An Absence of Truth

An Absence of Truth

Chapter Two

I was sitting on the back porch of Nana's house. My fingers wrapped around a large mug of tea, while I watched filigrees of light greet the new day. My body was sexually sated and I smiled thinking of the couple, Anthony and Julien. I'd left them exhausted while I was full of energy and rearing to face a new day. Of course I was supposed to be on vacation, my down time a way to help distance myself from the last couple of years. I was on what they called burn out. I'd been doing my job too long and all the things I'd done was hardening me, making me less human. I found that ironic when they worded it like that. After all I wasn't entirely human to begin with.

Meta-humans had been around since the dawn of time. We were once considered gods in earlier civilisations. Throughout history, our kind were mentioned in the classics since man was able to put pen to paper. Over time some faded into the environment becoming one with their element, others were wiped out but most went into the Aether. A dimensional plane that had many names depending on where in the world you grew up, garden of eden, Valhalla, Cosmos, Nirvana, the list goes on. To us Meta-humans left on earth, we called it our power source, for it was through connecting to Aether that we were able to achieve the things we could do. I was unusual in that I didn't have a connection to the Aether plane, it was why I needed to draw the energy from people around me. It was also why I was a late bloomer when I came into my powers. I didn't know I was a meta until I left to travel overseas and met my current group of misfits and they sensed the latent power struggling to break out. Let me tell you, when they unlocked my power, it burst out uncontrollably. Things I thought I'd never do were made real that night. I got my cherry popped by a girl. Something I thought would never happen. The woman in question was also part of my team. Ironic huh?

It was also agreed upon that I should trace my Patupaiarehu ancestry, while on vacation, gather data and hopefully discover more about myself and the missing link of why metas couldn't draw power the way I could. I was an oddity amongst the Meta's and that's saying something considering the abilities and physical appearances of some. From past research and information garnered by metas in charge of the collection and storage of knowledge, called the CSK group for short, I drew power the way many of the original Meta's used to. It was why human worshippers were needed in the past. The more worshippers the stronger the Meta became. Today most of the Meta's were diluted descendants and their power levels were determined by how long they could keep a channel open to the Aether. Most metas couldn't hold a channel open for longer than an hour. Those with a lesser channel time also had a reduced cool down period.

It limited what we could do and because of it, many metas were monitored and controlled by their various Governments. We weren't exactly a hidden commodity from the public, but because we were so rare and the government believed they held most metas on a tight leash, the public were encouraged or persuaded to ignore that we were among them. Indoctrination for over hundreds of years to encourage humans to look the other way, and `persuaded' by the metas under government control, and the population became docile sheep.

In America they were called the Meta Bureau Investigative Agency, the MBIA. With the advance of technology and the drop rate of strong metas, keeping us hidden within plain sight was getting harder to do. Many of the strongest State Nations had their own version of MBIA and some of the unstable metas, it was whispered, were in institutionalised camps. It was rumoured if you ended up there you were guaranteed you were never coming back out, and if you were considered powerful, government officials encouraged their families to turn the meta into the facilities for everyones safety. Their families never saw them again.

For years State Nations tried to control or enforce CSK under their umbrella. Fortunately CSK headquarters was floating in space and there were various splinter groups in charge of keeping the status quo situated all over the world. My team was one of them. CSK was a conglomerate entity and the leading force in communications, technology and the sciences.

Thanks to our founding leader, Aidan, his meta talents were designed for today's cyber technology and with his help, CSK created their first AI, ADAMA and that changed the course of CSK. Annoyingly if you had the right security clearance and gave that damn AI any chance to talk, he would happily talk your ear off about how he identified as an Aetheric Intelligence as opposed to an Artificial intelligence. I tended to switch off when he went into his spiel, but it boiled down to the fact that ADAMA'S protocols and code was stored inside Aidan's brain, so there was nothing artificial about that. Which freaked the shit out of me, truthfully, but Aidan wasn't too fussed and like I said, Aidan's talents dealt with technology, so as a meta, expect weird shit to happen.

When CSK unlocked my power using the pin cushion channel or PCC for short, the findings explained a lot of questions the think tanks had asked each other for years. It also created new ones, since I was an oddity. But perhaps due to my unique heritage, there was a key in finding a way for other metas to be able to channel energy the way I could.

