legends of dacot (youngsters:adventure, 3150 words)
Author: poetrydiva	Added: Jul 29 2003	Views/Reads: 4573/2702	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
read it and youll find out, any feed back is welcome.

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crowd of children. 

“You there!” the Namer called ”you, boy, the one with manure on his
boots!“ the man called out to the boy, “Do you want a name or not?” 

Broken from his thoughts, the boy looked around to see who had gotten
named. But every one was looking at HIM. He realized as he looked at 
the Namer, who was by now giving him dirty looks, the man had called 
him. The boy ran to the front and looked at the man not knowing what to 
expect. The boy began to ask the Namer a something, but he stoped him. 
No words are ever spoken by the named. The Namer dark seemingly 
unemotional eyes searched him from head to toe, as if trying to find 
something to name him after. 

He couldn't seem to find anything to call this boy that smelled like a
horse. Then it dawned on him, Horse! But not in this tongue, the man 
thought, having a sudden spurt of creativity he rarely experienced, the 
ancient tongue of Dacot. Smile on his face, the Namer said only one 
word. “Meirach!” 

The boy, now known as Meirach, had his name at last. Giddy with pride
and love for his new name, completely oblivious to the meaning, he 
almost hugged the man. But was quickly carried off the platform and 
pushed away. Not wanting to cause a scene, Meirach ran home with a 
smile of unadulterated bliss. Waltzing into his father's small shack, 
which he called home he couldn't seem to stop dancing. Seeing the joy 
on his son's round face made him think of the boys mother, Calara, 
peace be with her. 

“Well, son. What is it? What am I to call my boy now?” he asked the boy,
“Well, come on now, out with it!” Meirach stopped dancing to the music 
he still heard in his head. “Meirach. My name is Meirach,” the boy said 
in a voice so full of pride it brought tears to his fathers eyes. 
“Well, that's a nice name, did they tell you what it meant?” Said 
Trieod, the boy's father. “No I didn't ask, I thought I would burst if 
I opened my mouth, do you know what it means?” the boy said with an 
expectant smile. ”No I don't, m' boy. But you had better get some 
sleep, supper'll be ready in the 'our“he said to his only child. 

Meirach walked to the bundle of hay he called a mattress. He hadn't even
realized how tired he was until his father had mentioned it. He was 
asleep before his head hit the fur on his pillow. He dreamt of his long 
dead mother. She was smiling, with the sun in her auburn hair and the 
breeze blowing her favorite blue-gray dress around her, she looked like 
a goddess. Then the winds got stronger and the breeze turned into a 
storm, his mother was swept away from him. He woke with tears in his 
dark eyes. He wiped them away before his father saw him crying; he 
wouldn't like that. 

He walked to the table that separated their mattresses and sat at his
chair. Waiting for his supper, he looked around the room. He saw things 
that had surrounded him his entire life. The loom his mother had used 
tossed off in the corner covered with dust. His fathers working tools, 
he was a trench-man, the shovel and spade. His own things; toys tossed 
aside over the years, a book of the holy teachings, and his fathers 
large hay mattress.  A jolt of the table woke him from his daydreams. 

“Well then, Meirach, here's your supper, you've got chores to do. The
block mastah was here earlier, says you didn't finish 'em.“ The said 
with a desperate glance. “I'm supposin' you've got a good reason, so 
I'm not goin' to ask. It had better not happen again, got it?” 

Meirach looked up from his small meal of salted potatoes and a strip of
dried chimtny root. He had completely forgotten about his chores! “Got 
it, da', I'm right on it,” he said. Gulping the last sip of xatha from 
his goblet. He ran from the shack to the stables. 

On his way to the stables he danced and sang to himself.  The people
still out working or drinking xatha saw him and smiled remembering 
their own naming. 

