Tribal Light (Original story)

Tribal Light is a original story by Waveshore 20.

Two tribes, two POVs. What happens when the tribes go to war and the friends cannot meet?

## Preface

"Hey, A'Redu!" said 13-year-old Erren Aoora. The 14-year-old boy, wearing a dull-colored loose-fitting blue outfit, waved, a smile splitting his face. *"Senir* bless you!" A'Redu said in the Xaven greeting. Erren didn't believe in the Xava god, as he wasn't from that tribe. He believed in God. The darker-skinned boy adjusted his blue tunic when it started to fall off. Erren commented, "You really need to get fitting clothing."

He shrugged. "Eh, this is the dress of the males. The females have tighter off-the-shoulder gowns. It's only tighter so it doesn't fall off, though."

"Understandable."

A'Redu turned to an adult Uraniu member who'd smacked his shoulders. "Hey-"

"Get out of here, Xaven scum."

"Why? I mean no harm?"

"You could be a spy."

"A spy? What?"

"He's not a spy, Terroa!"

"War is coming," Terroa said ominously, "Get out of here, Xaven."

"WAR!?" A'Redu exclaimed, "Why does nobody tell us kids things!?"

"Can't relate," said Erren, "Now, go, before my father returns!"

Terroa hit the 14-year-old, beckoning him out. The Xaven boy sighed and left, walking back to his village.

"You cannot see this boy again," the adult said coldly.

Erren looked down, watching sadly as his only friend walked away, also sad.

## Chapter 1

Erren was laying in bed, crying. He looked at the stone walls, tears staining his tan face. A knock sounded, that of a member named Sturer Zeel. He was the mail carrier, a Carian. He hopped up, coming to the door.

Stuer seemed tired. He saw Erren's tear-stained face. "You okay?" he asked.

"I-I guess..."

"You got a letter, kid."

"*Renu*," He thanked. He opened it.

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*Dear Erren,*

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*I love you. But I was called to war duty. I tried to back out of it, but it's too late. Tell your mother I love her in case I die. Love you, son.*

