Time with Dogs
Relaxing on a bed of fur and drool.
The Story Continues
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When you get to the place the dogs call their own, they look up, excited to eat. They are - mostly - very well trained and all sit down when you get there. You leave some food from your basket to each dog and they gobble it up with incredible gusto for fear that the others may finish first and come for theirs. One of the dogs - Gii - was one that you raised as a puppy before she was old enough to join the rest of the pack. You give her a little extra. She isn't the first dog you raised, Ahd was your first charge as they are called. He grew up with you, you ate together, played together, worked together, and slept together. The only thing you didn't do together was grow up. Ahd was an adult when you were still a kid; you still don't feel like an adult even now and Ahd has long since left to join the ancestors. Gii - a girl who knows her priorities - finishes eating before coming to pull you from your reverie. She steps up onto your lap and taps her nose against yours. You are a bit startled and move your gaze from the middle distance to Gii who immediately begins licking your face. "Gii!" you say louder than you intended to. You fall flat on your back - laughing - to get away from the incessant licking and the bad breath. Gii takes the opportunity to lay down on top of you like she was still a puppy. You feel love. Love and bony joints digging into your stomach. You scratch her neck and move to the ears which she seems to really enjoy making a gentle growl-type noise as you work the ear. Sitting up to look at it you notice that the ear is full of gunk again. You pull a cloth from your pocket and wrap it around your finger before cleaning out the ear. Gii pushes her head against your finger and starts slapping her back leg against the ground. Holding Gii close you look at the sky. Iyorii is far from the mountains now so you can see incredibly far in every direction, the grass of the Orthlands does little to impede your vision. The skies are clear as far as you can see, save a few beautifully fluffy clouds far, far away. "Maybe the winds are giving me a chance for my flight, what do you think Gii?" Gii looks at you curiously, no clue what you just said. She definitely understands how you are feeling though, you know because of the way she's watching you and flicking her brows around. She leans close and you hold her tight. "I don't know what I will do if I fail again this year. What if I have to wait another entire year before I can try again like the last time?" You remember standing there, kite in hand, while the entire village - plus Cassan, your teacher - cheered you on. You waited, listened to the wind, and ran until you felt the wind lift your kite. You were barely off the ground when you came tumbling back down. The bruises hurt but not as much as the broken kite that had been so difficult to build. Even that hurt less than failing in front of everyone you know. "What if I fall? Will I have to give up on being a windspeaker? What would that mean? Would they just choose a partner for me? Would I have to start a family? When I was younger that is all I wanted, just to be like everyone else. Then when the other girls started having kids I just wanted to want to be like them. Now..." Your thoughts trail off. Normally remembering the event is more painful than this but when you're with Gii it is as if she shares the burden with you. She looks up at you. "Well Gii, if at first you don't succeed..." you say as you coax her off your lap and stand up. Spending time with the dogs was a good idea; you certainly feel much more relaxed than you did before. However, it is time to head back to Iyorii so that you can finalize your preparations for your first flight.
What do you do?
The time is almost here. Go prepare for your windspeaker initiation.
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