Den kash Kuurin is a term in the Kuutsubi language meaning ‘worthily home of the sun’. It is the name of the world’s most incredible palace.
All Kuutsubi are believed to be descendants of this great golden god because of their unique skin tone, sun like in color, and to this god they are obsessively devoted. Den kash Kuurin is an example of this. For this god, Kuu, a palace of peerless splendor that no modern architect would dare bulid today for the pure stress of it was bound to kill them, was some how built, using bare hands, and eighty-one years. Built by the ancients over six thousand years before the present, it continues to be used for the same purpose, homing the most important of all Kuu’s children, the Emperor. Interestingly enough, the currant Emperor, a man by the name of Orphodat, is of the original, six thousand year old blood line, though challengers were many. This fact is a testimony to how dedicated to this god the people of this country are, going so far to protect anything in which they can see thier god.
This great palace is located at the heart of Kuutsubi’s capital, ‘Kuun’whin Hanada’, translating into ‘the city of gold’, a large city, not unlike any other large city, atleast it is now. The original city was a massive complex built to house ten thousand. This complex was made up of many connected houses, all of which were plated in gold, acres across. The city was surrounded by, on every side, lush, jungle like plant life. Inside the complex was not too much unlike this surrounding outside. Having a monumental appreciation of beauty, art and nature, splendors, magnificent courtyards grew for every possible space, being a perfect mix of all three things and a Kuutsubi passion to this day. The river flowing through it supplied the city with water, and a place to play, tan luxuriously, or playfully flirt when lacking anything else to do. The market at Kuun’whin was an unimaginable plethora of exotic items, ranging from priceless jewelry crafted by the Druids of Quogosie, to any type of fantastic relic from across the wide nation of Majin.
The appercance of Kuun’whin Hanada left most foreing visitors with impressions of the place already deep enough, but what was equally intruiging was how luxuriously the people of this place lived. Of course, with surroundings such as the all mighty ‘city of gold’, one can see how the Kuutsubi’s lived in luxury, but what I mean to say is, siz thoughsand years ago, with out the modern inventions that give people time to enjoy life, there was a lot more work to be done, and surroundings didn’t matter to most, those who lacked the spare second to relish its beauty. Three things made Kuun’whin Hanadians able to lay around all day, troubled only by the colours of a courtyard or a indoors-restricting rain. One, the work in this city was handled in a revolutionairy manner, everyone had a very fair amount of work, everyone’s food rations were split evenly and no one was richer than anyone else. Two, The amount of traders coming through made the comunity rich, and three, the odd slave was found in the city, though slaves like none anywhere else. Properly dressed, fed and fully considered by the city’s government. They were only needed in the odd year of drought or other difficulty, and all where eventually set free to leave or remain in the city under the rank of Kuutsubi. Cities were never raided in a barberic manner to show that Kuun’whin Hanada was not to be messed with and to supply a greedy city with slaves, no. The odd child was abducted, and, over time, fully intigrated into the city’s community. The other was that if ever a trader came through with a child for trade, they were purchased and eventually treated to the same fate. Travellers who visited Kuun’whin Hanada were always completely in aw of how beautiful and well kept the city was, and how many well-fed, happy people just spent their days enjoying themselves, laying on the beachs, gardening, playing.
Seeing the amount of travelers from everywhere the city raked in, it’s simple to see how such an isolated secret place reached it’s title of greatness all across the world. It was called by disbelieving travelers, ‘a golden utopia’, and quarters were freely given to any who needed or desired them, so, of course, the place filled up fast. This made Kuun’whin the largest city around for thousands of years, attracting travelers and pilgrims for across the face of the globe with stories of the city that, at sun rise, reflected the light brightly enough to be seem for miles around. The builders of Den kash Kuurin felt that this city was a suiting place for the capital and the home of an Emperor, and the material representitive of a god. For a time, it was both the city of gold and the palace of the gods that were able to shock all with their wonder.
After mellenia of existence, the city of gold has been reduced to, well, less than quite gold. While under the same roof, the complex roof, the people of Kuun’whin were all under control. After the city’s population grew over ten thousand, it spilled out of the golden city, and began to set up camp around it. Just a few houses at first, but the more who came, and, of course, wanted to stay, the larger the city grew. It grew to a good hundred times it’s original size. It became quite overpopulated. People went with out food. The foreigners that the place drew in had the bad attitude the unfair rest of the world had given them, which shocked the loving Kuun’whin Hanadians. The new population was mean, and the delicate system of even everything for everyone was shattered by greed with the utmost of ease.
In the present, before one traveler breaks out of the dark Kuutsubi forest through the last gradually thinning brush between themself and the massive city of Kuun’whin, the first thing one will notice is not the legendary blinding golden glow of the city, but a more painfull stimulation of not one, but all senses, than one (if they survive it) has ever expirience before (and might I add, ever will). As one traveler draws nearer and nearer to this massive, busy hive, it will not fail to stumulate every one of their senses. Chatter in all different tongues. Music of a queer looking Kuutsubi intruments, played by an ancient, queer looking beggar. Crying from all people. The clanging of soup bowls against each other. Rude remarks as tired people bangs into each other. The shimmering sound of expensive jewelery and the various sounds created by the remaning hords of merchendise. This place, being the world’s largest market place, has no shortage of unique smells. Dust, meat, soup, people, spices, all of which, one may taste, aswell. As for touch, an unlucky traveller will be afoot, as opposed to high above the crowd on horse or camel-back or Kuutsubi litter. Now in very close contact with the crowds, almost liquid-like in their conformation characteristics, one traveller rarely eascapes the city without have expiriences the ‘feeling’ of hundreds of people pushing in on them, crashing into them, smuthering them! Another physical sensation one might expirience in Kuun’whin is the ‘feeling’ of every possession possible being violently ripped off of them!
The largest shock to any of the senses is that of sight. This city is never quite what one expects, having heard legends around the fire from a fine young age. All one ever hears around a fire or from legends anywhere else is the good stuff, no one wants to hear of a disgusting, flea and filth infested, overpopulated city, but a glorious, ancient city of gold, what a fine story that would make! But when one finally actually sees it for themselves, all the fantastic dreams of greatness formed in a child’s mind are shattered as they ride out of the bush and into the city. When finally free from the forest, one’s first view of this ancient, enormous city will not be a pretty one. Before a traveler lies a city not of gold, but more a brownish tone, mud stained and dirty. Most houses on the outskirts of the city are tents, logs propped together and skinned in pelts or blankets. Children run around as far as the eyes can see, most of them have no clothes better than the filthy layer of mud that’s built up on them after living in a humid enviornment such as this without bathing. There are many children to been seen due to the lack of major birth controle methods and the fact that none of them go to school, explaining why they’d sit, staring out of their teepees and begging in the streets all day. Farther in, the streets fill with rude and insistant merchants, children and adults, every sort of person imaginable. Everything imaginable is being sold on carpets, stolen almost as quickly as the freshly counterfeit items are laid out. One such traveller making this very trip at the moment is one General Tao, a high ranking man in the Kuutsubi government. It was brought up by him at every one of the royal meetings held in this capital, that it, the capital, should be changed to a less dispicable location. Kuutsubi had a great appreciation of beauty, their culture is based upon and revolves around it. At every opertunity and in even in their simple everyday traditions they embrace it, they practice it. Coming through this city is a shock for most, but is truelly a seriously haunting expirience for any Kuutsubi, to set eyes on such a monumental lack-of-beauty!
General Mogen Yo Tao was a fine man of noble blood. His family owned a fine fighting collage that had trained many of Kuutsubi’s, and the world’s, finest warriors. He’d been born far from here, in a city far to the south in the blazing heat of the carved canyon labyrinth. These huge winding, intertwined canyons had been carved millions of years ago, and were the perfect places for small towns to hide. The particular village he originated from was called ‘chi-Shiboo’, meaning ‘red death mountain’, and for good reason. The practically vertical cliff faces and slippery peaks were highly traitorous, the intense heat of the place made seriously needed focus difficult to grasp, and under-even the conditioned foot of one born here and used to climbing, footing sometimes playfully pulls away, cruelly unaware of its climber’s mortality. This was the location of his family’s collage, and the training grounds of the students who, unfortunatly for their own chances for survival, studied there. Seeing how Kuutsubi was perpetually at war, it was tradition that, along with intense academic studies, an Emperor-to-be must study and practice the arts of fighting andf battle. This collage, being, in most people’s opinon, the finest in the world, was the chosen place to train the princes and princesses. It was here, fourty years ago, that Mogen Tao met the then-to-be Emperor, Orphodat, durring the young prince’s training. Mogen, too, underwent training, chanses being that he would one day come to lead the collage. Together the two of them enetered the course, as scared straight as the horror stories of older students made them, the were still blissfully unsuspecting of a good 99% of the terrors awaiting them. Together, they struggled through the ridiculously difficult tests, assisting one another all the while, the nobility of their favors ranging from that of taking turns fanning each other in the excruciating heat, to that of pulling the frantic other from over the side of a cliff. Many hours passed. They were spent jumping with the other hundred students in the courtyard to the envigorating beat of a drum, the morning workout. More hours passed as the hundred of them would march for days along narrow, crumbling roads along the inside of an ancient dried river bed, high above the ground, an excersise supposed to teach one to have a sense of balance, as dizzy as it actually made one feel. The longest (and certainly far more grueling than climbing cliffs) of all hours were those spent reviewing hundreds of complicated fighting techniques from all across north and south Kuutsubi, all across the gargantuum stretch of land that is Majin, from every last dark, conspicuous nook and kranny of Quogosie, and every other unmensioned place where a sensei instructs a student, to pass yet another ‘Partiniken’ test (dubbed the ‘Patriniken’ test by the tortured students after the proffesor who gave the test; That terrible proffesor, who, if a student failed, was said to hurle unlucky student off the edge of chi-Shiboo Mounatin). As these long hours passed, the bond between these two strenthened. So much, infact, that by the time Orphodat and Mogen Tao were condsidered by the surrounding students, and by themselves, to be brother. After graduation, the two parted ways. Orphodat returned to his holy pallace in the capital of Kuun’whin Hanada to continue his training as Emperor-to-be in a new area, and soon after, became Emperor. Mogen Tao remained on chi-Shiboo Mountain, assisting his brothers and sisters at the collage to train new students. Many years passed with little more than a word between the two, each of them too busy to keep up a friendship, now. Neither of them had forgotten it, though, and it was aparent by what happened eight years later... One day, a trio of the most beautiful people Tao had ever seen arrived on chi Shiboo mountain, two teenaged girls and a man. The beautiful females had faces like angels, striking silver eyes, rosy cheeks and full, golden-orange lips, all held together by the smoothest skin imaginable. The man with them was in his prime, tall and muscular and very handsom. All three of them wore traditional Kuutsubi garb, recognisable by the colour given to it from the strands of gold woven into their cloth, and each of them wore three layers of it. Another trait sported by all three of them was their four foot hair in, again, a traditional Kuutsubi ponytail. Yes, Kuutsubi hair grows at an astonishing speed, but most cut it everyday to keep it out of the way, showing how well groomed these three must have been. Since, at that time, Tao had never left chi Shiboo mountain and the surrounding few villages, so could only try to identify these people from people who’d come to him. There had only been a handfull of people who’d visited the collage who fit that marvelous discription, one of them being his old companion, the Emperor! Therefor, Tao assumed them to be royalty of some sort. Kuutsubi was split into nearly a hundred states, all of which had a royal family. It was because of this assumption that Tao found himself speechless when he was informed that the ‘princesses’ were none but mere messengers, and since Kuutsubi men were never allowed to be messengers, that left the ‘prince’ as none more than their guide! What was more shocking was that the message brought by these women was addressed to him! The staff of the school gathered in the garden, joined by the three visitors, for the traditional tea served before busness, after which, the elder of the women slipped a parchment from her tightest fitting sleve and read to Tao his message. Due to the death of the High General of the Kuutsubi Empire, in charge of over-all military organization, had recently passed away. Coming from the decendant of a god, the highest of all living beings, the following text, explaining that of anyone the Orphodat could think of, Tao was the most learned in the erea of battle and was invited to fill this position if he wished, was quite flattering. Infact, as the letter was being read, both older and younger fellow staff, and Tao’s siblings burnt up with envy. All of them were equally or more tallented than he, showing that this invatation was out of friendship, as long ago as it had been. After eight years of teaching second-year hand-to-hand combat, archery and other such subjects, it didn’t take much thought for Tao to decide, truthfully, he said yes the second the letter ended.
With that, Tao set out for the first time into the world. On the back of a fine impirial horse supplied for him, Tao and the trio of god-like servants headed north, out of the hot, dry southern canyons and into the cold, dark and wet forests of the north. He watched as the camofloguing earthy colours that had always surrounded him gradually changed into over-growing green, followed by complete green, more alive than he could have ever imagined a colour he’d seen so little of to ever be. It took them twenty-four days of travel to reach the holy northern capital, and what a great many things Tao learned in a mere twenty-four days! The increadable things the world posessed! Things the simple boy from the death-mountain would never have imagined! In these days, Tao came to realise just how much he hadn’t seen, and prepared himself for the final destination. Why? Because thsi was the magnificent capital of an ancient, powerful country! Because this was a city where a simple servant was enlayered in gold and jewels had to be of greatness too large for him to possibly handle! Tao was truely in for a shock, but not the right kind.
On the last day, the guide informed him that they were getting very close! Tao almost exploaded with anticipation, and sat up a little straighter in his saddle. He was the High General of the Kuutsubi Army, and felt that he needed to appear noble in such an important and holy place! It seemed forever he’d had to wait, though now, the last minutes in the tranquil forest were deeply relished by General Tao, and finally the forest thinned. As the four Kuutsubi immerged from the forest, young Tao looked on with wide, expecting eyes. The forest around them vanished, and the city was in plain sight.
And the sight was that sight of the less-than-glorious city.
He felt so dissapointed that it took everything in him to keep on going, when he felt like turning his horse around and galloping back to chi Shi-boo! Slowly, he and the servants made their way into the city, the farther they ventured, the worse it seemed to get. Even the self-realised country boy had the deeply ingraved love of beauty that every Kuutsubi had, and very dream he’d imagined of a fantastic, aw inspiring capital shattered! It was still dark out when Shandi was gently shaken awake by his father. He adjusted his head slightly, just enough to open an eye. He opened this eye slowly to inspect, and the the first thing to greet it was the illuminated face of a strong looking Majin man with pale skin, brown eyes and the authentic blonde Majin hair, his father. Zallyn’s face was light up by the white light of a cratered midnight moon. “Wake up, Shandi. It’s time to leave.” whispered his father, his mouth so close to his son’s ear that the boy could feel his breath, then he turned and left the room, leaving his son to his lone. Shandi pushed himself up, and felt his cheek separate from the warm pillow it had rested on. He did as his father told him to get up, but, in a moment of semi-consciousness, couldn’t understand why. Leave for where? What was he talking about?

