The Strange Child
He never meet any of his beorc friens – could he really call them friends? Yes he could, though it felt a bit odd when he put friend and beorc in the same sentence – except when war had come to Tellius. Ike had grown to become a handsome man, for being a beorc of course after this past four years. All his beorc friends had aged and changed. It was strange that beorcs aged so much faster than laguz. It was the beroc soldier called Oscar who had made it clear to him that it was more than just race that where different between laguz and beroc. He had also learned that everything that was said about the berocs wasn't so true. Sure, Shinon was a jerk; he will always be a jerk but still one of his friends.
Janaff put his hands in his pockets and sighed. Ulki were down at the generals' tent together with Tibarn to see Ike and Soren who would probably also be there. Janaff didn't want to follow, not at the moment. He could see the whole thing from the mountain he was standing on. He could see the whole camp and beyond. He spotted Oscar and his two brothers Boyd and Rolf. Rolf was standing next to a big oak together with Shinon who tried to teach the young boy how to make a bow out of a piece of wood for the hundred time. He didn't look so happy about it, but Shinon never looked happy.
Janaff also spotted one of his better beroc friends, Luica who were speaking to Bastian a mage of some sort. At the generals' tent was Soren standing, greeting Tibarn welcome in his´ own quiet way. The camp was filled of warriors from every corner of the world. Janaff recognized Ranulf at the fireplace in one of the bigger tents; he spotted him thanks to the opening.
But later on he saw something else, a small laguz child, with pointy cat ears in green and a long tail. He was sneaking around the tents. Janaff glanced at Ulki who looked suspicious and he thought that he may have heard the child and tried to spot him. Janaff sighed again and widen his wings before he stepped off the cliff. He slides gently with the winds under his light brown wings.
Like every other of the bird tribe Janaff loved to fly, to feel that he was the master of the sky – well, Tibarn was the true master of the sky; he was their leader but still – and feels the wind under his wings, to feel free. He flow over the tents and spotted the child who didn't see him till it was too late. Janaff tog a strong grip of the kids' ear with his thumb and index finger. Even if the child started struggle Janaff could still hold him at place.
- And what are you trying to do kid? He asked with his soft voice. He didn't smile. He use to smile to kids, he didn't like to scare the younger but this kid was up to something.
- Let me go, let me go! The child started yelling and Janaff sighed once more. He didn't like that the kid struggled so much, he was not in the mood.
The kid tried to punch him, to hit him hard in the face, even if he was too short to even reach up to Janaffs waist but Janaff always stands with his back bend so the punch hit his chin. It was only a child, a boy perhaps but still not so strong that he could hurt a grown laguz but Janaff still got too annoyed and his grip just got stronger.
- That's it your little brat! Stop struggle or I might hurt you!
The child stared at him and put out his tongue. Janaffs' face got a dark cloud over it and he started to shake the child a little, not too much but much enough to make the boy feel a little pain.
- Your little brat! Haven't your parents told you to respect the adults?!
- You mean the elders, don't you Janaff? Said a calm and deep voice.
Janaff looked up and spotted Ulki who was standing in front of him. His face was as calm as ever and he didn't smile, Ulki did never smile. Janaff snorted and took a stronger grip of the child's hand which were close to punch him on the chin one more time.
- I'm not that old!
- Your three years older than me, aren't you? Who is this child? Said Ulki to change the subject. Janaff gave up an annoyed birdlike shriek, not to laud though; he didn't want anyone to hear him.
- I don't know who he is. I spotted him from the mountain top. Why don't you ask him? He only seems to want to punch me rather that speak.
- Maybe you scared him.
Both of them looked down on the child who looked grumpy and kept trying to get loss from Janaffs' firm grip.
- Who are you little boy? Asked Ulki as gently as he could.
Ulki never seemed to have feelings, or being able to understand other feelings than calmness. He never smiled or got angry, not even sad. Janaff had known him for his whole life and never seen the man smile once. The boy didn't like the idea to answer him either.
- I told you to let go of me!
- Not till you tell us what we want to know. Who are you? Asked Janaff through his teeth. The boy glared at him and stopped struggle. They had a deal.
- My name is Letius, who are you?
- I'm Janaff the eyes of Tibarn the king of the sky, and this is Ulki the ears of Tibarn. What are you doing here?
- Polite aren't you Janaff? Said Ulki lightly and Janaff stared at him with anger in his eyes. A normal person would have smiled but Ulki didn't, he still looked pretty serious. Janaff glanced down on the child again.
