Running in the winter - Revision history

Nilstilar at 11:15, 3 March 2023

2023-03-03T11:15:11Z

Nilstilar at 23:46, 26 February 2023

2023-02-26T23:46:32Z

Nilstilar at 21:12, 26 February 2023

2023-02-26T21:12:09Z

Nilstilar at 19:20, 26 February 2023

2023-02-26T19:20:11Z

Nilstilar at 17:25, 26 February 2023

2023-02-26T17:25:54Z

Nilstilar at 17:18, 26 February 2023

2023-02-26T17:18:21Z

Nilstilar at 15:43, 26 February 2023

2023-02-26T15:43:37Z

Nilstilar at 11:33, 26 February 2023

2023-02-26T11:33:33Z

Nilstilar at 00:15, 26 February 2023

2023-02-26T00:15:32Z

Nilstilar at 18:00, 25 February 2023

2023-02-25T18:00:00Z

@@ Line 149: / Line 149: @@
 <br>
 <noinclude>{{Portal|Literature|Animation}}
-[[Category:Tales]] [[Category:Meeting of the Bards]]</noinclude>
+[[Category:Meeting of the Bards]]</noinclude>

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 |DE =Lauf durch den Winter|DEs=0
 |ES =Correr en invierno|ESs=1
-|EN =Running in the winter|ENs=2
+|EN =Running in the winter|ENs=4
-|FR =Courir dans l'hiver|FRs=3
+|FR =Courir dans l'hiver|FRs=4
 |RU =<!--Бег зимой-->
-|H =1
+|H =
 |palette=atys
 }}</noinclude>
-{{WIP}}
-''The story I'm about to tell you is based on a traditional Matis competition that I heard about from an old friend who had once entered it. I made a story out of it.
+'''''The story I'm about to tell you is based on a traditional Matis competition that I heard about from an old friend who had once entered it. I made a story out of it.
 ''My friend's name was Collix and he told me what he experienced during that contest right here in Matia. But I'm going to tell you the story from the point of view of a young Matis whom I called Cillis.
-{{Quotation| |
+'''''My friend's name was Collix and he told me what he experienced during that contest right here in Matia. But I'm going to tell you the story from the point of view of a young Matis whom I called Cillis.
 <poem>
 Cillis was afraid. But, like all young Matis of his age, he did not want to show it. Not in front of all the other Matis gathered in the shrine square of the Altar of Jena, and certainly not in front of his team-mate. The floating machine, made of that strange material the Karavan used, hummed and buzzed over their heads. Its guardians looked at it with impassive eyes and watched the surroundings.
@@ Line 50: / Line 51: @@
 :"''You know, kid. No rules, except one. Be careful not to let go of your stick.''"
 With the flat of his hand, he gave Cillis a shove in the back and moved him forward a step, so that his and Nehi's arms suddenly strained on the stick. Now, if one of the runners dropped the stick connecting him to his teammate, it was considered clumsy or even "cheating": part of the challenge was to run together.
+{{Couillard}}
 It was now Cillis and Nehi's turn to start. In a few moments, they too would begin their race. The young Matis' hands were beginning to cover with sweat as his breath rose before him in a thick cloud, like that of an excited bodoc.
 :"''Come on Homins! Your race starts now!''"
@@ Line 56: / Line 57: @@
 There, the Village Welcomer of the place nodded to them from afar and then, taking advantage of a brief pause in their run, tied a first ribbo,, a blue one, on their staff. This was proof that they had passed the first step. But the hardest part was ahead of them: the crossing of the dense forest, along the edge of the plateau on which the green hills lay.
+{{Couillard}}
 No sooner had they walked a few hundred yards and reached the edge of the cliff than they saw the slender bodies of predators slinking nimbly through the undergrowth. The children stopped their run.
 :"''Damn it, Nehi whispered, if the pack spots us, only Jena can save us.''"
@@ Line 117: / Line 118: @@
 :"''The blessing of the Kamis be upon you children!''"
 The Fyros sat Cillis on his shoulders and began to dance exuberantly and spin on the spot, clapping and shouting in his own language. Nehi laughed and Bunis held his belly laughing. However, Cillis didn't notice much of this. He felt like jumping into the precipice... just to escape this embarrassment.
+{{Couillard}}
 It was a big surprise in Davae when the little party entered the city gate. Cillis was still on the shoulders of the Fyros, who had entertained them all the way with songs from his homeland and kept calling upon them for the blessing of the Kamis. Cordesi had shown them on the way what he had done to chase away the ragus: hidden in his pockets were a slingshot and a few firecrackers, simple firecrackers that nevertheless made more noise than anything else.
 :"''But enough to alert other teams,''" he added with a smile.
@@ Line 127: / Line 128: @@
 :"''Here are the red ribbons. Anyone who wants to continue towards Avalae should get one as soon as possible.''"
 Cillis fidgeted on the shoulder of the Fyros, who quickly set him down on the ground. Nehi had already handed the staff to the Village Welcomer, and now the red ribbon of Davae was floating on it. Cillis grabbed the stick and stood still. Next to them, Bunis and Cordesi received their ribbon. Then the two girls and finally the pair of boys. And it is united that the young Matis left Davae to carry out the rest of the route in group.
+{{Couillard}}
 When they reached Avalae, a small crowd had gathered at the gate to welcome them. And when the Intendant of the city handed out the golden ribbons, the air filled with cheers and applause. When the last couple had arrived, they were joined by many residents of the other cities of the Majestic Garden who wanted to celebrate the end of the race with them all.
 :"''Matis! Look at these kids who finished the Race in Winter. They all proved that they have endurance, strength and courage. But some of them have accomplished something special in this blessed year.''"
 He paused briefly to wave to the group surrounding Cillis and Nehi. Their faces flushed with excitement, the children stepped forward. Then the Steward's voice thundered over the assembly:
 :"''These children have dropped their sticks!''"
 </poem>
-}}
 ----
 <center><small>''This story has been told by [[User:Lylanea Vicciona|Lylanea]] during the [[Meeting of the Bards II|second Meeting of the Bards]] which was held Mystia 2612-4 (OOC: April 2021).''</small>

