Ahalaia

Single births were rare in my pack, and since my granddam was the pack Shaman, I was choosen to become her Roha (apprentice, trainee etc). I was a cub of 4 when I started my training, things went well at first, but then about 2 years later I started having horrific visions. I saw the dead walking, I saw friends and relatives die then rise and walk around. Being young I was terrified, yet I did not tell my granddam, why? To this day I am not sure, possibly because my granddam a great shaman (atleast to me she was), had not had them, perhaps I thought that they were not true visions.

The visions kept coming, they got worse and I had them more often. Finally I told my granddam, she was terribly worried so she told the elders. They thought nothing of it of course (thier shaman had not had the visions after all, but her Roha, a cub of 8 had). A year or so later rumors started coming in, a rumor about the dead walking. The Elders looked at me in a new light but were still skeptical.

They sent a group of young warriors to a pack that they had heard were being attacked. Only 1 came back. He came back terrified and babbling, what he had seen had upset him so much he could barely tell us what he had experienced.

It was decided after a short time that since the threat laid in the west, that the elderly, the ones to old or crippled to fight, would take the young east with them. I was of an age that I could of stayed and fought, but being a Roha it was decided by the elders that it would be better for me to flee with the others.

We packed up food and most of the belongings, even those of the ones that would stay (they needed to travel light). Slowly but steadily we made our way east, pushing on, resting very little. The hard journey claimed the lives of many of the older elders, but still we pushed on.

One day during moonskin, we came upon a pack of furless ones. This was the first time I had ever seen furless ones. They were huge, dark skinned, and they looked tough (found out later they were Kathars that were far from home). We were short on food and went to them to trade, whether they feared us (being in moonskin) or if they were just bandits I may never know.

They set upon us, killing many, the elderly they killed right off but the young they tied up. My grandsire died trying to save his mate, myself and my younger siblings. My granddam grabbed the twins and yelled at me to run. I ran as fast as I could. I heard my granddams death scream in my brain, turning I saw her fall, my younger siblings falling from her arms. I ran back to try to get my siblings but one of the cruel ones was upon her and grabbed up the twins. Another was running towards me. I turned on my heal and ran, I could feel his breath upon my neck when suddenly I tripped and fell. I rolled down a hill and came to the edge of a cliff, as I tried to stand I saw the cruel one bearing down on me. I took one look over the cliff, seeing a river far below, I jumped.

Both of my granddams and grandsires were dead, my family, my pack, all gone, dead or missing. I had lost my backpack with my belongings and what little food I had when I had tripped, all I had was the clothes on my back. My heart felt empty and I prayed to Mrod for a swift death.

I floated down the river for what seemed like days . I was pulled out of the water by a strange looking furless one. He looked a bit like the cruel ones, but was more lithe, and had pointed ears. I was so starved and tired I didn't care if he killed me or not. Then I saw some thing that was familiar, hadn't seen them often, but often enough that she reminded me of home. He had a young kit, about my age with him. She was dressed and well fed, seing this gave me hope, the first hope I had since I had that first vision years ago. I found out later that he had found her on his travels wandering alone in the wilds and he took her in , as he took me in. I do not know her story (well not much) because she refused to talk about it

The man (an Elven trader) took us east with him on his route. He told us that he could not keep us with him (which upset us both), but that he would find us a good home. Going out of his way (making that shipment late by the way) he traveled to his brothers homestead. His brother and his wife had a home in the hills, where they raised Alpaca, a strange fur bearing creature that thrived in the mountains (good eating to) and some shaggy long horned cattle they called Highland cattle (they only thrived well in the higher reaches of the mountains) . They gladly took us in both being kindhearted and gentle folks (thier youngest blood child was old enough to make her own way so 'mom' was on an adopting frenzy) .

Not much happened for awhile, I and Katatonica, the prydaen kit, traveled with uncle from time to time. Some times we met other Rakash or Prydaen, but none of them were my pack or her pryde. On one of the trips I ran into a young rakash male that I fancied, he felt the same way about me, and we wanted to become mates. Claiming that we were both too young, uncle wouldn't let the two of us be together (way to young for Elves but Rakash? who knows). It wasnt till we got back home that I found out I was pregnant (what a scandal that caused), but I was happy. I was happy with my new family, but this cub, my daughter, well, she was blood, she was my pack. I took great joy in relating to her the tale my granddam told me of how the Rakash came to be what they are. But there were no more travels for me with uncle, that I felt sad about.

Then news started trickling in, about the evil one and our races fleeing. Uncle still went on his travels until one day we got news that his caravan had been attacked, that he had been seen later among the walking dead. Father was greatly upset by this and wanted to seek vengence but mother did her best to keep him home (what will become of us? what will happen to our young?). Travelers came by, mages and warriors of all sorts. They were traveling west to help defeat the evil one, to put up a barrier, being a minor mage, father went with them. News reached us later that they had successfully put up the barrier, news also reached us that father had died helping them (and had mercifully been burned). Mother was beside herself with grief, and eventually faded away.

By this time the eldest of thier natural children had traveled to the great city of Crossing to become a Mage, the others stayed behind. Not long after mother faded away I to traveled to Crossing to become a Mage, but of lunar magic. I left my daughter behind, to get myself settled, then sent for her. One by one the others came to join us in Crossing, leaving the homestead to the two youngest of that wonderful couples children. Eventually we were all adopted by another kind hearted elf, who is know as 'mom' to so many.

To this day, I do not know what ever happened to my sire or dam, or my siblings the twins. I do know that we must prepare for the time when the evil one manages to break through the barrier though.

HOW WE BECAME WHAT WE ARE

(this is a story I remember that my granddam told about how we came to change)

Long ago, we were not like we are today

That is to say, we were forever in our moonskin

We never knew the feel of the cold on bare skin

We were never furless

There came a great evil to the land

A great warrior and mage,

very much unlike our kind,

met and lusted after a young Rakash maiden

Sensing the evil that lay within him,

she refused him, but he would not give up

To discourage him once and for all,

she chose a young Rakash male,

they became mates Furious with rage,

the evil one set upon slaying every Rakash he came upon

Warriors and Shamans were sent to fight him

All died, We fled, We died

We ran farther without rest

Mrrod, hearing our pleas,

tried to destroy him, but his magic was great

The god he was pledged to was strong

So Mrrod in his great wisdom, changed us

We became humanlike

But, in his kindness,

Allowed us to become as we were

When the black moon Katamba

Shows her full face to us,

we become as we were in truth,

we wore our blessed moonskin

To show us mercy,

Mrrod made us stronger during our moonskin,

faster, more agile

The evil one, not knowing of the change,

was unable to follow our path

We fled unheeded

Years later news of the evil ones death

the news was greeted with joy,

Mrrod offered to change us back,

though it drained him to do so

Our elders chose not to,

claiming this would be a rememberance,

for thier children, of the evil that once was.

Last Revised: 10/31/03