Bad Touch Yakushi
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((Please read & comment feedback! The story continues as Kana fends off an assault from above!))
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MT. FALLACY
[Mankind tests its power & bastardises everything it touches through a generational tale up Mt. Fallacy, an AI mountain playing God.]
PROLOGUE - Making History
Chapter 2 - Howls Fill the Hellscape
Chapter 3 - The ClanKo's Daughter
Chapter 4 - Goddamned
The trek across the great plains of the mountain were punishing and taxing for normal man, but for mortals, but for Noguhdts, a weekly challenge. She’d grown accustomed to pushing her body to its limits. The great flatland was hardly an intense journey, but was moreso cruel in its bare simplicity. The sheer cold and vast emptiness combined with the colour palette of nothing but white made for a void-like feeling of the traveller never knowing quite where they were, the illusion of never making progress. Kana had grown accustomed to the blizzard though, a way to escape the all-seeing mocking view of the real mountain up ahead. All that hellish promise and land undiscovered glaring at her, so close yet so far from her grasp.
Her heart beat at an intense rate, her body convulsing as if every blood vessel in her body was contracting at once. Her breath came thick and fast, she hung onto this rhythm, it was what little material she had. Finally Grandfather found our shelter in a limestone cavern, the cave glimmered with an ill green glow, but we were safe. Winter’s harshness had worked a number on her toned body, red raw skin, small cuts on every surface- the frost had bitten its way into her hands and there was goddamned blister on her right heel. Goddamn that blister. Grandfather tore into the bird Kana had hunted earlier, munching through a half-assed plan of reconnaissance strategy. A couple of wavy lines and red crosses. The weathered scroll laid out on the floor, as Grandpa Noguhdt inspected Kana, his frail palms firmly planted on his thighs.
“First question. Why do we need this land?” He asked patronising, crunching a bone.
“Old man, i’ve been a settler for a while now. I’m the leader of the goddamned unit.”
“Rank don’t matter. Some people forget why they do what they do. Why do we need it? The land.” She turned her nose up at the question, yet answered anyway- allowing him to school her in the hopes of shutting him up.
“Survival. Nothing is granted here, including land. We need to expand our territory to make our presence known.” She repeated. “Wolves need land too. What sets us apart?” He asked with fake sympathy, knowing the answer he wanted to hear.
“Doesn’t matter. Survival comes first. Everything else comes later.”
“The unsaid rules of nature. Good girl.” He begun to spark a fire with a strange reflective device in his pocket, the clumps of wood produced a smoky fire, a lifeless grey fire half-burned.
“I hate it. I hate it all.” She ushered in a quiet, personal tone. She knew they deserved better, could do better. The two sighed heavily in unison as Kana familiarised herself with their scouting plan.
“Wasn’t always like this dear. You were born in ice, this is all you know but…the world I saw as a child.
“Tell me about it. For real this time, don’t recite the story, I want your story.” She implored, moving closer to him. “What was your world like?”
“Well…it was one of fire.” He foreshadowed, his eyes going misty over the burning bonfire as he remembered a world before, of marvel and ignorance.
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MT. FALLACY
[Mankind tests its power & bastardises everything it touches through a generational tale up Mt. Fallacy, an AI mountain playing God.]
PROLOGUE - Making History
“I want to touch it.” Said the naïve child.
The boy’s curious eyes were transfixed on the colossal giant, towering above all of civilisation. The epoch of sophisticated culture had gathered in the Aether Pantheon on this day to make history. Feats of brilliance and technological understanding had led to discoveries beyond mortal comprehension, for mankind had transcended every material goal in their path- on the road to becoming so much more than mere mortals. Having conquered the surface, the seas, the skies and the constellations- only one wall remained- omniscience.
“Behave boy, the mighty Pari Passu is no toy. Now quiet! The Venture is about to speak.” Said the boy’s frustrated mother, pulling on his arm.
Across all of the worlds, the mighty iron Titan had brought all of humanity together today on Earth, their planet of foundation- to do just as it had been designed to do- lead humanity to Godhood. In entered the elite as four figures emerged from beneath the ground, commanding an instant atmosphere of presence. A hooded middle-aged man in the highest of garb tailed by two associates guarding the floating figure behind. A small, impossibly elderly man who’s every slightest action felt like it carried the weight of the universe. The assembled reaches of mankind watched the Venture in awe. He was of the most influential and intelligent beings the universe had to offer- second only now to the metallic Pari Passu, he looked up to it in scorn.
The ancient man and his loyal Hoodsman levitated to the centre podium in graceful decorum as all mouths fell silent. The Venture as grand as he was, was hardly known for his speeches- so much so that this may have been his first words this turn of the century. As mankind’s anticipation reached its peak, Earth’s wisest lips curled open into a smile.
