[Veltzeh]: 39.The Heritage of Humankind.Tales from Kyerrion.3

Tegafel merely sat there at the dining table, listening to eir alhem storming about and explaining how wrong Tegafel's decision to join the army was. For a gecod, ey sure was angry, but that was not like it was unexpected. Tegafel's relem stood nearby and nodded along with eir partner like the silent nicod ey was. Tegafel's siblings were quiet; eir older nigecoddin, Derafel, stood and agreed while the smaller ones just tried to scoot away, leave and not hear the yelling.

"I can't believe you're doing this to us! Do you have any idea what you're doing? It's the army! You don't belong to the army, you don't go there!" Tegafel knew that ey should not aggravate eir alhem by saying anything too disagreeable or complicated—and at this moment everything was disagreeable, but at least ey could try to make it simple. Ey continued sitting at the table, looking down at eir plate. "You can't go to the army! I don't think they'll even take you in, and besides, what would you do there? It's for the stronger folks like your nigecoddin!" Ey pointed around. "What makes you think you can handle it? What? How do you think you'll take it?"

"Just like everyone else."

"...Everyone else ey says! Do you think you're everyone else? Do you?" Silence followed. "I just don't understand why you can't just stay home and do something that's better for you. You should find a partner and have children! What is wrong with you? Why don't you want children?"

"Maybe I do. Maybe just not now."

"Maybe you just can't find the right one for you! You come off so pathetic that you can't attract even a mate. Have you ever considered doing something about that, huh? Have you? Have you been that unlucky?"

"I really don't want a partner right now."

"Do you think you're that ugly? Hah! You look so fair a wacod."

"I really do and that's why I'm sick of the attention."

"...Don't be such a prosht! If people do pay attention to you, why are you ignoring it? Why don't you just take one for yourself? Why won't you get a partner? Why, huh? Why?"

"'Cause I really, really don't want one. I want away from it all and that's why I want to go to the army."

"Well you're not going there because army's not a place for you! Now go prepare your little siblings to bed!" Tegafel did not move. "GO!"

Tegafel got up. "I'd do great in the army! You've really trained me well to obey commands and that's all army is anyway!" Ey went and shoved up eir siblings a bit while watching them to sleep. The little ones were fairly quiet and just tried to stay out of the way. Ey felt fairly tearful.

Later Tegafel went to sleep in eir and Derafel's room. Derafel came in and said, closing the door: "Alhem's right you know. You're not up for the army."

"Shut the groshje up. You too," Tegafel mumbled and breathed away the sobs and snifs. "If I can obey eir commands, I can obey their commands. And that's pretty much what I'm good for."

"You really think you can handle not being close to home?"

"I can barely handle being home! I bet I'll feel a million times better over there!"

"Well when you come back, you better be really good at apologizing 'cause alhem and relem are really in a bad mood. They might not even take you back if you leave. But if that happens just come to me, I'll still help you even if it was stupid."

"Shut the groshje up. Shut the groshje up. If I get there, I'm not coming back."

"Won't change what I said."

"Shut the groshje up."



In the morning, Tegafel packed what ey needed in the army—ey had checked that much earlier already and was prepared. Ey knew what to say if they told em that they did not want em, ey knew what to promise, how to do it all. Ey left before anyone could object.

It took 40 minutes to jog to the draft office. Ailanihi was not a very big place, but it was decent-sized, and the snow on the ground did not make the roads that easy to walk on. Three army units were stationed there, and the townsfolk were fairly free to recruit. Wacods really were not supposed to be soldiers, but to Tegafel, it had become almost a dream instead of just a way to leave behind eir sickening family life.

Tegafel walked confidently toward the "office", which was little more than an elevated wooden fence with a roof. Behind it was more fence that spanned to unknown lengths and the forest, inside which was the army camp. The two guards beside the clerk looked at Tegafel a bit staringly, but did not speak.

The clerk, a middle-aged nigecod, looked up. "Yes? Are you lost, jiwa? This is the draft office."

