Nolite Timere

Chapter 1

    Lucian walked down the slope leading into his tribe's home. A small valley, full of lush grass and a few stray trees. Truly a sight to behold for those easily susceptible to beauty. However, Lucian was not one of these people.

    His azure eyes remained alert, even as his body ached from his spar with Cassian. He arrived at the bottom of the slope, the sand now shifting to the grass that covered so much of their land.

He stood where the sand met the grass, although he had won, Cassian had gotten in a few of his own strikes. He was a respectable member of the tribe, as was Lucian.

    Unlike Lucian, Cassian was born into a high ranking family. He has no trouble with gaining respect, as he was born into a luxurious life full of comfort and security. Access to education, all types of weapons, and practically unlimited resources.

    Lucian clicked his tongue as he glanced around. A few tribal members remained in the camp, most were out on a hunting party. The Ventus Tribe had sent a scout reporting a herd of manikal traveling through the fields between their territories. No doubt the Flos Tribe would be invited as well. The three field dwelling clans lived in a relative peace. Nothing official, more of an unspoken agreement. Unlike the tribes in the city, they did not need to scavenge, nor fight for land. There was plenty to go around.

Lucian believed this made them the best of the tribes. He walked further into the camp, scanning for any leftover food from yesterday's meal. The Tribe has been able to acquire saval from the Flos Tribe in exchange for fur pelts. As the Solstitium Tribe hunted a great deal more than the fruit loving Flos Tribe.

They have standard trades, fruit for fur pelts, the occasional trade of herbs. Lucian may have gone into the craft of the trade had he not been blessed with such a bright mind.

Lucian found what he was looking for, saval fruits, he walked over the wooden bowl and took a modest sized fruit, inspecting it for bugs or dirt before he took a large bite. The saval fruit possessed a sweet flavor, it's light yellow skin giving way easily to Lucian's teeth.

Lucian went over to the tree in the center of camp, surveying the terrain. A few small burrows were dug into the sides of the valley, with fire pits scattered around. Only a small cluster of trees provided shade for the camp. It was a fall day, so Lucian was not uncomfortable with the temperature.

Lucian finished the fruit, managing to keep his fingers clean from the sticky juices. As he was swallowing the last bits of the delicious delicacy, he picked up footsteps in his peripheral vision. He sat up from the trunk, glancing behind him.

Cassian, dressed in fine blue tunic and brown trousers approached the taller male.

Lucian sighed inwardly, the corners of his mouth forming into a frown. He slowly shifted, leaning away from the trunk. He turned to the other, plastering a convincing smile on his face.

"What happened to keep you so long?" Lucian said innocently, not a hint of malice shining through.

Cassian frowned. "I was limping after our spar, did you not notice? I called for you to wait for me."

Lucian clicked his tongue again, his eyes meeting Cassian's piercing green gaze. The setting sun casting directly onto Cassian's face only revealed the boy's features more. He had a sharp jawline, with light emerald eyes. Dark skin with lighter freckles, similar to Lucian himself. Unlike Lucian however, Cassian was on the smaller end of the spectrum.

The white haired boy stood, using his height to attempt to intimidate the other, as he did not enjoy being scolded like a mere child.

"Tell me this. If we are in battle, Cassian, and you are injured, will you ask the enemy to wait on you?" Lucian's tone remained calm, even as he threw the passive aggressive statement at Cassian.