Tribal Tattoos & Darker Tides

Learning to Be Late

I sat outside the temple waiting for her to show up, I grew anxious as the hours passed as the sun started to rise. I stared it into the jungle as I figure emerged from it, it was her, she was walking slowly, a bow on her back, three makeshift arrows in her hands. I couldn't believe she made it, she wasn't here when I had requested, but nonetheless she was in one piece and far beyond my expectations of her.
I stood up and crossed my arms, trying to hide the smirk begging to play on my lips. She stopped in front of me placing her hands on her hips and smiling.
"Where the hell were you?" I asked between clenched teeth, she grew strict and looked down her hands falling from her hips now.
"When I killed-"
"Killed what?"
"If you let me-"
"No need." I raised a hand interrupting again, she took a deep breath. "You better not be late again or I will be forced to kick you from your training." I started my way towards the jungle, hearing her mumble something under her breath, I froze and glared over my shoulder at her strictly. I turned to her, she froze and her eyes widened, I was pissed. "What was that again? I couldn't hear you." I licked my lips and brought a hand up to weave through my Mohawk. "You have no guts to say anything to my face then don't say it at all." Her expression softened and she stared me in the eyes.
"I said, you would like that."
"Like what?"
"Kicking me from my training." I stood silent, I would like that. I should just brush this off my shoulders but the attitude in her tone obviously annoyed me.
"Well you see, perra." She gasped at the word I used to describe her. "You would be the first woman to ever become a warrior and I am the one to train you."
"Then you should be proud." I chuckled and snapped my fingers in her face immediately giving a stone expression.
"Don't tell me about being proud. For years my ancestors have roamed this land and not once have they not been proud. Then again... All the warriors in my ancestors were men, not one woman mattered. A woman is only seen as a vessel to carry offspring and take care of it, nothing more."
"What about your sister?" I growled closing my eyes and shaking my head, I took a deep breath to control my anger. My eyes flashed open to stare back into hers.
"She is different. She is meant to be a vessel for the beauty and the innocence of this island, not a child."
"But if she were to have one?"
"That would ruin her innocence."
"That would also ruin the innocence of the man who would help her conceive the child."
"Men have no innocence."
"Your father thinks I can give it to you."
"My father doesn't know everything."
"No... And neither do you." She then brushed past me and started down the same way I was going. She didn't even know where we were going, but she just kept walking. No woman spoke to me the way she just did and instead of being a jerk about it... I kind of liked- No! No! No! She is not going to get into your head buddy, woman only bring you down.
I followed after her, it wasn't long before I was in the lead again guiding us down the right path. I stopped at an opening in the jungle, I turned to her and gestured around.
"What do you see?" She took a deep breath before looking around, she then looked back at me.
"I don't know. What do you see?"
"Look closer." I ordered, still trying to get the events of earlier off my mind, she groaned.
"I am looking closer." She bickered, I growled, my hand grabbing my temple to massage it gently.
"No... I see darkness, no isolation, but with limits, the jungle is still free. This island has no rules because of the jungle, but the jungle has rules because without rules the jungle wouldn't have limits. The only way you can know the rules of the jungle is by living in the jungle. Now... Tell me what you see?" She stared around again, this time more thoughtful about the words that were to follow.
"Survival... I see a living thing..."
"That's right, Chica. Living things need food to survive, we are the jungles food. We give the jungle energy, nourishment, and so on and in the end, the jungle will always be as beautiful as y-" I was about to say that she was beautiful... I wasn't sure if what I was saying even made sense, my father always explained it in a better way.
"What?"
"My sister..." I croaked back before continuing through the jungle again, she started to catch up on her own, but suddenly I was going to fast for her.
"Vaas." She called out as I disappeared out of her line of view, she stopped staring off in the direction I had disappeared. I circled around slowly till I his in the brush behind her, curious of what she would do. She hadn't panicked, she hadn't flinched as a bird flew by she just stared off in the direction of the waterfall I had been taking her to. "Vaas." She called out gently again, I came up behind her stealthy before she turned around and caught me. Not bad, she heard me coming before I even made a single move.
"Good job Chica. You keep that sixth sense and might just make it through our next lesson."
"What?"
"Hunting. Have you ever held a bow before?" She shook her head, I held my hand out. "Let me see yours." She removed the wood sculpted weapon from her torso, placing the arch in my hand. It looked fairly well, not many mistakes, it was strong and the string was actually twine tied tightly on the bow's edges. "How long did it take you to make this?"
"Three hours."
"Is that why you were late?"
"No... I was late because I killed that bear." My eyes narrowed on her, did she really? No, she couldn't have, I only gave her a knife.
"How?"
"I stabbed it in the head... Several times." She answered plainly, this must had been a lie.
"Take me to the body." I ordered, she nodded her head grabbing her bow again and wrapping it on her torso again. She started to walk in the direction of the cave on the edge of the mountain. How did she even remember where she was going?
"You Remember the way?"
"I had to get back to the temple somehow." I nodded my head in agreement, she intrigued me, but nothing more. She might had been beautiful, but she wasn't my type... My eyes found themselves staring at her ass as she led the way, damn that thing was plump as it swayed from side to side. I was a man after all, a man who still hadn't made a woman his mate, i'm waiting for the right one. My father says that when she comes to me I will know exactly what to do and that she will become my queen when I take my fathers place.
"What made you want to be a warrior?"
"You know, I told you and the others when I was let into the temple. A man named Buck killed my family, I ran away."
"But why? Why come to the temple?"
"Because I knew I could learn there. Now look at me." I stopped completely, I grew very pissed, the art of being a warrior was not all about killing and revenge. That can tear a man apart, my father said it himself.
"Stop." She stopped and turned around to look at me. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the tone of my voice.
"You only want to be a warrior for revenge?"
"He killed my family Vaas, I needed to learn how to fight somehow."
"Revenge can tear you apart inside out, what will you do when he's dead?" She sighed and shrugged.
"I don't know."
"You don't know?" I repeated firmly.
"I guess I will go... I will leave this island."
"You can't just leave once you are a warrior."
"Then what will I do?"
"Don't kill him, no matter what he has done." We stood silent still staring into each others eyes until she finally smiled and her cheeks turned a bright red to my surprise.
"Okay. I won't kill him." Really? It couldn't be that easy, this man killed her family and she just took him from her mind.
"Can we start my training now?"
"I don't know, can I trust you?"
"Yes... You can." I nodded my head, at this point I didn't care about the scarred bear, I would have to keep an eye on my 'apprentice' for a little bit, make sure she isn't up to no good.
"I will teach you how to shoot a bow, use the jungle around you, and skin. Come we have much to do and because you weren't on time your going to have to be a quick learner." I turned and started to run the opposite way, she slightly panicked before following after me, she could be fast if she wanted to, I noticed when she caught up to me halfway.