“Humankind…” he uttered. The world watched in awe and adoration. Trembling at the thought of what words may follow and what monumental weight they would carry.
“…Everything man has done is yours. The common man to the greatest inventor, the pioneers to the explorers to the labourer to the…common man, this is your achievement.” He slowly managed. The hooded man unveiled, revealing a middle-aged face. This was the head of the Transcendence Scientific Unit, the man representing the many little men who created the work that stood before them.
“Thank you Venture, for it was not just technology that led us here but all of us, our way of life that founded our next, our final vehicle. Of course unlike before this vehicle will not be transportation in any lateral sense but instead to allow us to comprehend our imperfections and finally take us to another plane of existence! Cheers filled the stadium, as people of all ages and backgrounds embraced the idea of the bigger picture…and how convenient that would be for them. Children and adults alike were all too welcome to accept Godhood.
“Now! Parri Passu! Grant us the final progress! Knock down the final wall!” chanted the Hoodsman, arms stretched out as if heralding a God. The Parri Passu some would argue was akin to such a thing, a marvel of abstract thinking & mechanical engineering at the end of its development. At the beckon of the audience of the human race, the omniscient mech body knelt like a statue. Face like a sculpted statue of old and a gigantic fist laid out on the ground, as if about to bestow a present to a small child. As the crowd roared, cheering the granting of all of their desires, a bright light began to emanate from its hand. The key to absolution, its robotic fingers began to unfold as violently beating hearts finally saw their key in the palm of its hand…..
There was nothing. The palm of its hand laid out on the ground presenting nothing. The longest collective silence in human history dropped.
“What?” finally escaped out of the Hoodsmans mouth. He stood there looking for answers, as his desperation turned to anger. How human of him.
“What!?” Screamed the low-tone elite, followed by the violent expression of denial of “No!” He spoke for the human race. “Impossible! There’s more! We know there’s more to the universe than this, we know because of you, Parri Passu!” He continued, not stopping for breath. His screams echoed the pantheon and resonated with everybody it rattled.
“Have we reached the ceiling? I refuse it, no I know it to not be true- so why do you deny us?!” He continued. “Does our ability not move you? Does our ambition not inspire you? Have you never dreamed of things beyond your grasp?” The titan stared back at him coldly, no expressions to read- but many lost and devastated faces around the capital filling the pantheon with distraught sadness. Finally, cracking his voice and extinguishing the fire in his heart- the man let out one final, roaring statement.
“We will play in infinity!” as he keeled over, slowly falling to his knees and gasping for the air of the entire collective human race. The Venture eyed the mech, silent. Slowly, a humming came from the mech in reply- the fingers writhed as it brought something new into creation. Not an answer or a tool, something other-wordly. A small ball exploded from the palm of its hand, vibrating the blood of everybody in radius of witness, the waves of power died down as it motionlessly presented its gift. The Venture, suddenly shocked to the core eyed it- unsure of what it had produced.
The ball was no bigger than a human head but on upon viewing, went infinitely deep. The stadium stared into the abyss, transfixed by the dark purple static inside the ball, unstable black lines ecstatically jumping around as if somebody had scribbled something out within it- nobody could turn their eyes away. When suddenly, a human hand reached out and made contact with the sphere- an unknown hand unidentified to this date. It grasped the foreign object as it slowly developed its internal reaction. The ball reacted to the unknown touch and imploded, splitting particles and resetting the world to what generations have known it as today. Matter reconstituted itself into a jagged vengeful mountain. The icy hellscape known today as Mt. Fallacy. History truly had been made today bringing the end of the world, but by whose hand?
“And what’s the moral of this tale kids?” Asked a native teacher expectantly, generations later.
“Don’t play God.” Answered the school of young children.
The former God Parri Passu sat in the primitive igloo, perusing this old memory as it vacantly watched over the young school of children listening to their teacher finish the tale. It’s new body much smaller and thrown-together than its previous form- a sad cluster of automaton arms and robotic expressionless screens with a small drive plugged into its worn, rag-tag body. It watched, vacantly. Harah, the clan matron smiled at the front at her bemused model class despite the perilous blizzard outside.
“Good! Listen to your elders and remember that banded together we are…?”
“…Strong!” Chanted the children in unison. They sat around in a circle on the cold ice, warmed by the fire, it burned more intensely as another voice chimed in.
“…Fools”. A snide look on her face as she rested against the cavern entrance. This was Kana, of the Noguhdt clan- daughter of the tribe leader. “No, I’ve been thinking about this story lately Matron. Your retelling has a moral, that it was one of us who ended the world, right? You tell these children they deserve all this” she gestured to the blizzardy terrain outside. The children’s smiles began to fade, the woman’s hardy presence filled the room and the burning fire nearly extinguished by the gale of icy wind that seemed to follow her. Despite this, Harah continued with her lecture, attempting to regain control of the class. “I’m not sure which twisted version your Father tells you but the moral, Miss Noguhdt is the story is survive.” Kana winced at the subtle degradation of her Father but let it pass as a young boy boldly raised his head, getting to his feet.
