So, I'm done with this chapter! Well, technically, I've been done for a while. I just wanted to keep it for a while for reference to tie into Chapter 4 well. But now I have writer's block…
This is Part 1 of "Unveil", which is a couple of chapters where their family secrets are unveiled. I am still not good at naming.
Warning: a lot more dialogue than the last two chapters. And where it seems like an out of nowhere rap verse, it is not. I feel like this chapter has more cringe moments too. And, one of the unveiling moments is pretty obvious from the start. You have been warned.
There's at least two words you will get sick of by the end of this chapter, but I won't say because one is kind of a spoiler.
Word Count: 2,005
Stonekeeper, Thorp, and Meechee were walking across the Yeti Village, Meechee was in lead. She was humming randomly while walking and snapping her fingers lightly. It was pretty obvious she was excited about something. Thorp looked really excited about something too. So excited, even, that he had to stay quiet so he wouldn't spoil anything. Stonekeeper found this very cute. Just like when they were kids, he thought. Now I really can't wait!
Meechee slowed down her walking. Stonekeeper looked around at where they were. They had just past the edge of the Yeti Village. Why…? He looked up at his two children. "Um, Thorp, Meechee, why are… why are we walking past the end of the Village?" He was deeply confused.
"You'll see," Meechee yelled over her shoulder. She walked some more, then came to a stop at a line on the ground.
Thorp walked a bit faster. "Right this way," he said. He was getting better at not blurting out the surprise (like he did at least twice already this morning, instead of more times), so Meechee trusted him enough to at least say something every once in awhile until they can tell him the surprise. He stopped at that same line right beside Meechee.
Stonekeeper walked up to them both. He was confused on why they had stopped randomly. Why did they stop? He looked down at where they were standing. Then he saw it, the line. I should've known. This line represented the border for the edge of the Yeti Village. They weren't crossing it because Stone 23 said, "You may never cross the border, unless you have permission from the Stonekeeper", and it was what they've grown to learn. Alright, then, he thought with a chuckle. "Thorp and Meechee," he began in his great leader tone; he tapped his purple turtle staff onto the ground, just because he just so happened to carry it with him. "You have now been granted permission to cross the border." He pointed his staff to and area outside the border.
Meechee stepped past the line as if it was her first time stepping foot on exciting foreign land, while Thorp walked more casually. Stonekeeper followed close behind them. "Meechee, you looked like you've never walked past the border," he said.
"Well, that's because I haven't."
Stonekeeper wasn't buying it. He decided to have some fun with it. "So, you mean to tell me that the "S.E.S." was inside the border? That every time I saw footprints outside the line, they weren't from you or any of your friends?"
He had a point there. "Well," she replied, "it was never around here. Only more near the exit."
"Yeah, sure."
They kept on walking for a while. Thorp felt the need to ask the obvious. "Uh, Dad-"
Meechee quickly turned around and pointed at Thorp with a 'Don't. Say. Anything' expression on her face.
Thorp backed up a bit, raising his hands in the air. "Relax, it was just an unrelated question."
Meechee lowered her hand. "Good." She turned and continued walking.
If it wasn't obvious before, they are undoubtedly up to something. Stonekeeper thought. "So, Thorp, what was that question of yours?"
"Oh, yes," Thorp replied, "I was just wondering randomly… why exactly do we have a border? And why isn't it, I don't know, taller?"
A good question indeed, but one that was already asked before a few years before. "This you should know the answer to. But, I'll explain it anyways." He stopped walking.
Thorp and Meechee stopped walking as well, and turned around to face Stonekeeper. He tapped his staff on the ground. "You see, you two, we have a border for a very important reason-"
"I've heard this story a million times," Meechee muttered under her breath, not knowing that her father could actually hear what she was saying.
"Yes, but this story, I've never told," Stonekeeper replied, making Meechee look embarrassed. "A story told from our past," With a bit of my own spin added to it.
"Yes, this is a story I've never told
to anyone, so appreciate it,
even though this tale is old:
"The reason there is a border in place is to keep the Villagers away
from a group of rogue Yetis, the "Nonbelievers", for another day
"Just like you and your friends, Meechee, they believed the Stones weren't true
But they took it way too far,
Something beyond me and you
"They wanted to prove their point
To the Village far and wide
They were planning to take out the Stones
They were planning regicide
"The Princess had heard this,
Told her father right away,
With the way he reacted,
He became Alpha Male that day
"He banned them from the Village
None of their family excluded
If any were to return
They would be executed!
"He made a border around the Village
In many different ways
This border we build up and enforce
To this very day
"This may all seem unfair
And we're not an unfair Nation
But in all, the question is
What would you do in this situation?"
Meechee and Thorp looked like Migo did seven years earlier when confronted with a similar situation when debating whether or not to speak the truth of the existence of Smallfoot.
"That's what I thought. You would do the same, wouldn't you?"
They, again, both looked like Migo did in this type of situation.
Stonekeeper sighed. "But, in good news," he began, "while patrolling the border one day while I was… twenty five? Yeah, twenty five. I came across a rouge."
Thorp and Meechee's expression changed to interested. A rogue? They wanted to know more!
