When the familiar sun rises upon

  Unfamiliar skies bathed in blue and black,

  The land steers in anticipation of

  Something new, something fresh, something unseen;

  But with the land stirs the old cadavers,

  Poised to kill their unborn murderers.

  The Arrkad’vla Empire was large enough to have everything. It had forests and mountains; it had islands, plains, coasts, rivers and volcanoes; it even had dealings with ice and snow, and encroachments upon an unbelievably enormous desert region. In fact, half of the Empire was filled by the desert, and it was what the Moyegan sy'vethrron almost entirely consisted of. Even the name of the sy’vethrron, Moyegan, was given to the region following the name of the desert plains that its overwhelming majority consisted of.

  The city of Orron, which was located on the southernmost ends of the region, was both one of the most important cities of the region, and one of the only ones to exist within its bounds. The rest of this region was dotted with little settlements of hardy Moyeganeni people, who had for tens of centuries been used to a life of travelling the vast, wild lands. They had always traveled around, exploring the vast, inhospitable lands, their whole lifestyle fueled by the spirit of exploration and the sharpening of spirit. But no matter what they had done, or where they had gone, they almost always ended up back by their lifelines, the Xap’yu and the Isp’rron rivers.

  These days, however, the Moyeganeni people lived different lives. Through the course of history, they had branched out into four distinct groups, each group having lived through a collective crystallization of certain ideologies and specializations. Each of these groups had, at the very top, assembled into a unit they referred to as a ‘family’. The four Zax'syilava Ziggoyeth.

  Of these four groups of people who had bunched together, the Arroxatha were the ones who had believed in the material richness of the desert. Mining, therefore, had become their primary interest and their primary power as a community. This belief was powerful to the point that only those who remained knowledgeable had the right to remain in power.

  It was for this secondary reason that a yawning, shivering Rraos Arroxath contemplated the meaning of his expulsion. His thoughts strongly urged him to believe that he had failed in regard to his knowledge, so he was being punished and expelled from power. Maybe that wasn't correct, but the environment around Rraos made the idea believable.

  The morning air wasn't particularly cold; Jyevodirr and R’vag were both out and about energetically with their thin, daytime clothing, but Rraos was certain that those two were wild animals. This was the beginning of the colder months, and on top of that it was still only nine in the first quarter – all of which meant that Rraos was just not comfortable outdoors at this point of time. This, in truth, was the primary motivation for his contemplations on his standing.

  Earlier today, the little party had gotten up during the last few hours of the night and had left for the mines. Despite having tried more than two weeks – ten days to be precise – Rraos had not been able to secure any vehicle for him and his party. His mother, the Arroxath head, had outright refused to allow Rraos special privileges, and the carriage drivers could not delay even if they wanted to. Their journey of over seven hundred farsteps each day would never allow a delay.

  Jyevodirr had been completely fine with it, as he was with a lot of things, and R’vag had only been confused about why such a thing was even considered a problem. Rraos, on the other hand, had felt absolutely crushed. To travel by a common-capacity model carriage, with a total of twelve travelers inside, was a hassle he did not have to go through earlier in his life.

  “Ugh!” Rraos presently groaned, holding his head. “I wish I could have slept a little more.”

  Jyevodirr had come back just in time to hear Rraos’ complaint, and he could not help but chuckle. In these past ten days, the month had ended and a new one was well on its way, but Rraos had not really adjusted to his situation at all. Jyevodirr did not say anything because he too wanted to enjoy a little luxury before getting back to his norms; he also didn't say anything because he knew Rraos would be smacked in the face by his new circumstances anyways. That would be very hard for Rraos, but Jyevodirr believed in him.

  “Come on! Just relax, theyi!” Jyevodirr encouraged. “Look at these majestic sights! They feel so grand and powerful, don't they?”

  “I’m not your theyi,” Rraos grumbled instead.

  “Of course you are! We have known each other for over a month now, and I helped you out, and we are now working towards common goals. Who do you call theyi if not someone close, someone you could trust them to have your back in trouble?”

