Clanwar

Hurt

~Ciaran~

As Andy and Rachel’s pet led the way for the two intruders, Rachel lagged behind until she was walking beside me. We greeted the villagers that passed us but Rachel still remained deep in thought. My eyes focused on the Ximians as they lowered their hoods for a moment to tie up each other's hair. I shook my head, hoping to remove my confusion at their actions before facing Rachel. We continued in silence for a few more moments before she finally stopped me. Her eyes darted every so often to the Ximians, a glare in her gaze.

“How much do you trust these Khau Sien Nkaag?” She whispered harshly.

“About as much as you. But they are in our territory, meeting the most protected leaders. There is quite literally nothing that they can do.” I assured her.

My eyes wandered back to the Ximians. My curiosity peaked as they reacted in very contrasting manners. One was awed at everything while the other seemed defensive towards everyone and everything. One seemed inclined to touch everything while the other seemed repelled by everything. I scoffed before making my way towards them with Rachel following close behind.

“For someone so adamant about union, you seem quite repelled by the Šuma Clan and what it has to offer.” I growled at Everest.

A sharp pain emanated across my cheek as my vision was suddenly filled with a shocked crowd that had gathered. I bowed my head briefly before looking at Everest in anger. It didn't last long as the Ximian looked on with tears streaming down her face. I could only stare at her, frozen. She had a whirlwind of emotions raging behind her gorgeous eyes.

Andy swiftly moved past me, but I was entranced by Everest. Shouts and protests erupted around us but we promptly ignored them as our silent stare-down continued. One of the constant emotions I saw in her eyes was hurt. There was so much hurt in her eyes that my heart unwittingly broke for her. She seemed far too young to have this hurt in her life.

“Don’t guilt me about things you know nothing about. You don’t know me or my past with your clan so I would thank you kindly if you didn't meddle in things you don’t understand.” She muttered back to me before turning around and raised her hood to cover her face.

Her braided hair swished as she quickly made her way far from me, Monaley not far behind her. I could only stare at her retreating form as the crowd departed. Rachel and Andy came up to my sides, their argument growing louder by the second. A heavy hand landed on my shoulder, snapping me out of my thoughts. I turned to find a worried Andy. His eyes asked a silent question, ‘Are you ok?’. I could only nod my head to him before I came back into reality.

“I can’t believe that she would do something like that! How dare she?!” Rachel fumed.

“What did you do to piss her off so much?” Andy asked.

“What did he do? That Ximian Hit first! My Cia-poo didn't do anything!” Rachel screeched.

“From what I learned about Everest, she doesn’t react like that unless it matters.” Andy grumbled.

“Right, yea, I forgot that the Ximians are known for their cordial behavior towards us” Rachel Snapped.

“They are better behaved than you are!” Andy replied.

“Excuse me?!”

“I’m with Rachel on this. What exactly did I do but point out the truth?” I grunted at him.

“I’ve got to go. I have guard duty. Try not to upset Eve too much.” Andy called back to us, before disappearing into the oncoming crowd. Disappointment was heavy in his voice.

“Traitor!” Rachel yelled after him.

I slowly made my way with the crowd, my thoughts swirling with all this new information. My heart pained every time Everest’s hurt expression surfaced in my brain. Her words echoed in my head and collided with what Andy had said about her. If she truly didn't lash out, then why did she lash out at me? Why did I even care? What did she mean about her “history” with my clan? I shook my head slightly to remove my thoughts as Rachel looped her arms through mine and led me to the growing crowd.