[The Lone Gunslinger, Chapter 14, The Future Past] "...must consider future generations!" Screams Shadow. "...unity above all!" Tani shouts back; her title is still in limbo. "...our independence must be preserved! Screams Edge. "...we can not accept compromise!" Edge shouts over the others. "...no one House can be the sole ruler!" Shouts Feather. "...give me liberty or take my wings!" Shouts Ganu, pounding on the floor with a large stick. "...there is no liberty without security!" Screams another Raven, I don't know which one that is. I haven't memorized all their new names. I think the Raven's have lost their minds. The First Eggs successfully led a revolution against House Raven, carried out their plan and escaped the repressive Raven Temple. But now, the daunting task of planning out a new civilization has brought them to a screeching halt and a halt to the construction of their Base. I'm sitting with the Commander, Simon, and Lord Falcon of the Falcon Base at a table against one wall watching the melee, even Jaco is out on the floor screaming to be heard. The proposition to name themselves House Corvus was met with a flood of protest from the Planet Corvus. The renegade Ravens retaliated by dropping a historical bomb-shell on the entire galaxy. The Ravens claim that Corvus was their planet and that the Kitsune invaded and that the Daraians were forced to retreat to Darai. Every historian in the galaxy is scrambling to find any evidence of truth to the claim, and archeologists have been screaming that they were right all along and that the mysterious Corvus pyramids are Daraian in origin. Simon brought Lord Falcon over to help with the situation, but he's just sitting at the end of the table reading the Corvus Corax. Lord Falcon is about my father's age and is the first Daraian I've seen up close that's not a Raven. I think Lord Falcon is about as different in appearance and bearing from the Ravens that anyone can get. When he does look up from reading his eyes are narrowed and focused, I think he looks like a predator deciding which Raven he's going to have for dinner. "What now?" I ask Simon. "Lord Falcon is letting them run out of steam first," says Simon. So we sit and wait, I guess. The Ravens argue for another hour, they seem to have a lot of steam. Ravens sure can argue. I'm getting bored and start thinking of possible excuses I can use to escape. School will be letting out in another couple hours, and Josh will need one of us to walk him home, maybe I can use that excuse. "Lord Falcon is talking to you," Simon nudges me. "Yes Sir, sorry," I look at Lord Falcon. "Come down here," says Lord Falcon. I get up and go around the table to Lord Falcon. He dresses so different than the Ravens; I think he looks like he is dressed to leave on a hunting trip in the forest. His leather jerkin and breeches are forest green and the knife strapped to the outside of his leg is shorter and thicker than the long curved Talon Dagger of the Ravens. "Have you ever read this?" Lord Falcon holds out the Corvus Corax. "No, Sir," I reply. "Jaco says we are Jackdaws, so I've been reading the Corvus Mellori." "Are you a Jackdaw?" "The Priestess said I'm a Keanuai." "I see, so be it, do you have your Mellori with you?" "Yes, Sir." I retrieve the copy of the Corvus Mellori Jaco gave me and hold it out. Lord Falcon lays the Corvus Corax down on the table and then puts his hand on top of the hand I’m holding the Mellori with. His eyes bore into mine; they are death, but not the cold death like the Gunslingers, these are living death, the cycle of death and life. The whole world is inside his eyes, and then... ...I'm running down a hill. We are chasing a lesser cat, and I glance to my side. My tribe is running with me; shouts of the hunt are all around me. The trees are not tall, but I know this place--not consciously, only a thought, a narrative in the back of my mind. This is... is... I have no word for this place... this place just is. I stop running and look up at the sky, at the unknown lights in the sky, and somehow, that voice tells me...the others out there will not exist for another two million years. I hear shouts from my Tribe, and I know them, we are the Great Ones, the ones who can speak, and we hunt the lesser cat that can not. I look up; the lesser cat has doubled back and is bearing down on me. The Tribe is shouting. I have the strongest tail in my tribe and can use it to leap onto even the tallest of the One with antlers--and break its back with one powerful swipe of my tail. My people's language is gestures of our body and tails, sound from our throats are only sounds for hunting, joy, and grief. There is no verbal language among any of the tribes. The lesser cat leaps and I push hard with my tail and then I'm above and biting and clawing at the lesser cat, and then I break it's back with my tail. I made the kill, and for many years I lead my people on hunts. Our tribe prospers and little ones are born, and old one's go into the darkness of the night--Life and Death. The Feathered Ones above us are many, but we live in peace with them. The sky is