Hybian

Blue haired boy was sleeping in his bed, his blanket pulled over his head, his alarm clock ringing. He heard it loud and clear but dared not wake for fear that his feet would freeze on the linoleum floor. His mother’s house was nothing but linoleum floor through and through. Wooden walls from the local Magdelyn trees (cream colored), it was just like the entire village, every house looked the same, made from the same wood. It was just they knew which house or business was theirs.

He sat up as his mother entered the room. She did not speak, just silenced the alarm, and tapped him on the head and left just as quickly. He pondered why for a moment and then hopped out of bed, no longer fearing the coolness of the floor. It was his day, the day he was to become a Watchmen. He would finally serve the village that he held dear to his heart and become a productive member as his mother would say.

He dressed quickly and without being picky on the outfit. He glanced in the mirror to make sure his hair looked good, and it did, spikey and yet had that fresh cut look. No grease needed to hold it down, he was off to the dining room to eat a promised meal from his mother was supposed to be waiting on him.

The Magdalen walls, the usual cream colored, with photos of his father and he all over were of a reminder of the past, a good one, a one he wished to repeat with own one day, but still reminders of one that will never happen again. His father died while on a patrol of the Hybian Heights and was petrified. As were many of the men that entered there. For some reason, in his village of Tang, he was one of the few male figures that have reached sixteen and were ready to investigate for maybe he was one to free the male species and bring them home.

Tang was small, it had three shops which he knew the families very well, it was at one point a rival city, but with all the men but two frozen in time, he, and his best friend Bartholomew were sought after by many, mostly to listen, companionship, etc. there was never any woman or girl of their age that wanted them. They never sprung any girlfriends or lovers, for now that this day would make them men, they were eligible. But whether any would go for it was a horse of a different color.

He ate breakfast.

Standing upright and scooting the chair out, he was feeling as though no Grewal could stand in his way. He felt pumped full of energy like he had never felt in the days leading up to this day. He was ready, ready for anything. But he knew as well that he would not go to Hybian right away. He feared that place for he did not want to freeze in time and become an unknown if ever will revive.

“I am ready. I will see you at the ceremony right Mom?”

“Yes baby. I will be there. Why would I miss the day my son becomes a man?”

“Point, but I felt like I had to ask.”

“I love you Marith. See you soon.”

“Love you too Mom, see you soon.”

He turned and walked toward the door. A final look around the house, he left happy and ready for what was next. By the darkened painted door he kept a sword and cloak. These both belonged to his father at his age and his mother was happy to give them to him. He was in a green and black colored outfit, he wrapped the sword around his waist and black cloak around his neck then turned the doorknob walking out into the small town like he owned it.

Gravita was at the door in knocking position when he flung it wide.

“Hey Marith! You ready?”

“Yeah, got your tail tucked in?”

“Don’t you go messing with my tail, she is fuzzy and cute.”

“Cute yes, but that’s the only thing on you that is! Ha ha ha!”

“Not funny. You know I’ll be right beside you like how we were in training right?”

“Yeah. I look forward to it.”

“Me too.”

“Have you seen Barth yet?”

“No, lazy ass may still be sleeping.”

“Want to go rouse him?”

“No. he’ll only get in between us. Let’s just go to the ceremony grounds.”

Marith smiled and took the hand that Gravita was placing in front of him. Together they emerged out into the low-level lights of the morning sun and stood at the threshold of the house till Marith closed the door. He felt his mother smile behind him as she watched the door close and Gravita waved goodbye to her. Gravita leaned in and kissed Marith’s cheek and told him to get going or he’d get no more from her. Marith gave her a side hug and the two began to walk into the city as the sun was just rising over the grounds.

Dew embraced the leather moccasins they were wearing on their feet and it did not seem to bother either of them. In the morning light, Marith would occasionally sneak a peak at the woman on his right arm. She was as tall as he, her hair was long and pink, a hot pink and she had a tail that wrapped around him to his left. She only clung like this to someone she loved and he too was in love with her but did not want to tell her. He feared leaving her alone in the world if he were to get petrified.

