Yaretzi's Journey

Nemachtiloyan / School

**** Trigger warning!! There is a strong scene ahead, please do not read if you are not ready!****

Yaretzi’s Pov

It is early morning, and one of the land's cuanacaooster is already singing to the God Quetzalcoatl on my room window. I am still lying on my petate and under my cotton cover, not wanting to move, but today I want that rooster sacrificed, de-feathered, and cooked with cuicuicani/fried grasshoppers, but first I will have to catch the bird.

For seventeen years, I have never needed to know what it was like to clean, wash, or dust. My mother, Queen Quetzalxochitl, had started to teach me when I was 4 or 5 years old how to keep order in the town without having anyone feel less important than the next person. My mother would always treat everyone with respect, love, and understanding, not to step on top of other people because of her status. With my mother being that way, I had always seen the commoner as the noblewoman, and men respected my mother.

She had always said,” lo que cosechas siembras, what you reap you sow”. When I was younger, I always thought she meant growing crops and anything that meant food for our family until I entered school, where I learned what my mother meant in my 15th year.

All the girls and boys went to different classes. There was a noble class called a calmecac, or commoners’ class, telpochcalli. All of the girls learned household skills, religious rituals, singing, dancing, and craftwork. Some talented girls were chosen as midwives and received full healer training. Other athletically gifted girls might be sent to the house of dancing and singing.

The noblemen boys entered Calmecacs, where they were taught to be leaders, priests, scholars or teachers, healers, or codex painters, including literacy, history, religious rituals, calendrics, geometry, songs, and the military arts. Most noble families wanted their boys to learn advanced studies in astronomy, theology, and statesmen's ship prepared the nobles’ sons for work in the government and temples.Telpochcalli taught boys history, religion, agricultural skills, military fighting techniques, and a craft or trade, preparing them for a life as a farmer, metal worker, feather worker, potter, or soldier.

Our town's people were taught to keep the streets, houses, and even the forest clean. King Moctezuma II implemented a rule to keep our town clean. He wanted his town to be clean and nature cared for. Even cutting down a tree without his consent would have that person sacrificed.

On the first day of school, all the children gathered, from noble to commoner children, were waiting for their teachers to call for them. I was excited because a slave woman Tlalli (meaning earth), who have taken care of me since birth, would send her daughter Citlalli ( meaning star) to the same school. Since Citlalli did not fault what her mother did in her past, the teachers allowed her to enter the school. We did not expect how the rest of the children would treat her.

Citlalli and I have been together since I was 1, and she was barely born. Tlalli has been almost like another mother to me. She would be one of the most influential women in my life. One of my father's other wives always asked the other noblewoman, “Doesn’t Tlalli and Queen Quetzalxochitl's daughters look like sisters with the same black hair and medium-light skin?” I have never believed them because Citlalli has smaller eyes and skinnier body. The other wives would want to rile up my mother, but nothing would phase her since she was calm as a leaf. We would always laugh, hug, and call each other Icuh/sisters. Until I was three years old, I would see more brothers and sisters born from my father's other wives.

When Citlalli was dropped off at the school by her mother immediately, the children started to make fun of her and threw rocks. I arrived a few minutes afterward, ready to see my Icuh, but when I saw her crying and kicked at the ground, Tochtcli defended her. Tochtclil may be a rabbit, but with the training my grandfather Itzcoatl had taught me since I was ten, I could get everyone off her and throw them to the other side of the building. “ Who gave you the right to hit and throw rocks at Citlalli!” I screamed.

All the children looked worried because they started to fear for their lives once they had seen who I was. Nobleman Acalan replied,” Princes Yaretzi, why do you worry about this little servant’s daughter? She is just a piece of trash that needs to understand where she stands. I do not know why she would be allowed to enter this school. There are already enough vermin to look at, but knowing she is here, that is where the end of the stick breaks.”. I answer, “ Nobleman Acalan, it seems the only vermin is yourself. You would rather see Citlalli suffer to show how low you have stooped. No wonder your wives would rather be with another nobleman than stay with you.”.

My response hits Nobleman Acalan in the heart, and he immediately walks up to me and slaps me across the cheek. I was surprised that Nobleman Acalan would hit me before many other noblemen, commoners, and soldiers. Nobleman Acalan starts to laugh and says softly to my ear, “ You are lucky that I have only done that to you because you deserve worse. Next time I see you, and you speak that way to me, I will remove whatever you have of dignity. Don’t worry, I will tell Chief Huitzilin what happened today, and he will believe me more than a stupid little spoiled princess like you”.