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*-Love, your loving father.*

```

Erren's dark blue eyes saddened. "Dad..." He started to cry. He was used to the blunt messages that Uraniu members wrote. However, being told that his father was possibly going to *die* saddened him. He was also afraid A'Redu would get hurt in the blind rage. A'Redu was so young.... If he got hurt then.... Erren would be devastated.

Erren walked out. He had no village friends. The only people he talked to was his parents, brother, and Stuer- Occationally the Village Education kids. Mostly, they ignored him, and so did he. Stuer was nearly always away, taking mail to the villagers. His brother? He was a weaponmaker. He was extremely busy. He adjusted his brown shirt and sat down on the floor of the Village Education building. The other kids listened to the Instructor. He was in his own world. The man tapped his thin shoulder. "Erren."

The boy sighed. "Sorry." His voice was weary.

"What's wrong?"

He averted his dark blue eyes. "D-Dad is going to war against Xava and... something else." He swallowed.

"Oh.. What do you want to do? Like your village role?"

"I-I don't know... Maybe a healer," The 13-year-old murmured quietly.

The man looked away, light brown eyes saddening for a second. He cleared his throat. "Here's a piece of paper, write down your planned role and what you're gonna do to achieve it." He handed the young boy the brown paper.

Erren nodded, writing down 'Healer' and listing what he would do to get there.

## Chapter 2

A'Redu sighed, sadly watching as an adult and child were told to leave the village, change into clothing for the tribeless, and take off their underclothing that marked them as a Xaven. He knew they would never find a place to belong, and the child... She wouldn't live for long, being merely 12. If someone was exiled from a village, they had the marking for the village on their outfit, a small wood pin. The Xaven mark was a drop of blood surrounded by a gold floral design. The blood represented their aggressiveness and the floral design represented childhood innocence. He heard the girl crying as her family members cheered for her exile. He looked down, tearing up. They hated kindness.

A'Redu was kind. Not many people knew about it. He had a streak of meanness and violence. He watched the two people walk out, wearing an ichy set of a shirt and pants, brown in color. The previous underclothing was replaced with full-bodied gear, and he could tell. He knew they would get sick and maybe even die. The man and child were threatened out, telling the man they would seriously hurt the girl by whipping her as he watched.

A'Redu sighed. The man and girl walked out, both crying. A'Redu walked away to his house, a simple wooden structure with a hardened dirt floor, heater with a fire running, and small beds made of cranis silk and wood. The short table was also wood with cranis pillows as seats. His family rolled their eyes as he walked in, eyes downcast. He put his hand to his stomach. "I'm hungry."

"I don't care," said his father coldly.

The boy sighed. "Please give me something to eat..."

"NO!" yelled his father, "You can starve!"

His gray eyes flashed with anger. "I'm just a child!" A'Redu yelled, voice laced with anger.

The man smacked his cheek. "You don't speak to your father that way!"

"I just want to be loved, and taken care of! Why can't you!?" He teared up.

"You're nice! Now, I'm gonna tell the chief about your kindness!"

The dark-skinned boy teared up. "Please... No..." He whispered. The young boy sat on the floor and sobbed as his family cheered. *Stabbed in the back by my family...*

His mother threw him out of the house. A Patroller saw this and knocked on the door. "You can't do that! It's against the Enforced Law!"

"He's... *nice*! Let him suffer!"

## Chapter 3

Erren sighed as his mother gave him a repremanding on who to be friends with.

"Xaven are evil! You CANNOT be friends with them!"

"B-But... A'Redu is kind..."

"He could stab you in the back!"

"H-He wouldn't..."

"How do you know he won't? There's a war coming!"

"H-He didn't know until Terroa said there was a war coming!"

"He could be faking to manipulate you!"

"We've been alone, and he was armed with a spear. If he wanted to kill me, he would've!"

"A SPEAR!?" She looked like she was on the verge of a heart attack. Now she was less focused on manipulating him into betraying A'Redu and more on signs of manipulation from the boy.

"He only had it because he was scared for his life..." His voice grew hoarsh.

"What do you mean?"

"He was afraid he'd be killed after he was being chased by one of our members. We hid in a shed and he-he was shivering. The spear was made of wood and had a kind of dull stone point. It was of bad quality."

"How do you know it was dull?"

"It just looked kind of dull and when we were running, it tapped my finger. Don't worry, I was okay."

"What if he poisoned the tip?"

"He didn't, he told me about their poisons and all of them are visible and induce pain."

"Did you feel any pain besides getting your finger hit?"

"No."

"Good."

"W-Why do you guys hate every Xaven? I've seen you adults turn away or even abuse the most-helpless children..."

Her face reddened with anger. "WHY!? Because they're violent!"

"A'Redu has never hurt me! Ever! In our four years of friendship!"

"How did you find this Xaven?" She said the tribal name like it was poison.

"He was wandering around in the desert while me and two girls were getting water for the village from the stream. I didn't know he was Xaven at the time, and he was begging for water, so I gave him some. He was extremely grateful and shocked as well, so we quickly became friends through me supplying him with basic stuff like food and water, since I always found him hungry. I found out he was Xaven when he brought up his story when I asked him why he was always so hungry."

"How'd you respond?"

"I-I was shocked. He certainly didn't ACT like a Xaven, more like a Trobal."

"You mean the virtually helpless tribe?"

"...Yes."

## Chapter 4

The man looked at the young boy, who was sobbing. "*Nice*? Then I'm gonna let him suffer." He tied rope around the child's hands and forced him to stand. A'Redu looked at the man with pleading eyes, but he glared at him and jostled him roughly. The Patroller took him to the chief, who gave the man a suspicious glance. "Why do you have a tied up child?"

"He's too kind for this tribe."

The chief narrowed his dark gray eyes and turned to a terrified A'Redu. "Is this true?"

He was an extremely bad liar, but he tried anyway- For his own survival. He put on a fake act of rudeness. The chief seemed taken aback by the sudden rudeness and punched the boy, who sprawled onto the ground. A'Redu begged for mercy, tears falling uncontained from the emotional and physical pain. The older man turned cold eyes to the young man. "Take him to the cells for a day."

"No!" Yelled A'Redu, "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Shut up, boy!" The chief commanded the Patroller to tie something around his mouth, in which he complied happily. A'Redu slumped in hopelessness as he was pushed into a cell. The rope was off, but A'Redu still had the mouth covering. He tore it off, slumping to the ground, crying. *Why do I have to be kind? What's the point if I'm only gonna be beat up and neglected for who I am? It's not like Erren is gonna see me again anyway, might as well be as awful as possible.*

## Chapter 5

Erren sighed. He missed his Xaven friend. The sad thing? He knew about the boy's suffering. That's why he fed A'Redu every time he came. The boy's ribs showed, and he was a Xaven child. That was not normal.