“I don’t want to hear about this anymore!” Aakil flinched as he heard his father’s bellowing roar from inside the big cave. Kai and Deme had retreated there to get “privacy” for their discussion.
Not that it matters. Aakil thought glumly, rubbing the dry sand under his paws. Everyone can hear them argue. It was the same fight they’d had a thousand and one times before – whether or not Aakil would be able to take his jura.
The jura was one of the most important ceremonies in the Aukai Tribe. Young mazai like Aakil, sabers still in training, spent moons working hard in order to undertake the arduous task of swimming through the raging waters to The Rock of Azel, where the god would judge them worthy or not.
“He’s not ready.” Kai’s stern voice leaked out of the big cave.
Deme’s retort was sharp and immediate. “He’s ready. You just don’t want him to grow up.”
“It’s dangerous!” Kai shot back. “He can’t…”
Aakil sighed and got to his paws before he could hear his father finish the sentence. He can’t do this, he can’t do that. Aakil is too small, too delicate, too… blind! The young saber growled lowly in the back of his throat. So what if he was born without eyes? He’d felt the squishy orbs on the heads of the other sabers and they didn’t feel special.
The soft sun-warmed sand turned wet, then cool, underneath Aakil’s paws as he drew closer to the ocean. His heart began to thrum as the waves became louder, more powerful. The strong and steady crashing of the water over the sand was a rhythm written into his very soul.
I can do it. Aakil thought as he put a paw into the water. The gritty feel of the brine got between his toes and soaked its way into his fur, but it was a pleasant feeling. It’s just a swim. He’d paddled through the waves thousands of times before, both with and without the help of the others.
Warm water surged around his legs, lapping at his belly fur, as Aakil wadded deeper. Soon he was up to his neck in seawater, a liquid embrace that slowed his racing heart and soothed his weary mind. Here, he was no different than other sabers. Everything that was important – the rhythmic push and pulls of the tide, the warm sun on his back, the brisk breeze carrying the smell of salt and seaweed – needed no eyes to behold.
Aakil was in the water for what felt like days before suddenly splashes approached from behind. He bared his fangs definitely, rearing up to confront whatever drew near.
“Enough of that,” Orris said in his deep stern voice. “Kai wants you out of the water.”
Aakil uncurled his lips but remained in the brine. “No. I want to swim.”
“Aakil.” Though Orris’s voice thrummed, the strength of it is barely audible over the rise and fall of the ocean waves. “Kai is our Viena. We should do as he says.”
“I’ve heard what Deme and Zaiba say!” Aakil shot back, feeling his fur begin to prickle. The warm water lapped at his coat like a mother trying to soothe his irritation. “He shouldn’t be our Viena at all! My mother should be! He doesn’t do anything right.”
“Aakil!” Orris thundered. “How dare you?” The young saber was barely able to register the ripple and splash of the umai before his fangs sank into Aakil’s scruff and yanked him clear out of the water. Orris’s fangs were short, but they still stung when used so skillfully.
In short order, Aakil was thrown onto the shore despite his struggles and protests. Orris wasn’t the strongest – just an umai, a hunter – but he was still fully grown and far more experienced than Aakil. He wheezed as he landed, the air escaping his lungs, and scrabbled uselessly at the gritty wet sand.
“I don’t care if your father got his position just because he was Minunat’s mate when she died.” Orris’s voice was thick with anger and for a moment Aakil felt afraid of the older saber. “Kai still deserves our respect. Just because you’re not pleased with how your life turned out doesn’t mean you can act like a spoiled brat!”
Aakil finally managed to regain his paws and shook the water from his fur. “That’s easy for you to say!” He swung his head towards the direction of Orris’s voice. “You were born perfect! You can hunt and fight for the tribe. Kai won’t even let me try.”
“And he never will if you continue acting like this!” Orris came close enough that Aakil could smell him, even with the strong scent of brine drenching his fur. “How can you prove to him that you’re mature enough if you always ignore orders? Do you think you can hunt alone? Fight alone? You whine and complain about not being allowed when you’ve done nothing to work for it!”
