Comfort Animals {Kestrel/Eagle Blitz}

kap
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Comfort Animals {Kestrel/Eagle Blitz} Sept 17, 2017 10:14:34 GMT -5

Post by kap on Sept 17, 2017 10:14:34 GMT -5

My family had always had a difficult time financially.
We could barely afford to get the food we needed to prevent us from starving and the clothing we needed to keep us looking at least decent enough to be out in public. Falcon worked as night janitor, but was the only one of us kids with a job of any sort. That was part of why I felt I was obligated to get one as well, but that brought along the dilemma that I was a bit too young. Not many people would hire a fifteen year old, I'd found, which made things hard for all of us.

One morning, I was going to head out to go job hunting. I'd dressed as nice as a poor kid could,
and was about to leave our home when I noticed something that irked me. One of my sisters,
Kestrel, was clearly quite upset. I had no idea what had upset her, but she was clearly not happy about something. Whenever I saw people upset, I couldn't help but try to comfort the individual. I approached my dear sister, and spoke kindly to her.

"Kestrel, what's wrong? Is there something I can do to make you feel better?" I asked of her.

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Comfort Animals {Kestrel/Eagle Blitz} Oct 19, 2017 13:04:37 GMT -5

Post by * on Oct 19, 2017 13:04:37 GMT -5

Kestrel Elsu

Darkness never seemed to keep Kestrel down for long, but the karma of another seemed to dampen her own bright, shiny light. Her lips didn't form a smile like normal. The fear of meetin that one boy again taunted her with fearful images and scenarios. Her eyes kept glazed over, staring into the window, to the trees outside their place. She longed to see a bird and wish upon that animal that she, too, could have wings to fly away whenever she wanted. She wanted to dream that this was the nightmareish place that she would wake from at any given time, but it just was never that simple.

"Eagle. Good morning." She softly spoke to him, putting on a fake smile immediately. The old chair, stained with years of kids and age, comforted her with a small, thin blanket to ward off the chill from the night. Sleep was long gone for the dainty girl, but she found happiness when she knew her family was right beside her no matter what.

"It's okay. I just couldn't sleep. I had bad dream. Ugly creatures of green chased me. Put me in a tree, dangled my legs for them to attack." Dreams were omens for her mind to play with. Kestrel Elsu was a dreamer with many creative ideas that seemed to haunt her in both fun and dangerous ways. "You could make me feel better with a pastry? Warm enough to make my heart overfill with love and cause my brain to explode into a million peices?"

Kestrel knew what she was asking for was impossible, but she only shrugged a moment later. "A hug would help, instead." She asked and she tilted her head to the side. "Where were you going?"

PAT: 292

Last Edit: Oct 19, 2017 13:06:27 GMT -5 by *

kap
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Comfort Animals {Kestrel/Eagle Blitz} Oct 19, 2017 16:47:48 GMT -5

Post by kap on Oct 19, 2017 16:47:48 GMT -5

I always cared deeply for all of my family members,
and personally, I feel that I'm closer with Kestrel than most of the others. I suppose it's her sweet personality that makes it that way. She said good morning to me as she often did. This time, however, the smile that accompanied her words did not appear to be all that genuine. She expressed that she hadn't been able to sleep, and described her dream. It was certainly something that reasonable would have frightened a young girl like her.

When I had asked of her what I could do to make her feel better, she mentioned a pastry. Unfortunately, we both knew this was all too hopeful. There was no way anyone in our family could afford such a thing. After all, the whole reason I was leaving was to go get a job to better support us all. I didn't want to tell her that I couldn't afford the pastry, though, even though we both knew that that was the case. The shrugged moments later, however, appearing to have realized what she had asked for.

My younger sister told me that a hug would help instead, and I smiled a kind, soft smile at her before wrapping my arms around her in a friendly hug. When I released from the hug, however, she asked where I was going. I wasn't going to lie to Kestrel, of course. She was too precious and innocent for that. Therefore, I told her the truth.

"I was headed out this morning to go look for a job. I want to be able to help us all out with money so we can afford more special things, like that pastry you wanted." I told her this sweetly, and tapped her kindly on the nose.

296 words

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Comfort Animals {Kestrel/Eagle Blitz} Oct 21, 2017 17:04:24 GMT -5

Post by * on Oct 21, 2017 17:04:24 GMT -5

Kestrel Elsu

The young girl's face watched him intently, innocence reigning surpreme. Her gentle mind knowing the situation of wealth not being within their grasp, yet she still yearned for the comfort of something to fill her belly. However, she needed comfort more as it would seem that family only kept one alive more than a sweet morsel of a wanted carb.

