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❈ Chani ❈
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ṉαṃε;;
Why 'Chani'? Why not something more related to ancient Egyptian royalty or mythology? Because... ... hey, you never said it was strictly Egyptian themed, just that 'pyramids' inspired the idea. Arrakis, from the 'Dune' series, is a desert planet. It totally fits. ( And for the record, her expression and overall look do kind of call to mind the Chani of the Sci-Fi channel Dune miniseries xD.)
I just... don't see this bean as being royal or taking after some kind of deity. Though she does have a high standing among others of her tribe, it was earned through hard work... and it didn't come without some costly mistakes. She is just a desert child learning what it is to be an adult, nothing more.
While Chani does not seem to be a... 'real' name, so to speak, I have found sources that list it as a variant/nickname of the Hewbrew name 'Chania' or 'Chana', which both seem to mean something along the lines of 'favored (or graced) by God'.
ģεṉḋεɾ;;
Female.
αссεṡṡøɾïεṡ;;
(A note about the setting I'm using: I've never exactly seen a hard and fast setting for where JBDs are used in-- some seem like they would exist in Earth as it currently is, while others have a slightly more fantastic/magical setting. As such, I am going with a sort of... 'similar to our world but not' thing, and Chani's homeland is loosely based on the Sahara and nearby regions; very far into the desert and not getting a lot of contact with the modern world.)
Chani wears a small crown of painted green wood, carved to look like leaves and flowers of desert plants; a symbol of her accomplishment. Woven strings of beads, ribbons and other little trinkets are wound around her tail, as well as her front paws, gifts from the people she travels with. The last thing she wears is a heavy chain collar and leash-- penance for a near-deadly mistake that left a friend permanently blind.
ṃαќε ïτ сøṃε αlïṿε;;
ρεɾṡøṉαlïτÿ;;
Aloof and distant is (or at least, was) a good way to describe Chani. All her life, there has been only one solid rule, and that is the desert does not forgive. Chani seemed to grasp the implications of this a bit earlier than her peers, causing her to be more... cautious. Observant. She would rarely do anything unless she felt she had looked into all likely outcomes and determined if it was worth the energy. She was often a little shadow to older beans of the tribe, asking questions of how things worked, how to prepare for sandstorms or drought, how to avoid making the mistakes other children often made. While this left Chani rather wise, it also left her... lacking; especially because she would rarely listen when they tried to speak to her. She'd heard it all already, hadn't she? She was always so wrapped up in the theory, the meditating on how that she never did. Always reacted, rarely ever acting on her own; but always eager to explain, in great detail, how others might've been able to avoid their misfortunes.
However, this isn't to say that she does nothing, and she would be gravely insulted if anyone suggested so. She is a dutiful member of the tribe, always volunteering to refill the water casks or seek out food; or go out and find artifacts to trade with the merchants when they pass by. She will never shirk her duty; once Chani has said she'll do something, you can count on her keeping her word. She has no patience for anyone who would try to cheat or shrug off their duties-- after all, one weak link is enough to bring the entire chain crashing down, and she refuses to see that happen if she can do anything to stop it. And if there's a problem, she is willing to do whatever it takes to solve it, even if she has to take it into her own paws. She does not seem to understand the idea of second chances, either-- one mistake can be enough to hurt or even entirely end a life; so no matter the amount of good done, the bad must take precedence... right?
Now, this might leave the impression that Chani is not exactly the most interesting or pleasant bean to be around... and to be honest, for a time, she wasn't. But this is only the very basics of her personality, you'll see how it shifts even in the following story. She is not intended to be set in stone like this, I want her to be like all my characters-- dynamic, with room to grow, succeed, fail, and everything in between.
To set the mood...
While I'm not usually one to give 'theme songs' to characters, I would like to list some of the songs that have helped serve as my inspiration for this form and character.
Through Heaven's Eyes, a song that has always been very dear to me, and helps give an idea of the overall character arc I've got in mind for Chani-- basically, learning that past sins do not mean that there is no chance for redemption, and that everything in life has a purpose.
Mass Effect 2 OST: Samara, just due to its overall mood. It definitely invokes the mood of a desert, and more importantly for the story, a sense of danger and urgency. ... also, it's just plain cool.
Muisc of the Desert: Nomads, once again just for its overall mood.
stσrч σf thє spríngвєαrєr;;
(Please forgive the rushed nature of this story-- I would have set it over a longer period of time and had Chani and Aara get to know each other a bit better first, buuuuut word count xD However, I hope this gives a good idea of Chani's history, how her personality will be at first, and... just doesn't suck xD Should I win, Chani will be roleplayed as still traveling with the merchants, and perhaps freed and entirely on her own once she's older.)
