All he really remembered at the beginning was warmth in a blurry twilight, both from newborn eyes and thoughts. There were none to share the attentions of his mother and the interest of the villagers. The cub didn't recognize the fascination that he held for them. It was unusual for male cubs to be born, the result of which they were protected. He was more unique among his kind because his coloration was silvery with dark spots, black outlining abstract tawny spots in a broken outline. His markings darkened to a rusty gray along his backbone and the spine of his tail. Never in the history of the village had they seen such markings, the eldest in the village, a lore keeper of sorts, said that the markings occurred sometimes in the colder climates but what use was a shining pale skin in the middle of a jungle?
Others argued that it wouldn't matter, it wasn't as if he would leave the shelter of any mithran village. Some muttered about the strange markings meant that something was wrong with him or he was goddess touched. The beliefs of the doomsayers became apparent when the cub first opened eyes the piercing blue of the sky. But sight beyond the very brightest of light, shadows, and color were beyond the growing cub. Never had one been born blind in the history of the village. There were those that had been blinded by illness and injury over the years but those few unlucky souls never recovered from what had initially caused that state. Even worse, the child showed more stubbornness and curiosity than any 5 girl cubs. When he was old enough to start crawling with the usual speed of cubs, he was named Kris and picked up another strange habit. He started making a sharp but not unpleasant sort of chirping that the bright mimicking birds outside started echoing it. Inside and in the familiar yard that had been fenced in as a safety precaution, he moved with predictable speed, following the rules of all very young creatures, everything within reach was a toy and therefore meant to be chewed on.
When others of his age started talking he preferred his chirps. They generated strange inflections, sadness, anger, joy. Only a handful of people ever heard him speak. No one really knew what to do with him, how could you teach someone who couldn't see? They were still surprised at the young boy's curiosity and intelligence. Most of the adults believed it was simply cunning and dumb luck but couldn't deny his stubbornness When his playmates noticed he was different, not really old enough to think any difference existed between boys and girls, they would make a game of handing him a new toy or something they had found and trying to tell him what it looked like. At least until mothers came and shooed them away, returning the escaped cub back to the safety of the fenced yard. Most of the time his sheer refusal to stay put when he could hear other cubs led them to eventually give up trying to herd him back to safety. At least until his playmates attempted to teach him to play tag.
At first it had been great fun, since his sight was of very little use to him, he'd adapted to finding his playmates by the sound of their voices, his sharp sense of smell, and a general feel of where someone might be. He ran flat out toward a girl, he knew she was there, he could hear her giggling as he stretched a hand out to grab at her arm one of her friends yanked her sideways. He skidded to a stop, unfortunately the wooden planks that formed the raised platform the village stood on came to an end before he'd slowed enough. Kris dropped suddenly from sight before even the adults that had been watching them play could react splashed into deep water. more luck than anything his clawed hands found one of the pilings and was able to climb mostly out of the water, fear making him dig those sharp little claws into the wood of the support, making sounds more like a soaking wet frightened cat than a little boy. He heard a heavy splash and the sound of something large moving in the water and unable to see that it was help started to try to climb the pole, it was too wide and too slippery for him to get a good grip on it.
When one of the adults reached him, it took a bit of persuading to convince him that he was being rescued and not about to be eaten by some horrible monster. And then he clung to them with the desperate strength of a badly frightened child. Even then it took his mother and a fish cake before he finally calmed down. His playmates all got a very stern lecture about playing with the male cub and putting him in danger. After that, he was left to his own devices, the girls translating their lectures meaning that playing with a boy meant they'd get yelled at.
Kris got over his fright almost faster than his short fur dried, but his playmates had vanished quite completely. The cub stood at the fence, his ears twitching as he chirruped, looking for the girls but not getting any answer. After a half an hour when even his young attention was getting bored of his calling not being answered he turned his attention to his own toys, playing his own strange games. At first his mother just smiled, thinking he was coping well. But still whenever he heard one of the girls he would drop his toys, go over to the fence and start calling again or let himself out and try to follow. The male cub didn't understand why all his playmates had abandoned him and soon he put all of his toys in the center of the sandbox that had been dug for him, while a lone toy stood off by itself in a corner. Eventually when he heard his year mates walk by he'd get a very sad look on his face and he would go inside and chirp to the birds that seemed fascinated by the noises he made and would come perch on his window and mimic his chirping.
