Small Comfort
Shanku looked up at him from around her wing. He looked back at her and smiled kindly.
"Sure, time aboard that ship is over. But, you've got me back in your life, eh? That has to count for somethin'," Turai gave her a kind smile and extended a wing. "C'mere, I haven't held you since you were a fledgling."
Shanku complied and sat close to him. He wrapped his wing around her and she sighed. Despite the years away from the Nyre for both of them, she could still smell that deep, musty scent she knew as one of her people. It and his warmth caused her tired muscles to relax.
"Y'know, Granny Shanku died the night after you hatched. It's why you got your name," Turai said as he gazed out over the still ocean.
"Really?" Shanku asked numbly.
"Yup," Turai nodded.
"What was she like?" Shanku asked.
"Granny Shanku was your great-great-grandmother. Twenty and two hundred years old! And she looked every bit of it. All wrinkled and wizened up. But she was smart. She knew every habit of every creature in the forest. She took us from Gatherers and made our family Hunters. They say none were as skilled as she as bringing home a prize buck to feed the family with, even if the does were the ones that tasted better," Turai remembered wistfully and sighed. "I guess it's just in our nature to rise. Your mother is now a member of the upper beta part of society for wedding your father."
"Why didn't you two get along?"
"Foolishness, I guess," Turai said tiredly. "Da was also a Gatherer and Ma was a Hunter thanks to her mother and grandmother maintaining their status as Hunters. The Gatherers are the omega class and aren't treated well. Da reminded us often how it's the Gatherers who tend the sheep that give us our soft clothes and find the delicious things to eat with our meat."
Turai paused. "I guess I paid too close attention to his bitterness and felt a need to stand up for our family when it seemed some Elder's son took an interest in my sister. I thought he was just going to drag her along and abandon her like I'd heard of some others doing. She had cubs on the way in her nest and I couldn't bear to see her raise them alone. I wanted to call him out in front of everybody. But, no, not only was he a trained warrior, his intentions were true. He deserved to win," Turai finished glumly. "The stress caused by me and Da must have been too much and what caused Granny Shanku to die."
Shanku looked up at him and laid her head on his shoulder. Turai laid his head on her head.
"I don't know. I wasn't exactly there. I don't know if it was your fault. She was rather elderly," Shanku said, trying to cheer him up.
"I guess. We fought that day, she died that night, you hatched that next morning, and by that night Bibot had me exiled from the clan for trying to shame his son," Turai said bitterly.
"Well, at least we have met before. I honestly didn't recognize you. You just smelled familiar, you looked a bit like Ma, and I just took a wild guess," Shanku giggled. "I guess I was pretty desperate after losing my crew..." She trailed off and fought a lump in her throat.
"C'mon, pup. I have my own roost," Turai stood and stretched. He offered a hand to her. She took it and stood with him. Turai let go and hopped into the wind to go up a few more feet into the crow's nest above. Shanku joined him a few moments later.
"No humans allowed! It's great!" Turai laughed.
Turai and Shanku settled down in opposite ends of the crow's nest. Shanku fell quickly into fitful sleep. Turai stayed awake a bit longer, his thoughts chaotic and racing over the troubles in the days ahead. He was somewhat relieved he finally had somebody to relieve his burden to that he had carried for so many years.
So the two exiled kurach came to find the companionship they had been needing, even if it came in a manner neither expected in the form of a long, lost relative.
Notes & Commentary
May 31, 2012, Thursday
Small Comfort
Turai had a soft spot for his nephews and nieces back when he was still in the Nyre that never really went away. He's tickled to death that he can see one of them again.
There's intentionally no trap-door in the bottom of this crow's nest. While the traditional brigantine does not have a crow's nest, this one was specifically added when Turai joined the crew. Instead of the "no girls allowed" secret clubhouse, we have the "no humans allowed" secret clubhouse!
Cylinders aren't my thing. Somehow, during sketching, I always forget the wings. I'll work out full spine, shoulder, hip, and limb placement. Then remember that the wings cover almost all of it up. Oy...
Oh well. Doesn't hurt to practice anyway, not everybody around here has wings. 
Chapter Notes:
This is turning out to be a violent arc, no?
Oh, and to those assholes that were giving me down the road for not praising the almighty hospital, I'll have you know they threatened to throw my husband out of the hospital and called us both child abusers because he changed a diaper at 3AM, since after 72 hours of little water, less food, and even less sleep due to the complete ignorance and negligence of the staff I did not have the strength to do it. Oh, and remember how I earlier was complaining about not being able to gain weight? They called me a vain child abuser because I was only able to gain half the weight I "needed" to and accused me of intentionally starving myself. This imaginary eating disorder is also why they oh so delusionally believed my son was a six-pound baby and completely disregarded the fact that all the babies in my family are six-pound babies. And to top it all off, they made absolutely ZERO considerations for the fact I have been sexually abused for several years, one female doctor even laughed in my face when I said I was struggling with my mental health because of what they were doing to me, and they had the audacity to accuse me of being a child abuser because I asked them to stop groping me unnecessarily. Had a social worker chew me out for over an hour and everything because of it. I'd also like to say, I told you so!! I should have stayed home. I didn't have the first complication and at least then I'd have been able to drink, eat, sleep, and get my strength back quicker, in a considerably less filthy environment at that.
Characters - Shanku Ravenwing - Turai Specklewing -
Tags - Just Another Day -
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