  “Then go get me a bed – theyi.” Rraos’ tone was sharp and annoyed.

  Jyevodirr laughed.

  “The sand would make for a great bed. There is just so much sand here and it feels so nice and warm! You should try it, maybe.”

  Rraos looked at Jyevodirr with murder in his eyes, and Jyevodirr gracefully increased the distance between himself and the sleep deprived fellow. While it was fun to tease and encourage, such hobbies came with their own risks that Jyevodirr was well aware of.

  Incidentally, R’vag was also moving closer towards Rraos. R’vag was a person who always had fun poking sleeping things awake, and that made Jyevodirr moving away all the more prudent.

  A fair few steps away, Jyevodirr adjusted his enormous backpack and slowed down somewhat to enjoy the beauty surrounding him.

  The morning here was extremely beautiful. It was stark.

  Dawn was not over yet, with the sky still being colorful and hazy before the onset of the bright blue sky. The sky looked mostly clear of clouds, though there seemed to be a haze far up in the sky. The air was warm and crisp. Orron had been dry the last few days, free from the storms that had crashed at the city during the days he and R’vag had first arrived there. But the further north they went, the more signs of water he was observing.

  At a distance in front of Jyevodirr, the Xap’yu seemed to be running deep. It looked almost deeper here than around Orron, though it was flowing almost as languidly. The water looked murky to him, an uncertain thing that was home to probably quite a few living beings. The opposite shores looked just as lazy as the water – a flat strip of land that had been carved into and then smoothed down over and over again, undulating and strange.

  Jyevodirr soon broke into the thick riparian line of trees, shrubs and grasses lining the massive river. Jyevodirr loved walking by the Palms, but he loved walking by kip’trres trees even more. As far as Jyevodirr knew, these beautiful trees could only be found by the Xap’yu – but he wasn’t sure if they couldn’t be found around the Isp’rron as well.

  The kip’trresa had absolutely delighted Jyevodirr with their presence back when he first arrived at Orron. He had never seen kip’trresa before, though he had heard of them a lot, and once the name and the actual trees were made to align in his mind by helpful residents of the city, wonder had washed over him. At that time, the trees had been in full bloom, looking like a broken line of flame around the Xap’yu. Now, even though they were more numerous here, their fluffy, red flowers were nowhere to be seen. Their blooming season was over, but their knotted barks, their short, twisting trunks and branches, and their crown with short, pinnate leaves still desperately clinging on were a delightful resistance of beauty amidst brutality.

  By now, Jyevodirr had walked quite some distance away from where he had left Rraos and R’vag. All he could hear now was the crunch of the ground under his footsteps and twitters of a bird he had never heard before. Jyevodirr looked back at the two and saw them walking towards him, albeit slower than he liked.

  “Hurry up, you slowpokes!” Jyevodirr bellowed at the top of his lungs. “I'm going to eat without you! Don’t cry then!”

  Jyevodirr watched in amusement as R’vag nearly dragged Rraos forward, and Rraos stumbled along. Jyevodirr could swear that both were cursing and swearing, but they were far enough to be almost inaudible.

  With how far they were, Jyevodirr decided on getting things ready from this very moment. He set his pack down on the grass and hummed a song while rummaging through its contents.

  R’vag and Rraos soon reached Jyevodirr and settled down beside the youth. Jyevodirr had already brought out the food that were been packaged only four hours earlier, and now the faint aroma of spices was wafting in the air around the youths. The nights had been getting longer, with only about sixteen to seventeen hours of daytime nowadays, so the sun was still not up and they had to eat in the soft light of the morning

  “How far along the river do we have to walk?” Jyevodirr began the conversation while munching on a flatbread.

  Rraos wearily looked up at Jyevodirr but didn't answer. He ate his own food rather slowly, not feeling very hungry.

  “Come on, Rraos.” Jyevodirr repeated, not giving up easily. “Maybe you’ll get to sleep when you get there?”

  Rraos sighed and took out a tablet from his much smaller pack. R’vag’s eyes widened, and he leaned towards Rraos to have a look at the screen. Rraos deftly tapped at the screen, fiddled around with a map in there, then put it back where it came from, much to R’vag’s disappointment.