theirs, but the ground is ours. I am walking in the forest alone, the trees have grown taller, and I become curious. The Feathered Ones are up there, but my people have never gone up into the trees. I decide and climb one of the trees until I am nearly at the top, my balance is perfect, my tail is strong, and I wrap my tail around the tree to steady myself. I can see further than I have ever seen before, I did not know this place we live was so vast. Something is watching me, and I turn to see, it is one of the Feathered Ones. This Feathered One has black feathers with gray at the tips of its feathers, and gray around its shoulders. I have come into its territory. The Feathered One spreads its wings and shakes them in annoyance, but does not attack. I unwrap my tail and drop it down and lower my head; I do not wish to break the peace we have. The Black-Gray Feathered One comes over to me until it is only a tail's width from my face and bares its sharp little fangs at me. I do not show my teeth and keep my tail still and down. The Feathered One continues to show me its teeth... but something is wrong... its language is all wrong... can it not speak correctly. I lift my tail slightly, keeping claws curled, but still it does not seem to understand me. I think it may be stupid. Now it is making sounds at me. Yes, it must surely be stupid. How has this poor creature survived to live this long when it can not speak? The Feathered One backs away and hops to another branch and looks back at me--it makes more sounds at me--the poor creature may have fallen from the sky onto its head. The Feathered One motions for me to follow and I do, it takes me to a nest. I always thought the Feathered Ones just slept sitting on a branch. The nest is full of small rocks, and feathers and twigs... and... in the center of its nest is a big round shiny rock. The Feathered One motions for me to come, but I don't think this nest can support my weight. The Feathered One makes noises and sounds at the big shiny rock and then picks it up and carries it over to show me. I touch my tail to the big shiny rock; it is smooth and warm to the touch. The Feathered One puts its treasure back in the center of the nest. I leave the Feathered One and think about it often; I am worried the poor stupid creature may starve to death. I take meat back to the tree and climb to its nest and give it the meat. Each time I come it taps its chest and makes the same sound. Poor creature. I grow to like the creature; it is so helpless. I finally decide to try and make the sound, perhaps it will make the poor stupid creature happy. I tap on its chest. "Jaakaaw," I repeat the sound. The silly creature jumps into the sky and loops circles before returning. I am pleased that I could make it happy. The Feathered One lands and taps on my chest this time and makes a new sound. I sigh, poor creature, it likes this game. Very well. I tap on my chest and repeat the sound. "Keeenoowa." The foolish creature leaps into the sky again, only this time another Feathered One was waiting for it. I watch in horror as my Feathered One frantically flies to get away from this larger feathered one. My Feathered One flies for the nest and dives into the branches followed by the other one. The other one is shocked when I roar and swipe at it with my claws; it quickly retreats and flies away. My Feathered One is hiding behind me repeating a sound over and over and pointing in terror at the other Feathered One that is flying away. "Haawwak," I repeat the sound and my Feathered One calms down. I do not visit my silly Feathered One for two moons. I must think. I hunt with my tribe and teach the young ones. I think several times I see My Feathered One watching from the trees, but it always hides when we come near. One morning while I am drinking water from the river I hear my Feathered One. "Keeenoowa," it makes that noise. "Keeenoowa," I make the sound back, and then... I realize. My Feathered One isn't stupid, it just can not speak proper, and that is why it makes the sounds. Each sound is something. I am Keeenoowa, and it is Jaakaaw. I visit my Feathered One each day after that, and it tells me all the sounds it knows. I also learn that it has sounds for all the different types of Feathered Ones. I enjoy the game. I teach my tribe the sounds, they think I have fallen on my head, but when I show them a way to use the sounds to make the hunt better, they start to learn. The hunts do become better, and that next winter we have enough food, but we are still cold, and huddle against the cliff face together for warmth. The sounds have given us more food, but the winter will still take half our tribe as it always does. The morning after the first snow my Jaakaaw comes to the tribe; he has another Feathered One with him. My tribe is not afraid, we have no reason to be, we are Keeenoowa, and I have learned that the Feathered Ones fear our strength. The new Feathered One taps its chest and makes the sound, "Roowk." The Roowk gathers branches together and shows us how to stack them so they do not fall, and then motions us inside away from the