Eagle did just as asked though, encasing her in a hug. His smell wafting into her nostril of their scented bedsheets just washed last night. The clean aroma making her smile to know that at least they still had their dignity to go out into the world without the fear of their outter appearance being one to jest about. When he released her of the hug, she longed to be back into his comfort knowing the world would be better if everyone would just help their neighbors, but the capitol and the president didn't see fit to do that easy deed.

He wanted blood and her first reaping was still months away. Fear of the first reaping settled deep into a pit within her stomach.

"I was headed out this morning to go look for a job. I want to be able to hep us all out with money so we can afford more special things, like that pastry you wanted." Kestrel knew that there were ways to get food and her brothers and sister had on a regular occurance. Since she was now of age, she too could be eligle to help her family. Only, she didn't know what they would think of it. Would they allow her to do it?

"I can buy my own pastry." She chimed in. A grin appearing. "You don't have to go find work. I'll go get some of that tessera that you guys do to help the family. It'll be easy. I just give them my name and they give me food. Right? What does it cost to do that? Is it like a loan or something?"

PAT: 334

Last Edit: Oct 21, 2017 17:05:18 GMT -5 by *

kap
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Comfort Animals {Kestrel/Eagle Blitz} Oct 22, 2017 17:54:05 GMT -5

Post by kap on Oct 22, 2017 17:54:05 GMT -5

Kestrel’s next batch of words made my heart skip a beat. The fact that she said it with an unknowing smile made me sick to my stomach. "I can buy my own pastry," she said happily. "You don't have to go find work. I'll go get some of that tessera that you guys do to help the family. It'll be easy. I just give them my name and they give me food. Right? What does it cost to do that? Is it like a loan or something?"

She didn’t understand what tessera was. My young sister didn’t realize that in a way, getting tessera could potentially be a death sentence for any one of us. The fact that she thought it was simple scared me. She was under the impression that she was just giving them her name for food, and while in a way, I suppose that was the case, they weren’t writing the names down just anywhere. Anyone who got tessera was having their name written on another reaping slip.

It was just another chance to die, in all reality.

She asked what it cost to get tessera- if it was a loan or something. I suppose Kestrel didn’t understand that something could cost your safety, and possibly even your life. It was all the more chance to be reaped, and I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to tell her that. Regardless, I knew I had to. It was the only way she’d understand. Therefore, I knelt down next to my precious little sister, placed my hand on her shoulder, and spoke kindly. I wanted to sound as calm as possible when I told her this.

”Kestrel,” I began. ”I don’t want you to get tessera.” I paused for a moment, looking her gently in the eyes. ”It’s not like a loan, sweetie. It’s more than just giving them your name for any old list. It’s another entry in the reaping. It’s more of a chance of getting reaped for the Games, and I can’t let you do that. Getting tessera is too dangerous, okay?”

I hoped I hadn’t scared her, for I knew she was perfectly well aware that most, if not all of her siblings got tessera whenever the family needed it. I didn’t want to ruin her image of the world, but unfortunately, this may have been the first step in that direction.

394 words

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Comfort Animals {Kestrel/Eagle Blitz} Oct 22, 2017 19:36:00 GMT -5

Post by * on Oct 22, 2017 19:36:00 GMT -5

Kestrel Elsu

Regret for her brothers always fearful of feeding their family was real. As naïve as she was, she understood that they were always stressed about it all. She hated how her stomach always rumbled and that she could sometimes hear her family's stomachs ache with the need to put more into their mouths. They were all underfed and malnourished and as the youngest one of them all, she wondered if they all secretly disliked her because of it. Even when she chimed in to help out and would allow herself to partake in the ritual they all did, there was a grim look to his face.

She had gotten all of her information wrong and in her mind, the world that she lived in was about to become as dismal as the winter months turned the sky. The grin faded when Eagle got down to her level and she questioned him with her eyes. They shifted back and forth between him and then the background. Only when he started to speak did she listen, but not as a child getting in trouble, but that of a person growing older and having to endure what the world was really starting to become.

"It's not like a loan, sweetie. It's more than just giving them your name for any old list. It's another entry in the reaping. It's more of a chance of getting reaped for the Games, and I can't let you do that. Getting Tesserae is too dangerous, okay?"

The words was so buoyant in her mind that it wasn't starting to sink in all the way. The kids at school never mentioned what the tesserae meant and she always thought it had been an easy way to get food that you'd have to pay back after you turned eighteen. She never even fully understood why someone had to be twelve to do that in the first place but everything that Eagle said slowly absorbed into the surroundings. His gaze into her made her realize the harrowing reality that her siblings were giving their own lives to feed her all these years.

