The Tales of the Nightingale: Kindred
This story is inspired by Kindred, a champion in LoL.
When John and Zoe bid goodbye to me after saying something, I felt uneasy. Mom ordered me to clean up the room that we used to throw useless stuffs. Of course, cleaning an abandoned place always have enemies (e.g. crawling creatures). To prevent myself from their attacks, I wore my sweater, pajamas, socks and mask. I prepared the cleaning materials and entered the room. My jaw dropped as I saw the dumped, abandoned things. I didn't expect we threw this much! I know some of these things have a second chance to be used again. I started getting rid of the useless things inside. Sometimes when I picked up things, the enemies showed up. I killed them with my deadly broom. I even destroyed their hideouts! I finished cleaning for 2 hours. The room is new again. I cleaned the things and arranged them by category. As I took the last book, my eyes were locked at the title -- 'Kindred: Terra's Folklore'. I sat down on the newly cleaned floor and read it.
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Leiah was bedridden for two weeks because of a plague that infected everyone in the village in the span of two days. Each of them are weak -- even the Head of the village. The doctor from another village gave them herbal medicines for free. However, the medicines are traps. The plague worsen. Their eyes were red as blood and their lips are white as sheet. The weak people died one by one day by day.
Before Leiah meets the light, a lamb appeared before her. It wasn't an ordinary lamb. The animal wore a mask of a wolf. It whispered to the lady, "Will you accept my arrows when I drew it now?" Leiah turned her back to the lamb, means she don't want to die yet. Then a dark shadow with a face of the wolf wearing a mask of a lamb appeared in front of her. He showed his very sharp teeth. "Whether you like it or not, here I come!" said the wolf with excitement. He opened his mouth in its limits and Leiah closed her eyes, accepting the fact that she's the meal of the wolf.
When Leiah died, her relatives (from the other village) soon received the news. They mourn without going to her place to prevent the plague. Leiah was a famous warrior for she is the first female warrior in her village. She was a strong independent warrior. "The Kindred got her already," said Leila, her cousin.
The Kindred is famous all over their country. The Kindred has many names: The Lamb and The Wolf, The Eternal Hunters, Ina and Ani and Farya and Wolyo. The Kindred was known for appearing to the dying people. The Lamb will first ask if the dying person if he/she will accept her arrows. If not, Wolf won't hesitate to devour the person.
A handsome admirer with a flower on his hand knocked on the door of his first love. Instead of seeing his princess, he saw the queen of the house. She crossed her arms and the admirer gulped. He confessed his love for Leila to his mother and asked her permission. She simply said "No". Leila saw everything. She told her that the man is responsible and hardworking. Her mother opposed. They fought for it until the sun sets.
Leila was in the forest, finding fresh air to release her anger. She heard a lady and a man exchanging stories behind the standing stones. Curious, she followed the voices and found something that made her jaw drop and her body freeze.
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"The Kindred" she said in the back of her mind. "No way".
"Seems like we have a visitor here, Ina." said the shadow with a lamb's mask. "I'm hungry."
"She's not your dinner," said the lamb with a wolf's mask. "You're the first person to see us in personal without dying."
Leila was stunned of what she saw. She can't open her mouth. The lamb went down and asked the young Leila.
"Will you prefer being chased or embrace me?"
"I-I'm not yet dying," she said to Lamb. "I-I should go!"
When Leila turned her back, the wolf appeared before her. She was about to cover her mouth but her hands were so slow. She moves like a snail. "We should play, Leila!" Leila can sense the hunger of Wolf. A tear strolled down to her cheeks. Fear conquers her strength and the sun inside her sets. She reminisced her memories from childhood to the present. "I want to go home," she said in her mind. She felt the Grim Reaper whispered to her. "I WANT TO GO HOME!" she shouted and cried.
"No need to cry, dear Leila. Wolf, free her from slow."
Wolf removed Leila's snail movements. She ran while crying. Lamb and Wolf felt her fearful heart. It was beating fast. Wolf licked the top of his mouth. "She's mine," he said.
"She ran away. She's yours," Lamb said. "Come, we still have to meet dozens of people. Some of them might satisfy your hunger."
"I will never be satisfied." Wolf said and they ventured out.
As Leila went back to her village, the villagers told her that her family disappeared with only a letter saying 'We're sorry'.
Few years have passed, Leila forgot her family especially her mom. She thought they died. The smashing of things woke her up early in the morning. She went to the kitchen and the plates and glasses were on the floor. She saw a mask of the wolf that is similar to the Lamb's. She tried putting it on and saw the scary wolf in front of her, showing his sharp teeth. She put it off and threw it at the wall. She breathed heavily and her heart's beating fast, playing the beat of fear. She felt hot. It is impossible to have a hot weather in winter season. Her body was weak and her movements are snailed. She sat down and leaned on the pantry wall. She knew her house was on fire. She heard people screaming but she can't understand the language they are using. She got the mask, put it on, trembled with fear. She saw Wolf's wide mouth. She can hear his teeth gnashing. She closed her eyes and her curtains closed.