In the first evening of the worlds Iau Hauhai'h walked in the Silences, hearing and seeing so that what She heard became real, and what She saw was so. She was the Fire at the Heart; and of that fire She grew quick, and from it She kittened. Those children were four and grew swiftly to stand with their queen.
Aaurh the Mighty was the destroyer by flame, she came first, burning like a star, and armed with the First Fire. She was Her Dam's messenger and warrior, and went where she was sent swift as light, making and ending as Iau taught her...
Then came Hrau'f the Tamer, who calmed the fires Aaurh set, and put things in order: the Lady of the Hearth, who burns low, and learns wisdom, and teaches it. In every still warm place she may be found, in every heart that seeks. She speaks the Silent Knowledge to the ears of those who can hear.
Then after her came Sa'Rrahh, the Unmasterd Fire ... burning both dark and bright, the Tearer, the Huntress, the ambivelent one; she who kills unmindfully, in rage, and without warning, and as unreasonably raises up again. It is she who is strongest after Aaurh the firstborn, knowing no bounds in her power, yet desiring to find those bounds: the Dreadful, the Lady of stillbirths and the birth that kills the queen, but also of the Tenth Life: the Power who is called Lone, for she would hear no wisdom, and her Dam would not have her, driving her out in her wildness until she might learn better. In every empty place and in all darknesses she may be found, seeking, and angry, for still she knows not what she seeks.'"
There dropped from the Queen one last child, and he Burned dark and tore Her in his passing. And still His children tear Hers as He tore, when queen and tom come Trickster, silent-roaming sire of all dangers that abide our people but sudden Savior also, one-eyed Wanderer in the dark, midnight Lover, lone Singer, He Who Scars and is Scarred: Urrua, He who Scars, the Lightning-Clawed, Whom the Queen bore last, the Afterthought, Her gift to Herself.
When the world tree began to totter the four children of Iau clawed ther way to the root of the tree and found the greatest enemy of there people there, the Old Serpent, dark as aaurh is fair,with its massive jaws tearing at the roots of the tree. The great cats fout well and after a long and terible struggle it seemed that they had won, but then the serpent cunningly positioned itself so that a bolt of the dark fire of Sa'rahh that was aimed for its head clashed with Aaurah's white flame, and in a burst of light and heat the Tearer fell.
It seemed that the Serpent had fallen as well but when Urrua turned to seek out Aaurh the Old Serpent rose aginst him and stuck him with its venom, and the Great Cat fell with a great cry, and strove to rise but could not; and breath and warmth left him, and his Enemy rises over his poisoned body and leaps upon Aaurh the Mighty. Great and terrible is their struggle, so that seas leap from their beds and the earth is riven, and the torn sky rains fire, Yet even so Aaurh at last is lapped in the Serpent's coils, and crushed in them, and she falls, and her power fails out of the world. then Iau sees that the light is gone from the moon ,and the sun is black with fair Aaruh's dying and She draws her power about her and goes forth in greif and rage and all things hear Her cry:
"What has become of MY children?".
"Where is Aaurh the warrior, and sa'Rrahh the Tearer, wayward but dear to Me? And what has become of My Consort and the light of his eye, without which My own is dark?"
"Old Serpent, turn You and face Us,
for the fight is not yet done!"
"For am i not The One,"She cried, "to make power against death
strong, and power for life stronger still? Shall I allow the darkness to prevail against My own? Their life is in Me, and of Me: save that You destroy Me as well, never shall they be wholly gone; and Me You cannot destroy, nor My power in Them. Rise up then, Aaurh My daughter, and be healed of Your dying;
the dark dream is over, and awakening is come!
Off to one side, where a shape lay dark and charred on the stone, there was movement—and then a flash of fire. If a form can burn backward, this one did. Flame leapt from nowhere to it, filled it, wrapped it round, flame with a hint of gold, the sun's light concentrated, made personal and intense. Substance came with the fire: the shape filled out, rolled to its feet, shook itself, and stood, looking proud, and angry, and amused. It was a lioness, but one in whose pelt every hair was a line of golden fire, and the Sun rode above her like a crown—though it was not as bright as her eyes, or as fierce. "I am here, my Dam and Queen," spoke Aaurh the Warrior, the Queen's Champion, the Mighty, the Destroyer-by-Fire.
"Rise up then, sa'Rrahh My daughter, and be healed of Your sore wounding; stand with Us against the Old Serpent that would have worked Your bane!"
The prone form that lay clutching painfully with its fore-claws at the stone now lifted its head and slowly began to glow both dark and bright, like its fur—night-and-moon-light, the pale fire and the dark one mingling, starfire and the darkness behind the stars: the essence of conflict and ambivalence. But neither fire burned less intensely for the other's presence; and as the tigerish shape rose up to stand with its Dam, the eyes that looked out of its mighty head were terrible with knowledge of past and future, decisions well made and ill made, and action and passivity held in dangerous balance. "I am here, my Dam and Queen. "Spoke the Dark one , the tearer, the lady of the tenth life.
" Rise up then, My consort, Urrua Lightning-Claw; be risen up, thou Old Tom, O Great Cat, O Cat Who stood under the Tree on the night the enemies of Life were destroyed. Urrua, My beloved, My Consort, rise up now, and stand with Us, to slay the One Who slew You!"
Off on the black stone, where blood lay pooled around a tom, silver-striped shape, darkness now pooled as well. It gathered together about that shape and began to weave brilliance into itself, the tabby coloration shading pale, to moondust grays and silvers and a brilliant white like the Moon at full, a light as pitiless in its way as the Moon looking down from a clear sky on those who would wish to hide, and can find no hiding place from what stalks them silently. That shape stood up, and was a panther's shape, heavy-jowled and white-fanged, with unsheathed claws that burned and left molten spots on any stone they touched. The mighty shape shook itself, shedding silver light about it, then padded over to join the others, looking at them with one eye that was dark and terrible, knowing secrets; and the other that burned almost too bright to look upon, for battle was in it, and the joy of battle. "I am here, My Dam and Queen, My Consort,"
"Old Serpent, for these murders we now pronounce your fate"cried Iau ,"stand You to battle; this is Your last day... until we fight again!"The Serpent reared away from the Tree, and It threw Itself at them, Its whole terrible mass coming down at them like a falling tree, lightnings flailing about the Four threw themselves upon the Old Serpent; claws and fangs blazed, and blinding tracks of plasma burned and tore where Urrua's claws fell; fire spouted and gouted from Aaurh and sa'Rrahh, blasting at the Lone healed itself. The Four kept attacking, with energies that Would have been sufficient to level whole continents, if not to devastate the surfaces of some small planets.
Soon nothing was left but a scatter of glittering scales among the stones; and the Tree stood whole .
Silence fell for the battle was over at last.