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Thom of Pirate's Swoop

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Thom sat on the edge of a cliff with his feet dangling before him. From his perch, he could see the natives below, working in the fields and fishing with spears in the riverbank. Pushing his spectacles up on his nose, he began to make notes of this their activity in a notebook. It was the second one he had written in since his departure from Tortall, and it was nearly full.

Thom had dreamed that he would find ancient civilizations on the other side of the world, but dreams and reality are two very different things.

He was fascinated by these people, the Akikuwa. The women worked as hard as the men, but at different tasks. Their work complemented that of the men, so that all the chores were completed with maximum efficiency. Thom's mother would be pleased.

"What are you looking at?" a playful voice asked in the Akikuwa language. Thom nearly fell off the cliff as he jumped with surprise. He recovered quickly and smiled up at the young woman.

"Karanya, I didn't hear you come up," he said in the same tongue, as she plunked herself down beside him. She smiled, looking over the valley. Wisps of her hair caught in the breeze and flowed across her face.

"How would I catch a deer if it heard me before it saw me?" Thom followed her eyes to see a group of women stretching a hide across and large round frame.

"What are they doing?" he asked, sketching the frame in his notebook.

"They are cleaning the bear pelt to make a new cape for the Kumadir," she said, using a word he did not know.

"Kumadir?" Thom repeated, guessing at the word's spelling.

"The warrior who brought down the bear will be very honored. Kumadir." Karanya looked away, towards the river and a waterfall.

"What will his reward be?" Thom asked, glancing at her above his spectacles.

"Me," she said quietly. Thom squeezed her hand, distracting them both from this truth with another question.

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Author's Note

I wrote this drabble as a preview of a full length story I wish to write, about Thom and Prince Liam adventuring on the other side of the world. Karanya is one of the characters I made up for this land.

If you're interesting in reading more of this, let me know. I just decided that I had to finish up at least 2 other stories before I start another.

Thanks for any input, and for all the great reviews!

-Lela