The Winds of Tepr

Chapter 36

The landscape unfolds before Naci and her companions as a tapestry of relentless beauty and peril. The Tengr mountains, a colossus of nature, loom on the horizon, their peaks shrouded in clouds that seem to guard the secrets of the heavens. As the party advances, the terrain beneath their feet becomes a mosaic of textures: the soft give of the earth, the crunch of gravel, and the occasional resistance of stubborn roots.

The air, crisp and tinged with the scent of pine. The sun, a fickle spectator, casts its light in fleeting glances, illuminating the path in patches of gold before hiding behind the curtain of clouds, as if too humbled by the landscape's majesty to gaze upon it directly.

The caravan progresses, cautiously threading its way. The Moukopl army, divided into two, leads and secures the rear, enveloping Naci, Temej, and Ma Xin in a protective cocoon. Just a step behind them, Fol, Kalez, and Lanau ride.

Kalez's voice, buoyant with excitement, hasn't stilled since the beginning of the march. "I'm so happy to finally go on an adventure! I've never been outside of Tepr!" Her eyes gleam with unbridled joy, eager to soak in the novelty that the world beyond her homeland offers.

Lanau, seasoned and serene, responds with a smile. "I've actually been to Pezijil once. It's beautiful.".

Kalez turns to Lanau, her curiosity a spark in the growing camaraderie. "You're so lucky to be born in a rich clan, Lan-an! My parents could never afford a trip so far away! What about you, Nipih boy?"

Fol, the quiet observer, shifts uncomfortably under their gazes. "Please call me Fol... I had never been outside of Nipih territory before, so... For the last three moons, every day has been an adventure..." His admission is a whisper of vulnerability.

As Fol's revelation hangs in the air, a palpable shift occurs within the group. Kalez and Lanau's expressions soften into ones of pity, their eyes lingering on him with a mix of concern and disbelief.

"How is that even possible?" Kalez blurts out, her voice laced with astonishment.

Lanau, with a calculating look, probes further, "How old are you again?"

Fol hesitates, a hint of embarrassment coloring his tone. "... Fourteen."

"No way!" Kalez's exclamation is one of shock, finding the idea of Fol's limited world experience at his age hard to digest.

"So the Nipih truly lived like friendless animals." Lanau's words, though spoken matter-of-factly, carry an unintended sting.

"Hey, Lan-an! That's rude!" Kalez rebukes, her voice a mix of shock and reprimand.

Lanau, undeterred, elaborates on her point, her analytical mind laying out the implications of Fol's isolation. "Think about it. If he's truly gone nowhere, that means his tribe has been to no meeting. No marriages, no celebration whatsoever. Where do they go during new year? What do they do during the night of Ela-haz?"

"This is unthinkable! Do you also marry in your own clans?!" Kalez's voice rises in incredulity, struggling to grasp the concept of such a secluded existence.

"No... We marry between each other's clans... Just not to other tribes..." Fol responds defensively.

"This is why you're friendless. These guys don't understand the diplomatic importance of marriages." Lanau's conclusion is sharp.

Kalez, challenges Lanau with a question. "Are you married, Lan-an?"

Lanau's answer is swift and sure. "Of course not. I refused to get married." Her statement, intended to assert her independence, instead exposes a contradiction.