Chapter 4 - You Don't Always Get What You Want
#4 of Kavua Series
KAVUA
CHAPTER 4 - YOU DON'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT
It had been only one week since she first stepped foot on Kavua and slowly she was acclimating to her new lifestyle. Already she missed the luxuries of her life in Mariana, however something about this place captivated her. Siara had been raised in an upper-middle class family. She always had nice clothes and the newest toys and she went to a good school. She lived in a nice home in a nice neighborhood and had a very happy childhood. Even though she was brought up with many luxuries that most of the world does not know, she was always a bit rough-and-tumble and not afraid to get her hands dirty and experience new things in life. She was never prissy. Still, she was having a hard time getting adjusted to jungle life, as it was harder than she imagined. The first night was the hardest. Unless she was in her hut where she could use the man-made hole in her hut for a restroom, she had to go in the jungle like everyone else. The Kavuans were very strict about where to do your business and you had to bury it accordingly. This was all fine and dandy for Siara, but she was not used to people being so open about this particular topic, especially when they would come up and talk to her while she was trying to be private and not think anything of it.
Today Siara would have to overcome her inhibitions once again over an entirely different subject matter. Public bathing. She had ventured to a large spring just inside the rainforest, complete with a vast array of waterfalls, earlier in the morning only to find it was already occupied by about fifteen or so naked Kavuans of all ages. She had been sitting behind a large tropical plant for hours, watching her new tribe splash about and play games in the cool water. The sun was near the top of the sky and the temperature was rising. The humidity in the rainforest was almost unbearable that day and she pined for the cool relief that only the crystal clear waters of Kavua could bring to her, but no matter how badly she wanted to jump in, she could not bring herself to bathe in front of all these people. She was not used to such open nudity, even though she herself did not see anything wrong with it. Siara noticed a group of children jumping off rocks and playing water games. She also noticed a certain female that she had often seen hanging around Kuve.
Siara peeked over the brush, admiring the openness and willingness of the Kavuans. She watched the children play but ducked and gasped when a male kit spotted the top of Siara's head behind the shrub. The young child of about six years bounded over to Siara, laughing and bouncing around with every bit of him exposed.
"What are you doing?" The child cocked his head in curiosity. Siara adverted her eyes.
"I'm, umm, admiring... this bush! The leaves are really... green," She stumbled on her words. The child laughed hysterically.
"Come play!" The child coaxed Siara, tugging on her arm. Siara laughed nervously.
"Oh, no! No, no, no! I couldn't possibly..." She stammered. The child placed his hands on his hips.
"Well, to be honest, you smell like a mukeko's butt. You really need a bath!" The child insisted. Siara bit her lip when she noticed the female friend of Kuve's walking towards them.
"Xima! What is so interesting behind that bush?" She asked as she neared the nervous Siara.
"A mukeko's butt!" Xima cackled.
"Well, get away from it! You don't know where it's been!" The woman hollered, sending the child into another fit of laughter. She arrived at the bush to find a cowering Siara. She smirked, towering above Siara in her naked glory. "Xima, go play with your siblings."
"So much nakedness!" Siara cried to herself inaudibly, covering her eyes with her hands. Xima ran off and splashed into the water.
"Did you get a bug in your eye? 'Cause the water will flush it out," She said to Siara.
"Oh, no. No bugs," Siara said shortly.
"Come take a bath! It's hot out today and frankly, you smell," The woman bluntly reported. She pulled Siara up onto her feet. Siara glanced away from the woman. "Kuve has said a lot of nice things about you and I was wanting a chance to speak with you myself. I'm Tahni."
"Nice to meet you," Siara said hurriedly, greeting hands with Tahni but never making eye contact. Tahni chuckled.
"What's wrong with you? Are you shy because I'm naked or something?" She asked. Siara shuffled a foot in the sand.
"Well, I'm just not used to it. Where I come from..." Siara started before she was roughly grabbed by the arm.
"There is only one way to get used to something and that is to get in there and do it!" Tahni said, forcibly pulling Siara over to the rock where she had been sunbathing. The children swarmed around Siara. "Come on. Take it off!"
"I'll just sit here for a bit," Siara insisted. Tahni snorted.
"It's no big deal. We all have a body and you look like you have a pretty nice set, if you know what I mean. Why not show it off?" Tahni presumptuously inquired. Siara groaned and reluctantly took off her shirt, revealing her white bra which Tahni was puzzled over, however, after a stern look from her new female friend, Siara removed that as well. Embarrassed, she covered her perky purple breasts with her hands. Siara knew that soon, she too would be completely naked.
