After a few seconds of blurry vision the new figure comes into clarity. A nine year old boy with brown skin,hair so ragged and dark it blended in with the shadows. Wearing a green dusty and stained coverd kayabandhi around his waist and tarnished foot wraps. The boy looks down at her curiously, this person didn't look like a Strider and didn't look like how Mongu are supposed to. Mongu aren't supposed to have these weird narks on their arms or the weird dots on her face. But still the boy felt an urge that was too unfamiliar. Mongu usually didn't have much empathy for others only showing the bate minimum for family, but even then only females did. Not that it was a lot, despite this for some reason the boy felt an ache looking at this girl.
Then the boy looks at her chest and talks to himself, his face scrunching in concentration as he thinks.
???:"Person is runt, person has chest wraps. Wraps like gran..so is female is girl. Then bring to gran!"
The boy says clapping his hands together in triumph at vaguely recalling his grandmother giving this faint explanation to what a female was. Knowing for some reason his grandmother wanted to find a female for some reason. He wasn't really sure, Mongu weren't good at communicating. In fact they barley even talked with each other, only speaking in choppy improper sentences. Speaking only well enough to get a point across. It was one of the ways the Striders kept them compliant and easily controlled. After all what pet needs to be able to back sass their owner about things lke "rights" or "fair treatment", no no no that just won't do.
And yet despite Mongu not caring about empathy or anything that wasn't practical in the moment. The boy felt like taking the girl with him, feeling an invisible pull that compelled him as the squeezing sensation started to die down. So with a grunt he slings the girl onto his back and starts walking to the Mongu village. The girl feeling a mixture of emotions including pain and a sense of comfort the boy's warm dry body brings in comparison to her cold wet one. Her world flickers as she tries to look down at the boy and passes out from blood loss.
(Later)
The boy carries the girl into a dilapidated village. Several run down huts lining the sides of the main dirt path, the dirt path itself having an awkward amount of pebbles, uneven levels and limbs of sleeping or dead Mongu. The smell of iron always present, a constant reminder of the ever present threat of death for little to no reason. But this smell didn't bother boy even as the girl lightly jostled on his back twice before going stiff on his back.
Walking down three more yards the boy stops at one of the huts and opens the large leaves activiting as a door.
*Thwip* The boy sidesteps as a crude spear thrown from a hidden spot inside the dark hut nearly impaling his neck as it lands a few feet away in the stomach of a Mongu who was unlucky enough to be sleeping in the wrong place. The boy sighs, he knows he was going to get scolded for opening the door too fast without speaking. Turning around to pick up the crude spear the boy turn back to the hut.
Boy: "Gran, is just Jukku! No throw more spear!"
The boy walks into the hut and looks down at a hunched over old woman with grey hair, curling over using a long staff as a cane, chest wraps, a green kayabandhi, and a slender grey monky tail wrapped around her waist.
This is Zani.
The old woman sighs her grandson always forgot to speak before entering, it has lead to many mongu getting killed by accident when Jukku dodged. So much so to where other mongu just avoid going in front of the hut. But even so she cared her grandson very much despite being a pain in the ass sometimes. Zani then walks into a corner of the hut pulling out a fruit that resembles a misshapen aplle fused eith a peach from a "basket"in the corner. The "basket" being a fee sticks stuck into the ground in a circle with a few leaves at the bottom if the circle and leaves wrapped around the sricks to prevent anything from getting inside. Then waddling over and tapping jukku on the chest with it.
Zani: "Jukku eat, juykku is growing runt, growing runt need fruit."
The word runt being exchangeable for child, boy, or girl for Mongu. Often only using runt for most scenarios.
Zani says not leaving and room for argument in her voice as Jukku speaks up.
Jukku: "Gran, Jukku have new person, found female in woods, Jukku thinks is a girl." Jukku says squatting down and laying Noya on the ground. Not having much understanding of what a female way beyond that Zani said they all wear wraps on their chest like she does.
Zani sighs and sits next to the girl then turns to Jukku nodding.
Zani:"Yes Jukku, person is female. Jukku remember Zani words right." The overall condition of the girl immediately catches Zani's attention, she did not know why Jukku brought another mouth to feed here. Especially one that looked so weak and frail, one that was staining their good dirt with blood. She just out all the bad dirt this morning and now she had to do it again when it dries. She was considering just throwing the girl out and scolding Jukku for bringing her. But the thought disappears as soon as it comes, making Zani sigh in slight annoyance. At least this saves her the trouble of having to find a female in the village that was good enough to be a pair with Jukku.
Zani: "Jukku no bring more people. Zani will spear next one. (Zani squints at Noya noticing how surprisingly tall she was for Mongu child. Then pokes her with her staff) She runt like Jukku, she weak an frail. Not how long people are supposed to be"
Zani pokes the girl's leg with the butt of her staff utterly disappointed at how quickly she ran into bone behind thin muscle. With a sigh Zani speaks.
