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Segue / TC Prologue | Chapter 16 / TC 1.2

By the time Uacro got to the chief's hut, the morning was well and truly dawned, and the chief seemed none too pleased to see him.

"What do you want, boy?" Chief Guar grumped, almost tripping over a toddler.

"I know my mother came to you with her visions for the tribe. I felt that, since I seem to have taken over for her, it's only right that I do the same." Uacro started, trying to seem more confident than he felt with the man scowling at him.

"A vision? Are you sure?" Chief Guar asked, looking quite bored.

"I am very sure, sir." Uacro replied, and started to tell the Chief of the images that still felt clearer to him than the present day was.

"Wait. How about we go sit down. My old bones ache, and I wish to hear this in full." the Chief interrupted, and led Uacro into the previously off-limits elder's meeting room.

Uacro gulped nervously, then began again. "The vision began with images of you, sir... you were passing on the mantle of Chief."

This caused the Chief to perk up immensely, and he motioned the boy to continue, "To Who?" he asked.

"Your son, Dhizzukk." Uacro replied, pausing to collect his thoughts and muster up the courage to tell him the next part.

"He accepted the honor, then the vision changed, and I saw your death. I saw Dhizzukk pleading for your life, but the Reaper was not sympathetic, and you were buried near the totems at the temple." Uacro paused again, but this time, the chief said nothing, so he continued hesitantly. "Dhizzukk grieved for you, then the vision changed again. I saw Dhizzukk wishing two travelers well for a long journey."

By now, the chief seemed thoroughly interested in what Uacro was saying, and interjected, "Who were the travelers? Did you see?"

"I did." Uacro replied, and paused, again re-living the images in his head as though they were actually happening. "It was Saazul and I."

"Who?" the chief asked, seeming confused by the name.

"Nork and Utel's oldest daughter, Saazul. Apprently her destiny and mine are tied to a long journey. A permanent one. The spirits say she and I must leave the village. They don't say why, but that we must leave is most clear. I saw the journey, I saw the Island spirits meet us at our destination, and perform a mating ceremony beside an active volcano. I saw our new home, too. Lush with a waterfall, very near to the volcano, and seemingly free of other human life."

Chief Guar grunted, then finally said, "You seem very sure of this vision."

"It was extremely clear," Uacro responded. "In fact, it seemed clearer than real life. I can't explain why."

The chief nodded, then replied, "I have much to think on. I think you should go inform the girl's parents." He motioned to the open door of the hut, and Uacro nodded, and left silently.

A few moments later, Chief Guar appeared, exhausted by the conversation, and with a mind full of questions.

Uacro headed with his boat across town to where Saazul lived, not expecting to find both Nork and Utel there, because their fued had been common knowledge in the village. Surprisingly, however, both Nork and Utel seemed to be in residence again, and willingly agreed to a private conversation with Uacro as he retold the vision - something he would probably have to do many times in the next few days.

"Wait." Nork interrupted, when Uacro got to the part with the journey, "How do you know Saazul? And why are you both leaving? Don't both of you have duties to this tribe?"

"I honestly don't know why the spirits say we must leave, but the leaving is quite clear to me. We must pack our things and take my boat far away from these islands. It was quite clear that we weren't coming back." Uacro replied, trying to sound more confident than he felt.

Utel finally spoke up, "Were you traveling to a new village? Was anyone there to meet you?"

"No. No-one but the spirits were there. May I continue?" Uacro asked, and both Nork and Utel exchanged a worried glance and motioned him to go on.

Hesitantly, Uacro recited the part about the mating ceremony, and that there were no other living beings around but the Island Spirits.

"How will you survive without other people? Without a tribe?" Nork replied, furious inside for letting himself believe this nonsense.

Confidently, Uacro replied, "If the spirits will it, I'm very sure we will survive. Saazul is a competent fisher, and I can build us a hut near the volcano where the vision indicated."

Nork snickered, and reiterated, "'Where the vision indicated', huh? How are you going to find this mystical place? Do you know where you're going?" Nork laughed and finished, "This is ridiculous."

"No." Uacro replied, very sure of himself. "The spirits will guide us. And it is not a joke, sir. Saazul and I will be leaving soon. I don't know when, exactly, but the vision was quite clear. I don't want to leave, I don't know what the village will do without me, but that I must leave is very certain."

"I could learn the herbal medicine." Utel mused, mostly to herself, but then, realizing she had gotten Uacro and Nork's full attention with her statement, "You know, before you leave. You were going to teach me anyway. Then I could help the village after you were gone. Until we find a new Mystic, that is."

