[centre][h2]To Become a Druid[/h2][/centre]
[centre][h3]Part 1: Taken from Home[/h3][/centre]
[hr]
Kaal’zar’s eyes were overflowing with tears. Of course, that wasn’t uncommon for the kids her age who were taken from their parents by travelling druids. She had been curt in her request, the druid - knocked on the door of Kaal’zar’s house and said to her parents: “May the gods smile upon your blessed household. I am Cer Tess - the stars have guided us to your home in search of our new apprentice.” Few more words had been said before her parents had sent her off with her, as well as the three other equally sobbing children she already had collected. Kaal’zar didn’t understand why she had to leave, nor why her parents had been so quick to give her up. The morning had started off as any other - with Kaal’zar joining her older brother to tend the meagre corn patch her family owned. What happened?

She eyed a young boy next to her. He looked skinnier than even her, and about twice as filthy from travel. His breath was ragged and weak and Kaal’zar could understand why - it had been a while since their last break, and she hadn’t been walking for days like them. She shuffled a little closer as they walked. “H-hey. What’s your name?” she whispered. The look she received could have wilted flowers - a vocal response was far too much to ask. Kaal’zar turned discretely to look behind her - the other two children looked similar. With quicker steps, she reached Cer Tess leading the group and pulled at her robe. The druid stopped and turned around, looking first straight ahead before adjusting her view angle for children. “Yes, my daughter?”

Kaal’zar was only eight years old - she hadn’t had the chance to meet many druids yet. It thus stung a little when this complete stranger referred to her as her daughter. “You’re not my mommy,” she hissed back venomously. Cer Tess sighed.

“My child, it’s merely a form of address. What was your name again?” She knelt down, and the other children sat down to take a rest. The boy Kaal’zar had tried to talk to earlier kept a close eye on her every action.

“Kaal’zar,” she replied valiantly. The druid nodded.

“Do you know why you’ve been chosen?” she asked her. Kaal’zar grit her teeth.

“No! Why have I been chosen? Where’s mommy? Why did daddy and her just give me away? Where’s Kaal’bor?”

“All in due time, my child,” Cer Tess replied patiently. Her whole stance, voice and being indicated that she had done this more times than one could count. “You’re lucky - we’re close to our destination. All will be explained there.” 

As she got up, Kaal’zar screamed, “No! I wanna know -now-! Where are we going?!” Some of the other children echoed the request, approaching the druid with impatient steps. Cer Tess sighed again.

“The stars guided us to you, our new apprentices - you have been chosen by the gods to become druids!” 

The two children who hadn’t realised or heard this yet all gasped, more bepuzzled than relieved. One of them, a boy, raised his hands, looking a little more confused that the others. “B-but pa oh’ways said I was gon’ be a lumberjack like ‘iiiim!”

Cer Tess sighed. “The archdruid will be clearer in her explanation. She will answer your every question. Now come on.” As the lady began to walk, she found that Kaal’zar remained defiantly where she had stood. She sighed again, this one containing hints of a groan, and walked over. “What’s wrong, my child?”

“I’m not your child! I wanna go home! This isn’t fun!” 

“My dear, your new home is just beyond the hill over there, now come on.”

“NOOOO! DON’T WANNAAA-uh? Urrrgh…” Kaal’zar dropped to the ground with a snore and rolled every so slightly down the slope before Cer Tess caught her and picked her up, carrying her in her  arms as she returned to lead the group.

“That makes two this year… Kids these days...” The other children glared enviously at Kaal’zar being carried, but a one of them felt odd cases of déjà vu. “Will I be able to do that?” mumbled one of them as they went on.

The journey went on for another thirty to forty-five minutes, as the “hill” Cer Tess had described, turned out to be a little higher up than expected. On top was a large, grassy plateau, sporting a few tents and huts, even one made of stacked flat stones. The hamlet was humble in every sense of the word, with roughly ploughed patches of grain whisking on the plateau edges in the evening wind. At the centre of this small settlement, however, was a great, moss-grown dolmen, surrounded by white-robed humans and night elves. Next to the dolmen, specifically in its sunset shade, stood another group of four children. These were night elves, and their supervisor, a man of their own kind with thick locks of midnight hair, was handing out patches of moss for the children to put in their ears. The human children all cast sideways glances at the elves, who returned the gesture. While Kaal’zar still fumed over being taken from her home, the sight of these creatures momentarily pulled her attention from those thoughts. This was the first time Kaal’zar saw a night elf child, and only the second time she’d seen night elves at all - her father had once gotten in an argument with one of them during a stag hunt, but apart from that, she hadn’t seen any others. She approached and pulled at Cer Tess’ robe.

“Cer Tess? Why are those night elves here?”

“Why, they’re here for the same reason as you, my child - they’ve been chosen. Four elves, four humans - eight in all, as homage to the great gods.”

