Red Ribbon

[Zeraek]

Zeraek sat on the ground with a 'thump', letting out a sigh of relief to finally be off his feet. He'd left that morning with money from his parents and with the facade that he would be going shopping for the day. Instead, he had finally fulfilled his plan. He went straight for the city's gates, stopping to buy himself some food before he left his hometown to venture into what was completely unknown to him. He had been excited to be free, to have no one over him telling him what to do, but now he was just tired.

The sun was getting ready fall behind the horizon when Zeraek had reached a cluster of trees. It's wasn't quite big enough to truly be called a forest, but it hadn't be planted purposefully so it couldn't be labeled as an orchard. He took a seat underneath one of the many trees and pulled out what was left of his lunch. He sighed again, thinking back on his life thus far.

When he had been younger, he was constantly being repremanded for "inapropriate behavior". His parents had wanted him to be a well-mannered child more than they wanted him to be a child. As he grew older, they put more pressure on his future: always tying Zeraek's life-giver's business into their conversations until the boy had just stopped talking to them altogether. By the time his life-bearer was pregnant with his second child, they were complete strangers. The worst of it, to Zeraek, was that they talked about the new baby like a prized possession when they treated him like a helping hand. Hearing them gush over his new-born brother had been the last draw for Zeraek. He'd been planning to leave for a very long time, going over various scenarios and paths that he could take; he'd chosen this one at random.


The truth of the matter was, however, that he had never stepped foot out of his city, and he had no idea what was beyond it besides what he had seen on some maps. Now that he was actually out here, he had no idea where to go. His only hope was to stumble upon some Reyls or otherwise by some twist of pure luck. There was no way his pious amount of food could last him more than another meal... if he rationed himself fiercely.

With a third heavy sigh, Zeraek climbed back to his aching feet. He scooped up his travelling bag and continued walking. Even if night came, his cat-like eyes would allow him to see just fine. Even if he was exhausted, there was no way he was sleeping by himself out in the middle of unfamiliar territory. He knew that much, at least.

[Boheme]

Along the road, people stopped to watch the procession moving down the road with surprising speed. It was a caravan consisting of 7 various covered- wagon type structures, all of which held members of the Reyls clan known as the Ptahs. The family was on their way to Tellysin for the festival that was soon to be held there. More then that though, they wanted to visit the hidden hot springs that was a mile or so away from the city's gates.

Mmmm...Hot water. It was hard to get a lot of while on the road. Sure, you could heat some over a fire, but a kettle could only hold so much!

Along side several of the wagons were some of the Ptah youths. They were preforming several acrobatic stunts to keep themselves and the people watching from afar entertained. One of the Zercans was a tall young man with a long braid trailing behind him as he did several flips before flipping himself into one of the last wagons.

Once inside, he began to laugh in amusement. He loved to entertain. It was fun and the feeling of being appreciated was wonderful. "Anlee," he said after he had caught his breath. "What's for dinner tonight?"

His life beared sighed and smiled at his son. "Whatever Gamma chooses. It wasn't my night to plan, Bohm" he told the orange haired youth. The young man nodded and looked out the back of the wagon before blinking.

"We're slowing down...I thought Edgar said we'd be at least another 30 to 20 minutes before we arrived..." The youth, Bohm, stuck his headout of the wagon to look up at his lifegiver in confusion. "Edgar...What's going on?"

"Nothing much. Your great, great grandmother's wagon just picked up a traveler. Poor kid. Even from here, I could tell he looked beat," the brunette on top driving the wagon said. "I'm sure you'll meet him later though...When we get to the springs."

----In the elder Gamma's Wagon----

"Now then, son, you may sit yourself down anywhere," the elderly Zercan said to the hitchhiker he and his mate had picked up. The poor boy had looked so worn. It was a good thing that he had agreed though. For a second, he looked like he was going to flee when they had said that they were going towards Tellysin. It was only after promising the lad that they would be stopping a half a mile or so before then that kept the young Zercan from going.

"Now, tell me...What's your name? I am Elder Gamma...Great grandlifegiver to most the kits in this clan," he said in his aged voice. "My mate, Delta, is driving this wagon."

[Zeraek]

Zeraek sat in the moving cart silently, overwhelmed by many different feelings. He'd never seen anything like the Reyls before then. Sure, he had heard story, but nothing really did justice, or could have prepared him for this. He supposed, that he may have been thinking of them as something like myth, a people he had never seen before and did not affect him in anyway, and being there with the elderly man was almost to unreal. Also, the Zercan could almost cry with the relief of finally getting a chance to rest his poor feet and to have a group to travel with. What scared him, however, was where they were headed. He did not want to go back home! He had wasted all his time traveling, and what if his parents found him again? All would be for naught.

The dark-haired youth looked up at the old life-giver when he spoke before looking nervously down at his own knees. He reached a hand up to his hair and tucked a strand of black hair that become loose from its tie behind his ear as he spoke.

"My name is... Zeraek. Thank you for letting me join you. I'm not sure how much longer I could have kept walking," he admitted. He smiled weakly up at the old Reyl before letting his hand drop to his lap.

[Boheme]

Gamma smiled and gathered his skirts around him before standing up. He moved over to oneside of the wagon, and poured two cups of ice tea from the small icebox that lay there. "Now, I hope you like iced tea. We only have cold things in the wagon, and we won't get anything hot until tonight when the whole caravan pulls around a bonfire," he said, moving back to his previous spot.

Holding out the glass of tea with one hand, the elderly man pushed his long grey braid behind his ear with another hand. "You'll get to meet all of my family then. But what of your own family? Where were you heading?"

