The fight was easier than Xīlōxōch thought. She’s in better spirits after scaring those beasts away. She admires the scenery as she continues walking and feels a bit nostalgic — going up and down the hills reminds her of a more pleasant place. Home. She looks back and sees Varg handling the terrain like a natural, which piques her curiosity.
“Varg!” yelled Xīlōxōch. “You’re from the mountains, right? Which one were you from?”
Varg lifts herself up a rock face to avoid taking a longer path, squatting down at Xilo with a tusky smile. “Al’Raed, ocean goddess! Kiriyan Steppes, Kyou. Where thunder like heartbeat! Miss place… It was very…” She looks for a word, then remembers a way she can say ‘beautiful’ in her head. “…Gentlemanly!”
Xīlōxōch is amused to be called ocean goddess once again. She can’t help but wonder what Varg’s parenting is like with her kids, but that’s a question for another day. “Al’Raed — don’t think I’ve heard of that before, but thunder also sounds like heartbeat where I came from. I’m from Mixtepec, a village on top of Mixcoac, the cloud snake. It wasn’t gentlemanly, but it was peaceful — perfect place for an ocean goddess.” Xīlōxōch chuckles, the sarcasm obvious. “What does Al’Raed mean?”
Xīlōxōch pronounces Mixtepec as [mish-te-pek] and Mixcoac as [mish-ko-ak] — the x is /sh/ and the remaining letters follow standard Auridian pronunciation.
“Al’Raed mean hard. Or uh… Not hard. What word…” The word Varg is looking for is ‘strife’, but she hasn’t been taught such things yet. Giving up, she folds her arms and tries to continue on.
“…Were eight peaks where Varg lived. Ours was the shortest — but! Not the weakest. We were far from other peaks, and got most rain, wind and thunder. Big-city folks wouldn’t last a day there — blow off edge like paper! Though maybe ocean goddess could survive; she’s swift. And Warchief Gorranach. ‘Cuz he heavy. Urah-hah!”
Varg thinks for a second, then double-takes. “Wait……… Did Wyverna say she lives ON a SNAKE? That must be a BIG snake!”
Xīlōxōch chuckles again — it doesn’t look like she’ll tire of Varg’s naivety anytime soon. “No, Varg, we didn’t live on a snake. The direct translation is ‘Place of the Cloud Snake.’ It was a gigantic mountain that pierced the clouds — our ancestors built a road that started from the middle of the mountain and coiled up to the top. It looked like a snake from afar and, boom, cloud snake!” Xīlōxōch snaps her fingers.
“I like Al’Raed. Raéd — your people are as hard as the mountains, I assume? Most city folk won’t last a day at Mixtepec either, if they could get up there at all. How tall is Al’Raed? The only way up Mixtepec is flying — it keeps the city folk out for good.”
“Oh… Oh… No snake?” Varg seems simultaneously relieved her mind won’t be blown again, but also a bit disappointed. “Yours sound lot bigger…”
“Urah-hah! Hard, yes. Boy and girl both. Varg considered one of the runts! Because she more quick than most of them. Less strong.” Considering the absolute well-built nature of Varg and the clear feats of strength she had already performed, it was hard to imagine how she was one of the ‘weak’ ones.
“Uhhh — how tall? Uhhrm…” Varg struggles to think for a bit. “Varg thinks… Twenty zero zero orcs! Or one eight zero zero Wyvernas! Not tallest mountain, but spiky. Rainy. Thundering. Barren. Other tribes and people not like climbing up, and we had lots of warscouts.”
Xīlōxōch smiles as Varg describes the height of Al’Raed. Varg was naïve, but in a charming way. “Oh Varg, don’t ever change. It’s hard to think you’re one of the less strong ones, but I suppose you can say the same for me. How did you guys support yourselves? We grew crops and traded a lot with outsiders. But I don’t think you can grow much on barren land.”
“Trade… Varg learned about that when going to big city. Hrox Tribe did that… Made sense! Wish we had trade and no war.” Varg lifts a finger. “We had milk and butter of yak, meat of goats, fish of river… Sometimes grain if low-land belong to tribe, but not always. When there war, there usually more food to go around… And lose. Witchdoctors would make strange liquid-food in times of hunger. But that drink bad! Eugh…” Varg shudders as she reminisces the taste — not too different from the ration tonics in the bag of holding.
“Did ocean goddess ever need war to eat good?”
“No, we didn’t. That’s the benefit of the Cloud Snake — we’re too far away for anyone to start a war with us. But that’s also the downside: trade takes a while. We usually sell expensive things to make it worth our time.”
“Did you win your wars often?”
“Har………” Despite a half-hearted laugh, the bitterness from Varg was palpable. “…Of course. Chief and elders say we win all wars. There was no loss as long as we still breathed.” Another pause as she slows her pace, putting her hand over the sharp edge of a rock and looking out over the hills.
“When half tribe eaten by the Hn’pox, we still ‘won.’ When we hiding in the caves of Al’Raed for months, starving, we still ‘winning.’ And when the young start being given the axe and torch and sent to raid… Of course, that still victory.”
“Every time we spill blood of enemies, make people die… It victory. Well……… Maybe Varg was sick of victory, then. Because now, Varg may be losing in tribe’s eyes… But fighting feel a lot better now than it did back then.”
She pauses again. “Sorry… Varg think that not make sense in big-city speak. Just glad to be here, now, and not in war. Even being on run like this… It feel much better. Feel alive.”
Xīlōxōch did not expect Varg’s reaction — war was something she knew only from stories. She feels guilty for opening a can of worms, and there’s a noticeable change in her demeanor. “You… you guys know a lot about winning. That’s impressive. I don’t think our people could survive in a fight against yours. We care too much about chasing dreams, not enough discipline.”
