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The Beginning of a New Race

Chapter Five

The night had come and gone without giving me any sleep. My mind had been latched onto the Homini that had claimed to be my Magistor, the one who had claimed I would die quickly while living within the village. The one who had expressed her hatred for him, all the while I faked unconsciousness hoping to hide in plain sight. The fact that she had been chosen for me baffled my mind, leaving me to wonder why through the long hours of darkness.

I also found clothes. Thank God.

The next day I found myself sitting in a small clearing with a pond in the middle, tress forming a tight circle hiding the spot from any other eyes. I was sitting across from Zen in silence, my legs crossed and my mind seeming the same way. The amount of questions that had been whirring through my mind was making it hard to concentrate on the lessons being taught.

My Magistor didn't particularly like this quality.

"Alumn! Answer the question before the Yellow Orb leaves the sky!" Alumn was the Homini word for student or learner, for they refused to use my real name and wouldn't until I earned it. It was very confusing, being that many of the children in the village were called as such and every one of them came running when one of the Magistors called.

As for the Yellow Orb, I really don't need to tell you what she was referring to.

"Could you tell me the question again, just to refresh my mind?" I tried to be tactical. Never completely upfront so that I wouldn't get punished terribly.

"Do you know how to take care of your pads yet? I suspect otherwise, being that all this is new to you," at this point she gestured towards, well, all of me, "and you haven't had much time to inspect your body."

I hadn't found too many confusing things on my body during the time I had set aside to inspect it. The few things that had confused me were the lack of control over my ears and tail, both of which took no head of my directions. They did what they wanted, as if the muscles had a mind of their own. How to care for my body was an entirely different topic however, and I had no idea what to do with all the new things.

One of the most confusing things on my body was my junk. That shit was NOT the same anymore, but I had a feeling Zen wouldn't have a class for that.

"No, not yet Ducit." Yet another word that was used to address the Magistors, yet I liked this one a wee bit more, just because it was shorter. Easier on the tongue.

"We shall change that soon enough." She pointed towards the small space taken up by water. "See that pond? This is called the Pedesanitatum, its water used to keep our pads just rough enough to avoid easy injury, while keeping them soft enough not to crack under pressure. It's a sacred place among our people, and has been ever since we came to this place we now call home, making it deserve respect beyond that of most Homini."

What a mouthful. Pedesanitatum.

"So how do..."

"Tace!" Zen really didn't tolerate it when I spoke out when not asked to. It seemed to me that her favorite word was tace, or be quiet.

Oh well, just trying my best under the current circumstances.

"Now, as I was going to say before you decided to... display your disrespect..., we simply place our hands and feet into the water once a week or so for as long as it takes for the pad to return to the desired softness...." She stood up smoothly and went over to the pond and sat once more, putting her foot pads into the glittering water without making any noise. She made no motion for me to come over.

There was no reason to anyway. I mean, my body had just turned, making everything feel as soft as a baby's bottom. Because I knew what those felt like.

At this point I noticed that there had been an emotion swelling in my chest. An emotion I had not thought I would feel ever again. Love, the feeling I had lost when I turned into a Homini, making it impossible to ever find love in Amita's heart for me. But this love, it had been creeping into my heart slowly, ever since we had arrived at the Pedesanitatum.

This place was beautiful, more beautiful than most could ever imagine. There was almost no sound, besides the light breathing of Zen and my somewhat heavier ones. The pond reflected light from the Yellow Orb, spreading it across the trees that surrounded us creating brilliant art. Art that could not be created from the most imaginative minds, nor the most determined ones.

But that wasn't the real reason I had been feeling love. I had been trying to conceal this love, trying to hide it from myself as much as any Homini that might notice. Even if the being in front of me only talked to me because it was her duty, I couldn't help but catch feelings for the one Homini that actually took notice in me. The one that actually acted like she slightly cared.

"So Alumn, are there any questions that need to be answered yet? Keep in mind that this will be one of the few times that you get to speak." She turned her upper torso to me, keeping her toes in the water.

"W-were you forced to do this? To teach me? To become... my Ducit?" I wanted to know if it was true that she had been given this task, not taken it. I don't see why she would have, but there was still a small chance, right?

"Why do you ask? This doesn't help you with your training at all."

"It does, it truly does. More than you could know." Desperation was filling my head, yet hopefully not slipping into the words that came out.

"Well, it does not matter right now. Not when you still don't know how to keep everything the way it is right now on your body." Her voice was almost dismissive, like she was trying to stop this train of thought in my head. She wouldn't know that this train would keep going, for almost every waking second until it was answered.

"Now back to the useful tidbits of knowledge. To keep your fur soft, you will need to start Sponsum, a small ritual where two Homini help groom one another. It does not matter the gender or species, as long as your companion won't kill you during the process." She kept the serious tone throughout the entire little speech, even at the part where my fur started to stand on end.

