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Raven Wolf - The Warriors - Chapter Four

Iuana holds a spear tightly in her hands as she demonstrates in front of Teddy how to correctly keep his posture, she going through the movements that the warriors in training would often go through while explaining to him the stance as best she could while Teddy watches in silence listening to her very word. He then copying and going through the movements she had once Iuana prompted him to.

Iuana smiles as she watches him, there absolutely no error in his movements that she could see. "You're doing great. Tahki is going to have trouble finding anything to complain about the next time you see her."

It had been about a week since Iuana and her father had returned home. Teddy was quickly advancing through Tahki's classes, but of course with teachers like Tahki, Kitchi and now Iuana, in addition to his previous experiences with fighting it hardly seemed difficult at all.

Teddy smiles back at her, happy for the help she was giving him. "Thanks, I couldn't have gotten through all her trials without you and Kitchi helping me out."

Iuana smiles back at him. "I hardly did anything, only told you what to do. You're the one who's been doing everything that's been told of you so easily. You have a real talent you know."

Teddy nods his head yes. "Yeah... I get it from my parents I guess... runs through the blood you could say." He sits down on the ground, Iuana doing the same and sitting next to him. "They were both warriors of their tribe, my dad especially, he's bigger then Hasson and was the lead warrior of the Whistling Wind tribe when it was still around. He taught me and my sister everything we know about fighting."

He looks back to Iuana. "I know you're not a fan of the military... but when you're born a warrior you have to go somewhere to use your skills, so it's really no surprise that me and Dolly both ended up there."

Iuana nods her head, understanding. "I don't hold it against you. You both have great strength and were using it in a way that would help others, just like any other warrior in my tribe. You were only on a different side."

She looks back to Teddy having heard it from her father a hundred times before. "My father is always going on about how we can't continue to fight the domestics, and that we must somehow make peace with them because they are our brothers and sisters... I never actually believed that could be the truth until I met you and Eve... now I realize that he's right... our people are no different from one another... we were just born on opposing sides."

Teddy nods his head to agree with her, while Iuana continues to question him. "Do you miss your family?"

Teddy seems surprised to be asked this question. "Miss them? Well... I don't know... I mean I haven't lived with any of them for years, and even when I do visit them it's not for very long at all. Dolly is usually busy and my parents... well... I love them and everything... I just don't like hanging around them for too long if you know what I mean."

Iuana shakes her head not understanding at all. "Actually... I don't know what you mean. The only thing that has separated me from my parents is death. Other then when the military captured me I've always been with my father and my people, I've never once thought of wanting to leave or not liking being with them. Family is one of the most important things you have isn't it? I wouldn't want to lose the little that I have left."

Teddy scratches the back of his head, it having never really been like that for him. The thought of losing his parents or his sister having never really crossed his mind, living the pampered life of a domestic sometimes making him forget that could actually happen. "Yeah... I guess I never really thought about it like that before... that I might ever lose them I mean..." He looks back to Iuana. "But doesn't being around your father all the time just... I don't know... get on your nerves? Even just a little bit?"

Iuana frowns as she looks from Teddy. "Generally I am very proud of my father... but I admit that there are some things that he does that annoy me. That doesn't mean though that I want to leave him or have him leave me. I mean, when I have children of my own I want him and my brother to be there, I want my children to know and cherish them just as I do, to be able to see them and spend time with them every day just like it was when my grandparents were alive. It's just how it's always been, and I can't picture it being any other way."

Teddy nods his head, though it wasn't something he was used to he did have to admit that he saw the appeal of such a tight knit family, as long as everyone in it was getting along of course. "Yeah... I understand what you mean... I'm sorry if I sound insincere but growing up in the city is a lot different than growing up here... I'm just not really used to it, even if my parents are wilds."

Iuana places her hand upon Teddy's back getting his attention. "So, are you going to be taking the trials for my suitor?"

Teddy quickly jumps back. "What? When did I say that!?"

Iuana stares at him, it having never been anything he had said he would do, Iuana just assuming. "Well... you're working so hard to become a warrior quickly, so I guess I thought that was because you wanted to be a warrior in time for the competition." Teddy tries to think up some sort of explanation to give her, Iuana not giving her the chance as she continues. "And when I and my father came back you looked so happy to see me, your tail was even wagging back and forth and I've never seen you do that before."