Zani:"No problem, all runt start weak Jukku. Remember that, but gran make runt strong like Jukku when runt wakes."
Jukku nods then looks curiously at Noya, he had never seen a mongu with marks on their arms or one this tall. The girl's height already as tall as an adult mongu male. (5'6) The very idea of Mongu being this different completely fascinating.
Jukku: "Gran how Jukku help-"
Jukku yelps loudy as Zani reached into his kayabandhi and pulls his long black furred tail out with a scrowl on her face.
Zani: "Zani has told Jukku not to put tail under cloth! Jukku help by do what zani say! Jukku will hurt tail! Jukku will look different, different! Make stider come and make Jukku go pop! Make gran starve! Jukku needs to keep tail out!" Zani says slamming her staff into Jukku's thighs while scolding him. Every Mongu had a tail and showed them. If they didn't it causes lots of health problems and will make striders angry when they bring all who are able to fight in the arena. She needed Jukku to know and understand that tucking his tail even on accident is something that should be immediately checked fixed.
Slamming her staff on the ground as Jukku rumbs his thighs.Zani sighs speaks in a more softer voice that still has the sharp edge of a scolding grandmother.
Zani: "Jukku worry Zani much. Jukku is too old, and so is Zani. Zani no want Jukku to die like parents, too young." Zani says less from a place of empathy and from a place of regret, something extremely rare. Feeling like a failure of a parent for letting her children die before her. For failing her purpose, even if it was because of striders. But not do to an overwhelming sense of motherhood either, only due to the sense of betraying the order of "nature", that because she was ilder she was supposed to die first. Mongu only lived up to thirty years old and she was much older than that. Putting Zani in a constant depression at failing her "nature", the nature that has been bred into every Mongu.
Zani: "Jukku go get fruit, be quit, be fast. It night. Stiders fly, will make Jukku go pop if see Jukkt. Pick many as Jukku can, leave fruit if Jukku has to."
Jukku nods looking out the door at the sky then starts jogging down the village into the section with fruit trees.
Meanwhile Zani retrieves some leaves from another "basket". These leafs just barley have enough flexibility and barley have any medical properties to patch up the girl. Ptatch up being tying leaves around her wounds and hoping for the best. And that's exactly what she did, wrapping the leaves around all of the cuts Zani could see until there was one left on her right arm. Zani grabs Noya's arm using her tail and lifting it up to have more space to maneuver while wrapping. Grabbing the leaf and pressing it against Noya's arm then, freezing immediately with her eyes going wide in confusion and fascination. The long deep gash on Noya's arm started healing itself, a faint and dull red sliver of light going up her arm fixing it as it went, tracing the wounds as it worked. Even fixed her bruises along the way. This made Zani grow a rare grin, the runt Jukku brought back had not only saved her time of finding a female to be a pair with Jukku but, the runt also healed faster than anything she's seen. Not that she's seen a lot.
This is an absolute win for Zani, once Jukku and Noya reach the right age for breeding. This trait of Noya being passed on would make their clan much more stronger. Recovering seemingly life threatening wounds mear instantly in battle. But still Zani felt an unease knowing that despite her limited knowledge, no kind of human is supposed to be able to do this. Instead of hurting her brain with more thinking, Zani just takes it as Noya just being a extremely fast healer and taking note of the strange almost unnatural feeling of the strong burning heat that radiated off of Noya as her body heals.
A few seconds later Zani removes the stained leaves and confirms that this process happened over the girl's entire body. After tossing the leaves outside the hut for tiger-goat to eat once it smells the scent of blood on leafs. Zani wraps her tail around the girl, being just strong enough to drag the girl to a pile of straw and laying her on it. Then kneeling next to her for several minutes until Jukku comes back. Jukku knocks on the outside wall a few times.
Jukku:"Jukku is back, got fruit!"
Jukku shouts not wanting another whooping and scolding then walks inside carrying fruit in moth of his arms. Before putting them in the "basket" and taking out the ones that were inside the "basket" already beforehand. Then handing one to Zani and sliding the other four in a leaf. Sitting besides Zani and eating the fruit, quickly falling asleep in a corner of the hut after he finishes his share of the fruit and makes sure Zani eats her fruit.
Jukku didn't know much but her did worry about Zani eating enough, she didn't eat as much after his parents died. In his mind that was the reason she was so skinny, not the complications of age. Regardless after another hour passes the girl stirs in her sleep letting out a pained grown before waking up. The girl looks alarmed as Zani studies her, not sure if the girl is still hot to the touch. This wasn't the boy she saw pick her up, it was some misshapen creature that looks like a human. But everything was wrong, it's hair was grey, it was small and hunched over, and it was missing teeth! The girl then scoots backwards on the ground not wanting to be injured again. Thinking the old woman in front of her was another animal her masters put her in a hut with to punish her for... something. Zani sighs at the girl's alarm, taking her to be cowardly in nature. But cowardly or not the fast healing is a plus. Zani points to the girl.
