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Birth of a Covenant Legend: CHAPTER 7
Posted By: Ryst Airasee<RystAirasee0208@AOL.com>
Date: 13 March 2005, 12:03 AM
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CHAPTER 7
'Zextramee smiled proudly at his living space. It was small, but suitable; the center of it consisted of a cave nestled amongst some thick-barked trees, which grew near a small river. Still, when he looked at the cave's entrance, it seemed too vacant; if the seasons changed here like they did at home, it would get chilly without something blocking the entrance.
He looked at his surroundings for anything that might aid him in this matter. Suddenly and idea sprang to his head. He wandered off, in search of a certain tree. It was very tall and skinny, with soft bark that could be peeled off easily. Once he located one, he proceeded to take of long straps of the bark.
He wandered from tree to tree, collecting the bark. When he had what seemed to be enough, 'Zextramee used the sap from one of the peeled sides of the tree to stick them together. He walked back to his living space with the now large slab of bark. When he arrived, he proceeded to drape it over the mouth of the cave and used an assortment of large rocks to hold it in place. Then, just to be sure, he entered the cave once.
He smiled to himself as the bark "door" did not fall off. Inside, the cave was warm and smelled musty. The ground was littered with dead leaves and branches; he decided to clean that out while he waited. When he was done with that task, he went out to the stream to wash his hands.
'Zextramee found himself humming one of his mother's tunes as he playfully splashed his hands in the water, and was assailed by fresh loneliness. He paused, looking around him, and was shocked to realize something: no matter how much this place looked like home, it would never truly be so without his mother.
"But I... will make the best of it," he told himself. "I will make mother proud. I will go far, and come back."
Just then, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned, and saw 'Pekrumee approaching. The Zealot stopped, as if in shock, when 'Zextramee turned to face him.
"This, I take it, is your living space?" 'Pekrumee asked, sweeping a hand behind him to encompass the cave and the small banner waving on top of it.
"Yes!" 'Zextramee said, smiling proudly.
The Zealot inspected the swinging bark draped over the front. "You are very resourceful. Follow me, and I will gather up the rest of the Trainees."
The living spaces that the others had chosen reflected the different regions of their birthing place that they had been brought up in. Some had chosen to live in areas that were rocky and very scarce of trees. Others preferred the lush forest areas that 'Zextramee did, while others still preferred empty grasslands with mere rock structures as their homes.
'Pekrumee did a quick head count. 'Zextramee counted his finger motions; there were six trainees, arranged in two rows of three.
"Good. All of you are here. Now," the Zealot began, "It is time for your nourishment. On the way to the Gathering Chambers, I will transfer you over to 'Yelamee. He is in charge of your daily care, and I am in charge of your training. Treat him with the proper respect, and keep in mind that the same rules of conduct are applied when you are under his care."
'Zextramee wondered hungrily what they were going to be offered. He hadn't realized until now how famished he was. He clicked his mandibles, surprised and pleased at the rather mature sound. Suddenly they halted, and he saw an orange-armored Sangheili approaching.
Both officers ducked their heads, performing the traditional greeting. Then, without a single word to one another, 'Pekrumee left them and 'Yelamee started leading them through the long, winding halls again.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they entered the Gathering Chambers. The room was massive, the walls painted a soft blue. Graceful purple columns rose from the floor to the ceiling, and lights along the sides of the columns lit up the otherwise-dark room.
"Sit," 'Yelamee instructed.
The trainees all dropped, eagerly awaiting their meal.
"I am going to tell the ones in charge that we have arrived. Do...not...move. When I return, you will bed fed. Until then, exercise patience," the orange-armored Sangheili told them.
'Zextramee entertained himself by watching the other Covenant eat. Their diets were so... different. The Kig-Yar were treating themselves to what looked like plants and some sort of meat, while the Unggoy were hastily sucking some thick paste out of long tubes. All of the races sat apart from each other. He tried to find the Lekgolo, or other Sangheili, but at that moment his attention was diverted.
'Yelamee approached, a minor Sangheili pushing a loaded cart following behind him. 'Zextramee eagerly inhaled the delicious scents, trying to keep his mouth from watering. Then the two adult Sangheili began handing out small trays to the trainees.
One each tray was the same thing: three long strips of meat, dripping juice, a plant sac dipped in sweet golden fluids, and a puff-roll. 'Zextramee bit into the first piece of meat, the taste exploding in his mouth. Then he was handed a cup of water, which he drank slowly.
"Be thankful for this considerable bounty," 'Yelamee told them all. "Once training begins you won't be fed so readily. This is just to get your strength up for the coming exercise."
Next, 'Zextramee lifted the sac. Because of its soft, white skin he could easily grasp it in his mandibles and work little bits downs his throat easily. Once he was finished he worked his mandibles over themselves, cleaning every last bit of the golden fluids of them. The taste was sensational.
Finally he popped the minsicule piece of bread into his mouth, grinded it with his teeth, and swallowed. Then he looked around, and saw that other trainees were just finishing up as well. 'Yelamee was watching them, as if searching for something. 'Zextramee averted his eyes as the orange-armored Sangheili faced him.
"Stand," 'Yelamee said, once they were all finished. "I'm going to escort you back to environment simulation chambers now, where you will relocate your living spaces and settle down for the night. Early next morning, 'Pekrumee will wake you to begin your training."
Now that his hunger had abated, 'Zextramee focused more on his surroundings. He hoped to be able to tell the exact hallways he would take to get from the living spaces to the Gathering Chambers. Unfortunately, all the halls were similar: they were very tall, if not wide, and had curved walls. The floor was gray in coloration, and the walls were a dark purple. Even the small patterns carved into them were identical.
However, the door that marked the entrance to the environment simulation chambers were not identical to the others. They were massive, and had no purple markings on them. Also, it seemed there was a sort of shielding around them; 'Zextramee saw them shimmer when 'Yelamee approached them.
The door hissed slightly before opening. The other Sangheili trainees stepped into the environment simulation chambers, looking around. Some of them wandered off with purposeful looks on their faces, while other looked around hesitantly.
Zextramee stepped into the soft grass. This must be some sort of test... he thought, when he noticed that 'Yelamee did not leave immediately and instead began watching them. I have to find my way back quickly.
He swung his head to both sides quickly, scanning the area. Then he grinned slightly, setting off towards a clump of trees. Once he entered the treeline, he listened intently. The sound of trickling water reached him, and he walked towards it. Once He found the stream, he followed it until he could see the glowing tip of his banner.
He walked up to his cave and smiled triumphantly. Just then he heard footsteps behind him and turned. 'Yelamee approached, wearing a thoughtful expression on his face.
Why did he follow me? 'Zextramee wondered. Why not some of the others that left earlier?
The orange-clad Sangheili stood there, as if judging him. 'Zextramee wondered what he should do when he remembered 'Pekrumee and 'Yelamee's greeting in the halls, on the way to the Gathering Chambers. Slowly, he ducked his head, trying to watch 'Yelamee at the same time. The Sangheili grunted softly, as if surprised, then turned away.
'Zextramee slipped into his cave and scuffed the dirt a little with his foot. Then he laid down and curled up, remembering the events of the past day. Then, slowly, he drifted off into sleep.
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