"I was walking around the border. My father had told me to patrol the border as one of the ways to practice the role of Stonekeeper. He even told me I could grow the border a bit more if none of the jealous Nonbelievers were around. His words, not mine. I walked around a second time. It looked like no one was there. Of course I would follow the Stones, at the time I didn't know the truth. But, my arrogant self at the time told me that I could walk around more than enough to just grow our border because I was going to be Stonekeeper. No, I was going to explore, going to find something, someone. I didn't believe that they were all like that, and didn't think that they were still like that. It turns out I was right."
Stonekeeper stopped for a second, a depressed expression growing on his face.
Meechee was confused. Why is this sad? Did someone die or something? She tilted her head a bit.
Thorp could see Meechee's confusion. He felt the same way. "Go on."
Stonekeeper snapped out of it. "Oh, yes, sorry. Now, where was I? Oh, yes." He let out a sigh. "So, while going past the border, I met one. A rogue Yeti. And at that point, I knew there was good in some of them. She was very, very kind and smart, a-and beautiful. The colour of her fur was just magnificent that day and every other day after that. She's so caring and so great a-at… everything…"
He noticed he was getting off track. He looked at Meechee and Thorp. Meechee was gushing over the way he was describing this mysterious rogue, even though she already knew who it was, and it was pretty obvious. Thorp looked kind of bored like if he wanted Stonekeeper to just get to the point already.
This distracted him enough that he was able to give in to a light smile. "I'm surprised you find this boring, Thorp. After all, you met yours the same way I met mine."
"Yeah, sorry. It's just, Fayre doesn't like talking about her life from before she moved to the Village, and you have refused to tell stories about her for… years. I'm just not used to people telling me these stories, and once you started drifting off into the sky thinking about her, I just got bored," Thorp explained.
Ha, never thought of it that way. "Well, I guess you're right. I'll stop being so boring and cont-"
"Actually, Dad," Meechee interrupted, "I just remembered to ask you something."
I hope it's not related… Stonekeeper put on a smile. "And what might that be, Meechee?"
Please don't be sad when I say this, but… "Would you mind taking us to the exact location you met Mom?"
Stonekeeper's smile slowly faded. So, it is related. "Oh. Okay. Sure. Let's… let's go. It's this way." Stonekeeper pointed his staff to a higher part of the mountain. "I will warn you, though, that it's a-a bit colder than you're used to." He started walking to his destination.
Meechee sighed. What have I done? She walked behind her father.
Thorp followed. He walked up to Meechee. "Bad timing, Meechee," he softly whispered.
She glared at him with and expression that read 'You don't think I know that?'. She looked away. I feel terrible.
They walked to that higher part of the mountain. None dared to ask another question. Stonekeeper's walking became slower as they approached their destination. He came to a full stop a few feet away. "Well, here we are," he said.
Meechee and Thorp stopped and stood beside him. They looked up. This part of the mountain looked a bit higher than they thought it would be. It would take a bit of a climb to reach the top.
Stonekeeper just stood there. Thorp and Meechee could understand why, but still found it kind of strange. Thorp decided to break the silence. "We still don't know where you met her. That much you still need to show us."
Stonekeeper looked at Thorp. He nodded. "A-alright, I'll show you." He started to walk, still slowly, but he was moving.
Meechee and Thorp looked at each other, and nodded with a smirk. They walked at the same speed as their father on either side of him.
Stonekeeper started to climb, Thorp alongside him. Meechee, though, was climbing much slower and breathing a bit differently than before.
Stonekeeper was confused. He turned around to face Meechee. "Uh, Meechee, why are you going so slow? You were fine a minute ago."
She looked up at her father. "Sorry. I think I have to be a bit more careful now since… I'm pregnant."
"I guess that- wait, what?"
Meechee put her hand on her belly, then looked up, smiling.
A smile a mile wide grew on Stonekeeper's face. "R-Really?"
Meechee replied in a nod and the biggest smile on her face.
Stonekeeper walked down to Meechee. Without warning, he gave her the biggest hug. While surprised, Meechee returned the hug.
Thorp just kind of stood there. Somewhat jealous, but more just finding this moment absolutely adorable.
They broke apart. Stonekeeper had the smallest bit of water in his eyes; you wouldn't be able to tell at first.
Meechee couldn't help but give a big smile and tilt her head playfully. "Daddy, are you… crying?" At first, she wouldn't let the thought cross her mind. She could only remember one other time he had cried; when he truly cried and was afraid to show it. Then again, that day, all three of them were crying, and it was over twenty years ago. And he's feeling it again. Poor Dad.
Stonekeeper was purely embarrassed. "I-I'm not crying, you're crying!"
They all lightly chuckled. "I have really let myself go…" Stonekeeper muttered.
The other two were both confused. "What is that supposed to mean?" Thorp asked.
Stonekeeper was embarrassed again. "Sorry about that. I'll tell you on the way up." He put an arm around Meechee, having his official parental instinct kick in. He put one around Thorp too, just because. It would definitely be harder to climb up now, though. Yet, Stonekeeper didn't care, for at this very moment, he was happy.
Part 2 of "Unveil" will be out sooner or later, where more is unveiled, and- yeah, you know what, that would be a spoiler.
Also, I apologize for any cringe moments and that obvious unveil.
I made this chapter 2x the size because those other chapters were waaay too short. Hopefully this one is decent in size and everything else.
Until next chapter!
