\n Chapter Ten

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\n Running Rivers

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\n Sunlight crept through the many holes in the poorly thatched roof. Bright light and soft shadow played across Stahl as he tied the forest green loin cloth around his waist. He stretched his tail out behind him, touching the tip against the wall, as he raised his arms above his head and let out a heavy yawn. He had just woken from some pleasant dream, one of warm breezes and cool water flowing in the river. A dream where there was no death, and nothing ever ended. A dream where the tribe could last forever, exactly as he remembered it.

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\n Outside, the Kahawai ran strong, and the younger pups of the tribe played games swimming against the current. The sun wasn't at its full height yet, but the day was comfortable and warm. Stahl walked over to the water that ran through his holt, wetting his webbed paws in the refreshing flow of the river. He looked out across the Kahawai, towards the dead forest on the far side. The remaining trees had been stripped of their leaves, and the bark appeared dry and brittle. Len had succeeded in stopping the make'loa, but only half of the village had been spared.

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\n High in the sky, above the dead forest, birds flew where they had avoided before. At the very least, Stahl knew that Len had saved the island. He closed his eyes and listened to the laughter of the pups playing nearby. For a moment, he was able to convince himself he was a pup again, playing with Kai, being lectured by Alaka or Len. His peace was broken by a gruff voice, speaking through a hole in the back of the holt.

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\n “You should hurry, if you want to catch her before she leaves.” Lakeland said, sticking his nose through the hole. He shifted his head and peeked into the holt. “You should really build a new holt sometime. Let me help, please.”

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\n Stahl turned. “I'm going to be moving into Len's holt. After all, I am technically the shaman now.”

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\n “Thats not going to be a disaster.” Lakeland said, moving his head out of the way as Stahl jabbed a paw at the hole.

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\n “I know I didn't learn much, but Chief Allwaters is in negotiations with Tai. If we're lucky, I can get the Haku shaman to apprentice me.”

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\n “Somehow, I don't think that the Haku are going to like that idea. Are you sure you're going to be okay with that, living in his holt?” Lakeland asked, his voice unusually caring.

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\n “I'll be fine. Anyway, she wont leave without seeing me first.” Stahl walked to his hammock and picked up a package wrapped in cloth. “I don't think she would, anyway.”

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\n “I wouldn't be so sure. She's down on the beach. I hear she's about to push off.” Lakeland shrugged, inspecting the hole closer. “Did you punch this hole?”

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\n “I think so, seems like a lifetime ago, though.” Stahl walked to the water and waved to Lakeland as he slipped in.

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\n Stahl swam downstream, heading for the beach. When Mea saw him coming, she acted like she was untying her raft from the post that held it in place. She smiled and waved jokingly. A group of Lahu had come to see her off, hoping to get one more story out of her before she was gone. Stahl had different reasons for seeing her off.

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\n “I knew you wouldn't leave without a proper send off,” Stahl said, tucking the package under his arm. The grouped Lahu parted, allowing their shaman to get closer to Mea.

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\n “I considered it. I'm not usually one for goodbyes,” she said, crossing her arms and looking to the side.

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\n “You should be glad you waited, I brought you a parting gift.” Stahl handed her the package carefully, with a subtle grin.

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\n Mea fought off the smile that crept onto her face. With a claw, she sliced the twine that held the package closed, and unfolded the fabric that held the gift. Inside, she found a folded piece of cloth, and a rope curled into a circle. She lifted the cloth with her paw and held it in front of her muzzle.

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\n “Its a loin cloth. Authentic, its one of my old ones. It should fit you fine.” Stahl said, grinning at Mea.

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\n Her ears flushed, and she folded the package back up. “I'm not sure I'll have many chances to wear this. I've never been able to get used to tribe life, anyway.”

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\n “Just keep it, to remember.”

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\n “Oh, trust me, I'll remember.” She rubbed her head, wincing at the bruises that remained. “Whoever attacked me is going to regret is, as soon as I figure out who it was.”

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\n “And until then..” Stahl said, looking hopefully into Mea's eyes.

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\n “I'll be looking into what my attacker told me about. The Tear that I found. I've been thinking about it, and what if the Heaven's Tear doesn't exist anymore?” She thought back to the gemstone that had shattered in the ruins. “What if it broke, and we've just been hunting pieces?”

