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KAVUA

CHAPTER 5 - SOMETHING ABOUT LAI

It looked like a game of connect-the-dots as Siara woke to find countless numbers of itchy, red insect bites dotting her entire body. Somehow during the night, she had managed to fall asleep on a hard, sandy bump on the beach and had awoken to an ala'kai(1) resting on her hip, slightly pinching her soft skin as to let her know it was morning. She shooed the little marine creature away and slowly sat up, cracking her tense neck, stretching out a very sore body and noticing she was wet from sleeping in the sand during high tide earlier that morning. How she did not awaken during the tide boggled her. She figured that whatever she had smoked the night before must have been some pretty powerful stuff. However, as she sat in the first rays of sunlight and took her first deep breaths of the salty sea air, she began to come to and pull herself together. It was an exquisite sunrise in Kavua that morning. A pale peach sky faded into a soft yellow on the horizon as wisps of orange clouds blanketed the sky. Only a small handful of stars remained in the Heavens, however the Ring still shone bright in the dawn sky.

Siara somehow remembered everything that had happened the night before and she wondered if Kio'he would be in better spirits today. Her ears perked high as she heard the familiar haunting howls of the okana(2) the day she arrived on the island. She brought her knees to her chest and rested her head on her knees as she watched the okana playfully jump high above the water and land with a big splash. They were so graceful and so acrobatic; Siara wished she could swim with them. Her attention was diverted when she heard another type of odd chanting. She noticed Kuve and Kio'he jogging on the shoreline of Kavua, along with forty or so other warriors. She watched as they ran past her, chanting a song and hoisting their spears up high in harmony with their music.

"Good morning, Siara!" Kuve hollered out to her as he jogged past his foreign friend. Siara smiled secretly and pulled her tail in close to her body. She could not keep her eyes off of him. His silky, black hair waving like a proud flag in the wind. His tight muscles rippling throughout his body as he ran with the others. He was illuminated in the rays of the morning sun, glowing like an angel. Siara was convinced; Kuve was from Heaven.

Only when Kuve was no more than an orange dot on the horizon did she break from her lovesick trance and stand to her feet. She was still a bit wobbly from the night before but quickly gained her bearings. She walked towards the city as she began to once again fall deep into thought and finally let her true feelings come over her. She admitted to herself that she had a crush on Kuve. She giggled to herself and stuffed her silly thoughts in the back of her mind. She had neared the temple of which Lai had stood the night before. She was still confused about guides and Guardians and did not know what they meant, but she was determined to find out what they really were. Either way, Siara had a weird feeling about the previous night and an even more queer sensation came over her about today. A chill ran down her spine, making her a bit cautious but she did not know why. She decided to shrug it off and take a morning stroll through the jungle.

Even the jungle had an odd air around it although everything seemed normal. The animals were screeching and squawking loudly as they hopped, flew and swung around in the rainforest. Still, she had a familiar feeling about her. The same feeling she had when she would watch a horror film when she was a teenager, knowing the killer was right behind the main character, praying the main character would run and hide; The same haunting feeling she had felt when she first saw the warriors rise up inside the lagoon when she had first arrived. She knew in her heart that there was something more than odd about this place. Something she knew she might not be able to handle. She then figured it was probably just paranoia from whatever she had smoked the night before and stepped foot in the jungle. She knew it was going to be a beautiful day as the sun was now completely out of hiding and hung low above the ocean.

She studied different fruits and berries as they just began to blossom on the trees and vines and watched as animals frolicked up in the trees. Siara was beginning to become rather hot in the humidity of the forest and she decided to head for the bathing grounds, although each step she took towards the lake made that spooky feeling inside her gut grow stronger. She debated with herself on whether or not to head back to the city, although she once again decided that it was just paranoia and went forth. Siara wished with all her might that Kuve was with her. She wanted his strong, comforting arms to hold her tight and to make the paranoia disappear. She was nearing the lake, however and just as she was about to pull back the palm prongs to enter the bathing grounds, a loud animal screeched above her, making her heart sink into her stomach. She knew she had better listen to her intuition and head back. Siara cautiously turned around and screamed loudly when another female Kavuan was right behind her.

