Nitxan awoke early in the morning to the smells of breakfast cooking on the pit fires below the hammock where she slept. She nimbly climbed up out of her hammock and stretched. She looked over to the hammock her parents shared. Both were already gone, her father probably to hunt and her mother to fire up the kilns for her pottery.

Quickly descending into the common area of the Inurapi Hometree, the smells of the cooking meat made Nitxan hungry. She strolled over to the fire pit and partook in the meal.

As she ate several of the clan children ran up to her.

"Nitxan!" One of the children called out exitedly, "Will you sing for us, please?"

Nitxan smiled. This happened most mornings and she almost always sang for the children. "Yes, but can I eat first?"

The children looked at her and themselves sheepishly before most of them nodded in agreement.

Nitxan giggled a little at their reaction, "Don't worry, I won't be long."

Nitxan enjoyed the rest of her meal before allowing the children drag her away.

"Where should we go?" She asked them, a smile still plastered on her face.

"The river!" all of them happily called out in unison.

"Okay, okay." Nitxan replied. She knew where they wanted to go, a small waterfall near Hometree. It was a very calming place, Nitxan loved to go there by herself on ocassion. "Follow me then."

With that, Nitxan lead the children out into the forest, eastbound towards the river.

Rixte ate a little food, smiling as the children went off with Nixtan. She yawned. She had been chosen to gather the food for the morning and the rest of the day, so she had been out before the sky had began to lighten.

She stood, and stretched out, trying to wake herself up. With a last piece of fruit in her hand, she left the fire pit to go on a walk.

Ni'cyra pulled back on the bowstring, aiming it at the nearby target. It was just time for the morning meal, but she had been up for an hour already, training herself. She tried imagining her enemy standing there, the center of the target would be where his heart was. She released the arrow, which sailed through the air and embedded itself almost dead center in the target. Ni'cyra grinned at the near-perfect shot. "I have practiced enough." she thought to herself, "I should eat before I continue my work today." she thought. She slung her bow over her shoulders, then walked over and retrieved her arrow. She walked in the direction of the fire fit, the smells of the food drawing her in like a magnet.

"Oel ngati kameie." Rixte said to Ni'crya as she passed. "I see you have been practicing."

"Oel ngati kameie, Rixte" Ni'cyra said in response, "Yes, I've been practicing, I try to do so every morning." she looked around, "How are you today? Is there any new news?"

"Not much, a new couple is mated today, though, they hope to have a celebration tonight if it doesn't rain." Rixte said.

Nitxan noticed Ni'cyra and Rixte meet each other, however she had a small gaggle of children pulling on her and she couldn't stop to say hello.

Walking out into the forest for a little while, Nitxan led the children to the river and the small waterfall that she loved. Along with the sounds of the fall, she could hear the calls of tetrapteron and prolemuris from the forest nearby.

Nitxan sat down on a fallen log near the bank and began some warm-up exercises for her voice before launching into actual songs. She sang songs that she had learned when she was their age, songs about the Toruk and clan life. Half the children sat enraptured by her voice while the other half sang along.

Nitxan couldn't help but smile as she sang. No matter what others said about her voice, she thought there was nothing purer than the sounds of children singing.

However, the children, as they are prone to do, began to lose interest in the songs and singing and began to leave after about half an hour.

Nitxan, however stayed after the children had left and sang just for herself. She stayed there for another thirty minutes after the children had left.

Her singing was interrupted when another person entered the clearing. She turned to see her father walking towards her.

"Oel ngati kameie, ma sempul." Nitxan greeted.

"Oel ngati kameie, ma i'tey." Nurey replied. "Have you found anyone to train you to become a hunter yet?"

Nitxan knew that this was going to be what her father asked her about, "Not yet, sempul."

"You need to find some one to help you, Nitxan. I'm nearing the end of my hunting career. I've lost a few steps compared to the other hunters. I can teach you the basics, but you need a younger hunter to train you in the ways of the forest." Nurey explained

"Okay, sempul." Nitxan answered, "I will try to find a trainer."

"I know that you don't want to do this, Nitxan." Nurey said, "I know that you just want to sing, and I wish that you could. But, with the Ru'tao out there, I want to know that you can least fend for yourself if the worst should happen."

"Irayo, sempul." Nitxan answered, "I will try to become a fine hunter, for you. Are you heading back to Kelutral?"

Nurey looked around for a little bit before nodding, "Yes, I think I'm going to head back."

"I'll come with you." Nitxa said as she stood up. Together, she and her father departed back for Hometree.

