Descendants of Tthyrna

Chapter Three

“Up! Up! Up! It’s my turn!” Her mother sang.

Jay rolled over on her bed, causing her to roll off the thin mattress and onto the floor. Her arm flailed as she tried to stop herself. She hit the ground with a great thud.

“Ooof! What’s all this about mum?” She asked, her voice wheezing as her lungs tried to reclaim the air that had escaped them.

“Today is my day of training. Now get up! The sooner we get through the basics, the sooner you can eat.”

She got out of bed, still wearing her shirt and leggings from the previous night. I must’ve been too exhausted to put on my night gown. Apparently, her mother was thinking the same thing, because she said,

“You must have crashed last night. Didn’t even have time to change. You must’ve gotten a real workout.”

“You have no idea.” She mumbled.

“Well, those clothes will work perfectly fine for today. So let’s get going.” Her mother said rather cheerfully.

Jay got up and followed her mother out of the house and into the forest nearby. They walked for some time until they reached the clearing that she had been in with her father the day before. This time, there were no weapons, no unnamed items covered in black cloth and no air of uncertainty as to her safety. Her mother spun around, performing a rather graceful turn and ending in a lithe and beautiful pose.

“The art of dance has been passed down from mother to daughter since the beginning of time. And now the time has come for you to learn. This morning I will teach you the basic steps, but you alone can piece together your story. This dance will represent who you are, and display that to all in the village who attend the ceremony. Now, start by placing your hands like this…”

Imitating her mother’s gestures so began the many hours of learning to dance. Remarkably, she picked up the skill with ease and finesse. Sometime around midmorning, her father interrupted by bringing them a late breakfast. Her mother taught her many stances, moves and styles. As she was practicing, twirling, leaping and swaying gracefully, her mother slunk off into the shadows and left her alone. She danced for hours, revelling in the feeling of pure joy that radiated from her. A few times she noticed an owl and eagle watching over her from the branches high above. She smiled to herself, recognising the now familiar markings on the two creatures, and continued to dance.

After some time, she paused mid-step in a crouch and looked to the trees above, no longer feeling their eyes following her movements. She straightened up and spun, peering through the trees, searching for her guardians. She sensed a presence to her right, not threatening, but somewhat unfamiliar all the same. She was greeted with a sight that had plagued her mind since the previous night. The human forms of Alice and Leon stood side by side, their hands intertwined between them.

“I knew you two were mates – “

“Shhh! The rest of the pack doesn’t know yet!” Leon whispered hastily.

“I doesn’t stop me from being right.” Jay whispered back.

“You don’t have to gloat about it.” Alice snapped.

“Actually, I’ve been wondering about that.” Leon said.

“What?” Alice asked.

“How Jay knew we were mates.”

They both turned away from each other and looked quizzically at her. Jaelithe herself was flabbergasted, as she herself did not know how or why she knew.

After minutes of still silence, Leon finally spoke.

“Your dancing was beautiful.”

“Thank you.”