Namesakes

Yeah, no comment.

He hid under Whisper’s porch. Whisper was the only one who
didn’t chase him off and it was the only place he could hide
and get away from everyone else. It was dirty, but it was dry. No one
trespassed on Whisper’s lawn and so he was safe. Not even the
Deaths.

Whisper and his mate would slip him every kind of food they could.
He wasn’t allowed to leave the village, so he couldn’t
hunt for himself. He wasn’t allowed to fish any more because
that took fish from the rest of the population. Any time he got close
to getting an animal in the village a Death would take the kill from
him and then sneer about how useless he was.

Then that band came. He thought it was suspicious. A band coming
so often when the bands despised the Deaths of his village. Now the
band’s owner was trying to buy him. As if he were property.

He gathered up the few things that were his, a stuffed animal that
his mother had thrown out after his sister had been born, a little
red bottle and a black, black stone which he could move to be
whatever form he wanted. The stone was so small that the most he
could make was a needle, but it was still neat. The stuffed animal
looked like a wolf. It had been made for him by his grandmother, one
winter night as she told him tales of ancestors that were so strong
and courageous. A time when Aniege weren’t cowards and
scoundrels.

He and the animal had both been thrown out after his sister’s
arrival. He had been ten at the time. Though… he didn’t
really miss his family. They had been cruel to him, said cruel things
to him and struck him. The entire village had… because of that
birth mark that looked like the tattoos Whisper gave to boys when
they became men? That was silly.

His man’s tattoo was on his back, between his shoulder
blades. He had never seen it before, but it scared villagers away
when he was bathing.

Ayato crawled out from under Whisper’s porch only to be
grabbed by a Death and dragged into the center of the village, where
a crowd gathered. They all wanted to know what was going on. The
Death snatched away the stuffed animal and threw it to the first
child he saw.

“Men don’t need childish things,” the Death
sneered into his ear, “Although… this man will make you
a woman.”

The other Deaths chuckled as Ayato was thrown at the feet of the
band’s owner. His eyes travelled up the loose, green trousers
and over the shirt made in patterns of the city folk. To the purple
eyes that seemed to glow from under the brim of that grey hat. Bits
of blonde hair poked out from under the hat, a hand scratched the
forehead as he watched.

“So you’re Ayato. Hardly worth a gold piece. How about
a bronze? Half a bronze? Tell you what,” the owner poked
Ayato’s chest with the toe of his soft slipper things, “I’ll
give you four grains of rice for him.”

The villagers laughed. Laughed at him. The Deaths wanted a good
price for him, even though they’d rather kill him than keep him
around any longer. Whisper moved to the front of the crowd only to
watch his fate unfold. He was bound by village law to do no more than
act as priest.

“How about the medicine supply for today is free?”

The owner didn’t look impressed. “Fifteen gold?”

“One for each year we fed him.”

“How irritating. The boy is sickly, dirty and likely has no
skills. I’ll have to teach him everything.” others
laughed. Ayato stayed where he had fallen, on his knees with his head
bowed, staring at the hard packed ground of the village’s main
area, “three gold.”

“Ten.”

“Five.”

“Seven.”

“By Rahl-ta’s crotch, you’re ripping me off.”

“Then don’t buy him.”

“Oh, I couldn’t let a creature such as him go to
waste. Tastas.”

He heard nothing more than the clinking of coins and a little,
girlish giggle. Coins exchanged hands and he was hauled to his feet
by his hair. The Death that had done it was hit, quite solidly, on
the head by the owner. The sound, the sound the villagers didn’t
hear, was that ancient tongue daring the Death to do it again.

The Death released him, looked at the other Deaths for some sort
of lead.

“He’s my property. As you see, I have just bought him.
I don’t not appreciate you attempting to damage that property.
Tastas, take him to the camp.”

“Ka. Ka. Ka kakakakakak,” the ten year old girl hopped
off of the man’s shoulder, pulled herself erect and took his
hand.

She was… as tall as he was. She tugged him along and the
people parted for her as she chattered nonsensical things as she
skipped along. The camp was located on the outside of the village, in
a small plain that had been created just for that purpose. The band
members looked up and grimaced, pulled away from him and some looked
fearful.

Was he such a despicable creature?

Tastas tugged and tugged and tugged until Ayato found himself
standing before Rava and a young man. The young man looked him up and
down and seemed to come to a decision.

“He’s filth. No wonder the others are cringing.”

“So I’ll bathe him.”

“He is not a pet Rava.”

“But he is my responsibility.” Rava turned to someone
who approached Ayato from behind, “isn’t he?”

“I purchased him.”

“Father! That’s not fair!”

“Life isn’t always fair. Rava. You should know that
better than anyone.” Rava put a hand to his shoulder.

“But… at that age… father…” a
pleading tone.

Ayato looked over his shoulder at Rava’s father as he lifted
that cane of his into the air. It sent a shiver through Ayato, and
then Tastas when she noticed it. Rava immediately stopped his
protest.

“As my property, as with all my property, I will do as I
please and even my son will not stop me,” the cane set back
onto the ground carefully. “The Sidhe already have a warm bath
waiting so, Tyze, take him to the Sidhe’s area and wash him
up.”

His village didn’t have Sidhe, though most others did. One
or two at least, to warn them of when winter was coming and such on.
In return the Sidhe’s village was well cared for and trading
happened. His village claimed to be of the gods’ chosen few,
that they were too special to muddy their blood and culture with
animals.

Tyze, the young man, took Ayato by the hand and led him through
the band to where the Sidhe, all very tall creatures ranging in looks
just as people did, were waiting, crouched around a large wooden
bathtub full of steaming water. Ayato struggled to pull away from
Tyze but the gentle hand changed, the grip strengthened until he
couldn’t pull away. He knew what happened when two males bathed
together and he didn’t want Tyze touching him. Seeing him.

“It’s only water. I was afraid of it once too, but you
get over it once you realise it’s not going to eat you.”

Ayato dug in his heels and tried to stop himself from being
dragged forward. But… Tyze was strong darn it.

“It’ll be fine, just a little wash in some nice warm
water.”

.