Ni'cyra smiled, she had a suspicion as to who the newly mated couple was. "That is good," she said, "I hope it doesn't rain, a celebration would lighten the mood of the clan. Everyone has been so tense lately," she smiled looking down, "Including me I guess."

"Yes, it has been a long time coming for them." Rixte laughed.

"Well, things are rough right now. It is important to keep ready and make sure our warriors are trained."

She saw Nitxan approaching with her father.
"Oel ngati kameie. How are you ma'tsmuke, ma'tsmukan?" (my sister, my brother)

"Oel ngati kameie, ma'tsmuke." Nurey replied with a smile. "I am well. Just returned from an unsuccessful hunt. I hope you all have been having more luck than I have been. Maybe I am getting too old for this. I'm not quite as fast as I used to be."

Nitxan cut in, "You're not that old, sempul."

Nurey chuckled, "Maybe not, but I have lost a step compared to my younger self." He looked at the two younger hunters, "I'm just glad there's skilled young ones ready to take over. Maybe you could get them to train you Nitxan?"

"Huh?!" Nitxan was caught off-guard by the suggestion. She looked at the two older women and then back at her father, "I'm sure they're too busy to..."

"How would you know if you don't ask?" Nurey said with a smile, "Anyway, I'm going to see if ma'Myral needs any help at the kilns. Eywa ngahu."

Nitxan just stood there staring at her father's back as he left for where her mother baked the her finished pottery. She sheepishly turned to the other two, "I'm sorry about that. He's just so worried about me since we've heard of the Ru'tao closing in. He's really been pushing me about finally learning how to hunt, so I can take care of myself..."

"We can teach you." Rixte says. "It is the clan's duty to take care of its own."

Nitxan looked at Rixte hopefully, "That would be great, irayo. He'd be happy to know that I'd finally have a trainer. Just let me know what I need to do."

Ni'cyra nodded, "I am still in training myself, however if you ever need someone to practice with feel free to come find me."

"Well of course you must train with a practice bow, as you get better, you'll be allowed to make a kill, and eventually you will gain your ikran and go through the Dream Hunt." Rixte said.
"You are close to getting your ikran, right Ni'crya?"

Ni'cyra nodded, "Yes," she said, "My trainer wanted to wait until the possible rain passed over, but he told me that soon it will be my time." She smiled.

"That's great." Nitxan replied happily, "I bet you can't wait, Ni'crya."

Nitxan turned to Rixte, "When do we start?"

Ni'cyra nodded, "I am excited, yes." just then her stomach growled, she laughed embarrassed, "If you will excuse me, I haven't eaten yet. I will talk to you later." she waved to the two of them.

"Whenever you are ready." Rixte said, smiling. "Ni'crya, you should come when you are finished eating. By the way the talioang(sturmbeest) is very delicious today. It was a very difficult hunt, but it has proved to be worth it."

Ni'cyra nodded, "I will keep that in mind." She said, "Good luck beginning your training." She walked over to the fire pit and, taking Nixte's advice she took some of the talioang meat, along with a large piece of fruit. She leaned against a tall tree root and ate her meal, looking out at the people around her. She smiled at the children playing, out of the corner of her eye she saw the newly mated couple walking hand in hand. She thought about the clan, and how the Ru'tao were threatening them. "If the Ru'tao come for my people, they will have to answer to me." she thought.

"Ma'sempul would say the sooner the better." Nitxan replied as Ni'cyra left. "I am ready to start now if you are."

"Alright. Do you know how to shoot a bow or ride a pa'li?" Nixte asked.

"Sempul taught me the basics of the bow, but I've never ridden a Pa'li." Nitxan replied honestly.

"Well, then today might be a good day to try." Rixte said.
She found one of the hunters with a few pa'li and he handed her the reigns for one of the smaller pa'li.
She led the pa'li to Nitxan.

"Just climb onto her first."

Nitxan slowly approached the majestic beast and rather unceremoniously hefted herself onto its back.

"Okay." Nitxan said as she settled into position.

Roliji woke to the sound of people cheering in his clan. He lifted his head off of his bead roll and looked around. He saw a large group of people formed into a circle, cheering at two men in the center. They were fighting.
Roliji groaned and threw his hand over his eyes, this was the third time in a row he had been woken up in the morning this way. He stood up and moved away from the crowd, frustrated by them. As he walked he saw in the distance, a good friend of his, he smiled and called out, "Kaltxìi, Ra'teyo."