Killing? What the fuck?

"Being that no one else is around, I will have to preform Sponsum with you." She slid her toes out from the water and moved over to me smoothly. I thought she was gliding; her actions so well thought of and well preformed.

Now, if the noble audience that took time out of their day to read this (that's you) doesn't know what I was feeling at this point, let me explain it. Remember the feeling you got when your crush got really close to you, and your stomach felt like it was going to explode, as well as your heart? Imagine that feeling, but now the person you love is now licking your back.

Holy hecklenuts, my chest still hurt weeks after it happened.

She sat behind me, putting her legs on either side of mine, and started to lick my fur. It slightly hurt, her tongue pulling my hair slightly, but it felt great at the same time. She did this for a few minutes all over my back, and then got up.

"Now it is your turn. All you have to do is cover all the spots that I couldn't reach on my own. Simple, yet one of the most important rituals you can perform. It shows your trust for the other person, as well as theirs for you." She sat in front of me and crossed her legs, and I moved into the same position she had been. My legs went around beside her, and started to groom her fur. There was no taste, or maybe my brain simply got rid of it. Maybe there was no room for the taste, being that all my brain was focused on the fact that I was grooming the one who cared for me. She trusted me, unlike she had said to Kato.

My spirit almost lifted out of my fur.

Even if this was just a regular task that had to be performed in the village, one that had no meaning beyond trust whatsoever, I still had my hopes up. I knew that it would be dangerous to let such a thing happen. I knew that I should have kept my emotions under control. The last time I had let them soar, everything had been taken away.

The task ended too quickly in my eyes when Zen started to move.

"That will suffice Alumn. Your partner will most likely always tell you when their fur has been thoroughly groomed, but you can also suggest that you have finished. In the end, it is up to them to tell you when to stop. Never just get up and leave when it is your turn to groom, for it shows distrust and disrespect, something that will not go unpunished." Zen sat back down in her original position and became silent. She seemed to be studying me, looking at my features with her not so soft eyes.

Did she realize my feelings? Did I do something wrong? Was there something that I should be doing?

"What is going on in your head Alumn? You have seemed... distracted, since we arrived here." Her voice came out smooth and soft, her eyes relaxing at the same time.

"I've been trying to cope with... with all this. I-it's really troubling, you know, when you find out that you will never see everyone that you once loved, once cared for." It wasn't a lie. It had been on my mind for the better part of the day, yet Zen had been the one distracting me. The one trying to retain my focus had forced it to slip its path.

Her eyes hardened, her posture snapped back into a more professional style. "You will forget them soon, for they will do the same to you. There is no reason for you to hold onto them. You have a better purpose for your time than sobbing over that loses." Her voice no longer soft, she sounded as if she had been reminded of something in her lifetime. I couldn't help but wonder what her past was like.

It wasn't my place however, so I quickly shut down that thought.

*

The rest of the day was spent going over different techniques for preening oneself and other small tips and facts, though most of it was trivial and in my mind a waste of time. It's not like I would need to know seven different ways to remove something sticky from my hair, nor need to know how to clean my teeth with only a leaf and some bark.

The Yellow Orb had almost reached the tops of the trees for the second time in the day when Zen stood up and motioned for me to do the same.

"It is time for us to head back to the village, but before we do you will be permitted to ask any questions that pertain to the lessons we have gone over today. Ask away." Her voice was monotone, showing no emotion, something that had only occurred once that day.

"How many more lessons do you have for me Ducit? How many days shall we spend on them?" The day had gone by slowly, with most of it being spent on simple things that I would never use.

"There are few more, but they are among the most important of lessons that any Homini is taught. They will not take as long as this first day, but then again there are only seven hours of daylight here. They may take a couple more days. You will hopefully find joy in one of the lessons, so that you might find a place you can serve in our village." She started to walk towards the village, not waiting for me to follow. Within a few moments, she had vanished into the tree line with me in tow.

When we arrived in the village she escorted me to the side opposite of where we entered, leading to a small group of huts.

"This is where the Homini that are currently under the watch of Magistors sleep. You are to return here each night after training, but you may do whatever you want to during the day if you are not training. Just one rule restricts your movement; no leaving the village unless lead by me or another Magistor. Understand?" We had stopped at one of the outermost huts. Inside rested a small bedlike object alongside a bowl of water and a few other bowls filled with things I had never seen before. I guessed they were food, but I made a mental reminder not to touch them. There was no light, but there was no need for it. I could see perfectly find without it now.

"Yes Ducit. I will remain in the village unless you take me out for training. I understand." I couldn't see myself leaving. There was no reason to see any of the people I had once knew, they would no longer recognize me. I would probably get lost anyway.

"I shall see you in the morning then, same time as this morning. And please, look somewhat pleasant this time."

Ouch.