“But why? Why not just humans?”

“Or just elves?” came another remark.

Cer Tess pointed to the dolmen with her staff. “It’s to maintain a balance, see - nightkind and daykind haven’t always gotten along around here, so in order to ensure peace is upheld, we druids must ensure that we can always function as a diplomatic bridge between all peoples of the mountain - both for those who live on it and in it. This dolmen, the [i]Gudlach[/i], is a symbol of this cooperation.”

The four children stared at the monument, trying to see what was so special about it. None of them could ask any more questions, however, before an old crone raised her tree branch staff and shook it scoldingly. “Cer Tess! You’re late!” 

Cer Tess stopped and bowed as deeply as she could. “Forgive me, Volv Eaoir - we were delayed.”

“Dang right, you were! By a day, almost! As always, Cer Cayn came ahead of you - why can’t you be more like him, huh?” The other druids around the old crone sighed their peace, while the night elf overseeing the elven children looked to be discomforted by the praise. Cer Tess was silent for a moment.

“I will do my best, Volv Eaoir.”

“Pweh. Sure you will. Alright, children, gather around now! Come on, come on, we haven’t got all evening.” While Cer Tess brought the human children over, Cer Cayn translated the message into what Kaal’zar could only presume was some kind of elvish. It had a wide selection of aspirated consonants, lots of hissing and only three vowels, from what she could hear. There was a very distinct lack of unaspirated consonants, though, save for the occasional d and g. The night elf had a funny voice, though, Kaal’zar thought - squeaky and weird. It was as if he had the voice of a baby. She couldn’t help but giggle.

The old crone cleared her throat with thunderous gargling, silencing the humans and shocking the elves. One of the nelflings started whimpering and begged whisperously for support from Cer Cayn. “Welcome, all, to [i]Godlach[/i], the centre of druidism here in Laychsomun. This is where you’ll be staying for the next sixteen years.” Protests among the human children, and the nelflings as soon as the message was translated, were immediately crushed by the old crone’s draconic glare. “You will all be assigned to a mentor, and they will be with you for the first ten years. You will also get to know your peers - both daykind and nightkind - and you will learn each other’s strengths, weaknesses, songs and truths.”

“Sach-ak hsii k’ee-ar’loch k’ho?!” squeaked one of the nelflings, seemingly outraged. Volv Eaoir sneered at the remark. 

“You will learn to love and appreciate each other in time. From now on, your only difference is that your schedules will be divided into day and night - apart from that, you are druids. Not nelflings and children - druids. Is that clear?” The nelfling who had spoken up looked away. The old crone approached and lowered herself to his level. “Cha-ee k’ho?” The nelfling nodded facing the ground. The old crone scoffed and returned to her spot under the dolmen. 

The lumberjack’s son raised his hand - Kaal’zar blinked at him. Volv Eaoir groaned. “I don’t recall saying any of you could ask questions…”

“Please, ma’am, it’s--”

“-Volv- Eaoir to you, mouse,” the old crone spat back and the boy and the other children all shrank by a head. With teary eyes, the boy repeated:

“S-sorry, Volv Eaoir, didn’t mean te…”

“Didn’t mean to what?!” the old crone continued. One of her colleagues placed a hand on her shoulder. “Volv Eaoir, please, he’s only--”

“I don’t care what he’s onlying! Druids don’t back down when met with resistance! How’ll boys like him stop the outbreak of clan feuds and tribal war if he cannot handle a simple old lady?!” She had to be held back by her colleagues as she tried to run at the boy, staff waving from side to side.

Cer Tess tried her best to shut out the chaos and kneeled next to the boy, who had fallen to his knees to cry. Kaal’zar, meanwhile, observed the nelflings grimacing and sneering at the loudness of the humans. “It’s okay, my son, it’s okay,” Cer Tess whispered to him and took him in an embrace. The boy, though initially reluctant, accepted her slowly, and the druid whispered to him, “There, there… What did you want to ask? I can ask it for you, if you’d like.”

“I-I-I jusht… [i]Sniff![/i] … I jusht wanted to ask when we guh-get those super powers… Oo-hoo…” 

Cer Tess pecked a kiss on the top of his head. “Alright, let me ask for you.” She turned to Volv Eaoir while still holding the boy and asked. The old crone, who had just calmed down from her tantrum, scoffed with the pierce of an arrow.

“Alright, -one- question more before the rest of the initiation; this was coming up next anyway… Impatient brats… Listen carefully - and if any of you start something anew for this, you won’t get dinner for a week!” Motivation properly shattered, the children merely looked to the ground as a response. Volv Eaoir nodded her approval. “Know this - we will not spend hours and maybe even days in prayer to call forth [i]Hir[/i] just to empower gullible little snifflings. No, no. You’ll have to -earn- it!” She pointed her staff at the sky. “When your training has reached its tenth year, and you are well-versed in the gospels of the Eight, the Worldsong of Mich-all, the geography of this land and the stories of the thousand peoples that inhabit it…” She leaned in, eyes narrow, serpentine slips. “... Only then will you be given your power.”