Only one of his former playmates ever paid any attention to him, but she was a few years older than him. Her grandmother was one of the elder's and saw perhaps that there was more promise in this blind young cub than the obvious. She used her age to overrule the lecture that followed Kris's falling off the side of the village's platform. Encouraging her to play games and talk to the little cub. The girl was surprised when after weeks of chirping he finally spoke.
"Heatherrr?" He asked, except for an ear twisted in her direction all of his attention was on a stuffed chocobo, made up of scraps of cloth. "Why do the otherss ignorrre me?"
The mithra girl started, Kris had said a word now and again but he'd never used a complete sentence before, more importantly, she didn't want to tell him that the adults had told them not to put him in danger. "I don't know," She said lightly, pulling her ribbon from her hair and reaching over to tie it around the neck of the stuffed animal.
"You'rre lying. Mom said lying is wrrong." He said with just a trace of rebuke in his voice.
In the quick temper of youth she yanked the bow tightly enough that she pulled the toy out of his hands. "You want to know why?! Because you arre just a sspoiled little male and can't even ssee where you arrre going! You trip and it'ss ourr fault! We get in trouble forrr playing with you but not for ignorrring you!" She threw the stuffed chocobo hard and felt a little savage joy as it landed somewhere where even if he found it, he wouldn't be able to reach it. She stormed off, leaving him on the front step. She turned to l make sure the gate latched and looked back at him. He was still sitting on the steps but his eyes were shining with unshed tears. The cub chirped and his breath caught in a little hitch and quick as a thought he darted inside. That was their first fight and the start of him trying to find some way to come to terms with what he was.
Audrette noticed the chocobo toy in the tree on her way home and with one look at her granddaughter's stubborn face figured out at least a part of what would happen, and sent Heather back over to get the toy down and return it. She got the toy down but instead of following her grandmother's orders she tossed the toy in through an open window and ran home.
Heather joined the other girls in their snubbing of him, except for the odd times her grandmother or her own conscience made her attempt to be civil to him. After that, he often wandered off alone or tried to. Spending most of his time sitting on a low bench under a tree chirping to the brightly feathered birds. talking quietly to a particularly clever one that would land on the back of the bench or his shoulder and mutter back at him. It kept coming back for years until one of the girls, overly keen on her hunting skills decided it would be funny to kill it and leave it for him to find.
Kris found it the next morning, and seemed to react oddly. They all knew you were supposed to be sad when someone from the village died, but he cried over what was basically food. They were all about twelve at the time and since at that age they were very near being adults in their own right it seemed rather odd to be crying over a dead bird, like a cub with a broken doll. When he heard their laughter, he looked up, his face full of something akin to rage. There was enough senseless hate in his expression that all the girls had stopped laughing as he'd risen to his feet and walked inside. He rarely came outside after that and most of those few times he'd pretty much been dragged outside by his mother or another adult and ordered to stay there. Since none of them had gotten in trouble for killing the bird, their contempt for the blind male only grew. They never did anything overt that they knew would land them in trouble, but it had an effect on the way Kris behaved.
Kris turned quiet and thoughtful, he spent most of his time playing with scraps of clay from his mother's work. At least until she noticed that his first clumsy attempts to copy the few animals he'd been allowed to touch took on a touch of growing skill. By the time he was 15 he'd surpassed even her great skill. His mind and fingers quickly absorbed anything anyone was willing to teach him. Only Audrette and his mother knew how skilled he'd become. It seemed that the Goddess had given him a gift great enough to compensate for his blindness. It was also obvious that he couldn't stay here, the elder's might still believe that those of his age would soon accept him for what he stood for rather than his shortcomings, but at this time they all half believed what their offspring thought of him, their own goodhearted coddling of a male cub had turned into a task no one wanted.
Even the happy willful cub had changed to a shy sullen boy that spent most of his time hiding from the village. The outright contempt of those his own age would most likely be the death of him. Audrette's first attempt to pull him out of his shell had occurred today.