Today he and his father, Zallyn, were going on a small journey, off to Twomax, a small village on the of the Dinta.
Suddenly Shandi was completely awake, the thought of Twomax excited him. The boy tore off his covers and leapt from his bed. He wiped the long dark hair from his eyes and then rubbed them vigorously. Shandi had never been to Twomax before. He might have, when he was little, but if so he was much to young to remember. His father, however, had been to Twomax too many times to count. But ever since he settled down and had a family, he never traveled much any more. Shandi had always wanted to travel. He wanted to see things. But so far he had had no such luck. He had grabbed the opportunity to get to go somewhere, to Twomax. To anywhere! He had never even left the forest.
Once dressed and ready to go, Shandi quietly slid from his room, into the hall. It was very dark and quiet, the only sound was that of the breathing of his still sleeping family. So as not to wake them, Shandi tiptoed as softly as he could.
Outside his father was waiting for him. The tall man stood facing the east, toward both Twomax and the thin yellow line of the rising sun.
“Ready to go?” he asked his son. Shandi could hear the excitement in his father’s voice.
“Yes.” Shandi replied. His voice must have sounded just as excited as his father’s.
“Sure you can make it there? I can piggy back you if you get tired.” Shandi laughed. “Hey” said Shandi, a little offended, “I can make it just fine! I may not look very strong, but I could beat you to a pulp.”
“I’d like to see you try.” smiled Zallyn. The two set off.