Brightening up considerably, Uacro agreed, "I could. I could teach you what my mother taught me. In whatever amount of time the spirits give us before we must leave."

Nork balled his hands into fists, furious that this whole ridiculous vision nonsense was going to take his eldest daughter away from him. He couldn't figure out how to stop it, however. At least, not yet. He would think on it, he decided. Something surely could be done. Missing the rest of the conversation, he followed Utel away from the boy, and failed to notice that Saazul left with Uacro when he left in the direction of the temple.

Saazul followed Uacro quietly, wondering what on earth he could have said to make Nork so angry, and give Utel that worried frown. She could see that her love knew she had followed him, but he said nothing, and when he went directly to his mother's grave, Saazul felt a pang in her own heart. The agony on his face was clear, and Saazul instinctively knew to give him some space to grieve.

Turning to the bonfire, she stoked a fire, feeling that warmth might be necessary, because there was no telling how long Uacro would need to himself. She felt sad for him, and wondered idly what she would do if she ever lost her only parent - for it was clear Uacro had never known a father. The next time Saazul looked up, however, she stopped short. An apparition had appeared, clearly of Uacro's mother, and Saazul started to feel exceedingly out of place.

Before she could sneak away, however, Uacro motioned her over, and introduced her to his mother. Although Saazul had known who the village mystic was, she had never had reason to actually meet her until this moment - for it was very obvious it wasn't just an apparition. Somehow, the deceased woman's spirit stood in front of her, as calmly as if she were still alive.

Saazul's musings were cut short almost immediately, however, as Uacro, inexplicably, introduced her as his mate-to-be. Turning to gawk at him, she tried to come up with something, anything, to say, and felt even more awkward when Uacro burst into laughter.

"Am I to understand you didn't hear my conversation with your parents, Saazul?" he asked gently, with an indulgent smile.

Slightly indignant, Saazul replied, "Of course not. You had indicated to them the conversation was meant to be private. I would never intrude."

With a chagrined look, Uacro shrugged, and apologized, "Sorry. I would have eavesdropped, myself. I forget you are too polite. Shall I tell you what it was about?"

"Uh.. if it's something I should know, then yes." Saazul said, then decided to add, "If not, it's okay, though. I would understand if it wasn't."

Uacro burst into laughter, then suddenly grew quite serious, and turned to his mother. "I was telling your parents about my vision."

"Vision??" Saelua asked abruply, obviously surprised. Uacro began to say something in response, but his mother waved him off. "Please. Sit. This is something we all should hear. You had not told me you had begun to have visions, son."

All three chose a seat near the fire, and Uacro finally cleared his throat and began to explain a little better. "This is the first one I felt meant anything. It was as clear as day, and felt more real than this moment does." he said, seriously. "Shall I tell you what I saw?"

Saelua nodded, and Saazul simply shrugged, feeling very out of place at the moment.

Slowly, haltingly, Uacro described his vision once again, keeping an eye on his mother's reactions, and completely missing the astounded look on Saazul's face. When he finished, he stopped, still watching his mother's face carefully.

"You have a gift, son. I had wondered if the spirits would talk to you as they have always spoken to me. Usually it begins much sooner in life. I had begun to despair that you would be nothing more than a gifted healer. I see I was wrong. I am glad. And I am also glad your love is here to hear the vision first hand." Smiling, she turned to Saazul, who only just managed to close her mouth and look at least partially composed.

Uacro was still watching his mother, and, when she said nothing else, he hesitantly asked, "So I should believe this vision? I have already told the chief, and Saazul's parents. I didn't say when this would happen, though, because I couldn't see that in the vision. I feel like I failed to see the most important part." He scowled and looked at his feet, feeling completely inadequate.

Saelua placed a hand on his shoulder. "Son, that is not the way of the spirits. They don't give you a calendar of events. Instead, you must just be prepared for whatever will come, whenever it needs to happen. You will know. This I am sure. Now, I think you should comfort your mate. I must depart. I will see you again, though, before you leave." Her spirit shimmered a bit, then faded from view entirely. For a moment, Uacro gave in to his grief again, and laid his face in his hands, trying not to cry.

Saazul quietly walked to the spot that Saelua's spirit had vacated, and carefully sat down in it, placing an arm around Uacro's shoulder. "I am sorry, Uacro." she murmured. "I am sorry she had to leave so soon."

With a ragged sigh, Uacro looked up at her, then smiled faintly. "It is okay. At least she was able to advise me for now. I feel so much better about having told the story to Guar, Utel, and Nork, now. At least I know I wasn't just pulling their leg, now."

"Truly? This ... vision ... of yours. It is real, then? Guar must die.. and we must leave? How will we know where to go?" Saazul asked timidly.

