Femelle Guerrier
By: EmpathicReader
To Swan, for being the absent-minded genius of a friend.
A/N: In Chinese folklore, there are many gods that help to govern a place like the Mountain God etc. The supreme ruler of all gods is the Jade Emperor and his wife, Wang Mu Niang Niang. But in my story, I dubbed her as the Jade Empress. It is said that Wang Mu Niang Niang grows an orchard of peaches that can enhance a god's powers or make a mortal immortal. ENJOY!
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He cursed as he touched the sore spot at his knee. Tentatively, he rubbed it and gave a small yelp of pain. The sting of the cold wind made him pull his thick robes closer together as he eased himself up. He was a bit stiff on the legs but nonetheless alright from the fall he suffered when the Jade Empress pushed him down to the mortal realm. He rubbed his right palm gingerly when he remembered the horror of seeing blood oozing from the knife wound given to him by the Jade Empress. Or should he say 'bestowed upon him'? Auel snorted. Gods like him could not bleed, only mortals do. He did not have the time to recall what happened to him when a familiar blond head walked past him. Target sighted! Slowly, he moved his legs and shadowed the blonde-in-disguise. He glanced at the several food stalls and contemplated about trying the colorful dishes. His attention was drawn back to Cagalli when he heard the sound of a fight going on.
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Cagalli rubbed her hands together to generate some heat when she saw a man several feet in front of her grab a small child of about six years old. The strong and tight hold on the boy should not be what an adult should use on children. No other thoughts were made as she rushed forward to save the distressed child.
"Stop! A man should not be holding a child like this!" she said in a manageable low voice as she held the other man's broad shoulder. Her eyes widened when he shrugged her hand off and ignored her. Angry, Cagalli threw a punch at him but he dodged and elbowed her stomach all the while holding the boy. Somehow, the young boy managed to wriggle out of the man's grasp and run off quickly. The dishonorable man made a move to chase the boy but was stopped by Cagalli.
"A man should not be bullying a child!" Her stern voice instructed. The man looked at her incredulously, "What? Get out of my way! The boy's a thief!" He pushed her away but she managed to grab his robe and pull him back. He glared at her angrily and punched her in the eye. Hard. Huffing, the man stormed off.
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Auel sniggered at the big bruise forming on Cagalli's face. He followed her to the reporting point and watched as she reported awkwardly, "I'm Cag Attha! Uzumi Nara Attha's son" Auel looked at the piece of parchment being taken and Cagalli walking to a nearby inn sighing in relief. Auel took out the soul tainting flag and walked towards the officer quickly.
"Where's your reporting parchment?" a rough voice asked. Auel smiled and waved his flag in front of the officer while saying some weird incantations, "I'm Auel Neider and I'm an official soldier." He watched in amusement as the officer nodded and gave a mechanical reply, "Yes, you are Auel Neider, an official soldier." Auel chuckled and proceeded to the inn.
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Cagalli thanked her ancestors and the gods looking out for her. She headed for the inn the officer had pointed out to her after looking at her suspiciously. She could have sworn that he was going to see through her disguise. He probably brushed it off as a birth defect or something. Cagalli thanked the manager and took her belongings to the room assigned to her. Cagalli stepped into the hallways cautiously. She came this far, she could not risk being found out. Cagalli managed to hold back the squeak in her throat when she bumped into another person.
"Sorry Sir." Cagalli said as she looked at a man who was a head taller than she was. He was stockier than she was too.
"So what's your name sir?" Cagalli asked, not noticing the other party's slight disdain for her. Since she was at the "army inn" she would be better off making some friends right? The man paused, took out his reporting parchment and sneered in her face.
"None of yer business!" He snarled angrily as he stormed away. Cagalli was speechlessly furious as she glared at the retreating figure of the man. So much for trying! JERK! Cagalli thought as she turned and marched to her assigned room.
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Cagalli gave a small yawn as she walked out of her room. She was still angry at yesterday's jerk for snarling at her for no reason. She locked her door and stuffed it into her pocket as she made way down for some breakfast. She managed to find a seat – that is after a small debate with an unreasonable woman about one's honesty. As Cagalli waited for her porridge to arrive, she sipped the steaming tea served by the waiter. Cagalli gave a small sigh of contentment. There was nothing like hot tea in cold mornings. A small tap on her shoulder made her wake up from her little daydream.
A small nervous smile etched itself on Cagalli's face as she turned to look at the person. The reassuring smile from the other party made her relax a bit as she directed a small questioning gaze at him.
"Is this seat available?" he asked quietly. Cagalli smiled quickly and nodded, gesturing to the chair beside her. He bowed his head slightly and sat down. Cagalli watched him carefully as the waiter asked for the stranger's order. From his body language, he seems to be uncomfortable at making his order. Perhaps he is foreign to this part of China? Or he never left his own house for his entire life. Cagalli continued to sip at her tea, noticing the small sigh of relief the other man expelled right after the waiter hurried off.
The man smiled and pointed to her eye, "So what happened? Fighting over a girl?" Cagalli choked on her tea and sputtered indignantly, "NO! I was trying to catch a despicable criminal! Not over a girl!" The man chuckled. Cagalli huffed slightly, "So what's your name?"
The man smiled mysteriously, "I'll tell you only after you tell me yours." Cagalli scowled at him half-heartedly. He was the first person to approach her in such a friendly manner she could not risk scaring him away. Cagalli reached over with her open palm, "Its Caga… Cag Attha. Now tell me yours!" The man laughed and reached over to shake her outstretched one.
"It's Auel. Auel Neider."
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A/N: Auel is finally introduced.