[Zeraek]

Zeraek smiled and thanked the elder, assuring man that cold anything was fine with him, before sipping his drink cautiously. The tea was much stronger than anything he was used to drinking, but he didn't mind it; he hadn't had a lot to drink since he left Tellysin.

At Gamma's mention of his family, the young Zercan stiffened. He wasn't sure what to say. He knew he would feel bad for lieing, but if he told the truth, would the elder try to take him back home? Zeraek didn't want to go back. The longer he stayed with the old man, the more he liked where he was.

"I... ah... I don't....," he mumbled, trying to decide on what to say. In the end, he decided to ignore the questions all together. "I'm not really headed in any direction. I just felt like getting away and exploring... and... I've always been interested by Reyls. I've wanted to know what it was like. I have to say, for my being here for so little a time, I like it very much." He hoped that that would suffice as an answer.

[Boheme]

Gamma he took a sip from his tea. "I see," he said, knowingly. "You ran away. Don't worry. It happens, and it seems as if most young Zercans fall into our care until they find out exactly where they need to be, or what they need to do. We won't turn you in or make you leave."

He sighed and smiled gently, obviously thinking of his large family. "I hope you enjoy your stay though. We enjoy having guests. My boys will be excited to teach you all they know about being Reyls," he said, chuckling. "Especially the younger ones."

[Zeraek]

Zeraek barely held back his sigh of relief. He smiled widely at the man, taking a drink of his tea. "I'm sorry that I've become another imposing guest. I'm very glad that I was able to come here, though. Thank you for your kindness." He set down his cup and reached up to his take the tie from his hair. He ran his hands through his hair a few times before pulling his hair back and tieing it all back into place. "Is... Are there a lot of... customs or... traditions? Things that I should know about... so I don't offend anyone?" he asked hesitantly. He would hate to be rude on accident to people that were being so kind to him.

[Boheme]

Gamma chuckled again, and his eyes sparkled with his mirth. "Hardly. You just must remember that we are different then other Zercans...We are much more free-spirited, so I believe that in most situations it will be you who must strive not to be offended," he explained.

He made an odd gesture, as if he were trying to gather the words for his next thoughts. "They may...tease or prank you, but they are really...They don't mean for it to be taken negatively." He laughed. "Ah. But the one thing you may not want to do is speak about politics."

[Zeraek]

The young Zercan smiled in understanding and nodded. "That's a good point. Although, I don't know much on that subject: Shodan Sariphan runs things... that's about it," he admitted sheepishly.

Zeraek and Gamma talked until both their tea cups were empty. "Uhm... Where, exactly, are we stopping," he asked curiously, "and... will we be there soon?"

[Boheme]

"There is an area about ten or twenty minutes from the gates of Tellysin where we will set up camp," Gamma replied, standing slowly to keep balance. He took both their cups and deposited them into a wash basin. "Then we will just loiter around for several days before continuing on."

The elderly man turned around and kneeled back down nezt to Zeraek. "Do you know the festival that's being held in your city? We will be attending to sell things and to entertain. It will be interesting, but if you don't wish to attend, there are many from my family who will probably not attend," he added.

[Zeraek]

Zeraek nodded. "If you don't think anyone would mind... I'm afraid that my parents would probably be at the festival... unless they're looking for me, but I doubt that. They will most likely try to hire someone to find me. So, I suppose it would be best for me to stay behind," he explained. "I'm sure I could find some way to be useful here."

[Boheme]

Gamma nodded in agreement. "Ah, yes," he said. "I'm sure you can find something to do. When we all get together around the bonfire tonight, you will probably find someone whom you wouldn't mind spending the festival days with. I doubt you could not find someone to spend time with in a family this large."

The wagon started to slow and the elderly man looked up. A few seconds more passed and the wagon hit a few bumps before coming to a halt. "We're here, Gamma," a voice from above said. "I'll be down in a second. Let me just water down the gramba...You and the boy can get out though."

The lifebearer chuckled and smiled tenderly. "Ah. Well, let's get out then. Help an enderly man out, would you, child?" he asked, lifting himself up. "We'll just take a few steps out and wait for Delta to come down and join us."

[Zeraek]

Zeraek smiled happily and nodded. "That's very true. There are quite a few people here; I'm sure I won't have any troubles finding a friend." The dark-haired teen jumped up in excitement when the cart started slowing to a stop. He couldn't wait to see what this evening would hold for him.

At Gamma's words, Zeraek nodded again. Once the other was standing, he helped the old man carefully out of the cart and onto the ground. "Should I go see if your mate... Delta.... needs any help with the animals?"

[Boheme]

Gamma laughed. "You may," he said, gesturing for the other to quickly move to the front of the wagon. "I'm sure he'd appreciate the help. The others are all still getting their wagons parked and fixed up."

-----Near one of the last wagons------

The redheaded young man with the braid smiled as the wagon's began to slow down. He poked his head out of the back of the wagon and managed to angle his body into a flip so that he landed on the roof of the wagon with his father. "Edgar, we're here then?" he asked, eyes idly wandering over the rest of the caravan.

His lifegiver nodded and smiled at his son. "Right you are, Boheme. As soon as we come to a stop, I want you to water down the animal. Then, help your mother take whatever he needs to Gamma's tent. I believe he is one of the one's helping cook tonight."

Boheme nodded and grinned as the wagon finally stopped. He hopped off from the roof, and began to do what his father had requested.

[Zeraek]

Zeraek nodded. "Alright. If you need any help, please come find me," he stated before heading to the front of the wagon to find another old man tending to some grambas. He approached the stranger with a nervously smile. "H-hello. My name is Zeraek. Grah.... Gramma said I could help you...?" he mumbled. "I don't know much about animals, but I can do whatever you need me to do."