Today was a sunny day. The people of Twomax celebrated, having not seen the sun in so long. But today it’s warm rays had new meaning.
Lately it had been very dry and the crops shriveled up like dead rats. There was no food, no water. People started dying. Some started leaving Twomax to head for Koli or Mandu, where the weather was still good and there was medical facilities and food going spare. Twomax was nothing like that, it was just a small village. One where the people shared the same fate as their crops.
Then, after the small village’s people had almost given up hope, it rained! The looks on the Twomaxians faces as the dark rain clouds roled in were expressions of the purest happiness and relief. The rain lasted all day and all night and another day and another night and another day! And on the third day, the clouds parted. The Dinta river was filled to the top, so every rushed out for a drink. The water was so good on their dry tongues. Every one took the day off from trying hopelessly to revive the weak, yellow-stemmed plants they depended on. By now, after the rain, they were tall and green and bursting with good things to eat.

All the people of Twomax were jumping in the water and splashing around. They sang and hugged each other and thanked what ever was up there that it had spared them from their seemingly unavoidable fates.
Arrow was washing his gold hair. He jumped under water to soak it and then shook his head vigorously to get all the dust and dirt out. There was a lot. For the past way-too-long, there wasn’t even enough water to drink, not to mention to wash your hair in.
Suddenly Arrow was kicked hard in the leg. He stopped scrubbing his sunny mop and turned around to see a long haired kid, brutally sunburned, about his age, starring up at him.
Everyone around stopped moving. Arrow just happened to be the biggest, toughest kid around, the usual magnificently built, empty headed bully, and nobody messed with him and got away with it. They all waited for what Arrow was going to say. “You kicked my leg!” said Arrow, looking down at the small purple bruise on his shin.
“You’re quite observant!” Arrow, with his limitted vocabulary and simply mind, had no idea what boy was saying. It angred him to feel stupid, so he attacked. “I apologise for hurting you, it was an accident you see, I-” The runt attempted to say something but Arrow didn’t care what it was, and fixed him good before he could finish. He kicked the kid back, right in the spot where the kid had kicked him. Arrow put his hands on his hips and tossed his head back, laughing at the boy, who was hoping around in the water on one leg while holding the other. The boy noticed Arrow laughing, and was overcome with an urge to bring justice to this. “Hey! Don’t laugh!” he said. This made Arrow laugh harder, that he should really expect that he can tell Arrow what and what not to do, and what was and what was not pathetic. When the huge, thick headed Arrow only continued to laugh harder, a determind look overcame the boys face. “It’s not funny!” Arrow was so busy laughing that he wasn’t paying attention to what the boy was doing. The little jerk walked right up to Arrow, and with unexpected force, punched him in the teeth. Arrow flew back and hit the water.
The children of Twomax looked over when they heard the enormous splash that Arrow made hitting the water and ran over to watch. The jaws of those who had been watching almost hit the river bottom, no one had ever knocked Arrow down! The host of excited on lookers began cheering “Fight! Fight! Fight!” They knew what happened when Arrow got mad.
Arrow got back up and wiped his gushing lips with the back of his wrist. His eyes moved up to the boy, who was standing very firmly, fists out. It was quite different from the usual fetal position that most of his opponents took. He ran head first over at the boy, who dashed away. Arrow fell head first into the water and felt his face grate against the sharp stones on the Dinta floor. But Arrow was tough. A little nick on the cheek couldn’t hurt him. Arrow darted towards the kid again and this time, tripped him. He fell backwards, exposing his vulnurable stomach. Arrow was on him in a second. Arrow punched the boy in the guts until he managed to kick him off. Arrow gripped his teeth feeling through his last kick, the true strength of his boy.
Arrow looked at the strange boy. He was quite an enigma. He didn’t look or dress much like any one he had ever seen, and he was unusually strong. Not many could stand up to Arrow for very long, a boy taller, thicker and dumber than the average. The kid was fast, too. He was able to dodge Arrow when others would be trampled down. But Arrow could catch him.
Arrow raced up and grabbed the boy by the hair. It was very dark and clumsily long. Easy to grab. It had been in a ponytail before, but had come loose and was now flapping about. At first, it looked like this match was over, but the kid slipped away since his hair was to wet to hold. Now free, this mystery boy continued to fight untill the last, entertaining all the children of Twomax. This was, by far, the most increadable battle they’d witnessed yet.
Arrow came away from the fight with a little more than usual, a black eye, a bleeding cheek, a bruised shin, and his wrist seemed to have a heart of it’s own inside it, for it pulse painfully. He had had a hard time beating this mystery fellow. Arrow had never seen him before, but hoped that he would see him again. Since every one else around here was so weak, it was no fun. But that boy, that long haired and sun tanned boy, was a challenge. This guy was a lot smaller than he, but a lot faster. But Arrow had an increadable build and was unusually strong for his age, so Arrow won, barely, but he preferred the words ‘by a land slide’.
Arrow left the kid in the mud, and just before he walked away from his victim, he gave him a good kick in the side of the head. He found that his boot was covered in blood, and saw that he had knocked his rival unconscious. The normal person would have felt guilt for kicking a young man in the head, or might have had the sense not even have fought at all, but Arrow was, well, a tad too dense to tell the difference between right and wrong.
“Hehehe. I whooped him good.” Arrow walked up to the house. He was, as he usually was after a battle, satisfied with his victory.