Xīlōxōch lifts a finger and points it at Varg. “Speaking of which — do you have a dream, Varg? Is that something you’ve always wanted to do?”
“Dream? Like dream lady back there was talking about?” Varg blinks, then understands. “…Oh… Right. A goal.”
“Uhhm.” “Varg just wants to see her kids when they’re grown. From the skies if Varg dies in combat… In person if Varg doesn’t. Better the second way. Because then Varg can give them a hug.” Varg holds her stomach whilst smiling. The more she thought about this, the more empty and homesick she felt.
“Don’t want to see them as warriors, but… Loving people. Loving people who are strong. Forgiving. Kind… Have the amazing skills people in big city do. To build… Learn… Cook… Anything like that…” Varg lets go of the rock. “Kind and forgiving people only exist if warriors are there to protect them. And they biggest treasure of all in this world, not the wars that kill them. Varg will fight anyone and anything to see that future……… So that more are made…”
“So uhh. Guess it kind of handy we saving the world. Or something. Urah-hah…”
A warm smile forms on Xīlōxōch’s face. She had seen herself above Varg since they met, but to hear that Varg has much nobler goals was a humbling moment — and a warning. Xīlōxōch approaches Varg with a look of gratitude and places her right hand on Varg’s shoulder.
“I want to see you with your kids again. They must be lovely, and the future we build will be just as lovely.” She rubs Varg’s shoulder, then looks at her with a bit more seriousness. “I’ve been with many loving people, and some warriors. I think the best people are somewhere in the middle — loving, caring, and kind, but also strong.” Xīlōxōch clenches her left hand. “Strong enough that they can be their own warriors. We can teach them together when we meet them.”
“By the way — what are your children like?”
“Two girl, one boy. Durz, Gel, Gonk. Little monsters what they are! All more or less same amount of thunderstrikes old.” She grins — excited but also melancholy as she starts thinking about her kids.
“Durz oldest. Fast and quick-thinking girl. Sometimes make better choice than Varg! Remind Varg of when she was runt, minus quick-thinking part.” Varg’s face mellows as she keeps talking. Each word makes her miss them more — in an orphanage by now, far, far away.
“Gel always wanted to be witchdoctor. Small and delicate. Wanted to learn magic. Always singled out because of it. Varg not get magic, but bet she could learn.” Her face is fully serious now, eyes wistful.
“And Gonk, very scarred. He not walk or think straight. When he trained, some coward went too hard on him in sparring. He sweet and strong.” She rubs her chin. “There been many points in Varg’s journey where Varg thought she lose one or all of them… And I bet there better ways to get them to big city or care for them. Varg just doesn’t know.” She slowly snaps back to reality and looks to Xīlōxōch. “…Ocean goddess seems like she know how to take care of people. Like you had big family!”
Xīlōxōch enjoyed seeing this side of Varg — sweet and surprising at the same time. She lets go of Varg’s shoulder and continues walking by her side. “Singled out for wanting to learn magic?! Shame! Every kid wanted to learn magic where I came from.”
Xīlōxōch takes a quick pause as she recalls her family. “Speaking of where I came from — I guess you can say I had a big family. Everyone was close in the village; we knew most of the other birds. But my blood family is a lot smaller. Only four of us counting me. My parents were nice and caring — a bit too nice, if you ask my mother. But my older sister is the opposite of me.”
Xīlōxōch touches the palms of her hands and sticks them out. “She was a loner, and I loved people.” She pulls her hands slightly apart. “She was clingy, and I wanted to fly free. She had beautiful dark violet feathers that looked like amethyst under the moonlight and I had light blue feathers that looked like the ocean.” She pulls her hands even further apart. “She was emotional… and I was even more emotional. So maybe we’re not that different.” Xīlōxōch shrugs and puts her hands down.
“She couldn’t tolerate me most of the time and flew away on her own. One day she met a priest and now I can take credit for helping her find her religion.” Xīlōxōch smiles smugly. “Truth be told, we’re better off separate. Our personalities never matched and we fought a lot, even though we didn’t hate each other.”
“And if I were to tell another truth…” Xīlōxōch bites her lips and considers her words. “You don’t have to take your children to a big city to take care of them. I’ve travelled to many cities, big and small — the safest ones are the lonely ones. No one to start a war with. Maybe that’s where you can take care of them, all safe and sound.”
“…Woah. Varg not expect there to be lots of different goddesses. Violet… That like purple, isn’t it… Like dragon ‘dearie’ lady back there. Ocean goddess’s family sound very special too.” Varg blinks and considers Xīlōxōch’s words the best she is able — clearly surprised to hear that Xilo actually has a family and wasn’t born from a flash of thunder, or something like that.
“Varg likes sounds of safe. But… Isn’t big city the best? Best jobs? Best money? Most free?” She blinks cluelessly. “Heard that there are places where you can see buildings as far as eye can see! And statues size of mammoths! Places where you pay money and be healed.”
“Only want the best for kids… Not second.”
“It’s funny that you say this, Varg. The cityfolk want to move to the countryside and the countryfolk want to move to the cities. We all want what we haven’t experienced.” Xīlōxōch looks down and sighs for a brief moment before lifting her head back up. “Big cities have everything, but no good people. There’s too many people — people don’t know or care about each other. And there is another kind of war: a social war. People fighting for power, but with their words instead of their fists.”
“Big city… War?” Varg was clearly extremely confused, but didn’t doubt Xīlōxōch’s words for a second. “So rumours… Wrong?” Her disappointment lingers for a while, then fades into relief. “Varg… Varg is glad Wyverna told. Kids in country now. Instead of big city, Varg now find best country instead!” Clenching her fist as she continues, Varg looks as full of energy as usual — perhaps more so. “Gentleman Varg will use this wisdom of ocean goddess!”