Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 

 

     “So, what about Yuuin?” “No more questions till we get inside, kay? You’ll have your answers soon.” I understood Torikibo well enough, but she seemed have a habit of switching between English and Animos in the same sentence, though only with me of course. I doubted anyone else here could speak English, but it did make me wonder if the mix of languages was for their sake, or just because there were some words she didn’t know in English. Because of my ponderings, I didn’t quite catch what she’d said to the others and was a little worried about what their sudden and varied bird calls meant.

     I soon found that there wasn’t any need for alarm. I heard answering bird calls come from the treetops above of us and immediately after, ropes with wooden attachments were thrown down, not quite reaching the ground. Once down, I saw that it was actually two ropes attached to a wooden plank, looking very much like a swing. There were four of these, as well as a tightly meshed net that was tossed down last, and which did lay flat on the snow covered ground. Torikibo tried approaching Yuuin but his ears flattened, teeth barred and growled low and menacing. She stepped back and jerked her hand away. Meanwhile Yuuin skulked past her and lay on the net with a look that dared anyone to try getting near him. “Hmm, I sort of had the idea that he was a people person, but he doesn’t seem overly aggressive so I don’t think we should have a problem here.” She swung her arm forward gesturing us to get on the swings. “Let’s get on with it shall we?” She made another bird call and we all were lifted into the air slowly at first. Poor Yuuin looked miserable in his cramped net and he let me know by making strangled, gurgling sounds. It was so cute that I laughed, but reassured him by telling him I loved him. That seemed to help him tolerate the ride up better and I was glad.

     Once at the top I stepped gingerly onto the wooden landing. The ones who had pulled us up were all ThunderBird ladies. I went to assist them in pulling Yuuin in and setting him down carefully. He dealt with the whole process rather well, but he still seemed a little on edge. To be honest, I was too, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why. I ignored the feeling and instead surveyed my surroundings. As it was winter, most of the treetops were bare, though I did spot some smaller evergreens below. There were ropes and bridges between the various tree structures, and I began to imagine how splendid it would look in the spring and summer.

     At Torikibo’s beckoning, I ran to her and followed, stepping into the enormous tree house. As many log houses tend to do, this building looked twice as big once inside. It was far taller and wider than I’d originally thought, and I’d already thought it to be huge. Wooden planks came out of the walls on both sides forming stairs without railings up to platforms above with half walls closing them in. Several of these stair and platform sets covered the walls, some of them being multi storied and connecting to others, but more impressive were all the myriad bridges between the two sides. On the first floor series of booths lined both walls. I saw that each were decorated completely different, some with colored lights, some with seating or windows, and many were emitted fragrantly delicious smoke. It was downright dizzying just considering the layout of this structure, let alone taking in the massive throngs of people. The whole place was reminiscent of a shopping mall with housing, but something was odd about the people here. It took me awhile to put my finger on it.

     Mostly the women looked normal, but some of them, and nearly all the men here, had some sort of animal transfigurement, much like Kovo. There were lots of children running around, and even more creatures of all types. I understood what the unsettling feeling had been about it and I instinctually crouched down to Yuuin, holding him close to me. Torikibo didn’t seem to notice. “It’s amazing isn’t it? We protect all the transformed people of the world here, or anyone that needs protection really. Of course, the Council has no idea this place exists. You and Yuuin are perfectly welcome to stay here y’know.” I knew that’s what this was coming to. “No!” I cleared my throat. “Sorry, um, no thank you. I already have plans, and I’d like to see more of this beautiful world.” She smiled pleasantly. “I understand. This place is a part of this world too, so I’d like it if you wouldn’t mind me giving you guys a tour of the place. No pressure, really!” “Uh… fine, ok.” I don’t bother hiding my hesitance, and she does seem a bit put off by it. I try to be nicer.

     “Does this place have a name?” “Why yes! We call it Pomeiyahn.” She glances back at me, “It means promised protection” she ends her matter of fact statement with a wink but quickly moves on. “Our less troublesome residents live in the tree houses, which would be nearly everyone. You’re not gonna see many predators, but the one’s that do live here are located in the main castle. They have to learn to play nice before being allowed into the tree houses. I suppose Yuuin here qualifies.” She pointedly makes an unsure face at him, as if daring him to contradict her. He ignores it and keeps even closer to me. “You can probably guess, but the residential areas are on the floors above us, while the first floor is strictly a marketplace. People can set up shop and sell goods as well as offer up a myriad of services, but we don’t use standard currency here. We have an odd sort of barter system going on here. Basically, you see something you need or want, you offer an exchange of goods or services. It’s also how most of the chores around here get done. Pretty neat, no?”