Shandi pulled his face from the mud. What a fight! He shook his head a bit, to clear it, then got up. He had to cross the Dinta to get back onto the trail he had come here by. It wasn’t very deep, but it was cold. Once across, he ran the rest of the way home.
Shandi lived on the far end of the far end of the village in a neat little cottage tucked in the outer edges of the wood. Shandi and his family had their own little farm in a clearing. They were only considered a part of the town because of it’s boarders.
They very rarely visited the village either.
Today was an exception. His father, Zallyn of Didboo, went to visit a friend and brought Shandi along. The history of Shandi’s parents had always been a mystery to him. He’d been brushed off whenever he inquired about his parents’ origins, and, over time, had been conditionned not to ask, though he’d never really given it any thought as to why they wouldn’t answer him. So with no knowledge of where his father could have made a friend in the past, and from only remebering his father travelling to Twomax a handful of times, it was curious that Zallyn had a friend to visit at all. More curious, though, was the extream secrecy precautions taken not to be seen once in the village. But, the most curious of all was the friend! This friend’s name was Dageam. He was a huge man who laughed constantly. Shandi hated him from the start, but the friendliness his father posessed allowed him to like anybody. Friendliness and optomism were the two things Zallyn had the most of (peered closely by strength and empty-headedness). Zallyn was always happy, but the sort of optomism he displayed in the presense of this friend was many times stronger, like what it must of been as a boy, before being ground down by passing years, making Shandi sure that this friend was made in secret years before his own birth, when his father had been his age. So joyous were the two men at their reunitation that they didn’t even notice a bored Shandi as he snuck out to go find some fun. He saw people celebrating in the water and went to join them.
He had never seen so many people before. As he walked through the crowds, wide eyes looking around, that was all he could think. There were easily a hundred villagers here. He’d learned about such populated places, and even more densly populated place, but had never really seen so many people personally. The only people he ever saw, other than his family, were travelers and traders who would stop there for a bit on their way to Twomax. He felt strange among the crowd, a little shy. But there was even a trace of being proud to be a new face, for no particular reason really. Pretty soon he had sunk into the crowd and before he knew it, a young girl hit him and screamed “Your it!”. He had played this game before with his siblings and the children of the travelers that so often passed his home, so, knowing how to play, he began to chase other children. Shandi splashed around and tripped over some one’s leg and landed in the water. By the time he got up, a huge, muscular boy stood over him, grinning. He was the last person most would wanna trip. But Shandi, who had been bored any way, was pleased when he saw the boy angry. Fighting was a good way to get exercise. And Shandi was strong enough to take this guy. Almost, strong enough that is. But that guy only won by a little.
So after the fight Shandi dragged his bruised body back through the wood and up the hill over to the clearing where the little white house was. It was a fine house. The homes in Twomax were large, ugly huts made of clay from the banks of the Dinda River. But this house was made of pine and paint. His father, Zallyn of Didboo, often stood back to take a look at it, smiled, and said, “Look at our fine home, Shandi. She’s made with love and fit for a king.”
Shandi walked in. His mother, Cairo, and his older sister, Tolo, were cooking dinner. His little sister, Yem, was petting the cat and his littlest brother and sister, the twins, were playing in the corner.
“Oh! Shandi, my son! Look at your face!” his mother cried. She flew to him and began dabbing his slit cheek with her apron. “How ever did you get such a wound?”
“I got kicked in the head.” Shandi said casually, pulling away from his mother’s grip. Cairo looked as if she might faint.
“You were in a fight!” cried Shandi’s mother. “I told you not to! It’s so dangerous-”
“It is not! You have never been in a battle. It’s not dangerous! Well, I’m not that nieve, sure it’s dangerous! But moreso, it’s exhilarating!” Ranted Shandi, too worked up from his passion for action and youthful excitability to notice his mother’s horrified face. Soon enough, though, it was right infront of his own.
“You will say that ‘till the day you watch some die in your arms, Shandi!” said his mother almost screaming. “But I should know better,” she said bitterly in a disapointed hiss, calming herself down, “you will be just like your father, always looking for fun! Oh Zallyn! That’s the last time I let you take Shandi to town! Look what happened....”
Shandi jumped back horrified. He would never go to town again? But he loved town! He loved all the people there. Except that boy who beat him up. How would he ever get revenge? “No mother! I don’t want to stay here forever! It’s boring, not like Twomax. I like Twomax.”
Shandi’s mother rolled her eyes. “All right! But next time I’m coming! Your father is truly the most annoying and irresponsible man in the world!”

Shandi laid in bed that night rerunning the every move he had made that day in his mind. He found a new feeling in him. After leaving his familiar woodland home and venturing into a new place, however small the new place was compared to bigger more exciting places he could have gone, size really doesn’t matter, he felt a little stronger in the thought of going back to Twomax. Stronger than he had felt that morning about the thought of visiting that new place. In fact he not only planned to one day go back, he couldn’t wait! His world had just become a little bigger.
Shandi rolled over and closed his eyes. He rubbed the cut on his cheek, and this time, did not frown when remembering the boy who gave it to him. He chuckled. “I’ll get you soon.” He whispered, and went to sleep.

