A/N: This is my own little spin on Irken mythology. It's been something that I've wanted to get written down for quite a while.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my own made-up characters.
Kalus is pronounced "Kay-loose"
Len ran up the stairs to the top floor of the run-down building where he saw his brother Mek sitting in window sill. Len smiled and ran to him, jumping happily into his lap and being embraced by his strong arms.
"Decided to wake up, I see?" Mek grinned.
"Yeah," Len said. "So what are you doing up here?"
e that to you, didn't she?""Yes," Mek sighed. "Do you know what this charm symbolizes Len?"
Len stared up at his brother, curious. Mek smiled. "It's Kalus, the guardian spirit that protects all Irkens."
"Kalus?" Len asked, cocking his antennae.
"Yes," Mek continued. "He watches over us, even when we're not on the planet. He gives us guidance when we feel lost."
Len looked at the small golden pendant. "Kalus is a bird?"
"Well, not really," Mek said. "He's an Irken. Like you and me. He can chad up at his brother, curious. Mek smiled. "It's Kalus, the guardian spirit that protects all Irkens."
"Kalus?" Len asked, cocking his antennae.
"Yes," Mek continued. "He watches over us, even when we're not on the planet. He gives us guidance when we feel lost."
Len looked at the small golden pendant. "Kalus is a bird?"
"Well, not really," Mek said. "He's an Irken. Like you and me. He can change into a giant flaming bird. Mom told me the story once. Would you like to hear it?"
Len smiled. "Yes." He snuggled closer to Mek, rubbing the top of his head against his brother's chin.
Mek started. "Well, it all happened thousands and thousands of years ago, before any of the big cities or towns were built. Back then, people lived in small villages scattered throughout the wilderness, and the only way to get around was by foot. Anyway, in one of these villages, settled deep in a mountain valley, there was a young clan leader named Kalus. He was strong and wise, and he loved his people and his village very much. Those around him respected him and looked up to him.
"But Kalus was different from the rest of the people. He was taller than anyone else, taller than any Irken in any of the other villages. You see Len, back in those days, Irkens didn't grow very big. None of them grew to the height that some of us have reached nowadays. So they saw Kalus as something amazing. He could do things others could not, like take food from the trees without having to climb up them.
"Well one day, the entire earth began to shake. The sky turned black, even though the sun had just risen, and out of the clouds a giant craft appeared, a spaceship from another world. No one knew what it was, they had never seen such a thing before. The 'Demon's Chariot,' as they called it, cast a dark shadow over Kalus's village. The people were frightened. Even Kalus was feeling his heart tremble, but he remained brave and strong for his people, should he need to protect them.
"Soon, terrible creatures appeared from within the ship. The people called these aliens 'monsters' because they quickly began to attack the villages. The destroyed homes, they burned the forests and crops, and they tore up the hills. Soon they turned their weapons on the people, killing whoever they laid eyes on.
"When they assaulted Kalus's village, he lunged himself at the monsters and tried to fight back. The aliens were too powerful though and quickly wounded him. They didn't know what to make of Kalus. He was different from the rest, nearly as tall as the aliens were, and was very desperate. They saw the pain in his eyes as they attacked his people. Kalus continued to fight them despite his wounds. The aliens were surprised. They decided to torture him, to make him suffer more. They beat him and cut his body. They cut off a finger from each of his hands. The aliens were taking pleasure in his pain.
"But when Kalus's blood fell to the ground from his hands, the earth began to shake once more. When Kalus himself fell, the ground beneath him cracked and crumbled away, and he fell into a black pit.
"He thought he would surely die from the fall, but he found himself being gently laid to rest on the pit floor. He looked around confused. In the darkness, a light began to glow in front of him. Kalus was startled but he wasn't afraid. The light was emanating warmth and kindness, but he also felt sadness coming from it.
"'What is this?' he asked.
"The light spoke to him and said, 'I am the One Mother. I am the spirit of the world that is being ravaged.'
"'Those monsters, who are they? Why are they doing this?' Kalus asked the Mother.
"'They have come from beyond your stars to find a world to claim as their new home. But I will not let this happen to my children,' she said. 'The demons must be driven away from here.'
"Kalus pleaded to the Mother. 'Please Mother! Stop them! Chase them away!'
" 'They've destroyed so much, I already feel my strength slipping away. That's why I have brought you here. You must defeat them for, for the sake of your people and your world.'
"Kalus was confused. 'But how, Mother?'
"The Mother answered him. 'I will give you the power to defeat them. Kalus, as of right now, you are the only one left. You must do this.'
"Kalus watched in anticipation as the light before him grew brighter and brighter until it completely surrounded him. When the light faded, Kalus found that his body was breathed completely in flame. The fire blazed over him but it didn't burn. He could feel the wounds on his body heal over and he felt a new strength growing within him.
"The Great Mother spoke to him once more. She said, 'You now have the power to defeat the demons and bring life back to the world. I have given you the power to change into the form the evil creatures fear most where they come from, for to them, you appear as the God of Death, but to your people, you are the Guardian of Life. When you have driven the monsters away, spread your wings and let the fire in your soul come forward and engulf your body in flame. You will fly from land to land and scorch the entire earth. By doing so, you will burn away the evil that has poisoned the world. However, cover the bodies of my children and the animals in fire that does not burn the flesh but mends it. When you have finished your task my son, come back to me and wait and rest. Within three days, I shall replenish the world and all will be as it once was.'
