Tumbling down the hill of snow, little woolen white pants shown from Amora's little blue dress scrunching up to her tiny waist. Her small coat of brown coated in fine powdered snow. Around, other three and four seasoned old children ran around the playground, playing and giggling and laughing.
Amora' stopped laughing abruptly when a strange feeling played in her chest, telling her to stand. Innocent green eyes looked to the bright, mid-summer day of the Kingdom of Antarctica, eyes trailing a cloud with tiny lips parted, dazed.
"Mommy?" Amora let out in a single breath, wondering if her chest feeling as it did was considered okay. The little girl didn't think it was. At all.
Amora's mother wasn't close enough to hear however. Sat at a snow bench nearby busy sewing a new coat for Amora's older sister who was joining the Finalization Class that Winter. Her sister required one for her long treks to observe the other villages. So the child stood, stumbling slightly, before following the tug at her conscious and heart.
Her little feet padded in the direction of the gate of the park. Working the wooden gate open to just fall forward on her knees, mitten hands leaving indents in the soft ground. Getting up, she fixed the hood on her goat fur coat, pulling her sleeves down to hide the long sleeves of her deep ocean blue dress.
Around, people bustled past, not noticing the wandering tiny girl as she walked to the village's greenhouse where food such as fruits and vegetables grew. The child lifted to her toes to flip up the lock on the door, just two or so inches short. Jumping, she tried and tried before pouting. The hurt in her chest both weakened and grew, and her conscious screamed at her to continue on.
Jumping one last time, throwing all her power into the jump, Amora got the lock and flipped it, falling back. Her bottom hurt when it hit the ground. The toddler wincing at the pain and trying not to cry when she really wanted to.
Rolling on her knees, tired of walking, she pushed the door open with her hands and slipped past. The room was lit with lights from the sky above and things called 'light bulbs.' Water dripped off leaves from fresh fake rain fall, saying they had just been watered. The ground, what her mother and others called 'dirt,' was sodden and Amora decided to stand when the brown color clung to her blue mitts and made it feel yucky. The dirt giving it the blue a shade she didn't really like unless it was her coat.
A small sound came from in the garden, drawing away Amora attention. Amora following it as the pain in her disappeared until coming across a bundle of white, as big as her. Curiosity sparked in Amora her hands reaching for the ball before freezing. Something was telling her to take off her mittens to feel the thing of white, bright and clean and dry in the wet greenhouse.
Pulling off the blue material, they dropped to the ground, Amora's small hands touching the cool air. She moved closer then, threading fingers through the bundle, finding it warm and soft. It pulsed with life, too. A wrenching pain, making the child cry out softly, sung through her own blood when she touched it.
Pulling back as the bundle shifted, a head lifted to reveal icy blue eyes like the water she drunk and washed with. A little black nose sat on the end of a muzzle. The odd feeling that the thing's name was Keiki and the thing was male played in her childish mind. She also felt it was a great polar bear, making the child nervous.
They were dangerous and liked to kill and eat humans just as much as normal polar bears, especially children because they were weak and easier to kill. Though this one seemed harmless and almost... cute. Of course, Amora knew great polar bears were bad.
Quickly pulling away, the three Autumn's child snatched up her mitts and turned to quickly get away, scared despite the sense that she should feel safe with Keiki. She never saw the polar bear stand and trail after her, a look of adoration and love in his eyes. No one was around when Amora got out of the greenhouse, closed the door, and rushed back to the playground where her mother sat, still busy working on the new cloak.
Pulling on her mitts, Amora knew her mother would later notice and scold her daughter for getting into the village greenhouse. Amora would take the scolding and then cuddle to her father for comfort as she always did, getting a nice nap with him.
When she turned to kneel and begin to work on a new little mound to tumble down, she froze at the sight of the baby polar bear with expressive blue eyes and trust in them. Just sitting there patiently. The little girl stared, a small rise of panic in her. The great polar bear laid down with his head on his front paws, eyes connected to hers the entire time, and a sense of calm replaced it.