“We learn from our mistakes and do as we’re told...that’s how God forgives us.” He pleaded to the interrupter. “You believe everything you hear kid?” Kana quickly shot him down, she quickly redirected her anger to the source of these words. “He said mistake. You think having the guts to do something new is a mistake? I don’t think my father would approve of teaching these kids that kind of moral, do you Harah?”
“I don’t answer to the Clan Leader, my allegiance is to the Elder.” Replied the motherly woman trying to keep her cool. Grand Elder was the current name that the barely-operating Parri Passu went by, humans loved their names for things. “What? Gramps? That bricks less helpful than that God of yours.”
“Insolent child!” the older woman bellowed, “I will not have this damned sacrilege in my classroom! Whilst you and your Father potter around in the ice I’m in here actually giving a damn about our future. You’ll end up dead, the both of you.” The Father mention again. Not having that. “You’re a scared little lady aren’t you Harah, just torn up inside that there’s people stronger, braver than you.” Kana took no pleasure in such unpleasantries. The matron and her class stared at her, mouths agape. The daughter of the ClanKō stood up and imparted a final teaching of her own. “Children, no God did this to us. We did this to the world, and now we have to work with what we got.” Eyes from the small group of children lit up whilst others remained indifferent, confused. Kana turned her fur boots and went to take her leave as Harah sneered behind her. “If a person were responsible, for all this…selfish, stubborn and meddling, sound like Nogudht traits to me.”
Kana’s trail of footsteps in the snow came to a sudden halt, she half-turned. “What are you insinuating Matron?” she whispered coldly. “That if any single person could do this to the world…I imagine it’d be in your lineage….What do you think? If not our Lord’s tampering, could it be yours my dear?” The venom in the accusation echoed around the cave walls and rung in Kana’s ears. Something had struck a nerve as her blood began to boil.
The longest silence filled the cave, as Kana fought every instinct in her body to not skin the biddy alive. Another time, not in front of the children. Still with her back to her, she snarled and ran her fingers over her blade as she set off. Accusations and rivalries were short-lived on Mt. Fallacy. “You wanna be sheep? Be sheep, just don’t get in our way.” As she ventured out into this changed world…hoping that one day other feet would follow. The classroom fell silent as the young children tried to process what had just happened. The decrepit pile of gears in the corner continued to watch eternity.
The boy’s curious eyes were transfixed on the colossal giant, towering above all of civilisation. The epoch of sophisticated culture had gathered in the Aether Pantheon on this day to make history. Feats of brilliance and technological understanding had led to discoveries beyond mortal comprehension, for mankind had transcended every material goal in their path- on the road to becoming so much more than mere mortals. Having conquered the surface, the seas, the skies and the constellations- only one wall remained- omniscience.
“Behave boy, the mighty Pari Passu is no toy. Now quiet! The Venture is about to speak.” Said the boy’s frustrated mother, pulling on his arm.
Across all of the worlds, the mighty iron Titan had brought all of humanity together today on Earth, their planet of foundation- to do just as it had been designed to do- lead humanity to Godhood. In entered the elite as four figures emerged from beneath the ground, commanding an instant atmosphere of presence. A hooded middle-aged man in the highest of garb tailed by two associates guarding the floating figure behind. A small, impossibly elderly man who’s every slightest action felt like it carried the weight of the universe. The assembled reaches of mankind watched the Venture in awe. He was of the most influential and intelligent beings the universe had to offer- second only now to the metallic Pari Passu, he looked up to it in scorn.
The ancient man and his loyal Hoodsman levitated to the centre podium in graceful decorum as all mouths fell silent. The Venture as grand as he was, was hardly known for his speeches- so much so that this may have been his first words this turn of the century. As mankind’s anticipation reached its peak, Earth’s wisest lips curled open into a smile.
“Humankind…” he uttered. The world watched in awe and adoration. Trembling at the thought of what words may follow and what monumental weight they would carry.
“…Everything man has done is yours. The common man to the greatest inventor, the pioneers to the explorers to the labourer to the…common man, this is your achievement.” He slowly managed. The hooded man unveiled, revealing a middle-aged face. This was the head of the Transcendence Scientific Unit, the man representing the many little men who created the work that stood before them.
“Thank you Venture, for it was not just technology that led us here but all of us, our way of life that founded our next, our final vehicle. Of course unlike before this vehicle will not be transportation in any lateral sense but instead to allow us to comprehend our imperfections and finally take us to another plane of existence! Cheers filled the stadium, as people of all ages and backgrounds embraced the idea of the bigger picture…and how convenient that would be for them. Children and adults alike were all too welcome to accept Godhood.
