Grounded, and Not In a Good Way

Well prairie fire and damnation!


She had been sent to her wagon like a child that did not know how to behave before company, all over something that none of them understood.


When she had first arrived at these fires all those seasons ago, on her very first night, she had been told that as a single woman, she could not stay at the fires unless she had her nose ring. In fact, it had been Dash, the Ubara at the time that had brought the subject up, and she was pierced that very first night by Silken and Tarra. That is just the way it was.


She had seen others that received their nose rings before becoming tribe. Tzuri and Sakmeta had, long before they were tribe. That is why, she had brought up the subject of Destiny, Askota and Aponi needing to have theirs placed. It was decided that Tarra and Kaeli would do the honors.


A young woman's nose ring is basically a rite of passage for her, and just as important as a warrior receiving his first scar. It signifies that she is no longer a girl, but a woman of the age to mate. It is just something that the female elders of the Tribe take care of. It is something between women.


Wrong.


They were in the process of placing Aponi's ring, when Ba'atar walked up, and basically threw a fit. Why? The Sky only knows. He said they had robbed him of being able to bestow that honor on her

What?

When, in the name of the Sky, did a man get into the middle of a female ceremony?


Guess it is since Ba'atar became Ubar, and has this impression that he has to control everyone and everything around him. Evidently, you do not think for yourself, you do not eat, breathe or sleep without his express permission. Ok, got it, we all belong to you.


One of the things that was most upsetting about it, is that he could not just calmly discuss it, he felt the need to crush them all under his boot heel, make some sort of big commotion about it lowering the value of her bride price, if she became Tribe.


Huh?


Tengfei could not even court her, much less speak of a bride price for her until that tiny ring of gold was placed, tribe or not. Had all of their traditions just flown out over the plains at the whim of a new Ubar?


Guess so.


They all had to apologize to Tenfei, which they did, not truly understanding exactly why. In fact, he did not fully understand either, but he graciously accepted their apologies. Sky love him


That is when it got worse for her. That is when she was sent to her wagon like an unruly child. The verr's ass. She went, without a word, because she would not argue with him in front of their people. She has too much respect for him to do that, and dishonor both of them.


Evidently that was a path that she walks alone, for it does not bother him one iota to disrespect and dishonor the woman that he supposedly loves. It does not bother him one bit to shame her before their people.

Nor did it bother him that she was a nursing mother, had not eaten for most of the day due to the move, and was sent away. Basically, sent to bed without her supper. And what does that do for their son? She was fortunate enough to make enough milk for him to get through the night.

He did not return to their wagon that night, all the next day, or the next night. All of this over something such as this? Was she supposed to fall to her knees and beg for his forgiveness? Ahhh, not happening. She had done nothing that deserved this kind of treatment.

Basically, what he has done, is send the message out to their people, that she is too stupid to make any kind of decision, to think for herself. The message that she is nothing more to him than a vessel to spill his seed into, to produce his all important sons. She is not smart enough to stand by his side, to have her own thoughts, to share his life with him.

She thinks the people know differently. The thing that saddens her most, is that by tightening his fist on them, he might lose them, and that would be sad. He has been good for the tribe, she does not doubt his love for his people, it is just his methods that are questionable sometimes.


Right now he is deep into his……MINE! mentality, and maybe forgetting……..Tribe Above All. The good of the All, not the one.