The World Walkers: Taithmarin: Jarek: Storytelling

[k_a_webb]

“It is important to remember where we came from, little ones,” Old Max started, looking around at the group of Nox and Felis that surrounded him. Jarek sat at the back, in the shadows, feeling more comfortable there because he really was too old to keep going to the Long Night storytelling, but he wanted to keep reminding himself of home and Old Max could conjure the memories better than Jarek. “You are all lucky, because you have never known the fear of our home worlds, but those who were brought here by the magic of the door will never forget. They could tell you stories themselves of what they lived through if it wasn’t too hard for them to remember the life they once led. When we were there we never believed that we would ever be free of the hunters. Nox Gadael were hunted for their magic, horns stolen so they could have our magic, while the Alati Felis were being systematically exterminated, due to a story that was once told of the deadly Felis beast.

“One race was hunted because of greed and the other fear, but we both knew what it was like to spend our lives trying to hide from those who searched for us. I once lived in a cave, with a group of Nox who’d all been lucky enough to survive the day when their last hiding place was found, although we never believed that we were truly lucky to survive. Surviving just meant we would spend more time hiding, more time hoping they wouldn’t find us, even though we knew that they would, because they always did. They spoke of what they’d witnessed, knowing the time would come when they’d see the same thing all over again or they’d be the ones having their horns removed. We all knew that there were a few of us who’d survived the day that hunters came, but that happened so rarely we knew that if we were found we probably would end up dying when that day finally came.

“As a storyteller I have gathered stories from the Felis too. They’ve told me about going in to hiding in an attempt to protect themselves from hunters, but they needed to eat and that was when they were found. From what I’ve heard it seems like there are many more hunters on the Felis home world than there ever were on ours, because anyone who came across one of the winged cats would try to kill them, as well as those who wanted to receive payment from the government for a job well done. Even now there are members of both our races who suffer due to what happened to us, whether that was just due to living in fear from the time they were born or if they were caught by one of the hunters.”

Jarek nodded. There were nights still when his mother woke after a nightmare about the time before she found herself on Taithmarin, but it wasn’t something she ever talked about. It didn’t matter how many questions she was asked or how they tried to convince her that talking about it might make it easier to deal with. He was certain whatever her nightmares were about had something to do with the damage that had been done to her horn, so that meant at one point she must have been caught by the hunters and there was every chance that she’d lost friends or family when it happened.

“The winter is a time for us to reflect on the past and how it changed us, but also think about the future. We have a home here now, a safe home where we’re accepted, that means we have a chance, finally, to feel safe. Safety was fleeting before and we simply had to accept that, because there was nothing we could do to save ourselves from the hunters, but Taithmarin chose us as two of her races. It is thanks to her that you will never know the daily fear that we lived through and you can fulfil your potential as magic users, something that we never had a chance to do. Alati kittens can fly from birth, Nox puppies are being born with too much magic to be held within one horn, and we are sharing what we knew within this town, learning from each other and the other races who have also been brought here by a world who wanted to save races that were in danger.

“No story I’ll ever tell you can ever truly take you to one of the caves that we found ourselves hiding in, to the days of very little food and the deep cold penetrating your bones, to know that one day you might be found. No story can ever take you to the day when you know you have no choice but to go out hunting, knowing that you’ll starve if you don’t, but there’s ever chance that someone might be out there. That doesn’t mean these stories aren’t worth telling, that you spending the night here listening is pointless, because not knowing that fear is a gift granted to us by a benevolent world. When you go home whoever it is that’s related to you who has lived on one of our worlds will appreciate that you know a little more about the life they led, because there are so many of us who still aren’t comfortable talking about what happened to them before they found themselves here. It’s possible they were never be able to and that is why I took this job – I can tell my story and the stories of those who would tell me theirs, whether they’re alive now or not.
“You will learn today of one Nox Gadeal and one Alati Felis. Even though I never lived on the Felis world our experiences were so alike that it is possible for me, a Nox, to tell the stories of your people…” Old Max nodded to a group of the Felis kittens. “…as well as my own. In another town, much like this, there is a Felis storyteller, who passes on the stories of our people to a gathering much like this one. We share what we know, because it is important that we understand each other, that you can pass on the stories that I tell you to your children and grandchildren, because every day there are new arrivals. I believe that the day Taithmarin stops bringing the Nox and Felis here will be the day that there are no more of us to rescue.”

