[p] and in the south

Tlantli Kimaris · 06-16-2012, 12:21 AM

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Tlantli is by Alaine!

The walls of the Kimaris family abode had more cracks, scuffs, and other minor damages than she remembered. The few fabrics they owned were torn, fraying, or otherwise patched time and time again. There was but one slave, a hopelessly feeble wolf-dog with one hand missing, perhaps evidence of some past thievery or just bad luck. There were other signs of decay, more than Tlantli could count, and yet -- this was home, and it filled her with an indescribable elation. Joy overtook every part of her life, stark contrast to the dark months in Salsola, the harsh months following, and the harsher still weeks on the road.

The sea had been particularly harsh on her mother's stomach, sensitive as it was, but she had persevered, and now she was home again. It did not matter if the Kimaris home was in shambles -- it was home. She meant to make them great again, but greatness must wait. Her body had returned to its former resiliency, but she needed only look to the yard and see her shambling children, adolescents still, to know waiting was still necessary. Dieriel guided Rahovath with a pointed finger toward the rabbit, cowering in a corner. The garden was walled and there was no escape, but the children were still having difficulty with prey released within.

It's early, yet, to be teaching them to hunt, a soft voice offered, and Tlantli turned from the window -- permanently open window, as there was no glass nor even a frame left anymore -- to face Metetzili. Though there was a long piece of thin, near-transparent cloth draped around his waist and he wore a piece of glinting silver here and there, the man was a far cry from the bejeweled and bedecked brother she remembered. Still, even after so many weeks in Eterne, the sight of him flooded her with happiness.

Yes, she agreed. But they will be better that way. Her half-brother moved further into the room, even his step different from what Tlantli remembered. With dismay, and not for the first time, she realized he had grown old. Dieriel seemed more lively, but she hadn't the weight of the Kimaris family resting on her shoulders all her long years, either. The flaxen-hued hybrid stepped toward her father, offering him the sunnier seat by the window. He waved a clawed hand and frowned, gesturing instead to the hallway from whence he'd come.

I wouldn't have the children hear what I want to talk about, he said. There was an element to his voice which gave Tlantli alarm, and both her ears pricked up. She followed him into the adjoining hallway and down into his own room. There was less sunlight here, but it was not connected to the garden; the open windows instead faced the open wilderness pressing in around the Eternian settlement.

Metetzili Kimaris · 06-16-2012, 12:39 AM

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Though Metetzili's bones ached, the pale coyote did not complain. He'd never complained, at least not of such trifling matters. His own body mattered little, in the end -- it had proved a failure in more ways than one, and it was no unexpected thing that it would begin to fail him in new and unexpected ways. The hybrid shuffled toward the window and took a moment to gaze out and into the wilderness. The late summer heat was pressing -- the cool winds from the seas did nothing to stave it off. He turned back toward his half-sister, dark red eyes appraising her slight form. She showed a resiliency he had never had even in youth, bearing no sign whatsoever of her long journey and the childbirth she'd endured shortly thereafter.

She seemed to look at him in the same way, though Mete could not read her expression as well as most. His daughter-sister was a stranger to him now -- he'd sent her and her brothers off as children, and now this pale-furred woman sat before him. Tlantli shook her head, tossing her short-cropped hair off and away from her eyes, but she did not balk at his gaze. Mete inhaled, and sighed, stepping toward her. Tlantli, he began. Though he was well-versed in speech and a learned man, he was treading into unknown territory with this unknown woman. Why did you come back? You remember why you were sent away, don't you? There was caution in the yellow hybrid's tone. He did not wish to sound like her father anymore -- that was something he'd done for duty, as it was required of him. Their father had died, and it had fallen to Metetzili to attempt to mend the Kimaris family. They were on equal footing now, as he saw it -- an old man of a brother and a younger woman, by rights, she ought to have taken his place the moment she returned to Eterne. She hadn't, though, and this had vexed Mete as much as any.

The look she gave him was strange and Mete could not discern its meaning. He thought it lacked anger, though, and that was good. Baphomet, he said, half-turning away from her. He had avoided this subject most of all with her, for he saw the fierce love of her children plainly. He is still a danger, maybe more of a danger now. He's got more friends, more power, the hybrid said, looking down at the stone floor of his room. He is as much a danger to them as he was to you.

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Tlantli Kimaris · 06-16-2012, 12:56 AM

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Tlantli is by Alaine!

The wheat-pale coyote regarded her brother with a slightly cocked head, brilliantly red eyes appraising him. She did not remember him being quite such a fearful thing, in all truth, though she supposed it made sense, given how he'd sent her and her brothers away rather than deal with his own brother. Tlantli looked to the reddish stone of the floor, eyes sweeping over the paltry few things her brother-father still owned. Tlantli returned her gaze to her half-brother, and now she allowed her frown to show. Standing up slowly, the pale-colored hybrid took his hand, reaching to take it.

Brother, she murmured, pressing the hand to her muzzle and inhaling his scent. You raised me and made me as I am today, she started, releasing his hand. And now you are tired, so tired! It is written all over you, she said. He has done nothing to you all these long months I have been away, why would he start now? Tlantli remained unconvinced her other half-brother was even aware of her return to Eterne. She'd taken care to arrive with a larger caravan and had been able to blend amongst the crowds, and she hadn't left the Kimaris abode since.