Supposedly I was given an honour to be allowed to even use a PCC needle according to literally everyone when I was being tested. That tiny needle and its brethren is what helped CSK enter space and create all the technological wonders that made CSK the leader in their chosen fields and a power outside of State Nations.

The scientists were non plussed at my bored and inattentive attitude as they explained all of this to me. I wasn't a computer geek nor was I savvy in the ways of these doctor's or professors that were talking down at me. It kind of made what happened next quite memorable. After all, many of these scientists, Doctors and other PHD Ivy tower candidates ended up being the most voracious of sexual partners with insatiable appetites once my power came in to play. They never saw me the same again after that episode.

Now, whenever I see them, I played a role. I eyed both genders with lascivious looks and hungry smiles. I teased, I taunted and I let my power come out, only a little, to remind them of what many were trying to forget. In some cases, I reminded them of what they were missing out on.

To make them feel better, I was merely the grunt. Point in that direction, hunt down the enemy, retrieve as much intel as possible and dispose of the body if keeping them alive would cause us more trouble down the track. I never discouraged them from their beliefs. It was better to let people under estimate me. I lived longer and its that same persona I tended to use while on jobs, unless it was time to be serious and then you didn't live long once I was serious.

From the time they trained me, and up to now, I'd been given an education and a half. On many of my jobs, I'd bled, been tortured, and had my mind nearly destroyed. I wouldn't, no, I couldn't change any of it. I'd lost comrades, brothers and sisters in arms, along the way and each loss was always remembered by our remaining team. Our job was not safe. I'd refined my mind, body and power under a crucible of war and strife.

Through it all, only four remained from our original team, myself included. We went through hell and back for each other and there was nothing we wouldn't do for the other. There's a camaraderie, an understanding and just a soul connection that fighting together and nearly dying together creates. An understanding that no matter what happens to you in the future, they will always have your back. Will kill for you in fact and will honour you if you die. A remembrance whispered every time a new mission starts, and chanted once it ends. Adding on any other name should a member have fallen.

I took a deep breath whispering the names of my fallen brethren. I sipped my tea and winced. I had been too deep in thought and my cold tea was the penalty for allowing my mind to wander.

I needed to talk to nana about our ancestry, she said we had Patupaiarehu blood in the family and since I didn't know who my father was, she would be the best starting point for my investigation. I'd tried to enter Pirongia forest before coming home. It had not gone too well. The forest had been quiet, too quiet, no bird song or insects calling. I'd felt the presence of eyes staring at me, but couldn't pin point where they were coming from. I understood the message loud and clear. I wasn't allowed in here unless invited and I hoped nana might help.

Speak of the devil and she shall appear. I felt nana walk up behind me. "It's beautiful this time of the morning." she said, "I've always loved the early morning more than the evenings. It reminds me that today is the start of a new beginning. Each day an opportunity for something wondrous to happen."

"It could also mean the complete opposite may happen," I said, irony laced through my words.

Nana sat in her rocking chair, a small sigh leaving her as her hips tended to ache with the lingering chill in the air. "True, but that's the balance of our world, moko. There can't be shadow without light, and at the end of the day, you decide if you want to be reminded of all the troubles we face, or appreciate the good that we can be blessed with too. Personally I'd rather think of all that I am grateful and happy about than stew about negative things that happened in the past and can't be changed no matter how many `what if's' you like to play on that merry go round."

I smiled, "Always with the words of wisdom, huh?"

"I'm old and entitled to my opinions," she said with a haughty sniff. "And you're young and will listen to me because these pearls of wisdom will someday help you."

"Yes, nana." She could hear the laughter in my voice and she prodded me with her cane which brought a chuckle forth.

I enjoyed the company and the silence as we looked over the yard. Until her voice broke it with her next statement.

"You've awakened, haven't you. Huakina te kuaha o te Wairua."

Like I said, it wasn't a question, but more an affirmation that I was a meta. Literal translation, opening the doors of the soul.

I half turned, feeling the sun hit the side of my face while I stared at her. "The second year I left here, yes."

She nodded to herself. "What are you looking for moko?"

I smiled, "Isn't it obvious, nana?" I turned to face her, folding my legs, lotus style. "I need answers."

"If you're asking if I knew who your father is, I don't. Your mum never said who he was, I don't think she knew. I suspect the Patupaiarehu that she claims is your father clouded her mind." She peered at me, "Can you do that too, moko?"

