She was almost a year old when she met her eldest brother again.

Most of her time had been at her mother's side, and they traveled a lot with her brother, who always clutched onto their mother's deerskin skirts. She had always wondered what their mother's dress were made from, and when she first heard it was made from the animals she saw in the woods, and even ate sometimes, she had silently cried.

But her mother was prepared for this, and gently wiped away her daughter's tears before she spoke, her daughter now understanding her words.

"We do not like killing them my child," she had said, "but we need clothing and food if we wish to survive, and many give thanks to them for making such sacrifices for us."

Even with that explanation, it still hurt her, but she never complained about it again.

Now, at her young age, she never spoke, and for some reason she remained a baby. The people's worries of her seemed to relax for some odd reason despite there being others who eyed her with weariness, but she supposed that had something to do with her brother, who also didn't age a bit after a year.

This confused her. Why wasn't she and her brother growing, but the native's children were?

But it was during that year when her other brother came back, looking the same as the first time she saw him.

It was night time, and her mother was gently rocking her in the teepee, helping her to get to sleep. On her lap, her brother slept, his cheek looking a bit bigger with the pressure added to it, and she wanted to poke it the moment she saw it.

In response to her mother's rocking, she was about to go to sleep when she heard someone approach the entrance to their teepee, their shadow barely seen in the glow of the warm fire. Her mother eyed the figure in reluctance and worry, before she hesitantly called, "Enter!"

The teepee flap opened, and at first she couldn't see anything thanks to the darkness of the night outside, but then the black figure stepped into the firelight, and once he was completely covered in the fire's glow, she recognized the face of her other brother, though he was wearing much different clothes than last time.

Her mother jerked, and, as gently as she could, moved her sleeping brother's head to the ground before rushing towards her other brother, who was smiling at the sight of them, the love and relief clearly present. Their mother didn't hesitate to bring him into a hug, but she was careful with her daughter in her hold, and once she pulled away, placed a gentle and quick kiss on her oldest brother's forehead.

But why was she feeling jealous over something like that? This was her brother! And it did not count that she did not know his name.

"My son, welcome back," greeted their mother, a loving smile on her face as she regarded him.

"Hello Mother," he replied, his voice warm, beautiful, and very peaceful. The combinations of these things made her even sleepier, it was just so soothing. "How is Honan and Migisi?"

Honan?

"They are well my son," their mother answered, glancing at her youngest brother, who still slept on without any sign of waking. "They have really been bonding well. In fact, Honan never leaves Migisi alone for long whenever they are together."

Oh.

So that was her brother's name.

Honan. She really liked that name.

Then her other brother looked down at her, and she could practically feel his coo before it was even out of his mouth. She eyed him with curiosity (and her own kind of relief), and when she blinked, he blinked.

Eventually, he was the one who broke their trance when he looked back up at their mother. He was no longer smiling at this point, but he was now looking between her and their mother with a hesitance that concerned the former. Looking up at her mother, the older woman had a gentle and understanding expression on her face as she read the message in her eldest child's face.

"You may hold him Elsu, but be gentle with him. He's still very fragile."

She did not have time to examine her mother's words before she was placed in different arms. The first thing she felt was how different his arms were to their mother's; rough, bumpy, but still soft and gentle, nothing like their mother's soft and sturdy arms.

There was also no lock of midnight black hair for her to grab onto, and she suddenly felt like she was in a place she wasn't supposed to be, but at the same time was.

She then looked up at her eldest brother, Elsu. He looked uncertain and nervous as he held her, but when their mother stepped away, he became more confident and loving in his touch, holding her with one arm and holding out a finger to her.

She eyed it with confusion, but took it into her tiny hands nevertheless. She found that his hand was rough under her smooth skin, and she wondered how that was made. So distracted was she with this and her playing with his finger that she never noticed her brother looking at her with a smitten expression.

But their mother's chuckle brought her back to reality. Looking her way, they found that she was looking at them with a loving expression that made her daughter's cheeks feel hot.

How did she feel as hot as she would be whenever she was near a fire?

Elsu smiled at their mother. "He's very beautiful Mother. I cannot believe that I mistook him for a girl after he was born."

What? She looked between her mother and eldest brother with alarm, but somehow they didn't seem to notice. In fact, the former chuckled at her son.

"Yes, many of the people have said the same," she announced.

Elsu chuckled. "I have no doubt. He will be a very beautiful child when he grows older."

What were they talking about? She was a girl, not a boy! She looked between them both, wondering what was wrong with them. Didn't the medicine man who brought her from the womb tell her mother and brothers about what she was after birth? Or...

Or did he not say anything? She knew that he had been concerned with her appearance as soon as she was born, but she never thought of this!

Why?

Why was this...?

...why...?

But then she looked at her mother, who was now looking at her and her now oblivious eldest brother with worry and alarm. She was even biting her lip and appeared guilty, and it was at that point that she realized what this was.

Her mother did know, but chose to make her into a boy instead. Now, the question she had was why.

She would eventually wish she had not asked that question.