I am a secret, she promised him, grinning with those razor-sharp teeth. But not forever. Let my children grow strong. It will only take the better part of the year. You have carried this family so long; I am only asking you to hold it a little longer. Though she hadn't said it, it was plainly written that the yellow-furred coyote was not afraid of her half-brother, no matter what he claimed to wield. She knew a power truer than his, and she intended to make certain Baphomet knew it, as well.

Metetzili Kimaris · 06-16-2012, 01:10 AM

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Mete stood and awkwardly received the gesture of affection, peering on Tlantli with deep red eyes. He was confused by her dismissal of Baphomet and thought her dismissing him entirely too quickly. The rest of her talk -- the flaxen coyote did not know what to make of that, either. I will do whatever is asked of me for this family, he said, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. But you should not forget Baphomet so quickly. His daughter-sister's voice was accented strangely, even -- it carried the clear mark of some distant place with some strange tongue.

He would not have his time to rest yet -- the family must still depend on him. There was not so much of it that he had an overwhelming amount of duties, though -- the three adults shared tasks equally, their single slave working like the dog he was to keep some semblance of order within the Kimaris family's home. These physical responsibilities did not concern Metetzili quite so much as other responsibilities -- ensuring the survival of his family was a renewed one, and one he hadn't known he'd face again.

In sending Tlantli, her brothers, and Dieriel's son away, Mete had been certain he was condemning the Kimaris family to death within Eterne. He had no children and could not seem to produce any; he'd stopped trying years ago, in any case. Dieriel was not keen on breeding again, and Baphomet was priestly, certain to father none. To save his half-siblings, it had been worth it. In the end, this was Metetzili's conclusion. Now, faced with the revival of their hopes, he was not quite certain he'd made the correct choice in the first place.

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Tlantli Kimaris · 06-16-2012, 01:25 AM

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Tlantli is by Alaine!

The slim woman turned on her heels, presenting her back to Mete. I do not forget Baphomet, the coyote said, speaking this in thickly accented English. Mete's ears swiveled at the introduction of this other tongue -- though he knew it perfectly well, the flaxen male seemed taken aback by its use. Tlantli's tone was flat, and muddled further by their second tongue -- this was her intent; she hadn't wished her brother to discover the venom behind these words. Though Mete had raised her from childhood, she did not trust him or anyone else with the lives of her own children. I remember, but I do not fear, she added, returning to Spanish and speaking with a gentle tongue. I will not have my children sent away as I was. They are mine, and I will protect them.

This family is mine, she said, turning back toward Mete. There was no possessiveness in her voice, nor any complaint from her elder half-brother, as she'd expected. I will bring us back to where we belong, father. You did our blood-father proud, and you did all you could for us. I need you to pretend a little longer, though. There was no hint of pleading in the flaxen-haired woman's voice, no question -- this was a command, clear as she'd ever given. Though Tlantli gazed toward her father-brother with calm red eyes, inside she was roiling with anxiety. Should he deny her, she might well have to shed his blood for her birthright.

Metetzili Kimaris · 06-16-2012, 01:34 AM

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As quickly as that, he was relieved of his position. Some might have fought and struggled, but this burden was never one Metetzili wanted. Dieriel should have led them, but she'd sullied herself -- or, at least, that was how Eterne viewed it. Mete had never quite agreed, but after all, she was his sister. Instead, that burden had fallen squarely on the flaxen-hued coyote's shoulders. Mete's eyes, glued groundward, lifted up toward Tlantli and searched. He read it plainly on her face, confirming his thoughts, and a faint smile touched the corners of his mouth. They drew upward for a brief moment, and then the golden-haired coyote nodded, dipping his head toward his half-sister.

Yes, he agreed, agreeing to all of it. Yes, and yes, and yes, and yes, he said, repeating it forcefully in his head. You are -- you -- the Kimaris family, he said, finally. It is yours. Relief was written plainly over Mete, and he settled onto the flat, battered cushion that served as his bed. Though the truest part of his duties were over, Mete knew he still must act as though he headed the Kimaris in public for all those who still cared to look. They were of little consequence anymore, of course, but they could not draw Baphomet's attention, nor the attention of any other unsavory characters. I did no favors for Mantus, though, he added, quietly. There -- were never any children.

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Tlantli Kimaris · 07-07-2012, 04:48 AM

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Tlantli is by Alaine!

The family was as it should be. With a woman at its head -- with Tlantli Kimaris at its head -- the Kimaris family would rise to greatness again. Smiling her razor-toothed smile, the flaxen hybrid stepped toward her brother and sank down beside him on his bed, extending one hand toward his arm. She left it there, lingering and light, and chided him with a soft clicking of her teeth.

You raised me, she pointed out. My brothers, my sister. Where would they be if Mete hadn't raised them up as his own? Dead, slaves, far from Eterne. Well -- Imacai, Miqui, and Xochime were still far from Eterne, but their distance mattered little now. Tlantli had reclaimed her birthright and her children were here. That they were Miqui's children, too, was undoubted, but he had been a vessel by which she might obtain her heirs. Miqui hadn't been ignorant of that fact, of course, and he'd agreed to their arrangement.

I am your child as much as his. Brother, father -- it was all blood in the end. And your children have given you grandchildren, and you must be strong for them, like you were strong for me and my brothers and sister. Her voice was almost an indistinct murmur; she saw the pain on Metetzili's face, plain as if he'd written it in ink. She needed him, still, and would not have him hurting and weakened. She did not believe the things he said, and he must not believe them, either.

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