Kris was perched on the edge of one of the hewn log seats in the center of the town, it wasn't really any surprise that he was alone with those of his age giving him a wide berth as though he had some contagious disease. Even the few males of the village appeared to be avoiding him. The boys ears were back and by the way his tail was twitching he was about ready to bolt. He chirped, a small scared sound and didn't quite cringe when those closest toward him giggled.
The chieftain leaned down to Audrette and said "I don't think thiss is going to worrk, He looks like he'sss about to piss himself."
"If he'ss like this just becausse he had to go outside, they'll kill him in a few yearrss. They act like he'ss got some terrible diseasse that might rrrub off," Said the head of the huntress training. "Not even the maless even trry to talk to him. That'ss not good issit? Sspoiled dearrss ussually at least sstick togetherr when they want saomething."
Audrette shook her head as the boy jumped as one of the girls threw a pebble at him. She did notice that his lips curled in a snarl and suddenly his attention was fully on the one that had thrown the pebble reacted with a startled gasp. She pointed it out with a slight gesture to the chieftains "If you are going to ssay anything you'd better starrt now, I think he'ss been pusshed too farr."
The chieftains got a sly smile on her face, "Let him go, it'sss good to see a backbone in maless when they arre young."
Kris was well aware from the moment that he'd been coaxed out of the cottage that he was the center of very intense and unwanted attention. His mother had lead him to the center of the village like he was incapable of moving on his own and sat him down on a bench. His nose told him that the lumber was freshly cut and still a little rough under his fingers. There was slight movement behind him and to his right and the press of bodies eased away as whoever had been sitting near him shifted away. His ears went back and his tail curled around his feet, the tip of it flicking against his ankle. He'd not been told what this meeting was about, but since his attendance was mandatory and he seemed to be the center of everyone's attention it probably had something to do with him. The mithra cringed slightly when he heard a cruel comment and a giggle. His fingers picked at splinters on the edge of the bench He flinched again as a small pebble bounced off the back of his head. More giggles followed and he growled softly. He twitched an ear in the direction it had come from and his tail started to lash back and forth.
He pulled a few more splinters from the bench and wished the elder's would hurry up already. He jumped sideways as something fairly larger and sharp smacked into his ear. He lifted a hand to his ear but he didn't need to be told whatever had hit him had cause him to bleed. Kris knew who had thrown the rock before he had even picked it up. The male turned in the direction the rock had flown from, a feral snarl on his lips. The slight gasp, and stirring of feet told him where exactly the rock had come from. He was on his feet faster than a startled lizard and launched himself with amazing accuracy at the one that thrown the rock at him. He didn't hit her or anything, just pinned her against her seat for a few moments while his nose verified that he'd caught who he intended.
"Knock it off." He growled at her, he could smell her fear and heard the sounds of the girls his own age scattering and adults rushing up the benches. Kris didn't put up any resistance as they pulled him off her, after all his intention was merely to startle her. but the way they grabbed him told him they were afraid he was going to lash out at her. He staggered a little as someone hit him hard enough that claws opened a few shallow cuts across his cheek and nose. He growled as he was pulled off the benches and struck again but with far less force.
"That'sss enough!" He heard the roar of the chieftains' voice. He shook his head trying to clear it, but whoever held him took it as a sign that he was trying to break free and tightened their grip and pulled backward with enough force that he lost balance. Surprisingly, they let him go rather than lose their own balance and he landed hard on the ground. Kris' ears twitched as he heard the villagers all shouting at once, although at a piercing whistle from the chieftains they grew quiet and settled.
"I won't tolerrrate this ssany longer! Ssassha, I'm not blind, I've watched you torrment the boy for yearss and never once has he done anything to deserrve it. He'ss a male and as ssuch deserves some rresspect. If you can't value what luck and the goddess has given you, I'll see to it you earn the rirght to it." She turned on her heel, her tail lashing angrily as she stalked to her house. "Brrring him.'
Kris felt himself pulled to his feet and carried after the chieftains lifted high enough that his toes barely touched the wood. He was set down on a cushion in the corner as the elders sat at one side of the room. The mithra that had carried him inside turned and left. He heard a slight shifting and the pad of bare feet against the tiled floor.
"Herre lad, keep yourrself occupied while we discuss things. " He heard Audrette say soothingly and she tugged lightly at his ear, frowning slightly at the streak of blood on her fingers. She held her hand up to the others, so they could clearly see that his attack was more in self defense than stubborn pride. There was a chorus of angry growls.