“Now! Parri Passu! Grant us the final progress! Knock down the final wall!” chanted the Hoodsman, arms stretched out as if heralding a God. The Parri Passu some would argue was akin to such a thing, a marvel of abstract thinking & mechanical engineering at the end of its development. At the beckon of the audience of the human race, the omniscient mech body knelt like a statue. Face like a sculpted statue of old and a gigantic fist laid out on the ground, as if about to bestow a present to a small child. As the crowd roared, cheering the granting of all of their desires, a bright light began to emanate from its hand. The key to absolution, its robotic fingers began to unfold as violently beating hearts finally saw their key in the palm of its hand…..
There was nothing. The palm of its hand laid out on the ground presenting nothing. The longest collective silence in human history dropped.
“What?” finally escaped out of the Hoodsmans mouth. He stood there looking for answers, as his desperation turned to anger. How human of him.
“What!?” Screamed the low-tone elite, followed by the violent expression of denial of “No!” He spoke for the human race. “Impossible! There’s more! We know there’s more to the universe than this, we know because of you, Parri Passu!” He continued, not stopping for breath. His screams echoed the pantheon and resonated with everybody it rattled.
“Have we reached the ceiling? I refuse it, no I know it to not be true- so why do you deny us?!” He continued. “Does our ability not move you? Does our ambition not inspire you? Have you never dreamed of things beyond your grasp?” The titan stared back at him coldly, no expressions to read- but many lost and devastated faces around the capital filling the pantheon with distraught sadness. Finally, cracking his voice and extinguishing the fire in his heart- the man let out one final, roaring statement.
“We will play in infinity!” as he keeled over, slowly falling to his knees and gasping for the air of the entire collective human race. The Venture eyed the mech, silent. Slowly, a humming came from the mech in reply- the fingers writhed as it brought something new into creation. Not an answer or a tool, something other-wordly. A small ball exploded from the palm of its hand, vibrating the blood of everybody in radius of witness, the waves of power died down as it motionlessly presented its gift. The Venture, suddenly shocked to the core eyed it- unsure of what it had produced.
The ball was no bigger than a human head but on upon viewing, went infinitely deep. The stadium stared into the abyss, transfixed by the dark purple static inside the ball, unstable black lines ecstatically jumping around as if somebody had scribbled something out within it- nobody could turn their eyes away. When suddenly, a human hand reached out and made contact with the sphere- an unknown hand unidentified to this date. It grasped the foreign object as it slowly developed its internal reaction. The ball reacted to the unknown touch and imploded, splitting particles and resetting the world to what generations have known it as today. Matter reconstituted itself into a jagged vengeful mountain. The icy hellscape known today as Mt. Fallacy. History truly had been made today bringing the end of the world, but by whose hand?
“And what’s the moral of this tale kids?” Asked a native teacher expectantly, generations later.
“Don’t play God.” Answered the school of young children.
The former God Parri Passu sat in the primitive igloo, perusing this old memory as it vacantly watched over the young school of children listening to their teacher finish the tale. It’s new body much smaller and thrown-together than its previous form- a sad cluster of automaton arms and robotic expressionless screens with a small drive plugged into its worn, rag-tag body. It watched, vacantly. Harah, the clan matron smiled at the front at her bemused model class despite the perilous blizzard outside.
“Good! Listen to your elders and remember that banded together we are…?”
“…Strong!” Chanted the children in unison. They sat around in a circle on the cold ice, warmed by the fire, it burned more intensely as another voice chimed in.
“…Fools”. A snide look on her face as she rested against the cavern entrance. This was Kana, of the Noguhdt clan- daughter of the tribe leader. “No, I’ve been thinking about this story lately Matron. Your retelling has a moral, that it was one of us who ended the world, right? You tell these children they deserve all this” she gestured to the blizzardy terrain outside. The children’s smiles began to fade, the woman’s hardy presence filled the room and the burning fire nearly extinguished by the gale of icy wind that seemed to follow her. Despite this, Harah continued with her lecture, attempting to regain control of the class. “I’m not sure which twisted version your Father tells you but the moral, Miss Noguhdt is the story is survive.” Kana winced at the subtle degradation of her Father but let it pass as a young boy boldly raised his head, getting to his feet.
“We learn from our mistakes and do as we’re told...that’s how God forgives us.” He pleaded to the interrupter. “You believe everything you hear kid?” Kana quickly shot him down, she quickly redirected her anger to the source of these words. “He said mistake. You think having the guts to do something new is a mistake? I don’t think my father would approve of teaching these kids that kind of moral, do you Harah?”