The first evening stars twinkled through the wispy pink clouds, barely visible in the deep orange and violet sky. Most creatures-- the handful that could endure the drought, at least-- were still asleep, though a few could still be spotted rushing back to their hiding places...
"Courel!"
The patriarch's voice came out in a sharp bark, and all five dragons froze in their tracks, bringing the cart to a rattling halt. Four were silent, but Courel whimpered and rasped for breath, staring down at the small, shiny red-black scorpion just inches away from his paw. The creature raised its tail and scuttled forward, just a second later there was a blur, a spray of sand, and Chani dropped the rear half of the scorpion in front of the larger bean's feet. She said nothing to him, only narrowed her steel-colored eyes and glared a moment before following the rest of the group.
Even for Courel, that was stupid. One of the first lessons they learned was always watch the sand, always watch for the tiny, shiny black carapace scuttling around. A tarantula's bite would sicken, a viper-- rare as they were (if they even existed out here, even the great-grandmother had never seen one)-- would possibly lame, but the smallest scorpion's sting would kill. So while the others ran ahead, Chani lagged slightly behind, keeping her eyes peeled for the slightest movement in the dim light.
As it turned out though, the scorpion was their only disruption, the waning sliver of moon had only just risen above the horizon when the troupe arrived at the trader's camp. At least a dozen fires lit up the desert night, illuminating the bright canvas and silk tents. A faint smile rose on Chani's muzzle, the earlier incident forgotten among the scent of spice and cooking meat, the fainter smells of sugary things she would definitely have to dig out once the main work was done. Miriam slipped out of the cart harness and Chani stepped in, pulling it the last of the way. It was lighter than she was used to; this had not been a good month for them. Hadn't been a good month for several months, ever since the earthquake that had rocked the desert at the start of autumn. At first, they had rather expected the lack of water-- after all, that was the way it went during the winter months, less rain meant the river shrank, but they could endure. Sure, it meant fewer diggers could go out looking for artifacts, hidden in places no caravan or camel could get to; but there were still some who could, and something was better than nothing. But then... every day, Chani and her fellow water-bearers came back with less and less, every day a larger portion of the river was cracked and empty. Grasses and reeds withered, the berry shrubs and vines dried to dust, even the barely-edible scrub plants had started to die.
'Surely things would be better in spring', everyone had said. Surely things would be better once spring came, and until then, all they could do was bury the eggs that never hatched and make sure the water went to those who needed it most. But spring had come and was halfway gone, and the river was hardly more than a slow, muddy trickle.
"Stop," the patriarch said as they reached the camp, and Chani halted, careful not to jolt the cart too much. She wriggled out of the harness and sat beside the patriarch, nodding politely to the robed man before her.
"It has been a long time since we've seen our fine friends," the man said, bowing before the patriarch. The elder dragon bowed in return, his solemn expression breaking the second he rose to his paws again.
"It has been a long winter," he said, giving a flick of his tail; the signal for the others to start unpacking their wares. "We can only hope it has been kinder to you." The patriarch's voice faded, and he stared at the ground, raking the sand with his claws. "A hundred eggs this season, and only five hatched."
The man gently patted the patriarch's head, and Chani was the first of the younger four dragons to bow her head in respect. But it didn't last long, the man soon called out for others to join him in appraising the artifacts; and the moon was halfway up the sky by the time the haggling was done. The others had started to doze off, and Chani was growing tired herself, but she resolved to stay awake like a proper trader should; a task that became easier when she picked up on a few snatches of conversation.
"I'm afraid it's no better to the south," the merchant was saying. "Truth be told, we are considering not returning this time. The river has died, and we will surely follow if we try to remain."
She heard the patriarch sigh and say something in return, but his voice was too faint to make out the words. Chani settled down next to the cart, giving a shiver that had nothing to do with the breeze ruffling her fur. So the river... was gone.
Her initial thought was 'that's stupid', and it really was. Rivers didn't just... die or go away, they couldn't! She frowned, tracing patterns in the sand with her claws. The river had to start somewhere... what if it wasn't dead, what if it was just blocked somewhere higher up? That was possible, right?
'Right.'