     I nod vacantly, but I’m actually staring at a booth lit brightly with green light emitting the most wonderful barbequey smell ever. Torikibo laughs saying that this one’s on her. Yuuin releases an oddly garbled mew and I realize he’s trying to roar, but can’t. “One for him too if you could!” I call out. She skips into the little booth and in a few minutes comes out with two of… something. It’s cylindrical in shape, like corn, but has markings that seem carved into it from top to bottom. The sauce thankfully looks just like regular barbeque sauce so I take one, holding it by the non-edible handles on both ends and bite into it. The thing is surprisingly soft and juicy, and the insides are stuffed with various delicious veggies. I haven’t had anything this tasty in so long, that the sheer delight of it makes my eyes water. Yuuin doesn’t seem quite as enthused, but he still happily eats it up. Torikibo smiles exuberantly. “I’m glad you like our wares. There’s still a whole bunch more to explore though, so let’s get this show on the road!”

     I do have to admit, this place turns out to be one of the coolest I’ve ever seen. One of the tree houses is dedicated entirely to bathing and water sports and activities. I don’t know how I feel about communal bathing, but it isn’t as crowded as I would’ve thought considering the sheer size and number of baths. Of course, one still has to barter for the more luxurious baths. Another tree house is home to entertainment with various sports on different levels, as well as a floor with pubs and theaters. The sports levels can even shift around to provide more space for particular events. They explained that the bigger theaters can do this as well. Altogether, I got the impression that this place was its own little city, albeit a secret one.

     “I didn’t think that this many people had transformation issues.” “Well, not this many do, but this castle was built so long ago, and families rarely leave this place, at least not permanently. Many of them barely know what’s going on in the outside world anymore, though that information is of course readily available. Some of these people are even descended from those who came here before the other gods died. Shrines to the fallen gods still exist in the castle proper, which will be our last stop on this whirlwind tour. Follow me please!”

     I trail behind her silently as I wonder about these shrines to the fallen gods, and somewhere inside, I also grieve their loss. For a people suddenly trapped on a foreign world knowing that it could mean their end, to have their gods die on them, gods that ACTUALLY existed and could speak to them, well, it must’ve been very hard indeed. As we exit the tree house, my somber mood is replaced by curiosity as the castle proper looms ahead, glinting with the last rays of the descending sun’s light.

     The bridges that cross over to the castle don’t really resemble bridges at all, unlike the ones between the various tree houses. Because part of the castle juts out of the cliff and is supported by the trees, we have to enter a sort of crossing point, that lies within a smaller wooden structure, and past it are large ornately carved stone doors depicting images that could possibly be part of the Animos’ history. Torikibo gets us past the ThunderBird lady guards with no trouble at all, and the doors are opened to us. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I wasn’t prepared for the reality. The many sconces that dot the wall glow with a soft white blue light, which gives the castle a magical, but even icier feel. The castle is certainly far more beautiful than the tree houses, but it lacks the warmth and joviality.

     Already I notice that the population is much more sparse and the atmosphere seems so much more heavy and serious. The hallway leads to an expansive, circular room, and I finally get a glimpse at some real life here. Large windows extend across the top portions of the tall walls, and plants and trees of all sorts extend towards them. In the center of this is a bubbling fountain illuminated with pink and yellow lights. It only occurs to me at this point to wonder how those lights function, since I haven’t seen a single electrical cable since coming to this world. Could the ThunderBirds be the only ones with electricity?

     I push the inquiry aside for the moment as I continue my surveillance. There are a few people gathered at the fountain, sitting on its ledge and talking, or laughing. I spot a small, transfigured child with splendid brown and white wings for arms leaning over the ledge to drink from the fountain. Another child pushes the winged boy in, but just as soon as the splash is made he flies right out with water still trailing him and wetting the people around. Instead of anger though, everyone laughs and the boy hugs a lady I presume to be his mother. I smile at the scene, but it only seems to annoy Torikibo. “Hey, people drink from that water y’know!” She scolds the boys albeit not harshly. To the mother she says exasperatedly, “Try to teach these boys a little more respect, ok?” The mother bows her head in humble apology. “I am sorry Lady Guardian. I’ll make sure that I do.” “Good! Well then Miya, let’s be on our way.”

     Already as I walk away from the scene, the mother seems to be discussing something with her boys, who appear not to understand and complain about it. I give them a look of sympathy before turning my back to them. Looking ahead I notice three branching corridors. We tread down the middle. “Where do those other corridors lead?” “The left is the school, where all the children, and even some of the adults of Pomeiyahn can learn various things, such as history, skills, etc. You know, there are other people here besides myself that speak your language, although I don’t there are too many completely fluent in it.” I am SO tempted to ask her if she’s one of those that are fluent or not, but I decide against it. “So where did the right corridor lead to?” “That’s where we hold training facilities for those learning specific skills and trades. Right now we’re heading toward the Cathedral, which also leads to our governing facilities, where we hold our own sort of Council. On the floors above are more residential spaces for the predator Animos. Unfortunately the prey kind don’t feel too comfortable living in such close quarters to predators, but the separate facilities are agreed on by all, so it isn’t any sort of big deal.”