"No, I am not, sonige. I am here to join the army. My name is Tegafel Darrelter."

"...What? You want to join the army? Maybe you should go home and think again, army's not a good place for a wacod."

"I have spent the last four years wanting to join the army. I've found out what I need to do and what I'll have to go through and I have finally decided that I will join. There is nothing else here in Ailanihi for me, sonige."

The clerk certainly looked puzzled, Tegafel even thought ey saw a bit of impression in eir eyes. "Well, that was quite a speech. Four years you say? What makes you say there's nothing here for you?"

"I do not know any trade very well for my parents could not educate me and always tried to only find me a partner. I do not want a partner nor ...children," ey said with just a hint of disgust, "to say the least. I want away from all this and do what I do best: obey and serve."

"Hm, well, that sounds too well planned a speech to be totally false. You can join. You'll get a two week grace period during which you can still leave if you find it wasn't that great after all, but after that your contract's really binding. How long will you sign up for? Two years?" Two years was the minimum. Tegafel felt already aggravated that the nigecod thought ey needed to be told about the grace period or that ey suggested the minimum time. The clerk apparently saw the aggravation and pursed eir lips, saying: "Nah, you look like you're quite good for at least four years. You are young though and believe me, your mind can change in four years. Besides, you can always renew the contract." Tegafel looked fairly blank now. Originally ey had contemplated between four, ten, fourteen and twenty, but of course ey had doubts now. "Four, okay? Just renew it if you're still good for more after that."

"Yes, sonige."

"Name, age, birth place, home address?"

"Tegafel Darrelter, 14₈, Ailanihi, Temple light alley 16, Ailanihi."

"Sign here." Tegafel took the pen and seemed slow. "Any kind of mark will do." Tegafel felt slightly insulted and managed to write eir name, though it was undeniably smudged and wobbly. During that time the clerk had written a copy of the form. "And here. Good. Now, you really look like you have all your stuff, so I'm not going to ask. Besides, they'll give you if you lack. Follow soni Crende to the camp." The clerk showed the nicod left of em, passing the contract to em.

Crende stepped down, took a few steps and stopped, Tegafel doing the same. Crende thought ey could have a bit of fun at the kid's expense, and exclaimed at em: "Attention!" Tegafel was surprised, but did produce a ready stance fairly swiftly. Crende grinned. "Heh, that was okay. Now let's move." Tegafel did not really know what to think of that, so ey did not.

It did not take long for the nicod to start getting nosy. "So what exactly made you think you're up for the army?"

"Will you punish me if I speak frankly?"

It took a moment of thinking, but Crende replied: "No."

"What makes YOU think I wouldn't be up for it?" Tegafel snapped and continued breathing in an angry manner.

"Huh, because you wacods are good for smaller jobs and kids."

"I hate kids!"

"Well that's a first. But why the army? Couldn't you do hunting or something?"

Tegafel was a little quiet then. Maybe ey could have done hunting, since it was sort of similar to being a soldier. However, there one had to decide exactly what to do and know more than how to obey commands. Tegafel was fairly impatient and lazy, so obeying commands sounded better, especially since ey knew ey was good at it. But there was another side to it—there were very few wacods around and they were supposed to not become soldiers. "Maybe I want to prove that wacods can be soldiers too then."

"Heh, I bet the only thing you'll prove is that it's certainly not a place for you."

"I'll rather die first!"

"That's such a waste. I'll go tell the unfortunate news to your family. What did they think of your choice anyway? I hope you did tell them."

Tegafel was quiet—it was too fresh a wound in eir mind and ey really did not want to start crying.

"You didn't?" the nicod said, mock-worriedly.

"I did."

"What'd they say?"

"That's what I don't wanna talk about."

"That bad? Did they disown you too?"

Tegafel turned away and breathed angrily. Ey thought Crende was getting way too personal with it. "That's not your business."

Crende was quiet for the rest of the trip.

