Ballad of the Brothers: The Lion

Chapter Six

The trio drifted along the current. Every so often they would run aground, and they would push off with a pole. They made idle chatter in their free time, often telling stories from their past or old legends.
" There these two guys in particular I remember from when I was still in training;" Caiaphas recalled, "Farel and Jeremiah. They were actually pretty gifted compared to the other seers in training, and each one had their own sort of...entourage. But Farel had quite the temper on him. He did not hesitate to use his fist nor his powers in his fits of rage, and a few times he even resorted to torturing some of the other trainees, myself included. Jeremiah didn't like it but still said nothing, he just stared. He wasn't a lackey per se...more like the shadow leader of the little gang of ruffians. He used to come up with clever little plans, often moneymaking schemes or sometimes even small heists." Caiaphas continued, deep in the past.
"One day, the two had a falling out, though, and I was caught in the middle. Farel had botched their last heist and gotten them all caught and beaten. He pinned the blame on me though. They began to argue, because Jeremiah knew that it wasn't my fault. Long story short, I ended up being used as a telekinetic meat shield in the gang skirmish that ensued. In fact, I still have some of the scars, as you have seen. I forgave them, but in the end they both ended up blaming me for the rift between them." He shuddered. Shen and Gaol were visibly shaking with the effort of trying not to laugh. He fidgeted with a lock of his white hair absently. It always had a faint, passive glow, a gift from his deceased mother.
He put a hand to his jaw, as if feeling for a nonexistant beard. "I like to think that I've become pretty manly, though. Sure, I may not be the strongest, but I'd say that I've definitely improved since then."
That got him a sympathetic pat on the back from Gaol. "Don't kid yourself;" She mused,"We've got our work cut out for us."
Caiaphas pouted in mock frustration, suddenly lightening up. "Oh, right, what about you guys?"
"Ah, us? Tell me, do you know how the Fool's Rocs got their name?" Gaol asked.
"The children of Garuda revolted against their father, right? I would ask if that's just a fairy tale...but I've the nagging feeling that there is some truth in it." Caiaphas mused.
Gaol nodded approvingly. "Good. Quick on the uptake. You see, we were once all members of the Roc tribe, lead by the Wind Lord Garuda...but dissent spread throughout the family due to his strict way of doing things. Our tribe's progenitor, Archfool Utsuro, decided to secretly gather those sympathetic to the cause. They believed that Garuda overcomplicated things, and also that the people on the ground should be forced to pay tribute to the realm above, protectors of the weak though they may be. Garuda, of course, was furious of this. He branded them heretics, hence our clan being known as the Branded, or the Fools. He ordered us to be exterminated, but we were able to clear a path through to the inner moon, a strange hunk of moonstone that orbits within the atmosphere, but outside of the icy shelf blanketing this world, the firmament. In a crater we took up residence, and continued to watch over man. Eventually we grew strong enough to send a detatchment to the ground...and your father was the one that helped with this. Though he was steeped in shadow, to us he was a guiding light. We are still at war with the Rocs, but for now we are at a stalemate. After being trained for the bulk of our lives, Shen and I were sent to the ground along with our eleven allies."
Caiaphas was listening interestedly the entire time. He was imagining a squall of feathers and blades clashing and mixing together. In a scared but fascinated way, he wanted to see that for himself. It sounded beautiful and poetic.
Shen nodded as Gaol spoke. When she was done, he began. "When we were kids, Gaol always used to hide behind me. I remember when she had feelings for this one boy. He was a bit...mentally absent. Kind of like you actually, no offense meant. He was pretty helpless, and she used to dote on him. Frankly I wanted to sew her beak shut. She wouldn't shut up about him. She always used to chase him around, quite literally. Poor thing thought he was being bullied. I'll never forget the look in his eyes when he came to me one evening, and asked, 'Why does your sister hate me so much? Did I do something? She is always telling me, ''Sturm,'' Right, Sturm was his name,''you have bugs in your teeth. Sturm, your feathers are messy, Sturm, you stink.' She even punched me a few times for no apparent reason. If there is any way I can make it up to her, I will. I just don't know what I did.' I haven't laughed harder in my life. He was so distraught about it, too. All I told him was, 'I'll have a chat with her.' She tried to be softer to him, but he never got the hint. Poor dude got wiped out on a border patrol. His squad ditched him to die."
Gaol was looking at the floor solemly, but Shen was casually leaning back, dangling his feathery legs in the water. He seemed content in just having the memory of the fallen comrade. Caiaphas was fishing as he listened.
The next few days were uneventful, but on the fifth day, they awokened to a whistling sound, and the sound of an arrow hitting the wooden post that served as their mast. It was a warning shot.