Chapter 1 - Anxiety And Visits

"Why call at such an early hour?" Bayani Flontins shouted towards the sealed doorway. A blanket was pulled tightly over his head, his knees tucked in to his chest, his head resting comfortably on a down-feathered pillow. Outside the planked door stood his mother, Eunae, her eyes closed in exasperation. She honestly did not feel like giving an explanation to her young, naïve son, but felt he somewhat deserved it anyway.

"You are fully aware as to why I am waking you now," she began. But hearing the silence from the other side of the door clued her to realize that perhaps Bayani did not. A sigh escaped her lips. "Your uncle visits, Bayani. And you know the preparation that needs to take place before his arrival two days hence." It was at hearing the word 'uncle' that Bayani's pointed ears perked. Talfryn, Bayani's uncle, only blessed them with a visit once, perhaps two times a year. While Bayani anticipated his visits with much excitement, he lamented the work that needed to be completed before his first steps into their home. Bayani kicked the blanket off of his slender body and sprawled out on his bed, resting on his back. He had been caught up in his thoughts when his mother's voice broke his reverie. "Bayani?" she inquired, a faint twinge of apprehension in her voice. Her ears, also pointed, picked up on the soft sound of Bayani's movement inside of the room and her shoulders relaxed. "I want to see you outside and disposed to prepare this home for Talfryn in no more than ten minutes." There was a slight pause before her words continued. "Do you hear me, Bayani? Ten minutes." Bayani lay still and stagnant on top of his bed, listening to the sound of his mother's footsteps trail away from his door and outside. After sighing with distaste, Bayani jumped off of his bed and ran to the far left wall of his room. He traced a barely substantial pattern in his wall with his index finger's tip. As his skin made contact with the stone's surface, the pattern began to illuminate until a full figure was lit. It was a picture of a pyramid, though two sides had begun to crumble and a circle spun in the middle. After a few seconds, the stone wall deteriorated and a closet was revealed. Bayani threw on his work clothes (the ones that were reserved particularly for his uncle's visits) and reached out his hand to where the wall had once been. As his palm neared the empty space, the wall reassembled and it was once again whole. He let his door swing open as he waltzed through the house and out the door.

Outside, the weather was like it always was in Xuyen. A blood-red sun shone overhead, a light breeze whispered through the willows, and a flock of zeagles broke the serenity of the jade-tinted sky. Zeagles were Xuyen's bird of flight, one of the only species to have the ability to fly. There had been countless days were Bayani had fantasized about transforming into a zeagle, joining them on whatever journey they had already embarked upon. It was when he brought his attention to the garden that he caught sight of his mother; working diligently at harvesting what food they had grown. Xuyen had always believed firmly in the fact that a family should cultivate his or her own source of sustenance, rather than rely on a neighbor's. That's not to say that if in need, a person in Xuyen would not request assistance from a friend. But they believed in independence, something that Xuyen had had been very adamant about. Bayani shuffled his feet through the inches of verdant grass before reaching her. She was preoccupied in harvesting the food that it took her a good two minutes before she noticed Bayani's frame standing over her. Her almond eyes peered up from the carrots, taking their time to reach his own. Though one would automatically assume that since her eyes were almond shaped, they were therefore the color of dark chocolate, but this was not the case. Her eyes were the most sparkling of ceruleans, reflecting all magnitudes of light, and creating a jewel-type effect around her pupils. Even Bayani could not deny the beauty of his mother's eyes. They were something that he admired, something that he envied, even. Bayani's, though equally as beautiful, did not capture the same awe that most felt when gazing into his mother's eyes. His were a deep azure, though they failed to seize the light as his mother's did. A gentle smile began to spread over Eunae's lips.

"I will admit," she began as she stood from her knees and began to brush herself off, "You were much quicker than I had anticipated." She removed the gardening gloves from her hands, which were long and slender and matched that of her fingers, and let them fall to the ground. "I know, also, that you do not look forward to Talfryn's visits. But it has been a tradition in Xuyen, even if we cannot understand it or do not agree with it." Eunae's eyes were gentle and warming, even to the most indifferent of hearts. Bayani could not help but glance to the ground, kicking the tips of a few blades of grass with his foot. "Bayani," his mother's voice beckoned, raising his face to hers with a tender touch of her hand underneath his chin. "Thank you."

The words were almost foreign to Bayani. While his mother was always affectionate and always loving, it was rare that she'd show her gratitude to him in such a blunt manner. She would often thank him in other ways, such as letting him sleep much later than his normal time or giving him a day to just spend with his friends. Never in such a verbal manner did she ever thank him. But Bayani was pleased. He smiled towards her, nodding in acknowledgement. He could see her shoulders relaxing at Bayani's welcoming reaction to her appreciation and could not help but feel moral at that.

"You did say ten minutes, mother," Bayani responded, bringing a slight sense of humor into the semi-serious moment they were sharing. "And when you say ten minutes, you mean ten minutes." Eunae could not help but laugh at hearing this.

"Why do you lose that attitude whenever it is time for chores?" Eunae questioned, quirking an eyebrow. Bayani pretended to be innocent and shrugged his shoulders, glancing towards the rows of carrots that needed to be gathered. She followed his eyes to the carrots and nodded, sighing. "There is much work to be done. And the sooner that we complete this looming task, the sooner we will be able to rest. So, come. Let us get started."