Chapter 2

Ishar crept slowly over the crest of a hill, his belly slithered over the undergrowth and small rocks and bits of sticks scraped his skin beneath his tattered grey cloak. He didn't mind, this was the moment he longed for each passing day, it was the moment he looked forward to before he gave in to sleep and it was the moment he thought of first when he awoke.

He waited patiently for the sun to reach its highest crest for everyday, right as the sun reached its zenith a young Talisi girl of the same age as Ishar of seventeen years made her way to the water well with a huge jar balanced on her head. She walked with delicate steps and the ghost of a smile was always present upon her face. Her skin was dark like rocks at the bottom of a pond and it's texture smooth, her hair was of snow white and fell gracefully to her shoulders. Her features were a native trait to the Talisi but her beauty was beyond that of any Talisi Ishar knew.

Ishar always came to the hill overlooking the water well to observe her. Ever since he was young he had always felt empty and out of place, he didn't feel like he belonged. Everyone else had dark skin and white hair, he had dark hair falling in a tangled mess upon his forehead and his skin was reddish brown like the mud often found at the base of the Kucha mountains. His eyes were a steady shade of violet and the tips of his fingers and nails were blue. His were the physical traits of the Kolotians. A nation that had very nearly been wiped out by the Binorians.

Ishar had never met another Kolotian and how he found himself in Talisi was a mystery to him. He'd asked his guardian, the old Talisi who'd raised him and whom he referred to as Cheke meaning Male guardian "Cheke, why do I look different from everyone else?" His guardian had regarded him with steady green eyes which were also a common trait of the Talisi and replied. "Because you're a piece of shit." Ishar had dropped the subject then, it was well known to him that though the old man had raised him it was not by an act of love but that of necessity, the purpose behind the necessity was unknown to him just as his heritage.

Ishar spotted her making her way to the well. One hand placed on the brown clay jar above her head, the other hand held at the hem of her ruby colored gown that was wrapped delicately around her curves. "Niada." Ishar muttered her name and his heart beat faster, his blood pumped through his veins and he watched through the undergrowth as the girl of his dreams set about the task of wheeling water out of the well. He would have offered to help her but say one thing about Ishar, say that he was a coward.

Ishar's emptiness and the feeling of not belonging always vanished whenever he laid eyes on Niada. It didn't matter whether he fit in or not, the pure fact that he was a witness to beauty made him feel something. Something more than the emptiness he'd learned to call home. And it was for this reason that he was afraid to lose the little he had over the risk of getting more. Fear clouded his mind, he couldn't risk approaching her and having her dismiss him. There was safety in keeping distance, there was safety in remaining unknown.

He watched her fetch water, he took note of her posterior whenever she bent over to pour water into her jar from the well's can. He took note of the way the bangles and earrings adorning her wrists and ears jiggled with her movement. And when she was finally through with fetching he watched her depart the well. She always fetched water during the middle of the day, right when the well had least activity. It said something about her, it said that she was shy or unwilling to interact. He found himself smiling, he loved that about her, he too was shy, he too was unwilling to interact.

When she'd finally disappeared from sight, Ishar stood up and dusted his cloak, he thanked the gods for blessing him with her presence once more then he broke into a solid bare footed dash towards the fifth hill from the one closest to the well. It was there that he'd left the sheep under the care of Mairek, the closest person he could refer to as a friend. Ishar was just under six feet tall and his stride was long and solid thus lending him the ability to cross long distances over a short period of time.

He climbed a hill and dipped into its leeward side and made to climb another hill, he dodged trees that were heavily green and he jumped bushes without slowing his pace. He spotted his sheep grazing lazily upon his destined hill and when he got close he spotted Mairek doing some sort of vigorous hand movement. When he got closer things got clearer and he was able to make out that Mairek was pleasuring himself. He had his cock in his hand and was tagging at it aggressively while his eyes were fixed on two sheep that were mating.

"What in the Gods are you doing?" Ishar asked while panting from the run. Mairek let out a startled yelp and started trying to dip his stiff cock back into his pants. He succeeded after some effort but a clear bulge spotted beneath his rusty pants.

"You're back early." Mairek said, trying to act as if he wasn't just pleasuring himself to sheep.

"Do sheep turn you on, man?" Ishar asked

"Look it's been a rough day, It's been a rough week, fuck! It's been a rough year. I haven't had sex since Jesna ran off with a Binorian soldier, she left me Ishar! She left!" Mairek's voice broke much to Ishar's dismay, "She was all I had and she just left to be with a Binorian! She said I wasn't enough, that I could never match up to the status of Binorians. It's what the whole freaking realm believes and where does that leave me? It leaves me reduced to a man who pleasures himself to sheep."

Mairek was a foot taller than Ishar and he had the dark skin and white hair of the Talisi. His face was narrow with high cheekbones and he had a weak chin that made his features bland. He was crying and tears stained his cheeks as he shook with silent sobs. Ishar was extremely uncomfortable and he didn't know what to make of it. "Hey, it's okay Mairek, everybody does it." He tried to console his friend.

"Everybody pleasures themselves to sheep?"

"No, everybody pleasures themselves." Ishar replied. An uncomfortable silence ensued and Ishar struggled for the words to fill it "Heck! I would have pleasured myself to Niada today, she's so beautiful. And it's not like you were actually going to fuck the sheep, you just got excited seeing them mating. There's nothing wrong with that."

"You're lucky Ishar," Mairek said. "You're lucky your girl hasn't caught the eye of a Binorian yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Binorians take what they desire. It is how the realm works."

Ishar thought over the words for a moment, a deep seated fear rose to encrust his chest. He found himself breathing with difficulty and he fought the thoughts brought about by Mairek's words. After a moment he finally controlled himself enough to speak. "Help me herd the sheep home and let's talk about something else as we do so." Mairek nodded in agreement and they both set to work.