The child sat down and began to play with the small creature's tender fur, gaze demure, settled from the previous loudness she had. As she petted the beast and he let her a Bind was formed.
Once Amora's mother put her sewing away and lifted her head to call Hannah, the scream of terror fell on deaf ears. And a grandmother was very pleased when the duo returned home as a trio.
The great polar bear Bound to Amora and the little blue and white human Binded to Keiki.
-----------
Glossary
Bind- Between the ages of three and six, some children 'Bind' or connect with an animal. This entails a full mental and physical bind as well, meaning though the animal cannot speak, in the Binded's, child who connected with the animal, mind it can and if one is hurt so is the other. If a child does not Bind between the ages of three and six, it never will. Because a Bind is possible in any child at those ages, they are not required to Class until age seven because of the possibility of the Bind being hazardous to others health.
Binded- The human in a Bind. They usually Bind to an animal who reflects their personality and/or potential. (EX. a dog Binds to a hyperactive child reflects they are, even when young, very loyal and protective.) If a Bound is killed, the Binded never survives.
Bound- The animal in a Bind. The Bound's age, after reaching adulthood, moves in sync with the Binded. And if the Binded dies for any reason it is very rare the Bound survives the severed contact, and if the animal does, they go insane and must be killed.
Great Polar Bears- Twice the size of normal polar bears and far more deadly. They tend to live as pairs or threes, different from their cousins who are solitary creatures. If young are separated from their mothers or orphaned, they are not killed but taken underwing. Their favorite food other than Antarctic moose is human.
Finalization Class- Between ages thirteen and sixteen, kids go to Finalization Class, which is what school is called in the far future. Between ages seven and twelve, children attend Teaching Class. Very few children get into Ending Class, only the King's children, wealthy children and those with Binds get in. Bindeds also attend Teaching and Finalization Classes specialized for them and their Bound.
"Three Autumn's Child"- Children are accounted to be a year older depending on season. The shifts in weather in both Antarctica and Arctica are what people follow, and days are only relevant when Classes start. Some families keep count of days until a child's birthday however, something passed down over the thousand years since the Nuclear War.
Pronunciations
Amora- Ah-more-uh
Keiki- Kay- ick- EE
Amora' stopped laughing abruptly when a strange feeling played in her chest, telling her to stand. Innocent green eyes looked to the bright, mid-summer day of the Kingdom of Antarctica, eyes trailing a cloud with tiny lips parted, dazed.
"Mommy?" Amora let out in a single breath, wondering if her chest feeling as it did was considered okay. The little girl didn't think it was. At all.
Amora's mother wasn't close enough to hear however. Sat at a snow bench nearby busy sewing a new coat for Amora's older sister who was joining the Finalization Class that Winter. Her sister required one for her long treks to observe the other villages. So the child stood, stumbling slightly, before following the tug at her conscious and heart.
Her little feet padded in the direction of the gate of the park. Working the wooden gate open to just fall forward on her knees, mitten hands leaving indents in the soft ground. Getting up, she fixed the hood on her goat fur coat, pulling her sleeves down to hide the long sleeves of her deep ocean blue dress.
Around, people bustled past, not noticing the wandering tiny girl as she walked to the village's greenhouse where food such as fruits and vegetables grew. The child lifted to her toes to flip up the lock on the door, just two or so inches short. Jumping, she tried and tried before pouting. The hurt in her chest both weakened and grew, and her conscious screamed at her to continue on.
Jumping one last time, throwing all her power into the jump, Amora got the lock and flipped it, falling back. Her bottom hurt when it hit the ground. The toddler wincing at the pain and trying not to cry when she really wanted to.
Rolling on her knees, tired of walking, she pushed the door open with her hands and slipped past. The room was lit with lights from the sky above and things called 'light bulbs.' Water dripped off leaves from fresh fake rain fall, saying they had just been watered. The ground, what her mother and others called 'dirt,' was sodden and Amora decided to stand when the brown color clung to her blue mitts and made it feel yucky. The dirt giving it the blue a shade she didn't really like unless it was her coat.