When Jarek thought back to the day he arrived he knew he was lucky. If he hadn’t chosen to follow his pregnant mother while she was out on patrol he’d still be one their home world, wondering where she was, like his siblings probably were. They never worried as much that something might happen to her, even though she’d raised them all alone, after something had happened to their father. She said it wasn’t the time when her horn had been damaged, that had happened long before she fell in love, and, even though she’d promised herself she wouldn’t bring any more Nox into the world, she changed her mind when their father said that he heard stories of Nox who’d found a safe place to live and they might be lucky enough for that to happen to them.

The day they stepped through the door one after the other, she cried, knowing that the stories were true, that the Nox she loved had died without finding safety. Her tears dried themselves when a voice, one Jarek thought he half recognised, greeted her, and he met his father for the first time. When both his parents realised he was their only child to have made it through, because of the choice he’d made to look after his mother, they grieved for their loss and celebrated his decision at the same time, before going to their new home. It wasn’t unusual for new Nox arrivals to find themselves a pack, rather than live alone the way some of the other races did, but neither Jarek or his mother expected the group to include the Alati Felis.

It took them a short time to get used to the winged creatures. One of the other races that shared their town called them cat-like, because they had the same sort of thing on their world, although they weren’t magical and didn’t have wings. That was the race that called the Nox labrador-like, as, again, they had an animal much the same, but for them it was a specific breed that they were like. Fortunately neither of them looked like the race who hunted them, so it was easy to get along with them, and slowly Jarek started to feel at home. He still missed his siblings and the rest of their pack, and some days it hurt more than others to think of them still trapped in that cave, not knowing what had happened to their mother and brother. All he could do was hope that they’d been lucky enough to find a door, but arrived at a different time to them or somewhere else, as he had heard about Nox going travelling and finding a lost pack mate or sibling.

Four days later their pack grew by four when Jarek’s mother gave birth much earlier than expected. Most thought it was due to the magic on Taithmarin. They were born in a safe environment, with both a Nox healer and a Felis healer watching over the process, which was so different to the one they’d had at home. Instead of having the whole pack outside, watching for someone coming, apart from the one who was helping with the birth itself, everyone was off doing their own thing. No one was afraid that someone might find them and kill them all, because there were no hunters. Getting used to that had taken a long time, much longer than he thought it would, and there were still times when someone touching him without warning would make him jump. Everyone understood why, so they weren’t offended by his reaction, although that was still his fear at times.

“Remember, little ones, that not all of us were affected the same way. Some of us were attacked by hunters and managed to escape, while others have been affected because they lived in fear for as long as they could remember. Maybe there was once a time when we weren’t hunted, but it’s a time neither of our races remember and so no stories can possibly be told of that time. That is the reason I spend Long Night every year telling stories of those I know. We must not lose our memories of that time, because one day there may not be a Nox who lived on our home world here. It’s not something I can imagine happening any time soon, not with the increase of new arrivals we’ve been seeing, but that doesn’t mean it will never happen. The influx may be due to some knowledge that Taithmarin has and we don’t.

“Pass these stories on. If someone you come to know in the future tells you their story do the same. Do not let our plight be forgotten. We never knew that we could possibly be so lucky, we never knew that we would find a safe haven, and there are those still on our home would who have no idea that Taithmarin exists. They may not find the door, so pass on their names, remember the world that they were trapped on, and always be kind to a new arrival. You don’t know what they may have been through in their past. Maybe they were unlucky enough to come across a hunter, to have their horn or wings damaged in some way, so that they will never be able to use the magic of our races.”

Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

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No typos found. This is beautiful.