The Dark Crystal-Along the Silver Sea

Chapter Three-The Castaways

** Slightly Longer Chapter, but is probably the longest in the whole book

UrAzshar and UrIon, along with their Skeksis Counterparts, were usually amongst the first to rise along with the fishermen in the village, who called out happily to one another as they boarded their boats.
It was not an uncommon sight to see the red headed Mystic and his fellow Mystic out and about before the suns came up and practising what looked like Martial arts in their frontyard.
It was a ritual for both of them, and sometimes the Gelflings joined them, much like SkekTael and SkekDurn were often seen on the second-floor balcony in the rising suns a lot of the creatures of Thra did, there was a crackling energy of some sort just after sunrise and a lot of the native creatures basked in it, including the two Skeksis and the two UrRu, they also had a skylight on the second floor of their dwelling on the landing that they opened to the suns almost every day regardless of the season and quite often the four of them were found up there standing in a circle letting the suns bathe them, seeing there were only two bedrooms on the second floor and not much else.
For despite what they and their fellows had done to Thra, the four of them, like their fellows, were linked to the world.
Long ago, UrSen the Monk, and UrVa the Archer had taken the two young UrRu under their wing and taught them Martial Arts and the Art of Archery, trying to find a way to keep the two younglings out of the way of some of the others, who didn't quite know how to handle or what to do with the two younglings that had inadvertently gotten caught up with them through no fault of their own.
These days years later, the two of them were quite adept at it, but like UrSen tended to use it as a means to relax, meditate and focus.
Az and Ion enjoyed this time together and noone bothered them, except to watch or in the case of their Gelfling friends, sometimes to join them, but they did draw some watchers though who watched in awe at how two, such large, multiple armed creatures (compared to a Gelfling or Podling) could manage to be so graceful! Az found it easier because he'd always been smaller than the more muscular and bigger UrIon, but they were both pretty good at it by now.
They used the time to chat and focus as well and Az suspected that it was that, that kept UrIon supple, seeing he was starting to look more and act more like their brothers as time marched on.
"I swear you are starting to look like UrZah!" Az gently teased his friend.
"Speak for yourself!" Ion responded, "but don't I know it!" he grunted, "I envy you Az, you always been smaller and straighter than me!"
Az smiled as he smoothly went through one of their forms "you've always been more typically UrRu than me!"
"True I have," he said and followed Az in his form, in perfect sync with his friend.
"You know it had always amazed me how two such large creatures such as you two can be so graceful in your movements considering your build," said a voice as Tarf joined them.
"We aren't built for speed, rather for endurance," Az said, " doesn't make us any less agile than our Others, we're just slower than they are!"
"You make it look easy with climbing and that" Tarf said.
UrIon nodded " guess we do...and to be honest, it took us all a while for us to get used to our new bodies...and not been able to float anymore".
Tarf said "still don't fully understand that" the Podling climbed onto the wall and sat there, lighting his favourite pipe and watched the two Mystics in silence for a bit and then said, "you two like the sun though don't you?"
Azshar said, "yes we are as tied to this world as you are now, we are now all part of the same world".
Tarf nodded " makes sense".
UrIon said " we mightn't have been originally but we are now" he started another form and Az followed suit.
"Who taught you that dance though? The Gelfling?" Tarf asked.
UrAzshar said, "it is not really a dance, it's called martial arts, it's known as a form I believe the term is, and UrSen, one of our brothers, he's known as the Monk".
"Lach's counterpart" UrIon added helpfully.
"The Skeksis Lord with the hounds?" Tarf asked.
"Yes," said UrIon "you know of that?"
"I've seen him with them..." Tarf said "scary, he's quiet-spoken but I sense a dangerous one, and he's big too...but then compared to me all the Skeksis Lords are giants! As you are!"