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\n Stahl nodded. “Then maybe you can find another piece of it. At the least, you'll change the way we understand the ancients.”

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\n Mea nodded. “But if the Tear had the power to run that ancient machine, maybe it has some magic in it after all.”

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\n “There's no magic that can bring back the dead, Mea.” Stahl looked down, shuffling a foot paw against the ground.

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\n “If not magic, then something else. If I find anything that can help, I promise I'll send word or I'll come get you. Trust me, if I know something, you'll know it too.”

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\n “I trust you.” Stahl said, looking back up at Mea.

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\n “I should get going now. I want to reach the mainland before night.” Mea put her loin cloth on her raft and started to untie the anchor.

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\n “Hold on!” A voice shouted from up stream. “I'm coming with you.” Stahl turned to see Alaka swimming towards them, a bag held tightly in his paw. He clamored onto the shore and ran up to the raft.

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\n “You?” Mea asked, looking at him incredulously. “Sorry, I work alone.”

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\n “Not anymore,” Alaka said, stepping onto the raft, weighing it down slightly more than seemed safe. “It's about time I did something useful with my life.”

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\n Mea looked at Stahl. “Can't you do something? He's part of your tribe.”

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\n Stahl held his paws up in the air, taking a step away. “I can't control him. Are you crazy?”

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\n Spinning around, Mea held her paw up at Alaka. “You can't just leave your tribe. They need you. And I don't want you.”

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\n “Sure I can. I can do whatever I want. It doesn't matter if you don't want me. Besides, you don't want to get half way across the world and then realize you do want me. Then you'd have to come all the way back.” Alaka crossed his arms. “I'm coming with you.”

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\n Stahl shrugged, stepping beside Mea. “Who is going to lead the salvaging, though?”

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\n “I left Kai in charge of that. He hasn't had a partner since you became a shaman. At least now he'll have a job he can do,” Alaka said, stomping his foot paw on the raft, causing it to rock in the water. He turned his attention towards Mea. “You wanted to reach the mainland before night.”

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\n Mea sighed and finished untying the raft. “Stahl, take care of yourself.” She ruffled the hair on his head as she pushed the raft a bit before jumping on. As they started off, Mea glared at Alaka's lack of clothing. “You can't wear that loin cloth in the city,” she said to him, flicking the cloth with her paw.

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\n Alaka growled, stepping away from her, as the raft began to float away. “I'll wear whatever I please. I'd like to see anyone tell me otherwise.”

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\n Stahl waved as the raft drifted out to sea. Mea waved back, and though Alaka was turned the opposite direction, Stahl thought he saw a quick flick of his wrist. He had probably just imagined it. Someone sidled up next to him as he watched the raft floating away into the distance.

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\n “So what happens now?” Kai asked, waving to Mea and Alaka, even though they were too busy bickering to notice.

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\n “Life goes on, I guess.” Stahl put his paws on his hips, and turned to Kai. “Big promotion you got there. How are the rest of the salvagers taking it?”

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\n “Oh, they're all pretty happy. Alaka's a jerk. I'd have to try hard to be as mean as him. Big promotion you got yourself, too,” Kai said, keeping his gaze on the horizon.

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\n “I'd give it up if I could,” Stahl said, crossing his arms.

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\n Kai put his paw on Stahl's shoulder. “I know, you didn't want it like this. Sometimes, I guess things just don't turn out how we expect.”

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\n Stahl sighed and dropped his arms to his sides. He turned to look at Kai. The sunlight was causing his wet red fur to glisten like a gemstone. “I certainly wouldn't have guessed things would end up like this. Growing up in the tribe, it seemed like we had forever, and that things would never change.”

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\n “There isn't much we can do about it now, though, huh? We just have to live with things how they are.” Kai shrugged, turning to Stahl. He glanced past Stahl's shoulder, to the dead forest further up the river bank.

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\n “We can make decisions and live with them. At least that way, we know that our lives happen as a result of our actions. If I had listened to Len sooner-” Stahl was cut off by Kai's paw covering his muzzle.

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\n “Things might have turned out the same way anyway. It's not your fault, and I wont let you blame yourself for it. Len wouldn't hear any of that, either. You know exactly what he'd say.” Kai lowered his paw.