"I am so sorry!" Siara apologized to the female Kavuan for screaming in her face, although the female did not reply. She simply smiled at Siara. Siara was more than creeped out. This female looked a bit different than the other Kavuans. Her overly large eyes penetrated Siara as if she was reading her very soul. She did not blink once. She was long and lanky and not very toned, yet she was still beautiful in her own way. Siara rubbed her eyes as her vision seemed to be temporarily going bad as she was having a hard time telling the color of this odd Kavuan. Was she green? Blue? White? Siara couldn't tell as it almost seemed this Kavuan was pure energy, although she was not and was solid in nature. Siara thought of the possibility that she was seeing the strange Kavuan's aura. Either way, she didn't like it. "Right, well, I'm going back to the city now. Nice meeting you!"

"You know what to do... " The stranger said. Her voice sent chills down Siara's spine, those chills radiating out throughout her entire body. Siara's fur began to stand on end.

"I know what to do about what?" Siara asked, turning around to face the stranger. Once again, the stranger only smiled at Siara. Siara smirked and headed back towards the city, only to be followed by the stranger who seemed more curious about Siara than anything. Siara's tail poofed up as she was beginning to become rather annoyed. A few steps later, Siara turned around once again. "Would you like to walk beside me?"

The stranger did not answer Siara. However, she did decide to walk beside Siara towards the city, never taking her large eyes off of her the entire time. Siara did not know what to think about this peculiar native although she was surprised when the native stopped in her tracks as they approached the jungle border. Siara walked ahead of the stranger.

"Aren't you coming?" Siara questioned. The stranger just stood there, continuing to fix her gaze on Siara. Siara sighed heavily and faced the city. "Then at least tell me what you mean by 'you know what to do'!"

Siara wanted an answer and she hastily turned around for the last time, only finding the native to be gone. Siara was confused as there was no place for the native to hide. Thick trees lined the dirt path on either side and she would have noticed the native running the other way. Siara whimpered and thought it best if she went to speak to Lai. Whatever she had smoked the night before had gotten the best of her.

Siara found Lai in a deep discussion with Chief near one of the many huts in the village. They seemed to be joking with each other and Siara decided to go ahead an interrupt them. Siara sauntered up to the two leaders as the Chief noticed Siara's approach.

"Siara, my dear! I'm happy to see you today!" Chief sang as he picked up Siara in one of his smothering bear hugs and lifted her high into the air. Siara smiled a bit, returning the hug. Chief set Siara on firm ground and cock his head. "Siara, how are you? Your energy seems a bit out of order."

"Well, I just had the weirdest experience," Siara started. "There was this really odd person following me around in the jungle but, I dunno, it seemed like she wasn't even really there. I think I may have just been hallucinating and I was wondering, what did I smoke last night?"

"Janai weed," Lai laughed. "That's all. You weren't hallucinating. What did this person look like exactly?"

"She had very large eyes, kind of lanky and she just kept staring at me. It was really creepy and I think maybe I was seeing her aura cause she seemed so... translucent. I didn't like it at all," Siara explained. Chief simply smiled at Siara, as if something he had known about Siara had just been validated. Lai too smiled.

"Chief, let me speak with Siara alone," She insisted. Chief nodded and headed off. Lai took Siara's hand and sat her down on a stone bench overlooking the ocean. "My dear, there are energies on this island that are resonating at a much higher frequency than your own. At times, these energies will challenge your balance, making you feel very uncomfortable but I assure you there is no need to be afraid of anything here."

"I guess but who was that person?" Siara wondered. Lai stood from the bench and began walking towards her hut. Siara growled to herself. "Why won't anyone answer me today?"

"Because you are not capable of understanding the answers!" Lai retorted. She sighed and sat down next to Siara again, taking her hand in her own. "Siara, you are a very open person but there are some things which you are just not ready to know. Please understand that this is for your own good."

"What kind of things? That thing in the jungle told me, 'you know what to do'. What do I know what to do about?" Siara was become exasperated. Lai chuckled.

