Post by Dosu on May 5, 2024 16:45:30 GMT -5
Time had passed. Eventually, entire years went by before the Heran had gotten back home. These days of exploring and getting to know the outside worlds were coming to an end and though he had made several meaningful encounters with extraordinary people, the blue-skinned youth still felt as empty as three years ago. It’s not that he hadn’t learned anything, but these teachings didn’t really stick or Dosu didn’t know what to make of them. The void in his heart that he had long since accepted as part of himself did not fill up. Not that he particularly wished for it to be full, however, he had assumed that by doing so he would also gain a sense of purpose which he still lacked to this day.
His coming back to the village was met with little reaction, too. Some thought him to be dead, others joked about how he had gotten lost for three entire years before finding his way home. His mother was glad to see him back and his grandmother offered a playful grin as her reaction to seeing him once again, but that was it. Life had continued. Choso, his older brother, now had three kids with four different women (how that made sense, he had absolutely no idea), but the more urgent matter was that he was now an uncle! Sadly, the heran toddlers were far too young to fight and a single push would make the little rascals fall and cry.
Yrin, his older sister, had now fully inherited the title of chieftain. She was still single, but it was not like she was short of interested parties. Dosu called her a childless hag to try and make fun of her, but he promptly received a beatdown for it. Down on the ground, his breathing ragged and uneven, he couldn’t help but feel nostalgic about it. It was almost like he had never left. As for his father, same as usual. Not even a side look at the youngest of his children. By now, Dosu was used to it and he had stopped caring about his old man a long time ago. Now that he was retired, the patriarch could very well choke to death on a wumpa fruit seed that it would be no big deal.
Hanging on a tree branch with his feet, he let his upper body hang freely upside down, letting the warm breeze caress his torso. His grandmother was busy taking care of her hunting weapons near him and Dosu took some time to analyze her. She was a tall, broad-shouldered woman with pronounced musculature, much like Choso and his father. Several scars ornate her body, some deep enough to leave profound grooves upon her blue skin. Her hair had turned gray for the most part, but streaks of orange still poked through her mane cascading down to the middle of her back. She was a strong woman, the one who taught him to fight as best as she could. Not that she couldn’t make him an excellent fighter, but Dosu was a tough student to teach.
In a sudden moment of realization, Dosu declared:
“I’ll become the ruler of the entire planet, old woman.”
The old warrior did not even look at him, only replying:
“You’re too stupid for that, kid.”
And she wasn’t wrong, Dosu couldn't even read or write. Even if he had access to the throne, what would he do? Strength alone wouldn’t ensure the well-being of an entire planet, especially one as conflicted as Hera. Dosu climbed down from his perch, sitting next to the warmatron.
“Then, what should I do?”
She frowned at the question, then answered sharply.
“What do YOU want to do?”
Dosu simply shrugged.
“I don’t know. If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking. I can’t become king, I can’t be the strongest hunter, can’t be the strongest fighter. All the nice things are already taken! I don’t know what to do, but I know what I don’t want to do! I don’t want to be a woolbeast herder, I don’t want to be a carpenter, I don’t want to be a…”
The warrior put a lance in the Heran’s hands along with a sharpening stone.
“If you’re going to break my ears with your rambling, at least make yourself useful and sharpen this.”
It was her way of telling him she’d listen. After enumerating far too many jobs he did not want to do, she then replied.
“There’s no shame in living quietly. It may very well be the superior option. Do you think the people in this village are sad or that their lives are meaningless?”
“I didn’t say that…” Dosu said. What was she even going on about?
“No, but I know that’s what you are thinking. Ever since you were a little thing you’ve only had eyes for your father and siblings. You’ve only ever chased dead ends, looked down on everything else, and stunted your own growth because, in your mind, this was the impossible goal that you so desperately wanted to reach. You’ve always felt inadequate because you were born different, without even taking the time to understand yourself and realize if that difference was a positive or negative thing. If anything, you’ve always wanted to be someone else. Someone closer to that idealized version you made up in your mind.”