Teddy reaches back grabbing onto his tail and sitting on it as if to try and keep it from ever wagging again. "That was... I was... I mean you were gone for a really long time you know... so yeah I was pretty happy to see you..."

Iuana laughs at Teddy's actions. "There's no need to be embarrassed, lots of people from all the tribes around here will be taking part."

Teddy nods his head. "Yeah... well... I'm still deciding on that... not saying that I was thinking about doing it! But hey if you want me to then yeah I guess that I could! But if you don't then I defiantly will not be... because that would be awkward..."

Iuana stares at Teddy. "You're babbling again..."

"I am not... I'm just..." He looks away from her quickly trying to find a way out of the situation, he pointing over to Yula. "I think Yula was calling me to come over, I'll be right back."

Iuana sighs as she watches him leave. "What is wrong with him?" She turns away shaking her head as she begins to make her way through the village. "I don't understand... he was never so odd around me before."

She begins searching through the village, Iuana eventually spotting who she was looking for and walking up to her father who was right now in a conversation with Achak and getting his attention. "Father, I need your advice."

Shiya looks back to her, though it was unclear as to what she might want he would still help her as best he could. "Yes of course." He looks back to Achak quickly finishing his conversation with him. "The berries you were supposed to use are more a bluish brown, not a bright blue. The bright blue ones are only used in an ingredient in dye, not much more."

Achak nods his head. "Really...? I thought I had used the darker ones... though me using the lighter ones like you think I did would defiantly explain your tongue."

Iuana looks from Achak and back to her father, realizing that Shiya tongue was a bright blue. "Achak!! What did you to do to my father!?"

Achak looks over to Iuana. "Just a little mix up, completely harmless... well maybe not harmless... his stomach will probably start hurting him soon... but defiantly nothing that will kill him."

Iuana glares back at Achak while grabbing onto her father and pulling him away. "Honestly father, Achak's stupidity is going to kill you one of these days!"

Shiya comes to a stop forcing Iuana to stop as well. "Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?"

Iuana nods her head. "Yes, I understand that you and Achak are old friends, but you have get rid of him before he kills you!"

Shiya frowns not believing that to be Iuana's issue before finding out what he had been discussing with Achak. "What you wanted to talk to me about 'before' the incident with Achak."

Iuana nods her head there indeed having been something else, the shock of Achak's mistake having made her forget for a moment. "Oh, yes of course... I need to ask you about Teddy... ever since he found out about the trails he's be acting strangely. I've tried asking him about it a few times but every time I bring the topic up with him he starts babbling and eventually finds an excuse to run away."

Shiya waves his hand up and down, it not something that Iuana needed to worry about. "That's normal, don't worry too much about it."

Iuana frowns, Teddy never this timid when they had first met. "Normal? But he never acted like this before."

Shiya nods his head. "You were not as intimidating when you first met him. Teddy was unaware that he would have to go through such trials to get close to you, and now that he does know it terrifies him."

Iuana shakes her head. "But why...? Usually it gets men excited doesn't it? Don't they like fighting one another over a girl?"

Shiya looks back to her as he tries to explain. "Well... yes... if you're a wild it would be, however, you have to keep in mind that Teddy was raised as a domestic. Such actions like that are considered barbaric and old fashioned. He probably thinks that the whole situation is insulting to you, because you are being fought over like an object."

Iuana seems confused. "But... that's not how it is at all... I mean whoever is to become my mate and marry me must lead our tribe, so it HAS to be someone strong. It's not anything like fighting over an object. Why would he think it was like that?"

Shiya sighs not sure how to really explain that without getting into a long and possibly confusing conversation. "It's just a different way of being raised... a domestic thing we'll say. Just give him time... he'll get through it." He looks back to Iuana. "Though, if you ask me, Teddy will act differently once he has incentive... or competition. As soon as he sees what he's up against and realizes just what it is he could lose he'll do what he needs to."

Iuana still seems worried. "Are you sure father...? I mean how do you know he'll act like that? What if he doesn't?"