Suddenly tired Meirach stopped dancing and walked calmly still smiling
to the world. He chased some dogs away from a dead rat on the side of 
the road stopping to inspect the decaying animal as only a boy could. 
Remembering his work he rushed for the Stables. Turning the corner to 
the entrance he stopped to look in a shops window. Noticing it was a 
woman's undergarment shop he had chosen to look in on, he blushed 
furiously, glad no one had seen, making sure not to look into any other 
shop windows, he ran to The Stables. 

Finally at the Stables, Meirach got to work scrubbing and feeding the
horses. Cleaning out the manure and chasing away the rats and hay mice 
that occupied the hay loft. Swearing to himself as he noticed a blister 
developing on his thumb, from the fork used to scoop the hay, while he 
was rubbing Berta down. 

It was almost morning when he finished so Meirach didn't bother to go
home. Falling asleep in the Stables next to Berta he had a peaceful 
slumber, stirring occasionally from the cold. Waking at dawn, to early 
to work on an empty stomach, he stumbled back to his home still groggy 
from his sleep. Walked through the door to find his father already gone 
to work. It seemed a bit odd to Meirach, considering he had stayed out 
all night. And that his father was never eager to go to the trenches 
that surrounded to gates of Dacot. 

Making himself a small bowl of leftover potatoes and chimtny root. He
sat down to eat and watched as a neighbor walked past the door. He 
looked about quickly and looked at the boy in such a way as to say 
follow me. Which Meirach did, not knowing what the man wanted. 

Looking around again to be sure no one was watching. “Thems took your
Da‘,” the old man said, looking around again. “the quarta' mastah did. 
They was makin' a big racket thems was. 'Where is he? Where is the boy; 
the little street rat!' thems was yellin‘ all night. Couldn't hardly 
sleep from all the racket.”  The man said with a look of loath. ” Came 
an' asked me questions an' all that, but I wouldn't tell em' a thing. 
Course thems tried to bribe me an' all, but I wouldn't have none of 
it.” the balding old man said. 

“Where did they take im'?” Meirach asked. When the man didn't say
anything, he walked away, Frozen with shock. 

Fear began to shake Meirach as he realized that his father had saved
him. He knew he had to hide, but it there was still much daylight left. 
He went to look for his father. 

Walking through the back streets and alleyways, Meirach slowly made his
way through the city. The hours droned as he searched for his father. 
Turning a corner into a crowded marketplace he almost bumped into a 
guard. Slipping away from the misshapen guard darting under the chimtny 
stall nearby. Moving quickly under the next only half hearing the angry 
cries of the guard. Already to the end of the line of stalls, he paused 
under the last one. 

Hunger tore at his stomach as he realized his lack of breakfast and now
lunch was approaching rapidly. Driven by hunger he reached out from 
under the wooden stall and grabbed the first thing he laid his hands 
on. Bringing his hand back he was stopped by a fat hand grabbing his. 

“What have we here?” the man at the stall said with little humor.“ well
lad? What have you to say? Stealing from my store are you?” looking at 
him through large spectacles. 

By now the man had pulled Meirach from under the stall. Almost tearing
it off in the process. Waiting for an answer from the boy, who stood, 
eyes lowered, rubbing his arm. 

“I'm sorry, mister, really I am.” Meirach said, “Its just,  I'm so
hungry. I haven't eaten since last night, and my da's been taken away” 
Man put his hand over the boys mouth. 

Looking around he pulled a string and the stall was closed. He pulled
Meirach into his small clay room behind the stall. Pushing him onto a 
broken old stool. 

“What do yah mean your da's been taken away?” The man said in a harsh
whisper. “ Who took ‘im?” 

Meirach let the fear of the man liquefy into need for comfort. Slowly he
began his short tale, being careful to leave the embarrassment of the 
shop window out. 

By now the man had a mask of hope on his large oval face. And was
looking through the cracks of the small boarded- up  windows. He began 
to pace the small room, while Meirach sat and watched not sure what to 
do. 