Zani:"You runt, sit still. You weak, hungry, moving bad."
Zani points to Jukku sleeping in the corner.
Zani:"You pair with my runt Jukku. Jukku bring you here, but you weak."
Zani says naturally as if saying the sky was blue, leaving no room for discussion in her voice. The girl doesn't understand what a pair is, but the creature seemed to think it's not a big deal. Despite the girl not knowing what and old person was, still a little on edge at Zani's appearance. She saw no reason to not listen to her, Zani spoke to her, and no one but her masters gave her instructions. So this creature must be one of her masters. So the girl hesitantly nods to show her understanding. This makes Zani scoff in annoyance.
Zani:"Do not move head! Speak!"
Zani says slamming her staff on the ground to emphasize her point. The girl flinches at Zani's sudden raise in tone. Zani then sighs in annoyance at how quick the girl was to flinch. Zani had barley done anything and the girl already showed a big defect for Mongu, at this rate she'll die when training starts.
Zani:"what is name?"
Girl:"name? What is name?"
Zani:"....Name is what people call you."
Zani points to herself and speaks in a softer tone trying to make the girl feel less stressed. If ine didn't know better they would mistake this for empathy, but Zani just wanted the girl to stop fidgeting and answer her questions already.
Zani:"Me name is Zani, but you call Zani master. Now what is name?"
The girl looks at her lap as her face scrunches in confusion and slight understanding, before she pauses and thinks. She'd never been given a name, but going off of what zani told her. The Striders who were tasked with feeding her always called her something, something that had noy in it. After a few seconds the girl looks back up at Zani.
Girl:"..Noya, name is Noya."
The girl now Noya says feeling like she accomplished something.
Zani:"Good, Noya then. Where was Noya? Does Noya know how to spar?"
Noya tilts her head to the side not grasping what Zani is talking about in the slightest.
Noya:"Noya was in hard box.. Strider's call it cage..Zani, what spar?"
Zani looks like she's been slapped in the face with a rock. Even for Mongu standers this girl was starting to seem stupid, but just as quickly as Zani's face changed it went back to normal after deciding that it didn't matter if Noya was stupid. And being in a cage? Zani decides that Noya didn't know since she was in a cage, likely for a long tims. So Noya just wasn't as knowledgeable as she should be, which brought more questions to Zani on how a Mongu didn't know the things that define their lives.
Regardless Zani sighs at the amount of work she'll have to do to get Noya into fighting shape.
Zani:"Spare is what Mongu do. Live, Spare, eat, die. You are Mongu, this what you do."
Zani then grips her staff tightly. Then leans close to Noya who flinches, not being used to anyone being physically this close to her. Before Noya starts relaxing, in that instant Zani grips her left hand into a fist slams it into the side of Noya's skull. Making Noya fall to her side with a yelp. Then clutches the side of her head with tears in her eyes.
Noya:"Why Zani do that?!"
Zani:"Zani is teaching that part of spar, Mongu spare in arena for food. Zani too old, Jukku goes instead. When we finish Noya go too. Stop crying, crying weak. Cryers die."
Noya's lip quivvers as she takes a deep breath trying to calm herself and barley succeeding. Glancing at the sleeping boy in the corner with admiration, whatever a spar was, it hurt and he does it regularly. And did it without complaining, if Jukku could do that then maybe she could to. Noya then whimpers as the pain resides, but despite the pain Noya didn't feel bad, in fact she felt an odd sense of joy at the prospect of earning food. Noya wasn't fed very often when she was in her cage, but Noya also feels a sense of familiarity at the concept of fighting for food in the arena. Noya then shales her head and looks at Zani with a determined expression. Ready to do what she needs to so she doesn't starve.
Noya:"What Noya do? Nota no know how to spar."
Zani:"Shut up, Zani will teach Noya basic basic part of spar. Then Noya practice with Jukku."
Zani trembles pushing herself up with her staff then wraps her tail around Noya's waist. Making Noya flinch from suddenly being grabbed and quickly calming down as Zani walks and sets down Noya in the middle of the but as if she were weightless. Showing how bizzarly strong Mongu are even in old age.
Zani:"Now, show Zani what Noya knows. Hit Zani."
[Hey, auther guy here quick note-footwraps, kayabandhi or similar, chest wraps.
This is default mongu outfit with males not having the chest wraps, the only thing that chages is color. That being used to say what clan they belong to. So assume that is the outfit unless written otherwise]