The next morning was like any other at Zallyn’s cabin. Mother was yelling at Father, the twins were playing in the corner, Tolo was gazing into her own reflection and Yem was playing with her dolly. Shandi woke to the familiar sound of his mother screaming at his father.
Shandi yawned and rolled over. The sunlight filled the room, so he hid under the covers to shield his eyes. But his attempts to regain unconsciousness were soon defeated by three small children. His three youngest siblings came running into the room as they did every day, warning him that if he didn’t get up soon he would miss breakfast.
“C’mon Shandi! Wake up!” screamed Yem, the only one of the three old enough to talk. “Your gonna miss breakfast! Wake up!”
Shandi grumbled and pulled the covers from over his face. He saw Yem’s two big curious eyes appeared and seem to say ‘Hello! Good morning!’. So, grumpily, he decided to get up, just to humour her.
He sat up. Yem screamed and moved back when she saw the oozing wound on his cheek. “What is it Yem?” he said and yawned. Yem reached out her little fingers to touch the cut. “Ahhh! Hey stop! That really hurts.” He put his hand over his cheek.
“Mommy is really mad at Daddy for letting you get hurt.” she whispered.
“Mommy is always mad at Daddy for something.” Shandi rolled his eyes. Putting on a sarcastic voice, he impersonated his mother. “Zallyn, you ate everything in the whole house! Zallyn, don’t teach the children bad language. Zallyn, you used the good china dishes for aim practice!” Shandi sighed. “You know how she gets.”
“Yup!” Yem laughed, her two large, bright green eyes sparkling. “C’mon Shandi. Lets go. Mommy’s made tarts and waffles and juice and spicy meat balls for breakfast!” Yem yakked away about breakfast as Shandi got dressed.
When all four siblings entered the kitchen, sure as the sky is blue, there was Cairo screaming at Zallyn for letting their son go and get beat up. Once she had been the most beautiful woman in all of Majin. Or so said people who could remember that far back. But Shandi couldn’t see it. To him, the fair Cairo was just his plump little house-wife mother.
Shandi sat down at the table. The room was full with warm morning sunlight and the delicious smell of cheese muffins. Shandi started stuffing his face, his cheeks filled fuller than the laws of anything would allow you to believe before finally he swallowed. Then he restarted the cycle over again until he was satisfied with the amount he had consumed.
Once Cairo had finished screaming at Zallyn she gave a sigh. Shandi wondered how any one woman could produce such a large amount of noise. But it works. Shandi’s father very rarely does anything stupid twice. Of course Zallyn could always find (purely by coincidence) some new stupid way to express his deep unknowingness about how ‘intelligently challenged’ he was. Shandi was more on his mother’s side.
Zallyn jumped into the chair next to Shandi and joined in the stuffing of faces marathon with his five children. The children may be smarter than their father, but you might as well call them clones in their eating habits.
Zallyn looked up from his plate. “Ya gnoh, ger iz va smubber pebaple ig a vi-” “Chew your food dear.” said Shandi’s mother, wiping his father’s chin with her napkin as she took her place at the table beside him.
“Ovps! Zorry!” Zallyn took a long a painful looking swallow (which took several minutes because of the amount of food being swallowed), wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and resumed. “I was thinking, well, Twomax’s summer festival is coming soon. About two months. It’s gonna be the best one ever since the crops were so good after that huge rain fall! I was thinking we could all go and celebrate.”
Cairo sighed.
Tolo giggled.
“Great time to bring that up, dad!” bellowed Shandi.
Zallyn had obviously forgotten the subject of the latest lecture given to him by Cairo only moments ago. A reminder that her son was beat up in Twomax only the day before was the one thing Cairo didn’t need.
“What!?” cried his father. He thought for a while, then it finally clicked. “Oh, hehe, ya. Well c’mon Cairo! He got beat up. So what? I’m sure that was only cuz the other guy got the first punch. It’ll never happen again! I promise!” (He gave a warning sideways glance at Shandi) “Plus Cairo, think of all the fun we would have. How long has it been since you’ve seen Dageam? And I’m sure the kids would have fun. Think of what a great experience that would be for them!”
Tolo and the twins cheered. Yem was silent thought. And Shandi didn’t make a sound in an attempt not to bring any attention to himself.
“See dear! We would have lots of fun!” explained Zallyn. But Cairo still looked a little uncertain. “And think, wouldn’t it just be so educational for them?”
And everyone knew that, although Cairo didn’t even say yes or no, it was decided. Cairo’s biggest concern was that her children were well educated and became scholars.
The plan seemed to have not a flaw untill, quite suddenly, Yem burst into tears! The shocked family looked upon the weeping child in confusion.
Cairo dashed to her little daughter’s side and began wiping her daughter’s tears with her napkin and comforting the child. “Oh chibi, my baby! Don’t cry Yem! What is it?”
“I’m scared to go to Twomax, mama!” Yem explained through her shower of tears. “Why is that baby?”
“I’m ‘fraid to go to Twomax cuz they are mean there! They might hurt me like they hurt Shandi!” the girl cried in terror. Suddenly all eyes were on Shandi, who pretended not to hear and continued eating.
Tolo stepped forward and picked up Yem. “Now Yem. Shandi only got hurt because he’s the kind who invite danger.” (Shandi almost fell over) “But you and me. We are smart. As long as we keep a smile and treat every one nice, every thing will go right and we will have a good time.” Tolo always had a talent of calming those in panic. She was very good with the little ones.
“You really think so Tolo?” whimpered Yem.
“I know so!”
Zallyn cheered! “Then it’s settled!” And before Cairo could say a word, he had rushed outside to chop wood or hunt, or do something, as long as he wasn’t there to be scolded by her.

“So,” Said Shandi softly as he walked through the Twomax woods nearby his house. “We’re going back to Twomax, then.” The boy took a deep breath of the fresh spring air. The smell of trillions of different kinds of flowers in bloom filled his lungs. He sat down on a mossy stump, many butterfly rushing up from the suddenly disturbed growth. He sat, deep in thought. Shandi came out here to think a lot. It was the only place he could really think with out interruption. His mind was a jumble of tangled thoughts and almost-fears. The word ‘Twomax’, kept coming up. He put his hand over the wound on his cheek. “Now I know for sure. I’ll see you again my thick headed friend. Two months. I’ll be ready. I hope you are.”

Tomorrow is the summer festival. Since the crops did so well this year, after the unusual three days of solid rain, the celebration this year would be the biggest ever! Definitely not a celebration you would want to miss. Many tribes of Happ natives, citizens of the fair village Koli (Twomax’s sister city), and people from all over the country of Majin would be there. Any tribes or peoples living along the mistress river Dinta would float down on large rafts. Maybe even a few Kuutsubi would arrive. But there was little chance of that.

Two months had passed since Arrow had won his battle against the new boy. He enjoyed telling the story to his friends about how he had returned triumphant from a great battle with a mysterious foreign war lord. Well, maybe he exaggerate a little when he told it, but no matter, lies just made the story more exciting. He loved telling lies, people loved hearing them.
Arrow thought about the kid once in a while. He wished the kid would come back and fight some more. But by the looks of it, the foreign war lord had crawled back to his far away land.
Arrow sat on a grass mat outside his family’s mud-hut, watching the unusual amount of comotion around, the preparation for tonight’s summer festival. For the last week, and continuing up to that very moment, hunters were returning with large animals on their backs, to feed the guests at the feast. Meanwhile, the guests, on the backs of horses, camels or other creatures, or on foot, were spilling in through the gate of the log-wall dividing the village from the forest on one side of the village and, on another side of the village, more guests continually flowed in on rafts packed with supplies and gifts.
Bored, Arrow, got up from the mat he was sitting on and went to sit with a group of kids around his age on the banks of the Dinta. They were watching the travelers and guest from other cities arriving to celebrate the festival. “Arrow!” called one of the boys he knew. “Tell us ‘bout ya fight with da war lord ‘gain. Dat’s me favorite.” The remark was fallowed by several loud compliments.
“C’mon guys! I just told that one yesterday!” he groaned. “Maybe I’ll tell it at the story circle tonight.” Every year at the summer festival there was a gathering of many, many villages. First they ate ‘till they were completely stuffed. They put the little ones to bed and then at midnight they would all gather in the Inuta. The Inuta was a large flat circle on the east side of the village. It had tiny coloured tiles on the floor making a picture of a warrior riding a horse. All ceremonies were held there and at the summer festival that’s where every one sat and told tales. It was really fantastic.
“‘Eh Arroh,” said a girl named Jusiven. “I’n see’d ya ‘war lowd’. He be’s ovah deh.” she said pointing eastwards.
Arrow turned around and his breath froze in his lungs! It was him! The boy, er, uh, the war lord! He must have come to celebrate the summer festival! Arrow left his friends and ran quickly over to a large tree where he hid and spied on the boy.
The chief’s brother Dageam ran out of his hut and gave the boy and what must have been the boy’s family each a huge hug. Arrow giggled as he saw the boy’s expression when the fat man hugged him.

