[Jauhar] The 'New Girl' and the Hybrid [Atreyu | Kzakka]

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Atreyu had been raised after his blooming for most of his life on the Isle of Amara, with his mother, Zikiri, and the three daughters she had bloomed with her new mate since her separation with Atreyu’s other mother. In his earliest years, before they parted ways, she and Yzadra had lived with him in Andile. But early in her new relationship, Zikiri and her mate, Akazae, had chosen to relocate. Closer to home, further from rumors, nearer to the mother tree. It had been the perfect place to raise their three blessings, in any case, and Atreyu had learned there to quiet himself into the background.

Though his mother never lied about him, she never corrected anyone who mentioned the eldest of her four daughters, and Atreyu learned to find it easier to do the same. He trained with his sisters only as often as necessary and spent the rest of his time not otherwise dedicated to chores out amidst the jungle itself. Nature was more honest than anything that spoke back. If asked, Atreyu would have had to say he wouldn’t likely miss Andile the village itself, in so much as it was defined by the persons there who he didn’t have much close connection to himself. But in so far as Andile, the land that Aisha had given fruit to and her children had chosen to name, in so much as it was defined as the space where all the trees and rivers, nooks, caves, and cliffsides he knew were concerned—he suspected he might miss that.

He wasn’t certain what exactly prompted the decision for a move to Emeka, and he wasn’t opposed so much as he was unenthusiastically indifferent. No one would know him there, so he would be obligated to make new acquaintances at least, and awkwardly avoid his sisters’ new friends.

The first phase of which was apparently set to begin immediately. Though they had only spent their first full night settled in their new home the night prior, Akazae insisted that he go meet the sisters of his ‘age range’ who were being called together for a scouting session. Given that it sounded like at least the potential for an excuse to be out in the jungle early, Atreyu supposed it wasn’t the worst of ways to begin the day. He dressed in fitted, wrapped shorts, short beneath a loose, draped skirt that hid them and a top which hung down over where most of his sisters by now had a fairly developed chest. He found, though, that with the right decoration, his lack of a pronounced bosom was forgettable, and he blended in well enough with his sisters that few inquired further unless they came to know him.

Akazae’s directions had seemed vague at the time, but when he set out in the direction instructed, it wasn’t long before he found what must have been the spoken of gathering himself: a building cluster of adolescents, none of the girls looking armed yet, but all well beyond their youngling years—and a boy.

Atreyu normally managed better than to stare, but given Akazae’s attitude towards hybrids, he would have anticipated they’d be moving somewhere low in that regard. Then again, this was the only one he saw, and in spite of himself, he felt a curious quickening of his pulse—curiosity, he was sure. He hadn’t had opportunity before to meet with many a male among his sisters, and it was encouraging to know that if he was stepping into a crowd with that among them, he wouldn’t be the one earning the attention, surely.

Of course, he had no way of knowing how long the boy had been here before him, and he supposed it stood to reason that if the hybrid were a long term resident of the area, Atreyu would be attracting eyes and questions regardless. Atreyu angled himself for the back of the gathering. His attention, though, lingered on the hybrid, and he wondered what it was like, to be so obvious there was no hiding it.  

[Fluffesu]

The Only Black Uke

"Take Lady."

The command came as Kzakka stepped a single foot past the threshold of his home. It would have been easy to ignore, easy to continue on his way as if he simply hadn't heard, and he likely should have. Kaz still hadn't learned to successfully argue with his mother, even in instances when he felt as though he had reason for his decisions, like this one.

His new janarim, Lady Katra, was the smallest, most pitiful thing he'd ever seen. She was a creature from another land who could scarcely walk on her own. She was weak, scrawny, and mewling, well beneath being a useful companion in any hunt. Katerin assured Kaz that once she was grown, she would be more fierce than any radaku, with scales as solid as stone. But she wasn't now. Right now she was a pathetic, squishy, tiny burden who would serve as more reason for his sisters to scoff at him.

Halona knew this. His Alkidike mother knew that he wasn't keen on bringing such a displeasing creature anywhere near his temperamental sisters, and so before Kzakka could decide to ignore the command or flee before it became an issue, he stopped, scoffed, grunted, and tossed a glare over his shoulder. "I'm not gonna-"

"You will," Halona asserted immediately. "She is an infant unfamiliar with this territory, and if you are to be her master, you'll do your duty and acquaint her with her new surroundings. She was a gift that your mother had to travel and risk her safety to obtain after you said you wanted a bond like I have with Natra. Are you ashamed of your mother's gift?"

Kaz's crimson glare scraped across the floor until it found and pinned on the fumbling bundle that was his new companion. Lady dug her claws into the woven fabric of a rug and smacked her tail to the floor when she looked at him. "No..." Kzakka muttered stiffly.

And unconvincingly.

"Take Lady."

And so he did. She was the messiest, most useless creature. She didn't follow where he walked, didn't come when she was called. The thing was an embarrassment, as if he didn't already have enough to defend himself over. Kzakka settled her easily distracted mind by perching her atop his head, with her fore paws dangling down between his antenna, and her back paws crimping for purchase on either side of his neck. At least she wouldn't be much of a nuisance, so long as she kept quiet and held her grip...

Only rarely did anyone feel the need to say anything to him when they gathered together like this. If he felt particularly strongly about something, he'd speak up, himself, but since there was little going on besides clustering with friends and waiting, Kaz decided to not make a scene of himself. Yet.

He scuffed the heel of his foot in the dirt, anxious to begin the actual 'activity' portion of the scout. Kzakka was accustomed to going alone, or being stuck in a group that essentially ignored him, which was fine so long as he performed admirably enough despite that. He huffed. Lady's head turned, muscles bunching against Kaz's skin such that he could feel it. And the movement inspired him to look the same way.

Kzakka wouldn't have said he knew everyone in the settlement. So many didn't even want to be in the same clearing as him that he'd hardly even had opportunity to see all the residents, let alone learn the details of their appearance or names or faces.

But the girl that stared back at him was distinctly unfamiliar in a way that he knew he's never come into contact with her even fleetingly. And she was definitely staring.

Kaz's brows pinched, and his lips quirked down. "What're you lookin' at?" He demanded curtly, voice carrying from where he stood across the distance that the girl had managed to put between them.