A small sound came from in the garden, drawing away Amora attention. Amora following it as the pain in her disappeared until coming across a bundle of white, as big as her. Curiosity sparked in Amora her hands reaching for the ball before freezing. Something was telling her to take off her mittens to feel the thing of white, bright and clean and dry in the wet greenhouse.
Pulling off the blue material, they dropped to the ground, Amora's small hands touching the cool air. She moved closer then, threading fingers through the bundle, finding it warm and soft. It pulsed with life, too. A wrenching pain, making the child cry out softly, sung through her own blood when she touched it.
Pulling back as the bundle shifted, a head lifted to reveal icy blue eyes like the water she drunk and washed with. A little black nose sat on the end of a muzzle. The odd feeling that the thing's name was Keiki and the thing was male played in her childish mind. She also felt it was a great polar bear, making the child nervous.
They were dangerous and liked to kill and eat humans just as much as normal polar bears, especially children because they were weak and easier to kill. Though this one seemed harmless and almost... cute. Of course, Amora knew great polar bears were bad.
Quickly pulling away, the three Autumn's child snatched up her mitts and turned to quickly get away, scared despite the sense that she should feel safe with Keiki. She never saw the polar bear stand and trail after her, a look of adoration and love in his eyes. No one was around when Amora got out of the greenhouse, closed the door, and rushed back to the playground where her mother sat, still busy working on the new cloak.
Pulling on her mitts, Amora knew her mother would later notice and scold her daughter for getting into the village greenhouse. Amora would take the scolding and then cuddle to her father for comfort as she always did, getting a nice nap with him.
When she turned to kneel and begin to work on a new little mound to tumble down, she froze at the sight of the baby polar bear with expressive blue eyes and trust in them. Just sitting there patiently. The little girl stared, a small rise of panic in her. The great polar bear laid down with his head on his front paws, eyes connected to hers the entire time, and a sense of calm replaced it.
The child sat down and began to play with the small creature's tender fur, gaze demure, settled from the previous loudness she had. As she petted the beast and he let her a Bind was formed.
Once Amora's mother put her sewing away and lifted her head to call Hannah, the scream of terror fell on deaf ears. And a grandmother was very pleased when the duo returned home as a trio.
The great polar bear Bound to Amora and the little blue and white human Binded to Keiki.
-----------
Glossary
Bind- Between the ages of three and six, some children 'Bind' or connect with an animal. This entails a full mental and physical bind as well, meaning though the animal cannot speak, in the Binded's, child who connected with the animal, mind it can and if one is hurt so is the other. If a child does not Bind between the ages of three and six, it never will. Because a Bind is possible in any child at those ages, they are not required to Class until age seven because of the possibility of the Bind being hazardous to others health.
Binded- The human in a Bind. They usually Bind to an animal who reflects their personality and/or potential. (EX. a dog Binds to a hyperactive child reflects they are, even when young, very loyal and protective.) If a Bound is killed, the Binded never survives.
Bound- The animal in a Bind. The Bound's age, after reaching adulthood, moves in sync with the Binded. And if the Binded dies for any reason it is very rare the Bound survives the severed contact, and if the animal does, they go insane and must be killed.
Great Polar Bears- Twice the size of normal polar bears and far more deadly. They tend to live as pairs or threes, different from their cousins who are solitary creatures. If young are separated from their mothers or orphaned, they are not killed but taken underwing. Their favorite food other than Antarctic moose is human.
Finalization Class- Between ages thirteen and sixteen, kids go to Finalization Class, which is what school is called in the far future. Between ages seven and twelve, children attend Teaching Class. Very few children get into Ending Class, only the King's children, wealthy children and those with Binds get in. Bindeds also attend Teaching and Finalization Classes specialized for them and their Bound.
"Three Autumn's Child"- Children are accounted to be a year older depending on season. The shifts in weather in both Antarctica and Arctica are what people follow, and days are only relevant when Classes start. Some families keep count of days until a child's birthday however, something passed down over the thousand years since the Nuclear War.
Pronunciations
Amora- Ah-more-uh
Keiki- Kay- ick- EE