"You tell me, dear," Lai gave Siara a playful nudge. "You know what to do and you know what it is that you have to do."

"No, I don't. Believe me, I do not know what I have to do," Siara chuffed, clenching her hand tight in Lai's.

"You only forgot that you don't know," Lai taught. "Every answer to every question you have lies within you. You just forgot this, along with the majority of the world. When you are ready to understand, the answers will come to you. It's as simple as that. In the meantime, there are things of our own people that would blow your mind. You were raised in a limited environment, taught limited things and therefore society has a hard time thinking outside of the box. We are not limited beings, Siara. We are limitless."

"A lot of spiritual texts tell us that," Siara confirmed what Lai was saying. Lai nodded.

"And they are correct. However, society only takes those teachings at face value. They don't apply them. They may believe the teachings, but they do not know the teachings. There is a difference." Lai explained. Siara nodded and took a breath.

"Can you give me an example though? How exactly are we not limited?" Siara questioned. If anything she could turn this into a report about Kavuan spirituality. Lai thought to herself, her gaze fixed onto the horizon. Lai nodded and sighed.

"When you first came to this island and met me, you knew there was something unusual about me. Like maybe I knew more about the history of Xelaros than you do with your fancy textbooks and Internet," Lai reminded. Siara blinked.

"Yeah, I did think that. But how did you...?" Siara started. Lai hushed her.

"Because I lived it. I was here, Siara," Lai tried to explain. "You are going to have a hard time grasping this. Our bodies are not meant to die. You will die because you do not live. You have been mostly inactive throughout your entire life. You eat the wrong things, your life is full of unnecessary stress and you poison your foods, medications and even your air! You are depressed. I would be too if I lived in a limited society. Of course my spirit would want to leave. My body would begin to age faster and I would go Home. My soul would need the comfort of returning to a higher energy."

"Lai, stress is a necessary part of life though. You can't avoid that," Siara said, running her hands through her hair. Lai nodded.

"That is true. However, you decide how you react to it. When bad things happen, Siara, it is simply a challenge. It's not only a challenge; it is a blessing. It's an opportunity for you to decide who you are going to be and how you are going to act in that situation. Change your perspective and the stress will not seem so stressful," Lai explained. This made sense to Siara.

"So, what? You're how old then?" Siara was very curious.

"Four-hundred and eighty-seven years."

Lai was correct; Siara did not understand most of what Lai had told her. Even though Siara was given a thorough explanation, she was still confused on how someone could possibly live that long, or want to live that long, for that matter. Still, a lot of what Lai had said did make sense, but at the same time the more she thought about it, the more confused she became. Siara had hid herself in her hut for a few hours, jotting down the teachings of Lai into a well-formed report, although she was writing it more for herself than for the University of Vildonia. Maybe she would be able to understand it more if she reread the teaching over and over again. She was beginning to feel a headache coming on as she decided to lie down for a short nap. She saved her documents, put her laptop away and nestled herself under the warm fur blanket on her soft bed. She sighed loudly, trying to shake off a few remaining hints of paranoia left over from earlier that day. The cool pillow against her face was comforting and she smiled to herself, before hearing a loud growl from a very large animal. Siara froze, not opening her eyes or moving an inch. Hot breath cascaded across her face as something large and powerful had entered her hut, sniffing every inch of her. She wanted to scream when she felt five incredibly sharp claws resting against her chest yet she dare not move. She was going to die.

"Nawele! Come here!" A familiar voice called out. It was Kuve. Siara so wished Kuve would enter her hut and find this large creature on top of her. "Nawele! Now!! Siara is sleeping!"

Siara opened a scared eye when she realized Kuve was already in her hut. However, she clenched her teeth when she saw the head of a very large owa only one inch away from her own.

"Kuve, please," Siara whispered. In her fear, she had forgotten Kavuan and spoke her own language. "Kill it."