With this answer, I completely lose all control, and Tochtcli comes forward. Immediately I start transforming into my nahual for the first time. I have heard of other people going through the pain of changing to their nahual, but I only felt uncomfortable. The other children and adults run out of the school, leaving Nobleman Acalan and me alone. Tochtcli completely transforms and transfers me to his heart as I do when he is inside me.

Nobleman Acalan laughs and says,” That is the infamous princess Yaretzi’s nahual? An overgrown white, fat rat is my rival? I have defeated a bigger nahual with just the tip of my nail.”. Tochtcli laughs at Noblemans Acalan's response and says,” Nepantlayotl / Lunch.” With that answer, Tochtcli starts to jump around and see how he can attack. Tochtcli is only 3 ft tall by 4 ft wide, with white fur, long pointy ears, long sharp nails, and tattoos on his legs, but his speed is unmatched by anyone. Not even grandfather Tlacamaye tecuani/bear named Chimalli can catch up with Tochtcli.

Tochtcli starts to run around Nobleman Acalan, and occasionally, he cuts him when he sees an opening. Nobleman Acalan starts to feel frustrated and one moment starts to jump and try to grab Tochtcli, but every time he gets close, I give him the slip. Nobleman Acalan's clothing is filled with blood in less than ten cuts.

No one knows that Tochtcli adds a toxin to every cut the person or animal receives. This toxin is only activated when Tochtcli feels it is needed or stays inside the person's body until they die. It does not matter if the person goes to the tepatiqui/doctor and receives a remedy for pain. The toxin never leaves the body and starts to activate 3 hours after the initial cut by having the person or animal hallucinate. Then after three days, their veins start to disintegrate and pop. The pain makes the person/animal run to the water to cool off, but they do not know that water worsens it and has the toxin work faster.

Nobleman Acalan surprises Tochtcli, saying,” I told you I would get you.”. Nobleman Acalan starts cutting Tochtcli's fur in multiple places and turning his fur red. Once he sees that he has done and is satisfied with his work, he throws Tochtcli on the floor and walks away, saying, “ You try that again, and I will do to you as I promised you.”. Tochtcli starts to transform back to Yaretzi, and she is breathing heavily. Citlalli runs to her best friend and starts screaming, “Acahya nanamiqui atentli tlatocacihuapilli Yaretzi!/ Someone help the princess Yaretzi!”

Several soldiers enter the school, wrap Princess Yaretzi with one of their shirts, and take her to the Tepatiqui. Citlalli runs after them. Yaretzi is left in the room for royalty on top of the petate. The Tepatqui asks Citlalli,” What happened to Princes Yaretzi? Who did this to her?”. Citlalli answers,” Princess Yaretzi was defending me from Nobleman Acalan, and he was the one who did this to her.”. With this answer, Tepatiqui looks at Citlalli and has his nurses remove the clothing the soldiers wrapped me in to start healing my injuries.

When Tepatiqui is completed, I look like a tree flourishing with leaves all over me. I see that Citlalli is sleeping at the petate I am resting. I look up at the ceiling and immediately hear my father, Chief Huitzilin, and mother, Queen Quetzalxochitl, almost scream to Tepatiqui to where I am. Tepatiqui immediately shows them where I am lying down and tells the Chief and Queen,” I have treated her for all the wounds she received. She is not to be moved until they start to seal. If she is moved, the herbs will not work, and the wounds will open. She could die if that were to happen.”. My mother, Queen Quetzalxochitl, looks scared at Chief Huitzilin, and then both stare at me with sadness and anger.

“ What happened, Yaretzi?” Chief Huitzilin asked. I told my father and mother everything about what happened at the incident. They were both astonished that I would help Citlalli, a poor girl's daughter. My parents were stunned to hear how Tochtcli was described by their soldiers when the report was given. They never knew that Tochtcli would be able to grow that size and ability to move at an astonishing speed. My father, Chief Huitzilin, says,” I will have to investigate this incident with my men, so for right now, I can not do anything to Nobleman Acalan since he is saying something else happened.”. I will have soldiers stay in front of your room and only allow myself, your mother, or Tepatiqui to enter with his nurses.

I could only nod and say, “ Tlazohcamati huel miac tatli tlamauhtli teciztli/ Thank you very much, Dad and Mom.”. With these last words, my body feels exhausted, and I start to doze off, hoping to speak to Tochtcli and see how he is feeling.