(Author's Note: This fic is intended as a "reboot" of my original characters, in particular Leda and Iyotanka Savagedawn. I'm attempting an episodic history with each chapter as a snapshot into their past. Some of the details from their biography will likely be changed or altered to better reflect the more realistic approach. This fic will also attempt to establish a timeline for The Boisterous Few and their exploits. Thanks again for reading and please leave a comment!)
Feralas was never quiet. Overhead, a bird trilled in the early morning light; somewhere to her left, a treant shuffled along through the underbrush; leaves rustled with the faint salt-scented breeze drifting inland from the nearby coast. Leda adjusted her grip on the hunting spear, finding the balance near the middle. Her endlessly blue eyes followed the stag she'd been tracking for nearly an hour – it grazed lazily on a low branch, stripping it of leaves.
Her breath was too noisy so she held it. The stag continued eating. In one fluid move (as she had practiced over and over) Leda was up and the spear flung from her hand. The stag had no time to react and fell gracelessly to the ground.
"Excellent shot, little one!" the other tauren boomed. Leda only grinned and looked up at her father, who was already on his way to her first kill. "How many points does it have?"
She frowned. Hadn't the kill been her task today? Nothing was said for numbers. She hoped letters weren't next – Iyo wasn't around to whisper the answers to her. Stubbornly she crossed her arms, "It's a secret!"
Her father didn't push it, but patiently counted out the antlers, "…10, 11, 12!" Leda only rolled her eyes. If she came across any numbers Iyo would be around to figure it out – he actually liked it! "Alright then," her father unsheathed the small knife from his belt. It was the one she wasn't supposed to touch, the one with the bone handle. Now he was gesturing for her to take it, the handle pointed right at her. "It's your kill Ti'ha."
Ti'ha. Only her father ever called her that. It was short for 'Ti'hawak'echena' which meant 'Braver than the moon.'
Leda took a deep breath and reached for the knife. Her father nodded and then carefully pulled the spear from the neck of the stag. "Now to dress a deer you first have to cut around here…"
"Whoa whoa whoa, Iyo, take a breath for Mu'sha's sake!" his mother cautioned. The little tauren's mouth snapped shut and he busied himself in the little tasks necessary before their morning walk. He checked and double checked his pack – stuffing it full with scrolls, his tatty green rag doll, and a couple biscuits. His mother smiled at the full pack, knowing he'd have no room for any of the more useful flora they'd find on the way.
The two tauren set out in the early morning while the sky was still a soft peach colour. His sister and father had left hours before the sun had even considered rising. As always, Iyo had mixed feelings about Leda's hunting trips with their father. On one hand, he hoped she was successful for her sake. On the other hand, he hoped she wasn't – for the deer's sake.
Iyo ran after his mother, still shorter than her, but not for much longer. She smiled at him and ruffled his hair, knowing he hated to have it out of place. "One more question, mom?"
"Alright, Iyo... Just one! If you use up your one question now, you'll be on your own when you find a plant you can't identify," she cautioned. He nodded gravely, knowing there wasn't a plant in the forest he hadn't yet encountered.
"Will you tell me the story of your tattoo again?" He looked up at his mother and she smiled, knowing it was his favourite.
"Keep your eyes open, we can gather along the way." Iyo nodded and his mother began, "The Wildfield women have always marked important events in their lives with a permanent reminder on their skin." She ran her fingers across the swirls adorning her face. The skin beneath had scarred and the ink turned it black. No fur grew there anymore and the designs flowed from chin to temple. Iyo thought they were beautiful.
"The first tattoo is always small and secret. It is almost Leda's time," his mother mused before continuing. "My second was the clouds on my face. Do you remember why Iyo?"
He nodded, "Your apprenticeship. You had just finished."
"That's right! I remember being so proud of finishing my final test – I don't think I've ever worked so hard on an elixir before or since… I wanted everyone to see what I had accomplished and somehow clouds on my brow seemed appropriate. Do you remember what was next?"
"The flowers around your wrist."
She stretched her right arm out in front of them, the vines twirled and bloomed around her arm. "When my mother died, I needed something to hold onto. She loved the purple ana'te that blooms in the late summer. When we were young, she'd make the most perfect flower chains and we'd loop them around and around our arms, over our heads, around our waists. I'm sure we looked pretty funny – like walking flower bushes," she laughed to herself, lost in memories.
"And next?" Iyo asked, forgetting which followed.
His mother held up her left hand, where her second-to-last finger was tattooed in a perfect circle, like a permanent ring. "Your wedding!" he grinned, remembering. "Dad has one too, right?"
She laughed, "I remember he almost cried when he got his tattoo, but I loved him even more for agreeing."
"The last one is easy – the twin hearts on your left shoulder, one for me and one for Leda." His mother pulled aside the neck of her dress, exposing the tattoos on the front of her shoulder before hiding them away again. "What do you think your next tattoo will be, Mom?"
She laughed, "I don't know, Iyo. Something important will have to happen in my life first." He nodded and they continued through the forest in easy silence.
Several hours later, just past midday, Iyo and his mother reached the peak of the long sloping hill they'd been climbing all morning. Below them, the valley stretched on and on, its trees higher still than the peak they'd just climbed.
"Look Iyo!" his mother gasped, pointing down into the valley, "Do you seem them?" And there among the ferns and leaves were the little purple blossoms his grandmother had loved so much.
"Can we go pick some? Make the flower chains like you used to?"
"We have to meet up with Dad and Leda first," she answered, "but maybe we'll find some along the way. Keep your eyes open little one."
Iyo nodded reverently and they continued along the path down the hill toward the distant pillar of smoke that marked the hunting camp.