Jonmi

What good is a bamboo flute in a land where the wind howls too loud to hear it? Jonmi’s partner, a gruff veteran of the ravished canyons, asked them that on their first day together. Jonmi didn’t answer. Instead, they used one of the stalks from their back to splint the veteran’s broken arm. They used another to fashion a whistle that could mimic the cry of a ghost dragon, scattering lesser scavengers. Here in The Dragon Wastelands, art must also be practical. Jonmi misses the quiet dojos where their craft was for beauty, not mere survival. That’s the source of the sadness in their eyes. But the small, sideways smile is for their partner, who now saves the straightest, strongest bamboo stalks for them after every patrol.