Siara was correct. Tahni had managed to persuade Siara to become fully nude, although Siara was covering up as much of her body as possible with her tail and also by rolling into a ball. Siara knew she would get used to it, even if it took some time. Siara eventually lowered herself into the cool water, sighing in relief as she escaped the heat of the Kavuan sun. The children splashed around Siara, playing and dunking each other into the water. Siara grabbed a tan backpack she had brought with her and pulled out a bar of soap. Just as she was starting to feel comfortable in the water, Kuve appeared, who was as startled to see a naked Siara as she was to see him. Fortunately for Kuve, Siara wouldn't notice his growing excitement as he was wearing his tight ula. Siara blushed hard and dipped behind a rock. Tahni's ears perked, sensing the feeling awkwardness in the air and decided to play on it.
"So, Kuve, are you going to get naked with us?" She taunted her best friend. Kuve pasted his ears to the side of the head, turning his back to the naked women.
"Umm... no," He answered, his voice cracking a little. Tahni giggled.
"Pity. Your masculinity is rather lovely to look at, Kuve," Tahni replied and winked at Siara, who was taking the opportunity to grab her soap since Kuve was not looking. "Why not hang out with us, let alone letting other things hang out?"
"Tahni! Shut up!" Kuve whispered to her, blushing hard. Tahni rolled her eyes and snickered.
"I just think it's rather cruel to pack it up inside your ula like that. With your size I imagine it would be rather painful," She teased. Kuve's tail became fully puffed up. "Any ways, I'm trying to help Siara get used to being around naked people. I just now convinced her to take off all of her clothing so why not hop in the water and give her a hand? I'm sure she needs help soaping up her back side."
"Tahni!" Kuve shouted with a now fully cracking voice. Even the fur on his face was beginning to stand erect, of which Tahni was about to make a crack at other erect things on Kuve's being when she noticed Siara still shyly reaching for her soap. Tahni grabbed it before Siara could.
"What is this?" She inquired; her mind now adverted from teasing the now humiliated Kuve.
"It's soap, to clean myself," Siara peeked out from her hiding hole in the rocks. Tahni sniffed it and a sour expression came across her face.
"Ugh! It's horrible! What is it made out of?" She grunted, licking the soap only to make another bitter face. "Oh, that's disgusting!"
"You're not supposed to eat it! You bathe with it," Siara taught. "And I don't know what it's made out of. Some chemicals with long names that I have no clue how to pronounce."
"Chemicals?" Tahni barked. "Yeah, I know what those are. Lai told us about them. So, why would you want to put them on your body?"
"Because they work," Siara retorted, grabbing her soap from Tahni. A rich lather formed on her soft fur.
"Yeah? Well, so does this," Tahni tossed Siara a bar of her own soap, made from flowers and clay. "And this won't harm you."
"Soap won't harm you either," Siara sighed.
"Don't harass her, Tahni," Kuve said, back still turned towards the girls. Tahni shrugged him off, concerned for Siara's well being.
"If you put it on your body, you're pretty much ingesting it. Your skin will absorb those chemicals and those toxins will pass through your organs," Tahni educated. Siara sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Fine, I'll use your soap," She gave in. Tahni smiled in victory, looking at Kuve who seemed to be rather uncomfortable, whining to himself.
"Good, and don't forget to lather up those slippery breasts!"
Siara was relieved that she had had a bath and more so when the bath was finally over. She had decided to head off towards the main city, accompanied by Tahni. She seemed to be friendly, yet obviously not as gentle as the other Kavuans. She had already proved to be very tomboyish and blunt, although it was obvious she always meant well when she chose to tease, even if she went too far. Tahni had a light khaki colored fur with a lighter khaki tail, muzzle and abdomen. She, like most members on the island, had long hair which was black. She also donned an embedded gem between her brows which was green. Siara was very curious about these gems. Every member of the tribe wore a gem on his or her forehead, ranging from every color of the rainbow. One unusual item that Tahni possessed was a warrior's staff that was decorated beautifully with grasses and nuts and the tip of the spear was stained with blood. Siara felt comfortable with Tahni, despite the embarrassment earlier, as they walked on a beaten path through the jungle towards the city.
"So, is your husband a warrior?" Siara inquired. Tahni shook her head.
"I'm not married," She replied. Siara nodded. "I am warrior, though."
"Oh! So I take it females can have a man's job in your culture?"
"What are you meaning by 'a man's job'? This is a woman's job, too!"
"Well, a lot of cultures have the women raising the family and the men protecting and hunting,"
"Not here. We don't have any rules like that. Anyone can be anything they want and do anything they want, no matter the gender. Aren't women allowed to be warriors on your island?" Tahni was now curious about Siara's home.
"Well, yeah, actually, I guess they are. Women do serve and protect where I am from," Siara realized. Tahni nodded and smiled. Siara took mental notes of what Tahni was teaching her.
"So women are seen as equal?" Siara asked.