Shandi and Yem sat on one large woven mat on the floor of Dageam’s mud hut. His mother held the twins in her lap on another mat. His father, Tolo and Dageam all sat on chairs at a table. Dageam ranted on and on about old times and games he played on girls with Shandi’s father when they were boys.
Shandi wished he was outside. He glanced at the Twomax children playing outside in the river. Then he glanced around. His mother and the twins were not bored. They were enjoying the stories. His father was having too much fun laughing and arguing with Dageam to be bored. Tolo was very bored, Shandi could tell. But the fine young lady was old enough to know to listen and not fidget, not matter how uninteresting the conversation. But Yem was. Yem was very bored. She was slumped over with her eyes half closed. She must have hated listening to Dageam’s babble as much as Shandi did. Yem’s first trip to Twomax started as uneventful as Shandi’s. He would make sure it ended as excitingly as his did.
“Hey,” he whispered.
“What?”
“Wanna blow this joint? We can go play in the river. I’ll show you around.” Yem’s eyes light up with excitement. “Ya! Lets go.”
The fat man and the others were to into their stories from long ago to realize that two kids were sneaking off. Both siblings let out a deep sigh when they made it out of the dark little hut into the sun. Yem looked around in disbelief. She had never seen so many people! Villages are so cool!
“So Yem,” asked Shandi to the little girl. “Are you excited about the summer festival?”
“Ya!” she cried. “I’m glad we decided to come. This is so much fun Shandi. Can we see the In-In-Inu....” the girl stumbled trying to say the word but finally gave up and trailed off. She looked up at Shandi, as if she expected him to finish for her.
“The Inuta? Sure. I’d like to see that myself actually. I never got to see it last time. I was, uh, a little busy.” Shandi took Yem’s tiny hand in his and lead her over a dusty hill. The view from the crest was breath taking.
Before the young man and the little girl was an immense strip of land that seemed to go on forever. At the bottom of the hill was a huge circle, freshly traced with white and yellow chalk for the ceremony. Beyond that there was a meadow of bright gold wild flowers, heavy with pollen. The gold flowers seemed to stretch forever and ever. But they didn’t. The sharp green line of a forest sliced the gold of the meadow clear. The Mountains laying beyond that were too small for may to see, however huge they may be. But only they gifted with strong sight could find the hazy blue hint of ocean even farther away. But after that it all became a blur. Just a fuzzy horizon. Shandi was sure there was more beyond that. Maybe he would see it one day...
Yem took no note of anything beyond the Inuta and she ran shrieking with delight down the hill. Yem was a child. She expected change. So seeing wide open spaces like that didn’t affect her. But Shandi, who’s mind was set, had grown used to seeing similar surroundings his whole life, was totally in awe when he saw the world outside of his protective fortress of trees. He stood on top of the hill staring for quite some time, totally smitten.
Shandi was so amazed he didn’t even hear the footsteps coming up behind him. Suddenly he was pushed off balance and went tumbling painfully down the hill. He emerged at the bottom, right at the edge of the Inuta.
“Shandi!” Yem screamed and ran to his side. “Are you alright?” Shandi jumped to his feet. Both the siblings turned and looked up to see who had pushed Shandi. Shandi’s jaw dropped in shock. Yem clenched onto Shandi’s leg in fright. There, on top of the hill was the boy.

Shandi saw that the boy had grown almost four inches onto his already towering body, making the boy a good foot taller than him. But he was not afraid of this dope. Secretly, Shandi had been training for this moment all summer. Four thousand pushups a day. It took all morning to do that. Then he would walk for hours more while hunting for food or gathering sprouts and herbs for his mother. Shandi knew there was going to be a fight. He didn’t want Yem to become part of it. He tried to get the frightened child to let go of his leg.
“Go play Yem. I’ll just be a minute.” he ordered.
Yem looked up at him with two round and fearful eyes. “But Sha-”
Shandi pushed her away. “I said GO!” The hurt little girl obediently nodded her head and ran up and over the hill back towards the village, looking back every few paces.
When Yem was finally out of the way, Shandi and the boy walked up to one another. They stood face to face, each one grinning with the thought of what they would do to the other. Shandi stared strait up into the eyes of the tall, muscular, golden hair Twomax boy, who stared right back down into his. Suddenly Shandi began to laugh. The boy looked a little confused. Then a little angry.

The sun set. It’s last rays were like fingers, holding onto the edge of the Earth, trying their best not to fall into the deep pit of night.
Shandi was very much enjoying himself. A huge bonfire was lit in the center of the Inuta. Drummers and singers jumped and sang songs in the old language and danced around it. And food was set out on woven grass mats as far as the eye could see. He discovered a new dish called ‘fish’, some kind of animal that could breath in the water. He had never seen an animal like that before. He tried several different kinds of meat, stuffed himself with fruits and berries all washed down with the sweet taste of champagne.
Shandi could see the boy watching him. Shandi watched back. He knew they were both uneasy about the thought of fighting each other. He could see that his idiotic friend over there was dying of temptation. I’m right in his home village. I’m ten feet away from him and he can’t do a thing to me. Hehehe!
Yem was very quiet all night. She tried not to look right at Shand, and she did her best not to think about Shandi and just have fun. But he knew right off the bat that the usually happy and fun little girl was different tonight.
Shandi looked over at the child in the purple robe. Yem looked sad. So he put down the drumstick he was gnawing, walked over to her and sat down. She turned her head away.
“Hey chibi. Having fun yet?” He said with a huge smile, trying to cheer her up.
No reply.
“Uh, great food ay? I’m stuffed!”
Nothing.
Shandi grunted. “Aw! I give up. I can’t figure out what’s bugging you? Just tell my Yem. I’ll listen. I won’t laugh. Promise.”
Yem turned her big green eyes to her brother, obviously not taking the bait.
“No you won’t! You never listen to me cuz I’m just a little kid. All I do is get in the way. ‘Go home and play with your dolly Yem.’” she cried.
Shandi was stunned. “What! Yem I never-”
“Go away!” Yem turned her head again.
Now Shandi knew something was really getting to her.
Shandi had to help. He looked around for some way to make her listen. Some thing to make her trust him again. In the soft light of the fire a small round shape caught his eyes. He picked up a smooth silver round pebble from the dust.
Shandi cleared his throat trying to get her attention. Unfortunately it only resulted in a large spit ball landing a few feet away; Yem didn’t budge. So he just took the direct approach.
“Yem.” he whispered.
No reply.
“Here. It’s a present. A shiny, glittering rock from the City of Twomax, the banks of Dinta.” He laid the tiny stone at her feet. “It’s magic, you know. It’s lucky.”
She still didn’t move.
So he just stood up and walked back to his mat, where he found the his drumstick had been stolen.