He looked around the room, nothing of any importance, a few pots, fruit
to replace the ones sold, a water jug, barrels of unknown content stood 
in the farther left hand corner next to the wooden door on the back 
wall, the curtain of a door at the front of the room leading to the 
fruit stall. 

A cough shook the boy from his thoughts, and he turned to the man and
started to say something but was once again hushed. 

“Not here, boy.” the man said. With a slightly irritated look on his
face. 

Meirach nodded his head, he didn't know who this man was but if he was
going to harm him he would've by then. 

The man grabbed Meirach's hand, ”Follow close, boy. I'll not be slowed.”
the man whispered through yellow teeth to the boy. 

They made their way out the door in the back of the room, down the alley
turning every which way. Until finally they reached a set of stairs 
going down, The man followed the stairs until they came to a long, dark 
hallway, with many doors. Murmuring could be heard through the wooden 
doors, and an occasional shout, but none came into the hallway. 

They stopped at a wooden door not unlike the rest, but for a man
standing guard outside. He stepped forward as they approached, 
obviously waiting for a password unknown to Meirach. But the man 
must've known, for the man stepped aside and they went through. 

Meirach didn't know what to make of the room he was in. nothing
remarkable stood out to Meirach. A small table, laden with cheeses and 
fruits, sat in the middle with pillows surrounding it, in is the 
typical sophisticated way of the Nobles of Dacot. 

Looking at the man, who now sat behind the table, he stepped towards the
table. Coming to a halt when he saw the large beast in the corner 
behind the man. 

“Come, come. He wont hurt yah.” the man said with a jovial look on his
face. ”at least not until I tell 'im to.” the man laughed a hearty 
bellow of a laugh. ”Now, lets get to business. What of your da?” 

The boy gave a shrug. “ I don't know. I was lookin' for ‘im when your
hand snatched mine.” Meirach stood looking at the food with a longing 
look, hoping the man would notice. 

“Well boy!, aint you gonna eat?!” the man said with a bemused look.
“there's plenty here for ya” he said as he stuffed a large soft-roll 
into his mouth. 

Meirach started, still looking at the food. Wondering what to eat first.
Then he noticed something about the man and the food. The man was only 
eating soft-rolls and soup. 

The boy didn't know why so he asked,” why don't you eat anything else?”
the man gave him cursory glance, “ you know, why don't you eat the 
sweets or anything else” 

The man gave a hearty bellow of a laugh.” well my boy, don't you know
the sweets are for dessert, and as for the rest, cant you see I don't 
have much teeth left?” With that the man gave a wide grin, which made 
his face look like a Cheshire cat. 

Meirach took a look into the man's gaping mouth. And sure enough the man
was missing most of his molars on both side and the bottom, and a 
bicuspid  on his lower right hand side. He nodded in acknowledgement 
and sat down. 

“Well boy, I don't think I've met you 'fore, what's your name?” he
looked at the boy as if trying to read his mind. 

“ My name is Meirach. I just got it yesterday, at The Naming.” Meirach
said, as he stuffed a spoon full of something he had never tasted into 
his watering mouth. 

His eyes wide with surprise, he began to shovel the food into his mouth
like a person starved. the man just looked at him, a smile on his face. 
Meirach went for some of the xatha in a large jug on the end of the 
table and gulped it all within seconds. 

He paused, seemingly full. So the man said," The names Bross, short for
Ambross but no one calls me that, got it?" Bross gave Meirach a look 
that told of many beatings, if he were to forget. The boy barly looked 
up from the food to give a short nod. "an' from now on your name is 
Weivv. got it?, they'll be lookin' for a boy named Meirach. and we dont 
want them to find one, now do we?" The boy gave a small look of wonder 
at the man he now knew to be Bross. 

He had loved his new name, Meirach, somehow it told of great wonders and
danger to come. but Bross was right, they would be looking for him. and 
he definitely didn't want them to find him. so he would be Weivv for 
now. "Weivv" gave a short nod of agreement to Bross. 


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