  “We will maybe have to walk less than half a farstep to get there.” Rraos responded in a brusque tone. On top of being sleep deprived, he was peeved that he hadn't checked the location earlier. They were so close to their first stop, but they just had to open up a picnic right here!

  “Okay,” responded Jyevodirr, “maybe once we reach there, you can rest. Me and R’vag will probably have a look around and talk with people there.”

  “Oh come on, theyi!” R’vag exclaimed. “Can’t we do something else? Look how inviting the river looks! I really want to take a dip in the Xap’yu!”

  Rraos balked at R’vag but chose to stay silent. He was not up for this conversation in his current condition.

  Jyevodirr, on the other hand, gave it more serious thought.

  “Maybe we actually can do that, R’vag,” Jyevodirr began, “But do we really know what swims here during this time? I’m not sure, but the water looks like nothing we have ever encountered.”

  “But isn't that why this would be fun?”

  “Yes, but do we really want to break some long-standing understanding between the people and the wild here?”

  R’vag sighed and let the matter go. The understanding with the wild was one thing R’vag never wanted to cross. He could never forget what happened with his family.

  The meal after that was finished in silence, and within a short amount of time after, the washing was done and the containers were repacked. R’vag and Jyevodirr began walking with wonder for the surroundings, while Rraos staggered alongside with sleepiness. They moved through the woodlands in silence.

  It wasn't long before they could see flaps of fabric waving like little flags in the gentle breeze. A settlement of no more than fifteen tuvudhan soon greeted them face to face. These tent-like houses were alive with activity, making Rraos’ mouth hang with surprise. Jyevodirr and R’vag, though, had already expected such a thing, being from rural areas themselves. What was a better time to wake up than with the sun?

  A person suddenly came out of the nearest tuvudhan and looked at the three young lads. Before he thought of asking any question, his eyes fell upon Rraos’ attire. Recognizing the emblem, he saluted with the fist on chest with a nod gesture.

  “What brings you here, Qaiz'rra –?” The man’s voice was soft and sonorous.

  Rraos tried to blink away the haze in his mind. His head failed to shake away the heavy blanket of tiredness wrapping around it.

  “I am Rraos Arroxath. I know you know who I am. And I truly need a place to sleep,” Rraos finally blurted out.

  The man’s lips twitched, but he nodded and quickly went inside. Within moments, a burly woman came out and respectfully guided Rraos away into the tiny bowels of the settlement. Left alone with Jyevodirr and R’vag, the man turned to them with a questioning eye.

  “We’re okay anywhere,” Jyevodirr promptly spoke up. “We will all be going to the mines sometime later anyways. The family head sent us.”

  The man squinted, his lips twitching again. Unlike with Rraos, he was more direct this time.

  “I don't understand. Has the new heir been chosen? But if that’s so, why are you all moving so silently? Are you people lying?”

  R’vag exploded like flammable gas being lit.

  “Did you imply that we are disgraced, you sand buried eel?”

  Jyevodirr jumped in, but the man was already incensed.

  “A sand buried eel, am I? Come, let me teach you to never hide behind smelly loose lips again!”

  “You teach me? Your arms are as flaccid as your shaft, sand buried eel!”

  Before things could escalate any further, Jyevodirr let the heat within him consume him for a brief moment.

  “Stop!”

  The pulse that emanated from him seemed to slow down the surroundings. For a moment, it seemed that time in the vicinity had paused before it snapped back.

  The surroundings became quiet. A sudden chill permeated the settlement.

  A moment later, panic ensued. People were rushing out of their tuvudhana, pooling into the streets and roaring familiar names and commands. The man from earlier stood still, shock painted across his face. It was an old and familiar scene to the two youths.

  “We are not attackers!” Jyevodirr roared with his hands raised in the gesture of surrender. “We mean no ill!”

  Despite that, people kept spilling into the streets till the small settlement was all emptied into this edge around Jyevodirr and R'vag. The mob did not settle down easily, and they swept up the shaken man into their midst. An elderly man, shorter than even the short Altrkheni standard, stood in front of the crowd.

