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Kayem
Lilka (Scout)
Tropse Koritsi (Chef
Apprentice) Daughter of Arianis
Kayem was ten years old and living not too far
from the borders of Themiscyra. One day, she was out stalking
forest creatures in the woods near her family's home when raiders
came. She watched from behind the trees as they beat her parents.
She would never forget the screams and smells as the cabin burned
to the ground with her parents locked inside. Closing her eyes
tightly and covering her ears, she ran into the forest and kept
running until she collapsed from exhaustion. Then she crawled
under some brush and slept.
She recalled spending several days under that brush; too afraid to
come out lest the raiders would find her. Soon, hunger and thirst
began to take its toll. She was becoming tired and weak. She knew
she would have to seek food or die there. She froze when she heard
the rustling of the brush next to her. Slowly, she turned her
head, fearful of who was there. It was when the branch directly
behind her moved down across her shoulder that she screamed. An
equally frightened squirrel went back into the brush, but not
before it dropped a small branch of berries at her feet. It was a
meager offering, but it was food.
Kayem quickly devoured the berries and crawled out of the brush
toward the noise of the squirrel. She didn't want to lose sight of
it knowing it could lead her to more berries. Soon, the squirrel
went back to its business. Kayem followed it until she was indeed
led to some berry bushes and a nearby stream. Over the next few
days, Kayem befriended the squirrel by sharing berries with it.
She slept at the base of the squirrel's tree, knowing the squirrel
would send out an alarm if danger were near. Following the
squirrel's example, she used branches and leaves to cover herself
at night.
As the days passed, her body grew thin. Then one morning, she
found she could hardly walk. Her muscles almost too weak to carry
her. She stumbled following the squirrel to the berry bushes only
to realize there were no more berries on them to be eaten. Her
mind began to spin and she slipped to the ground.
Later she awoke to the feel of the squirrel hopping about her
chest and chirping at her. Barely able to focus her eyes and with
her head spinning, she again followed the squirrel in hopes of
being brought to more berries. It was all a blur as Kayem recalled
that the squirrel stopped, went up a tree and began chirping
excitedly. She looked up to see a weapon hanging on the tree.
Perhaps, she thought, she could use this weapon to hunt for food.
She stepped up as high as she could as she reached to retrieve the
weapon. Suddenly, out of the sky dropped a creature with a huge
head. Kayem passed out from fright. A second border guard came
down from the trees and admonished her sister for scaring a young
child with her warrior's mask.
The child was brought to the village for healing. It was days
before she regained consciousness and her condition tore at the
tribe's heart. She was questioned on why she was caught attempting
to steal Amazon property. Once her story was known. Given that she
had no family, she was offered the option to stay with the tribe.
Without hesitation, Kayem pledged to be a good Amazon if allowed
to stay. She had begun to make friends and felt safe in the
village.
Kayem was adopted by Arianis, the scout who had frightened her.
Kayem wanted to follow in her adopted mother's footsteps and
Arianis proudly trained her to be a scout. Kayem always liked
helping in the kitchen and became an apprentice to the head cook,
Ryka, and became one of her tropse koritsi.
Kayem is short and compact. Her short and choppy, blonde hair
gives her a wild look. Her soft, brown eyes can be warm with love
or turn almost reddish when angry. Now twenty-five years old, and
with fifteen summers of weapons training, she is a competent
warrior. Her loyalty and willingness to die for her sisters has
made her the person you want covering your back in a battle.
Kayem's totem animal is the squirrel.
Tae'Nah athelfi arche:
6 September 2008
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