One sunny morning on an undiscovered island, three woman sat down next to a fire. They each resembled the next and took places assigned by age and rank accordingly before the older woman, first in spot, cleared her throat. Instantly, the two other woman quieted and closed their eyes for a moment, waiting for the monarch to speak.
"Tabris has disappeared again" she said solemnly. The old woman was crushing a taro, a plant with starchy, edible roots. She was using a worn, stained bone to do so in rhythmic pattern with her experienced wrists, crushing with smooth, hard strokes. The woman that sat on her right was stressed and disappointed by the look on her face. "Tabris is just a little---wild, that's all." She seemed confused and was trying to cover her tracks with an excuse. "Hnnh! That girl is like a weed, never knowing where to take root so she grows in 10 places so as not to miss anything." The second woman looked down, her face flushed with embarrassment. The woman on the right looked from the monarch to the predecessor and found herself wondering if the old woman's frankness might keep her living even longer than her daughter. She brushed this away form her mind and coughed into her fist. "Tabris left Ziba with me, she said she was going out--" "Going out?!?" the old woman retorted. "Well, yes, she said she needed to gather some tansy…." At this point the old woman jumped up from her place and snorted. "Well, you tell Tabris when she gets back that from now on, she is to be authorized from me to leave anywhere. The gods have not been happy. What with all this bad luck lately, something bad is underfoot, I can feel it in my bones--big change. We cannot risk having Tabris late for yet another meeting. Too risky." The third rank nodded and lifted a bag of sand over the fire to put it out for now. Her heart raced with fear and worry. The gods have been unhappy? Big change? Bad luck? she thought. Perhaps I shouldn't have let Tabris go this time….Iza thinks she's gone too far. The young woman paused and stood up, walking back to camp while still thinking hard about the woman's warning.
On the other side of the island, a young woman 's eyes trailed the rolling empty waves. Crouching down behind a tall, stiff fern, she cautiously scanned the shore for predators or tribe members that may spot her. Overhead, a parrot chirped excitedly with the release of his colorful wings, stretching them outwards with joyful noise. The young woman stole a look at the bird, tossing her long raven hair across her tattooed shoulder. The parrot quieted and preened his feathers silently, only stopping to gaze forlornly at a walnut above him.
She was 5'4 in height, with tan-olive skin and raven black hair that reached down to the small of her back. It was straight and light, easy to tie back with taro stems when she was moving, and smooth to the touch. Her face was heart-shaped, with prominent features that would cast her as beautiful. Despite the fact her nose was small, the length continued up her face to form tight, angular brow ridges. Eyebrows were dark and smooth, but like most of her kind they blended in with her olive face. Under they were glassy, jade eyes that had liquid flecks of amber in them that flashed gold in sunlight, making her appear bright and alert.
Though she was skinny, she had broad shoulder and wide, motherly hips. She wore a loose, brown leather shirt that was tied at her back and intricately braided with beads. A hand woven skirt, with strings of beads and fringe knitted onto the bottom, hung down just below her belly button and reached to and inch above her knee. She was barefoot, with numerous tattoos on her shoulders and rings of jewelry around her neck, wrists and ankles. Gold beads, laced through piercing in her ears swung daintily in the light, island breeze.
She turned back to the ocean. Salty air stung her nostrils with a deep intake of breath. She coughed to the side and rubbed her eyes sleepily. Taking a deep breath she stood up tentatively, legs shaking beneath her strong frame. Stepping out of the foliage cover, beams of sunlight, filtered through the canopy, laid across her face warming the skin in stripes. Her toes sifted through the soft, warm sand with delight. A smile crossed her face, she swung her arms at her side ambiguously.
"Tabris!"
The woman froze. Her face flushed in a disoriented sort of way, she understood her plight at being caught again.
"Tabriiiiiis! Tabriiiiiis!"
She was silent. Her whole body shook with terror and she crouched instantly to the ground.
A young Indian woman, the same that had been third rank, stepped out from behind a beech tree. She was the same height as Tabris, but her hair was cut short and thick, a more silvery black than her friend's. She had cacao bean eyes that weren't different from most members of the tribe, in fact, more than half of them had the same. Tabris's was only a genetic difference that would occur rarely.
"Tabris!" The third-rank woman caught her friend's eye and sighed accordingly. "Tab', everyone is looking for you." Tabris stood up coolly, brushing sand off of her side and pushing her hair onto her back. "I'd expect they are, Muri, after all, I am late for the meeting." Her eyes sparkled with delight that occurs when one escapes from being caught. Muri sighed. "You know, Tabris, Iza was just saying about how the gods are unhappy now--she says there has been bad luck lately, and big change is coming--she says she can--"
"--Feel it in her bones." Tabris finished. "Iza is an old coot, you know that, Muri."
"Well, yes, maybe, but--Iza never lies and you know how she is with the gods…maybe it would be best if you just behaved for now, okay? I mean, it's bad enough already without you upsetting the gods right now…"
"You actually BELIEVE her?!?!" Tabris yelled is disbelief. "Muri! This is probably just one of Iza's speculations that never turns out. Remember when she said Ziba would be a bad-luck child? And look at her now! My daughter is the most well-behaved baby yet!"
"You COULD use that as an excuse, Tabris, but it does always seem that a pot breaks or a meal is burnt when Ziba is present…I haven't made a good meal in weeks!" Muri laughed and smiled back, jokingly. Tabris frowned and sighed, giving Muri a light shove. "Let's just get back to camp, okay? The waves have been real choppy all morning and even now, it's making me a little worried--at this time of year they are usually as tame as a lamb." Tabris walked back towards a a rising smoke that quivered above the jungle tops. Muri shivered and turned to gaze at the ocean. There was something menacing about it, she just couldn't put her finger on whatever it was. She gulped, and jogged hurriedly up to her friend.