Guilt was something that she never seemed to feel before, but that was definitely what started to fill her eyes with tears ever so slowly. "You mean... you and Falcon and Raven and.... you all want to die? So, you all put your names in to be reaped? Have I... is it my fault? I didn't know that, Eagle. I promise, I didn't know that. I won't ask for another bite of food if you promise not to put your name in there again."

Arms entangled around her brother's next and her soft breaths wretched. "Eagle. Please, tell me you are lying. Please tell me that you won't be reaped. You and Falcon... I promise, I will help somehow. I'll do anything... just tell me what I can do?"

Pat: 481

Last Edit: Oct 23, 2017 12:59:58 GMT -5 by *

kap
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Comfort Animals {Kestrel/Eagle Blitz} Oct 23, 2017 11:49:13 GMT -5

Post by kap on Oct 23, 2017 11:49:13 GMT -5

Surely what I just said had resulted in traumatizing my little sister who had once been so innocent. Just this morning, all she was dealing with was a bad dream. Now, she was facing a terrible reality. She had learned what tessera was and what it did, all thanks to me. That wasn't something I had any desire for her to learn, either. Now she knew what the result of giving the people our name for food was. Sure, it might make us survive longer because we're getting the food we need, but it also might cut our lives short, instead, as we have more of a chance of being reaped.

The next question that she had decided to ask me made me feel guilty. She asked if we were all taking tessera because we wanted to die, and even worse, if it was her fault. Of course it wasn't her fault. It wasn't anyone's fault that we were entering the reaping more than the wealthier folk. We didn't want to die, either. Or, at least, I didn't, and I couldn't imagine that Falcon and the others wanted to either.

My sister then began to beg for a way to help. She said she'd do anything if we stopped putting our names in, and that she wouldn't ask for anything else. I let out a soft sigh, and hoped that Kestrel would understand what I was going to tell her. I didn't want her to feel that we needed to stop eating food to be safe. I didn't want her to think we shouldn't get tessera, either. If anything, tessera was the one thing keeping us alive.

"Kestrel, sweetie, we don't want to die. We're doing this so we can all survive. It's so we can get the food we need to keep going." I told her this gently, trying my best not to upset her. "Nothing is your fault. You're a sweet little girl. You don't need to do anything for us, okay? I just can't promise you that we'll stop getting tessera. Our family needs it."

The question was, now, would she understand, or would she burst into tears? Perhaps it would even be both. I truly didn't want to see her cry, though. It always made me emotional when she did that, too. Kestrel was too precious to not have an effect on people in that way. I just hated to be the one to show her the reality of life.

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Comfort Animals {Kestrel/Eagle Blitz} Oct 23, 2017 12:58:47 GMT -5

Post by * on Oct 23, 2017 12:58:47 GMT -5

Kestrel Elsu

A swirling range of emotions leap through Kestrel's heart and mind. She could only think in one direction when her heart sped up into overdrive, making her ear strum to the beat of her own rhythm. Fear crippled her worse the her legs did and she did so in the form of her arms wrapped around her brother until he tried to reason with her. Her innocent mind was hardly in the mood for reasoning and thought of only one thing in the process as he tried to console her.

"Nothing is your fault. You're a sweet little girl. You don't need to do anything for us, okay? I just can't promise you that we'll stop getting tessera. Our family needs it."

In her mind, the thoughts swam around, latching onto anything in its path to see the solid ground of security to keep her from drowning with the reality bashing news. Although Eagle told her what he needed to, she still seemed to convey with her eyes that she never fully could grasp the concept that endangering her families lives by taking tessera was saving them. And slowing a tear cascaded down her left cheek, followed by the right and when she squinted, both eyes seemed to let out the fear and confusion that she'd been subjected to. No sound came, but her chest heaved a few heavy breaths.

Silent cries came from the girl, whose heart was broken to learn that stuffed animals and cinnamon buns couldn't make the world a better place. Everything that she thought she knew was now creating a harrowing ordeal and each reaping, she never thought that she could have easily lost any one of her family members without knowing that they had doomed themselves just to protect the family from starvation.

"I still think... you're lying, Eagle. There is something I can do and you're not telling me." She turned her eyes to meet with his, and her lower lip pouted. "I have to take it too now to help. If everyone else does, so do I."

She wanted to be like her siblings and even though the thought that she would be putting her name into the reaping an extra time, at least she could do something to help. If she had to, she would go behind their backs in order to do so.

"Can... can I come with you? I want to help you find a job so you don't have to take any more tessera out on your name." She questioned with a hole in her heart.