"Yes, love." Uacro replied with a bigger smile. "As mother said, though, I don't know when this will happen. Only that it will happen. Hopefully I will have enough time to teach your mother the healing plants she will need to keep the tribe healthy with me gone. And perhaps we should arrange some sort of ceremony so your parents will be able to attend our mating." He glanced at Saazul, gauging her reaction, then continued, "That is.. if you still wish to be mine?"

Saazul squealed and jumped into his arms. "Of COURSE I do. How could you even suggest I wouldn't want to??"

Uacro leaned in, and kissed her, then held her tight for a moment. "I am glad. I feel we will both need each other to rely on through this. I still wish I knew WHEN things were to happen... but I guess that would be too easy, right?"

Saazul laughed, hugged him back, and then stood up. Pointing at the darkening sky, she turned to bank the bonfire again, and then reached for his hand. Companionably, they walked through the dusk towards Saazul's home. Regretfully, Uacro kissed her goodbye and headed to his boat to sail home. Saazul watched him go, then walked through her mother's lush garden towards the hut she called home. Wryly, she wondered how long she would still be able to call it that, then she noticed the toddler escaping the hut, and quickly moved to capture her little sister. "Icre! You silly little fish. It is bedtime, why are you still awake?" Tickling her a bit, she scooped up the toddler, and carried the giggling little girl into the hut - back where she belonged.

The next morning dawned brightly, and slowly, the sun began it's procession across the sky. Saazul helped out around the home as she could, then took a few moments later in the afternoon to take a nap in the sun.

Nork wracked his brain all day, trying to figure out how to keep the mystic's sons' vision from happening, but he couldn't come up with a single thing. Frustrated, and feeling more than a little bit out of sorts and out of control, he gave Khiad a splash in a pool he had made for the boy, then dried him off, dressed him, and sent him on his way back to the hut.

Nork sat there for a while, stewing in his own thoughts. Then, feeling terribly out of sorts, he went to visit one of his oldest friends in the tribe, Brac, one of the other fishermen. As he walked up to their home, Brac's mate saw him coming, and hurried his direction with a worried frown on her face.

Leaning in, she whispered furiously, "Nork, what are you doing here? Brac doesn't know about us, and I don't ever want him to!" Utas glanced behind her with a look of panic on her face, and then looked back to Nork for his answer.

"I.. I was just visiting." Nork said, wondering why she sounded so upset. "I didn't think it would be a problem."

"Of course it's a problem. Your son doesn't even know you! He thinks Brac is his father!" Utas hissed.

"I wasn't coming her to see him, though.." Nork said, trailing off his words in confusion and her vitriol.

"Fine. The whole tribe knows of you cheating on Utel. It's not a secret. Neither is your arrangement with the Chief. Trying to get your son in the line for chiefdom is very underhanded of you." she replied, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at him.

"But.. that's not .. that's not what I was trying to do. I just ... just want him to have the best shot in life as I can." Nork sputtered back at her.

"Maybe I want that for my sons, too!" Utas said, raising her voice above a whisper for the first time in her agitation.

"Of course you do." Nork replied, although, in his confusion, it sounded more like a question than a statement.

Suddenly, a bright light seemed to shine through Utas' eyes, and she leaned in to whisper by Nork's ear. After finishing her thought, she stood up straight again, and nodded resolutely. "I'll get Brac. I think you need to talk to him." her voice rang clear and loud, and, from the dark inside of the hut, a couple of curious faces peeked out to see what was going on.

Nork stood there for a moment, his brows knit together in thought. Utas started to look worried again, but Nork then nodded, and turned towards where Brac was starting to walk towards them with a smile.

"Friend!" he greeted him, then took a deep breath. "I have an offer for you. My daughter, Niraa will need a mate when she grows up. I see you have a son near her age. Perhaps they would make a nice match, and give us a connection other than just fishing friends?"

Brac looked over at where his younger son, Ti-Ning, was playing in the sand, and watched him for a while, thinking. Ti-Ning had not shown any interest in girls yet. In fact, he hadn't shown much interest in anything other than belittling his peers and getting into fights whenever possible. Perhaps this would make a good change for him. Resolutely, Brac called the boy over and turned back to Nork.

"This is Ti-Ning. He would make a smart match with Niraa. They're of the same age. Boy, do you hear me? You will mate Nork's daughter Niraa when you both are at an appropriate age. Alright?"

With a shrug, Ti-Ning replied, "Whatever, Dad." and looked back at his half-completed sand castle.

Brac smiled widely, and held out a hand to Nork, "It's a deal, friend. Shall we shake to confirm this arrangement?"

