The dark cloudy sky began to swirl around, thunder and lightning dancing across the clouds only waiting for rain to soon join them.

"Lonato, you can't be serious about leaving!" she yelled while tugging on my arm tightly. "Let me talk to em', maybe I can convince em' to change it to a lighter punishment."

"No need. You know as well as I do the chiefs will never go back on their decision." I said as I untangle my arm from Nayeli's grasp so I can finish gathering my belongings.

"Pleases don't leave!" Nayeli pleaded desperately. "Give me a chance to talk to em' or, or, um, you can live in the woods near the village, or-" "Nayeli enough!!!" I snapped.

Her brown eyes slowly looked down, her fingers crisscrossed, and her thumbs fiddling around. Even as an adult she still carried that trait of her's.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to raise my voice, but I just can't come back, especially after what I did." She responded to me with only silence.

I couldn't tell if she was being silent because she had nothing left to say or she finally realized the truth. All of this began to unravel in my head, my thoughts and emotions that were together were scattered all across my mind.

Things I wished to take back, things I wished I had said, and things I wish I could forget. I hate this feeling.I began to walk out of my hut with all my necessities for the road ahead of me. Nayeli was a couple of feet behind me with her arms folded and eyes bleak. I want to say something to comfort her. Even though I open my mouth, but words don't come out.

As I grew closer to the end of our village I was met with a lot of stares and whisper. Many Orions began to scorn me yelling 'Demon child' and 'Traitorous coward'. As more tribesmen chime in, their words begin to fall deaf to me. Not to my surprise, they began to sling small rocks and mud at me, most of them missing but one managed to hit me on the side of the temple on my head. A small stream of blood began to seep out. I gestured with my hand to Nayeli so she can get further away from me. I didn't want her getting hit by my sins. Their anger and contempt are just, they have every right to throw it onto me. Hopefully, me leaving the village will have me forgotten, it could erase pain the and suffering I created.

In the far distance, I could see a single man walking in this direction. He stood out solely because everyone besides Nayeli wouldn't even dare to walk on to the same path as me. It was hard to make out his face at first, only then I quickly realized who he was. Knots began to form in the pit of my stomach. The man stood towering before me, I didn't know what face he was making because I did not dare to look him in the eye, but I do know that it was not anger I was sensing like many of the other Orions rather it was hate.

The type of hate where you only wish that person cease to exist. This hate does not need an excuse or logical reason to come forth it is simply there. This hate came from Dohasan. He was one of our fiercest warriors in our tribe. As a young-ling where he only been around the sun ten times, he was able to kill a pack of wolves by himself with only a rock and his bare hands.

 Three more times around the sun he was able to go hunting with the warriors where he was the youngest to ever to be allowed hunting with the adults. Soon after, he became more and more recognized for his hunting and combat prowess. His refined looks, tall stature, and dark brown skin made him even more desired.

That is what everyone thought of him. Dohasan never had a favorable view of me. He would often punch, kick, or grab me by my dreads. He would even call me a disgrace to all Orions for playing with herbs and not having a warrior's spirit. All that does not matter now, Dohasan has got what he has been longing for, me being gone.

"I can't believe you'd have the nerve to show your face around here. You should have left at nightfall, only then our...no my brethren would not have to look at a disgraceful, spineless, coward." He said angrily.He swiftly pulled me by my clothing and reeled me in closer so I can look him in the eyes, and yet I still continued to avoid his menacing eyes.

"Speak!!!" "Say something!" He yelled in frustration

"Look me in the eyes, you damn coward!"

"Dohasan, let him-"

"Keep your mouth shut Nayeli! Stay out of this!"

Dohasan raised his left arm and clenched his fist ready to punch me.

"Stop!" Nayeli cried.

Nayeli lunged onto Dohasan arm that was connected to me.

Dohasan was trying to jerk Nayeli away, "Nayeli how dare you try to defend this monster."

"Let go of him already, you already said what you wanted to say haven't you?! Just let him go!"

"Tsk."

Dohasan finally letting go of my clothing only after he tossed me to the ground. This time I had had no other choice but to look up at him. Blood vessels began to emerge from his face.

"You should be thankful that the Orion Gods and Elder Kaya's pity were on your side that day. When the Old Ones were deciding your fate, I'd said we have you scalped, slaughtered, and then use your bones for the moon wolves to chew on."

He let out a bellowing roar, so loud and monstrous that a giant mass of birds flew out of the trees. Even Nayeli was taken aback by this.

"If I ever see you in our tribe again I will kill where you stand."

Without batting an eye, Dohasan walks away never looking back.

"Lonato!" Nayeli frantically rushed to my side and crouched down beside me.

"Are you alright?""I'm fine." I lied.

I patted off all the dirt off of me.

I turned towards Nayeli to see if she was alright. Other than being distressed she appeared to be fine.

"Let's keep going the longer I stay here the more...it hurts."

