A Wounded Man (Shuu)

It's been two days, and his wounds still won't close. The elders said they could slow the infection but healing him completely would not be possible, but Shuu could tell that there was something else they were not telling him.

Emmett woke up this morning. He seems really good with the little kids. He was a "Dragon" who breathed fire from his butt when cornered. He seems to love to play games, and now his telling scary stories.

He still hasn't spoken a word about what happened to him out there, and the lady who brought him to the village hasn't returned since that day.

- Linshao flicked a stone at Shuu's head from across the training grounds -

Ow!, Shuu said.

His head was still lowered with gloom on his face.

- Linshao flicked another stone, but this time he moved with it and caught the stone just before it stuck Shuu's big head -

Shuu felt a sudden burst of airflow around him in the aftermath of Linshao's quickstep.

"Don't feel sorry for him," Linshao said. "Look closely. He is trying his best not to cause any trouble. The least you could do is be your normal monkey brained self around him."

"Leave the complicated stuff to the elders."

Shuu watched Emmett, who sat on a mat floor near the evening's festivities; someone had decided to make him feel welcomed.

"He must be hurt and confused," Shuu thought as he slapped his face with both hands.

Okay, let us go make him feel welcome, Shuu said to Linshao.

"Pass, I just said that so you can shake off that bad energy, but that's the spirit, " Linshao said.

"Yeah, somehow I expected as much," Shuu said as he walked toward Emmett.

All the men in Tethys village go on a journey of enlightenment after their 18th birthdays. One day soon, Linshao would have to leave the village, Shuu thought. He felt he had to learn to stand on his own two feet, which included "survival training" in the jungle, extra nap times during the day, and most importantly, becoming stronger than Linshao, which admittedly is more complicated than it sounded in his head.

Shuu had walked this far, now finally standing beside Emmet. His previous enthusiasm seemed to have disappeared somewhere along the way.

"Would you like to join us? I am telling the children stories," Emmett said to Shuu.

Hi, Can I ask you something? Shuu said.

"What is your name, child?"

I'm Shuu, and I am not - He looked away from Emmett - a child.

"Then let me apologise. I'm afraid I'm not good enough company to be around a grown-up right now."

Emmett stood and began to hobble away while his wounds had been treated enough for him to move. They did not heal, and he still appeared to be in pain.

Shuu, with a mixed bag of feelings, held on to Emmett's wrist.

- He spoke softly with his head lowered - The way Elder Mari tells the story is that Linshao walked into the village with a note and baby me in his arms, shades of yellow, orange, red, purple, and brown. The colour of all the leaves that fell around. Come to think of it; she never told us what the note said. Linshao doesn't seem to remember, not that he would tell me. I think there is something about that day he would prefer to stay forgotten.

"Why are you telling me this?" Emmett asked.

…Because I need to know so that I can remember, this village is filled with children and the Elders who watch over us and the secrets they keep. Once we come of age, we must journey through these lands. There is no one left in this village who would tell me who or where my father is, let alone if he is still alive.

"Do you think he abandoned you and your brother here in this village?"

Shuu could not answer that question, he did not know what to think and the not knowing was what was eating away at him.

I can remember his voice, so I must have met him once.

"The mind can play tricks; perhaps you are better off not knowing the world can be quite cruel," Emmett said.

Shuu's hand clenched into a fist as his grip on Emmett's wrist tightened.

He looked up towards Emmett and finally noticed the tears in Emmett's eyes - He loosened his grip and apologised - Shuu did not mean to hurt him. Was he even squeezing that hard? He must have lost control for a second, he thought.

"Don't apologise; these tears are not for you," Emmett said as he continued to hobble away.

Shuu now noticed the solemn stares of the elders around and the confused looks the children had, almost as if they were concerned.

- He jumped far away from prying eyes - to a roof above, he found solace alone with his thoughts.

Shuu felt a sudden burst of airflow around him.

Leave me alone, Linshao. I just --

"You just what, " Linshao asked?

- Shuu tried to jump onto another roof when he felt Linshao's after image already at his jump destination - He froze and gave up running away.

You already mastered the quickstep to such a monstrous degree. How will I ever beat you now, Shuu said, now seated looking at the moon.

"Well, beating me was never possible, to begin with, you a hundred years too early, little brother."

Why won't anyone tell me about our father! Shuu cried out.

Linshao put his hand on Shuu's smooth head and told him the story of when Shuu first learned to walk. He said he tried and failed, which was only natural because he was no older than eight months, but he kept pushing; his attempts were much needed comedic relief for the villagers. There he goes again, they would say.

One day, one step became two, and two became three. Soon after that, he had been chasing the older kids.

As much as all the villagers praised him, Linshao couldn't help but feel that Shuu was running towards something.

He feared that if he ever caught up to what he was chasing, he would not be strong enough to face it after all. When one does not take the necessary time to prepare, all that waits ahead can only be overwhelming; while sometimes one can rise to the occasion, the weight can be bone-crushing instead.

"My point is, I think you should slow down, Shuu. Rely on us a little more; one day, you will understand, and I fear that day might be sooner than you expect."

After Linshao left, Shuu sat on that roof and thought about everything Linshao had told him.

He felt as good as the intentions were. It seemed no one truly understood how he felt, being kept in the dark by everyone in the village who knew his past.

If the Touched had remained in the war to the North, none of this would be happening, but how can everyone ignore that they may be closer to these lands? Why are they not doing anything about them? What are the Touched in the first place? True nature? What was Elder Mari even talking about?

All Shuu knew for sure was that the mood in the village only changed when people spoke about the Touched and when he asked about his father; they must be connected somehow, he thought.

"I need more information."

Shuu saw Emmett seated alone near the temple entrance.

- He dashed across the rooftops toward him - "I know he can tell me something," Shuu thought.

"Listen, kid, I'm not in the mood for your games," Emmett said to Shuu as Shuu dropped down from the rooftop.

Shuu apologised again for acting the way he did before and expressed regret for dumping all of that on him. However, he made it clear that there were things he needed to know, and right now, Emmett was the only person who would give him some answers, any answers.

Emmett reluctantly told him that he knew nothing that would be of use to Shuu. He told him that his tears were for his child.

He said when Shuu spoke earlier, he could imagine his daughter feeling the same abandonment, perhaps from her point of view. He left and just never came back.

What was her name? Shuu asked.

"I can not remember her name, only that she means everything to me. Does that make me a terrible father?" Emmett asked as he held his hand to his face holding back his tears.

Shuu said he did not think Emmett was a bad father. Maybe the trauma from his wounds caused him to forget temporarily. This was common with those who had some head injuries.

After listening to Shuu, Emmett sombrely said, "Maybe, but I fear my mind has lost much in the way of information. I wanted to go home this morning, but the only place that came to mind; - was a land of ash raining from the sky."