The weight of world is lifted by many, not one alone. ( Short story, background on Ra'rhuk and his brothers interacting. )

by minstrelofmyths Sun Jan 25, 2015 6:04 am

" Higher! " Ra’rhuk commanded, in his youth filled voice to his young brother Kor’akk. The younger of the two was holding a practice sword, and shield, he had his stance, but he seemed to not want to hold his shield up high enough to protect himself properly.

" Can’t I just wait until father wakes up… " Kor’akk whined, his other older brother Zor’din was laughing at the side lines.

" He’s passed out drunk again. Do you realize, that by the time he gets around to training you in this, you’ll already be dead. " Zor’din was still laughing, but really it had to do with Ra’rhuk and his persistence that he could teach their young brother in this. They were supposed to be head hunters, they all were supposed to be in different classes of direction. All of them were apt with a bow, a spear, and now they were to be taught the shield and sword. Zor’din preferred his axe, and would continue to use it. Kor’akk was resisting to be taught this manner of fighting style, he knew it, Ra’rhuk knew it. Their father would never train him, and it was needed.

Ra’rhuk by this time had come up to Kor’akk and physically positioned the youth into the right pose. ” Grip the hand hold tightly, raise it up to protect your head. It is not a chin rest. ”

" I can’t see a thing… How am I supposed to hit anything? " Kor’akk continued to whine as he was holding this huge heavy shield, that Ra’rhuk demanded he got used to holding the weight of, which just seemed ridiculous.

Ra’rhuk grunted as he was holding the shield in place. ” We’ll come to that, just hold the damn thing up, it’s to protect your head, your face, torso, whatever else you want to keep. Quit acting like a brat, and just hold it up. ” He let go, stepping back to allow his brother to do it on his own.

" Ra… There he goes…. " Just as Ra’rhuk had gave room, the boy was being toppled over by the weight of the shield.

" He’s fine, he just has to find his legging. " Ra’rhuk countered, looking to his brother that hadn’t been much help in this at all. He had said the shield was too heavy, but it wasn’t like they had shields lying around as it was this was his practice one he held when he was eight.

" He’s riiiiight… " Thwump! He managed to strain out just as he was burried under the weight shield.

Zor’din was laughing once more, as Ra’rhuk moved forward and tossed the shield to one side offering Kor’akk his arm and hand to rise up. ” It’s pointless, we’ll do something else until dinner is done. ” As soon as he pulled his brother up he noticed the tears, and how the youth’s face was a twisted mess. ” It’s alright, we can practice later. ” He offered feeling he had been too hard on him.

Kor’akk’s bottom lip buckled, and he shouted out looking as if he was going to shove Ra’rhuk away but unable to manage it. ” No! Day after day, when you visit this is all we do. I don’t want to do this any more! I want things like they used to be! ” He looked shocked that he had even said that, looked to both his brothers in a swift moment of his head before running off.

" There he goes… " Zor’din announced.

" Shut up… " Ra’rhuk waved his hand to silence his brother, as he was now making his way to find Kor’akk.

Times had been tough on the family, food had become scarce, and it was telling on his young brother’s physique, too skinny, dark rings under his eyes, the inability to hold the shield up. The meals that they had been presented, the look on the female’s faces. Their father more into gambling and drinking then ever, as more words came of their brother’s deaths. Loss was ever present in all directions, and becoming thicker in the atmosphere, they had no idea how much heavier it was to become. Ra’rhuk had found Kor’akk, huddled holding his knees to his chin sitting on a stone mason wall looking down in to a valley of burgundy shaded trees. Raptor riders used to do guard duty walking theses paths, but lately few did. Ra’rhuk felt those tears as if they were his own, but he had forgotten how to cry. His hand came to the middle of Kor’akk’s back as he sat down besides him it just rested there as his feet dangled loosely over the edge.

" Kor’akk, I’m sorry if I’ve been hard on you… " He voiced carefully, allowing Kor’akk to regain composure.

Kor’akk shook his head, his ears low, as he slowly looked up to Ra’rhuk, ” It’s not that… it’s not that.. it’s what if I can’t do it. ” He shook his head looking back towards the direction of the family’s hut. He noticed Zor’din was approaching and had lifted his chin in his direction with a sniffle. ” You both have changed so much… and… everything else too. It’s hard. ”

Zor’din plopped down on the other side of Kor’akk ruffling the youth’s hair. ” We haven’t change all that much. ” It was a lie, but he held his old smile like it was the truth. ” We’re still your brother’s, and that will never be different. Even if Ra’rhuk has a stick so far up his ass that you can see it when he eats. ” He reached over and gave Ra’rhuk a shove to his shoulder, carried on a laugh.

Ra’rhuk planted his palm to Zor’din face and pushed him away. ” And he’s still a dumb ass. ” He chuckled but looked down to Kor’akk. ” We will be the same… I know we’re gone a lot more often now, but we’re not changing. Besides, look at you. ” He knuckle nudged under Kor’akk’s chin. ” Your tusks are coming in… they’re going to be bigger then our father’s in a few months at this rate. ”

" Yeah… Come on Kor. Don’t be worried about us changing on you. We might look different, we might even act different a little bit, but we’re still the same assholes you knew. " He laughed out shaking Kor’akk some.

" We know it’s hard… we do, but you got to remember when it’s the hardest you got to appreciate what you have going for you. You got to remember that smile of yours that melts the sweets right out of mother’s hands and into the mouth. Like… Remember that one time when we was all cliff jumping? " Ra’rhuk asked of young Kor’akk, after he mentioned it was better to appreciate what one had at the time they had it in. Kor’akk began to nod with a smile.

" No, no, no… Not that, because that was awful… Wait… how about that time Dan’awa caught Ra’rhuk looking under that mated female’s kilt lifting it up in the back with a stick in the middle of the market?! Hah! that was funny! " Zor’din was laughing it up, and Ra’rhuk was serious in expression, Kor’akk began laughing as well.

" Regardless… " He paused and shook his head staring Zor'din down. " I can’t believe you would bring that up… "

Zor’din sneered. ” You brought up the cliff diving. ”

" Regardless… when times get bad, think of things like that, remember. Don’t focus on the now, think back, and a smile will come eventually. Alright? " Ra’rhuk lowered his head and looked to Kor’akk to see that smile and sure enough it was on the rise. " We don’t have to practice every day we’re here, but it something that is needed more then you know Crow’s song, okay? " He rubbed to his brother’s shoulder as he came to a stand.

" Okay… " Kor’akk nodded, smiling a little as the two began debating amongst themselves about who received the worst punishment for what….