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\n “'Stahl Rivers', he would say,” Stahl started, confident that the words he was saying were coming from that warmth, deep inside. “,'Some of the members of the tribe are talking about you. They can't believe you're actually going to be the shaman. And I'm inclined to agree with them.'” When he finished, he remained silent for just a moment, before joining Kai in laughter.

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\n When the laughter died down, Kai nodded his head at Stahl. “Sounds like you took the words right out of his mouth.”

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\n “I heard them enough, I ought to be able to.” The side of Stahl's muzzle cracked into a smile.

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\n Kai smiled at the sight. “There we go. That's what Len would want.” They smiled at each other, silent, unsure of what to say.

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\n “Did you know, Kai,” Stahl began, turning back to the ocean, “that Len and Alaka used to be together?”

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\n “Well that does explain a lot. They were always bickering like a couple.” Kai said, nodding at the realization. “Makes sense.”

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\n “Len broke it off, though, so he could focus on raising me. That, and Alaka is a jerk.” Stahl felt a twinge of regret, though he assumed it was a lingering feeling from Len. “Alaka should hate me for that.”

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\n “Nah, he still has no right. You're too hard on yourself, now. I miss the old you, who blamed everyone but yourself.”

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\n “I guess I should try to find a good middle ground, then.”

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\n Kai nodded in response.

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\n “I guess the point I'm trying to make is that Len spent his life trying to ignore his feelings for Alaka.” Stahl said, as he felt his stomach begin to twist a bit. “He regretted it, too. If I'm going to start living my life how I want, the first thing I want to do is avoid regret.” He turned to Kai, who was already standing pretty close.

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\n The tips of their whiskers touched, and Kai tilted his head to the side. “I'm not sure where you're going here.”

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\n Stahl swallowed hard, and then took in a deep breath of the salty ocean air. “I...” With a hefty sigh, he turned back to the view of the ocean. His nervousness got the better of him. “I'm not sure either.”

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\n Disappointment in himself replaced the nervousness as he glanced to the side, looking away from Kai.

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\n “This is nice,” Kai said, but Stahl wasn't sure if he was referring to the weather or to the situation.

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\n “Yeah, it is,” Stahl replied, grateful for the cool breeze that was beginning to pick up, washing away the nervous heat that had filled his belly.

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\n Because he was looking away, he didn't see Kai move, but he did feel as Kai leaned in closer. He felt the soft kiss that Kai placed on his cheek. Kai's whiskers tickled at his ear, and it twitched. The heat sparked in Stahl's belly again. “Maybe later,” Kai whispered, leaning away again.

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\n Stahl shook his head, his paws trembling slightly. “No, not later.” In a swift movement, he turned and leaned his head forward, pressing his muzzle as gently against Kai's as Kai had just done. Their whiskers tangled and twitched as they both closed their eyes and simply enjoyed the moment.

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\n The sun was warm, the breeze was cool. The leaves in the nearby forest rustled in the wind. The river was running smoothly, babbling as it let out into the ocean, and the ocean was roaring quietly as its tides rose and fell on the beach. In the distance, Lahu could be heard, children playing and laughing, adults talking, laughing, all enjoying the beautiful weather. In that instant, Stahl was aware of all of these things.

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\n Kai's paws wrapped around Stahl's trembling ones, and the trembling stopped. Stahl stepped closer to Kai, his belly pressing against Kai's sleek form. He thought he could feel each individual strand of fur on Kai as they pressed together.

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\n After the moment had gone on forever, Stahl leaned back and looked down at his feet paws, shuffling them in the dirt. For a second, he thought he felt a claw under his chin, pushing it up, forcing him to look up at Kai's face. When he did look up, he noticed that Kai's paws were both still wrapped around his own.

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\n Kai was smiling broadly, and his tail was wagging in air behind him. Stahl's felt hot, his ears having flushed the usual shade of red. He curled the tip of his tail up, and he smiled meekly at Kai. “That was nice,” he said, laughing nervously.

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\n Kai laughed too, less nervously. “Yeah, that was.” He tightened his grip around Stahl's paws. “Listen, Stahl. You saved me, and you saved Mea. I can't speak for Mea, but I'm more grateful than I can say. I owe you more than I can give, but I'm going to try. Even if it takes the rest of my life.”

