RE: Reincarnation

After their conversation in the tent, Nocturne was finally taken outside to the village, a collection of tents surrounding a single bonfire. The elder explained each tent's use and the day to day life of the village, trying to highlight its best points to him, likely to entice him into staying. Or was it because she wanted the 'Great One' to have a favorable opinion of her home? It wasn't like he could have that bad of one, they saved him from rotting in the forest. He was a good meal away from granting them six stars, they'd already gotten five.

"What the hell are loco and weirdo doing over there? Who's that guy?" Came from a woman just outside the tanner's tent. Tilting his head to get a look, he saw those ugly words came from a surprisingly pretty girl.

"Don't you know? That's the Great One, no idea who chose those crazies to bring someone like that around," Was the response from the boy beside her, a child already taller than Nocturne.

Crazies? The elder and Karna? Those two didn't seem any saner.

Though it would have alarmed Nocturne if it were anything else, he already trusted Karna and the elder. There was no way they were bad, which meant they were just different.

People never liked difference.

After sending a stern look their way, surprising the pair, Nocturne returned his attention to the two he was with. He let himself fall behind abruptly and latched onto Karna's arm, pressing his cheek against it. "Tell me Karna, what do you do here? You said you were a guard?"

Fl.u.s.tered, Karna nodded, "Ah, yes, that's right. I keep guard around camp to protect from animal or monster attacks, not that we get many. I mostly train, read, and hunt."

Tracing a finger over the slopes of Karna's muscles, Nocturne responded smoothly, "I suppose that's where you get all this from. And you're still smart? A dream combination."

With a smile satisfied with his work, he pulled away, rags drifting shortly behind him. He went to go back to the elder, continuing with his questioning about life in the village. And he took both a smugness and a shred of hope in the way Karna continued to blush and gaze at him.

The trio walked around the tent village, the lycanthropes answering the reincarnation's questions happily, sparing no detail to his pestering. It was a joyous sight, the small spark hanging onto his goliath bodyguard's arm with glee as the eldest of them smiled and explained everything he wanted to know.

Apparently, they were a warring tribe, one that followed the laws of the jungle, survival of the fittest.

Even still, some would spend their lives on other crafts, such as blacksmithing or tailoring, and were held in contempt because of it, despite the contributions they made. Karna was among them, even though his studies involved warcraft and strategy, topics you would believe to be help in high respect for the tribe. In the end, it seemed that few of the elders, set in their ways, saw any use in study. No matter how much evidence they were shown of its benefits and importance, it never got through to them. It reminded Nocturne of the ignorance he witnessed back in his old world. The refusal to believe in science.

Even still, there were plenty of kinder souls, still rough around the edges, that gave Nocturne hope for the tribe's future. Strong youthful opinions for change, powerful voices that would not be silenced. He hoped their tribe would change its views before it was too late.

He was also granted many gifts on account of the prophecy. A baker with laugh lines gave him sweets that tasted like ambrosia, the blacksmith with a smile as warm as his forge gave him a piece of jewelry to decorate his forearm, the tailor with an eye for beauty gave him a t.h.i.g.h high wrapping made of a fine, enchanted cloth, and a cobbler who was the sweeter than the baker's candy gave him a pair of contrasted black and white shoes with silver decoration of a six-sided star and feathered wings, clear blue jewels woven in.

He took the offerings with a smile, learning quickly that they would take a no as rejection. Nocturne was a sucker for their kicked puppy looks.

The day was incredibly fun, and as the sun set and Nocturne was led back to the tent, he wished to do it again and again.

But tomorrow, he'd have to face the music.