Thrive

Chp3

   The first class of the day for me is a solitary one. It is something you could call a study hour with no actual studying involved. The class takes place in a small room behind the principals office. There is a small mat on the ground and candles all around the room. It is here where I sit and meditate to try and reach out to my Kai.
  This was my fathers idea, he figured to look in yourself you can discover parts of you soul you never knew about.
  I have yet to discover anything in here except the fact that I can nap sitting in a perfect meditation pose. I settle into the pose on my mat after lighting some scented candles for light. There is no mantras here, mostly just thinking myself out.
  Breathing in and out I think back on the days events even though there have been minimal. Smiling I think of Lily and how well she did today in spite of the surprise news. She has made herself a great hunter in our tribe with only a small blade to work with.
   The first time we had gone hunting had been together. We had been seven and told by my father we could not attend the hunting party that had gone out. Naturally we snuck out with our small tribal knives, nothing more than a ceremonial blade you get when you turn five.
   At the age of five you finish your cub studies taught by your parents, you also finish your first set of village history and helping classes. Young cubs work avidly in the community doing small tasks to become more aquatinted with the tribe. The blade is the first symbol of tribe togetherness a cub experiences. With this blade you can hunt and protect for the people.
We had went into the woods behind the house and spotted the tracks of a hare leading away into the woods. We followed being as silently as we possibly could. Looking back it was lucky we didn't scare all game around the forest.
  We found the hare probably about fifty yards into the woulds by the creek. It's ears had pricked up when we approached, sensing danger.
I looked to Lily asking her a question with out any words ever passing between us. She nodded and lifted her knife, blade between her fingers as we had been taught. Her hand flicked so quickly even I barely saw it, the knife embedding itself in the body of the hare. We ran over to our prey excited. The hare was still alive, it body didn't move more then just a breathe up and down. It looked up at us it's eyes asking us to help.
   It was then that I had understood the relationship between a hunter and their prey my father had always told me about. The divine bond that passed between the two. For one to die and the other to live through its sacrifice.
   A sniffle broke me out of my stare with hare. I looked over to Lily. A tear had escaped her eyes and there were more to come.
"What's the matter Lily? It's okay you got it."
She looked at me with her watery and with her shaking hands she reached for the Hare.
" I did not mean for him to suffer, I didn't know it would feel like this." She told me her voice gruff.
I leaned with her over the hare, I saw it from her perspective the unknowable sadness of a kill. It's life ending so ours will not.I reach forward and pull the knife from the hare blood pooling out of it and into the dirt.
"He died so we shall live his sacrifice lives within us and we live for it." I told her meeting her eyes. " His suffering is our suffering. May our aim be ready and our heart be full." I brought the knife up to the hares neck.
"May our bounties over flow our cup in hopes of repayment. May we meet on the other side" she finished the blessing her hand meeting mine on the blade.
  The hare's suffering ended then, and we carried the burden of its life with us as we walked home it's body between us.
My mother sighed at the sight of the hare, but she taught us how to skin it out back. She split the skin of the hare and made holsters for our knives out of them later. She wrapped the meat up for Lily to take home to her mother. Before washing her hands of the blood she put two lines down our foreheads in blood.
  " You two now know of the burden a hunter carries. The blood not only rests of your hands but on your mind." She spoke seriously. " A necessary contract between us and the animals of the forest a contract you are now apart of."
Solemnly Lily and I took the meat, I walked Lily home.
I remember going over to her house later the next day. She was standing by a tree a target in front of her littered with knives.I walk up to her and wordlessly joined her. Her knife would hit with a thunk mine would hit a second later with a thunk. The beat to a song of death, two ruthless hunters. I watched her throw the next one and it landed dead center. I knew then that she would never miss again.
I do not know if the memory of that first kill still bothers Lily,I do know that her knife always hits the animals in the head, her aim true.

  Coming out of my reverie I think on this years hunt and wonder what my father and Rune will decide. With the hunting grounds so close there is sure to be competition over the meat.
The thought of one day having to have these conversations with Ren makes my skin crawl. She seems nice as far as lanthor go , but our interactions are far too polished to be anything but strained.
An intercom interrupts my thoughts, reminding me that I have neglected to think on my Kai. Guilt weighs in my throat for only a moment though, the feeling all too familiar.
"Students please make your way to the to the fire ground for a quick assembly. We have some important announcements to make."
Principal Mackey's staticky voice cuts out. Leaving silence in its wake.

  Out in the hallway pandemonium is ensuing , students who should still be in class are dangerous students. They run down the hall while teachers try and reign them in to walking in an orderly fashion. Kai and lanthor shoving each other around, laughter echoing off the lockers.
The firegrounds is our outside gymnasium it reminds me of a gladiator coliseum only many sizes smaller. I find a seat near Lily who is sitting quietly near the exit she offers me a small smile as I sit.
" Any idea what this is about chief?" She asks me. Her eyes are focused on those around us though she has almost a distaste at their antics.
"No idea though I'm grateful for the interruption." I told her a sigh slipping past my lips. I'll have to try for alone time later tonight to focus on my dream from last night.
"Yeah sitting in a room meditating must be very taxing on you." She teased raising a brow at me. "Are you anymore enlightened then when you started out?"
I snorted.
It isn't that I don't believe in meditation, its that we both know I don't have the focus necessary to achieve anything other than a stupor from sitting so long.
" I'm still thinking of all the wrong things,Lil."
I tell her even though I'm sure she already knows.
She turns her attention back to the center of the firegrounds where principal Mackey takes the stage.
" Hello students, Thank You for taking the time out of your studies to join me here. Today we will be doing something a little different. We are going to be doing some inter-tribe hunting training." Murmurs broke out amongst the students. Our tribes never hunted with each other.
" As you may have heard the herds have moved close to one another this year. The chiefs have gathered to discuss what to do with this. They think this would be a great opportunity to work on tribe togetherness. The seniors will be the first co-tribe hunting party to be sent out this year for the first hunt. Everyone else thank you for coming you may go back to class. Seniors please meet your phys Ed teacher out by the back woods."
The speakers cut out with a crack and the assembly was over. Loud chatter was apart of the student body as they flooded out of the firegrounds.