The next day, Shandi got up very early. It was still dark outside. He wondered if the honor of winning a fight against Twomax’s strongest novice was really worth getting out from under these warm sheets.
Making no sound, Shandi pulled on his clothes, grabbed a scrap of last night’s left overs, and, trying not to step on his family (who all still slept soundly on the floor), he tiptoed out into the crisp day.
Once away from the huts, Shandi began running quietly up the hill, disturbing the dust and rising a small cloud of it in a trail behind him. There was almost no noise, except the wind and the occasional call of a far away bird. Shandi was almost at the crest of the hill when suddenly there was noise. A call.
“Shandi! Wait!”
Shandi almost had a heart attack! He jumped around, fists out, to see a small female figure in night clothes running up the dusty, grassless, brown hill after him. Yem!
“Hey Yem, you scared me! What are you doing up so early?” he asked in a whisper. Yem stepped up to him.
“What are you doing up so early?” She asked. Shandi searched for a reply that wouldn’t get him in trouble.
“I...uh...Came out to...um...bleh...”
“Your....your going to fight that boy.” She asked with big sad eyes staring up at him.
Uh-oh.
“I don’t want you to fight. He was the one who beat you up right? Shandi, he’s so big! I’m scared of him.” The little girl hugged him. “I’m scared he will hurt you.” Shandi was totally surprised by what his sister had to say.
He thought for a moment, and suddenly, he understood. “Is that what was bugging you last night?” Yem nodded sadly. “I see. You thought that I thought that you were getting in the way! No Yem! I just didn’t want you to get hurt! You don’t need to worry. I can take that dope on.”
Yem looked up with bright eyes. “Are you sure?” Shandi nodded smiling. “Can I come to protect you Shandi?”
Shandi laughed. “You’d better stay here. Don’t worry. You go back to sleep, K?” The disappointed little girl frowned. “Well...” Yem reached in her pocket. “At least take this. You might need it.” She held out her hand. Inside lay the lucky pebble he had given her last night. “You know. For luck.”
Shandi took the rock. “Thanks squirt. I’ll see you.” He said turning to continue his march up the hill.
“Shandi,” Shandi turned to his sister. “You sure I can’t come?”
Shandi shook his head. “You’ll be safer here. Till then.” Shandi did a Majin style salute. Yem chuckled and gave one back. With that, the little girl ran back down the hill, into the village, and vanished through the door of Dageam’s hut.
Shandi looked back at the rock again. It glittered in the sun light. “Hun.” Said Shandi, who put the rock in him vest pocket and trudged along up the hill.

Shandi started thinking that he had been tricked. Tricked maybe into getting up before the sun and wandering in an almost endless field of flowers for hours. He hadn’t seen the boy yet and the sun was well on it’s way across the sky.
He thought about turning back a few times. Maybe I’ll just look a little longer, he thought again and again. Finally, after pushing aside another tall gold flower plant, a small round clearing was revealed.
“It’s about time you got here.” Chuckled the boy sitting in the center of what looked to be a very old and almost forgotten Inuta circle. “I’ve been waiting for eons.” The boy swallowed a piece of bread and reached into a bag for another.
Shandi didn’t say a word. He walked into the circle and looked around. The faint traces of a broken yellow ring surrounding them from where the flowers stopped proved Shandi’s theory of this being an old Inuta. At the center, the boy sat next to a pit filled with black soot where the fire had burned. This circle was obviously very old since the grass that had been trampled by his enemy for the match was very long.
“I’m here. Lets go.” said Shandi putting up his fists in a ready position. The boy stared at Shandi for a second, a little confused. But then he started laughing.
“Why are you so eager to get going? We’ve got all day.”
“No we don’t! My family and I are leaving today.” said Shandi a little annoyed. “Ya. That’s right. Your not from around here are you? We don’t see you around here much kid.”
Shandi shook his head. “No. I live way out in the woods. And it’s not ‘kid’.” said Shandi, who was just as old as the boy, so found no good reason why he should be called ‘kid’. “It’s Shandi.” The boy started laughing again.
“Haha! That’s a funny name. So the identity of the great mystery warlord is finally revealed.” The boy swallowed another bite. “I’m Arrow.”
Shandi sat down at the edge of the Inuta. “Now that' s a funny name.” Shandi waited for eons while Arrow filled on fruit cakes and jam sandwiches. No wonder he’s so big. Finally Shandi jumped up! “I’m tired of waiting!”
Arrow stared at Shandi with his very widely used ‘clueless face’. Man Arrow was stupid.
“Hey! Lemme just finish my lunch!” Arrow was about to begin stuffing his face again, but stopped. “That reminds me.” The boy reached in his bag and pulled out a large round tin. What’s this? Thought Shandi. “Here! It’s food. You look pretty hungry and eating will give you something do. It will also make you strong!” Arrow pulled up his sleeve and began showing Shandi his muscles. Now it was Shandi’s turn to be confused.
“Why do you want me to be strong? I might beat you!” asked Shandi.
“That’s why I fight you in the first place! Cuz your strong. It’s no fun fighting weaklings. But you, Shandi, are a challenge. Just what the young and restless male mind needs! Atleast, that’s what my mother tells me...”
“Oh.” Shandi opened the tin. Delicious things lay inside. Two meat sandwiches, four bananas, an orange, a small bottle of wine and a yet smaller tin in turn filled with ‘fish’. Shandi’s mouth almost overflowed. “Yummy!” He spoke the word as if it meant GO and started gorging! The food was gone very fast. Both boys laid back and belched with satisfaction.
“Ok Shandi.” said Arrow calmly. “Now lets go.”

