistengel paused on his uphill climb and looked around; there were quite a few quaking aspen and some scraggily black spruce patches that grew smaller and smaller. Iistengel studied his surroundings carefully, and then sat down on the thick moss under his feet. He was very tired from his traveling up the mountain, and his reindeer needed to rest. He was just about to make camp when he heard a rustling in the bushes not far ahead. Iistengel was instantly alert, and watched to see if the rustling would start again. Within moments it did. Iistengel drew his knife and crept stealthily towards the offending bush. Iistengel slowly pulled back the branches of the tall bush and peered over it, and found a marmot sitting there with huge black eyes. Iistengel Instantly relaxed and sheathed his knife. He turned and walked back to his hefty reindeer. Within a reasonable amount of time, Iistengel had made a smokeless campfire and was now cooking some venison. He watched the flames, his mind on Snoweska and Briind. Were they all right? Or had they been subjected to that awful Natiirik? Iistengel shook these thoughts away; Briind was a stripling boy, and was part of the most prosperous family in the whole tribe next to the chief. He was bound to get the chief’s daughter. With that, Iistengel fell into a fitful sleep.

Iistengel packed his reindeer and moved down the other side of the mountain. It was a beautiful clear day, and the fresh air convinced him that he was ready to travel. The boy wandered through some of the rougher spots, just because they were there and he had nothing better to do. At least, that’s what he thought.

Iistengel was about to enter a small amount of trees when he heard a strange noise ahead. The boy instantly paused his reindeer. He pulled out his bow and readied and arrow. He crept silently to a small bush where the noise had been heard. Iistengel paused and peered over the shrub. What he saw made his stomach turn.

There, seated on the ground, was a little girl who looked as if she was around eight or nine. There were three men encircling her, and two metal people standing and itching to get their fingers on the men, but were surrounded by about ten of them. They appeared to be making some sort of camp, to rest for the remainder of the day.

Iistengel made his way quietly back to his reindeer, and lead him further from the camp, but situated so that he could see their every move. He then began to make a mixture of red berries and deer fat to make a deep red war paint. He paused, and looked over to the camp again. Most of the men had lazily dozed off; the two metal persons were tied in ropes, back to back. Iistengel sighed turning back to his mixture and put some on his face. He then put some in his reindeer’s mouth. The beast toyed with it for a moment, and then spit it out. Iistengel smiled at that; it probably tasted really horrible. The lad quickly made some black paint and stroked his face with it. That man was in his mind; what kind of stupid man would strike a woman? He shook his head in disgust. Obviously, he was only a very stupid man, considering that the girl was pretty much helpless against a full-grown man. Iistengel continued to spread the black across his face, careful not to be seen or heard.

Iistengel mounted his reindeer a distance away. He could hear the men talking to the girl. The man said something incredibly harsh to her. Iistengel took an arrow out of his quiver and shot an arrow at the rope that held the two metallic persons bound. They seemed to be the only ones who noticed, and slowly shook off the offensive cord and sat there, waiting. Iistengel’s attention was drawn away as the man continued to speak to the girl. Iistengel slinked away from the man‘s voice, trying not to laugh; the language he had just used made a whiny, melancholy tone. The boy closed his eyes in anger at the sound of skin striking skin. The boy bit his lip and silently prepared a cold meal. There were rougher sounds, and a small squeal, then complete silence. Iistengel pursed his lips and ate quickly. He then lied down to rest for the evening.

Iistengel gazed at the cold camp in front of him. He could see the metal people sitting there, making small noises. Iistengel saw the girl strapped to a tree, nodding off in drowsiness. The boy slinked through the camp towards the girl. Picking his way through the silence, he moved to his prize on the edge of the camp. He stepped over the sleeping figures, the pale moon drawing crimson in her hair. The boy crept over an arm and leapt nimbly onto a large rock. Though the night had come on, the sun still cast its evening glow. It’s light illuminating the characters sprawled on the ground and the girl just three paces away.

“Ber! Get up you lazy old lout!”

The boy froze, not daring to move. A man stretched and grumbled towards the other.

“What do you want?”

The next part of the discussion was in low voices so that Iistengel had to strain to hear their whiny, high words.

“What of the beast?”

“Never mind the beast. We’ll never catch it. What we are going to do is get the king to pay the ransom on his precious daughter. The beast is not our concern.”

“She said that help would come for her. Do you think she was lying?”

