It was the 1526th year since the time of Yahuna the Valour and the great priest Laosham.
The Great Kingdom of Aritia had been peaceful for the last 35 years. It had never seen such peace for so long, nor had it seen a war as brutal as the one that preceded it.
The war with the neighbouring country of Shuna was brutal. It was an unforgettable nightmare, and it was also the birthplace of many legends.
Among the various wondrous places of the country, our story starts on a random morning, in one small village named Ruya.
The air felt overbearing, the sun was brutal, and the heat vaporised the little moisture from the environment, sucking all living things dry indiscriminately—making itself an example of inclusivity.
Among these sounds, rose a "Moooo!!" A delightful call from a daughter to a mother.
The young calf tied to the backyard of the Pakshi household made his happiness loud and clear upon seeing his mother coming back so soon.
"Why is Rani with you?" "You need to return with the buffalo." "What happened? You look exhausted." "You alright, little man?"
Various queries, concerns, and banter were flung towards young Avian as soon as he returned home, drenched in sweat, breathing audibly, and in visible need of rest, accompanied by the buffalo.
Avian threw himself onto the straw chair and his shirt onto the wall (which was intended to land in the cloth basket) and heaved a long sigh.
His brother, sister, and mother gathered around him, with piling questions that were mute to his ears.
"Did the serpent people get your tongue?" Leon, the elder brother, joked.
"Be quiet," his mother scolded.
"They steal tongues from young boys 'cause their own tongue is cut in two! It's plain jealousy!" Leon continued with his jokes shamelessly, drawing a laugh from his sister.
Avian raised his hand, demanding everyone's silence and attention. The three went silent in anticipation.
"Water," he answered everyone with a request.
The eldest sister, Talisha, quickly fetched him a cup of cold water from the earthen pot and seated herself elegantly in front of him, a spot she had secured previously. She placed her right hand on her face, while the other hand supported her right elbow—a curious posture that demanded answers.
Avian drank the water in a single gulp, his tired hands soaking up the chill from the cold metal cup.
And then— "Water," he demanded again, and Talisha went and refilled his cup as quickly as a bird.
He drank again and again, nourishing his parched throat. By the end of it all, Talisha had completed four of her quick trips.
He dragged on his silence as long as he could while everyone looked at him curiously. It was not out of exhaustion or the failure to articulate his mind. No, the boy kept quiet to build suspense and anticipation in the family's hearts. He loved the drama, and he loved the attention.
"Where's Papa?" Avian asked, wanting to have the largest audience he could gather.
"He's gone to get some stuff for the festival. It will take him time," Mumma answered quickly.
"So now then, what happened, Avi?" The audience got back to the topic.
Avian leaned forward. "I saw two twigs of fresh Tusha growing in our field. Rani won't go near it—won't even circle around it to the green parts. All in all, we need new feeding grounds," he said in the most theatrical voice that was truly unexpected from a 14-year-old boy.
He slowly leaned back in his chair, satisfied with the family's reaction, although he was hiding his delight over his perfect delivery, wearing a neutral and slightly worried expression on his face to better match the shocked reaction of his family.
"God have mercy! Why now, of all times? With the festival and the marriage coming up and..."
Mumma was not just shocked... she was terrified. The three siblings hadn't anticipated this degree of reaction.
"It's all right, Mumma, calm down." Leon calmed his mother down, helping her to the straw chair.
Avian swiftly jumped from his chair to make a seat for his mother. Talisha went over to fetch another cup.
"We'll find new feeding grounds, or we can just find a new route to take her to the back portion of the field," Leon analysed the situation.
"Kids, you don't understand! It's not about the feeding ground—thanks, dear," Mumma said while gently caressing her daughter's cheeks. She helped herself to the water and continued, "Fresh Tusha grass is a very, very bad omen. It's said to grow in places favoured by the great demon Azuhaa! It brings calamity and sickness. If the boy's family finds out about the grass, then they will cancel the marriage. Nobody will marry into a house unfavoured by the God!"
The words hung in the air, corrupting the mood—heavy and powerful.
The kids obviously knew about the grass. It was a grass that grew all around the village, more than in any other part of the country. That's how the village had got its title:
'Ruya—the land of the white grass.'
The grass was wicked. It sucked the moisture out of the soil. It didn't even store it—it drank it. Ruya had always been a hot village, near a desert, but the grass made it worse. It was said to grow out of the carcass of dead animals, deep in the soil. So the animals wouldn't go near the fresh grass, although once the grass had aged, animals and humans alike became indifferent to it. But that would take at least a couple of years.
You weren't even allowed to uproot the grass; it was forbidden to even touch it, as it might bring about misfortune.
All in all, the grass was bad. The kids had known it but hadn't thought about the marriage angle.
Talisha was to be married this month. Her father had found a good suitor for her, and he, along with his family, would be visiting the Pakshi household the very next morning. The marriage was not confirmed, but it was almost there.
The Festival of Laosham would be starting in a few days, and hence the time was ripe for marriage and other sacred affairs.
Even Avian was worried now.
"We will figure this out, Mumma. The grass is in the field, not in our house. They will not even know about it," Talisha consoled.
"But people talk. And folks passing by may have already noticed the grass," Mumma answered with concern.
"Avi and I will go and hide the grass," Leon declared.
"Don't you worry, Mumma. We will take care of it." Despite his exhaustion, Avi was in full support of the mission.
"Of course you will," Talisha remarked with a smile.
"Come on, brother, it's time to go!" Leon hurried up and left the house with great athleticism, with his brother following after him.
Don't touch the grass!" the mother called out her warning, and prayed to God that it reached the boys' ears.