"What, you crazy? I not kill Nawele! She no hurt you!" Kuve spoke, also in Siara's native tongue. Siara opened up both eyes as Kuve pulled the large predator away. The owa rubbed its face against Kuve's in affection. It was a beautiful creature. It donned a golden colored coat with a cream muzzle and underbelly. The owa had a short, puffy tail and large, slender ears and had the traditional hunch of a powerful neck. It was large, however, and Siara wished it to be as far away from her as possible. One swipe of the powerful paws of this creature would mean death for sure. However, Kuve did not seem to fear this creature as he stroked its head and gave it a few, tight hugs. "You want pet her?"

"Let me calm down before I have a coronary," Siara said, sitting upright and catching her breath. "Kuve? Why do you have an owa?"

"Her name Nawele. She Lai's pet. We find her when she was cub. The mother died so we care for her! We care for lots of animals that are injured. She no go back into the wild, though. She want stay with us. Free food," Kuve explained that the owa was domesticated, at least partially. "Come pet!"

"I guess," Siara stood up and cautiously walked towards Nawele. She sat down beside Kuve, reaching her hand out towards the most feared predator on Kavua. Kuve wrapped a strong arm around Siara's waist, comforting her, however this only made Siara's heart beat even faster. Kuve took Siara's hand in his and guided her hand to pet Nawele. Siara stroked the golden fur of the peculiar pet, Nawele leaning her large head in to the petting. Siara began to scratch Nawele behind the ears, resulting in a bit of a growl from the owa. Siara quickly chirped in fear and clasped onto Kuve, who returned the favor and embraced Siara tightly, wrapping his arms around her. She nuzzled deep into his chest fur as he smelled her hair, not realizing he was pulling her closer into him. Siara snapped back into reality and cleared her throat, giggling nervously. "So, you care for other animals?"

"Yeah... we do. Yes," Kuve stammered on his words, releasing his tight embrace much to Siara's dismay.

"Where do you keep them?" She asked. Kuve stood up and pulled Siara onto her feet, tugging on his ula.

"Come! I'll show you!"

Twilight was growing near as the cooks ran about preparing for yet another large dinner. Kuve had led Siara into one of the three main temples in the city. Siara had yet to venture inside any of these temples and she grew excited, although it was more from the fact that Kuve had held her hand the whole walk there. Kuve and Siara passed large, colorful stone pillars beautifully engraved with the most detailed of artwork on their way inside the temple. Siara's eyes shimmered as they entered. She had never seen ceilings so high and so many colors in one room. Beautiful carved and painted pictures of animals covered the walls and ceiling with an intricate spiralling pattern covering the stone floor. Even the pillars inside the temple had been painstakingly decorated, depicting the creative expressions of Kavuan artists from centuries ago to present day. Large tropical trees dotted the main room of the temple. Kuve led Siara up a spiraling stairway onto the second floor which housed all the injured animals.

"This is so beautiful, Kuve," Siara said softly. Kuve smiled and nodded.

"Our temples are over one thousand years old," Kuve taught as they walked into the sanctuary. "Carpenters are always fixing and rebuilding and artists are always repainting the temples the same way our ancestors before us had done."

Rows of every kind of wildlife were kept in strong cages made out of nature's wire(3). Siara saw creatures of air, land and even a few creatures of the sea that were housed in aquariums built from clear crystal. Some of the animals had a limp. The lava from the not-too-distant volcano had burned some of the creatures and a few had injured wings or fins. There were predator and prey, all living together as they healed.

"So what happens after the animals are all better?" Siara asked.

"We return them back into the wild," Kuve replied. Siara giggled as a papulo(4) licked at her fingers when she rested her hand on a cage.

"Your people sure are generous," She stated. Kuve nodded.

"It's our job to help care for Kavua. Kavua is very generous and cares for us," Kuve explained.

"How so?" Siara stared into one of the crystal aquariums, admiring the different colors of the san.

"Kavua gives us food, shelter and nourishment. In turn, we care for the creatures and the island itself," Kuve told. "It's our job to care for everything on this planet as it cares for us."

"What are the other temples for?" Siara pondered as she stepped outside of a door, standing on an outer staircase which hugged the exterior of the temple.

