Ahriin of the People of the Dog
Young dreamer and windspeaker in training.
"As soon as winter turned into spring my dreams changed. I didn't notice at first but now I am certain that Yaliru is trying to tell me something. Maybe if I travel to the Throat, I will find the answer."
A Young Windspeaker
An orphan from a young age, Ahriin grew up in the nomadic community of Iyorii. Despite not having any parents, she was raised by her various aunts, uncles, and other extended family. She spent many years learning the traditional skills of an Orth woman - including the creation of the life quilt which she was particularly interested in, having only those quilts of her parents as a connection to them. Orphans are commonly chosen by windspeakers as their apprentices and successors. One year - when Ahriin was eight years old - a windspeaker visited Iyorii, her relatives made it clearly known that there was someone parentless in the hopes that she should become an apprentice. Despite being thrown into the role, Ahriin did everything she could from a young age to gather the required knowledge and skills to join the honoured windspeakers, imagining how proud her parents would be to see her join their ranks. She was going on hunts with them men years before she could pull a bowstring and learning about the plants of the plains from the elders before she could remember them all. She also learned to lead and care for the dogs, an invaluable skill among her people. The final test of a windspeaker is to successfully fly their kite. Ahriin failed this ritual in 65EX but is determined to succeed come summer. She must succeed so that she can follow her dreams to the place from which the wild wind comes.Wanting to Want Love
As a young child Ahriin was just like the other children of Iyorii. She played, learned skills, and made mistakes just like all the rest. When they all began growing up Ahriin started to feel left behind as the other girls began to gossip about their feelings for the boys. Not wanting to feel left out Ahriin talked about it as well but eventually realized that the others were feeling something that she wasn't. Even now she wants nothing more than to feel like everyone else, to yearn for someone, to dream of a future together, and - most of all - to not be different. Becoming a windspeaker comes with it exemptions from some of the normal societal expectations, including partnership and offspring. Ahriin has embraced this exemption - knowingly or not - as a way to avoid the difficult process of figuring out how she fits into everything. Despite this evasive exemption she isn't immune to the societal pressures she sees around her and - when she isn't busy working on her kite, honing her survival skills, or consumed by some other task - finds herself wondering if she is somehow broken.Appearance
Ahriin has a lot in common with the other young women of the People of the Dog. Her strong features, brown hair, and brown eyes are all common among her people. She is a little short for her age at only about one and a half meters tall. While long hair is a valued trait among the Orth - for both men and women - Ahriin cuts her hair short and even has bangs. To keep warm during the cold months and breezy summers of the Orthlands she wears many layers of clothing made of sturdy fabrics and adorned with animal furs. The warmest and lightest furs of the community are given to their windspeakers, so her clothes are effective and but not so heavy as to prevent her from flying.Stub Article
This article is just a stub for now and will be expanded upon later.Old Article
This article was written in the past and does not meet my current standards for any number of article quality, layout, or content.In-Progress Article
This article is being worked on, perhaps not at this very moment, but it is being worked on.
Self-Reliance
While windspeakers are always treated as honoured guests when they arrive in the different nomadic communities of the Orthlands, they also train to be able to survive on the plains of their home. As part of this training they learn to hunt with a bow and to find herbs and other useful - and edible - plants. Each windspeaker is expected to expected to be able to survive in the event that their kite becomes damaged and they must make their way to the nearest community. Still young, Ahriin isn't yet able to wield a bow as strong as those of the hunters among her people, yet her bow is no longer that of a child. Sometimes she thinks that a lighter bow is befitting a windspeaker anyway.
Children
"I don't want to wait for summer, Yaliru might have forgetten me by then. As soon as Haira leaves this land, I must complete my first flight. I know that the Throat is an unusual destination for a windspeaker but between my dreams and what I heard from that man of the horse and the foreign traveler, I feel drawn to the place."
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