bitter winds. The two Feathered Ones stay with us that winter and we lose none of our tribe to the cold, for the first time. Other Feathered Ones visit us and teach us many things. The ones called Jwaay show us how to make fire, and the Cwoos teach us about twools. Many other Feathered Ones come, and the Roowks build many of the stick 'lewdges', and we all live together as one tribe, in peace. For many years we live together, our young ones can make the sounds easier than I can. My Feathered One tries, but many of the sounds are beyond my ability to make. He takes me up to a tall cliff and spreads his arms and teaches me a new sound. "Darai," says my Jaakaaw. The sound is too hard for me, but it does not matter, I know what my Feathered One means. He has given me the sound of what our land is called. The next summer is the end. I wake; the air smells wrong... danger? I crawl out of my lewdge and stand in the brisk morning air and search for the danger. All morning and into the late afternoon I watch. Something is wrong. Then... the sky is on fire. I stare up at the sky. Streaks of flame are racing across the sky. I do not realize the danger that is coming; none of us do. The streaks of flame become balls of flame and begin falling all around us, the forest is on fire, the balls of fire are burning rocks. All is being destroyed. Feathered Ones are diving out of the sky... many do not make it to the ground. The world is dying. My Feathered One runs to me, carrying the shiny round rock he is so fond of, and grabs my mane and pulls me into a run. My tribe follows me and the other Feathered Ones are trying to follow us. The Feathered Ones are not fast on the ground; they are slow and clumsy. We lift them with our tails and put them on our backs and can run faster on our four powerful legs then Feathered Ones can fly. My Feathered One guides us to caves, we would never have thought to go down into the caves, it is unnatural, but the burning rocks are falling everywhere--the sky is falling. Other Feathered Ones are coming, but there is no fighting. The rocks continue to fall, and the days become weeks. The Feathered Ones can not run fast enough to avoid the falling rocks, and they can not fly. My people risk the falling burning rocks to hunt for all of us. I am old now, but we have hunted well, and there are many young ones to protect our helpless feathered partners. My children, and their children, and their children will protect the tribes of Darai until a day when the burning rocks no longer fall from the sky. My Feathered One holds my head and strokes my mane, my eyes are growing dim, and he makes comforting sounds to me. He is so clever; he organized the many Feathered Ones among the many caverns here deep in the caves. Our people are safe. I close my eyes... Someone is kneeling over me. "Are you okay? I see a face. "The Goddess gave you a vision, what did you see?" "Give him a moment to recover," scolds another voice. I sit up and look at my hands confused. Why do I have hands? "Who are you people?" I try to move my tail to ask, but... "Where's my tail?" "Lord Falcon, what's wrong with him?" asks a voice. "How long were you there?" asks another voice. I'm getting scared, none of this seems right, and I try to roar my frustration but my voice is wrong. "Where's Jaakaaw?" I shout. "I'm right here," says one of the faces. "You're not Jaakaaw," I say. I roll over and try to run, but my front legs are missing, they are arms like Jaakaaw had. I roar again and try to bite and claw at... Feathered Ones? No, these aren't Feathered Ones; they are wrong. I look for an escape... something opens... the outside... I try to run, but it's awkward without my front legs... then, someone is blocking the door. "Holy Ancestors," says one of the voices. "It's Jon Black." "Jon Black..." "Jon Black..." The voices are repeating a name, then the One blocking my escape puts a hand on my shoulder and I collapse on the floor... memories... memories are flooding into my mind and behind my eyes explodes in a blinding light. "Remember now, my son," says the One. "You are human, remember." "No...I am Keeenoowa," I protest. "My Lord Black," says a voice. "What's wrong with him?" "Corvus is what's wrong with him," says the One. "He has lived a lifetime in the body of a barely sentient animal, one that became extinct over a million years ago. My father has left Carina for the first time since the dawn of all life in this galaxy. Corvus has left Darai as well to protect her children from the wrath of my father." "Will they return?" asks... Commander Conrad... yes Commander Conrad. I am remembering, but the light in my head is burning, I am two people. "They will return after they have a long conversation in an uninhabited galaxy far from here," explains Jon Black. "I imagine they will have to re-write the covenant, now that humans are mixing with Daraians." "This is entirely my fault," says Lord Falcon. "Do nothing foolish, Lord Falcon," says Jon Black. "This is not your fault, you attempted a simple projection to help him better understand the Corvus Mellori, and that is acceptable to my