Fic: Silent Vipers 1/?

Author's note: So, there's not a whole lot of action in this part. You get a peek in to Kaniri culture (at least, the Keturi tribe, that is.), and some slight character development between the protagonist and her family.

Comments are my inspiration. Without them, I often lose the energy to write. So, please leave some. :)

Everything below is one hundred percent mine. I have not ripped off any work that I know of; trying to be as original as possible here. ;)

Read on, my dears, read on!
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The encampment was bustling with the dawn’s excitement. As usual for the Keturi, the day started at Wq’in’s rising, and didn’t end until she set.

Inside what we would tend to call a tent, Asq awoke, allowing herself to completely rouse before rising. Pointed, dog-like ears flitted, as though stretching themselves to consciousness. Her snout, covered in a generous layer of reddish brown fur, inhaled the scent of fresh *tallka meat cooking on a pan; her father was making her favorite breakfast. Light brown eyes opened, and the Kaniri girl sat up rather reluctantly. Her **qo’lope wool blanket was pleasantly warm, and she didn’t like to let her fluffy, two-toned tail get chilled in the frigid morning air.

“R’qu, get up,” Asq said, slightly sleepy as she walked lazily across the ***marq, heading to wake up her younger brother. She carefully avoided her father, who was crouched on the earthy floor beside a crackling fire.

R’qu gave a groan and rolled over, taking his tallka skin blanket with him. Asq took a step closer and gave him a nudge with her foot, and accidentally struck him with one of her dark claws, which led him to roll over into the leather side of the marq. Asq took notice that they would have to get a new ****vreenak hide soon if they’d want to actually have a place to live.

“Asq, leave your little brother alone,” Ki’n, her father, told her as he turned over the delectable meat, the smell of which was making Asq’s mouth water. Tallka meat was always her favorite breakfast; a slightly smoky flavor, a crisp brown coating, tender meltiness. Ah, it was like being in the Illturi’s Hall.

R’qu broke her daydreams with a loud protest. “She’s only five revolutions older than me!” R’qu crossed his arms huffily.

“Well,” Asq started, “that means I’m fifteen revolutions, and you are only ten. Therefore, I am the boss of you. Right, Father?” She glanced in Ki’n’s direction, searching with pleading eyes for support. Asq read R’qu’s thoughts. Please Father, don’t let her boss me around.

The older Kaniri had laid the food on a leather platter, and was now using a sharpened vreenak bone to slice the delectable meat into thick pieces. Lifting his yellow and black head, he replied, “The Illituri carve our paths for us, Asq; you know that. They are the ones we are responsible to, not one another.” Asq looked down slightly in embarrassment; their gods were probably not the happiest with her at the moment. She had wasted some wood yesterday… “Now, we can see the Fre’er has blessed us with this delectable tallka. Let us not allow it to become chilled and inedible.”

Asq and R’qu sat down cross-legged beside Ki’n and eagerly picked up a piece of the caramel-colored meat. Saying a quick word of gratitude to the Illituri, they quickly started to devour the meat with their sharp teeth, wondering what the day would have in store for them.

*Tallka: A small, hare-like animal. They tend to have horns similar to those of a rhinoceros scaling from the tip of their nose to in between their large ears. Tallka generally are a burnt pumpkin color. They’re hides and furs are using to make summer blankets and clothes, and can be dyed using different berries.

**Qo’lope: An animal resembling a penguin. They have fluffy coats that are varying shades of brown. The Kenturi Kaniri tend to keep them around camp, using their wool for items such as blankets and winter clothing.

***Marq: A marq is a Kenturi Kaniri house similar to a tepee of Native American humans. They are often made out of vreenak hides, but children’s play marqs can be made out of tallka hides.

****Vreenak: A large, mammalian animal capable of flight. It has furry wings that are often fifty feet in wing span, making it one of the largest animals on Kanirus. Vreenak are dangerous to hunt, as they have huge fangs that grow to be three and a half feet long. They have paws similar to those of lions, and heads closely resembling bears. They’re black in color.