"You sure you wanna do this?" Naet looked back at him, his eyebrows raised.
"I'm 18, okay? I've been ready for a long time now. Just tell me what to do," Jeri said back to him, a little frustrated now. He'd been getting trouble from his older brother for a long time now, and now that the day had finally come- he wasn't going to let him convince him out of it.
"Alright, little brother... Follow me." Naet pushed the tarp to the side and began to edge his way down a steep, muddy embankment. The hillside was covered with paths like these, and Jeri felt his heart begin to beat a little harder as he entered into the labyrinth.
Just inside the first curtain sheet, a woman sat in a traditional garb, her head and body completely covered; in her hands was some cloth-work, and she looked as if she was enjoying her work when they walked in. Her face had been tanned and wrinkled by the forest sun, and she looked up at them with kind eyes. She smiled and began to mutter something in a language that neither of them could understand, but she seemed to be talking to herself more than the visitors. Naet barely acknowledged her existence as he passed by her and he slipped under the next curtain sheet. Jeri smiled back at the woman as he passed, though.
The Sutruna settlements were far from home, and after the meeting, there would be at least an hour's travel before they arrived back at Eeria landship.
It was also the rain season in the Tura region, and this meant that most days, like today, were overcast and it felt as if it could down-pour at any moment. Jeri wondered what the people in the settlement did when it rained, as their homes appeared not to have roofs. Even without the rain, there was a slight mist that made everything a little damp with condensation; the air was fresh, though, and very clean.
"Watch your step, Jeri," Naet said as he pulled back yet another curtain. It was a strange scene, Jeri thought, as they walked from one enclosure to another. He couldn't tell precisely what was in the cloth room to either side of him, but there was no roof, so he could see the open sky above, and because of the tilt downward, he could see that the settlement was sloped toward the river basin. The whole area, as a matter of fact, was a river valley, and the sound of rushing water, though unseen, could be heard in the distance. The hills surrounding the area were stoney, and it felt more like they were trudging through a mountainous region than a grassland. The grasses on the hills were long and dark, and they were sparse too, poking out between crannies in the rocks. They swayed in the slight breeze.
From behind the other curtains, he could see shadows; some areas were quiet, where people like the old woman worked delicately, while other areas were loud and raucous. Behind another, someone was steaming food in a large vat (the water vapor could be seen cresting above the curtain), and little children were yelling and playing, a little girl screaming excitedly every once in a while. There was also the sound of alien speech, but Jeri couldn't identify them by their vocals alone.
"I think it's not too far ahead now," Naet said. Jeri was surprised, as the settlement had a base of about two miles, and better than 75 percent of the area was residential. Jeri tried to remain calm as they neared their destination; he ran his hands through his black hair again, which was long and slick. Both he and his brother had an olive skin tone, and their eyes were dark and deep. Naet, the older brother of about 21, had built a lot of muscle and was known in their home landship as man who got what he wanted, especially with his women. But to Jeri, he was just his older brother, and the two of them got along very well. In particular, Naet had grown to like Jeri's sense of humor. Today, though, was all business, and there wouldn't be any room for joking around.
Suddenly, Naet paused. He seemed to take a deep breath, and he turned to look at his younger brother one last time. "We're here," he said. Naet looked at his younger brother from head to toe for a moment, as if he was thinking about something. Jeri realized that he might be reconsidering his decision to bring him to the settlements, so he tried to look confident and he stared back at his brother as if his nerves weren't on fire. Naet pursed his lips and nodded.
Naet pushed back the curtain.
Here we go...