Aakil’s hackles began to rise. “I-”
“Not,” Orris interrupted with a snarl, “another word. You have to work twice as hard. Deme spoiled you, Kai coddled you, Zaiba filled your head with silly stories. It’s time you had someone tell you the truth.
“As of now, you’re weak. You can’t see oncoming enemies and won’t be able to move in time if prey turns to charge you. You’re a liability.”
“But-”
“No!” Orris roared. “You will listen! No matter how strong, how fast, you think you are, if you never improve you’ll be left behind. The rest of our tribe will move on without you and perhaps that’s necessary. All you do is whine and complain that you can’t do everything you want.” The hunter was breathing heavily now, his hot breath racing across Aakil’s face. “Do you ever do exercises or stretches to improve your muscles? Do you do the chores around camp?”
Aakil had heard enough. With a short snarl, he whirled around and raced away. Using his nose to lead his pawsteps, the young saber headed away from the sea. He wasn’t sure where he was going, but he sure wasn’t going to sit around and listen to Orris talk to him like that.
The gound soon became solid under Aakil’s paws, the sound of churning waves slowly turning into the rustle of grasses. The heady scent of heather and rabbits filled the air, intoxicatingly strong after the crisp ocean air. Aakil had to stop and breathe deeply to get his bearings – the world twisted around him as he tried to make sense of the tossing wind.
Azel’s fins! Aakil thought crossly as he sat down, panting. I forgot how hard the breeze is on the moor. He’d have to wait until it died down to return home.
As he sat, Aakil stewed in silence over Orris’s words. “I’m not useless.” He said aloud, though he wasn’t sure who he was talking to. Perhaps it was himself. “I manage just as well as Terris and Zaiba.” They were the closest sabers to his age – barely a year older than him. Why did they get to run and hunt with the tribe?
Do you ever do exercises or stretches to improve your muscles? Do you do the chores around camp? Aakil curled his lip and laid down. Orris’s last words were itching at his fur like fleas. He didn’t have to do all that stuff! It was just busywork. He’d never heard of another mazai being forced to do chores.
“You’ve also never met another mazai.”
The voice was liquid gold, enchanting and revolting and beautiful and dangerous all at once. Aakil shuddered as he stood, waving his head around. “Who are you!? What’s-”
“Relax.” That delightfully appalling voice slithered around Aakil’s mind. “I’m not going to hurt you. Why don’t you open your eyes and see me?”
Aakil’s hackles rose at once. “Excuse me?!” He roared.
The voice laughed. It sounded like the breeze and cracking trees and hissing snakes. “Don’t be so defensive. Think a little harder. You’re already asleep, so take control of your own dreams.”
“I’m- what are you talking about? Stop fooling around!” Aakil felt his heart skip a beat. The voice was circling him, coming closer and closer, but the scent was absent. There was no subtle vibration of pawsteps or the whisper of the wind as it whisked over a body.
There was a long deep sigh that made Aakil feel like his skin was crawling. “I suppose I’ll have to help you out… just this once.” Before he could react, the young saber felt something brush his forehead.
White. Hot. Pain.
It lanced through Aakil, ripping into every part of his body, and made him gasp for air. It was suffocating, agonizing, terrible, terrible, terrible. Just as he thought he was going to die, the pain departed as quickly as it had arrived.
Aakil remained on the ground, aware he was twitching but unable to stop it. When the final convulsions ran their course, he tentatively sat up. His head felt heavy and strange like it was full of foam. His face twitched.
“What-” Aakil’s breath caught in his throat. For a moment, he couldn’t comprehend the sensations rushing through his body. His face burned and bile rushed to his mouth as he fought against vomiting.
“Do you not like my gift?” The monstrous silken voice asked. “And here I was thinking you’d appreciate it.”