  “What happened here?” He asked sternly.

  At first there seemed to be no response other than the hubbub of all the people. But before Jyevodirr himself could decide to step up, the crowd pulsed and pushed the man from before towards the front. Despite that, they still arced towards him protectively.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  This time, however, it was R’vag who stepped up towards the crowd to meet the challenge.

  “That man was accusing us of lying.” R’vag’s answer was curt.

  To the man’s credit, it did not take him long to recover from his surprise and shock. He detached himself from the crowd, though still with cautious and measured steps, and stood in front of the elderly man. His eyes however, were neither trained upon the old man, nor upon R’vag, who had challenged him. They were constantly keeping Jyevodirr in their sights.

  “They were claiming that the family head had sent them. To visit the mines. Something like this didn't seem likely, so I asked –”

  “You charged us.” R’vag interrupted.

  This finally caused the man’s eyes to flicker towards R’vag in annoyance.

  “– And then this dirty mouthed boy began hurling insults, so I thought I should teach him manners.”

  “And do you think you can teach them anything now?” The elderly man chided. “I have always told you to keep your temper in check and your words under control! Strength is more than just a flex of your arms.”

  The old man’s words made Jyevodirr ease up. Maybe he would like this man.

  “We are also at fault –” he began before being interrupted.

  “No we aren't.” R’vag interceded.

  “Fine.” Jyevodirr snapped. “If you think you are faultless, then I am at fault. Are you satisfied now?”

  R’vag sighed. It was always a pain in the butt when Jyevodirr stopped being in control of himself. But they were both brats, no matter how hard Jyevodirr tried to be a responsible person. But before R’vag could do anything, the old man chuckled, then moved closer to Jyevodirr.

  “Yes, you were in the wrong more than the other two, young man,” the old man opined. “Fights happen. People butt heads. As long as you are level headed and watching, you should not interrupt natural things. It is better to let little fights happen, you know? It brings people closer.”

  Jyevodirr smiled and hung his head. He was feeling better. Shaken, seeing the scene of fear again, but better. Still –

  “What if someone were to bear a grudge? Or people get afraid and never forget?”

  “Over trivial things?” The old man shook his head. “Then we as the ones with more strength must steer them to let go of trivialities, my boy. We are strong only because we control ourselves.

  But if it is power that makes someone afraid, then they only need to muster more courage, you know? That is the very basis of this empire.”

  “But if the strong held a grudge?”

  “Then they will let go of the grudge, or they were never strong. And if they were the most destructive, then we will all be destroyed anyways.

  Now come, this is not a place to be bleating away like young camels. Let me get you both out of sight and attention.”

  Jyevodirr looked around to find that the crowd were getting restless, everyone talking amongst themselves in hushed tones. The murmur from the crowd was rising with the sun. They truly needed to move.

  Jyevodirr beckoned to R’vag, who happily walked forward. Jyevodirr slung his arm around R’vag’s neck with silent thankfulness, and they walked towards the crowd together. The crowd closed in, and even the old man had followed. They need not have, as Jyevodirr only went as far as the man, then gave him a formal salute.

  “We both apologize. It was silly.” Jyevodirr said. “I am Jyevodirr and my friend is R’vag.”

  Jyevodirr extended his hand, and the man shook it hesitantly.

  “Kargos,” he replied.

  Then R’vag extended his hand, and they both shook hands. It wasn't the best, but it was a step beyond hostility. And it was less hesitant than the one with Jyevodirr.

  The old man then stepped forward, and stood beside the group.

  “You two will still fight it out,” he declared. “And you, Kargos, will announce to the people that all is well now. Tell them these are people that our Head has sent to us. Tell them just what they told you.”

  Kargos nodded, then he almost stepped away. Before he could do that, the old man stopped Kargos again by grabbing his arm. He had more to say.

  “And when they go to the mines, you go with them.”

