[SFW] Squirrelly Days #021 - Yineh
#2 of Squirrely Days
Yineh cuddled into Reteh as she stared off into the sunset atop one of the tallest trees in the dark green zone.
```
Yineh: Today was a pretty good day, though I still feel weird about being out having fun while everyone else is working their tails off.
Reteh: Me too, but I'm glad we get to... though *hard gulp* I do wish we could have fun closer to the ground.
Yineh: I'm amazed you can still be so scared of heights after being to the top of three of the five tallest trees in the valley... Speaking of.
```
Yineh looked below her and watched as Wafit helped Lina slowly climb the tree.
```
Yineh: *shouting* How you guys doing down there?
Lina: *shouting* Alive still... for now...
Yineh: So you don't miss the entire sunset, you should just have Wa-su carry you up the rest of the way.
Lina: I-I think I can see it fine from here.
Yineh: Stop being stubborn. Wa-su, let her climb on your back.
```
Yineh smiled as Wafit positioned himself in a way that allowed Lina to grab a hold of him, then made his way swiftly up the tree and to a nearby branch.
```
Yineh: You've gotten really good at climbing with people on your back.
Wafit: A lot of that's probably just how much easier Lina is to carry compared to Re-re. No offense intended, it's far easier to carry someone smaller than myself than it is someone bigger than me.
Reteh: None taken.
Yineh: What do you think of your first tree top sunset, Li-li?
Lina: It's very pretty, surprisingly different from the high ridge ocean view sunsets I'm used to seeing in Tarico.
Yineh: How long did you stay at the Tarico Gathering?
Lina: It's a little complicated... To avoid my family during the testing phase I was going to sleep on the streets, but when one of the custodians who was doing my testing saw me trying to sleep on a bench, he dragged me all the way to the Tarico Gathering and told Cerina the details of my first testing day and that he found me trying to sleep on the streets. After that, I stayed at the Gathering in a spare room for almost two full moons before I was sent off to Ankarok.
Yineh: It takes two moons to do the initiation tests in Tarico!? Wait, before you answer that, why were you trying to sleep on the streets and not at a Keepers?
Lina: I kinda forgot to grab my wallet when I ran away from home. *awkward laughter* As for your other question, nee it doesn't for most people applying, but since all my scores were super low, Cerina had to tutor me for quite a while before I was able to pass the tests.
Yineh: You make any friends during that time?
Lina: Kind of... people were nice to me, but no one really wanted to hangout like we do or anything... To be honest it was a lot like being back in school. Everybody stuck to their groups and went to their own classes. Tarico rammu really aren't anything like Ankarok's.
Yineh: Yeah, I know, but still I'm surprised you didn't make at least one good friend hanging around there for almost two moons. You've been around here less than half a moon and you already have at least eight new friends and whatever Mirra-su is... *bombastic laughter*
Reteh: Not to interrupt, but shouldn't we be heading down while there's still light? We do still have a long walk back to the Gathering, you know.
Yineh: Alright, we can head out. You want to climb down or you just want me to lower you on the rope?
Reteh: Rope, please, I don't want to overdo the arm exercise and I know I'm getting close.
```
Once the group was on the forest floor, they made their way briskly back to the Gathering and to the main common where they were met by the sight of Chyla scrubbing the floors.
Looking around, Yineh noticed that the entire common seemed to have been freshly cleaned.
```
Yineh: *knowing smirk* You must have done something Yineh level bad today.
Chyla: Ki-su got hurt, and I abandoned the girl I was supposed to be watching to check on him...
Yineh: *panicked* Hurt? What kind of hurt? Where is he!?
Chyla: He's fine... from what I'm told... I'm not allowed to see him until I have the entire building clean, but Vi-su says he's doing well. He's in the blue recovery building, room two.
Yineh: I'm going to go check on him, then I'll come back to help you.
Teran: Nope. She's cleaning the entire building alone.
```
Yineh turned to find Teran standing behind her and the others.
```
Yineh: Come on T, just a little bit of help? *pleading eyes*
Teran: No.
Yineh: I'll do anything you want. *seductive smile*
Teran: *stern* No.
Wafit: You seem tense. Do you want to talk about it?
Teran: I know what you're trying to do. *staring into Wafit's eyes* *heavy sigh* Alright let's go talk about things. I'd say I trust the rest of you--not to help her, but I already know what's going to happen.