She roused the others as the patriarch approached, a large, jingling pouch dangling from his mouth. He grinned and dropped it in front of the other four. Even Chani couldn't help but take a step forward when the elder dragon opened it up, revealing--
"Wow," she whispered, her eyes going wide. There were more coins there than she'd ever seen before; big solid silver ones, smaller copper ones, and the spaces between filled with tiny gold pieces no bigger than her first toe.
"Turns out that urn? The tomb we found it was one of their ancient queens!" the patriarch said, whisking his tail from side to side. "We've got at least two more sacks like that waiting if we can give 'em a solid map of the place. Two more full of pure silver if we can map it all!"
Three of the younger dragons cheered and immediately scooped up their share of the coin, taking off for the tents and sweet scents. Chani was silent, though, carefully gathering her share before going off to a merchant whose camel was loaded with water casks. The price was steeper than she'd ever known it to be, but... well, what choice did she have? Let the others squander their money on sweet cakes and rosewater jellies. She needed to prepare.
With some haggling, she managed to purchase a small dogcart, large enough to carry her water and the other supplies as she bought them-- a small box of honey-roasted crickets, some dried dates and figs (and a few rosewater and cherry delights, she just couldn't resist the treats) a compass and... no map.
Chani passed through tent after tent, a dozen merchants, yet not one of them had a map. Worse, none of them knew which tent the cartographer had claimed, so all she could do was wander until she maybe stumbled upon the right one.
Most of the fires had gone down by the time Chani reached a small, dull gray tent towards the back of the camp. She felt it would be the last she could check before giving up for the night, it was growing too cold to keep going. She slid out of the cart's slats and padded towards the tent, only to stop short when she noticed someone sitting in front of it.
"H... hello?" the dragon asked, immediately dropping into a wary stance, ready to fight or run if she had to. The human turned, and a soft voice broke the cold silence.
"Hello there!"
Chani froze, her ears flattening against her head. She relaxed just a moment later when the voice laughed and the figure drew closer, until she could get a real look at it. It was a human girl, wearing a soft green robe that complimented her dark skin and hair, and holding a large bowl of candies; the sight only now reminding Chani that she hadn't eaten a thing all day.
The girl smiled, plucked a few candies from the top of the bowl, and knelt down to Chani's level. "I've got plenty to spare," she said in a soft voice. "And father says we must always treat our guests."
Chani snatched up the candies, gulping them down and licking the remaining sugar from her muzzle as the girl spoke again.
"What's your name?"
"Chani. Yours?" Chani replied, after taking a few moments to pry her teeth apart.
"Aara. What are you doing here? I thought the dragons had gone to sleep."
"I'm looking for a mapmaker."
The girl picked a lavender sweet from the bowl, popping it into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully for a few moments. "... how come? I thought the dragons knew the desert better than men."
"Our homes," Chani replied, sweeping her tail back and forth. "But not the entire desert, and I need to go upriver. Beyond our settlements."
"Why upriver?" Aara asked, cocking her head to the side and frowning. "There's nothing up--"
"I know." Chani's voice held the slightest growl, she didn't have the patience or time for a lecture. She just wanted to get on with things. The young dragon took a deep breath to calm herself, and continued. "I know there isn't supposed to be anything up there. But rivers... they just don't 'dry up', something had to make it vanish. Someone should find out why, right?"
The girl shrugged, chewing on another sweet. "I suppose," she said. "My father's said the same thing, actually, but he says there's too many of us. If we send out our strongest to search, we leave ourselves open for attack. And... well, it would be unwise to send the weak, wouldn't it?"
Chani nodded, getting back to her feet. "Besides, the more people you have, the more chances there are for mistakes," she said, flicking her tail to clear the sand from her fur. "... but if there's no way to get a map, then there's not much point," she grumbled. She narrowed her eyes when Aara grinned, reaching into the sleeve of her robes.
"You're lucky you found the cartographer's apprentice, then," she said, holding out a large scroll. Chani sat up and grabbed it, her eyes wide.
"App... oh, this one is wonderful!" she exclaimed, tracking the path of the river with her claw to where it split some ways away-- one side by the trader's path, one... less familiar, by the looks of things, until they both joined back up to the great river that fed the valley. The map was enormous, the camp only a small dot. And-- yes, there in the east were the tombs her tribe lived by, the river and caravan routes up to the city of Rhaken. "Please, can... can I keep this? I'll pay, I've still got--"
Chani broke off when Aara raised her hand. "I won't ask for payment," she said. "What I would like, though... is to join you."