"The one to the west is a medical facility. If you are ever sick and need lots of care, you sleep there and our doctors care for you," Kuve stood beside Siara on the stairs.

"It's a hospital!" Siara understood. Kuve pointed towards the last temple towards the North.

"That temple is what houses our spiritual codices. It is the most sacred spot on Kavua, which is why it is in the center of our city. Chief also lives there," He told.

"Can anyone go in there?" Siara was curious about this temple.

"Of course, our knowledge is not hidden from anyone," Kuve said. Siara stood still, admiring the sunset as they faced the west. The sunrise earlier had been soft and pale but tonight's sunset was anything but. Vibrant pink clouds had painted a deep blue sky which melted into a glowing red and orange hue. Kuve, too, was captivated by the painting in the sky and inhaled deeply as a soft breeze carried the scent of incense burning below them. Kuve stammered as he realized his hand was touching hers and quickly tied his hands behind his back. Siara had noticed too and shyly glanced away, not letting Kuve see the growing smile on her face. He didn't know what to say but he knew he should say something to break up the tense feeling in the air. Fortunately, he was saved by the squeaky shrill of his almost 5 year old little sister as she bounced up the steps.

"Kuve! Look'it what I make!" She called out, waving a doll made of husk in the air. Kuve laughed and knelt down to be at eye level to his sister.

"That's very good!" Kuve chuckled, rustling the top of his sibling's head. "When did you make it?"

"Today during basket weaving! Someone showed me how to make it!" The child cheered for herself, handing the doll to her brother. Kuve took the doll and examined it. A proud expression grew on his face. Kuve noticed a woman stumbling up the steps towards them.

"Hixele! I told you to not run up the sides of the temples! Go inside the temple and use those stairs! Inside!" The women scolded the little sister.

"Mother, I can manage just fine!" Hixele said, a hand planted on her hip. She looked up to Kuve. Siara chuckled to herself.

"You'd better do what Mom says," Kuve suggested. "Otherwise she might throw you in the volcano!"

"Don't tease her, Kuve," His mother told, giving her son a hug. Kuve nuzzled into his mother lovingly. "How are you, hon?"

"I am fine," Kuve replied. "Mom, Hixele, this is Siara. Siara, this is my mother, Hine, and my little sister, Hixele."

"I am happy to finally meet you. My son has told me wonderful things about you," Hine greeted Siara with a tight hug. Siara smiled.

"Kuve has apparently told a lot of people nice things about me," She teased. Kuve planted his ears to the side of his face, a bit nervous.

"Hixele, go home now," Hine ordered her child. "You too, Kuve. It's going to rain and it's best not to get drenched. Don't forget to eat something before you go to bed!"

"I will, Mom, in a bit," Kuve reassured. Hine smiled and picked up her daughter as she walked down the steps towards the huts.

"Your mother seems nice," Siara complimented. "Your sister is adorable. How many siblings do you have?"

"Four," Kuve answered as he and Siara too headed towards home. "Two brothers and two sisters."

"Five kits total," Siara shook her head. "She must have her hands full."

"Six, actually, I'm the oldest and I help her out," Kuve taught. "She still looks after me like I'm a kit, though."

"Six?" Siara questioned. Kuve was very intelligent but Siara doubted his mathematical abilities.

"My parents raised Kio'he as well, so he's kind of my brother," He explained. Siara nodded.

"What about your father?" She wondered. Kuve's tail hung limp at those words.

"He... died... four years ago," He reminded. Siara glanced away, angry at herself for not remembering the conversation Kuve and Deago had her first day there.

"I'm sorry. I forgot," Siara apologized. Kuve gave her a smile. "May I ask how he died?"

"I'd rather not talk about," Kuve cleared his throat, walking now at a faster pace. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure, sleep well!" Siara was confused as Kuve briskly walked towards his hut. She hoped she had not upset him. His tail was carried close to his body and he looked towards the ground while he walked away. Tahni appeared at Siara's side, Kio'he following her. She also watched Kuve head towards his hut.

"He looks moody!" Tahni scoffed and laughed, but stopped herself when she saw a saddened expression on Siara's face.