"Sorry I didn't hear that last part, what was it?"

"It was nothing"

As I approached the gates waiting for me there was 'The Old Ones'. The Old Ones are the wisest in the tribe. They are the cornerstones of the tribe and every important decision is gone through them. When and where to hunt, what is safe to eat, what should we offer to the Orion Gods, etc...

Although that may seem controlling, the tribe wouldn't have survived without them.Of The Old Ones, there are six of them.

The tall and stern-looking one with claw marks across his face was Elder Chayton. Of the tribe's history, Elder Chayton was the fiercest warrior you can ever come across, he was able to kill a four-clawed bear with his bare hands. No animal or living being would dare to challenge him.

The dark-skinned women with gray dreadlocks reaching down to their lower backs are twin sisters Elder Donoma and Elder Miakoda. They are a pair of close twins, so close that they finish each other sentences. Rumor has it that when they were born they couldn't stop crying when they were apart, only when they next to each other, they stopped crying.

The bald, frail-looking, with eyes sunken into his skin was Elder Dasan. Elder Dasan wasn't originally from our village he came from an Orion tribe in the far east. Many of the tribesmen said he appeared out of the blue with scars and bandages all across his body. They asked him many questions about what happened to him and the rest of his tribe but were met with cryptic responses. To this day, he never speaks when it's brought up.

The last one was Elder Kaya. Elder Kaya is a short and stout woman, dreadlocks black as the night sky, and amethyst stones embedded on her face. In her youth Elder Kaya's beauty had no rivals, along with that her kindness and virtue garnered her respect among the tribe even to the fiercest warriors. That did not matter to me. To me, she was like a mother. My mother died while giving birth to me and my father has been missing even before I was born. I was envious all the other children who had parents read them stories, be there when they're sick, and teach them how to hunt or create medicine. Although Elder Kaya wasn't all the time she was there for the worst. Telling me how to pick the right herbs to brew and most effective for the wound, she would bring me back berries and smoked bison jerky after a hunt, and carry me on my back when I cried to make me feel better. All the things Elder Kaya done for me, made me feel special like I was the one that knew her best or I held a special place in her. But her seeing me being banished and to never to return, I don't think I hold that special place anymore. I never wanted her to see me like this.

Elder Chayton stood before me, with his usual stone-cold demeanor left me paralyzed.

"Lonato, not only have you disgraced our tribe but the Orion Gods. Look at the sky, the ominous clouds will soon begin to weep tears, and their thunder and lightning is a manifestation of their wrath. They seek retribution, we will make sure that happens. Only then it will mend their anger."

"Your sins are unforgivable!" Elder Donoma and Mikoda said in unison.

"You will no longer be a share the same blood as us!" Elder Mikoda screamed.

"Your very existence shall be erased from our history!" Elder Donoma screamed.

"We'll see fit that the Orion Gods rain complete utter destruction upon you!" Both Elder Donoma and Mikoda said.Before they can start chanting Elder Dasan interjected.

"Enough of your banter you two, we wasted long enough."Elder Dasan step towards me.

"Unfortunately, Elder Hakan was unable to join us, he went on a journey to recover an artifact that has gone missing. Nonetheless, we will not let that hinder us."

Elder Dasan began to remove the bandages wrapped around his arm, revealing his icon.

"All Orions who are born into this world, are born with these tattoos on our arms which are the source of our powers, glowing blue in the process, and comes in different shapes and forms. Our icons produce very unique energy that flows throughout our body. We are able to imbue that power into our weapons such as bows and arrows to give it more destructive power, channel it our legs to increase how far we leap, or even close up wounds that can even be the most fatal. This power walks between life and death, able to take it as well as give it. That is why this power is our most pride and joy, a gift that has been bestowed to us from the Orion gods."

"That being said, you no longer deserve these godly-powers and we are going to remove your icons." Elder Chayton said."

Y-you can't, my icons is what makes me, me!" I said hysterically.

"How can you even remove icons?! This is the first I even heard of such a thing! I don't believe it!"

I do believe it. One thing our Elders don't do is lie. So I had no choice but to believe it. I've been silent until now because me leaving was bound to happen and at that point, I didn't care anymore but removing my icon, just as Elder Dasan said 'most pride and joy'. They could have taken away everything from me except my icon. I can't think straight...What do I do? If I lose my icon I'll just be ordinary. I don't want to be ordinary...Damn it...someone...

Elder Chayton squeezed my arm as his icon began to glow brightly.

"Enough of your useless struggle. Elder Dasan, hurry and bring the stones."

"No! I won't let you! let go of me!"No matter how hard I struggled Elder Chayton tight grip was inescapable. Even if I tried using the energy from my icon Elder Chayton was suppressing it with his own.

"Lonato!"Silence was the only thing you can hear at that moment. I was afraid to look back. I knew whose voice that was and I still didn't want to look back.