“I don’t answer to the Clan Leader, my allegiance is to the Elder.” Replied the motherly woman trying to keep her cool. Grand Elder was the current name that the barely-operating Parri Passu went by, humans loved their names for things. “What? Gramps? That bricks less helpful than that God of yours.”
“Insolent child!” the older woman bellowed, “I will not have this damned sacrilege in my classroom! Whilst you and your Father potter around in the ice I’m in here actually giving a damn about our future. You’ll end up dead, the both of you.” The Father mention again. Not having that. “You’re a scared little lady aren’t you Harah, just torn up inside that there’s people stronger, braver than you.” Kana took no pleasure in such unpleasantries. The matron and her class stared at her, mouths agape. The daughter of the ClanKō stood up and imparted a final teaching of her own. “Children, no God did this to us. We did this to the world, and now we have to work with what we got.” Eyes from the small group of children lit up whilst others remained indifferent, confused. Kana turned her fur boots and went to take her leave as Harah sneered behind her. “If a person were responsible, for all this…selfish, stubborn and meddling, sound like Nogudht traits to me.”
Kana’s trail of footsteps in the snow came to a sudden halt, she half-turned. “What are you insinuating Matron?” she whispered coldly. “That if any single person could do this to the world…I imagine it’d be in your lineage….What do you think? If not our Lord’s tampering, could it be yours my dear?” The venom in the accusation echoed around the cave walls and rung in Kana’s ears. Something had struck a nerve as her blood began to boil.
The longest silence filled the cave, as Kana fought every instinct in her body to not skin the biddy alive. Another time, not in front of the children. Still with her back to her, she snarled and ran her fingers over her blade as she set off. Accusations and rivalries were short-lived on Mt. Fallacy. “You wanna be sheep? Be sheep, just don’t get in our way.” As she ventured out into this changed world…hoping that one day other feet would follow. The classroom fell silent as the young children tried to process what had just happened. The decrepit pile of gears in the corner continued to watch eternity.
Chapter 2 - Howls Fill the Hellscape
Blinding light filled her eyes as Kana left the cave. The valley ahead of her opened up, a rather unimpressive encampment sat at the bottom of a steep, sloping range of valley. She looked down on it all, the usual view from the valley face. Civilisation (if you could call it that) found itself in and amongst the walls of the lands. In the sides of the thin slopes and valleys, inhabiting its caves and flatland and in the pit of the rocky range laid the human camp. A small flat of unbroken blanket of freezing harsh white. Nothing dared flock or live here, except only the most impudent or desperate, everybody else had found themselves decomposed deep under the snow long ago. The settlement whilst small, was proven by settlers to be the most hospitable location in known range. Covered by the tall faces either side, met with an impossibly far frozen ocean. Food was tough but not impossible to yield and only the toughest remained. The toughest consisting of three large family trees, as well as any stragglers who could carry their weight.
Kana walked up the slope away from the cave, continuing to look over the edge of the thin walkway. Tiny huts and tents, the small dying campfire of her people below were puny in comparison to the landscape around, we looked tiny- nested safely between tall grey peaks of imposing rock. This was safety in the slightest sense of the word, cramped and desperate- the view from up here showed just how hard humankind clung to life, clung to the mountain. Kana took a deep breath, exhaling all the stress and anger she’d been saving up. The icy tingle on her throat instantly made her choke. She hated this damn mountain, perhaps more than anybody. It’s harsh, angry weather patterns, the unrelenting cold and the idiots who inhabited it. She knew no different from birth but an angry fire inside her heart warmed her, somehow letting her know there was more than this, nobody deserved to live in this.
She looked up above, instantly reminded of her place in the mountain as icecaps and jagged stone points dwarfed them all. The mountains went so impossibly high that the perspective of an ant could only perceive a small part of it. She hated looking at the sheer size of her habitat and yet she forcibly reminded herself of it every day, call it a coping mechanism. That sensation of her feet shaking, trying to find safe footing as she felt completely eclipsed and small. This activity had become somewhat of a morning routine for her, forcing herself- seeing just how long she could brace the elements and shake the feeling of dread as the vertigo would set in.
Today was particularly gruesome, whether it was the altitude she was at or the anger from just moments ago, the sickness quickly set in as her legs fell limp and her hands claw away at the ice. She often mistook the sickness from the vertigo for physical weaknesses whichever anxiety was playing on her mind today. It all made her body want to scream. So she did. Kana let out a blood-lusting, sad howl to the sky- getting all of her weakness and anger out into the land. This wasn’t a particularly uncommon either. A very slight wolf cry replied from across the range- far in the distance.
