Author: Caius, Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2019 5:28 PM, Post Subject: Natural Fate [O]

Deep within the Sahel forest stood a grande city carved and built around the magnificent trees of the forest. Most of these homes were made around the trunks of the trees but a few had been made into the trunks. Yet, none of them touched the cores of the trees, due to their respect of the natural land around them. A soft smile spread onto Caius' lips as he realized how thoughtful the people who lived here were. He had met many others who wouldn't even stop to think about the world that they lived in. But here was an entire society that emphasized the importance of maintaining their village instead of just reaching for more at any cost. Caius was sitting in a shop built around one of the trees. His elegant hands held a small block of wood with a hole in the center and a woodcutting knife to carve into the wood. An older Twa cheetah was sitting in front of him, showing the jewelry maker how to carve a wooden bead. The twa's fur was tan with black speckles and spots covering her entire body. A dress made up of furs hung from her shoulders as she demonstrated how to make the bead. Sitting next to Caius, was a small twa that appeared to be of six years old. The child was staring at him with curiosity. Suddenly, the child turned to the older twa.

“Mama, are you certain he is a boy?” The twa asked, “It’s hard to tell with humans.”

“Don’t be rude.” The older twa ordered.

“It’s fine.” Caius said with a soft smile.

They continued with the lesson until Caius finished the last bead and placed it in a bowl with the rest.

“Next, we paint.” The older twa said, pulling out two bowls of paints.

One bowl held a deep blue while the other held a bright yellow. After an hour, they were able to paint all of the beads and set them out to dry. Once the beads were dry, they put them on two strings. One string held the small bright yellow beads and the other held the deep blue medium sized ones. They tied the two strings together and constructed a necklace. Caius held up his new piece and admired it. Then, he stood up and thanked the twa for teaching him the art of making it. He placed it in his bag then began to walk out of the store. The jewelry maker had already paid in advance for the lesson.

Outside, the sky was bright blue and the sun was shining. There was a bridge to another tree store. The bridge was made up of wood and had rope as rails to protect the people walking on them. Although, the only ones who would have any issues would be newcomers. Children growing up here would know how to travel safely. Caius carefully stepped onto the bridge. He made it halfway when somebody sprinted across the bridge and shoved their way past Caius, causing him to fall over the rail. Despite falling, he didn’t scream. Instead, he held out his hand and snatched onto a large branch. The branch was able to hold his weight. Keeping a firm grip on the branch, Caius attempted to pull himself up to try to get in a safer position. Even if he did fall, he had magic to help himself. But the possibility of branches hitting him in the face made him think twice about that option.