I leaned back against the supporting pole of the porch. There was peeling paint, and a dip in the verandah by the swinging chair set up to the left. It was as old as the woman sitting in her rocking chair to the right of me.

"It is a talent I can do." I didn't want to look at her. There were still faint scars on my legs, placed high up so it wasn't seen, from the time uncle Henare used to call me huringa, or changeling and beat me for it. But emotional scars were always a fucker of a pain to deal with. As you can guess, anger and fighting was my go to, for anything remotely dealing with emotion. That and maybe fucking.

"Come here moko."

I blinked looking up at her. She used her cane to direct me to sit beside her chair. Heck I was tall and big enough that my head was level with her shoulder even in the chair. She rubbed my head tugging me into the side of her. Her lilac and lavender scent hit me and it was a pang to my chest. This was as familiar to me as breathing. God, I'd missed this old woman. I may not have had a mum growing up, but this woman had always been there for me. Even if uncle Henare made sure my growing years were hell, nana was the light in the shadows. I chuckled, I guess I was listening to her words of wisdom after all.

"If there is anything else I can help you with, then you know I'm here for you."

I nodded, snuggling into her side. "Are you able to get me into Pirongia forest to see the Patupaiarehu there?"

She stopped rocking, holding tightly to me before releasing and looking down. "Are you sure you want to do that?"

I looked up, resting my chin on her small shoulder. "Are you awakened too nan?"

Her smile was small, "You noticed, huh?"

"How many of the family know?"

She rolled her eyes, "They all know, they just try not to believe it."

I had to agree, I'd seen too many people refuse to see what was in front of their own eyes if it didn't agree to their version of reality. I never understood how people chose to be so blind. The world was a large place with many unexplained things. Why would they close themselves off from that?

"Are there any others in our family that are huakina o te wairua?"

"No, just us."

That's when it dawned on me, "Were both your parents meta's?"

"What is this word, meta?"

"Sorry, those I work for call humans with active talents, meta humans, or meta's for short. Were my great grandparents both huakina o te wairua?"

Nan shook her head. "It was your ancestor Te Whiu Whiu that was our Patupaiarehu. But," She paused before continuing, tapping the side of my head while she thought. "when I was a little girl, before my parents took me away from Pirongia, I did meet a Patupaiarehu in the forest there. At the time I didn't realise he was Patupaiarehu, he was in his bird form." She smiled in reminiscence, "He had such pretty glossy black feathers, they had an iridescent green and blue shine. That white tuft under his chin was very handsome."

I frowned trying to think what type of bird she was talking about. "Tui?"

She nodded, "He sang and twittered around my head and lead me to this ancient Totara tree. To the right of the proud tree, were ponga ferns shaped like an archway and it was through there that the tui led me. Parts of it seem like a dream now, but there are other memories that are as vivid today as it was back then. His world is beautiful, too bright to be real like our world, too many colours it would confuse the brain if I hadn't been a child full of wonder and an open mind. The tui turned into a boy maybe a year older than I."

She rocked in her chair, eyes distant. "We danced, played, laughed and made flax kete's. He brought me fruit and seeds to eat when I got hungry. When I told him it was time to go home, he smiled sweetly and led me out of the forest. I believe it is only because I showed no fear and I was sincere about the joy I was having that I was allowed to go home. To me, it seemed only an hour or two had passed. According to the family I'd been missing for two months. I was never allowed to go back to Pirongia again."

I sighed internally, my hope fading. "Does that mean you can't help me?"

Her eyebrow arched, "Did I say that?"

My eyes widened, hope rising. "Is that a yes?"

She studied me. "What would you do with this knowledge, moko?"

That was an easy answer, "Help those who are like me, access their power better. As far as everyone knows I'm the only one who doesn't need to tap into the Aether to draw energy and convert it to mana."

Her eyes grew more intense and latched onto the last word. "And that is the crux of the matter, grandson. Mana."

When nana called me grandson instead of moko, I was either going to be in trouble, or she wanted me to pay special attention to her words.

"I don't know if your fancy friends uses Mana in the same way we use that word, but I find it a coincidence that mana is used in a context I almost understand. And you know I don't believe in coincidences."