```
Yineh gave Wafit a silent gesture of good work as soon as Teran turned his back, then waited until the pair were out of the building before turning back to Chyla.
```
Yineh: Alright, I'm going to go check on Ki, then I'll be back to help. In the meantime, I'm guessing Re-re and Li-li are going to be helping you.
Lina: W-we are? B-but didn't Teran just say not to help her?
Yineh: As he said, he knows we're going to help her anyway and Wa-su's just being a distraction. Now that said, that is certainly the harshest I've ever seen Teran. Out of everyone, he's normally the easiest to convince to bend rules. *staring inquisitively at Chyla* So, what exactly did you do to get on his bad side? I just don't see him getting that worked up about you running off to check on Ki-su in the dark green zone. Even it would have been a huge mistake.
Chyla: He stopped me, told me to go back to Deca... and then I pushed him out of the way and went to Ki-su, anyway.
Yineh: You seriously disregarded a direct order from the highest ranking and skilled brown ranked rammu?
Chyla: He's the highest-ranking brown in Ankarok?
Yineh: He's the highest-ranking brown period. The only reason he's not a black rank is because he doesn't want to be. He avoids just enough game rounds to keep from advancing to black rank each cycle.
Chyla: W-why would he do that?
Yineh: I asked that too, and he told me it's because he doesn't want to wear black. *bombastic laughter* Anyway, ye~ah, don't do that again. Even I know better than to think I know better than Te-su, Enky, Moo-su, Fre-su or, especially Mirra-su. If Bora-su was here, your punishment would be folds worse. Nice old guy, but you don't want to break the big no-nos around him. Alright, I'm off, oh, but before I forget, make sure to try and apologize to Te-su, sooner the better. Seriously, he's an important person to have looking out for you, especially since he's one of the few people who can sway Mirra-su.
```
Giving a backwards wave to the group, Yineh hastily made her way to the recovery building, but stopped as she passed a window, and noticed Vivica giving her a tail signal.
```
Yineh: *nearly inaudible whisper* Alright, I'm all eyes Vi-su, after you tell me that Ki-su's doing well.
Vivica: *affirmative tail wag*
Yineh: Anything I should be worried about.
Vivica: *dismissive tail wag*
Yineh: You want him to yourself?
Vivica: *affirmative tail wag*
Yineh: Alright, I'll come back when you're done.
Vivica: *tail wag indicating an hour's time*
Yineh: Wow, that's long for you... anyway, have fun, and take care of our Ki.
Vivica: *affirmative tail wag*
```
Still itching for details about what happened, Yineh made her way to the watchtower. As she poked her head over the railing, she smiled widely at the sight of Dasak, a tall, muscular, brown-eyed, dark gray male wearing the muted yellow colors of a rammu-jhu.
```
Dasak: I can already guess what you want.
Yineh: We~ll, yes, I do want that, but first, do you know anything about what happened to Ki-su?
Dasak: Yep, I've been checking on him and my sister every break. Long story short, he's recovering from a bit of poisoning. From what I gather, it's nothing that isn't well known to be treatable, but he'll have some sensory issues for a day or so.
Yineh: So~ what do you think of him?
Dasak: I don't know much about him yet, but I like how into him Viv is. I've never seen her get excited with another guy before.
Yineh: I've never seen her that excited with anybody but Kylola-su before. She just wagged me off for an hour.
Dasak: They're still at it? She wagged me off on my last break and that was at sunset.
Yineh: You want me to take over for you for a bit so you can have a mini break for anything?
Dasak: Nah, Pet-su should be up here soon to swap out with me. When she does if you want, I'll stay on duty awhile longer so you and her can play around a bit.
Yineh: Then you're going to play with me too, right? *seductive smile*
Dasak: Of course, but you know Enky's policy while on duty.
Yineh: *pained sigh* You're becoming such a good rammu-jhu... You're not going to go a hundred percent Enky on me, are you?
Dasak: Depends. You think you'll go a hundred percent Mirra-su on me?
Yineh: *disapproving scowl* Don't even joke about that. Speaking of any word on where Sneaky-su is?