The youth felt for what Audrette had set next to him and found a lump of clay. Without all the attention on him his chirping had ceased along with the restless lashing of his tail. Instead he turned his full attention to the clay in his hands. He just figured they wanted him safely out of the way until the villagers went about their business. Kris absently kneaded the clay until it was solid enough for his satisfaction and his fingers went to work. He closed his eyes, he found it helped him concentrate, and hummed a little in contentment, his tail tip flicking in accompaniment to his own song. He smoothed the body out and with one claw slowly starting carving the details. The male didn't even seem to realize that the conversation ceased before he'd finished carving the feathers and that he was the center of an intense interest by the time he finished a rather defiant looking gryphon. Sensitive fingers ran over the sculpture one final time correcting mistakes that no one could see. as soon as his fingers relaxed it was snatched carefully from his hands leaving him sitting there, rather confused as he woke from his trance and tried to figure out what was going on.
"Well sshave me bald and call me a galka!" One of the elder's exclaimed as she turned over the sculpture and looked at it carefully "Not even hisss motherr iss that good."
He felt a hand close on his shoulder and the chieftains spoke. "Boy, you jusst can't seem to make my decision any easierr. Yourr sskill makes me want to keep you herre, but wissdom and cusstom tell me you would be better sserrved elsewherrre. And those sshe cats your age don't deserrve what they've got."
His ears went back and he looked like he'd stolen a fish off the chieftains' plate. "Well, you sshould be ssafest in Windurrst I'd imagine, at least the girls syour age will be chassing you for ssome other rreason than to throw rrockss at yourr head."
Kris froze and felt his ears and the back of his neck burn. "A- alone?" He said in a very quiet voice. He knew that leaving was probably the best option he had at the moment, but the thought of going so far from what he knew all on his own was rather frightening . There was a slightly rough hand on his chin tilting his head up to the faint lantern light.
"Well, we'll give it a week or sso to get things ssettled, if you have ssomeone you want to go with you have them come sspeak to me or one of the elderrrs." The tone of her voice sounded more condescending than anything. "Off with you then."
The male swallowed hard, nodded and turned to go, in his haste tripping over his own feet and scrambling out the door. He tripped more than a few times, forgetting to pay attention as he hurried back toward his own cottage. Too much had happened too fast and he really wanted to be back somewhere familiar to think about things. He leapt over the fence rather than waste time unlatching the gate and all but ran inside , not stopping until he was safe inside his room. When Kris still didn't show up for supper even though she knew he could smell it, she made a tray and carried it to her son's room.
"Sso?" She prompted, sitting on the edge of the bed and pushing the tray at him.
"Windurrst." He answered. "What is that? Anotherr village?"
Her breath caught in her throat, so far away, she probably wouldn't see him again. Still she forced herself not to cry. Eventually all children had grown up, but she'd never wanted another child after her precious son. It was folly to hold onto the faint hope that he'd be allowed to stay, but she had held onto that hope. "Its a nation, ssweetheart. I've heard that they arre magess therre and therre is more grrass than trrees. I'm sure you'll make lots of new frriends therre."
"They assked me if I wanted ssomeone to come with me."
"Did they? Do you want ssomeone to come with you?"
He shrugged one shoulder, putting more concentration than really needed to the food. Kris wasn't really hungry, but at least pretending to be meant he didn't have to talk. His mother reached over and patted his shoulder. "I think you should take Heatherr."
The young male choked on the slice of bread he was eating and turned his head in his mother's direction. "Why herr?" He felt a slight tug on the sheets under his legs that meant his mom was straightening the sheets like she tended to do when she didn't want to tell him something.
"Well, she'ss a nice girl, and you should have ssomeone that you arre familiarr with nearby. "
"Mom!" Kris looked both embarrassed and a little shocked, "Sshe doesn't even talk to me!"
"Sshe doesn't throw things at you eitherr."
Kris made a noise of disgust and crossed his arms over his chest. His mother gave a good natured laugh and stood. A hand roughened by years of work rubbed one of his ears and then she left, returning to whatever work she'd put aside to talk to him. The mithra listened to her walk away and sighed, he supposed she was right, but he still wasn't going to admit it.