Chương 1589: [1495] – Y06.395 – The Heart of the Iyr V

A strong hand gripped her hand like a vice, and though Jaygak made to move, Kavgak's head snapped towards Jaygak, her eyes completely engulfing her elder sister within her sight.

'You weren't asleep?' Jaygak thought.

"Where?" Kavgak grumbled quietly.

"I wanted to…" Jaygak began with a whisper.

"I wanted some water."

"War Tah?" Kavgak asked, quietly.

"Yes."

"Okay." Kavgak rubbed her eyes, the tiny girl sleepy, but she held her sister's hand as the pair stood and stepped to the main room to fill a cup of water.

Jaygak sipped her water lightly, offering a sip to her sister, returning back to the mattress, piling into it first, allowing her sister to settle down beside her, the girl glancing to the side to check if her younger sister was sleeping, and when she noted the chonky Maygak was snoozing away peacefully, she turned to her elder sister and put a finger upon her lips, shushing her elder sister quietly, for Maygak was sleeping, and she slept so well, Kavgak thought.

Jaygak smiled, causing the girl to half climb onto her chest, resting her head upon her sister's bosom, immediately returning to slumber, her hand still gripping Jaygak's tight. Kavgak hadn't noticed. The eyes, so familiar they were, held a different gaze within them. Apprehension. This Kavgak, who refused to allow her sister any freedom now they had reunited, save for when her cousin asked, was always so confident.

It was this Kavgak who allowed Jaygak to step away for a couple of years, for even when she was but a three year old, the girl had led the eldest group of children. Is it this Kavgak? This Maygak? This Tavgak? This Faygak? Jaygak leaned in towards her younger sister, who was so chonky, so sturdy, and still so young. She leaned in, the warmth of the girl pressing against her, the scent of the Iyr's lotions dancing against her nose, the soft breath tickling her neck.

'I will work hard so you will not worry,' Jaygak promised. The next morning Jaygak bathed with her sisters, as Kavgak had not let up on holding her sister's hand even when the young woman had awoken up an hour earlier, and Maygak had awoken with surprise to see her sister, who she hadn't seen in so long, other than the hours they had spent the day before. Maygak, who had barely begun to form memories she would recall in the future, smiled towards her elder sister.

"Maygak, Jaygak is our elder sister."

"Yes," Maygak replied, her toothy smile sparkling brightly, threatening to blind Jaygak. Jaygak returned a smile, dipping her fingers into the mixture, feeling the smooth silky texture of the lotion between her fingers, the woman wiping a finger against the top of her own head, though dabbed half of finger on Kavgak's head, the remaining half on Maygak's. She lathered Maygak's hair first as Kavgak tried to find the dab of shampoo.

"Kavgak, I will wash your hair too," Jaygak informed.

"Kavgak can," Kavgak replied, sliding the shampoo across the top of her head.

"Kavgak."

"Sister."

"Kavgak."

"Sister." Kavgak paused, staring up at her elder sister, their eyes now in a battle.

"…"

"…" Kavgak continued to wipe the shampoo across the top of her head.

"If it gets into your eyes, I will laugh at you," Jaygak warned. Kavgak continued to lather her head slowly, while Jaygak did so for their younger sister, their thick, curly hair now foaming with white. Jaygak reached over, causing Kavgak to complain.

"Sister, no! I can do it!" The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

"I am lathering the tips of your hair because it is difficult," Jaygak said, leaning in to press her forehead against her younger sisters, though the girl pulled away, continuing to lather her own hair.

"Kavgak can do it. Kavgak do it by self! Kavgak is very good at washing her hair." Noting how much her sister was talking now that she had been worked up, Jaygak smiled, returning back to Maygak, who had waited patiently, still as a tiny cherub statue.

Jaygak then cupped the water in her hand, slowly washing her youngest sister's hair, while Kavgak dunked her head into the water, gasping for air as she got back up, then dunked under once more, doing the same for a third time, and she shook her hands within the water, wiping the water off her face. Jaygak imaged how the girl had learnt to do that, though seeing as she had her own system, the young Iyrman smiled.

"It seems our Kavgak is a big girl now."

"Yes!" Kavgak declared, letting out a huff, the kind that said, of course, for she was so chonky, so well behaved, so lovely. Jaygak continued to smile, though it was tainted by the loss of being unable to watch the girl grow. She had, in many ways, remained the same Kavgak she recalled, and in some ways, she had changed, no longer quite the tiny girl who would listen to her.

