No narrative rooted in the past may unfold without the flow of time. Yet the ownan pay scant heed to such notions, and thus keep no fixed reckoning of it.
Hence, that readers might follow the course of this story, O shall employ the time units of the Goyk. Only the Goyk have conceived such abstractions and marked the passage of time with precision. Though the ownan are aware of these measures, they seldom find cause to use them. The three-eyed folk fix their minds solely upon each moment, each smallest deed, and the rhythm of every ga’a.
The name ga’a was given by the Goyk to a span of time akin to a human day. It is based on the shifting hues of Moariiga, the nearest and brightest Arin in the heavens beyond Aoringinas. Moariiga’s light alternates betwixt red and blue, and back again. Moariiga and Aoringinas are two arins deeply bound to one another. When Moariiga glows red, a crimson veil falls upon the skies of Aoringinas, and this span is named the red-ga’a. When Moariiga turns blue, the firmament shifts to azure, marking the blue-ga’a. The red and blue ga’as are equal in length.
On red-ga’as, all crystals in Aoringinas enter a cycle of dim radiance. Their light spreads across the land, yet never shrouds it in darkness. The sky during a red-ga’a resembles twilight in the human realm. Blue-ga’as, in turn, bring a luminous sky. Its brilliance waxes and wanes over the course of the ga’a, with the season, and from region to region.
Only the Grandcrystal of Ao’Hanoorat is wholly different. It lies in darkness and without light, whether in red-ga’as or blue.
In the Realm of Aomry, the Arins are never still, but soar in cadence with the rhythm of the cosmos. They trace not straight paths, but curves, and all Arins move in a single direction through the void. The Goyk astrologers speak of this vast journey as the Path to the Horizon of the God Ykar. That horizon is a boundless realm, known to none and unreachable, save by Ykar and His celestial Vegus.
Two Arins, or three, or more, may whirl about one another and form clusters. These, in turn, circle other clusters. From this arises a greater assembly, and from that, an endless chain of cycles.
The span wherein Aoringinas completes a full orbit in union with Moariiga is known as a ga’onax. The Goyk divide one ga’onax into eighteen ga’os, and one half ga’a besides. Each ga’o, in turn, comprises nine ga’as.
~~~
After a long, dreamless sleep, Ramii awoke. He stretched his arms and legs, feeling a rush of vitality course along his spine. I’ve never felt so renewed. One sleep here feels like ten, he thought.
He did not wake Hudyn, who lay wide-mouthed, drool trickling down the corner of his lip. Ramii slipped out of the p’moopo with care and stepped outside first. All around him were ownan folk, with other p’moopos scattered among the towering trees.
Whoever caught sight of Ramii placed both hands upon their heart. Their eyes gently curved and shimmered, the folds of skin around them stirring like ripples upon water. In time, he understood these expressions to be a form of smile; the ownan smiled with their eyes often when speaking to one another.
They’re greeting me, Ramii guessed. He imitated the gesture, placing both hands over his chest in return. He sensed no surprise or curiosity in their faces at his presence, as though they had somehow known him before.
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He turned his head from side to side, searching for Katuo’s tea-colored p’moopo. It was trudging slowly in the distance. It was easy to distinguish, for each p’moopo bore its own hues, shell patterns, and size. As he made his way toward them, a few ownan came riding in on quirky beasts with three legs and long, gangly necks.
‘OaaDoroa ~ May peace and vitality be with you,’ one of them said. ‘Lyndorin asked us to see to you when you awoke, to learn whether you might need anything. Might you require food or drink?'
“Thank you, everyone. I’m not hungry yet.” Ramii rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to sort through the jumble in his head. “I’ll need something soon… but I’ll let you know. Ah, actually, I do feel a bit thirsty.”
‘Then you had best head back to your p’moopo,’ the ownan replied cheerfully.
By the time Ramii returned, Hudyn had just crawled out of the p’moopo. The ownan then showed them both where to find water. Along the p’moopo’s body ran a row of leafy funnels, catching dew upon its surface. All one had to do was open one’s mouth and tilt the leaf’s tip downward, and a stream of cool water would pour in.
“Ahh, just what I needed!” Hudyn hooted with delight. He gathered more water from other leaves to splash his face and douse his head. “That feels amazing… I could get used to this!”
A pair of hands suddenly covered Ramii’s eyes from behind. He smiled and feigned a flinch. “Huh? Who’s that?”
“Here—I—am!” Katuo beamed. “I’ve never slept so well in my life! When I woke up, I thought I was still dreaming. But it isn’t a dream at all!” She took a deep breath. “This place is so peaceful. Nothing like I imagined before coming here. The air smells fresh and sweet, the trees feel calming just to look at, and there’s this soft birdsong everywhere. I don’t know what those little creatures hopping on the branches are, so for now, I just call them birds. I think I might wander around for a bit…”
“Enough,” Hudyn cut in. “Do you think we came all this way for a pleasant stroll? We’re warriors, on a real quest. Have you already forgotten that?”
“Why do you always have to pick on me? It’s not that I don’t know…”
The three became aware of a rustling above the treetops. Lyndorin swooped down with a few others, descending two by two. Each pair bore a laden basket in one arm. As they touched down, the wings upon their backs gradually folded in, like small shields.
‘OaaDoroa ~ I’ve brought back a few things for you to enjoy,’ said Lyndorin. ‘Oh, you’re all looking much more refreshed now.’
They sat together upon a verdant glade, sharing a meal. The food was spread across a broad leaf, heaped with juicy fruits, nectar-filled flowers, buds, tender shoots, and tubers. To the young newcomers, the strange shapes and colors were puzzling. They could not tell fruit from tuber or bud, nor which parts were meant to be eaten and which left behind. So the ownans ate slowly and patiently showed the three young friends how to partake of each kind.
After stuffing themselves full, Katuo went to lean against a tree, while the other two sprawled upon the grass. They chatted happily with the ownans, both sides brimming with questions and curiosity about one another. It soon became clear to the three that the ownan already knew quite a bit about them—while they, in contrast, knew almost nothing at all.
‘In ancient days, our ancestors visited your Roundland many times,’ an ownan woman shared. ‘But now we no longer return there. Still, many tales of the henan have been passed down and told from one generation to the next.’
Katuo glanced about. “There seem to be far fewer people here than when I first arrived. And they all seem to be women."
‘At the beginning of the blue sky, everyone set out to fulfill their duties,’ Lyndorin replied. Blue sky was how the ownan referred to the blue-ga’as. ‘The women have gone to herd the p’moopos, tend the fields, forage, and gather from the forest. The children went along to play, to help, and to learn. As for the men, they are training for combat upon the plains. And this is but one Tribe among many.’
“And all we’ve done is eat and sleep…” Hudyn murmured uneasily.
“Sister Lyndorin,” Ramii said thoughtfully. “I’m deeply anxious about my mother. You likely know she was taken by the Goyk. What should I do now to find her?”
‘OaaDoroa ~ I am truly sorry for Tlyna,’ Lyndorin replied, a note of concern in her voice. ‘Krutas told me what had happened, though I know little beyond that. We ownan bear part of the blame for the Goyk’s arrival in the Roundland and the harm that followed.
For now, I will take you to meet agud’Aga Voznugaid. He bade me bring you all to him.’
~~~