father. However, Corvus hijacked your projection and sent him into an animal during the time when Darai first entered the asteroid belt that nearly destroyed your world." "Will he be okay," asks Simon. "Two personalities are merging into one," explains Jon Black. "If he can handle it, nothing further will need be done, if not, my father can cleanse him." "What does that mean?" asks Simon. "His mind would become a clean slate, and he will start over as if an infant," says Jon Black. "No," I shout. "That means I... Errol... Hero... Keal... would die. I'll handle it." I push myself up off the floor and force myself to remember how to stand as a human does. The pain in my head is starting to subside. "I was there, at the beginning, the Jackdaws invented the Daraian language. There was a second species on Darai; we weren't animals, we had our own language, and we were stronger than the Daraians." I remember something else, something important. "The Beastie Cats, they are the lesser cats we hunted. How did they get here on Raunu?" "The Keanuai, your people, were heroic to the end," says Jon Black. "The Daraians would never have survived the disaster that befell the planet without you. But, over the eons the Keanuai took too many losses hunting for the Daraians in the firestorm the surface became. By the time the Daraians were strong enough to survive on their own, it was too late for the Keanuai." "But the Beastie Cats?" I ask. "The lesser cats only natural predator was the Keanuai," explains Jon Black. "Without the Keanuai the lesser cats’ population threatened to take the Daraians into extinction as well. Corvus brought the lesser cats here to rid Darai of them. This planet was uninhabited at the time, it was a reasonable solution, and my father approved." "I know the message I was supposed to bring back," I announce. "I know the solution." "He has come a long way to bring this to you, young Daraians," says Jon Black, "and he could yet still lose his life for it, I suggest you listen well." I face the Ravens; all are watching me. "The Keanuai and the Daraians lived together peacefully; they didn't need a House, and no one Race was above another. We are not a country, we have no need for a House Government, we are all equal. The Temple will be here, where I stand, and the High Priestess and the High Guardian will Command from here, just as Commander Conrad and Simon do on the Gunslinger Base." I pause and walk on shaky legs out to the center of the floor. Will I ever fully regain my ability to walk as a human? Even now I want to drop on four legs as would be proper. "You will build twelve Lodges in a ring around this Temple. Each lodge will represent one Race and be responsible for safe guarding the culture and specialties that Race has brought here with them. You will build your 'nest' Cabins out from there, like the wedges of a pie. The High Priestess and High Guardian will be able to select the appropriate skills needed from the Lodges for the missions we are given. However, each Lodge remains open to all Daraians. The Raven Lodge will no doubt specialize in hand-to-hand unarmed combat, and must be available if... let's say a Jackdaw wants to learn that skill, which they should. And equally, the Jackdaw Lodge must be available to teach Communications, and the Rook Lodge Engineering. We are one people." I pause again; everyone is listening, and not a single voice is raised in argument. I look from face to face waiting for any objection. "What of the Mother Raven, how is it fair that they get that position?" asks one of the Rooks. "Tani, you are a Rook, aren't you?" I ask. "Yes, Keal," says Tani. "You are Mother Rook, Mother to all of us, and when it is time for a new Mother, the Lodges will cast one vote each for the best female for the position. If the next Mother is a Crow, she will carry the title, Mother Crow, or if a Jackdaw, then Mother Jackdaw." Everyone is murmuring their agreement. I have done what I was supposed to do. I turn away and walk towards the door. "I am hungry," I say. Jon Black puts a hand out to stop me. "You could lose yourself if you do this." "I thank you, Sir, for bringing me back," I reply brushing his hand away, my legs are steady again, and more. "I am told that there is a Hawk that was given real wings; the Raven Goddess owes me a set of those for what she has done to me. I want a Jackdaw set sent to me." Jon Black smiles at my audacity, I think, he's an amphibian, and I can't tell for sure if he is smiling or getting ready to turn me into a frog. I walk past him and stop at the door. "Are you coming Jaakaaw?" I ask Jaco hesitates a brief moment and then runs over to me. "I was scared; I thought you didn't want me anymore." "Do not ever think that again," I scold. "Come now, we hunt." [Special Notes:] Tani/ - Mother Rook Sena/Ganu - High Priestess, High Guardian Minai/Kruku - Half-wing/Feather Leanae/Rono - Dive/Blade Elai/Cern - Edge/Hopper Kala/Sorn - Cat/Shadow (really? A bird named cat?) Ara/Peli - Leather/Roar (yes, a bird that roars) Uelai/Yotai - Chatter/Silent (these two have to be magpies) Fraina/Beai - Rider/Mane