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\n Stahl raised an eyebrow. “You could do whatever I say for the rest of your life.”

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\n Kai shook his head, crinkling his nose. “No, that won't work. You're already my slave, so there would be conflicts. I'll figure something out.” He grinned at Stahl, and let his paws drop. “I've got to go take care of some things with the salvagers. Do you want to meet tonight?”

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\n Stahl nodded, his heart fluttering. “Yeah, shall we meet at my holt?”

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\n Kai started to walk backwards, towards the river. He shook his head, holding up his paw. “Let's meet at mine. It's falling apart less.” He waved and flashed a mischievous, toothy grin at Stahl before turning to slide into the river.
\n Stahl turned back to the ocean. Mea and Alaka were just a speck on the horizon now. Things were different now. Smiling, he raised a paw to where Kai had kissed his cheek. Change wasn't necessarily bad.

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\n “May I enter?” Stahl asked, standing outside of Allwaters' holt. The curtain was closed, and he could hear Tai and Allwaters' talking inside.

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\n “You may, Shaman,”Allwaters replied, and the conversation inside paused.

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\n Stahl pushed the curtain out of the way and stepped inside the dark holt, taking a deep breath of the calming herbs. The curtain fell behind him as he entered, and the holt was washed in darkness again. Tai and Allwaters' sat in the usual fashion, cross-legged on a carpet at the center of the floor. Only half of the candles were lit, so the holt was darker than usual.

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\n Taking a seat next to Tai, Stahl straightened out his loin cloth between his legs and nodded at them both. “I hope I'm not interrupting.”

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\n “Not at all. You've got good timing, in fact. I was just speaking with Saria Tai about you.” Allwaters handed Stahl a pipe as they spoke.

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\n Stahl accepted happily. Taking a breath of the herbs in the pipe, he looked at Tai. “I'd have expected as much. What about, exactly?” He handed the pipe back to Allwaters.

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\n “The Haku tribe sent me as an ambassador to repair the damaged connection between our two tribes. Of course, this was at Chief Allwaters' request. The Haku Chieftain has little interest in seeing the tribes reunited,” Tai said, and then he paused, taking in a deep breath of the smoky air. “I have a different goal, and I would like to see the tribes reunited.”

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\n “So what do you think we do?” Stahl asked, looking inquisitively at Tai.

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\n The older Lahu nodded, holding his paw up at Stahl. “Because your tribe is now in such a dire situation, lacking a trained Shaman, as you are well aware...”

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\n The darkness concealed Stahl's embarrassment at the statement.

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\n “...I will attempt to convince the Haku tribe's Shaman to train you along with her own apprentice. Until that time, I will be taking over the responsibility of teaching you. I was trained for a couple of years as a Shaman, so I can get you started with what you need to know.”

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\n Stahl nodded, and the familiar twinge, the reminder that Len was gone, hit him again. “I understand.”

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\n “I trust you understand the situation well, Stahl. I ask only that you do your best to live up to Len's example. He was a fine Shaman. I had hardly known a more devoted Shaman, to the practice and the tribe,” Allwaters said.
\n Stahl nodded at him once again.

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\n Tai turned to Allwaters. “With your permission, I should return to my tribe to continue negotiations.”

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\n Allwaters raised a paw and nodded. “Of course. Thank you for your considerable help in trying to reunite the tribes. I'm sure our efforts will prove fruitful eventually.”

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\n Tai smiled at Allwaters as he stood, but Stahl saw his face return to its usual stoic expression as he turned to leave. Once he was gone, Stahl turned to Allwaters. “I'm not sure I'll be able to replace Len.”

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\n “Replace? No, you won't be able to replace Len any more than Kai can replace Alaka. But you can honor him. He wanted nothing more than for you to have a happy life here in the tribe. With that in mind, are you sure that you want to be a Shaman apprentice?” Allwaters took another puff of the pipe.

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\n “Yes, I'm sure. I want to be a part of the tribe. I want to help the people that need it. The ancients are still interesting to me, thats true. I'm sure I'm going to miss exploring their ruins. I've thought a lot about it, though, and this is what I want to do.”

