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"There once was a boy named U'tu who was of this world and yet not of this world. Many knew him to be clever but also kind. Proud yet humble and although he wielded so much power he could also be very polite."
"What are you doing?" a male voice boomed from the distance.
U'tu glanced up from his brand new scroll parchment he snatched up from the library. Knowing that the elders weren't using it, he thought he might put it to good use. Even though it was done out of the goodness of his heart, the no-nonsense voice that came out of nowhere made a beat of his heart stop cold. It lasted for about a few seconds before he schooled his features with a carefree smile and answered. "I'm doing as you asked."
A golden-haired young man strode across an amber grass clearing, his face stern and indignant. He caught the boy U'tu kneeling down under an autumn tree with the scroll wide open in front of him. The man was around his late 20's, wearing a brown hide across his hips and a red cape clasped with a golden wolf pin, the symbol of the sun tribe protector. He stopped short in front of the young boy with a silent once-over and bent down, leaning slightly on his hips to hover over the scroll on the ground. "This isn't exactly the time and place to be doing your homework." he uttered, tamping down his pride because he found U'tu's handwriting to be impeccably flourished for a boy his age.
"But the celebration gets so boring. We do it every time at every turn of the season. There is hardly anything new." he sighed, turning to his scroll again with a few scribbles about his recent good deeds.
"As your sun prince, I order you to go back to the celebration immediately. She's your sister and we honor her sacrifice and bravery."
"She's dead." he said without looking up, continuing to write about his newfound accomplishments. He learned a new word at the library today, and he can't wait to put it on everything he knows.
Then, he heard the sun prince giving an impatient huff with a swerve of his heel, walking back home and paused. "I had a mind to tell you about this surprise I've got for you but never mind I'll tell you later."
U'tu shot up from the ground, carried his scroll beneath an arm pit and darted towards the sun prince in a flash. "My sun prince." he grinned from ear-to-ear as he matched his walking pace. "I've just realized that you sought me out through the revelry of my sister's honor. To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"As you may well know," the sun prince said with leisure, a knowing grin pulling up the sides of his mouth "I'm looking for an apprentice."
They kept a brisk pace walking down a yellow brickstone street between rows of empty tent-houses. It was a residential avenue. Its tenants were sun tribespeople and they were celebrating at the heart of the tribe village called museum library.
Meanwhile, the streets were quiet and only the sound of empty tents flapping in the wind can be heard.
"Of course." the boy said, looking up to him. "Natura Brumcia's powers grow stronger everyday." At that, the sun prince's blue-eyed gaze lighted up with pride. U'tu caught on to the prince's smug look and rolled his eyes with a shrug, "Isn't it obvious? I don't doubt that there is not one person here who hasn't noticed how the trees are taller and the forest scent growing deeper. It's like swallowing a bitter dessert."
He chuckled, "Only you would say a rainforest smells like food."
"Have you noticed the birds migrating to the rainforest? They seem to be arriving by a flock of dozens at a time. And have you ever seen a swarm of snakes bundle together in travel? It's really cool, it's like they're tribespeople travelling together but snakes. Lots of snakes."
The sun prince grew thoughtful, placing his hands behind his back. "It's not only the snakes and birds. The wolves have been howling incessantly overnight." he said, watching the horizon as if another strange thing might appear without a warning. He shook his head, frowning "Brumcia has never had to pull much power of this magnitude to pull a behagthi."
"Is it at all surprising? The last behagthi was a failure."
"No." he said, brows furrowing "Our Great World would have done everything to put this right. Its design would have kept us from getting out of moderation; to hold us in our limit. Something must have gone wrong. Perhaps the snow tribe aren't as subdued as we thought they would be. Rumor has it they have gone mad and slaughtered the recent behagthi."
U'tu scoffed at the idea, thinking the chances of that happening was next to impossible. A behagthi was a beloved catalyst of the Great World and murdering them will have invited the wrath of divine powers. "Whatever it is. I'm hoping this time it will be a nicer behagthi."
"I hope the next one doesn't start appearing anytime soon." he said, shrugging off the tension between his shoulders "Bla'keh has barely made any progress on his prophetic translations."
U'tu's eyes glinted with mischief "That reminds me. I should go check on Bla'keh later tonight. He must be going stark raving mad right now; having to do all those prophecy efforts by himself. Poor guy."
"Don't get into any trouble now." he replied in a dry tone, knowing full well there was no stopping the boy's plans once he set his mind on it.
"When have you ever known me to be in any trouble?"
With a drawn out long-suffering sigh, he said. "I've taught you too well."
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