Azule Dias

Questions

AUTHORS NOTE:
This is my first story that I'm officially publishing, so bear with me on this, I'm a bit shaky.
If I don't really get many responses I'll still upload at least five more chapters within a reasonable
amount of time. Reviews are welcome, as well are hearts & comments. All positive feedback will
be met with even more positive feedback, while unpleasant feedback will be dealt with
appropriately.
DO NOT SPAM THE COMMENTS
If we are good friends, chances are I'll read your stories without prompting, but if I don't know you
and you leave a comment begging me to read your story, you'll be met with an unpleasant response.
Sorry, not sorry.
Enjoy the story, and if you're interested in a next chapter, go ahead and leave a comment!
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CHAPTER ONE: QUESTIONS
          It was nearly sun down, and that always seemed to be the perfect time to run. Benny ran the same path he'd run since he was a child, his feet sinking slightly into the worn trail beneath him. Foot prints from other runners littered the trail, making him feel like a mere speck of dust on the rather large scale that was his tribe.

        Physical fitness had been practically drilled into his skull the past month, and it drove Benny insane, constantly having to eat shit the tribe's doctors concocted for him, but he downed it all in preparation for his arranged marriage to his unknown fiancé. The girl he had never met, and the girl he  would probably despise just being near. Not only had she been brought up to act savagely, but her people had killed his own for decades. As he thought of her, a nasty taste formed in his mouth, distracting him so much that he almost tripped over a root as he ran. Regaining his balance, he realized they hadn't even told him why he had to marry her,  or what had prompted the elders from either tribe to form this  agreement.

        He shook his head, deciding it was easier to  not think about it all than to try and make sense of it. Soon, he slowed his run to a more comfortable jog, evening his breathing as he neared  the Elder's Longhouse. Few men and women were outside, enjoying the last  bits of sunshine they could get as the sun slowly melted into the  horizon. His feet felt like cement as he ran past them, shooting small  waves of pain as his legs practically begging him to walk.

          So, naturally, he gave in, walking slowly up the path to his  mothers cabin and locking the door shut behind him once he was inside.  He made his way through the small living room, past the makeshift kitchen, and quickly climbed the creaky ladder up to the attic, which  had been turned into a small bedroom for him when he came of age.  Although the room was originally meant for storage, he liked it. A  single four pane window left him a view of the tree line just outside  the settlement, and the slanted ceiling made everything feel compressed and small, tiny and neat, just how he liked it. Along the  wooden walls of his room were small drawings of trees and flowers he'd studied over the years, stuck to the walls with the sap he'd collected during his walks. His mother, of course, had been appalled to find the sticky substance on his walls,  but left with a shake of her head, probably deciding it wasn't worth a  scolding. After that she never came up into his room, which he appreciated seeing as various pieces of parchment and random books  littered the floor along with random articles of clothing. She hated clutter.

         He plopped down onto the small bedroll, peeling off his shirt and shorts, leaving himself in his boxers and socks as he tossed his shoes  into the corner of the room. He laid back, staring up the ceiling as he  began to recount the day. He sighed, shutting his eyes as he realized  just how boring his day had been, consisting of just doing extensive  research and jogging about. He turned onto his side, opening his eyes  and staring at the spine of an old and worn book he'd read a dozen  times. It had been one of the few taken with those fleeing Earth so long  ago. He had always been curious as to why they'd left Earth, and why  they had chosen this planet. It wasn't a question anyone asked, and he  was sure it was a question that would never be answered. He did ask,  though, when he was a boy. That day would remain fresh in his memory for  the rest of his life, that he was sure of.

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        He  had been sitting down with the other children his age, their assigned  Elder showing them how to close a wound quickly and what to do for  excessive bleeding.

        "Why do we have to learn this?" He  had asked, earning a smile from the Elder, Siranna, who always wore  feathers in her long silver hair. "Because it is important, if you were  injured, you would need to know these things." She said encouragingly,  nodding towards her hands as she tore clothe and wrapped it tightly  around her leg.

        "I don't care about  some injury, I want to know why we're here, why there are always people  from the other tribe trying to hurt us, why we left Earth." At  the mention of Earth, the chatter ended, Siranna hands halting, and all  the students staring at Benny as though he had three heads.

         "Everyone may head home early," Siranna said, untying the clothe from  around her leg and standing up slowly, grabbing her cane from it's  resting spot against a tree. With one hand grasping her cane, and the  other rubbing her back slowly, she made her way over to Benny, smiling  down at him. "You know, you ask the right questions, at the wrong time."  She laughed, wrinkles forming next to her eyes as her lips curled up  into a smile. "We left to survive, to start anew." She said wistfully as  her gaze fell upon the trees surrounding them.

        "But that  doesn't make any sense. Why leave an entire planet just to start over?  Earth never abandoned us and we misused it for thousands of years."  Benny pointed out, shaking his head. Siranna simply smiled, wresting a  hand on his shoulder and shaking her head.

        "Unfortunately  things were not that simple. Where did you find all this out, boy?  Earth is something we tend not to speak of." She asked, peering down at  him with a curious smile. Benny reached into his torn up satchel,  retrieving a small book before flashing the cover Siranna's way. Siranna  chuckled at his grip on the book, his knuckles white as worry filled  his chest that she'd simply take the book away never to be seen again.

         "I found it hidden in a box behind our cabin. I just wanted to see why  someone would leave it behind. Please don't tell my mother I took it,    she'll -" He paused, gulping as he thought of his mothers face when she  found out he'd been reading about Earth.

        "I'm not telling  your mother," Siranna assured him, resting a hand on the book and  pushing it towards him. "Actually, I'm quite glad you're reading about  it." She said with a smile, turning around and making her way through  the trees. "We left Earth some time ago, as you already know. Few know  or even want to know why we left, they just want to know why the Cloann  attack us so fiercely, but you, you ask the right questions. Questions  only the Elders have dared to ask."
        Benny cocked his head to  the side, wondering himself why the Cloann attacked his tribe. "There's a  rumor that the Cloann was once merged with our tribe, but nobody seems  to remember why we split."

        "It is said that two of the  Elders disagreed on how to keep peace among the tribe members, but they  could not seem to work out their differences, each pleading to different  sides of the tribe. Eventually, half of the clan decided to up and  leave, following the Elder Cloann, who their tribe was named after. They  live in the deeper parts of the forest, acting more like the animals  they hunt than the humans they are." She kept walking, trusting that  Benny was following right behind.

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         That had been the last of the Cloann anyone had openly said, and upon  this memory, Benny opened his eyes, rolling onto his back and staring up  at the ceiling.

        Nothing ever seemed to change around here, and he sincerely hoped that would end soon.