Enough of the sensitivity. A stern, satisfied look donned her face, after her daily check of isolation she was hardened enough for the next 23 hours, to business. She mimicked another howl, this time a lure- two, no three responses. She looked over the valley to the source of the noise, pinning its location to the neighbouring valley behind the back of the camp- the wolves were making new ground. That was it, her reason. Even the worst atrocities of her world couldn’t overcome her burning love of the creatures and even more so the land they usually inhabited. The wolves had returned and so had her joy. Kana left her anxieties up the top of the cave and set off full speed down the descending valley, sliding to let her family know the news, that today was the day they take the wolf camp.
Kana walked up the slope away from the cave, continuing to look over the edge of the thin walkway. Tiny huts and tents, the small dying campfire of her people below were puny in comparison to the landscape around, we looked tiny- nested safely between tall grey peaks of imposing rock. This was safety in the slightest sense of the word, cramped and desperate- the view from up here showed just how hard humankind clung to life, clung to the mountain. Kana took a deep breath, exhaling all the stress and anger she’d been saving up. The icy tingle on her throat instantly made her choke. She hated this damn mountain, perhaps more than anybody. It’s harsh, angry weather patterns, the unrelenting cold and the idiots who inhabited it. She knew no different from birth but an angry fire inside her heart warmed her, somehow letting her know there was more than this, nobody deserved to live in this.
She looked up above, instantly reminded of her place in the mountain as icecaps and jagged stone points dwarfed them all. The mountains went so impossibly high that the perspective of an ant could only perceive a small part of it. She hated looking at the sheer size of her habitat and yet she forcibly reminded herself of it every day, call it a coping mechanism. That sensation of her feet shaking, trying to find safe footing as she felt completely eclipsed and small. This activity had become somewhat of a morning routine for her, forcing herself- seeing just how long she could brace the elements and shake the feeling of dread as the vertigo would set in.
Today was particularly gruesome, whether it was the altitude she was at or the anger from just moments ago, the sickness quickly set in as her legs fell limp and her hands claw away at the ice. She often mistook the sickness from the vertigo for physical weaknesses whichever anxiety was playing on her mind today. It all made her body want to scream. So she did. Kana let out a blood-lusting, sad howl to the sky- getting all of her weakness and anger out into the land. This wasn’t a particularly uncommon either. A very slight wolf cry replied from across the range- far in the distance.
Enough of the sensitivity. A stern, satisfied look donned her face, after her daily check of isolation she was hardened enough for the next 23 hours, to business. She mimicked another howl, this time a lure- two, no three responses. She looked over the valley to the source of the noise, pinning its location to the neighbouring valley behind the back of the camp- the wolves were making new ground. That was it, her reason. Even the worst atrocities of her world couldn’t overcome her burning love of the creatures and even more so the land they usually inhabited. The wolves had returned and so had her joy. Kana left her anxieties up the top of the cave and set off full speed down the descending valley, sliding to let her family know the news, that today was the day they take the wolf camp.
Chapter 3 - The ClanKo's Daughter
Kana’s father greeted her with a stern look as she burst into the Chief’s tent rudely.
“Really Kana? I have company”. He said impatiently, beckoning to the other Clan higher-ups sat around the fire.
“Hello dear.” Said the elderly Kyo Clan Chief. She nodded back, being the daughter of the Chief she was certainly familiar amongst the higher-ups. They all seemed delighted to see her, except for the new face at the back. Bony with short grey hair, he glared curiously across the room. “We were just settling the marriage terms isn’t that right Keif?” the old man reminded him. Keif stood up, his large build dominating the room like a bear, a true icon of leadership- excusing himself from the table of royalty for his one vulnerable weakness- his unkempt daughter.
“Quickly. What is it?” He whispered.
“Wolves. Bunch of em’.”
All stern leadership fell aside as he seemed to revert to child-like excitement. “Where?! Your heard them this morning?
“Over the yonder cliff, so close I could hear them.”
The burly man roared with joy. “The wolves have returned! Fantastic. I want you on that immediately, scout around the terrain- see if we can drive them out.”
“You’re not coming? We always would go watching the packs.” She replied, disappointed.
He looked conflicted, turning between his daughter and the responsibilities of governing marriage rites. “Take your Grandfather, he’ll appreciate the walk.”
This suggestion was met with a pouting face.
“Now don’t give me little cub look.” He raised his voice, including the officials with his performance. “I have a beautiful woman to marry and clans, family to appease.”
Her Father as the highest ranking of the Nogudht tribe was to be married to the ___ clan heiress, the smothering, ignorant excuse of a Matron. Soon they’d all be one happy family, a pack- the idea made her sick. Her mind flashed back to her cursed insult from earlier and nobody insulted the lineage of Kana Nogudht.
The young woman winced, and came out in a whisper. “Just before you find out from the ***** herself, I may have taught her kids a lesson myself this morning.”