"Tabris has disappeared again" she said solemnly. The old woman was crushing a taro, a plant with starchy, edible roots. She was using a worn, stained bone to do so in rhythmic pattern with her experienced wrists, crushing with smooth, hard strokes. The woman that sat on her right was stressed and disappointed by the look on her face. "Tabris is just a little---wild, that's all." She seemed confused and was trying to cover her tracks with an excuse. "Hnnh! That girl is like a weed, never knowing where to take root so she grows in 10 places so as not to miss anything." The second woman looked down, her face flushed with embarrassment. The woman on the right looked from the monarch to the predecessor and found herself wondering if the old woman's frankness might keep her living even longer than her daughter. She brushed this away form her mind and coughed into her fist. "Tabris left Ziba with me, she said she was going out--" "Going out?!?" the old woman retorted. "Well, yes, she said she needed to gather some tansy…." At this point the old woman jumped up from her place and snorted. "Well, you tell Tabris when she gets back that from now on, she is to be authorized from me to leave anywhere. The gods have not been happy. What with all this bad luck lately, something bad is underfoot, I can feel it in my bones--big change. We cannot risk having Tabris late for yet another meeting. Too risky." The third rank nodded and lifted a bag of sand over the fire to put it out for now. Her heart raced with fear and worry. The gods have been unhappy? Big change? Bad luck? she thought. Perhaps I shouldn't have let Tabris go this time….Iza thinks she's gone too far. The young woman paused and stood up, walking back to camp while still thinking hard about the woman's warning.
On the other side of the island, a young woman 's eyes trailed the rolling empty waves. Crouching down behind a tall, stiff fern, she cautiously scanned the shore for predators or tribe members that may spot her. Overhead, a parrot chirped excitedly with the release of his colorful wings, stretching them outwards with joyful noise. The young woman stole a look at the bird, tossing her long raven hair across her tattooed shoulder. The parrot quieted and preened his feathers silently, only stopping to gaze forlornly at a walnut above him.
She was 5'4 in height, with tan-olive skin and raven black hair that reached down to the small of her back. It was straight and light, easy to tie back with taro stems when she was moving, and smooth to the touch. Her face was heart-shaped, with prominent features that would cast her as beautiful. Despite the fact her nose was small, the length continued up her face to form tight, angular brow ridges. Eyebrows were dark and smooth, but like most of her kind they blended in with her olive face. Under they were glassy, jade eyes that had liquid flecks of amber in them that flashed gold in sunlight, making her appear bright and alert.
Though she was skinny, she had broad shoulder and wide, motherly hips. She wore a loose, brown leather shirt that was tied at her back and intricately braided with beads. A hand woven skirt, with strings of beads and fringe knitted onto the bottom, hung down just below her belly button and reached to and inch above her knee. She was barefoot, with numerous tattoos on her shoulders and rings of jewelry around her neck, wrists and ankles. Gold beads, laced through piercing in her ears swung daintily in the light, island breeze.
She turned back to the ocean. Salty air stung her nostrils with a deep intake of breath. She coughed to the side and rubbed her eyes sleepily. Taking a deep breath she stood up tentatively, legs shaking beneath her strong frame. Stepping out of the foliage cover, beams of sunlight, filtered through the canopy, laid across her face warming the skin in stripes. Her toes sifted through the soft, warm sand with delight. A smile crossed her face, she swung her arms at her side ambiguously.
"Tabris!"
The woman froze. Her face flushed in a disoriented sort of way, she understood her plight at being caught again.
"Tabriiiiiis! Tabriiiiiis!"
She was silent. Her whole body shook with terror and she crouched instantly to the ground.
A young Indian woman, the same that had been third rank, stepped out from behind a beech tree. She was the same height as Tabris, but her hair was cut short and thick, a more silvery black than her friend's. She had cacao bean eyes that weren't different from most members of the tribe, in fact, more than half of them had the same. Tabris's was only a genetic difference that would occur rarely.
"Tabris!" The third-rank woman caught her friend's eye and sighed accordingly. "Tab', everyone is looking for you." Tabris stood up coolly, brushing sand off of her side and pushing her hair onto her back. "I'd expect they are, Muri, after all, I am late for the meeting." Her eyes sparkled with delight that occurs when one escapes from being caught. Muri sighed. "You know, Tabris, Iza was just saying about how the gods are unhappy now--she says there has been bad luck lately, and big change is coming--she says she can--"
"--Feel it in her bones." Tabris finished. "Iza is an old coot, you know that, Muri."
"Well, yes, maybe, but--Iza never lies and you know how she is with the gods…maybe it would be best if you just behaved for now, okay? I mean, it's bad enough already without you upsetting the gods right now…"
"You actually BELIEVE her?!?!" Tabris yelled is disbelief. "Muri! This is probably just one of Iza's speculations that never turns out. Remember when she said Ziba would be a bad-luck child? And look at her now! My daughter is the most well-behaved baby yet!"
"You COULD use that as an excuse, Tabris, but it does always seem that a pot breaks or a meal is burnt when Ziba is present…I haven't made a good meal in weeks!" Muri laughed and smiled back, jokingly. Tabris frowned and sighed, giving Muri a light shove. "Let's just get back to camp, okay? The waves have been real choppy all morning and even now, it's making me a little worried--at this time of year they are usually as tame as a lamb." Tabris walked back towards a a rising smoke that quivered above the jungle tops. Muri shivered and turned to gaze at the ocean. There was something menacing about it, she just couldn't put her finger on whatever it was. She gulped, and jogged hurriedly up to her friend.