  The old man then stepped through the crowd, and Jyevodirr knew to follow him. He could see the despair in Kargos’ eyes, but he didn't stop to pay attention. The old man was leading them through the interiors of the settlement to someplace Jyevodirr was sure was this man’s tuvudhan.

  While they walked Jyevodirr asked a question that was on his mind.

  “How do you know we are really who we claim we are?”

  The old man stopped walking suddenly, which made Jyevodirr pause and R’vag crash into Jyevodirr. R’vag would have been indignant, but he saw the old man turn towards them with utmost seriousness.

  “You think people wielding as much power as you would be allowed into this desert without the head’s consent? Do you even know why their estate is right by Orron?”

  Jyevodirr tried digesting the old man’s words as they resumed walking. There was some truth to the old man’s words. He really was unusually powerful. But the implication of someone’s home being in a certain region had never occurred to Jyevodirr. Wasn't it all just because people who were strong went to locations of their choosing? Or was there more to it?

  “Then why are you people here?”

  “We are here by choice. Don't you see how small our settlement is? Anyone can leave at any point of time. Many of us older people love living far upriver, at the Xap’yu - Isp’rron confluence. I am here because I believe my pursuit of strength is not over, and it will never be till the end of my life.”

  This time, R’vag joined in on the conversation.

  “You didn't answer the question, old man.”

  “Oh, you youngsters,” the old man huffed. “Don't you understand that we the people of Moyegan have always been here by choice? What is here? There is hardship and sand. There is danger and scarcity. There is wealth not seen by most people. And when someone leaves, they are stronger than others.

  Don't you know that the Empire is founded by people who had left their desert lives behind? That is what every Moyeganeni believes! Those of us who remain stay here because we wish to grow with these lands and the hardships it provides. We are here because we want to grow in strength.

  Moyegan provides enough for the strong, you know.”

  R’vag whistled in appreciation while walking, and the old man turned to flash him a grin. Jyevodirr, however, was silent after that.

  Jyevodirr had never thought of the Moyegan in terms of strength. To him, it had always been a large desert close to his home. Back when he had been in his home, he had no idea why people even wanted to live in such conditions. That had been one of the biggest reasons why Jyevodirr insisted on coming to the Moyegan desert first before going to other places in the empire. Because it was unusual.

  The walk came to an end by a large tuvudhan closer to the river than the rest. The old man went in through the door-flaps first, followed by Jyevodirr, then R’vag. The inside of the cloth-house was much cooler than the two youths had expected, and it was extremely dim as well. They understood immediately that the cloth used to build the tuvudhana were denser and heavier than materials used for regular tents. The darker pillars of the supporting frame in the darkness were also unusual, being tall and thick, dense and black, and also knotted and knobby like branches of kip’trres trees.

  A window was drawn open, and light flooded in. The room presented itself clearly now.

  Within the confines of the walls, the room was singular, with two large beds at a corner of the room. The rest was filled with tables, chairs, books, useful implements for daily life and a number of large storage cabinets. There was more metals and glass here as materials. Wood was scarce.

  Jyevodirr stopped to stare at one of the cabinets with a glass display. Numerous books were put on display there – books thicker than any Jyevodirr had seen throughout his life. He read the titles one by one.

  ‘Understanding of Gayakyani Farming.’

  ‘Records of the Moyeganeni Lifelines.’

  ‘Mayyux for Tharrath Qatha-doing?’ What was that again? ‘Qathayungos’?

  ‘Distribution for Marr’th’la –‘

  Jyevodirr gave up on reading after that. The names on the texts became increasingly obscure for his understanding. He could still see some of them and understand a little, such as the one for the best techniques on shaping arrath metals, or the one for farming upon the banks of the Xap'yu. But Jyevodirr knew, he would understand next to nothing if he opened any book to go through them.

  “Hey. Come on, you nosey old goat! How long are you going to look at other people's property?”

  R’vag’s words forced Jyevodirr away from the bookshelves, and he sat at a chair across from the old man, who chuckled a little.

  “Did you like my collection?” He asked. “I love to read. Even if they are not all useful to me, I like knowing things. That makes me intellectually strong!”

