Summary - Her people told stories, whispered around the fire when the Elders couldn't hear, of the dangers of the mountain, the forest, the rivers and caves. Tales of horrifying monstrosities haunting the pass, creatures from nightmares reaching to snatch unwitting passersby to hidden depths, and otherworldly revenants skulking just out of sight… those were the tales that had Sakura shaking where she sat. But, she wonders, are they simply fables, meant to frighten the children into obedience, or could there be some truth to them? (Or, in which Sakura decides to confront legends and topple the misconceptions built by generations of fear and misunderstandings.)
1 - Legends in the Dark
My tribe has long sustained our way of life, undisturbed by the war raging around us, at the foot of this mountain. As a child, I would look to the stars as my mother stroked my hair and told me of the people we had lost to time, given a home in the heavens. My father would take several of us, the young girls, to the plain for training in the path of the Warrior and the Hunter. I remember the look of his pride whenever one of us caught a rabbit, and his smile when our sparring improved with time. I recall my mother leading us to the lake, showing us the beauty of the world, and of each other, before we gathered water. I also remember the awakening of my power, albeit later than any others, for my tribe is gifted by the Goddess with Her tears… something that outsiders callously refer to as magic.
Such a blessing cannot be bound by one word. It flows through every member of our tribe, from the newly born to the wisest crone. We are born with it, graced by Her smile and guided by Her voice. But there is a darker side to Her love for us.
It is said amongst my people that those who disobey the Goddess are cursed. Cast out, they are banished to the mountain; the forests, caves and the river provide places of meet and refuge for these forsaken spirits. My folk whisper of grotesque beings, warped and twisted in Her absence, haunting the mountain, skulking in the shadows of the pass, waiting for unsuspecting travelers to wander into their domain. For this reason, the Elders have forbidden exploration of the mountain. They have even forbidden speaking of it. Thus, we murmur the warning tales around the fire when the Elders are not present.
Yet I wonder - is there any truth to the legends my heal-sisters and hunt-brothers speak of? I yearn to find out for myself, but I know that if I act upon my desires, I shall face the wrath of not only my tribe, but potentially of the Goddess Herself. So, I have kept myself in line, agreeing to the unspoken rule with a bowed head and lowered voice. At least, until now… until the Goddess willed me to do otherwise.