Aakil trembled, barely hearing the words. What is this? What did it do to me? The wind whisked briskly around his body and strange long tendrils moved and flowed in front of Aakil’s nose.
“I gave you what you’ve always wanted.” Shaking, Aakil raised his head, trying to make sense of what was going on. Something misshapen and unnatural was directly in front of him – he wasn’t able to make sense of the twisting mass of muscle and sinew.
Aakil gasped and felt his face itch. Some instinct forced it to twitch and the itchiness went away after a moment of darkness. “What… what have you done?”
“I already said.” The strange thing said, bright glinting shards flashing against a darker, gaping hole. Aakil got a distinct feeling that it could consume everything, ravenous and destructive. “I gave you what you wanted. You can see now!”
The words didn’t process at first. Aakil gaped dumbly at the creature-thing for a long moment, then it slowly clicked in his mind. “I… this is… seeing? You gave me eyes?”
The creature – Aakil couldn’t figure out what it was – tilted its head to the side. It had a long snout, almost as long as Aakil’s whole body, and strange scaled skin. It looked the same as snakes felt when he ate them. “I… gave you sight. Metaphorically.” It chuckled, the sound intoxicating and horrifying at the same time. “Oh, perhaps I should give you a bit of information…” With a wink of its beady eyes, Aakil felt his mind constrict before expanding. Suddenly, he knew. Colors and shapes that had never seeped into his mind suddenly settled into his mind as if he’d known them forever.
Struggling to understand, Aakil ground out, “How?”
The creature, blood-red with pupil-less golden eyes, said. “I told you that you were asleep, didn’t I?”
Aakil’s shoulders slumped. “Oh. This is a dream. None of it is real.”
“Hey hey hey!” The thing raised a paw, one that looked uncannily like a saber’s, and flexed it. “I never said it wasn’t real. You need to adjust your perception a bit, cub.”
“You’re a nightmare. That’s it. That’s why you look like that.” Aakil felt a little numb. The elation that had shot through his body like adrenaline had froze and turned to disappointment so fast that he was feeling sick.
“Why I-” The creature made a deep growling noise. “Wow. You’re rude. Haven’t even had your eyes for a whole day and you have the nerve to call me ugly. Fine.” It crouched like it was about to pounce, making Aakil’s heart stutter, but then the creature’s flesh rippled.
The change was instantaneous. One moment the creature was a grotesque mess of shapes hastily thrown together and the next… it was a saber. He had thick blood-red fur, piercing golden eyes, and a well-muscled body. Aakil thought he looked beautiful – beautiful and terrifying. Malevolence lurked in his gaze.
“There,” the red saber purred. “Is that better? Now, let’s talk. You want your eyes in real life too, don’t you?”
What? Aakil flattened his ears in stunned silence. Impossible. He decided to say nothing. It was obvious whatever this thing was, it was just toying with him.
“What? You don’t believe me?” The saber sighed dramatically. “Fine then. You’re Aakil, son of Kai and Minunat, and I am Chuu, son of the marsh and moonlight.”
“Chuu?” Aakil felt his throat close up. I know that name. Deme said it once… he’s… he’s… a god!
Aakil jerked back and turned, ready to run, but he felt something slither up his paws. “Hey!” He shouted. “What is this?! Let me go!” He thrashed helplessly as vines curled around his legs and chest.
“Nuh-uh. You tried to run when I gave you such a good gift.” Chuu walked into Aakil’s line of sight. “Now, we’ll talk about how you’ll repay me.” The god sat, watching Aakil with his sharp gaze. “I can give you eyesight permanently. In your waking hours too. Don’t you want that?”
Aakil watched Chuu warily. He’s a trickster, Deme said. He’ll do whatever he can to get your trust, then he’ll take everything from you.
“You’re hurting my feelings.” Chuu stepped closer. “I just want to help. Don’t believe all those stories, it’s nothing but hearsay. Sure, I’ve had some… complaints in the past, but all in all I’ve done more good than harm.”