Shiya frowns. "If he still does not make a decision after all of that then clearly he doesn't want to marry you, so you shouldn't be wasting your time on him anyway."

Iuana hangs her head, that not something she had wanted to hear, Shiya looking back to her. "Trust me, if he wants to then he will eventually speak up like I said he would. If you really want to know how I'm so sure it's because I was the same way before I was married to your mother. I was not raise as a warrior, and I did not agree with fighting. I saw the competition as barbaric and belittling to the woman who was being fought over, but once I realized just how important it was, that I would lose her to someone else and above all, how heartbroken she would have been if I had not even tried. That's when I learned how to fight, became a warrior and placed myself in the suitor's trials."

Iuana stares down at her father. "You were not a warrior before meeting mother?"

Shiya frowns at the question. "Does it honestly seem like I was the type to be born a warrior?"

"That's no way for you to speak! Despite your height your father was a warrior."

An annoyed look fills Shiya's face. "My height has nothing to do with this! I was speaking more about my mentality and mannerisms toward the idea of fighting." Iuana looks to the side as if she had not brought her father's height up, Shiya continuing to explain. "As for my father being a warrior, though that fact helped in my lessons once I did make the decision to become one that doesn't mean that I ever was or ever wanted to be one." He looks away from her. "But for your mother I became one, I would have done anything for her..."

Iuana's expression becomes somewhat upset, it had been a very long time since her mother had been killed, she is about to speak up about how her father had changed since her mother had died, but decides against it, thinking it better no to bring it up, she instead getting back to her problem. "Father... I really like Teddy..."

Shiya nods his head. "Yeah... I gathered that."

"Isn't there anything you could do? Maybe you could talk to him? Nothing would please me more than to have him try the suitors trials, even if he doesn't win... I still want him to try."

Shiya sighs as he looks back to Iuana, this situation not exactly easy on him either, he still getting used to the idea that he would be giving his daughter away. "He'll be just fine, trust me." He lets out a slight groan when Iuana's expression doesn't change. "Alright, I'll see what I can do. Maybe I can talk to him or something."

A look of relief fills Iuana's face, she hugging Shiya tightly in her arms. "Thank you father! You don't know how much this means to me."

Shiya looks away from Iuana when he notices Achak run up to Tahki and several of the other warriors telling them something, they understanding the order given to them and preparing to move out, Tahki motioning to several other warriors as she passed by them to join her and the others, a rather large group of them leaving.

Shiya watches the group that was right now preparing to leave the village while he speaks to Iuana. "It looks like our warriors have made it back."

Iuana watches the figures that Shiya now keeps his eyes on, they leaving to cross the waters and pick up members of their village that had recently returned back home. That much of them leaving at once meaning that a large group had returned, that group at the time only capable of being the warriors that Shiya had sent some time ago to aide another wild tribe in battle. "Good, not that I have anything against the warriors that are still here, it's just that the more we have the safer we will be from the military once they decide to attack us again."

Shiya nods his head, looking back to her. "This is good for you too you know."

Iuana looks back down to her father. "How?"

Shiya smiles back up at her. "Teddy is going to get a taste of his competition."

Iuana sighs as she watches Shiya leave her side and get back to work, he returning to his next order of business, despite what her father had said she didn't think that this was good at all. "Won't that just make him even more uncomfortable?"

*******

Yula is on the top of a roof with Teddy and Kitchi, the three of them working on repairing and replacing the straw bedding on the roof of Kitchi's parent's house.

Yula watches the other two work, though he had intended to help them he really didn't know the first thing about what was supposed to be done. He picks up a bound pile of sticks swinging it over to them. "What do I do with these?"

Teddy yelps when Yula hits him on the back of the head with the bundle he is holding, Kitchi starting to laugh at the accident while Teddy quickly turns back to Yula. "Just put them down, when we need them we'll get to them."

Yula frowns as he puts the pile down. "You're hardly letting me do anything."

Kitchi looks back to Yula. "Be patent, if we rush through this it'll be no good. Besides you not falling through the roof this time is help enough. You give us a lot more work to do when you do."

Yula groans at the reminder. "That only happened once... why you always have to bring it up?"

"Cause despite the extra work it was kind of funny."