- That's none of your business!
- Oh, I bet it is. Answer and I may let you go. Do you belong to this army?
- No..
- Then why are you here?
Letius stared at his feet and glanced up at Ulki for some help but he couldn't even tell if the man was angry at him or not. He started looking at Janaff again with dark eyes. He had no reason to tell him the truth! Or maybe he had.. He didn't want to get locked up somewhere.
- I were looking for food, he said and stopped struggling. I'm hungry.
Both Janaff and Ulki looked at each other when they got the answer. A hungry kid, a laguz this far from Cremia or maybe even Gallia. What should they do now? He was a thief that's for sure but he was just a kid. Maybe he lied to them but when Letius stomach started rumble they both knew the only right thing to do.
Letius eat almost as much as Ike used to do, well maybe not. If anyone has seen Ike eat.. well, let say that it takes hours to make that man stuffed and if it wasn't for Soren he would eat for aged without stop. Ike always seems to be hungry as well.. He eats more than three big laguz from the cat tribe, and remembers many of them are lions and they are big.
This kid did eat almost as much, or at least as fast.
Janaff stared at the boy who eats anything from cooked vegetables and raw vegetables. Even if the cat tribes are cats doesn't mean that they eat meat. Almost every laguz rather chose to eat anything else but meat, they are more animal than human.
Ulki and Janaff exchanged looks. What would they do know? What would Tibarn say if he knew about this? Ulki didn't seem to care much, but he never did. Janaff was a bit nervous about it though. He knew this was a bad idea. Letius may only been a child, a tiny laguz child – it would have been worse If it was a beroc! – but he could still be a spy for the enemy of Daein.
They were sitting in the dinner tent, all alone. Janaff had made sure that Ranulf wasn't still there before they took the boy inside. Now he was sitting on Janaffs' right side next to the fireplace. If someone would come in to the tent he would hide Letius under the table faster than he could eat that carrot he had in his mouth.
- This was a terrible idea.. said Janaff with a low voice. Ulki didn't say a thing he was listening to everything that was going on outside the tent.
Ulki had the greatest ears of all of Tellius. He could hear everything even if it was miles away. Janaff in the other hand could see everything no matter how far it was. They were both very special and important to the sky king and leader of the bird tribe.
- Are you done eating soon? Said Janaff glancing at the boy by his side.
Letius looked up at him with food all over his face and started talking with food in his mouth.
- I'm still hungry!
- Well, stop being hungry then, hurry up a little its already been an hour.
- Many eats for five hours before they are done.
- But they are not in a war are they?
- Neither am I, you're the one at war. I'm just a kid who happen to pass by your camp.
- Sneaking is a better word.
- It doesn't sound as nice though.
Janaff sighed and glanced to the tents opening. It didn't take long before Ulki heard steps coming their way. Without saying a word Janaff already knew what was happening. He saw Soren in the distance. He took the small boy and pushed him under the table, hushing to make him stay quiet and hided the food with him.
Soren came in to the tent with a serious and calm face. He looked as coldhearted as ever and Janaff started thinking that maybe everyone from the old days didn't change as quickly than others. Soren started looking around like he was suspecting something before he gave Janaff and Ulki a strange look.
- What are you hiding? He said with his deep and low voice.
Ulki closed his eyes and said nothing. Janaff in other hand smiled carefully at him and started to look at Ulkis calm face.
- Oh nothing, why would we?
Soren didn't say anything else. He just seemed to sniff in the air. He smelled the food. Ulkis' looked at the other end of the tent like he was avoiding eye contact with the dark mage. Soren stepped forward, he bend over hand looked under the table before Janaff had the time to stop him. But there was nothing there, not even a plate.
Soren raised and glanced at Janaff for a second before he walked to the exit.
- Tibarn is looking for you Ulki, he said and left the tent without another word. Janaff took a deep breath and looked under the table. Letius was gone.
- Where did the kid go?
- He crawled out of the tent and the back end, answered Ulki and stood up.
He exchanged looks with Janaff once more before he started to leave the tent. Janaff followed him with his eyes and saw him walking down the hillock. Janaff himself started to look for the child through the air but he couldn't find him anywhere around the aria. Perhaps he had left the camp? Janaff could only wish though he wondered, who was that strange child and where did he come from? And he couldn't stop worry about the fact that he was sure to see the boy again.