I knew what she was getting at. Mana in Maori translated to power or strength. It was an ambiguous word because it could also be used to represent power and prestige of a high ranking person. It was attained by gaining the respect from the people of the tribe through skills and achievements that benefited the entire community. Or it could represent the spiritual power of a shaman, or Tohunga as my people called them. Either way, nana was trying to tell me that in our culture, Mana was earned through respect and diligence and hard work and not given freely. With Tohunga's their mana was gained by ensuring they worked diligently in protecting the people with their skills. In return the people gave them respectful worship and gratitude. It was through that mutual sharing that Tohunga's gained mana. If a Tohunga didn't take care of the people they were supposed to, then they lost the respect of their people and therefore their mana.

"So tell me grandson, what have these other...what did you call them?" She tapped a finger on her lip, "Metals?"

"Meta's" I replied, quietly.

"Yes, meta's, what sort of honour and prestige have they achieved for their people?"

I could have told her about the sacrifice many metas in the splinter groups had gone through in order to keep metas free from the governments around the world. About the torture, even if both sides had perpetrated it. Our people understood war. We once were warriors and war, in the past, was an initiation into becoming a man. But that's not what nana wanted to hear. The men may have enjoyed war, but it was our women that held the knowledge and raised the children, and therefore the next generation of men in the community. They were Matekite, our wise women and there was a time when our own people were rapidly dying and it was only due to the quick fingers and healing hands of our Matekite, we began to thrive. The Tohunga's being male, were too busy trying to get revenge to worry about healing the people. What nana wanted was the true reason behind the fighting, and what, in her eyes, was a worthy way of implementing our belief system using mana.

Perhaps Aidan would be a better person to explain things with nana. There were too many factors I wasn't aware of to give her an honest and insightful answer. My main focus was to make sure none of my team members or any of the organisation were hurt doing their job. I just wanted to have an advantage to make sure they made it home in one piece.

However I don't think nana was going to wait for Aidan to arrive, she was a firm believer in face to face contact. Even if he did arrive I don't think she'd listen to what he had to say. As far as she was concerned this was my journey so I had to dig deep and search. It wouldn't be Aidan entering the forest, it would be me, but only if I gave her the right answer.

I took a deep breath. "As much as I wish I followed the path of a Tohunga, my calling is as a warrior." I looked at nana making her see what was in my heart. "I've fought against unfairness and what I felt was morally wrong since I was little. You know this." A small smile curled the corner of her mouth. "I have never backed down from a fight. I will not start one, but I will make damn sure I finish it."

"This is not endearing me to you, moko."

I gave her my sweetest smile, the one I'd used with great effect as a child. "You taught me not to lie and to speak honestly."

She gripped my ear, giving it a firm tug. "Where was the truth when you were being hurt by your uncle?"

My smile dropped, but I raised my chin. "A man has his pride. I didn't want to tell you because I felt it was my burden to deal with it."

Her frustration turned to anger and then pain. "No moko, something like that is meant to be cut out at the root and not allowed to fester." She rubbed the side of my ear, "I didn't know my son was hurting you like that. I failed you and for that I'm sorry."

I squeezed her hand. "I never blamed you, and I never wanted you to have to choose between me or your own son. I would rather get twice the amount of beatings than see you hurt or crying because you had to choose between two people you loved."

A tear fell down the lines and crevices of a face I loved deeply. "And that right there, moko," she whispered, "shows how much mana you have and why you deserve the prestige and mana gained through the journeys of your life." Her frail hand rested on my shoulder, "You are a true leader, in times past you would carry the mantle of chief our Ariki, but today our world changes with the times, and we as a people must change with them. The important key is to remember to uphold the values, morals and beliefs that make us unique as a people and a community. I now lay two important and heavy responsibilities on your shoulders. The first is to make sure that our people, even those you don't agree or see eye to eye with, are taken care of. That they are under your protection. The second burden is that you protect and guard our heritage and that includes the Patupaiarehu. If I give you the keys to Pirongia forest, I need to know that you will make sure no harm comes to them, the forest and its environs. Treat them like family, because that is exactly what they are. Do you agree to these terms?"

I touched her hand on my shoulder, "I agree, nana, I promise no harm will come to my family. Any of them."

The road was concrete at the beginning of Pirongia mountain leading to the forest and slowly peppered to dirt, branching into two different rest areas at various open spaces heading up towards the summit. They had a public toilet on the first rest area, more a long-drop than an actual toilet. There was no running water pipes or power lines this close to the forest, it would not be permitted. For conservation purposes according to the message board placed by a small wooden shelter leading into the main entrance and the hiking paths set up all over the mountain and into the surrounding basin.