Teddy begins to laugh as he thought back. "You broke your fall by landing on Shiya, you were freaking out because you thought you had crushed him."

Yula frowns as he turns his head toward Teddy. "It wasn't funny I really thought I squashed him you know! He's really not very big..."

A plump female wolf exits the hut they are right now working on, she waving up to Kitchi as she calls out to him and the others to get their attention. "How much longer do you think you boys will be?"

Kitchi moves to the edge of the roof calling out to her. "We should be done pretty soon mom, as long as Yula doesn't fall through the roof anyway."

"It only happened once jeeze!!"

Teddy looks over to Yula. "Wanna hand me that bundle of sticks you whacked me over the head with not too long ago."

Yula nods his head picking up the bundle and handing it to Teddy, helping him untie it and then place them upon the roof fitting them in place, Kitchi returning to them and beginning to fit them to the roof and repair the hole in it.

Teddy looks over to Kitchi. "So how come we have to fix your house so much? This is the third time we've had to do the roof, and we had to fix holes in your walls about five times already."

Kitchi lets out a weak laugh. "My mom is a little bit temperamental when she's pregnant... she gets very frustrated with all the weight she is gaining, and then even more annoyed with her lack of mobility. In the end she'll snap and something will get broken."

Teddy stares at Kitchi. "You're kidding..."

Kitchi shakes his head no. "I wish I was."

Yula worriedly looks to Kitchi. "I didn't know your mom could be so scary! She always seems so nice."

Kitchi looks up to Yula once he is finished his work. "Mom's usually a really nice person, it's just that stuff like this can just make her really frustrated." Yula takes a bundle of straw untying it and spreading it across the frame that the three of them had just finished making, Kitchi continuing to talk as the three of them worked. "You know Tahki wants to have kids, can you imagine how scary she's going to be once she's pregnant? I mean look at what my house goes through when someone as sweet as my mom is. Think of how bad someone as mean and grumpy as Tahki will be, I feel sorry for Achak, especially since he's so scatter brained. It's just not going to end well for him I don't think."

The three soon finish their work, they climbing down from the roof and joining Kitchi's mother who is waiting for them on the ground. "Thanks so much boys. Tahki has been keeping Hasson so busy lately, he hardly has the time to fix things, thank goodness I have you three to depend on."

Yula beams happily in the praise he is getting. "Oh no problem! We'll be sure to fix whatever you happen to break next too."

Kitchi's mother gets on odd look on her face. "Whatever I happen to break next?" She quickly turns her gaze to Kitchi fixing him with a glare. "Just WHAT have you been telling your friends?"

Teddy looks back to Yula. "Think we'll be able to fix Kitchi? Cause it looks like that might be what she breaks next."

Yula frowns shaking his head no. "I think we're going to have to take him to Achak for that... but knowing him he'll just break him more..."

Kitchi's mother looks back to Teddy. "So, you've been here for a while now." She points to Teddy's chest, he not yet having the marking of the raven with the head of a wolf that every single other member of Raven Wolf had. "So when are you going to finally be a member of Raven Wolf?"

Teddy shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know... Shiya hasn't given me the mark yet."

Kitchi looks to Teddy. "Shiya doesn't give you that mark, the spirits do."

Teddy sighs, he still not believing the whole spirit thing. "Yeah... well Shiya still hasn't passed the information to the spirits that I'm a member. So I don't have it yet." He thinks back. "I've brought it up with Shiya before, but he just tells me that I have to wait."

Kitchi's mother seems confused. "Wait? How strange... he's never done that before. I wonder why he would start now. Unless... you don't already belong to another tribe do you? If you are then there are procedures that he must follow before taking you in."

Yula looks back to Teddy. "That's got to be it then! You parents are from the Whistling Wind tribe right?"

Teddy frowns, having never really realized it until now. Though he clearly knew that his parents were from the tribe the fact that he would have been born into that tribe never hit him until now. "Yeah... but that tribe doesn't exist anymore... there shouldn't be a problem right?"

The conversation is interrupted when excited voices begin to spread throughout the village, the inhabitants all beginning to rush toward the village entrance, clearly someone had returned to their home. Though Teddy had seen this reaction among the villagers before they had never been this excited over someone returning, even when Shiya and Iuana has returned from meeting the other chieftains of the tribes in this area the reaction was not as intense as this.