After about eight minutes of slow walking, they saw the camp, or its front, a high-fenced light fortress. Crende and Tegafel walked up to the gate that was guarded by a niwacod. "Hold... what?" Crende showed em the contract. "You're kidding me right? ...No? Okay..." The niwacod smiled at Tegafel and opened the gate. Crende and Tegafel walked in. Tegafel had to turn around to glance at the niwacod and saw that ey was staring at em fairly lustfully. Tegafel shivered.

"Heh, regretting already?" asked Crende.

"What! It's not my fault if EY can't keep eir desires in check!" snapped Tegafel between eir teeth and fairly quietly.

"Is it eir fault if you cause desire in em?"

"Well with that logic you shouldn't be allowing gewacods here, but no, they're captains and generals..."

"Well their usefulness outweighs the harm of the distraction. Oh, you know that if someone here gets kids, you'll be assigned their caretaker, right?"

Tegafel went silent and started flushing with anger. Ey opened eir mouth and tried to say something, but just was not able to come up with anything intelligible, so ey just stood there for a moment. Crende apparently saw eir anger and waited for a response. Tegafel was too angry. "I will... NEVER..."

Crende did not answer quickly: "Better get used to the idea or make sure the others won't breed."

Tegafel attempted to contain eir anger and followed Crende into the lieutenant's office which was a better house than the barracks used by the soldiers. The warehouses and some other necessary buildings were in direct connection with it. Crende showed the contract to the two guards and went in the house, Tegafel after em. Once inside, Crende stood to attention and gave the usual greeting by lifting eir right hand near eir face, palm down. Tegafel did the same.

"Greetings, lieutenant," said Crende and handed the contract to the lieutenant, a middle-aged gewacod with a bit of a pot belly.

"Good. Dismissed," said the lieutenant. Crende turned and left. The lieutenant eyed Tegafel somewhat questioningly. Ey pondered what to say for a few seconds, but then just settled for the simplest option: "I'm just going to ask you once. Are you sure?"

"Yes, lieutenant."

The lieutenant stamped the contract and gave it to one of eir assistants who put it in a container that looked like it contained several of those contracts. "You seem like you know your basics, but I'm going to say this anyway: When someone higher in rank than you calls attention, you stand to attention. Do not speak unless asked to. Do what you're told. Use your superior's title. Do not whine. Pay is two gemmies a day. Any questions?"

Tegafel was quiet for a few seconds. "Just one, lieutenant. It might classify as a whine though."

"Well, let's hear it for once."

"The soldier I came in with said that if children are born here, I'll be assigned to take care of them. Is this true, lieutenant?"

"Well, you're a wacod, so probably." Tegafel started pumping up anger again. Ey was more easily read than ey thought as the lieutenant went: "You think that's a problem."

"I'd rather do anything ...anything else."

"You hate children that much? Had some trauma?"

"Uh... overexposure rather. And regardless of that I hated it so much I didn't even learn it properly. Lieutenant."

"Well, I see no reason why I'd want to be that cruel to you, especially if you'll rather do anything else. There are other people who can do it." Tegafel was visibly relieved to hear it and the lieutenant smirked. "Anything else?"

"No, lieutenant."

The lieutenant looked down on the papers for a moment and then turned to one assistant. "Cruhel, take em to the warehouse, show em barrack three and have em join with group three. Dismissed—soldier!"

Walking bouncily after assistant Cruhel, Tegafel felt very elevated and happy. Ey knew army would be much harsher than that, but that was all the more reason to take the joy where ey got it. The storage area was fairly simple and Cruhel led Tegafel straight to the counter, where the one responsible for the inventory just said:

"Show me what you have." Meanwhile ey took out a simple armor and gave it to Tegafel. "Try that on." Tegafel put eir stuff on the counter and then started pulling on the armor, which proved to be more difficult than it seemed, but not anything that could not be done with a little soughing. "You have a nonstandard cup. I'll replace it. You get a blanket, cloak, getup and a spork. You get to keep your clothes, the other getup, the bag and the... ball." The gewacod at the counter glared at the ball for a bit but did not say anything more.

