{"sf1_id":308855,"sf2_id":"RnoAq7pe","title":"Six Paths - Prelude","author":"Rtlstien","words":1384,"posted_at":"2011-11-19T09:29:00.000Z","tags":["Bear","Cat","Dog","Golden Retriever","Human","Husky","Multiple Species","Story Series","Tiger","Wolf"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/308855-six-paths-prelude","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/RnoAq7pe","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/9b/de/9bdedde6-1a24-4685-8726-5fbe48dd423d","description":"#1 of Six Paths","content":"\u0026nbsp;\n\nSix Paths - Prelude\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Attention.\u0026nbsp; Flight 501 bound for Lukea will begin boarding in ten minutes... Kano.\u0026nbsp; Roya oba-sisina sula Lukea geran vi se mon.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI shifted in my seat as I heard the announcement.\u0026nbsp; I couldn't believe I was doing this.\u0026nbsp; This would be my first time leaving the islands, and I was heading for the wrong Continent.\u0026nbsp; Well... I shouldn't say wrong, but... let me explain.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThis world is separated into the three parts; Sobria, Lukea, and Saro.\u0026nbsp; Sobria is the continent to the east inhabited purely by humans.\u0026nbsp; Lukea to the west is inhabited completely by the Koja, the other sapient species of this planet.\u0026nbsp; Their appearance is animalistic, but they are actually very civil.\u0026nbsp; In between Sobria and Lukea are the Saro Islands.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe Saro Islands is the only place in the world where both humans and Koja live together.\u0026nbsp; It's where their cultures blend together to form something unique.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nYou probably don't see the problem yet...\u0026nbsp; Well because of this blended culture everyone on the Saro Islands has some understanding of both English and Runga.\u0026nbsp; It really depends on the human-Koja ratio of the island you live on.\u0026nbsp; If you live on an island that is more populated by Koja than human, then it's more likely you're going to understand Runga better than English.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI come from one of the smaller islands where the ratio is about even.\u0026nbsp; As such, I'm fluent in both languages... and that's something that's very valuable in this world.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHigh school graduates from my island are offered a little incentive... get a huge scholarship in exchange for traveling to one of the continents to help teach the other language.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nNormally students are sent to the continent of their species, but... I'm heading to Lukea, and I'm not a Koja.\u0026nbsp; This is something that hasn't ever happened before.\u0026nbsp; It might have been because I waited too long to apply for the program, because there weren't any more openings in Sobria.\u0026nbsp; The program isn't one to deny applicants, so instead they are sending me to Lukea for a year.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nWhat's more... I'm being sent to a rather small town called Serona.\u0026nbsp; Koja in the big cities sometimes see humans on business trips, but they are never seen outside the cities.\u0026nbsp; So there's a big chance that I'm heading to a place where its inhabitants have never seen a human in person.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Attention.\u0026nbsp; Flight 501 bound for Lukea will begin boarding in 5 minutes... Kano.\u0026nbsp; Roya oba-sisina sula Lukea geran vi oba mon.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThere's nothing I can do about this.\u0026nbsp; I hear Lukea is a great place, but I'm just not excited about the idea of everyone having their eyes watching me.\u0026nbsp; Plus... if I back out I'll be charged a fine larger than that I would receive from the scholarship.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI let out a sigh.\u0026nbsp; There's one more thing that's on my mind... it's nothing bad, but it's something I have to do before I arrive in Serona.\u0026nbsp; I was given a list of six candidates to be my host family.\u0026nbsp; Yeah, the program doesn't just send us to fend for ourselves.\u0026nbsp; Families in the area actually put their name in to become hosts for those from the islands.\u0026nbsp; If selected they would be compensated for their generosity by Lukea's government.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nOne of the prerequisites for becoming a host is that you have to have at least one child.\u0026nbsp; The reason is because that determines which school will receive the help.\u0026nbsp; This folder shows six kids, some not so much younger than myself.\u0026nbsp; Let's see...\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n**Andun Shiloh**\n\nAge: 13\n\nSpecies: Lona Koja (Golden Retriever)\n\nPersonal assessment:\u0026nbsp; Andun comes from a family of four.\u0026nbsp; He has a younger sister who hasn't started school.\u0026nbsp; His parents promote daily exercising at dawn... I'm not really a morning person.\u0026nbsp; Andun's favorite hobby is playing soccer.