"Of course. In fact, we're revered and highly respected," Tahni informed.
"And why is that?"
"Because we give life. Still, no one here is valued more than the other, especially because of his or her gender. We are each important. We are each other, after all. If you think less of one, you think less of yourself."
Siara did not know what Tahni meant by "we are each other", but she got enough information to begin her report on gender roles in Kavuan society, which she now knew would be a short document. Tahni and Siara met up with Kuve and Kio'he who were in the middle of helping build a rather large bonfire in the middle of the city. The tribe's cooks were running around aimlessly looking for a multitude of certain ingredients. Dancers were dressed in colorful garbs of plumes and feathers. Siara noticed Lai, who was dressed in an even gaudier outfit than usual, talking with Chief and a few of the other tribe members.
"What's going on?" Siara asked.
"Some guides presented themselves to Lai last night," Kuve taught. Tahni grew excited.
"How many?" She asked.
"Three!" Kio'he interjected, wagging his tail fiercely. Kuve positioned Kio'he so his swinging tail would fan the fire. "I wonder who the guides are for."
"What are guides?" Siara asked, sitting in the soft sand.
"Well," Kuve started. "Lai gets these visions of certain guides, or certain personality traits that will help one along in their life, and she is told which guide is meant for which person. It might help one learn a certain lesson that they need to learn in order to evolve into a higher being."
"Most people get their guides early in life," Kio'he finished with a chuff.
"What are your guides?" Siara wondered. She wanted a guide as well.
"My guide is the guide of Inner Strength," Tahni started. "And Kuve's is Faith."
"What about Kio'he?" Siara began to ask, but was interrupted by another member of the tribe.
"The ceremony will begin soon, hurry up with that fire!" An older male told the group.
"We'd better get to our places," Kuve thought out loud. Kio'he nodded and added some dried brush to the fire.
Siara didn't know what to think of Lai. She liked Lai, although she thought Lai owned more gems than a fine jewelry store. In fact, Siara was surprised Lai could stand upright with the amount of necklaces and beaded jewelry she carried, never mind her overly decorated spiritual garb which donned a mass number of feathers and plumes. She also was wearing the head of an owa as a hat. The bottom jaw of the owa had been removed so it would slip right over her head, which Siara thought was a bit tacky and she was a bit surprised that the Kavuans would use an animal in such a way. They seemed so peaceful and they would never harm the nature around them. Hundreds of tribe members gathered in a circle around Lai, who was towering over the crowd on a podium high on a temple. The Chief was sitting behind her, also donned in an unusually colorful ensemble of beads and feathers, and beside him a student of Lai's. Torches were lit all around the city that were housed inside colorful crystal bowls that reflected a rainbow of colored lights all over the city. Some of these glowing bowls hung from ropes and were stretched from tree to tree. It reminded Siara of her town during Carenndas. An enormous feast was laid out for all to enjoy, enough food to feed three islands. Siara had enjoyed a very large meal and tried an assortment of beverages made from all sorts of fruits. Tahni waved Siara to come over and sit with them as Lai was about to address the tribe.
"These are always really interesting," Tahni whispered to Siara, passing her a pipe filled with ceremonial herbs. Siara gazed at the intricately carved pipe. Three faces were carved onto the pipe, gems embedded as eyes. Two large Kei'li feathers hung off the tip. Siara ran a finger over the artistically sculptured pipe, admiring its beauty when another tribe member poked her from behind.
"Come on! Puff, puff, pass!" He urged, impatient to wait his turn. Siara shrugged and took a large hit from the pipe. The smoke cascaded into her lungs, filling her chest with sweet smoke. Kuve laughed to himself as he watched the beautiful Siara.
"That is not going to be good," He laughed. The herbs had all sorts of dried berries in it that produced very pleasant taste and smell. Siara took one more hit before passing it to someone else. The crowd calmed as Lai approached the podium.
"Last night," She began, speaking loudly so all could hear, "the Guardians came to me to further assist three members of our tribe on their path of evolution."
"What are Guardians?" Siara asked Tahni.
"Shh, just listen," She replied. Kio'he was peering at Lai intently, his tail wagging swiftly.
"This is a very special night for Kavua. Many blessings have been bestowed upon us this year. Kavua has provided us with an abundance of food and clean water. We have faired well from hurricanes and other foul weather. And, of course, we were blessed with the newest member of our family, Siara," Lai winked at Siara from on high. Siara smiled large, not being able release her grin. She began to realize that what she smoked were not ordinary herbs. "Tonight, three more blessings will take place. The first guide goes to Naheli."
Naheli, a child of around eleven years eagerly ran up the side of the temple to greet Lai. Lai anointed the child's forehead.