     She said it as if it HAD been an issue, or maybe still was, but while I didn’t like segregation, this wasn’t exactly a racist thing. Since people here were transfigured, it wouldn’t be unlikely for a predator to attack or eat one of the prey. I could see how it wouldn’t sit well, but I also understood that it was a safety issue. Still, I really didn’t like how Torikibo and the other prey acted as if the tree structures were superior to the castle, but I would try not to cast judgment.  The corridor opened to reveal what really could only be described as a cathedral, and one of the most massive I’ve ever seen to boot. Why did everything here have to be so frickin big? It’s like the architect was just trying to show off, or just seriously overdid it. A statue was erected in the center of what looked like a more feminine version of Torikibo.

     “That’s the woman who made this place come to be. So very long ago when we came to this world, the ThunderBird Clan had it especially tough, since the predator clans would often provoke us into changing form. At that time we could still change back, but it was still very difficult, and whether we could or not, they would prey upon us in our animal form anyway. I don’t think you know, but many predator clans call us “snow chickens” since we’re supposedly especially tasty.” I stumbled back at that, but caught myself before she noticed. I didn’t think it would be wise to let her know that I actually HAD heard her clan called that before, and by my companion no less… yeah, better she not know. She continued without noticing my odd behavior, “We were almost completely wiped out, and the predator clans starting warring amongst themselves, competing for us. It was during that confusion that Aminei pleaded with the goddess Keres to help us. But Keres, already weakening required a great sacrifice to work her magic.” ”So Aminei died?” That interruption got me a sudden glare from Torikibo. “Ah, sorry, please continue.” “Hmph, well like I said, it required a sacrifice. Keres is, or was, the goddess of Freedom and Chaos, so her magic required the free will of others to work.”

     “Freedom and Chaos? Those don’t really seem to go together.” Another glare, “Are you TRYING to be rude? Just, just try NOT to keep interrupting me, kay?” Shaking her head at me she continued while I held my head low apologetically. “Of course freedom and chaos go together. Why wouldn’t they? I mean, the more freedom is given, the less order there is, and chaos is just a lack of order, which can be a good, or a bad thing. Without it, we wouldn’t have free will now would we?” I was about to answer, but when she saw me open my mouth she cut me off holding her hand up. “No, don’t answer that. Anyway, yeah, the sacrifice wasn’t her life, it was her love. The magic Keres would perform would be so great it would cost Her Her life, so the other side of the sacrifice had to be equally as great, and an Animos’ life simply doesn’t equal that of a God’s.” She paused looking at me expectantly. I didn’t really know what she wanted, so I just tried to get her to go on. “Uh, so uh, how did she sacrifice her love?” Torikibo smiled as if that was just what she wanted. Honestly this girl was kind of a headache, but I still really liked her. I smiled too as she finally went on.

     “Well, since you so kindly asked, Aminei could no longer mate with her loved one, and actually, none of the females of the ThunderBird Clan ever could pair with males of the clan from then on. It’s why we keep separate half the time. You would think their love for one another would still last, which it did, but they always had the overwhelming feeling of being siblings, as we all do these days. Even with that sacrifice though, Keres still didn’t have the magic required to create a place of safety for the ThunderBirds, and so she listened to the pleas of prey all around the world, accepting various sacrifices to strengthen Her magic. The last of these were the promises of Aminei’s daughters, who swore to find and protect others with their same struggles. And so, these snowy cliffs that hide and protect us were born. It was the magic of the other Gods that later made the trees and the castle itself. That’s why we give thanks to Them here, even though They are no longer with us to hear.”

     “That’s beautiful, but I still feel really bad for Aminei.” “True, but Aminei had to do it to protect her children. I always felt worse for the children, since they were separated from their father, who also had no say in it, though if he loved his kids he would’ve consented I’m sure. Anyhow, Keres’ shrine is the first opening on the left.” Indeed there are five openings that lead to smaller, but not actually small, shrines. In between these openings are several staircases leading to the upper floors and opposite the corridor we came through is a single flight of steps leading up to a large room. I’m guessing it’s the governing facilities she was talking about earlier. We pass through a mosiacly beaded curtain and into Keres’ shrine, which glows a calming blue-green color. Inside is a tiny, tricking artificial spring above which is a statuette of a barely clad woman. She wears only a robe, which doesn’t actually close, but she also wears a kind face that seems to be giving encouragement. Already She seems a bit contradictory to me. All around the shrine are a random variety of potted plants and flowers surrounded by even more random knick knacks. From the looks of things I would surmise that these were put here as offerings or gifts of some sort.

     Torikibo kneels in front of the spring offering a prayer before taking a cut from the spring, which I hadn’t noticed, and flinging it around the room, watering half the plants and just barely missing me. She stands up to leave but I ask, “Aren’t you going to water the rest?” Waving the question off she replies, “Nah, someone else’ll do it, maybe. That’s Keres’ way.” She walks out seeming quite contented and I’m left with one eyebrow raised and not really getting it. I take one more look at the statuette and decide that though She might not be a typical god, or rather goddess, I actually like that about her. I take the cup and spin around, missing pretty much all of the plants, but still having fun. I replace the cup and run out, thinking that maybe I do get it after all.