Washota is the proverbial dark horse in the telling of these Castalar stories. He is introduced to us as this older brooding character that would rather be left alone, so we don’t give him much of our attention, or at least I didn’t until lately. So let’s peel him like one of Shrek’s onion analogies. I think you’ll start to find there is much more to him than what he lets you see on the surface.
He is the eldest of five children to Canbit and Hilla. Canbit was already a master tracker under Chieftain Tormerac of the Ol’Sackay clan when Washota was born. Young Washota was quickly followed by three more brothers and then lastly his sister Kiki arrived. He was in his early twenties when Canbit died suddenly from a heart attack, taking the entire family and the clan by surprise. Washota, however, had been prepared to take on the role of provider and leader to his cheelah and siblings thanks to his chaimeach’s strict teachings.
The Borrion~I family dynamics is uniquely structured so that a chaimeach will focus all his training knowledge on the eldest basul for just such an occasion as death. He will also seek out the best teacher to hone in their basul’s particular skill sets; for Washota there was no one better than his chaimeach. As Washota further embraced his role as head of his house, he own reluctantly placed both of his broar’s in the care of Rechet, Khellin’s eldest broar. Rechet was currently training R’lend to lure and then seduce a Wind-dodger to become a flyer. Washota buried his disappointment in his broar’s alternate path. There were so few superior trackers these days, it was a shame to lose his chaimeach’s teachings when his time came for the beetles.
Washota often struggled with the raising of Kiki, There was defiantly two separate ways of thinking and never did hers and his match. He was thankful when Kiki finally grew up enough to gain the attention of a young warrior from the Blue Mountain clan. With Washota’s blessing, Kiki left, taking their cheelah and their youngest broar with them. With his family taken care of Washota was free to hone in on his craft, diving deeper into the art. But as in the way of all things, just as one door closes another opened. Washota had captured the attention of Ma’lay. She had arrived two years earlier with her broar who was here to become another flyer. She was average in looks, and competent, according to Washota’s assessment of her. She was also persistent. Even though he had privately rebuffed her advances, she kept showing up with meals when he returned from scouting missions, medical care when he was injured and rubdowns, something Washota had to admit he rather enjoyed. But never did he let his feelings go any further than that. After several years of this kind of treatment, people were beginning to think that there was something more between them and eventually there was. It was around this time that Khellin became leader after Tormerac fell in battle. Washota stayed close, assuring Khellin he would be his master tracker, as Canbit was to Tormerac, as long as he was a respectful leader. Ceranth, Khellin’s cousin, stepped up too and became a ground crew leader. Rechet his broar took over the position of his second. They were a well-working team for many years until that fateful day.
Here is where I’d like to interject. Tormerac had a second, several ground crew leaders, and trackers as well as other positions but when he fell in battle, to establish Khellin, they stepped aside but not so much as replaced. They stayed and helped their replacements to keep the clan strong. Ok back to Washota.
Just four days prior to the attack of the dragons and then the exodus, Washota fell into Ma’lay’s embrace. With his eyes filled with intent and heavy breathing, he feathered kisses down her belly while asking permission to claim her. He couldn’t believe what he heard next. “Stop.” Washota held still, his lips still pressed to her stomach. She propped herself up and explain that she wanted to go through the whole Calave bell cutting ceremony first. Washota just kept thinking how close he was to actual sex for the first time in his life and now this. His body was at a fevers pitch with arousal, aching for release when he reluctantly lifted his head having no choice but to agree. Three days later the black dragons attacked, and she never got her Calave ceremony. Washota was so focused on getting as many as he could through the portals that day that he failed to look for her. Once the portals closed, effectively trapping them on the other side, he soon discovered that Ma’lay was not there. Washota’s training helped him to suppress the rush of emotions he was feeling at her loss. He submerged himself into his trade of tracking and why not. Life here on this side of the portal didn’t make any sense. Somehow Khellin’s spoiled youngest brother, Brezlin, was now their leader in lieu of Ceranth, who was of the same bloodline and a far better choice.
It would be a full year before Khellin managed to find a way to bring them home again and he would have gladly returned with his chieftain had it not been for Ceranth. He was lost out there somewhere and Brezlin of all the weak-minded warriors had elected to stay and find him. Washota would never forgive himself for leaving his childhood friend’s fate to that boy.
Washota has mentioned that to Smoke in the story that ‘He can find anything that he sets his mind to but a mate has eluded him.’ I think a lot of times opportunities come and we miss the boat. Washota is now in his late forties, he has accepted that his chaimeach’s talents will be lost with his passing. He has briefly entertained the idea of An’nay, who is in her late twenties. But life just keeps getting in the way.
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