'You have grown up, Kav…' Maygak sat, accepting the gentle touch of her elder sister, her hair finally washed, the girl beginning to rub soap along her arms and her stomach, while Jaygak returned to washing her own hair, though chose not to dunk her hair, though she wished to, for she couldn't allow Maygak to consider it, just in case.

Once the girls were washed, they allowed their elder sister to dry them off, sitting on the stool patiently as their elder sister applied the various lotions to their skin, for they were still quite young, and assisted in helping them into their clothies.

"I do not," Kavgak said.

"What of Maygak?"

"Maygak still small." Maygak flushed slightly, though her sister's affection pushed away the embarrassment as the young woman helped the girl into her clothy, then into her clothes, and once the trio were dressed, Jaygak placed the clip into Maygak's hair.

"Sister, wrong side," Kavgak informed, pointing to the left side of the girl's hair.

"Oh?" Jaygak attached the clip to the girl's left, and they stepped out together, finding half the children already out, save for a particular set.

"Cousin Jaygak," Tavgak called, her smile also threatening to blind her.

"Did you sleep well, little Tav?" Tavgak replied with a giggle, while Faygak hid her head away, Maygak settling herself beside her cousin, the pair adorned in the same attire, and even wore the same haircut. Faygak, however, wore her clip upon her right side. Jaygak let out another forlorn sigh, for she had truly missed far too much. It was this kind of sacrifice she had made to study to become an Elder, and she prayed it was worth it.

As the smell of breakfast filled the air, a pair of twins charged their kako, while the triplets greeted all the Iyrmen nearby. One particular son, red of skin, less of horn, void of speech, sauntered his way to one side, climbing onto his seat, awaiting for his meal.

Meanwhile, the youngest pair, the girl within her mother's bosom, the boy half asleep against his father's chest, remained quiet in the morning, though the storm known as Virot would trouble them once it was time to eat, as was the case from the previous sunrises, and it would be true for sunrises to come.

"Kako, we must go to the business," Jirot informed her aunt, as though it were something needing to be done, and since she spoke the words, it needed to be done.

"I have to complete some small matters first."

"Are you working?" Jirot asked, suddenly standing up taller, her eyes narrowed like that of a hawk about to swoop.

"No, but there are small matters I must complete before I head to the business, some business before the business."

"I am going to forgive you, just this once, because I missed you so much," Jirot said, huffing lightly.

"If you do not come, I will send my daddy, and daddy will be very happy to… bring you back." Jaygak smiled wide, understanding what bringing her back entailed, the woman leaning down, poking her niece's nose with a finger.

"You would send your father?" Jirot flushed lightly, glancing to the side.

"I will send mummy, because I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, so I will spend my time with you, but there are small matters to complete, you understand, don't you?"

"I understand, I understand, kako…" Jirot let out a heavy sigh, the kind she, as such a tiny girl, should not let slip, but what could she do. Jaygak assisted in feeding the little girl, noting the heavy aura emanating from the half elf, for this entire time the girl had bullied him so thoroughly, and yet she was spending her time with her troublesome kako instead of her troublesome father? Xarot stirred awake, the boy noting his mother's face, his lips slowly forming a gentle smile, and then he drank his milk.

Jirot spooned the porridge, offering the first bite to little Jarot, causing Jaygak to glance her way for a moment, but as the girl began to eat, reaching up to push away her phantom hair, she turned to see she had no hair under her ear, and she reached up to scratch the top of her ear in slightly confusion for a moment, but returned to her meal. Once the girl stormed away to the business with her mother, father, and the rest of her siblings, Jaygak glanced aside to Laygak.

"Did she bully you too?"

"How can she bully me since I am her favourite papo?"

"Jurot is not?"

"I am more handsome," Laygak replied.

"Who says?"

"Our darling niece."

"Then it must be true." Jaygak smiled wide, for did the girl ever speak a lie? As the moment passed, Jaygak reached over towards Laygak's shoulder.

"You have worked hard." Laygak inhaled sharply, the young man flushing lightly.

"Now that you have returned, I can retire in peace."

"Do you intend to retire an Expert?"

"My story is greater than I imagined, and it is time to retire," Laygak replied simply. Seeing the way he responded, Jaygak smiled, bowing her head lightly. She understood his words, his tone, for she spoke the same words, the same tone, and there was nothing she could say that would change his mind.

"You do not have to worry any longer, for I have returned," Jaygak assured.

"If I stop worrying now that you have returned…" Laygak let out a gentle sigh.

"It is a good thing I am handsome."