Unique

Unspoken Affection

It was early evening and Daoyi was heading to the High warrior's hut . He was told to inform the high warrior about a meeting with his father. At the ripe age of seventeen,  he was the envy of the tribe girls and some of the boys have started to covet him. He had some few friends in the tribe now,  most of them were boys who only wanted to talk with the beauty even though they could not get him to be theirs due to his betrothal. This was also a kind of problem for him because it got him some enemies amongst the girls. Daoyi had grown into the very image of what the tribe admired in a Carrier. His long hair now cascaded past his waist, catching the light of the sun like strands of woven silk. His hips had widened, his features softened, and his beauty had become the subject of whispers and admiration throughout the village. Yet, despite the praise he received, Daoyi felt more unsure of himself than ever. His changing body was a reflection of the expectations placed upon him, both a gift and a burden.

The day Kenyai returned to the village, Daoyi stood at the edge of the clearing, watching as the warriors marched back home after their long journey. The sight of Kenyai, taller, stronger, and more commanding than Daoyi remembered, made his breath catch in his throat.

"Daoyi," Kenyai greeted him, his voice warm but measured as he approached. His eyes, however, lingered on Daoyi, as if taking in the changes that the years had wrought. "It’s good to see you."

Daoyi lowered his gaze, feeling a flush creep up his cheeks. "It’s good to see you too, Kenyai. It’s been... a long time."

Kenyai smiled, though there was a touch of awkwardness in his expression. "It has. You’ve—" He paused, searching for the right words, "—changed. In a good way, I mean. You look... beautiful."

Daoyi’s heart skipped a beat at the compliment, though he wasn’t sure how to respond. He felt both flattered and embarrassed. "Thank you," he said softly, brushing a strand of hair behind his ear. "You’ve changed too. You look... stronger."

Kenyai chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Training will do that, I suppose. But you—" He hesitated, his eyes flicking to Daoyi’s face before quickly looking away, "—you’ve really grown”.

The words felt formal, almost rehearsed, and Daoyi couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment. He had hoped for more warmth, more familiarity between them. But perhaps it was his own shyness that kept the distance between them, the years of separation making it difficult to bridge the gap.

"How was your training?" Daoyi asked, eager to shift the conversation to something more comfortable.

Kenyai’s face brightened slightly at the change in topic. "It was difficult, but rewarding. We traveled far, learned many things—how to lead, how to protect the tribe. It’s... different being back now. Things have changed here too."

Daoyi nodded, though he wasn’t entirely sure what Kenyai meant by that. "The village is much the same," he said quietly. "But I suppose we’ve all changed, in our own ways."

Kenyai’s gaze softened as he looked at Daoyi, and for a moment, it felt as if the formalities between them might break. But before he could say anything more, a group of villagers approached to greet Kenyai, and the moment passed. That was the end of their interaction that day.

Daoyi signed sadly as another memory came on, he remembered when he tried his best to be like the other boys. He came back home after being teased when he was twelve and made the decision to cut his hair to a short length as it seems his hair made him appear more girlish. He had taken his father's hunting knife and cut his hair until it stopped at his nape. His mother who went visiting with his twins sibling, who were one at the time, was surprised when she came back to find him with short hair, asking him why he made such a spontaneous decision without thinking thoroughly about it first,  she went on to say that he should only try his best to be his self rather than trying to be please others and fit in, that he was already special from the day he was born and he shouldn't try to tone it down just to please others.