Claws and Kisses

8 years later

The deer nibbled on a bit of grass. It’s hooves gently grazed the ground as it walked, sniffing the ground here and there. It was completely oblivious to the arrow that was pointed at its slim neck, ready to pierce the delicate skin there.

I exhaled slowly, making sure to keep my arms steady as I drew the string back further. Only a moment ticked past before I let my fingers go and released the arrow with a soft swoosh. It zoomed through the air, rocketing towards my target. And just as I thought the tip would fly straight through its jugular, the stupid animal ducked its head before scampering into the woods. The arrow hit the trunk of a tree with an unsatisfying thunk.

“Dammit!” I stood from my crouched position and drove my fist into the bark of a nearby tree.

A deep, throaty laugh sounded from behind me as the rustling of leaves signaled the approach of someone new. “Admit it, Wendy. You couldn’t shoot a bow to save your life.”

I turned toward the voice, unsurprised to see my twin standing there, a bow similar to my own in his hands. His face was dirty and his hands were scraped, but a joyful smile still managed to curve his lips. We were similar in many ways, most notably for our pale skin and green eyes. The only real difference between us was our hair. While mine was dark and ebony shaded like our mother’s, his was lighter and more brown than black.

“Shut up, Rhett.” I stalked past him towards the familiar path of the woods.

He followed, still grinning like an idiot. “Don’t be jealous, Wendy. Envy is an unflattering color on you.” He could only laugh when I shot him a fearsome glare. “We must move quickly, sister. Before I left, I received word that there is suppose to be a messenger coming today.”

The sun dipped in the sky, signaling the fast approach of the night. The news he carried with him was more than enough to lift my spirits. “Really? You’re sure?”

He nodded. “They should be here before dusk.”

Trying and failing to hide my joy, I hurriedly made my way through the forest with Rhett following close behind. It seemed that there would be no need for meat today. The tribe leaders would be too busy greeting the messenger to check our storages. We would have time tomorrow to head out early to make up for the loss.

We approached the center of the tribe. When Rhett and I had first arrived here, starved and terrified, we’d thought the people here to be strange. For starters, we were the only ones with pale skin. The rest of them had beautiful, dark skin that I had found myself secretly envying over the years. They were fond of calling us puer lunae, which roughly translated into ‘children of the moon’ in their language.

One of the tribe leaders, Bakari, had volunteered to take us in. He insisted on visiting us every night to eat dinner and drink. He was old and withered but his kindness was revered throughout the tribe, as well as his wisdom. Rhett and I were very fortunate for his hospitality.

Other than the difference in skin, their customs were of a unique nature. They ate different foods and celebrated different holidays. Even their religion celebrated different gods and goddesses.

My favorite part of their culture however was the dancing. Whenever they had the chance, they would dance. For births, deaths, celebrations, and even just for fun. But they loved to dance. And I learned to as well.

It made me sad to think that we would have to leave in a few months. Rhett and I had been travelling for years, never once stopping. Then again, we had never felt as at home as we did here with Bakari and his tribe.

“Do you think they’ll be from up north?” Rhett quietly questioned from behind me.

He didn’t say it out loud but I knew where his thoughts had led. We both wondered from time to time if the messengers would bring news from our old home. However, no one from that far north had ever come down this far.

“I doubt it.” I replied in a low voice. With forced enthusiasm, I smiled at him and walked a little faster under the shade of the trees. “Let’s not think of such things. We are safe and have a messenger to greet.”

He nodded but the action was slow. Thoughtful. I knew as well as he that it was almost impossible not to think of our old life when news from other territories arrived. We had not heard news of our village in all of these years. No one could tell of us of what had happened of our friends and relatives.

Nor could they tell us of the Dragon Horde there either.

I rubbed at the bracelets encircling my wrists. It had taken me years to realize that they were bonded to me with supernatural forces and that it would be near impossible to get them off without the help of Drachen Magic. I’d visited countless spellcasters and witches who all told me the same thing: only the dragon that had put on my shackles could take them off.

The village was swarmed with people by the time we got there. Everyone was in an uproar at the arrival of the messenger. We got them every few months, and it was me and Rhett’s job to help Bakari greet them.

“Rhett! Wendy!” A high pitched voice squealed from a few feet away. We turned to see a boy and a girl running towards us, their long beaded braids swinging behind them. “You must come quickly! The messenger have arrived! Bakari has sent us for you.”

Rhett crouched down next to the pair and ruffled their hair with affection. They smiled warmly back at him, almost cooing at his gentle touch. “Thank you, little ones. My sister and I will be with Bakari shortly.”

They nodded and scampered off. Rhett straightened and threw a wry grin my way. “Perhaps the arrivals won’t be as bad as the last ones were.”