“No you idiot. Do you think I would wake you in the middle of the night to tell you this for fun?”

“I am sorry Daisy…”

“Never mind. Just so long as we get her to Rose, we will be fine.”

“She seems a little young don’t you think?”

“By the time we find Rose, she will probably be old enough. Same with him.”

Iistengel wrinkled his nose at that; a boy named Rose? He had heard the word from Aruba once; it was a beautiful red flower; but a boy called that? What kind of society had he stepped into? The lad shook his head and turned his attention back to the two men.

“What should we do if he rejects her?”

“Look, he said he wanted a red princess, and we got him a red princess. If he doesn’t like it, we’ll get rid of her.”

Iistengel felt a sense of foreboding from their words. The two men lit a torch and began to talk in even lower voices than before. Iistengel fingered his knife when they touched the now awake girl. They kept talking and began to touch her face. Iistengel relaxed his grip and stirred slightly. In an instant, he found himself hoisted of the rock and thrown onto the ground. There were sounds of a struggle and a small fight. The two torches disappeared into the darkness. The boy was kicked onto his back, a foot placed there to keep him from moving. Iistengel felt a pair of large hands feeling him all over, then taking his knife, bow and quiver. The boy struggled to his feet. A mixture of moonlight and a few torches revealed a tall, wiry man stepped forward.

“What is this? A thief in our midst, a spy maybe?”

Iistengel frowned and stood his very tallest gazing defiantly at the man. The guy gave Iistengel an apologetic look and took a knee, making his group laugh. Iistengel flamed at this. The man smiled.

“Well boy, do you have anything to say?”

Iistengel had no idea what the man had said. He spat at their feet. The band of men hooted their derision. Iistengel did not break his gaze with the leader he assumed to be “Day-zee.”

“Worsn.”

The man smiled pleasantly in response. “I suppose my title is rather feminine. I believe it is because a woman founded this country. Rather strange for such a fierce warrior… must have been her sister…she was much nicer…” The man drew away from his thought and turned his full attention to the lad in front of him.

“What do you want boy?”

Iistengel shifted under the fixed gray eyes. He glanced at the girl, then back at the strange, foreign man. The man glanced at the girl too. He suddenly smiled.

“Oh, no. I am not Daisy. I would never take such a humiliating title as that. Unfortunately for him,” he said patting a still form face down on the ground, “it was inherited. No, I am Lord Iris. You can call me girly if you really want to, but I’d prefer you not to. Iris is cooler than Daisy anyway.”

Iris stood and moved to a tall deer like animal behind him. His group clad in a deep almost black purple moved to clean up the camp and free the two metal people. Iistengel stared at the man in drab clothes on the ground. He felt relief at the man’s comments, but also wary; what was he talking about? Iistengel turned his attention to the girl. He was pleased to see the leader picking her up and taking her to a small tent. Iistengel followed cautiously. He saw the man lay the girl down on a thick fur and began to talk to her in a low voice. Iistengel took his weapons up from the ground and moved into the shade of the tent. The girl had just fallen asleep.

Iris turned to look at the boy. “She is fine. A few bruise, but nothing serious.” The man stroked the sleeping girl’s face. “Stupid man. Can’t understand that physical power isn’t everything.” He stroked the girl’s arm, rubbing warmth into it.

“Stupid stupid man…”

Iistengel was glad that Iris was as upset about the girl’s treatment as he was. Iris turned cool silver eyes onto the boy. He took a long tanned roll from the floor, and uncoiled it. He spread the fur on the ground, at the end of the tent, at the foot of the girl’s bed. “You’d best sleep as well.”

Iistengel gazed at him with a fierce calm. He sat next to the girl, arms crossed, gazing steadily at the man. Iris gave the boy a look of amusement.

“Really?”

At that moment, Iistengel let out a huge yawn. Iris smiled and set the boy on the pelt. Iistengel blinked his eyes in sleepiness, and then scowled at the man in front of him. Iris smiled sweetly at that and took the child and sat him down on the fur bed. Iistengel thought this to be very unmanly, but obliged, not knowing if this was a custom in the country Iris was from. He struggled to stay awake, trying to prove that he could keep watch and be useful. He continued in this manner when Iris left the tent. He was back almost instantly with some sort of paper in his hand. Iistengel grunted in effort to keep his eyes open. Iris noticed this and smiled.

“You