"It fits," commented Cruhel on the armor Tegafel had fitted. "Has some room to grow, but growing's more than likely." Tegafel started taking the armor off.

"That's all," said the gewacod.

"Thank you, sogewa," replied Tegafel.

Cruhel started walking again, toward some barrack. They reached it soon and Cruhel opened a door that revealed a basic room with two tables, ten chairs and fourteen hammocks, eleven of which seemed to be in use. There was a stove in the middle of the room—it did not seem to be turned on even though it was still cold, but then, no one was in the barrack either way.

"Pick a hammock. It doesn't need to be a final decision, you'll probably have to ask which ones are really free when you go to sleep. Now just put your stuff in there," instructed Cruhel. Tegafel took a few steps into eir new home, looking around, but did not spend too much time on it. Ey dumped eir stuff in the closest free-looking hammock and walked out with Cruhel.

Cruhel led em to a training field, where two groups seemed to be training. The other group was practicing with wooden swords and the other was doing basic gymnastics. Cruhel greeted the leader of the gymnastics group. "New member to your squad. Have fun." Ey turned and said to Tegafel: "Now you're under em. Attention, soldier!" Tegafel stood to attention and Cruhel greeted em and left.

Meanwhile, the sergeant had put someone else in charge of the exercise and turned eir attention to Tegafel. "Well, that's a sight. But whatever. Name?"

"Tegafel Darrelter, soni."

"And you're how young?"

"Fourteen, soni."

"Good. I'm your sergeant, Neret Urtinan." Neret turned at the group and seemed to be trying to recall something. "...Julta!" The nicod whose name was Julta looked up. "Come here. Narkdel, go to fill eir place. Break! Attention!" Julta and Tegafel stood to attention apart from the others while the rest stood up and lined up. "Julta is somewhat new too, so you two should be a pair in exercising. Clear?"

"Yes, soni," replied Julta.

"Yes, soni," replied Tegafel after Julta.

"Ask your simple questions from Julta. If it's still unclear and the rest don't cooperate, ask me. Well, you can ask me anyway, I'm not that unsociable. Just don't seek me out in the middle of the night to ask which way your armor goes." Ey then turned toward the whole group and addressed them: "This rookie here is Tegafel. I expect to keep seeing em alive and in relatively good condition." Turning eir head at the two again, ey finished: "Now go to the back and stand in line."

The rest of the day consisted of training, a meal, chores, some more training, another meal and yet more training. It was not very extreme, but it felt hard for Tegafel, what with being new and all. It was expected. When the night came, the soldiers went to their barracks and the sergeants into the lieutenant's lodge.

Tegafel was fairly wobbly, very tired and really glad to be able to sleep now. Ey had worried that ey would not be able to sleep since it was a new and exciting place with a ton of other people, but now ey just thought that ey would fall asleep as soon as ey went horizontal. Ey almost forgot to inquire about the bed issue, but fortunately the one who seemed to be keeping the lower hammock seemed confused when Tegafel approached the place.

"Um... I just put my stuff here when I came here. Is this one free?"

"Yeah... but maybe you'd rather sleep over there with the geniwacods," the fellow soldier replied, pointing to two people who both seemed to own a lower hammock and the top ones were free.

Tegafel's mind scorned at the assumption, but ey agreed with it. Ey just hoped these ones were not sex-crazy, like some geniwacods could be—or if they were, they would go about it just between themselves. It was yet another assumption, but one that even Tegafel automatically thought about.

"Besides, I snore," the nicod said with a grin.

The others started commenting: "Now ey admits it! Hah!"

"As if you didn't snore!"

"Can't help if you hear voices!"

"Voices eh? Sure you're not a far-walker, mate?"

"Hear them voices inside yer heads."

Tegafel picked up eir stuff while a small group continued talking about hearing voices and walked over to the two geniwacods. "You don't mind if I take one of these two free bunks right?"