Dasak: Not that I know of. Enky-su's fairly annoyed about how long she's staying gone. I assume as soon as he knows something, his annoyance will wane, as I'm fairly certain he's just annoyed because he's worried.
Yineh: You going to be sticking around for a while, or is Enky going to be sending you off again?
Dasak: Back out again tomorrow, but it's nearby, so hopefully I'll be sleeping here again. Pet-su's going to be filling in for Kion tomorrow. Then after he's better, I wouldn't be surprised if Enky-su sends us back off to handle further away work again until someone else gets back.
Yineh: Speaking of Jinta, Liro, and Graon have been gone forever.
Dasak: From what I gather, Enky-su has them bogged down with so many jobs that we shouldn't expect to see them back at the Gathering again until the next moon at the earliest.
Yineh: I wonder if this is a once in a long while thing, or if crazy busy is just going to be the norm.
Dasak: Enky-su strongly believes it's just a once in a long while thing. Apparently, the chewa have a history of overpopulating, which leads to over hunting since they're primarily meat eaters, which leads to a die off. Usually through famine. However, a couple of times in history when we've tried being more relaxed with our borders with them it's led to attempted invasions, which, of course, simply leads to us being forced to thin their numbers until their population matches their food supply once more.
Yineh: *dismayed* That~'s grim... I don't know how I feel about that... Kind of makes us come off as the villains...
Dasak: We don't have much of a choice. If you recall our history, the reason we isolate ourselves from the other races is because they refused to properly managed themselves and we wanted to ensure our long-term survival.
Yineh: Ye~ah, but how much do we really--know about that truly being the case? I know it's total conspiracist of me, but I've always kind of thought that it's more about preserving our culture rather than our livelihood. I mean, doesn't it feel a little far-fetched that the other races do things like overpopulate themselves until they're dying of starvation? Where's the sense, the logic, the planning? I'm really supposed to believe that all other sentient races beyond our own and the white rabane are all truly as unwise to the world as vermin and primal predators?
Dasak: Chewa are predators... for that matter historically, so were we.
Yineh: I don't know if I believe that one either. Sure, we have razor-sharp claws, teeth, and faster reflexes than anything other than a white rabane, and on and on but, eat meat? *disgusted* Eew~ we don't even like eating bugs.
Dasak: Supposedly we used to eat mostly birds, but I'm certainly not going to disagree with you... the idea of eating a bird is disgusting at best, but it was also tens of thousands of cycles ago, back when we had free trade with the other races, and centuries before the Aletheans. Can you imagine a time before the Alethean wall?
Yineh: That would be freaky. That wall's kind of a monumental fixture. It would be like trying to imagine a time before the ocean or a time before we had giant trees, which supposedly didn't always exist here, either.
Dasak: True, if I recall correctly ancient historians believe we brought the trees with us when we migrated from the far south which is now mostly a desolated area locked into a power struggle by the humans, chewa, shikun and jaro, who all supposedly came here from across the ocean to avoid a great war that was sweeping through their homes. If you recall, the reason we moved north was to get away from the chaos those races brought with them.
Yineh: That's what we're taught at least. Though isn't it at least suspicious to you that the white rabane gave us almost all of their land, and yet never interact with us?
Dasak: Indeed, I've always been rather perplexed by that part... The statues in the villages are even supposedly symbols of peace--and unity between us and them.
Yineh: Unity? I don't recall that part.
Dasak: I hadn't ever heard it either until I was reading some of the forbidden books in the Gathering.
Petra: *frustrated scream* Oh, come on, guys! I smell Yi-su's scent on my way up here, get super excited thinking I'm going to walk into something fun, and you two just sit around talking about conspiracies and ancient history forever!
Yineh: *bombastic laughter* To be fair Pet-su we were waiting for you to show up to start doing fun things. After all you know how Enky feels about fooling around on the job. You're his rammu-jhu after all.
```
Yineh looked around her until her gaze landed on Petra, a taller female just a tad shorter than Reteh, with light-brown fur, rich maple eyes, and an obsession with patterned fur paint coming out from behind the signal fire stack.
```
Petra: Oh~right, ye~ah that... Since when did you care about following those kinds of rules?
Yineh: Since Das-su requires me to.
Petra: *knowing smirk* I bet you'd do anything Das-su asked of you.
Yineh: *excited smile* Perhaps we should find out. *devious smirk*
```