“My god Kana, can’t you just pretend to get along? Tell me you didn’t draw a weapon.” He said, head in the palm of his hand. She paused awkwardly, her Father knew her well.
“…She has no respect for our name. She said….that it was our blood that….did this.” Gesturing to well, everything with a head hung in shame.
“You know how these Kabakk clan can be. I’ll have words.” He peacefully stated with a smile. “Don’t think you’re not in trouble though, runt.” He playfully said as she left, his rosy cracked cheeks smiling through his thick fur hood.
“Your daughter, ClanKo Keif?”Piped up the grey skeleton at the back of the tent. The first words that had come out of his mouth since he had arrived. “She seems…interesting.”
Kana Nogudht as an individual, was rather interesting, some would argue more beast than woman, by the age of fourteen- she had already proven herself in combat against predators and soldiers alike. Her father’s brute strength combined with what she could only assume was her mother’s attitude. Whilst she had never known the woman, Now at the age of twenty-one, she had already reached the mid-point of the natural human lifespan with only her finely tuned instincts and a used knife to show for it. She hoped as the clan’s head settler that she could one day find the rest of civilisation out there, blindly hoping- as if pretending they were still all there. Most of the great nations fell within the first decade, only the very strongest stragglers of the human race- culminated into one clan. The final family tree of humankind, or at least as Grandpa told it. A ridge of snow above her moved.
Danger.
A hooded figure leaped down from the boulder, Kana’s instincts forced her into a defensive stance, knife drawn. The thin rake of a figure was human, toying with her, cackling, familiar….the figure was Grandpa. Goddamn the old geezer.
“You call that a reaction time? Damn what has the proud Nogudht clan come to?” He called out from behind his hood, removing it revealed an almost scare-crow-like withered man carrying himself in a possibly senile manner of eccentricity. How a man of his age in a world like this could move as spryly as he did was beyond her.
“Go to hell old man.” She coyed,
dusting herself off, keeping the knife playfully brandished- just in case he had any more games prepared.
“Already there.” He heckled. “Put the knife away dear- it’s embarrassing, I mean what good Nogudht hunter uses a knife, lord have mercy.” He muttered to himself as he walked up to the woman. “I don’t know about you but in this clan we use our bare hands. You see all the nasty bastards out there using sticks?” Doing his most ridiculous wolf impression.
“Wolves have claws Grandfather. Its impudent thinking like that which got our population down lower than theirs.”
“Let’s work on your claws today girl. Come, we got some packs to follow, been tracking them for weeks.” He said, five steps ahead with more than a pinch of smugness.
“Really Kana? I have company”. He said impatiently, beckoning to the other Clan higher-ups sat around the fire.
“Hello dear.” Said the elderly Kyo Clan Chief. She nodded back, being the daughter of the Chief she was certainly familiar amongst the higher-ups. They all seemed delighted to see her, except for the new face at the back. Bony with short grey hair, he glared curiously across the room. “We were just settling the marriage terms isn’t that right Keif?” the old man reminded him. Keif stood up, his large build dominating the room like a bear, a true icon of leadership- excusing himself from the table of royalty for his one vulnerable weakness- his unkempt daughter.
“Quickly. What is it?” He whispered.
“Wolves. Bunch of em’.”
All stern leadership fell aside as he seemed to revert to child-like excitement. “Where?! Your heard them this morning?
“Over the yonder cliff, so close I could hear them.”
The burly man roared with joy. “The wolves have returned! Fantastic. I want you on that immediately, scout around the terrain- see if we can drive them out.”
“You’re not coming? We always would go watching the packs.” She replied, disappointed.
He looked conflicted, turning between his daughter and the responsibilities of governing marriage rites. “Take your Grandfather, he’ll appreciate the walk.”
This suggestion was met with a pouting face.
“Now don’t give me little cub look.” He raised his voice, including the officials with his performance. “I have a beautiful woman to marry and clans, family to appease.”
Her Father as the highest ranking of the Nogudht tribe was to be married to the ___ clan heiress, the smothering, ignorant excuse of a Matron. Soon they’d all be one happy family, a pack- the idea made her sick. Her mind flashed back to her cursed insult from earlier and nobody insulted the lineage of Kana Nogudht.
The young woman winced, and came out in a whisper. “Just before you find out from the ***** herself, I may have taught her kids a lesson myself this morning.”
“My god Kana, can’t you just pretend to get along? Tell me you didn’t draw a weapon.” He said, head in the palm of his hand. She paused awkwardly, her Father knew her well.
“…She has no respect for our name. She said….that it was our blood that….did this.” Gesturing to well, everything with a head hung in shame.
“You know how these Kabakk clan can be. I’ll have words.” He peacefully stated with a smile. “Don’t think you’re not in trouble though, runt.” He playfully said as she left, his rosy cracked cheeks smiling through his thick fur hood.
