Children Of Frost (Book 1: Spirit Tales)

Chapter Twenty- Tribe Tradition

It had been awhile, since the Nomads had told them about Gaia and the reason behind her actions. At the moment, Spring and Autumn were annoyed that things rarely changed, Spring more so then Autumn.

The Nomads decided to stay with them, seeing how Gaia was trying to kill them more so then the other group.

"What are things like in your village?" Jasmine asked, Winter who was walking next to her. She wanted to protect the girl, but at the same time, knew that she would be able to do so herself.

"What do you want to know?" Winter asked. There were a number of things to talk about, from births, to training and then jobs. But at the same time, she could be asking about marriage, housing and festivals.

"Housing?"

"There are two different types of houses, igloos and ones made out of wood," Winter said, barely anyone lived in an igloo, but sometimes males wanted to see what living by themselves was like, so they made one. Anyone could, and it was easy to knock down. "The oldest son usually gets one, then anyone younger has to have one build, or takes one when an entire family dies. It happens more so, then people would like admit."

"So those who are married get wood, while their pups get snow?" Jasmine asked, wondering what was wrong with this Tribe.

"No, no. You can stay with your parents. I'm one of the few that live alone." Winter loved her little igloo. Both Hunter and Dylan thought it was below them to enter, so it was her safe heaven. "It's not common for someone my cycle and gender to live by themselves, but neither Dylan nor Hunter really cared if I stayed or left."

"Marriage?"

"Yes, we have a few laws with that. Hunting is a 'male's' role, but we've had a few females hunt."

"And?"

"They usually have to give it up, when they do get married."

"I'm guessing they don't take it well."

"Not at all. Most kill themselves, or hate their husband and those she has to live with."

"Those she has to live with?" Jasmine asked wondering what she meant by that, she hoped she didn't mean the women would hate her pups.

"No, no. Since so many people die, in either hunting or childbirth, men can marry up to six women at a time."

"So no loyalty?"

"Don't think there was any to start with."

"Anymore?"

"Of course. Some times a female won't want to marry someone," Winter said, she felt sorry for Violet, since she was the only one told. After all, she was the one who saw him do it. "I don't think I'll forget Violet, she's not ever happy in her marriage. Her husband took her against her will, then she had to marry him. You can be killed if you do the deed without getting married to the person who you did it with."

"You humans are weird," Jasmine said, why would they force people to marry someone they didn't like. Where females just expected to have children? Then raise them, even when they weren't their own. "How young?"

"Some are in their fifteen cycle when their married off," Summer said looking at the two, he was behind them. Jasmine and Fauna didn't trust him not to kill Spring, if she opened her mouth one more time. "Some are promised to someone when they enter their thirteen birthday. "I'm sure Dylan and Hunter might have tried that with Winter, but everyone thought she was too wild. Through before we left, I heard Water talking to him, about Raven and Winter getting married."

"Adults are weird," Winter said rolling her eyes. She didn't even know Raven, he didn't know her. She was sure he'd find some other dark haired girl to have a crush on. "Males more so."

"What was that?"

"Most males are weird."

"Better."

"Of course it is."

"And what do you mean by that."

"Because most women are weird."

"I know about that one."

"And what's that suppose to mean?" Spring growled, she felt like they were just picking on her. Like they had been since Luna passed away, they weren't giving her any peace. She felt sorry for Winter when Lily died, but then again, she didn't know if Winter had a heart, she was starting to ask the same of Summer. It was like neither felt sorry for anyone, both had killed. But Autumn wasn't like them, he had helped her when Luna and Lily died.

Winter only looked at her, since when was she talking to them. Since they left the cave, she had made it very obvious that she wasn't going to talk to anyone, but Autumn. "It means that the female gender is strange. Really? What was so hard to understand?"

"Little brat, are you saying I'm strange?"

"You know you are."

"Brat!"

"Great, now you sound like her."

"Sound like who."

"Mary."

"I don't know a Mary."

"More like Noneofya."

"Noneofyea?"

"None of ya business." Winter could only smile at Spring's expression, she liked like she was asked to a raw frozen piece of fish, while going across the Seasonal River. "Why far till we reach the middle?"

"Not to long. Never thought about looking in the middle," Ashleigh said. They knew it landed somewhere around here, but they didn't think it would be the middle. Somewhere that even a child could think of it, then again, all of them were children to Ashleigh. Winter a toddler with her age, Spring a toddler with the way she acted. "Never thought that Gaia would've have thought it through."

"I think I see something," Winter said walking in front of them, something was shinning brightly, like the unseen sun, but still something was coming over the edge of the cliff. "It's like a half pond, on it's side? Towards the sky?"

"Winter I think you might have find it," Jasmine said feeling where the girl was pointing to, she knew that energy. She could feel her masters, she knew that Fauna, Daisy and Ashleigh could feel theirs. It been so many years since they've seen them, but now their was a chance of hearing them at the very lest.

A day doesn't go by, where she doesn't hate the ones who took away her sight. She wanted it back, like she knew the others wanted theirs back. Their was nothing to be done about it, but she wished she could do something.

"She did find it," Ashleigh muttered. She knew what the thing looked like, having been the last to leave. Not that she told anyone, she knew that the other would've asked questions, questions she didn't want to answer, or even think about. "And in good timing, we'll have to wait a bit."

"Why do we have to wait?" Spring asked. She thought that once they found it, then they would know what to do, but she hadn't seen it, her sight being worse then Winter's. "I thought we just did something once we reached it?"

"You'll see."