"So Kalus willed himself to change into his new form, which was a giant red bird, and he spread his wings and flew back up to the surface."
"Then what?" Len asked, smiling up at his brother.
Mek was caught off guard by the innocent interruption. "I'm getting there, don't worry." He cleared his throat and continued. "Kalus shot upwards into the sky in a flash of red. His feathers glowed like the bright moons against the darkened sky. The aliens below stared up at him in fear. Kalus gave a cry that pierced the air and the aliens ran away in terror. They boarded their ship and it lifted back above the clouds. Kalus chased it as far as he could before turning back down to the planet.
"He did as he was told and spread his bright red wings and covered himself in fire. He burned the entire planet and then turned from the sky and headed back into the realm of the Mother, where he took on his Irken form and laid down, sleeping as he waited.
"After three days, he awoke. A pool had formed before him and he gazed into the liquid where he saw a lush and beautiful new world, and he saw the people slowly coming back to life. He then heard the Mother speak again.
"'It is done my son,' she said. 'The demons are gone and the people have awoken from their sleep.'
"Kalus had smiled and said, 'I am glad. But I wish I knew that it would remain this way forever.'
"Our Mother told him that he could remain the way he was, with his new power, for all time to make sure planet Irk and its people were kept safe. Kalus agreed, even though he would have to live in the sky from now on, and not in the village he loved so much."
"Why?" Len asked.
"Because he agreed to become a spirit, and by doing so, he would have the life of a spirit and not the life of a mortal. Sure he could take on his Irken form and walk among his people for a while every now and then, but he would eventually have to return to the sky where he could watch over the entire planet."
Len stared at Mek, looking puzzled, but soon grinned and said, "If you say so."
Mek smiled. "That's my boy. So that's the story of Kalus. Now you know. And he's still up there, watching over us. You can see his constellation at night."
"Is that all there is to the story?"
Mek glanced out the window. "Well, no. There's a little bit more, like how Azra, Kalus's mate, came to be. You see, Kalus grew lonely up in the sky all alone, with no one by his side. One day, he flew back down to the planet to go see the Great Mother. He told her was desperate for companionship. The Mother told him to find an Irken by the name of Miyan and touch her with the tip of one of his flaming wings. The Mother told him he would find her in the forest. Then she told him he must leave there and wait fifteen years before returning to the place he found Miyan.
"Kalus did what he was told. He found the girl. She was very beautiful. He flew over her head, invisible to her eyes, and gently graced her forehead with the tip of his wing. Then he flew back up into the sky and waited.
"When fifteen years had past, he flew back down to the forest where he had found Miyan. He landed and took on his Irken form. As he walked through the trees, he was startled to find a beautiful young woman coming his way. She was almost as tall as he was. He stood in silence as he watched her, stunned by her beauty. When she saw him, she approached him. He saw a curious glint in her eyes, as if she had been looking for something.
"'Hello,' she said to him. 'My name is Azra. I didn't expect to find you this time. I've been having these dreams since I was a little girl about a handsome young man I would meet in this forest. Since my very first dream, I've been coming out here to this same spot, wondering if I would ever see you. I think I have finally found you.'
"Kalus realized she was what he had waited fifteen years for. He could tell Miyan was her mother, whose beauty she had inherited. He took Azra in his arms and covered her in his fire and lifted her with him up into the sky. Later on, the Great Mother saw how deep in love the two had fallen, and she gave Azra the ability to change into the alternate form of her namesake, so that she and Kalus could fly together around the world and look after their people."
Len looked up at Mek. "So then, there's two guardians?"
"Yep. No only that, the story tells us how tall Irkens came to be. You see, when Kalus touched the bodies of the people with his flame, he put the likeness of himself inside them. That's why some Irkens grow taller than others now, because they have the flame of Kalus burning inside them."
"So Kalus was the very first Tallest?"
"Yep, even though he didn't know it. And that's why when a new Tallest is chosen, a finger is cut off from each hand, to symbolize the torment Kalus went through in fighting for his people, and to pay tribute to the person who saved us."
"That must be painful," Len grimaced.
Mek smiled. "Well it's an age-old tradition. But I think nowadays, most of the other old ways have been forgotten, and the stories and legends of our history are beginning to follow the same path." He looked down at Len. "That's why I want you to remember this story Len. Not just because I learned it from our mother, but also because it's part of who we are, who you are." Mek loosened the cord around his neck, lifting the necklace and placing it around Len. Len looked down at the gold charm dangling from his neck. "I want you to keep that, and I hope that you will one day pass on the stories I've told you to someone else, to keep them alive."
Len smiled and hugged his brother tightly. "I will Mek. I'll always remember them."
(page break)
Out on the balcony of the Imperial Palace, Tallest Purple stared up into the night sky, smiling when he saw the familiar form of a great bird made by the alignment of certain stars. He looked down at his palm which clutched a smaller version of the constellation, translated into gold a pendant that glistened softly in the starlight.
"Purple! I'm bored! Do you wanna go find something to snack on?"
Purple glanced over his shoulder at the sound of Red's voice from inside. He grinned. "Okay," he said.
Purple smiled to himself, put the cord back around his neck and tucked the charm back into his robes, where it had been worn and safely guarded since the day it was given to him. He turned and headed back inside. "Red? Would you like to hear a story?"
The End.