"What happened to his father?" Siara asked. Tahni grimaced.

"Oh, no. You didn't ask him about his dad, did you?" Tahni panicked. Siara hunkered a bit.

"Well, we were talking about his family and... " She started but Kio'he interrupted her.

"Hey, what's going on? Does Kuve look moody to you? I just passed him and I said hi but he just chuffed at me," Kio'he explained.

"Siara asked him about his dad," Tahni taught. Kuve slapped a hand to his face.

"Oh God," He whined.

"Why is that so wrong?" Siara whimpered. She didn't understand what she had done.

"Kuve is extremely sensitive about his father's death. He won't talk about it with anyone," Tahni explained.

"He just never got over it," Kio'he interjected. "He and his dad were very bonded and when his dad died, well, I guess a piece of Kuve died too."

"I see," Siara nodded. "I hope he isn't angry with me."

"Nah, you didn't know. He'll be fine," Tahni comforted. Siara ran a hand through her hair.

"I'm going to go get some sleep. I've had a very unusual day," Siara sighed.

"You're not going to eat first?" Kio'he asked. Siara shook her head.

"I'm not hungry. My headache is coming back. I'll see you guys tomorrow," Siara bid farewell to her friends. She laughed a bit as Tahni and Kio'he raced each other towards the city, Tahni purposefully tripping Kio'he along the way.

Siara wrote a bit more about Kavuan spirituality and started a new essay on how Kavuans care for the nature around them, but mostly she was thinking about Kuve. In fact, Kuve completely took over all her thoughts and she had to once again set her laptop aside and curled up tight under her covers. She thought about how he had held her earlier in the day as she wallowed in the excited and lustful emotions that welled in her heart. She knew she had to put those feelings aside. Kuve was a busy man and popular with the ladies. She noticed how a few of the younger Kavuan women would try and taunt Kuve to spend a little time with them. Siara also realized that she was jealous of those women and then became sad when she realized Kuve was just a friend. He certainly would have no interest in her. This was for the best. Siara was here simply for work. This was a job, not a vacation. Although as hard as she tried, she could not repress the strong emotions she was beginning to have for this handsome warrior. She tried relieving her sexual tension as her womanhood began to throb and ache for him, however she could not become satisfied.

A hard, pounding rain began to fall later in the night as Siara lay still awake in her bed. She smiled as the thunder rolled across the sky, watching the lightning turn night into day if only for a mere second. She began to dwell on what Lai had told her earlier in the day, trying to get her sexually frustrated mind off of Kuve. Siara still felt confused at Lai's teachings. She sighed and turned onto her side, cuddling into her soft pillow, pretending it was Kuve's broad chest. His sweet scent still lingered in her home, smelling of fruits, the ocean and incense. She began to imagine his arms creeping again around her waist then slowly inching towards her breasts. She could feel his breath on her neck as he nuzzled in close, giving her a soft goodnight kiss but she knew this was only to be in her dreams. Siara decided not to worry about what Lai had said and just relax. When the time came, Siara knew she would understand and she would know what to do. Whatever that meant. She stretched out and locked her legs into her imaginary lover's and kissed her pillow goodnight. A large smile growing on her face as she imagined her and Kuve sharing a bed, falling asleep together to the sound of the thunder, the rain and the ocean beating against the shore. She knew, however, she was at least allowed to fantasize.

(1) An ala'kai is a type of san which has a long body, exoskeleton, 50 small legs underneath its shell and 2 sets of pinchers. They are hard to catch but delicious to eat and come in a variety of colors and subspecies.

(2) Okana are a type of san measuring 8-10 feet in length and are generally bluish-green in color. They don a large sail fin on top of their bodies and large fins for swimming. They are known for being very friendly and playful with other sea creatures and have been known to protect swimmers from dangerous aquatic creatures. However, they are still wild animals and one can easily forget this fact.

(3) A type of strong, wiry vine that grows on trees.

(4) A papulo is a small, hooved, brownish herbivore that is mostly prey to the larger predators on Kavua. They are usually found in the valleys on the island, although they are found in the mountains as well.