The sun outside the healing lodge was warm, and it was easy enough to get away from the heavy sense of worry that filled that dark space. And, there were other children here, and as soon as Raimu and Satsuki found a clump of Cynri children playing in the river, all the worry was forgotten. There were strange frogs and salamanders in the water, and the way the amphibians frolicked in the grassy shallows was making the children laugh.

Satsuki reached down for one of the frogs, lunging at the end to seize the creature, but toppled directly into the river.  And, Raimu followed, and soon it was less playing in the shallows, and more a chance to swim and play in the river where it passed between the trees. Some of the Cynri children joined them, splashing and laughing, much to the chagrin of the fishermen on the banks. 

Raimu dipped beneath the water, coming up behind his brother to spray him with a mouthful of water, but was caught by Satsuki who splashed him as soon as his head broke the surface. Playful swimming became chaotic wrestling-- grappling and splashing each other.  The other children joined them, and soon the chaos caught the wrong sort of attention.

A Deserai man had waded into the river, up to his hips in the water, and snatched up Raimu.  "Time someone teach you some manners, snake."

The Deserai were strange to the boys-- dragon-kin like Ameryu-- but they were alabaster pale, with long, gold and ivory feathers instead of hair, following their jaw like a beard, each of their fingers ended with golden talons, and this man had piercing golden eyes.  Though he wasn't as large as Raimu's Sheriff father, he was still a tall, lean sort of man. And, he was angry.

"Put him down!"  Satsuki snapped, getting to a shallow spot where he could draw himself up to his full, eight year old height.  He did not understand the full politics of the world around him, or why this man was here alone, but what he did know was that his brother was in danger. 

"Shut up, whelp!  Because of you, I'm not going to be eating tonight!"  He shook Raimu, but while the boys were unaware of the danger a lone Deserai man meant, the man was unaware of these boys and their lineage.  As Raimu was shaken, he let out a shout, and twisted around, a burst of flames erupting from his hands.  It wasn't a lot-- barely enough to singe the man's feathers-- but it was enough that the man dropped him in surprise. 

He swam back to join his brother on the opposite shallows, Satsuki's hands were wreathed in flame as well.  But, the man in the river was only momentarily stunned, and he stomped through the water, his gleaming golden talons looking far sharper than they had a moment prior.

Raimu took a stance, preparing to fight, bringing his fists up, flames sparking around them.  Satsuki matched him--they'd both sparred with their father, they had fought a man taller than this.  But, it didn't occur to them that their father never had the intent to hurt them. 

There was a scream from one of the Cynri children as the Deserai man slashed-- catching Raimu's cheek as he stumbled back with a cry of surprise. But the second swing was stopped by a whipping lash of tangled reeds. The reeds wrapped around the man's hand as the river moved to push the boys back to the bank with a roll of water.  A low thrumming sound of song now reached their ears as Valiesin strode along the bank, her hand held high as she sang.  

The Deserai man stopped fighting against the reedy bindings and he looked suddenly cowed-- the Singer did not look amused. "Prospector Joniath, what have you done? You've wounded the son of the Sheriff-- you're lucky he is occupied."

"The Sheriff's..."  Joniath's feathers flattened on his head. Then he puffed, his feathers rising up, "Boys needed discipline, is all.  No manners."

"We do not teach manners with violence here, Prospector.  Now, please, return to your camp, or we will send you from Clanhome."

Joniath frowned, but sulked away.  Satsuki shivered on the bank, and after their opponent had been driven away, Raimu started sniffling, then crying.  His brother tried to comfort him, but both boys were swept up in furred arms.  "Come on, let's get you something to eat."

Raimu poked at the bowl of stew, pushing the chunks of meat and mushrooms around the thick broth.  He normally liked the hearty, chunky food that Cynri served-- it was simple, and easy to eat, but he'd lost his appetite.

"That man was going to hurt us."  Satsuki said, tearing up some bread. He wasn't eating either.  Raimu reached up to touch the cut on his cheek--but Valiesin's hand stopped his.

"I did get hurt."  He sniffed at his brother.  He wasn't meaning to sound like a baby, but the cut stung even as Aunt Val healed it.

Satsu looked over and nodded, "I mean... more hurt...  He was a bad man."

"He's from the Enclave, my dear little ones.  What he did was wrong, but it is how they deal with boy children there."  Val said in her sing song voice before smearing a bit of cooling paste on the wound.  "I'll get your dad to come and heal this, in a moment, but it was an important lesson."

"Important lesson?  He could have killed us!  Why does it matter where he's from?  Father should go get him."  Raimu protested, smearing the paste with the heel of his hand, making his cheek hurt again. 

"It matters, because this was a lesson for him, Rai." Val nudged his hand with her huge muzzle, urging him to put it down again so she could put more paste on it.  "Where he is from, there are men in charge, and they think of girls as property-- little boys aren't as wanted, since they will become men. And that means competition for the men in charge. So, little boys are sent to work the fields and the mines, and if they reach adulthood, most of them are sent away in exile.  Like Joniath. He grew up in the mines, and had no fathers who loved him."

Val ruffled his hair, and moved back to her kitchen, returning with a wedge of a sweet cheese.  She cut some slices for both of them.  "That doesn't mean what he did wasn't wrong, but it does mean that maybe he can change.  He's just going to be getting a long talk with your father.  Perhaps your mom and dad, too, but this seems like something the Sheriff should handle."

Rai frowned, but picked up his cheese to take a bite-- creamy and sweet, it did help calm his nerves. Satsu seemed just as thoughtful, "I don't like the Deserai.  He got angry so fast."

"Think of him like a wild beast, Satsu.  Don't go trying to make friends with him, let others worry about that.  We will keep you safe, though."  Val sat with her own bowl of stew, and smiled, baring sharp teeth as she did so.  "How are your studies?"

"Good."  Raimu pushed the stew, "Dad's been teaching us to use magic, but healing is hard."

Satsu spoke up, speaking around a mouthful of warm bread.  "It takes forever."

"Healing is hard, magic wants to leap and dance-- that's why fire comes so easily to you-- like at the river.  Fire is easy to start, but hard to control.  Healing, though, is slow, and quiet.  You need to be able to calm yourself even when you are terrified, even when someone you care about is hurting."

"I can do that!" Satsu protested.  

"But, you didn't, at the river.  Fire comes easily, like I said, but maybe we could start teaching you some other things-- water or wind-- would you like to learn those?  And once you get some handle on shaping magic that way, you'll have an easier time with healing, hmm?"

Rai felt excitement swell, fire was easy, and he'd never heard of someone using wind or water outside of great sorceresses in his story books.  "Yeah!"

"Alright, eat up, and I will try to teach you."