  “Yeah. But I didn't understand a few,” Jyevodirr overstated his understanding.

  “Which? Maybe the Tharrath Qathayungos?”

  “Yes, that.”

  The old man smirked, but he did indulge Jyevodirr.

  “It means the making of stone from wood. Maybe I’ll show you and explain a little if we have time for that later.”

  “You’re a very interesting old man.” Jyevodirr said, unsure of what to think about the old man’s response.

  “More like a crazy old man!” R’vag laughed.

  “You think so, brat? I could beat you up with an arm tied behind my back!” The old man quipped back.

  “Yeah? I’d like to see you try, old man.”

  “Tonight, then?”

  That made R’vag pause. Jyevodirr too did not say anything because he wanted to see where this was going. If he could witness this man’s strength firsthand, that was even better.

  “Sure?” R’vag replied, uncertainty clouding his voice. “Do you people have ritual fights or something?”

  “Not necessarily. We engage from time to time to keep our legs and arms strong, and our Mayyux fluent. We always get out of the settlement and the woods when we engage, and we do that whenever we want. Nothing like a ritual in this.”

  This time, both Jyevodirr and R’vag were impressed. The desert people were becoming greater and greater in their eyes.

  Then, Jyevodirr asked the next question for R’vag’s sake.

  “So can we swim in the river, old man?”

  Both the old man and R’vag turned to look at Jyevodirr in surprise.

  “It is best that you do not.” The old man’s reply was firm as stone. “Two months later would be quite alright, but this time of the year? Absolutely not! Have you seen how wide and deep the Xap’yu is at this point of time? Have you seen any crocodiles? No? That means you only got lucky. They are everywhere this time of the year. On the banks, in the water – you name it. This is a good time for these beasts. Hunting season and all, you know. If you were up north, you would have had better chances of swimming in kanik’lana like any normal person.”

  Jyevodirr and R'vag looked at each other in confusion.

  “A kanik’lan?” R’vag asked.

  “For you non-Moyeganieniza, a kanik’lan would be something like a small river waiting to be filled up at the right time. There are a lot of these up north, but there are none here. The only source of water here at this time – and what a plenty of water it is! – is the river. You see what could happen? You could be a happy contributor to the cycle of life! And you –!” Here, the old man pointed at Jyevodirr. “You had better not be thinking about using force to solve the problem and doing whatever you want! You could be causing a bigger problem than you know –”

  Jyevodirr interrupted the old man’s tirade. He did not want another lecture on the usage of his power.

  “I know, I know. The understanding with the wild.”

  “Yes. At least you seem to know enough. Then respect it, boy.”

  “Yeah,” replied Jyevodirr, deciding that he didn't maybe like this old man all that much after all. “I was just asking because I didn't know the place, old man. Do you think I’m the kind to go around and do as I please, breaking the Understanding of all things?”

  That got the old man to simmer down.

  “Considering who you were sent by and how you have behaved so far, I think you’re right. It’s just – there are so many young people nowadays believing they can just force their will on the Wild. As if the Supremacy Wars in the past didn't exist at all.”

  “Actually, how bad were these wars? How do you know?” This time, it was R’vag who piped up.

  “Well, I read, you know. You should too.” The old man lectured. “As for how bad, well - they were bad enough that we don't just build sprawling cities ever. We don’t dig too deep. We don’t log too deep. And we always cooperate with beasts when cooperation is possible. With all the innovation in the world, you would think we would have dominated everything, no? But that isn't true. Just because the animals and plants don't build or shape tools as we understand them doesn't mean they aren't strong enough in their own capacity.”

  “But what has that got to do with what I asked? We are still together stronger than any animal or tree, right?” R’vag pushed his chair forward.

  “Right and wrong. As a single kind of living being, we are the strongest. But us against them all? All of the rest of the trees and insects and beasts and fishes and crabs and whatnot around the world against us? Madness is what it is, you know.