The plateau was silent, except for some crickets. After she felt the blanket of hopelessness had packed itself tightly enough around the initiates, Volv Eaoir tapped the butt of her staff against the mountainous ground underneath the dolmen. “Now, form a line, all, and you’ll be given your new names. Learn them well and forget your old ones - no one will remember you by them anymore.”

Kaal’zar raised her hand. The old crone drew a long, sharp breath. “... What?”

“Will we ever get to see mommy and daddy again?”

The old crone seemed to glare at Cer Tess as though she hoped she would catch fire. “... We are your family now. Starting tomorrow, you will learn this. Now form a line!” Kaal’zar and many of her peers knew not how to even process this concept, so they didn’t react much as they were lined up before the old crone. While the first child, a nelfling girl to be exact, as well as everyone else, half expected the old crone to name her ‘Garbage’ and toss her aside. However, Volv Eaoir sat down and began to drone a song that seemed to go on forever. Meanwhile, one of her companions who had held her back earlier turned to the stars, wagging his staff from side to side; another knelt down to the ground and placed her palms against it as she started to sing along with the old crone; a third stared into a puddle by the westmost foot of the dolmen - stared hard, too, as though he saw the secrets of the universe on the other side; a forth was sat tossing fish bones in a bowl; and finally, a fifth was running between the eastern edge and western edge of the plateau, as though chasing the setting sun and greeting the rising moon. Cer Tess and Cer Cayn gently pushed the first nelfling up to the crone, and she stood there shivering before the woman’s blind, nefarious glare.

“Fina,” was all she said.

“Sok?” replied the nelfling bepuzzled. The crone growled and Cer Cayn gently pulled her aside and whispered loudly through the moss her ears: “Hso ‘Fina’ chol’loch.” Before the nelfling could complain about her new name, she was pulled aside to make way for the next in line, the boy Kaal’zar had tried to speak to on the road.

“Gion,” said the crone through her song. The boy nodded and stepped aside. Next up was Kaal’zar, rubbing her hands together nervously.

“I don’t wanna--”

“Pia.”

Pia blinked. No, this wasn’t right. She was Kaal’zar! Daughter of Kaal’terk and Prol’zar, sister of Kaal’bor. She built up her protest, but Cer Tess pulled her aside with a knowing expression on her face. Pia felt the tears come back. It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t--

“Call.”

Pia looked over. Call was a tall nelfling, built well for one of their age. He had no doubt come from a hunter family. He didn’t seem particularly pleased with the arrangement, either, and stomped off to join the rest of the named.

“Tolk.” The lumberjack’s son.

“Chass.” A crying nelfling girl.

“Logo.” A pale, sickly-looking human girl.

“Iro.” A skinny nelfling, likely the youngest in a family of poor farmers.

The old crone finally opened her eyes again. Her companions came panting back to the dolmen, especially the runner. The children looked uncomfortably at one another and Volv Eaoir spoke, “You have been named in the presence of the Eight, as well as all the spirits of land, sea and sky. You will from now on only use these names - your old ones are forfeit, and to use them is considered a grave transgression of the rules atop [i]Godlach[/i]. Starting tomorrow, you will begin your lessons.” She nodded. “Welcome, all, to your new life.”

[hider=Summary!]
Kaal’zar the human kid on the hilltops of Hreelcii is given to the druids to become a druid. She don’t wanna. Her guide, Cer Tess, tries to say that she gotta. She still don’t wanna, so Tess puts her to sleep. They go to the toppest hill, to a dolmen called [i]Godlach[/i]. Here, they meet Bitch the Rapper, who berates them for not being perfect druids out the door. This bitch, better known as Volv Eaoir, then proceeds to name the kids. They are named as follows and then starts the semester of My Druid Academia.
[/hider]
[hider=Apprentice Names and Summaries]
[list]
[*] Pia: The PoV character in this post. 8 year old human girl who misses her family dearly.
[*] Fina: Nelfling (night elf child) who wasn’t happy with her name. 22 years of age (8 human years, roughly).
[*] Gion: Human boy tired of life. 8 years old.
[*] Call: Tall handsome nelfling. 23 years old.
[*] Tolk: Lumberjack’s son and has a hard time reading the room. 7 years old.
[*] Chass: Crying nelfling. 20 years old.
[*] Logo: Sickly human girl. 8 years old.
[*] Iro: Skinny nelfling from a poor farmer family. 22 years old.
[/list]
[/hider]