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\n Allwaters chuckled, his face brightening just a bit. “I'm sure Kai wouldn't have anything to say if you were to go look around the ruins every now and then. When you're not busy with your duties as a Shaman, that is.”

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\n Stahl smiled, nodding. “I'll keep that in mind. Speaking of my duties, I've got a lot more work now than I used to. I should go get started.”

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\n Allwaters stood up, motioning for Stahl to follow his lead. He walked over and opened the curtain, holding his paw out for Stahl to pass. “Of course, Shaman. Don't work yourself too hard, now. Everyone needs to relax from time to time.”

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\n “I'll have to keep that in mind. Thank you, Chief.” Stahl nodded at him as he slipped through the curtain, and it fell closed behind him once more. The sun was starting to near the top of its arc through the sky. The river was comfortably warm as Stahl slipped in.

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\n Swimming up stream, against the current, he passed by a large number of Lahu going about their daily business. He noticed as he went that most of the Lahu were on one side of the river. On the other side, the make'loa had killed almost the entire forest, up to the river's edge.

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\n As he swam, Stahl thought about the make'loa. About his apprenticeship initiation. About Len. He had to carry Len from the ruins, after he had woken. That was the worst part. At that time, he wasn't sure he would make it all the way back to the tribe. He had made it anyway. After that, he was tired. More tired than he had been before, so he slept. He wasn't exactly sure how long.

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\n Now he found himself as the Shaman. Technically, he was the Shaman, not an apprentice, but he knew so little. He was grateful to have Tai to teach him, even if Tai wasn't as kind - or caring - as Len was. When he had almost reached his destination, Stahl crawled onto the bank of the river and stood up. He brushed the water from his fur as he walked.

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\n Inside his hut, Lakeland was tinkering with some metal scraps on his workbench. He didn't look at Stahl as he entered.

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\n “This puzzle looks impossible,” Stahl said, tilting his head at the scraps that Lakeland was working with.
\n “Maybe it looks that way to you. I'm trying to decide what it can be turned into.” Lakeland glanced over at Stahl, not turning his head from the scraps.

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\n “I just came to ask about my glove. Can you fix it?” he asked, looking around the hut to see if it was lying around anywhere.

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\n “I'm not sure. I'd need to find a new lens. Everything else I have here already. Bring me a lens, and I'll fix it right up for you.” Lakeland stared at the scraps.

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\n Stahl nodded, crossing his arms. “I'll have to ask Kai to keep an eye out.” He turned around and fixed his gaze on the forest outside. “Do you think Mea will be back?”

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\n “Hard to say. She's selfish, a backstabber. She'll do what she needs to benefit herself. On the other hand, she seems to have a thing for you. I'm not sure what it is, but maybe she'll keep her word, just this once.” Lakeland nearly spat the words out. “I wouldn't hold my breath.”

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\n “If she doesn't, thats okay. We can get by here without her.” Stahl sighed and started towards the door.

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\n “Stahl, wait.” Lakeland's commanding voice made Stahl stop in his tracks. “Do you think Mea will be back?”

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\n Stahl waited a second, and then he nodded. “I do. I think she was telling the truth.”

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\n “Then that's all that matters.” Lakeland went back to his work as if nothing had happened. “Now get out of here, I'm busy.”

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\n Stahl let himself out.

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\n “How long do you plan to follow me?” Mea asked, working with Alaka to pull her raft ashore on the mainland.

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\n Alaka pulled the raft onto the sand easily, without strain. “I'm not sure, really. I'll need you to show me around the city, when we get there. Then I figured you'd let me come along when you go find the Heaven's Tear.”

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\n “You don't even believe it exists,” Mea growled as she tied the raft to a stake that she stuck in the sand nearby.

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\n “No, I don't. But if it does, we'll be the ones to find it. I'll act like I'm going to let you use it for whatever selfish reason you have in mind, and then I'll steal it away and use it to bring back Len.” Alaka said, examining one of his sharp claws in the sunlight.

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\n “You're an idiot.” Mea sighed, crossing her arms.

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\n “Now I'm hurt.” Alaka made a sad face at Mea, fluttering his eyelashes. “Besides, I'm a strong idiot. The way you got your blood painted on the floor of those ruins, I figure you need someone to watch your back.”

