"If you were born a little earlier you might have been the brightest star of this tribe." The dying words of my father, he was a human isolated by the others.
Even the words of my mother, the chief.
Did not work in giving my father a place in this tribe.
He suffered cruelty that will now be passed on to me, a bearkin with tainted blood.
A Union that would have been celebrated back then, but now it was a taboo; no one went unpunished for mentioning it.
Humans and bearkins broke their relationship just before I was born.
"I don't need to be the brightest, being a star is enough," I muttered to my father, grabbing his cold hands.
That's right, I just need to belong.
...
"Are you hurt anywhere?" A familiar voice greeted me
Straightening my aching body I looked at my mother.
Seeing her concerned face, I already knew what had happened
"I already told you it was a bad idea" she said, grabbing my face, checking for injuries "That title means nothing"
"I'm the Chief's son," I couldn't help but mutter, head hung low.
"Hm?" My mother looked at me, not hearing a word I said.
"You don't have a chance of winning anyway, so why the long face?" A youthful voice jerked my head up, surprising my mother.
Looking towards the voice, I saw Anna, the young Bearkin, holding my little sister.
"Why are you here?" I asked exhaustion taking hold of me.
"For Krisna, isn't it obvious" She rolled her eyes.
"Now, now." Mother called blocking my vision of Anna.
"You should rest longer, Askael." She said with concern, finished with her inspection, "You pushed your body too much this time." She sighed, pinching my side, making me involuntarily yelp.
"Adrenaline isn't a solution to everything, the tolls your body takes come back two folds once it ends"
"It's the only way I could win..." I said.
"Brother could knock you in a single blow" Anna's face popped out behind mother "There's no way you have a chance of winning, he just goes easy on you"
"I doubt that," I chuckled dryly, the insults, the hits that made blood rise to my tongue. There's no way that's Palo going easy on me.....
"It's true!!, tell her auntie!!" She looked at Mom with burning eyes.
"Well," she let out a laugh before pushing Anna away.
Reaching the door of the hut, she looked back with a dangerous glint in her eyes
"Rest"
'Scary'
I plop down on the bed, exhaustion taking hold of my body.
"pathetic" I muttered to myself.
I was confident I could win.
I practice using adrenaline without others knowing.
Thinking that if they saw me use a power double than their own, I'll be accepted by them.
"I did everything I could" I let out my frustration, feeling an unbearable itch in my eye
"Ugh, are you crying?"
"!!"
Quickly wiping my eyes I look at the door in annoyance.
"Why did you come back?" I asked
"To boast" Anna said with a grin
"Huh?"
"My brother, he's gonna be the new chief" she said walking closer
"So you should just give up," she said, putting her hand to her hips.
Ugh, she's rubbing salt on the wound. If I could move, I would have hit her in the head.
"You don't have to tell me" I said, accepting the situation.
"Also!" She yelled turning back "You were amazing back then"
Huh? What happened to her? Is she sick?.
I think I could see a pink hue on her ears.
"I didn't see you there" I stated
"Ugh!, why didn't brother beat you more?" Anna said stomping her way out
"Huh!?"
What's wrong with her?
.....
Askael opened his eyes, the smell of herbs that cling to his nose, his dull aching body, and this same dilapidated hut.
"I'm bored," He muttered before looking to the side where Anna was, playing with Krisna on her arms. She looked back at Askael.
"What?" Anna said with a bored look.
"Why are you here again?"
"To play with Krisna, I can't believe you never play with your own sister!" Anna pushed Krisna forward showing her off to Askael
"Look how cute she is!"
"Yeah, yeah, but you know what I'm talking about" Askael said.
"Today's the day that your brother is titled as the chief"
"So?" Anna poked Krisna's cheek while the child tried to swat her hand away.
"Shouldn't you be watching?"
At his words, Anna looked at Askael with that all-knowing look as if she could read his mind.
"You can go"
"Huh?"
"I won't tell Aunt, just don't tell her I said anything if you get caught," Anna continued playing with Krisna.
But the corner of her eyes would sometimes wander to the silent Askael.
Removing the sheet that covered his body, Askael lifted his body off the bed.
Stepping on solid ground for the first time in days, he let out a grunt from the pain.
"Adrenaline isn't that great after all" he muttered with a chuckle before looking at Anna
"I'll repay this someday"
.....
Panting, I let the scenery take me in.
The center of the village was crowded, just like that day.
Boars act like an arena, the blood-soaked flag covered the corpses while people cheered, yelling Ponu's name to the air.
"No one cheered for me back then" I muttered.
The surrounding quieted down as Ponu recited words, the same words I said a week prior.
"I have consumed both meat and blood our ancestors have taken," He wiped the blood from his mouth, looking back to the bearkin near the flag pole.
"The ancestors have given their approval, is there anyone who would object?"
No one reacted negatively, no youngsters stepped forward to challenge his authority, and the cheers, which started small, engulfed the entire village.
"Ponu!, ponu!" The thunderous chant echoed in the air, words that bore through my existence.
The very thing I work so hard to achieve was given to him as if it were something ordinary.
Clenching my fist I couldn't help but mutter
'So this is what acceptance is like'
I couldn't continue watching, I left amidst the cheers walking back to that lone hut.
The road was empty, there was no bearkin in patrol, no children catching up to each other, it was quiet, the type where you can hear your own thoughts.
And I did hear it, insults coming from deep within me, the overflowing envy I am feeling.
Feelings I was forced to swallow as I reached the entrance.
"You're back early," Anna said at the door.
"It ended early," I said, pushing my way inside.
I head to the bed, slumping face first, the soft hay hugged my entire body as a long breath escaped from my mouth, and out came the resentment and envy I felt.
"Askael"
"...."
"ASKAEL!"
The sound rang through my head forcing me to face Anna
"What!" I answered back but my anger immediately subsided the moment I saw her face.
I can tell....she's scared.
"Can't you feel it?" She asked hugging Krisna tightly.
"Feel what?" I paused the moment I felt it as well.
It was as if a hand gently holds my heart and at any moment's notice it could tighten its grasp until....
The helplessness engulfed my entire being; all color seemed to fade as I stared back at Anna's face.
Tear.
It came from the sky
It was the sound of fabric being forcefully torn apart, and that sound ended everything.
The heavy feeling vanished almost instantly as if it never existed.
I saw my shocked face reflected in Anna's eyes as color returned to the world, and panic ensued outside from that phenomenon
Screams and destruction rang from afar while the two of us in the hut could only stare back at each other, trying to understand what in the world just happened.