"What? Why?" Chani asked, blinking in surprise.
The girl gave a slight shrug. "I feel... like you. That it would be good to find out what's going on with the water. My father keeps saying our stores are running low, and... I'm worried. I don't want to lose anyone else before we get to Rhaken," she said softly.
Chani raked at the sand, glancing back at the small cart and casks. "I... can understand that," she finally said. "I suppose some company would be good. And you... know the map better than I do. We'll need to go to the left fork, so... navigation. That would be good," she muttered, nodding to herself. And besides, if they went so far without finding anything, they'd turn back. They would be okay, and... this was working on something others had told her to improve on for years, right? Act, don't wait and lecture.
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"Are you sure you're okay?" Aara asked.
"Yes." Chani didn't trust herself to say more-- she was fine, the soreness in her paws was normal after... how long had they been walking? It couldn't have been any later than midnight when they set out, dawn had passed and midday had been spent in the meager shade cast by the cart, and now the sky was growing darker, streaked with pink and orange. The tribe often went on long marches when it was time to move camp, this... this was only a little longer than a normal day's walk.
And even if she did feel like collapsing, she couldn't; not when they finally seemed to have some kind of a lead. The river had just been a faint streak of mud for at least half the walk, but sometime around mid afternoon, the could see actual water-- the barest of trickles, but it was there in the mud. The trickle had since only grown wider, stronger, they had to be close!
"Hey... hey, Chani, check this out!" Aara called, racing ahead. Chani panted heavily, running as fast as the heavy cart allowed until she stood by Aara again. The girl was crouched by the edge of the river, and near her--
'Gods be praised', the dragon thought, her eyes wide. Reeds, actual reeds!
"And it's getting chillier, too, have you noticed?" Aara asked, grinning broadly.
Chani nodded, slipping out of the cart's harness. "It's got to be close. There's... even if it's not the river, there has to be some water!" she said, crouching by the reeds and sniffing at the ground. The sand here wasn't quite dry, had a wet scent to it that grew stronger as she went upstream. There were more reeds, tiny flowers and animal tracks. Mouse, hare, the scuttling mark of scorpions... and one long track, smooth and unbroken that immediately set Chani on edge.
"Chani! Chani, get over here!" Aara exclaimed. Chani looked up, pricking her ears and racing ahead to the voice. There was a huge cluster of plant life, and Chani could've sworn she saw a couple of birds among the reeds there...
And water.
"There must have been a rock slide," Aara said, climbing through the rushes and down to the river. Chani stood on the shore, and it looked like Aara was right-- here and there were large rocks or piles of smaller ones, a huge boulder with other stones caught next to it that only let the faintest trickles of water through, while the rest had pooled into a small oasis.
"Come on, get down here! I need some help!" Aara called, looking up at Chani. The young dragon started down, but a movement in the water caught her eye--
"Get out of there!" she yelled, her eyes going wide. But the second the words left her mouth, Chani was in the water and snapping at the copper serpent. She felt its fangs graze her once, twice, never getting past her thick fur, then it was on her paw and the fangs brushed her a third time--
And then it was gone.
A heartbeat later, there was a scream.
Chani snatched the snake out of Aara's hand, biting down as hard as she could before flinging it to the other bank. Aara was on her hands and knees, still whimpering and rubbing water into her eyes. Her movements started to slow though, and during one pause Chani at last saw what had happened.
Her eyes were red, almost entirely swollen shut.
"No."
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The rest of the journey passed in a blur. There was no pain, no tiredness, nothing but a numb prickling in her paws as she pulled Aara to the cart, which felt so much lighter-- it wasn't until she made it back to the merchant camp that she realized she must have dumped everything else.
She didn't say much when she returned, only told the others enough to direct them to the blockage. Otherwise, she stuck by Aara's side, waiting for the girl to wake... and for the punishment that was surely to follow. She'd run off, gotten a stranger (no, not a stranger, the lead trader's daughter) blinded. No matter what good unblocking the river did, she was doomed, sure to lose her own eyes if not more.
Or...
She would be hailed.
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Chani sat before the patriarch and Rahim, leader of the merchants on a makeshift dais on the edge of the river, now flowing swift and full as it had before the quake. Aara stood by her side, her fingers lightly gripping Chani's fur.
Rahim stepped forward, looking out to the gathered humans and dragons. "For nearly half a year, we have seen our river dry. We have feared we would lose our trade routes, or in the case of our dragon friends, our very homes," he said. "But thanks to these brave young girls, we have found the problem, and the river runs once again."