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\n “I don't work with others, and I certainly don't need you to protect me.” Mea started to walk away, down the beach.

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\n Alaka followed, close on her heels. “You could've fooled me. Those wounds on your head sort of give it away.”

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\n “Someone took me by surprise in a ruin that was supposed to be abandoned. I would be forgiven for letting my guard down for just a moment. Besides,” Mea stopped and turned, leaning in close to Alaka, her brow furrowed, “Isn't it your job to watch and make sure people don't poke around the ruins without your knowledge? As for who attacked me, right now you're the most likely suspect.”

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\n “I didn't hit you, I don't hit girls. Except Stahl.” He paused and glanced to the side, his smirk fading away. “Anyway, I can't be blamed for one person sneaking into the ruins. The thing has enough entrances.”

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\n “Well, I don't blame you, anyway. Whoever it was also managed to slip past Stahl without being seen, and managed to destroy the ruin's defense system while we were gone. Whoever that was, he's skilled at what he does. You're simple, he's complex.”

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\n “Simple gets the job done just as easily sometimes. So this guy who attacked you, any idea who it could have been?” Alaka asked, genuinely interested.

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\n “I've got ideas, but nothing concrete. He sounded weird, and I couldn't get a good look at him. I know I had just been beaten pretty badly, but something was different.” Mea sighed, and started walking again.

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\n “If you remember anything more, that might be a good place to start.”

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\n “Thank you, as if that wasn't already obvious before. I already have a plan, I don't need to discuss it with you.” Mea walked faster, trying to get away from Alaka.

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\n “Why do you hate help so much? Even I know when I'm in over my head.”

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\n “If people don't help, then they can't get hurt because of me. I work alone. For your information, when I find the Tear, I'm going to let you think I'll let you use it to save Len, but then it'll just disappear, right along with me.”

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\n Alaka stopped, letting Mea get further away. “Wait, you're going to just forget about Stahl? Just like that?”

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\n “He knows I work alone!” Mea shouted over her shoulder. “He needs to learn how the world works!”

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\n Alaka ran to catch up to her. “Alright, you're on. I'm going to find that Tear before you do. I'm going to use it to bring Len back, and I'm going to tell Stahl exactly what you just told me.”

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\n “Why would you do that? You hate Stahl.”

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\n “Because theres nothing I enjoy more than putting someone in their place. Besides, it'll break his little girly heart. Win, win if you ask me.” Alaka tilted his head to the side, cracking his neck.

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\n “You're terrible. You know what? I'll take that bet. I'm going to swim circles around you, and I'll have the Tear before you even find a decent outfit to wear.” Mea grinned, her new rivalry igniting the spark in her heart. “Come on, it's a long way to the city.”

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\n Alaka followed behind Mea, trying to think of something clever to say. He couldn't figure anything out right away, but he was sure he'd come up with something witty by the time he reached the Tear.

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\n Kai waved to his group of salvagers as they swam away, content that his first meeting as salvage leader was successful. It was starting to get late in the day, and he was planning to meet Stahl in just a little while. By this time of day, most of the pups had swam themselves to exhaustion, so the river was more clear of Lahu than earlier.
\n The village was quiet, and Kai treasured the calm that came along with it. He knew in the future, things wouldn't be this quiet. Things always changed, so he wanted to make sure he enjoyed life while he could. He started to walk down the river as he thought about what he was going to do with Stahl later that night.

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\n He raised his paw to his head as a slight pain started to throb inside. He kept walking, not thinking much of it, assuming it was just something he ate. As he walked further, though, the pain started to increase, so he stopped. Rubbing his paw against his head, he leaned against a nearby tree.

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\n As the ache increased, it stopped throbbing and became more of a constant, searing pain. He closed his eyes, letting out a small whimper as he started to slide down the tree. In his head, he saw the monster that had attacked him. A memory. He remembered seeing the monster, he remembered Stahl pulling him out of the way. It was hazy after that.

