Just Another Day

After a few days had passed, Shanku sought out her granddam, Misen.

"What brings you out here today?" Misen asked cheerily. "More herbal studies?"

"I need to learn how to dispose of stones," Shanku said boldly.

"Are you ready yet?" Misen asked suspiciously.

"No. But I'm not going to that cave. I just... can't," Shanku said through clenched teeth. Misen raised an eyebrow at her, and Shanku exhaled sharply.

"How will you find your place in Scissortail society if you do not? It's more than just stones, and you've worked so hard these past few months," Misen prodded.

"I don't have a place in this society," Shanku growled. "I barely know our ways and I lack the familiarity granted to those who were allowed to stay. Why should I abide by the rules of a people who rejected me when I was too young to fully understand what was expected of me?"

"It doesn't get much more simple than staying home," Misen said sternly.

"But nobody bothered to tell me why," Shanku urged. "I learned to be careful with minocentaur. But what was so bad about gryphons and dragons? They were friendly! Most I've met have been friendly. It didn't make sense to avoid them then, it surely doesn't make sense now after all the help they gave us during the war games, and honestly I'd rather get back out there with them because they seemed to like me and I'm not wanted here."

"We want you!" Misen protested.

"Yeah, I know," Shanku sighed. "Of course family wants me, and I want to be with you too, but I don't fit in with the Scissortails. Never have, never will. I've been forced to miss some crucial experiences that I'll never be able to catch up on. I think it'd be best if I just kept my distance and came to visit from time to time. Take Captain Falak up on his offer as a traveling martial artist."

"If I teach you what there is to be learned at the cave, will you stay?" Misen asked.

"I'll try," Shanku answered at length. "I just don't see how it will work out in the long run." Misen looked very sad and Shanku felt her ears and wings droop. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I've tried to make it work. I really have. I've met some folks that I really enjoyed over the winter, but plenty more that keep shunning me and making rude comments... I get false promises of 'I'll be your friend if you just...' and then when I do it, they still turn their backs on me and look down on me. I'm tired of it. I'm not going to pretend to be something I'm not. I should be able to visit every two to five years. Tirhanon isn't that big by wing."

"Very well," Misen said with resignation. "I will teach you how to perform the First Stone ceremony on your own. In return, you'll come with me to the Mother so she and the Sisters can perform their blessings on you and impart their wisdom."

"Do I have to get naked?" Shanku asked.

"No, that will be part of the ceremony I'll teach you," Misen replied. "You're not that unusual. Some damsels really struggle with that part, so allowances have been settled on so you can have your rite of passage and still be eligible for the youth's journey later on."

"A journey which I shall worry about when the time comes," Shanku said quickly. "First, I have to tackle this problem."

Misen did not argue with her and made arrangements for her new lessons to be added in with her usual lessons on herbs.