A cheer rose up from the crowd. "Springbearers," they cried, and Chani shifted a little closer to Aara. Rahim and the patriarch approached, each carrying a small crown, painted green and carved with flowers and leaves. Chani tugged in Aara's sleeve to help her kneel as the patriarch set his crown on the girl's hair, while Rahim set his on Chani's.
"But this did not come without a price," the patriarch said, once the crowd had gone quiet. Chani bowed her head, trying to ignore the tears stinging her eyes.
"They left without informing anyone. They set the camp in a panic. And it ended in a girl losing her sight, something that could have been so easily prevented. The desert does not forgive carelessness, and neither will her people."
He looked at Chani, and she forced herself to meet his eyes. 'I cannot cry,' she thought. Whatever she had reaped, she deserved.
"Tell me, Chani. You brought her along-- and you told me yourself, you are in some part responsible for her blindness. What do you feel would best make amends?"
"To share her fate," the young dragon said, her voice steady but hushed.
The patriarch looked up at Rahim, who gave a single nod before turning away.
"We thought the same."
Chani trembled slightly, her ears flat against her head in fear when she saw Rahim approach. She looked at the crowd, at Aara, the patriarch, the desert; one last chance to remember it all before there was darkness--
But there was no darkness, only the heavy weight of a golden chain being fastened around her neck, and the loose end being placed in Aara's hand.
"There is no place for you among us any more," the patriarch said, and Chani could hear a tinge of regret in his voice. "For leading this girl into blindness, you must serve as her eyes, until the end of her days... or until she has no more use for you. Do you understand?"
"I... I don't," Chani replied, looking up at the patriarch with wide eyes. "I... 'an eye for an eye', isn't that--"
"An eye for an eye will make the whole world go blind," the elder dragon said in a hushed tone, so the crowd couldn't hear. "If you had listened to your elders more when we tried to speak with you, perhaps you would have learned that."
And with that, the patriarch left. Rahim motioned for Chani to follow him back to the merchant's camp. Chani gently tugged on Aara's sleeve to lead her forward as well, her tongue feeling too thick and numb to speak.
This was worse than being blinded. Blind, she could learn the way of the desert, but she would know her place.
Here... here, she wore the crown of a hero, but was chained like a dog; and she knew she deserved both.
Chani glanced at Aara, an ache gripping her heart when she saw how solemn the girl looked.
'She suffers more, though. I don't know why I have a second chance, but... I do. And I will make it up to you, Aara, I promise this.'
-The end-
Art
Other.
Orientation:
At the moment, Chani is shaping up to be asexual as she grows up. This means that she is probably never going to breed.However, she's not aromantic (she's actually pretty much on the opposite end of the spectrum there, as a panromantic)-- she's still going to be receptive to emotional intimacy and choosing a mate/permanent life partner, and would probably be up for adopting one day. Probably-- I'm still not sure where exactly her opinion on kids stands.
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❈ Cᴏᴍᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ Sᴏᴏɴ, Uɴᴛɪʟ ᴛʜᴇɴ ʙᴇ sᴀғᴇ ❈
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Credits/thank to people who helped:
Wolfehstar, for generously providing the coding for this form (because I am a coding failure xD.)
Benathorn, for art.
Jendalie, for generously giving the art of Chani's accessories <3
albinoBroccoli, for story critique.
And for the record: in the event that I lose, I have gotten permission to give all art in my form to the winner.
Final word count: 4475
Other.
Orientation:
At the moment, Chani is shaping up to be asexual as she grows up. This means that she is probably never going to breed.However, she's not aromantic (she's actually pretty much on the opposite end of the spectrum there, as a panromantic)-- she's still going to be receptive to emotional intimacy and choosing a mate/permanent life partner, and would probably be up for adopting one day. Probably-- I'm still not sure where exactly her opinion on kids stands.
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❈ Cᴏᴍᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ Sᴏᴏɴ, Uɴᴛɪʟ ᴛʜᴇɴ ʙᴇ sᴀғᴇ ❈
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Credits/thank to people who helped:
Wolfehstar, for generously providing the coding for this form (because I am a coding failure xD.)
Benathorn, for art.
Jendalie, for generously giving the art of Chani's accessories <3
albinoBroccoli, for story critique.
And for the record: in the event that I lose, I have gotten permission to give all art in my form to the winner.
Final word count: 4475
. 
(♀) Egyptian name meaning "Brings joy"