“Your daughter, ClanKo Keif?”Piped up the grey skeleton at the back of the tent. The first words that had come out of his mouth since he had arrived. “She seems…interesting.”
Kana Nogudht as an individual, was rather interesting, some would argue more beast than woman, by the age of fourteen- she had already proven herself in combat against predators and soldiers alike. Her father’s brute strength combined with what she could only assume was her mother’s attitude. Whilst she had never known the woman, Now at the age of twenty-one, she had already reached the mid-point of the natural human lifespan with only her finely tuned instincts and a used knife to show for it. She hoped as the clan’s head settler that she could one day find the rest of civilisation out there, blindly hoping- as if pretending they were still all there. Most of the great nations fell within the first decade, only the very strongest stragglers of the human race- culminated into one clan. The final family tree of humankind, or at least as Grandpa told it. A ridge of snow above her moved.
Danger.
A hooded figure leaped down from the boulder, Kana’s instincts forced her into a defensive stance, knife drawn. The thin rake of a figure was human, toying with her, cackling, familiar….the figure was Grandpa. Goddamn the old geezer.
“You call that a reaction time? Damn what has the proud Nogudht clan come to?” He called out from behind his hood, removing it revealed an almost scare-crow-like withered man carrying himself in a possibly senile manner of eccentricity. How a man of his age in a world like this could move as spryly as he did was beyond her.
“Go to hell old man.” She coyed,
dusting herself off, keeping the knife playfully brandished- just in case he had any more games prepared.
“Already there.” He heckled. “Put the knife away dear- it’s embarrassing, I mean what good Nogudht hunter uses a knife, lord have mercy.” He muttered to himself as he walked up to the woman. “I don’t know about you but in this clan we use our bare hands. You see all the nasty bastards out there using sticks?” Doing his most ridiculous wolf impression.
“Wolves have claws Grandfather. Its impudent thinking like that which got our population down lower than theirs.”
“Let’s work on your claws today girl. Come, we got some packs to follow, been tracking them for weeks.” He said, five steps ahead with more than a pinch of smugness.
Chapter 4 - Goddamned
The trek across the great plains of the mountain were punishing and taxing for normal man, but for mortals, but for Noguhdts, a weekly challenge. She’d grown accustomed to pushing her body to its limits. The great flatland was hardly an intense journey, but was moreso cruel in its bare simplicity. The sheer cold and vast emptiness combined with the colour palette of nothing but white made for a void-like feeling of the traveller never knowing quite where they were, the illusion of never making progress. Kana had grown accustomed to the blizzard though, a way to escape the all-seeing mocking view of the real mountain up ahead. All that hellish promise and land undiscovered glaring at her, so close yet so far from her grasp.
Her heart beat at an intense rate, her body convulsing as if every blood vessel in her body was contracting at once. Her breath came thick and fast, she hung onto this rhythm, it was what little material she had. Finally Grandfather found our shelter in a limestone cavern, the cave glimmered with an ill green glow, but we were safe. Winter’s harshness had worked a number on her toned body, red raw skin, small cuts on every surface- the frost had bitten its way into her hands and there was goddamned blister on her right heel. Goddamn that blister. Grandfather tore into the bird Kana had hunted earlier, munching through a half-assed plan of reconnaissance strategy. A couple of wavy lines and red crosses. The weathered scroll laid out on the floor, as Grandpa Noguhdt inspected Kana, his frail palms firmly planted on his thighs.
“First question. Why do we need this land?” He asked patronising, crunching a bone.
“Old man, i’ve been a settler for a while now. I’m the leader of the goddamned unit.”
“Rank don’t matter. Some people forget why they do what they do. Why do we need it? The land.” She turned her nose up at the question, yet answered anyway- allowing him to school her in the hopes of shutting him up.
“Survival. Nothing is granted here, including land. We need to expand our territory to make our presence known.” She repeated. “Wolves need land too. What sets us apart?” He asked with fake sympathy, knowing the answer he wanted to hear.
“Doesn’t matter. Survival comes first. Everything else comes later.”
“The unsaid rules of nature. Good girl.” He begun to spark a fire with a strange reflective device in his pocket, the clumps of wood produced a smoky fire, a lifeless grey fire half-burned.
“I hate it. I hate it all.” She ushered in a quiet, personal tone. She knew they deserved better, could do better. The two sighed heavily in unison as Kana familiarised herself with their scouting plan.
“Wasn’t always like this dear. You were born in ice, this is all you know but…the world I saw as a child.
“Tell me about it. For real this time, don’t recite the story, I want your story.” She implored, moving closer to him. “What was your world like?”
“Well…it was one of fire.” He foreshadowed, his eyes going misty over the burning bonfire as he remembered a world before, of marvel and ignorance.