I laughed boldy. The sound was genuine and carefree. “Anything would be better than the lot we got last time. Do you remember the way that one old drunkard smelled?” I wrinkled my nose. “You’d think he had just climbed out of a horse stall.”

Rhett laughed with me before walking toward Barkari’s house and the place where the guests were filtered through. “Come on. Let’s go see what the fates have planned for us today.”

***

“My loves!” An elderly woman burst forth from the opposite room, spreading her arms wide in greeting. Despite the many people cluttering the crowded room, she seemed to have eyes only for us. “My darlings, it has been too long. You think that you can ignore your Mama Baya for a week and I won’t notice?”

I grinned. Mama Baya was Bakari’s wife. She was the mother that I never knew I wanted. When Bakari was busy attending councils or other tribal business, Mama Baya was always there to make sure that we were alright. All of our current clothes came from her hands, and all of our meals are cooked by her. Without her, Rhett and I would be nothing.

Rhett immediately stood from his chair and shoved past a few onlookers to embrace Mama Baya. The tribe was preparing for the messenger’s arrival and were busy cleaning, decorating, and doing whatever they could to make the Common House feel welcoming.

Mama Baya released Rhett and settled her loving eyes on me. She had barely opened her arms before I was tumbling into her, clutching her around the neck and breathing in her scent. The scent of home and warmth and safety.

Despite her younger appearance, Mama Baya was quite old. Yet she acted and lived as if she were a young adult. With silver white hair and dark chocolate eyes, she was the epitome of aged beauty. She was on the heavier side, and wore dozens of skillfully braided ribbons in her hair of all colors. Her heavy dress traveled to the floor, so that when she sat, it billowed around her like a hot gust of summer air.

“We were only gone for four days, Mama. Not a week.” I replied cheekily as I reluctantly released her.

“Oh, don’t tease me.” She whacked me lightly on the arm, lowering herself into Rhett’s seat. He didn’t mind in the slightest and simply took the seat on the floor next to her, looking as he did whenever we were in her presence. Humbled and forever awed. I didn’t hesitate to sit beside him, gazing up at Mama Baya as if she were the only person in the world.

“How did hunting go then, puer lunae?” She asked, using our special nickname. “Did you catch something Baba will like?”

I bit my lip, staring down at my lip in guilt. “No, Mama. Not today.”

A moment passed before I felt a finger on my chin, guiding my head upward. I was forced to meet Mama’s knowing gaze with my ashamed one. She only smiled down at me. “My child. My beautiful, beautiful child. It would not matter if you never caught another catch again. I would still be just as proud of you and your brother as any other day.”

She tapped my nose, chuckling to herself. I felt a grin tug at my own mouth and tried my hardest not to let it show. Mama Baya then turned to Rhett with an intrigued glance. “How are our guests then, darling? Do they bring news?”

Rhett nodded. “We were waiting for you and Baba to return. He went to go make sure there was enough food, drink, and bedding for them tonight.”

Mama shook her head. “That Baba of yours. Always worrying about everyone but himself.” She patted Rhett’s hand. “Very well. We shall wait for Bakari.”

I rose from my spot and kissed the top of Mama Baya’s head. “I am going to go get a drink. Would you two like anything?”

They both voiced their replies of no. I left the room in a hurry, desperate for an escape from the chaos of the tribe. As much as I loved being around the boisterous and loud tribe, it sometimes became exhausting to entertain and laugh and dance. I sometimes simply prefer the quietness of the library where I could curl up with a book and not worry about anyone for awhile.

Sadly, the library would have to wait. I smiled and waved at all the familiar faces passing by, sliding past the majority of them as quickly as I could. I soon reached the kitchen, where the cooks were busy preparing meals. One of the cooks - Lily - flailed me down as soon as I was in eyesight.

Lily was my best friend. When Rhett and I first arrived in the village, most of the teenagers our age had avoided us like the plague. While some were comfortable with just quietly ignoring our presence, some of the more rougher ones would push us around and call us names like quisquiliae album. White trash.

Baba would always step in if things got too violent, but Rhett and I had to learn for ourselves not to mess with the wrong people. Lily was the first one to ever approach me. She didn’t really speak much to me at first, but over time we bonded and now we were inseparable. It was how I was able to tell that she was excited about something right now based on the twinkle in her eye.

“Wendy!” She squealed, wrapping her arm around mine. Her amber eyes and coconut skin sparkled in the dimming light. “You’ll never believe what I’ve found out!”

I raised an eyebrow. “You said the same thing when you found out one of the elders passed out during a council meeting.”

She waved her hand in the air, lazily dismissing the issue. “Oh, don’t tease me. You are going to be shocked when I tell you the news.”

Sighing, I gave in to the bait. “Which is?”

Lily shook her head. “The messenger is a dragon.”