The sky opened wide exposing its array of colors, whites, pinks, blues. She looked perfect to him all lights, but this morning, there was something different and he could feel it. He had never seen her not only this chipper, but attractive as well. He thought of her for years as an annoying tag-a-long but lately things have been changing and today he was going to take advantage of this feeling that she too seemed to have. Hands wee interlocked and beginning to sweat.

“Marith, you nervous?”

“No, why?”

“You’re sweating and making my hand sticky.”

“Sorry.”

“What’s on your mind?”

“I’m scared to be honest. I don’t want to go the Hybian. I don’t want to leave you. I love you!”

His hands went directly to his face, dropping hers within a moment and his tan face went beat red in a second of saying he loved her.

“I love you too.” She replied and kissed his lips gently, “But, we won’t be going there for some time, we have to deal with other things first. You remember all that, a simple patrol for our village is going to the edge and back making sure that all is well and no wild animals try to enter or destroy.”

“Yeah, that’s right. We are replacing the ones there now and those three are to go to the Valley of Petrified.”

“Correct, we have a long way before we go. So breathe. We’ll be safe till the next set of sixteen-year-olds. Besides, with you and Barth being the last males, and we are not A-Sexual, we still need both of you, so the chances of you two going are low.”

On the right as they walked was a fruit and veggie stand, there was a young lady standing in behind it and she called out for them to come over. She has asked if they wanted a piece of fruit for the day and celebrate with them, their patrol graduation. Taking an Arpithal (which was something that looked like an apple but gave energy to last the day), they ate as they walked after waving bye to the Keep. Trees lined the gravel path that led up to the brick and wooden structure, which was their end point. Walking inside there was an old man with a beard that hung down past his bellybutton, a painting of Louis an adventurer from a distant planet that helped create the male species, though the painting was relatively new, modern looking, the story was centuries old.

The man looked at the two of them and smiled, “Welcome home you two, the third is waiting in the garden. He arrived just before the crack of the dawning sun. roused me outta bed even, but I forgave him due to the day. I understand over excitement, but you two are late by thirty minutes. Get ready in the garden, your suits are hanging on the wall in your stalls.”

Once outside in the garden, the two of them looked for Barth, but his stall door was closed and appeared to them as if he were getting ready. After looking around for the final time as recruits, they both studied the trees that blossomed with red flowers as well as white. How the rows of vegies were nearly ready to sprout up. The lines of carrots were the main thing that this was known for being able to plant. With the fall of an old relative, the planting was distributed to the masses instead of the Patrol. Here and now, the Patrol still gardens on off times, but it is mainly for the Commander. He likes carrots.

Walking to the wooden stalls (which here were cream colored), Marith and Gravita were dawning their new clothing. Marith kept his door open due to unknowing how to undress without the exposure to the elements. In his room, as he thought, he kept the door and windows open cause he like the breeze as well as the feeling that he was not confined, here now he placed on his blue and red pants, followed by a white button shirt with a navy-blue overcoat. There was an emblem of a rifleman on the left breast with the rifleman in gold while the background was black.

Walking back out Marith and Gravita were standing in front of one another complementing their attire and then, as they were just wrapping up, Barth walked out from the building with his hair slicked back and his horns neatly trimmed. His nails trimmed to a sharp point and looked every part of a respectful Oni. He smiled and his jagged teeth bore markings of a meal he last ate. His rad and black face looked painted on, but Marith and Gravita knew that he was born that way and most recently found he hails from a land that was once called Japan where his kind was more hidden in the shadows than out in the open like they are now.

The three hugged and laughed merrily at each other on how silly they look in regulation clothing. Walking back inside they faced the Commander and saluted. Their salute was the right hand covering their nose, and the bridge going to the in between the third eye. Their thumb turned inward, fingers straight, elbow slightly bent, it looked silly to them, but this was the way it was and they accepted it. The Commander saluted back and they all dropped at the same time, smiled and he said:

“Welcome, from this day on you will no longer be recruits, but Patrolmen. Let’s go celebrate!”

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**Thank you again and enjoy.