Aakil glowered at Chuu, his heart pounding. “What do you really want?”
“Smart boy. I want… a trade. I’ll give you eyes, but I’ll need something back. A claw for a claw, after all.” Chuu sat, his long tail curling around his paws. “Just say yes. It won’t affect you. Isn’t that a good deal? I’ll give you eyes and you’ll just let me take something of equal value from someone else.”
“I…” Aakil hesitated. It feels wrong but… if I had eyes, no one could stop me from taking the jura. I could even become viena one day. Just as he opened his muzzle to talk, Chuu’ s face twisted into a snarl.
Aakil flinched, but the vines withered and disappeared into ash.
“Leave.” A voice that sliced through the air like lightning and wind boomed out. “You’re not welcome here.” Chuu snarled lowly before turning into a red misty smoke that faded quickly.
“There,” the windy voice said with a tired sigh, “I did my part. Now take the brat and leave.”
Trembling, Aakil turned to look over his shoulder. Two sabers stood behind him, both wreathed in auras of power.
No… not sabers! One was lean, all corded muscle and sinew, and had long rabbit-like ears. It peered at Aakil with black eyes, then turned and raced away. A fluffy rabbit tail waved once before the saber dissipated into the wind.
The remaining one made Aakil’s heart stop. It was barely a saber at all – instead of flesh and blood, it was made of water. Small fish swam through the body and seaweed wrapped around its neck and head like a mane.
“Aakil.” The voice of the water saber sighed and whirled, like the crashing waves on the beach. “You shouldn’t be making deals with other gods. Am I not good enough?”
Aakil felt his body tremble and he lowered himself to his belly. “Azel, my lord.”
“Don’t grovel now.” Azel turned and started walking. “It’s time for you to return.”
Feeling chastised, Aakil followed after Azel. He stayed silent and simply observed the world.
The world was alight with so many colors and shapes that it made Aakil’s head ache. After a long while of walking, Aakil stopped. “… is this real?”
“Yes.” Azel didn’t hesitate or stop for Aakil. “This is the real world, but that isn’t your real body. Your body is home with a concussion.”
“Oh great,” Aakil said dryly, forgetting for a moment whose presence he was in. “I can’t wait to hear that lecture.”
“It’s your own fault.” Azel’s reply was immediate. “If you hadn’t rushed out so foolishly, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt. You’re hasty and spoilt. Your father babied you to the point where you refuse to listen to authority or reason.”
“That’s not true!” Aakil’s temper rose at once. “I’m-”
“You will not argue with me.” Azel’s tone was final and offered no room for debate. “You will listen. Your eyesight was going to be given by stealing the eyes of your entire tribe. Is that what you wanted?”
Aakil hesitated for a moment. He loved this eyesight…
Azel’s growl sounded like shells shattering against stone. “You’d even consider it? After everything your tribe has given you?”
Aakil’s ears flattened again. “No, I-” He stopped. “… you don’t understand. They always treat me like I’m nothing more than a cub.”
“And what do you do to prove otherwise?” Azel turned to Aakil, a single silver fish swimming up to become his eye. “Do you act like an adult? Do you work hard for your tribe? There’s more to life than the glory of hunting and fighting. Struggle and strife are a part of the world.”
Aakil flexed his claws. “But chores aren’t a fit job for a warrior.”
“Do you sneer at the minnows just because they’re not sharks?” Azel’s voice boomed out. “Just because something isn’t awe-inspiring doesn’t mean it’s not important. Everything we do has meaning. Just because you look down upon it doesn’t make it any less so.”
Aakil realized he didn’t have an argument. He’s right… but why do I have to suffer?
“Don’t dwell on your current situations,” Azel said, his voice softening. “If you’re obsessed with your faults then you will never find your strengths. You need to find your own strength, Aakil. Don’t worry.” The god moved closer and touched Aakil’s forehead with his muzzle. “I’ll be with you.”