Nana told me not to bring any weapons and wear only natural fibres for clothing and footwear. Try to reduce any synthetically made items as possible. She'd tied my hair in a top knot used flax twine to hold it and placed two tui feathers in the bun. They would be my invitation.

I strode towards the wooden shelter, there was information on the type of flora and fauna found in the area and warnings to leave no rubbish. There were bins placed in the rest areas and two by the wooden shelter for public use. So far the bins were all empty and the areas around the bins reasonably clean. An indication this area was cleaned regularly or rarely visited.

Earthy smells of living and growing permeated the forest. There was a sign post indicating two directions for hikers to take and the time it would take to reach their destination. Everywhere I looked I saw green. This time, there was the cry of birds and insects happily humming and going about their work.

An indescribable urge to remove my shoes raced through my mind. I knew without overthinking this was important. I removed my boots, socks shoved inside, tied the shoelaces together and hung the pair over my shoulders. I dug my toes into the earth and felt an indefinable sensation hit the soles of my feet and then seep upwards. It felt like I was a tree standing tall, reaching my hands towards the sky, while my roots drew upon the nutrients from mother earth. Yet, this tree felt old, much older than anything I was seeing in the forest.

I opened my eyes, looking down I saw energy like glittering green stars beneath the soil, many of them converging and creating branching root systems. I knew if I understood just a little, this eco system of energy around me could be mine for the taking. I also understood the message and the warning. Placing my hand on the soil I said a prayer to earth mother, thanking her for her bounty. But I wouldn't rape the balance of mana that keep the ecosystem of this place alive. I would fight tooth and nail to protect this place. It gave me pause about what I would say to CSK and my team mates. Either way I needed them to understand the sanctity that Pirongia was to me and mine.

The rest of the glittering green stars faded away until one remained. That was a trail if ever I saw one. It took me off the beaten path, but that was to be expected. I looked up through the branches, there were many bird species watching me traverse their territory. Yet it was the two fantails that caught my attention. They swooped and flittered from branch to branch, their tails a counterweight to their voices, singing a melody only they understood. To my people they were considered messengers sometimes, of ill tidings.

I came upon a clearing, there standing in a space of its own, stood a totara tree. It was large for its species, and the sense of age, a predominant feature to capture one's breath. There was a grove of ponga trees to the right but I knew that was not the place to go. Not for me. No, my direction was to the left and further into the forest. That side held shadows and the closer I headed towards my destination, the bright greens I'd seen since entering the forest turned darker. My glowing trail disappeared the moment I left the clearing.

Shades of black and deeper brown were prevalent on the trunks compared to the silver and reds from before. There was a strong smell, enough to make the hair in your nostrils curl at the scent. I moved past the ancient totara and away from the clearing into the darkness following that godawful smell.

The name Pirongia, which the town was named after, was derived from the maori word piro.' It means reek or terrible odour that only comes from a combination of excrement and urine. In particular the spoor of the Patupaiarehu. When the villages lived in and around the forest, should the Patupaiarehu become displeased they'd leave their spoor in an obvious place as a warning. The reek and scent enough to offend. If you refused to pay heed to the warning, people went missing. I knew if I wanted to meet my ancestors I must embrace the dark as well as the light. As far as I was concerned their dark side so far, was quite comfy. I'd made people disappear too, although I wasn't a fan of using the Patupaiarehu trademark of piro,' I was too human for that practice.

The noises grew muffled and shadows abound. I could feel eyes staring at me, this time when I looked, I saw eyes blink at me from the shadows. Glittering eyes filled with eery light. Fear rushed over me the way a wave can knock you off your feet. I'd done this ability to other people and some meta's had used a similar trick right back. This was a first time when that ability felt like my own power attacking me. It was disconcerting, but I came in here expecting to be tested.

I inhaled sniffing the air, the pungent scent of piro drowned my senses trying to block me from drawing on the emotions floating in the air. However I'd had a long time to hone my skills and a bad smell no matter how rank would not distract me. My mind was my temple and no one controlled me through manipulation. That was my strength, and I wasn't going to let these Patupaiarehu chain me with fear.