Dosu didn’t know what to reply. He felt like telling her to shut up or call her an old senile woman, but there might’ve been some truth to that. He kept sharpening the spear, an annoyed expression on his face.
“Then, who am I? I tried being friends with others, but they are all weirdos. Even when I fight them, all they talk about is love and friendship and protecting their loved ones. What am I supposed to make out of this? It’s like there’s this gap between me and the others. I just wanted to fight, not a full guided tour of their feelings. It pisses me off. But then again, how am I different from them for looking up to Choso and Yrin?”
Grandma Dosu paused for a second, glancing at her grandson.
“Is it that strange to you? You have people you love too. Surely you can understand them. What pisses you off is the difference between commitment and stagnation. They are doing whatever is in their power to seize their dream while you have given up before even starting.”
“Shut up! I didn’t give up! They’re just too strong…”
The annoyance grew as he sharpened the lance, going at it frenetically. What was his dream? Sure, he always wanted to beat his siblings, but assuming he did that, what would be next? Would he be able to beat the likes of Nero or Striker? He let his mind drift along for a while, eventually taking him back to a moment in childhood. The stories and legends his mother used to tell him at bedtime, those of the strongest hunters, legendary figures who could even beat the sun and moon in a one-on-one fight. Those guys would beat the crap out of everyone. That’s right, he often daydreamed about being one of these heroes, fighting improbable foes and coming out victorious.
They represented courage, strength, and determination. If anything, that’s who Dosu wanted to be like. Not like his deadbeat dad, angry sister, or libidinous brother. He looked at his grandmother and said:
“I want to be the strongest creature alive... And if you tell me it’s stupid, I’ll send that spear right in your leg!”
Maybe it was a stupid dream. Maybe it wasn’t something worth dedicating their life to achieving, but when he said it, the old warrior saw the difference in his tone, his look. The scope and vagueness of this dream allowed for near-infinite growth and knowing what her grandson was capable of, it didn’t appear too outrageous.
“If you want to do that, you’ll have to learn much more. Hone your fighting skills and hone your ability to interact with others. Understanding them will help you understand yourself more, even if you don’t share the same values. Let’s go, it’s been a while since I got to hunt with my favorite grandchild. Show me that you’ve learned a thing or two.”
Dosu got up, readied himself, and went out for a little hunting trip. This time, instead of walking behind, he led the party.
It wasn’t anything grand or anything.
But it was his dream nonetheless.
His coming back to the village was met with little reaction, too. Some thought him to be dead, others joked about how he had gotten lost for three entire years before finding his way home. His mother was glad to see him back and his grandmother offered a playful grin as her reaction to seeing him once again, but that was it. Life had continued. Choso, his older brother, now had three kids with four different women (how that made sense, he had absolutely no idea), but the more urgent matter was that he was now an uncle! Sadly, the heran toddlers were far too young to fight and a single push would make the little rascals fall and cry.
Yrin, his older sister, had now fully inherited the title of chieftain. She was still single, but it was not like she was short of interested parties. Dosu called her a childless hag to try and make fun of her, but he promptly received a beatdown for it. Down on the ground, his breathing ragged and uneven, he couldn’t help but feel nostalgic about it. It was almost like he had never left. As for his father, same as usual. Not even a side look at the youngest of his children. By now, Dosu was used to it and he had stopped caring about his old man a long time ago. Now that he was retired, the patriarch could very well choke to death on a wumpa fruit seed that it would be no big deal.
Hanging on a tree branch with his feet, he let his upper body hang freely upside down, letting the warm breeze caress his torso. His grandmother was busy taking care of her hunting weapons near him and Dosu took some time to analyze her. She was a tall, broad-shouldered woman with pronounced musculature, much like Choso and his father. Several scars ornate her body, some deep enough to leave profound grooves upon her blue skin. Her hair had turned gray for the most part, but streaks of orange still poked through her mane cascading down to the middle of her back. She was a strong woman, the one who taught him to fight as best as she could. Not that she couldn’t make him an excellent fighter, but Dosu was a tough student to teach.
In a sudden moment of realization, Dosu declared:
“I’ll become the ruler of the entire planet, old woman.”