Nork's face showed a degree of relief that seemed higher than it should have been for such a question, and he eagerly shook Brac's hand.

Brac nodded, pleased with himself, and waved the boy off, letting him return to his sand castle.

Nork mumbled something about needing to go home to tell Niraa the good news, and made for home. Things had already gone wrong too many times today to risk staying any longer. Why was it that he seemed to always be putting his foot in his mouth these days??

Nork arrived home in a foul mood. Someone had put one too many logs on the fire, and in his mind the kids were in danger, so he did the only logical thing, and put the fire out. Utel cursed at him, because she had been enjoying the fire, and Nork decided just not to reply.

Turning to Niraa, he tried to put a positive spin on things, and told her the good news. Considering it was news that was completely out of the blue, she took it well. She thanked him, and gave him a hug, before running off to play again.

The sun started setting, and the family once again gathered around the fire while waiting for the feast to finish. Saazul had arrived home again, and was joking jovially with Gnaar. Utel had given up on the now-soggy fire, and had gone to spend some time in her garden. Nork decided to spend some time woodworking, figuring maybe that would keep him out of trouble for at least a little while.

Bedtime came, and everyone shuffled off to their furs tiredly. Nork breathed a sigh of relief as Utel snuggled close despite his faux pas with the fire, and closed his eyes, determined to let the day pass. Perhaps tomorrow would be better.

Across town, Chief Guar had found his eldest son hanging out near the fire, and decided there was no time like the present. Sitting down stiffly, he brought up the subject of Uacro's vision. He tried to figure out a way to say it to soften the blow, but - in the end - just blurted it out.

Dhizzukk gasped, and looked away when he mentioned that his father's death was foretold.

"Son, I'm not getting any younger." Guar said, laying a hand on Dhizzukk's shoulder, "It's beyond the time that I should have joined Saelua in the land of the spirits. I don't know why I have lived so long, but I cannot regret it. You have grown to be a fine man. I would be honored to have you take over as chief in my place."

Dhizzukk glanced away, trying to hide his surprise. Traditionally, it was the mystic's job to foretell the next chief, and with Saelua gone, he had been worried that his father would pass on before there had been any word from the new "Mystic." Not that he didn't think Uacro could do the job, but he seemed quite young, and there had been no formal training, or ceremony for him to take over the mantle. He had been terrified that the tribe would be stuck in limbo if his father passed on, and that nobody would know who was to take over as chief. It had been in no way assured that he would be next, being the chief's oldest son, and - although he hoped he would be called upon - he had certainly worried it would be someone else. Especially now that he was single and forced to live with his father again like a kid.

It wasn't until after thinking all that that he realized his father was still talking, and he had NO idea what had been said. He listened carefully, trying to deduce what might have been said... but all he could figure out was that he'd been explaining the rest of the vision. Clueless as to what the explanation had been, he tried not to gasp again when his father mentioned Uacro's departure.

"Wait. Uacro's leaving? What are we going to do? Who will be mystic?" Dhizzukk interjected, interrupting his father without really meaning to.

"I don't know. I suppose you'll need to start searching for one. Perhaps there is a suitable one in another village nearby? It will be up to you to do the search, however. I plan to pass you the mantle of chiefdom in a ceremony this next week. Who knows how long I have left, and I want to make sure you have a chance to have the ceremony you deserve. This home, of course, will pass to you." Guar answered.

"Where will you go?" Dhizzukk asked in confusion.

"With your permission, I will stay here for the rest of my days." Guar replied tentatively.

"Of course you can!" Dhizzukk replied, feeling a lump coming up in his throat at the thought of this home being without his father. Was he ready to be chief? And how would he handle losing the august presence of his father? Hiding his distress in a hug, Dhizzukk thanked his father, and watched him get up stiffly from the poolside and hobble back towards the house in the fading light.

Wiping a stray wetness from under his eyes, Dhizzukk watched the water lap at the edges of the pool as the sun finally left the sky. Finally, when it was fully dark, he got up and trudged sadly towards the hut complex he shared with his father's still-growing family. It was past time for sleeping, but he knew it would probably be hours before sleep graced him with some peace of mind.

BONUS PHOTOS:

Guar is checking his future cube again....

This time, it appears the results were more in his favor.

Oh, and yes, Uacro and Saazul are officially promised! They're so cute together!

A/N: I hope you liked this chapter, and that you were able to figure out what the last chapter stood for even without words. I tried to make sure it was all explained in this chapter, so in case you missed it.. that you would be able to figure it out now.

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Segue / TC Prologue | Chapter 16 / TC 1.2