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 As she listened intently to the words of the Yrkanis Intendant, Cillis's attention was also drawn to him.
 :"''Homins!''" said the Intendant in a loud voice.
-:"''Proud Matis! Once again, a cycle completes its loop of eternal return. And once again, we gather here to celebrate this day and witness the traditional children's race.''"
+:"''Proud Matis! Once again, a cycle completes its loop of eternal return. And once again, we gather here to celebrate this day and witness the traditional Race in Winter.''"
 His words were punctuated by discreet applause and here and there cheers could be heard.
 But not from the runners. They were all tense and some seemed nervous like week-old yubos. Cillis hoped the others would not attribute his shiver to emotion, but to the cold that was slowly seeping through his thin jacket. The Intendant continued:
@@ Line 33: / Line 33: @@
 Before Cillis could reply, the Intendant's voice rang out again:
-:"''The twenty teams present will begin their race in the winter in a few minutes. Not all of them will have it easy and all will be tested. As always, experienced scouts are already posted throughout the woods who will report on the actions and behavior of the runners. These are subject to one rule only: no one must be hurt! As for the rest, the runners have the right to do anything that can give them an advantage. This year again, the race, starting from Yrkanis, will pass through Natae and Davae to end in Avalae. There, my colleague will welcome you and, after hearing the reports of the scouts, he will name the winners.''"
+:"''The twenty teams present will begin their Race in Winter in a few minutes. Not all of them will have it easy and all will be tested. As always, experienced scouts are already posted throughout the woods who will report on the actions and behavior of the runners. These are subject to one rule only: no one must be hurt! As for the rest, the runners have the right to do anything that can give them an advantage. This year again, the race, starting from Yrkanis, will pass through Natae and Davae to end in Avalae. There, my colleague will welcome you and, after hearing the reports of the scouts, he will name the winners.''"
 Cillis looked at Nehi again. She was slim and strong, a summer younger than him and yet taller. She was tapping her foot on the spot, like many of the children who were waiting, since light boots were not made for the snow. Cillis' toes were also tingling slightly, but he didn't want to look like a baby yubo. Tradition dictated that the race would be run in light refugee attire. That is, that of the first messengers between cities still under construction, long before, when materials for stronger cloth could not yet be collected.
@@ Line 55: / Line 55: @@
 As they had been training that, they both started out with their right leg first and strived to keep a steady rhythm to their movements. As soon as they passed the city gate, they forked towards the forest, heading for the Matis Arena and following in the footsteps of their predecessors. It wasn't easy to keep pace in the snow. Cillis' heart was beating wildly. Despite their training and the cold, they soon began to sweat, but both continued to hurry under the thick roots and between the trees, making many frightened yubos scatter before them The stark, smooth wall of the huge wooden structure known as Matis Arena was soon in sight, and the morning sun glinted off the icy stalactites which hung there. The children threaded their way through the arches of homin-high roots that encircled the huge structure and passed its entrance before carrying on toward Natae.
-There, the Village Welcomer of the place nodded to them from afar and then, taking advantage of a brief pause in their run, tied a first blue ribbon on their staff. This was proof that they had passed the first step. But the hardest part was ahead of them: the crossing of the dense forest, along the edge of the plateau on which the green hills lay.
+There, the Village Welcomer of the place nodded to them from afar and then, taking advantage of a brief pause in their run, tied a first ribbo,, a blue one, on their staff. This was proof that they had passed the first step. But the hardest part was ahead of them: the crossing of the dense forest, along the edge of the plateau on which the green hills lay.
 No sooner had they walked a few hundred yards and reached the edge of the cliff than they saw the slender bodies of predators slinking nimbly through the undergrowth. The children stopped their run.
@@ Line 123: / Line 123: @@
 The city Intendant came to meet them and demanded to know what had happened, how it was that no team had arrived in Davae for so long and that such a large group was now showing up. The children immediately began to answer him, all babbling at once. But the red-haired Fyros soon raised his hands in a gesture of appeasement before asking for silence in a loud voice and following up:
 </poem>
 }}