Arrow stood on one side of the Inuta, Shandi on the other. Both circling slowly, carefully watching each others every move.
Arrow made the first move. He kicked at Shandi, who jumped over Arrow’s out thrust leg. Next Arrow attempted to land a punch on the side of Shandi’s head. But the warlord avoided that too. This pattern repeated itself many times. That was Shandi’s plan. Just tire the oaf, and when he’s off his guard, move in for the kill!
Sweat trickled down Arrow’s red-hot face. Finally he grew bored of attacking the air while this little elf danced around. He threw another punch.
“Good job Arrow! Almost got me that time!” laughed the highly amused warlord. “Your driving me crazy! Aaaah!” Arrow growled. “Don’t just dodge you little sigmam! Do something!!!” He threw another punch. Shandi managed to duck in time to miss that punch. A little voice inside Shandi seemed to be screaming NOW!
“Alright Arrow! I will do something!” Shandi sprang back up and before Arrow could pull back his arm, the boy grabbed it. Pulling and lifting with everything he had, Shandi flipped Arrow over. He made a horrible thump when he landed flat upon his sweaty back.
“So,” said Shandi putting his foot on Arrow’s heaving chest. “I guess that makes me the victor of this match.”
Arrow pulled himself up, angrier than a yak in heat. “I’ll get you for that!” He raced towards Shandi ready to beat the boy senseless.
“Come and get me Arrow! I’m really sca...” Shandi drifted off and stared up at the sky. Arrow stopped running, intruiged by his opponents sudden los of interest in the match. What was it now? What was this war lord staring at? Arrow turned west, towards the village where Shandi was staring. He couldn’t see anything.
Arrow walked up to the ever staring Shandi and waved his hand in front of the warlord’s eyes. “Hello-ooo!” He screamed. “Majin to Shandi! Come in Shandi!” Shandi didn’t budge. In a drastic attempt to get Shandi’s attention Arrow gave the boy a good punch in the chin. Hehehe, that should get him out of that trance, thought Arrow. It was his specialty punch, proven to knock down any one stupid enough to challenge the great Arrow. Except Shandi, who still stood still staring off to the west. Arrow started getting worried. Did I punch him too hard? Arrow looked over at the village again.
“Aaaaaah!” Arrow screamed! A huge black ship was flying at fantastic speeds eastwards, towards the village and them. The black ship ripped through the air and just above the village it dropped a single tiny black cylinder.
Slowly it fell...
Arrow felt his blood run cold.
...Boom! An ear splitting explotion rang across the meadow. The shockwave raced across the field of gold, blowing them both over as it swept by! Shandi was so entranced by the amazing ‘black bird’ he spotted that he had become almost incoherent in wonder. The things that lived outside the wood were increadable! Shandi had never seen a plane.
Arrow on the other hand, had. And he knew right away why it was there. Twomax was under attack!
“Hide Shandi! The pilots of the ship might see us.” But Shandi didn’t hear. He just stood, obviously inspired right in the open. Arrow pulled the spell bound boy out of the open circle and crawled over top of him, to protect him from the shower of debris from the explotion. The ship roared over head, almost close enough to touch and unimaginably loud! The flowers waved and swayed in the breeze and the two boys were almost sucked off the ground!

Shandi’s head popped up, hair a mess. “Wow.” he said in a reflective tone. “Did you see that? What was it? Holy! That was amazing Arrow!”
Arrow pulled himself up and looked around. “Y-ya. I g-guess you could say that.” He said trembling with fright. “I-it was a plane. I don’t expect that you’ve ever seen one, always having trees blocking your skies. But here you see them every day. Just....not like that.” Arrow tried to stand up, but found that his knees were just too shaky, and he had to sit back down. Shandi, on the other hand, was so high he was doing cartwheels. He has no idea what just happened, thought Arrow as he watch Shandi. “Sorry to spoil your fun, but that plane was attacking us.”
“Cool!” said the totally high kid.
“No!” screamed Arrow, shocked at Shandi’s response. “Not cool. It was attacking us! They wanna kill us Shandi. Look!” Arrow pointed west towards Twomax. Shandi turned to see what was wrong. And he knew right away. That plane had bombed Twomax! A huge black cloud rose from the burning remains of what was once a city. Nothing was left but burning debris!
“Arrow! What-why-how...” Shandi had a million questions to ask. His mood had definitely changed, but the adrenalin was still pulsing through him. But Arrow was already running home. All his family was there. So was Shandi’s. Were they hurt? Were they dead? “Wait!” Shandi screamed, and started chasing Arrow.

Flowers scratched Shandi’s face as he ran. Annoyed, but to occupied to really pay any attention, he simple pushed them away. Finally he was out of the meadow and he found himself in the middle of the large Inuta circle. Arrow ran up over the hill and back down to the village.
Shandi’s stomach almost did a back flip when he saw the torn body of one victim in a purple robe. Was-was that.... Almost screaming, Shandi ran to it.
Yem.
He stepped up to the corps and slowly bent down to see. Carefully he flipped it over.
It was her.
Shandi’s eyes filled with tears. Yem had been sitting atop the hill watching him. She wasn’t in the village but still close enough. The explotion had thrown her violently from on top of the hill and she tumbled down all the way down to the Inuta. Shandi made it when Arrow pushed him, but her was much larger and wasn’t pushed too hard. Yem was like a little doll. The impact of the ground had broken her body. The girl’s snapped ribs stuck out of her sides in disgusting angles. Her back had been scorched by the explotion in the village behind her. The explotion had been so large, that even where she was sitting, she didn’t have a chance. Yem must have been in so much pain, the poor little thing. Shandi began to sob. He held the cold body of Yem close against him and wept. “She would still be alive if I had let her come with me! I made her stay. I told her she would be safe here! She would have been safer with me, but I-I made her stay!” screamed Shandi almost loosing control. “I...” He took a huge breath, “I made her stay!!!” he screamed!
Yem’s blood soaked his clothes. It drained through his fingers, running in a terrible red river. There sure was a lot of blood in people. The words his mother once said suddenly came back to Shandi. She said something about him being naive. She was telling him that fighting and war was wrong. “You just wait until you witness someone die in your arms.” She was so right.
Suddenly Yem jerked.
“Unh...Shandi...” Shandi looked up when he heard her. But there was no way. It was too late. The last breath left her lips. Her tiny heart pulsed it’s last. Yem’s big curious and innocent eyes, those that had separated her from the others, were now emotionless and filmed over with death. Yem was dead.

After what seemed like hours of waiting, Arrow came slowly back over the hill. The disappointed boy had found nothing. No trace of his family or friends what-so-ever. The only thing the turned up were two bodies, neither of which he could tell who’s were. Almost every one had been buried in debris, too deep to be dug out. The city was in flames, a smoldering crater. It was so hard to beleive that this was his home. He cried. His entire family, his life was gone. He was orphaned. He was stranded out here. Yes, of course he’d cried... But not in front of Shandi.
When Arrow saw the boy holding the child (what was her name, Yem?), his heart broke for the warlord. Finding nothing at all was better than seeing his own family like that, torn and broken. Arrow placed a hand on Shandi’s shoulder. In the softest voice Arrow had used for any one, he whispered. “C’mon Shandi.
There’s nothing here for us.”
Shandi turned and looked up at Arrow. His red eyes and tear streaked face showed compassion. He nodded slowly.
Shandi stood, still holding Yem. Then he walked to the fire pit in the center of the Inuta and laid the child inside. She fit perfectly in the soot filled hole. Shandi then stumbled, feeling quite shaky, to meadow and pulling at the fiercely at the stem, he picked a long gold blossomed flower. He brought it back to the pit and placed it over the his sister’s body. He stood, looking down and reflecting for a precious moment. It was silent, except for the cool wind whistling through his dark hair. Shandi wiped his tears and sniffled. Walking fast he passed Arrow. “C’mon Arrow. There’s nothing here for us.”