Kitchi's mother looks just as excited as the other villagers, she beginning to make her way forward pulling Kitchi along with her. "Our warriors must have returned! Oh this is great."

Kitchi lets out a tired sigh. "Oh great... and it was so nice with Maigan gone..."

Yula looks up to Kitchi as he and Teddy follow after them, he having not heard the name before. "Maigan?"

Kitchi nods his head as he begins to explain. "My older brother... he's drives me crazy, always teasing me and treating me like a little kid."

Kitchi's mother looks back to him. "Oh nonsense, you're brother doesn't do that to tease you, he just loves to baby his little brother."

Kitchi frowns. "Yeah exactly..."

The group soon arrive at the village entrance where a large collection of the wilds have gathered, many new faces whom were new to Teddy that all carried the markings of warriors fondly greeting those that had come to meet them.

One of the new arrivals in particular certainly stands out, he tall and handsome, with a thick coat of reddish brown fur. His stance straight and proud as he stands in the center of those that had returned, he the one that had lead the group of warriors in their journey and battle. This wolf Kitchi's older brother Maigan.

Though not as tall as Hasson he defiantly inherited his father's height, while his fur carried the same sharp reddish brown as his mothers, he though a solid colour like his dad and not carrying the dappled coat that both Kitchi and his mother shared.

He looks over to Kitchi and his mother when he sees the group arrive, he moving through the crowds and approaching them. "Will you look at that!" He stops in front of Kitchi, grabbing onto his head and looking over the warrior markings Kitchi now had, he having not carried them when he had left. "My baby brother a real warrior! Who would have thought?"

Kitchi tries to pull back "Let go of my face Maigan!"

Maigan laughs as he holds Kitchi in a headlock while turning back to the other warriors that had just recently returned home. "Hey look at this! My baby brother went and became a warrior while we were away!"

"Stop calling me your baby brother!!"

Yula looks over to Teddy with a grin, it a little funny see someone drag Kitchi around like that.

Kitchi pulls free of the headlock Maigan had him in, he losing his balance and stumbling back, Maigan grabbing onto him once more before he hits the ground, wrapping his arm around him and pulling him back with him. "It's too bad I missed the ceremony, I would have loved to be there, but as you know I was out protecting our neighbouring tribes and winning a battle."

Kitchi sighs giving up on trying to escape his brother's grip and allowing Maigan to lead him around as he spoke. "The military numbers were many, and they brought with them weapons of all kinds, but regardless I and my men prevailed with hardly a wound to show for it." Kitchi rolls his eyes as he brother continued to go on. "It would like to say it was a breeze, but I admit that there were a few moments where my skills were tested."

Tahki looks over to Maigan when she hears him talking. "Maigan, it would do you good to work on your modesty. Victories are all good but excessive bragging about them tires the ears of those that hear it instead of impressing them."

Maigan sighs as he looks back to Tahki. "I am being modest-"

Kitchi interrupts him before he could say anymore. "No you're not."

Maigan frowns as he looks back to his brother. "Well... fine then, I won't talk about it anymore, unless of course I am asked." He lets go of Kitchi moving in front of him and looking down at him. "So, how were things while I was away?"

Kitchi crosses his arms. "Well, where do I begin. The peace treaty that Shiya has been working so hard to arrange turned out to be a trap and Iuana ended up getting captured by the military, but she escaped and came back only to have herself followed by two members of the military all the way back here, giving away the location to the village to them. In an attempt to get the military off of our tails, me, Dad and Shiya had to break into the domestic city to try and return the governors son, where we were quickly attacked and surrounded by the military. Lucky the governor was very happy to have his son returned who he had thought was dead until we brought him back, so he got the military to back down and let us return home. The military is for now anyway, not chasing us, Iuana is back, and oh, somewhere during all that I became a warrior, and Yula, Shiya's long lost son and the tribe's oracle was returned."

Maigan stares at Kitchi. "Well, you've been busy while I've been gone haven't you? Pity I wasn't around, I'm sure I could have prevented all that bad stuff from happening."

Kitchi groans looking away from Maigan. "Yeah right..."