The old warrior did not even look at him, only replying:
“You’re too stupid for that, kid.”
And she wasn’t wrong, Dosu couldn't even read or write. Even if he had access to the throne, what would he do? Strength alone wouldn’t ensure the well-being of an entire planet, especially one as conflicted as Hera. Dosu climbed down from his perch, sitting next to the warmatron.
“Then, what should I do?”
She frowned at the question, then answered sharply.
“What do YOU want to do?”
Dosu simply shrugged.
“I don’t know. If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking. I can’t become king, I can’t be the strongest hunter, can’t be the strongest fighter. All the nice things are already taken! I don’t know what to do, but I know what I don’t want to do! I don’t want to be a woolbeast herder, I don’t want to be a carpenter, I don’t want to be a…”
The warrior put a lance in the Heran’s hands along with a sharpening stone.
“If you’re going to break my ears with your rambling, at least make yourself useful and sharpen this.”
It was her way of telling him she’d listen. After enumerating far too many jobs he did not want to do, she then replied.
“There’s no shame in living quietly. It may very well be the superior option. Do you think the people in this village are sad or that their lives are meaningless?”
“I didn’t say that…” Dosu said. What was she even going on about?
“No, but I know that’s what you are thinking. Ever since you were a little thing you’ve only had eyes for your father and siblings. You’ve only ever chased dead ends, looked down on everything else, and stunted your own growth because, in your mind, this was the impossible goal that you so desperately wanted to reach. You’ve always felt inadequate because you were born different, without even taking the time to understand yourself and realize if that difference was a positive or negative thing. If anything, you’ve always wanted to be someone else. Someone closer to that idealized version you made up in your mind.”
Dosu didn’t know what to reply. He felt like telling her to shut up or call her an old senile woman, but there might’ve been some truth to that. He kept sharpening the spear, an annoyed expression on his face.
“Then, who am I? I tried being friends with others, but they are all weirdos. Even when I fight them, all they talk about is love and friendship and protecting their loved ones. What am I supposed to make out of this? It’s like there’s this gap between me and the others. I just wanted to fight, not a full guided tour of their feelings. It pisses me off. But then again, how am I different from them for looking up to Choso and Yrin?”
Grandma Dosu paused for a second, glancing at her grandson.
“Is it that strange to you? You have people you love too. Surely you can understand them. What pisses you off is the difference between commitment and stagnation. They are doing whatever is in their power to seize their dream while you have given up before even starting.”
“Shut up! I didn’t give up! They’re just too strong…”
The annoyance grew as he sharpened the lance, going at it frenetically. What was his dream? Sure, he always wanted to beat his siblings, but assuming he did that, what would be next? Would he be able to beat the likes of Nero or Striker? He let his mind drift along for a while, eventually taking him back to a moment in childhood. The stories and legends his mother used to tell him at bedtime, those of the strongest hunters, legendary figures who could even beat the sun and moon in a one-on-one fight. Those guys would beat the crap out of everyone. That’s right, he often daydreamed about being one of these heroes, fighting improbable foes and coming out victorious.
They represented courage, strength, and determination. If anything, that’s who Dosu wanted to be like. Not like his deadbeat dad, angry sister, or libidinous brother. He looked at his grandmother and said:
“I want to be the strongest creature alive... And if you tell me it’s stupid, I’ll send that spear right in your leg!”
Maybe it was a stupid dream. Maybe it wasn’t something worth dedicating their life to achieving, but when he said it, the old warrior saw the difference in his tone, his look. The scope and vagueness of this dream allowed for near-infinite growth and knowing what her grandson was capable of, it didn’t appear too outrageous.
“If you want to do that, you’ll have to learn much more. Hone your fighting skills and hone your ability to interact with others. Understanding them will help you understand yourself more, even if you don’t share the same values. Let’s go, it’s been a while since I got to hunt with my favorite grandchild. Show me that you’ve learned a thing or two.”
Dosu got up, readied himself, and went out for a little hunting trip. This time, instead of walking behind, he led the party.
It wasn’t anything grand or anything.
But it was his dream nonetheless.