\u0026nbsp; I didn't realize it was popular in Lukea as well.\u0026nbsp; Andun himself looks to be a very happy kid.\u0026nbsp; One interesting thing about his picture, though, is that he has unusually large ears.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n**Edward Nilu**\n\nAge: 13\n\nSpecies: Dopino Koja (Black Cat)\n\nPersonal assessment: Edward is the only child of what appears to be the richest family in Serona.\u0026nbsp; His parents are usually traveling the continent on business, leaving Edward under the care of his butler.\u0026nbsp; Never thought I'd have the chance to meet someone with a butler.\u0026nbsp; The only hobby that's listed for him is reading.\u0026nbsp; That can't be the only thing he enjoys, can it?\u0026nbsp; The information provided is from the parents so they might not know all about their own son.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n**Gen Koda**\n\nAge: 15\n\nSpecies: Bumeqi Koja (Brown Bear)\n\nPersonal Assessment: Looking at his picture... Gen doesn't seem to be very happy.\u0026nbsp; It's not a look of anger, but more like a look of apathy; like nothing fazes him.\u0026nbsp; Apparently he has a twin brother, but the two were separated when their parents divorced.\u0026nbsp; Gen lives with his father.\u0026nbsp; Hobbies... none are listed?\u0026nbsp; Either his father didn't know any of Gen's hobbies, or he chose not to write any down.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n**Malu Daro**\n\nAge: 16\n\nSpecies: Doqona Koja (Husky)\n\nPersonal Assessment: If Gen looks uninterested in his picture, Malu looks pissed in his.\u0026nbsp; Not the most flattering picture, but it looks like whoever took this was lucky enough to have done that.\u0026nbsp; It says he lives with his mother and step-father.\u0026nbsp; Hobbies include sneaking out... arguing with parents... and playing guitar at late hours...\u0026nbsp; Who wrote this?\u0026nbsp; It's almost as if they're trying to not be selected.\u0026nbsp; Then why would they even submit this?\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n**Noah Denga**\n\nAge: 12\n\nSpecies: \\*Butani Koja (Brown Wolf)\n\nPersonal Assessment: The youngest of the six candidates.\u0026nbsp; He seems a bit camera shy in the picture.\u0026nbsp; Says that his parents work in the city two hours away.\u0026nbsp; Must be hard for him, probably doesn't get to see his parents much.\u0026nbsp; It doesn't list any guardians, so he must be able to fend for himself while his parents are gone.\u0026nbsp; Current hobby?\u0026nbsp; Video games?\u0026nbsp; I wonder what it means by current hobby.\u0026nbsp; There's also a note in his file that says \"\\* Special Case.\"\u0026nbsp; I wonder what that means.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n**Teo Velu**\n\nAge: 16\n\nSpecies: Fepeno Koja (Tiger)\n\nPersonal Assessment: Talk about a smile.\u0026nbsp; Teo seems to be the most enthusiastic about this, if not the happiest.\u0026nbsp; Says he lives with his father, who owns a fairly popular restaurant in Serona.\u0026nbsp; It's not a surprise his hobby is cooking.\u0026nbsp; He must help his father at the restaurant.\u0026nbsp; There doesn't seem to be anything else of interest in his file.\u0026nbsp; Odd... I was wondering about things for the other kids, but this one seems straightforward.\u0026nbsp; Again... these reports are written by the parents so there could be more.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\"Attention.\u0026nbsp; Flight 501 bound for Lukea is now boarding... Kano.\u0026nbsp; Roya oba-sisina sula Lukea geran rusa.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt's time to go.\u0026nbsp; I still can't decide which of the six I'm going to choose.\u0026nbsp; Some look more inviting than others, but once I make my choice I'll be stuck with it for a year.\u0026nbsp; Perhaps things will change for the better?\u0026nbsp; For the worse?\u0026nbsp; It's a nine hour flight to Lukea... perhaps resting on it will bring me the answer.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSix kids... six Koja kids.\u0026nbsp; No matter which one I end up choosing, I know that this is going to be one interesting year.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nWell there's the prelude to my next series.\u0026nbsp; The interesting part?\u0026nbsp; I'm going to let you, the reader, decide which of the six kids he will choose.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSo go ahead and post your vote in your comment.\u0026nbsp; Whoever receives the most votes will be the one who gets chosen.\u0026nbsp; And don't worry.\u0026nbsp; I plan to write about all six of these kids, but I'm doing one at a time.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nOther than that, post what you think about this prelude.\u0026nbsp; I don't think I'm going to keep the first person narrative for future chapters (I just used it for exposition ^\\_^).\u0026nbsp; I also want to focus the story on the kids more than the human.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSo again, vote, otherwise I'll just pick one at random (Which is no fun at all xP).\n\n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"Six Paths","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/334128-six-paths-prelude-part-2.json"}}