I took a deep breath in, piro and whatever chemical they were releasing to ensure fear had my body shaking so I drew my mind deep within. The shaking stopped. To the far left I sensed an emotion, curiosity and apprehension. I latched onto it and drew on those emotions. Male, the emotions were coming from a male. Now there was aggression, he sensed what I was doing.

He came charging, snarling and angry. Hands that ended with claws slashed where my face would have been if I wasn't fast enough to dodge. I drew on my mana reserves, there was quite a bit stored thanks to the feeding at the nightclub. Reflexes and strength surged through my body. That strange sensation from the ground rose up through the soles of my feet like effervescent bubbles, buoyant, giddy and damn distracting. There was a responding pulse from my hair. Light was coming from above my head breaking the shadows around us. At first I thought it was my hair readying itself to come to my defence. But this sensation was colder and my hair merely danced and swayed while I dodged and avoided the lunges, slashes and kicks. I didn't want to hurt the Patupaiarehu but my attention was being drawn in more than one direction. He left me an opening and I kicked him in the stomach. He went hurtling through the woods, a tree trunk breaking his fall. He was back up moments later, looks like he was as hard to hurt as I was.

The two feathers in my hair fell from its bun, floating down in front of me, blue and green iridescent gilt edged the black feathers. They grew larger, one floated towards my left shoulder, the other on my right. Growing and widening until both feathers were large enough to cover my shoulders like epaulets. The quills from the two feathers were the size of fingers and both feathers rose at an angle before the quills darted into my trapezius and deeper. I grunted and my hands went numb spasming around the pain in my neck and shoulders. In our creation stories there was always a sacrifice to be paid when asking for the help of the gods. Normally the demand was for blood. I cut off the sensation of pain, watching from the side of my eye as my blood was drawn up the stem of the quill. I expected blood to be pouring out from the wound site, but the two feathers were selfish in their call for my blood. I drew more from my mana reserves.

The Patupaiarehu came at me once more. This time I could see his features clearer now that I had two beacons of light literally in the joining between neck and shoulder. He was young, could have passed for early twenties. I knew looks didn't necessarily define their true age, but as those feathers sucked my blood like motherfucking leeches, that bubbly energy from the ground connected with the feathers and I knew this Patupaiarehu was young. His true age was as young as the face I was staring at.

Filled with anger and determination he fought with a ferocity only seen in animals defending their homes. One green eye, one blue flashed with annoyance as he sought to break my defences. Brown skin with an undertone of green, highlighted the muscles of his body and he was unashamedly naked. My hair broke the last restraints of the flax tie and spread around me. Instead of the light show I was normally used to seeing, it drew shadow towards me, calling upon the nooks and crannies of this forest and demanding full attention. My hair had never had this kind of range before.

The Patupaiarehu faltered in his attacks. I stepped back not wanting to hurt him and his eyes widened, watching my hair twist and swirl and then turn into brown vines, little white flowers blooming, glowing against the shadows that now swirled all around us. There was substance to those shadows. It circled us, like we were the eye of a storm. There was one last pulse from the ground beneath, the feathers responded in kind, and then my mana was being drawn heavily upon. A funnel made of shadows appeared above us, a second funnel split from the first and both shadows points smashed into the two feathers. I expected the feathers to be crushed under the onslaught, but they were as rigid as rock even stuck inside my flesh as they were.

It was me, however, that felt the brunt of those shadows, my legs shook under the weight and I grunted and grit my teeth. My mana resources were depleting faster than I thought possible. Normally a feeding of that size would have lasted me for six months. More pressure bore down on me, veins popped out in my neck against the onslaught and I shouted to the sky, legs burning under the strain.

I felt the last of my reserves leave and I knew I was going to be in a world of pain once it did. I dropped my head and closed my eyes, knowing my knees would follow next. I slumped waiting to feel dirt on my knees, but it never came.

Strong arms held me aloft. I raised my head, staring onto one blue and one green eye. The lashes were thick and double layered. There was heavy warmth around my shoulders, and I blearily realised I was wearing a feather cloak, called a korowai. Black feathers with an iridescent green and blue hue were the main colour, with an edging of white at the bottom. There was also a reddish brown trim of feathers along the top, with long stringy white feathers interspersed throughout it all. It was the prettiest korowai I'd ever seen, were the last thoughts I had before oblivion called to me.