@@ Line 112: / Line 112: @@
 They were laying next to each other, breathing heavily. Cillis was looking at the sky from where the crown of Jena, the great ringed planet, seemed to be looking down on him. When suddenly Cordesi entered his field of vision:
 :"''Hey, you two! You are well settled there?''" he said while smiling.
-Cillis then noticed that Bunis' arm was resting on his chest.
+Cillis then noticed that Bunis' arm was resting on his chest. Surprised, he pushed him away and stood up abruptly. Nehi crouched to his left and smiled at him. The boy could clearly feel the blood rushing to his ears and the heat rising to his face. The two girls who had helped Nehi giggled and Cordesi burst out laughing.
 </poem>
 }}

@@ Line 110: / Line 110: @@
 Wild cries and calls were echoing through the forest. Through the trees, a group of children wielding branches and sticks were coming running. Bunis, in the lead, was using his stick as a club to hit the predators. He gave a loud shout of triumph as the ragus moved away. Then he approached Cillis, dropped his stick and grabbed Nehi's right leg. Two other boys dropped into the snow on either side of Nehi and each grabbed an arm of the Fyros. As two girls pulled Nehi by her vest with all their might, they together carried the homin over the edge of the precipice before falling seated in the snow.
-They lay next to each other, breathing heavily. Cillis was looking at the sky from where the crown of Jena, the great ringed planet, seemed to be looking down on him. When suddenly Cordesi entered his field of vision:
+They were laying next to each other, breathing heavily. Cillis was looking at the sky from where the crown of Jena, the great ringed planet, seemed to be looking down on him. When suddenly Cordesi entered his field of vision:
 :"''Hey, you two! You are well settled there?''" he said while smiling.
 Cillis then noticed that Bunis' arm was resting on his chest.

@@ Line 106: / Line 106: @@
 A second and third ragus appeared, and the commotion around the homins indicated that at least five more of these predators were approaching. The boy frantically waved the branch around, preventing the animals from jumping on him, at least for a time. But they would not hold out long. A short prayer to Jena formed in Cillis' head. It was heard.
 </poem>
 }}

@@ Line 102: / Line 102: @@
 The words came nervously out of the breathless Fyros' mouth.
 Cillis winced as he perceived movement near him again: a large, gaunt ragus was approaching, a hoarse growl escaping from its muzzle.
 </poem>
 }}

@@ Line 92: / Line 92: @@
 Cillis turned his head and saw their two competitors running some distance away. The stronger one was literally dragging his thinner partner through the snow.
 :"''Bunis! Cordesi! Help us! Here!!!''"
 </poem>
 }}

@@ Line 74: / Line 74: @@
 :"''Yes. You're surprised, aren't you? But where are your parents? Are they taking care of those dirty beasts?''" he asked in a surprisingly light-hearted tone.
 :"''Um... No. Our parents are in Yrkanis.''" Cillis answered.
-Nehi jabbed her elbow into his side, and the boy was about to protest when he saw the expression on the Fyros' face. Despair.
+Nehi jabbed her elbow into his side, and the boy was about to protest when he saw the expression on the Fyros' face. That of despair.
 </poem>
 }}