"You have always had a fiery spirit and you hold great potential to further aid our tribe. In order for you to evolve, you must learn Patience. This is your guide," Lai stated and embraced the child. "The next guide goes to Opale. You, showing strong signs of leadership, are to learn Vision."
Siara wasn't too sure what was going on but she was having a good time. Siara had become distracted by the colorful lights and was paying little attention to the ceremony, her head swimming in random thoughts as she giggled at anything and everything. She felt as if she was in ecstasy. She was stoned. Kio'he sat on the edge of his seat, tail wagging even faster which was smacking the people behind him. Kuve placed a comforting hand on Kio'he shoulder.
"And last but not least, the last guide goes too... " Lai paused. Kio'he couldn't stand the suspense as his wrung his hands nervously. "Hana. Your guide is Forgiveness, for when you forgive another, you are forgiving yourself."
"Oh no," Kuve said quietly, putting his head in his hands. Siara half smiled.
"What just happened?" She asked oblivious to her surroundings. She had missed most of the ceremony as a playful insect that was bouncing and flying around her face had grabbed her attention. Kio'he stood up hastily.
"Kio'he?" Kuve called out to his friend.
"Leave me alone!" Kio'he hollered back as he walked away from the crowd.
"He did not need that," Tahni shook her head sorrowfully. Kuve sighed.
"Why is Kio'he sad?" Siara asked in a stupor. It was hard for her to pronounce her words. Kuve laid back against a log.
"Kio'he didn't get his guide. Most of us get our guides when we are really young. He just doesn't ever get one and it kind of makes him feel like he's not one of us," Kuve explained. Siara cocked her head.
"But he is one of you," She observed. Tahni shook her head.
"If you're talking about us accepting him into the tribe, then yes. But he is not of our bloodlines. Someone found him abandoned on our beaches when he was just a few months old, which is pretty common here. Sometimes young girls who get pregnant at Ter Azzo will catch a boat over here and drop off their kits, knowing that we will care for them," Tahni taught. Siara was having a hard time retaining much information. "Kio'he doesn't feel like he is one of us. He is Raimish."
"I'd better go talk to him," Kuve sighed. Siara stood up, wobbling a bit.
"Wait, wait! Let me go talk to him. I'm not of your blood either and I feel accepted," She offered. Kuve and Tahni nodded.
Kio'he was lying in the sand, gazing out at the ocean. A large moon hung overhead and a strong wind came to shore, whipping Kio'he's hair around. His tail was tucked in between his legs and it was obvious he had been crying, although he was wanting to hide it. Siara staggered over to him and harshly fell onto the beach beside him.
"Hey, are you okay?" She asked, giving Kio'he a stoned hug.
"I'm fine. I'm always fine," Kio'he said sarcastically, sniffling. Siara rolled onto her side.
"No you aren't. Kuve told me why you are sad," She taught. Kio'he grunted.
"Nice to know he's telling everyone my business," He scoffed. Siara shook her head.
"Don't be mad at him, I was the one who asked about you," She tried to explain her thoughts. "I know how you feel being in a group and not feeling like you belong. I'm not of Kavuan blood either but I feel accepted. If there is one thing I have learned while being here, it's that blood does not make family. Family is those you care for and who you share your life with. They are your family."
"It's not just that," Kio'he continued. "I just wish I knew why my mother didn't want me. Was she too poor or sick or was it that there is something wrong with me? Every time I don't get a guide, it just reminds me of what my life could have been if she would have kept me."
"I don't think there is anything wrong with you. Everyone loves you and accepts you for who you are. Also, you have a really good life here, which you probably wouldn't have had if you lived on Ter Azzo. There is sadness there," Siara explained.
"I know, you're right. I'll be okay," Kio'he stood up, brushing the sand from his fur. He attempted a small smile. "Thanks, Siara."
"Anytime," Siara rolled back into the sand. She honestly wanted to stand up but she wasn't sure if she would be able to. She saw Kuve and Tahni greet Kio'he as he sat with them by a fire. She could see how his friends were giving him comfort and showing support for his feelings.
Siara laid there for most of the night. She craved her mat and wanted sleep but she still felt too unstable to stand and make the short trek back to her hut. She soon felt content to just give up and stare into the millions of stars in the sky. She thought about what she had said to Kio'he. She thought about her family back in Mariana and her new family here. The ebb and flow of the ocean lullabied her into a short nap where she dreamt of her parents and cousins, aunts and uncles. She missed them all very much and wondered if she had told them enough times of how much she loves them. Siara realized that it is important to live everyday like it was your last, and treat everyone as if it was the last time you will ever see them. This way, nothing goes unsaid, no emotion unexpressed. She realized that everyone should tell people how they feel, tell them that you love them, family, friend or stranger. 'Then again,' She thought to herself as she came to her final realization, 'Everyone on this planet is family.'
"We are each other."