The two looked up at the wacod. "Well, nope. We usually spend some nights in other beds too so you'll probably get a bed all for yourself on most nights. I won't even care whether you sleep on the top one or mine, as long as you climb to your own when I wanna sleep in it," said the other one with a grin and a snicker.

"Yeah, you two are adorable, especially when on each other," came a voice from the next hammock.

Tegafel smiled slightly uneasily, but happily, and set up eir stuff around the bed before climbing in it. A big nicod turned toward em then and said:

"You haven't done much excessive exercise, have ya?"

"Mh, no..."

"You feel pretty beat up, don't you? Don't worry, just sleep well this night. Lie down and don't try to move. It'll get easier and better over the next weeks." Tegafel smiled. "A lot. You're a nice kid. Sleep well." The nicod smiled, almost grinned, petted Tegafel's hair and poked em lightly on the belly. It seemed like something one would do to a buddy and Tegafel was happy. The others snickered and laughed for a while, but Tegafel fell asleep fairly soon and slept like a child.

In the night, ey had a nightmare of eir alhem coming after em, punishing em and marrying em off to some pile of smile of a femehan. Ey did not wake up screaming to that, though—actually ey did not wake up at all, but had another dream instead, this one also a nightmare, but of eir fellow soldiers. Ey dreamed that they teamed up on em and were about to gang-rape em, but someone came in between and made the others back down, apologize and compensate. The dream got fuzzy after that and before waking up, the last thing that Tegafel saw was a light humanoid figure who left on a long journey. It was indeed a fairly complete recap of Tegafel's troubles and experiences from yesterday, and Tegafel's mind felt good.

Eir body, however, did not. Eir body felt tired and powerless, so Tegafel thought it probably was not morning yet. Indeed, ey drifted in and out of sleep for maybe half an hour, before someone came in yelling and everybody seemed to start getting up. Tegafel still felt weak, and now as ey tried to move, ey found that eir body was aching all over and the pain was fairly ridiculous.

Tegafel whimpered fairly audibly and a few faces turned toward em.

"Heh... seems like you've gotten fooled by one of the classics here," said the geniwacod who had slept under em.

The other geniwacod continued: "You should stretch your muscles after a training session and preferably before as well, especially in the beginning. Otherwise your body goes all sore like that."

The big nicod from last night also came over. "Yeah, a classic indeed," ey said with a smile. "So how bad is it?"

"Ungh."

"Sounds pretty bad... want me to lift you out? It'll get better once you move around a bit and use those little muscles, but maybe it's better to start doing that after you're not in danger from falling from a relatively high place." The nicod grinned, and though there was obviously some prank and humor involved, ey sounded honest—again.

"I'd rather do it myself."

"So protective, eh, Poretel?" said the other geniwacod.

Poretel grabbed the geniwacod's head and shuffled the hair a bit. "Heh, sounds like a fairly classic little wacoddin case. Or well, any little coddin. Anyway, I'll just watch and catch then."

At least the rest of the others were not watching. Not that Tegafel would have minded too much, but this was the kind of situation in which one would rather not be the center of attention. Tegafel got painfully upright and started wriggling down from the hammock. It was a strain and certainly not a pleasant one, but ey made it.

The soldiers scooted off to have breakfast and so on. After that and some chores, it was training time, and Tegafel still felt really stiff and sore.

It did not take long for the sergeant to notice Tegafel's issues. Julta had not said anything, ey merely accommodated to Tegafel's condition—after all, ey had been close to being fooled in a similar manner.

Neret walked over to Tegafel and Julta. "Now what's the issue here, rookie? Feeling like giving up?"

"Somebody forgot to... mention stretching... soni," panted Julta. Tegafel was hugging eir arms to emself and grimacing.

"Really?"

"Yes, soni... the big nicod told me... to just sleep and not move..."

"Well, well. Make sure to stretch from now on. Today, spend some extra time on it. Underperforming authorized for a few days." With that, Neret went off again.