  Gyeathuh people were smart in all this. They never did think such things as we did. They never formed large empires. And let me remind you, they were even taken advantage of for not becoming superstructures by us. And us? The Empires of Altrakh and the great Kingdoms of Panurissa? Most of us went too far. We cut too deep. We waged a bitter war against the wild. But you know what? When they struck back, they struck back hard. We were almost wiped out, you know? But in the end, this was bad for everyone. Too much energy was being used up in the world too fast.

  The wild was just the wild, you know. They don't have any hierarchy or any system. Yet, they work together in very strangely. They are all different, but somehow their actions have to match in totality. Individuals remain individuals, and groups of individuals can even be completely wiped out. But as a whole, they are together. Being the strongest individuals, we had forgotten that we are a part of that same whole. So, we paid the price.

  It was the human beings who gave up first, you know? The wild then followed. They didn't try to wipe us out. They had lost too much as well. And by the end of it, nothing was written down, no great treaties signed, but we still came to an understanding, you know? We communicated, somehow. As parts of the same whole.

  Individuals of us may die to them, and individuals of them may die to us, but we need to remain a part of the whole. The circle of life, you know? That was the unspoken Understanding.

  Now, did I answer your question, young man?”

  R’vag nodded thoughtfully. It was a lot for him, and he would need to think. The teachers back at the village had never really been able to teach this so well. Some parts were explained too long, some parts not clearly enough. The overall picture was never this clear.

  Jyevodirr nodded to himself as well. Many of these were things he knew already, but he had never really understood why exactly had the war ended. Now he knew that it had something to do with energy. How – he wondered.

  “So about what you said about too much energy, what exactly do you mean?” he inquired.

  “Say, how do you move?” The old man entertained Jyevodirr's question. “How do you live? You eat, right boy? Everyone needs to eat. The more you do work, the more you need to eat. And now, with such huge wars going on, what would the wild eat? How much?”

  Understanding dawned on Jyevodirr. He glanced at R’vag to see that this part had enlightened him as well. Then, he glanced around the room filled with books in awe.

  “So this is what an intellectually strong person is like,” he wondered out loud.

  The old man chuckled.

  “Maybe I am. I consider myself inadequate. But boy, there are so many in the world so much more knowledgeable than I am. I was never even able to make it to being a gav’na of the family. And any less than that I wouldn't accept, because that meant losing my feet in the wild.”

  Jyevodirr frowned.

  “What do you mean lose your feet?”

  The old man guffawed at Jyevodirr's question.

  “Oh come on, boy! Have you not trained the muscle in your head enough? It is obviously an expression! I obviously meant that I wouldn't be able to roam around and be out in the desert as I wanted, you know?”

  Jyevodirr pouted.

  “That wasn't obvious, you moronic old man! And I don't know things not out of choice. We didn't have a very good education in our village, you privileged old fool!”

  The old man’s expression softened.

  “I am sorry then, young man. You will always have chances to learn. I can lend you a few books myself for you to start with. Tell me what class you have studied up to?”

  Before the conversation could proceed any further, R’vag got up and stood almost in between the two of them.

  “You two continue your bookish conversations, while I’m going to go and roam around the riverside,” R’vag declared. After what he had heard, he wanted to be in the wild – feel like a part of the wild – a little more.

  Jyevodirr nodded, while the old man called out -

  “Watch out for the camels and crocodiles! You may encounter horses too!”

  R’vag was out of the door-flaps before an itch popped up in his mind.

  “What is your name, old man?” He scratched the itch, peering back in through the doorway.

  “Dogan Qaso Arroxath.”

  “I’m R’vag, Late Zanefa and Late Rraxun’s son.”

  R’vag did not wait for any response and extricated himself fully from the tuvudhan. The morning was almost full.

  A breeze blew from the distant north, sometimes turning away from the river, and sometimes moving towards it. The sky was clear still. It would probably be clear for the entire month.

  Having taken in the sights here, R’vag began to move away from the sounds of the old man talking with Jyevodirr about books and knowledge. R’vag was more interested in seeing and knowing for himself.

  As he meandered along the river, a funny thought struck R’vag.

  How the hell did Rraos sleep through all that early morning commotion?