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\n Until then, that was all he remembered. Now, he could see the monster chasing them away from the ruins. He could feel the monster catching him, tearing into his flesh with its enormous teeth. He could remember someone pulling him from the water. Someone he didn't recognize, they pulled him from the water, onto the beach.
\n The pain reached a constant level, and he pressed his paw against his forehead. He let out a pathetic cry, wanting nothing more than for the pain to go away. Then he saw him, the person who had pulled him from the water. He had drawn an inscription on Kai's leg, using the blood from the wounds. It was small, and no one would have noticed it among the rest of Len's inscriptions.

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\n The next thing he remembered was waking up next to Stahl, and just like that, the pain was gone. He looked down, moving his loin cloth off of his thigh, and he found the inscription on his right leg. It was located on the inside of his upper thigh, where no one would have seen it before Len had healed the wounds.

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\n “What is it for?” Kai asked himself as he ran his fingers along it, wondering why the person who had saved him hadn't actually saved him. Slowly, he pushed himself up, using the tree for balance. For a second, he considered asking Stahl, but Stahl wouldn't know any better than he did.

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\n As he started to walk along the river again, he decided he would ask Tai the next time he saw him. Until then, there was no point in worrying Stahl over it. He ran his paw along the inscription through his loin cloth, and giggled a bit as he realized what it just looked like he was doing. It wasn't a long walk, the rest of the way back to his holt. Heading inside, he fell into his hammock, deciding it would be a good idea to take a nap until Stahl came over.

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\n Stahl stood outside Len's holt, staring back behind it, into the dead forest. Just a few days ago, the forest had been fine. It had been alive, and Len was still the Shaman. Kai was just a friend. Things had been different. Now things had changed. “That's the way the world works,” Stahl said, sighing as a dead leaf fell pathetically to the forest floor.
\n Pulling the curtain out of his way, he stepped into the holt. Once inside, he started to walk around the room, lighting the colored candles that Len had used for the initiation ceremony. “Things change, and running from them doesn't protect us from them,” he said as he finished illuminating the room.

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\n “So we just have to do whatever we can. Make decisions, tell people we love them. If we don't, we might not have time, you know?” He walked to the back of the holt and ran his paw over the dyes and mixtures that Len kept there.
\n “These candles make it feel like a ruin in here. Silver light, just like the white down there. Fitting, I guess.” He sighed, and looked around the dimly lit holt. “Mea will come back, I'm sure she will.”

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\n He walked over to the curtain in the window, and pulled it aside, bathing the holt in sunlight. A strong breeze rustled through the holt, putting out the candles as if with a firm, invisible hand. “There, that feels a bit better.”

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\n Slowly, he walked across the holt to the hammock hanging in the back. “She'll be back.” In the hammock, Len's unconscious form slept. Though his body had no physical injuries, he hadn't yet woken up from the sleep that had been caused by the make'loa. His belly moved slowly, steadily, moving along with his breathing, deep and calm.
\n Stahl grasped his paw and squeezed it gently. “She'll be back, and she'll bring a way to wake you up. If she doesn't, I'll find one myself.” Stahl glanced back at the materials along the wall. “Maybe with magic, maybe without. Alaka went to look, too. He cares a lot about you. You shouldn't push him away like you do. When you wake up, make sure you apologize to him.”

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\n Len slept peacefully, a smile on his muzzle. It was the same expression that he had been wearing when he had slipped away from Stahl. Stahl perked up, leaning in closer, as he thought he felt Len's paw squeeze back, tight around his own. He must have imagined it, as Len was still sound asleep.

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\n With his free paw, Stahl reached up and ruffled the fur on top of Len's head. “You shouldn't trick me like that.” Again, Stahl was startled by what he thought was a paw placed on his shoulder. When he turned to see who was there, he realized he was still alone.

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\n It wouldn't be long until he went to go meet Kai. He still had his own life to live, after all. He stood and ruffled Len's fur one more time before walking towards the entrance to the holt. He moved the curtain out of his way, but before he stepped out, he glanced back, checking on Len one more time.

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\n Finding everything to be the same, he slipped through the curtain and out into the river. It was a quick swim to Kai's holt, which was admittedly more comfortable than his own. Through the window from Len's holt, amidst the death and decay, in the middle of the forsaken forest, a single green leaf had begun to spring from the soil. It leaned towards the sun, soaking in its warmth. Its life had just begun, and it had a long way to go.

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