Title: The Creators of the World
Author: Brad C
Disclaimers: Kazuya Minekura
Koumyou stands peacefully, watching from the foot of the small hill with both hands resting inside his long sleeves. The braid of his light golden hair, hangs evenly from behind his back without any movements. He watches the sun, and colours of red and purple setting from the skies as dark colours of blue begin swallowing up the entire sky, leaving it with nothing, but the bright warm watchful full moon, reflecting and illuminating against the darkness. The elder priest gazes at the sky, half-smiling childishly as he stares at the moon itself, lost deep in his own thoughts of his tranquil and emptied mind. He then takes out a pack of cigarette, pulling out a stick of nicotine graciously with his fingers and places it into his mouth. He puts the small rectangular box back into one of his sleeves and takes out a cigarette lighter. The elder priest lowers his head a bit, putting both hands around the nicotine and lights it up. He then puts the lighter back into the long sleeve of his robes, inhaling the cigarette in calm and peaceful manner, and then blowing a few streaks of gray smoke into the lukewarm air.
"Did you steal the moon again?" A familiar raw and ragged voice asks, appearing behind the elder priest, standing a few feet away. Komuyou makes a small frown on his face, and then laughs light-heartedly, while holding the cigarette loosely in his hand, "Someone has to watch over the world!" A few sound of cawing echoes subtly into the night skies. Ukoku perks up immediately as he recognizes one of the many signals of the calls. "Winter is coming to end, Koumyou..." The young priest says quietly as he watches the full moon, and the elder priest standing there before him with admiration in his eyes. "Ah… Is end of Crow Moon season," Koumyou says, glancing over his right shoulder, gazing quietly at the young priest, and drops his unfinished cigarette silently onto the frozen ground below his sandals. The tip of the burning stick of cigarette slowly dies out.
"Speaking of the world…" Koumyou pauses before he continues, "Have I told you the story of White Raven and his twin Black Raven in creation of the imperfect world?" Ukoku smiles faintly, standing very still as he listens to the elder priest's question admirably. "I have heard of it…" The young priest answers quietly, after pausing for a few minutes. "White Raven was white as snow. His soul was filled with light and beauty, and his spirit shone like the sun," Koumyou speaks steadily, lowering his head a bit and glancing at the young priest, "Now do you remember?" He asks with a somewhat effeminate, delightful and demanding note in his voice. The young priest nods his head with small smile on face, smiling inwardly. "Black Raven was also beautiful to behold. He was shiny but his soul, feathers was dark and black as deepest night." Ukoku says in his low and quiet ragged voice.
"White Raven was a creator, a lover of life and happiness. He delighted in beauty; he breathed of joy and happiness into everything he made..." Koumyou continues with smiles reaching his eyes; glancing up into the bright full moon, and the dark blue skies, enjoying the beauty of the night, "Hmm… I think I forgot to make some paper airplanes earlier today…" The elder priest adds, speaking out loud to himself. "What?" Ukoku stares at the elder priest dumbfoundedly. Pausing for couple of minutes as he lowers his head and bursts out laughing uncontrollably, covering his own face with the palm of his hand. The rawness of his ragged voice and laughter echoes into the dark night skies.
Koumyou lowers his head, glancing at the young priest with half-smile on his face, and smile reaching his eyes. "Was it something I said?" The elder priest asks, pouting childishly. Ukoku then lifts up his head, pushing his black framed-glasses back up his nose with his finger, and shakes his head back and forth. "You and your paper airplanes…" The young priest says with an exasperated sigh, still stifling with small bits of laughter. Koumyou chuckles mischievously to himself, "Ah… Where was I?" He asks himself, talking to no one in particular, "Oh right… Continue on with the story, Ukoku," The elder priest adds, with a sheepish grin on his face.
"Black Raven was broody and miserable. He also created things that were ugly and nasty that reflected his own mean spirit. He delighted in destroying, damaging and undoing his twin brother's creations," Ukoku speaks slowly, reaching into the sleeves of his robes, grabs the pack of cigarette and lighter. He then begins lighting it up, savouring the black liquorice flavour, holding the nicotine loosely between his fingers. "The blackness of his heart extended to every aspect of his being…" The young priest adds, with grim smile on his face, speaking raggedly, and then blowing a few streaks of clouds into the air.
"White Raven concentrated deeply, carefully painted delicate colours on Puffin." Koumyou says quietly with a warm note in his voice, unchanged smile curve around his lips. "Black Raven stealthily crept up to the paint box, dumping the paint box into the ground. Smearing the colours and smashing the cedar box." Ukoku answers darkly, closing his eyes as he takes the cigarette into his mouth, and inhales the nicotine deeply. ""Stop it! Stop it!" White Raven shouted. "Why do you do this?"" The elder priest says, mimicking just like the bird of their story. "Black Raven only laughed at his brother's anger." Ukoku says, muttering around his smouldering cigarette.
Koumyou glances over his shoulder, opening eyes watching the young priest. Closing his eyes with a calm smile on his face, "White Raven thought about the incident. He concluded that his brother was in a bad mood, and didn't worry too much about his misbehaviour. He was preoccupied with his quest to make the perfect animal." The elder priest answers, standing still like the moon itself. "I hope you are not in a bad mood!" Koumyou adds, grinning mischievously. "Of course not…" Ukoku says chuckling, and then bursting out in laughter again. He laughs until his own laughter subsides, shaking his head back and forth slightly. The young priest tosses his finished cigarette to the ground, crushing it with the end of his heels.
"White Raven envisioned a poised and delicate creature, with four graceful and beautiful legs. It also had four jet-black shiny pointed hoofs. The creature would be fleet floated, and run with the wind in its russet-red colour, with huge soft brown eyes, moist with love and compassion. The creature would be friend to all, and serve as a counsellor to the world. For its crown of beauty, he would make a lattice of beautiful antlers…" Koumyou speaks in a tranquil and peaceful voice, "Hmm… I wonder what animal it could be…" The elder priest adds, smiling calmly at the young priest standing few feet beside him. "A deer…" Ukoku answers quickly and quietly, pushing his black-framed glasses up his nose with his finger. He feels the sudden urge of want, and the movements of his own twitching fingers to start on another stick of cigarette. "A mystery solved…" The elder priest says delightfully, with a half-smile on his face.
"White Raven sat down and shaped his vision into reality. He had just finished, and was bending down breathing life into the first deer, just as he was giving instructions on the deer how to behave..." Koumyou says softly, grinning to himself as he sees the beautiful animal within his own empty mind. "Black Raven crept up behind him. He jumped out and yelled at the deer, terrifying him and causing him to run away." Ukoku says in a dark ragged voice, chuckling to himself. "That was not very nice…" The elder priest says in a motherly scowling tone. "Right, right… Is always Ukoku's fault," The young priest says, smiling faintly inwards to himself, glancing at the elder priest with hint fondness in his eyes. "White Raven scowled at his twin brother. He was dismayed interference with his brother, but his kindness and desire for creating beauty overcame his irritation. Like a cloud passing across the face of the sun. The dismay was quickly forgotten. He returned to work of building the world." Koumyou continues, speaking in a peaceful tone of voice.
"White Raven was putting finishing touches on a beautiful fish. The fish had a sinuous curve that was designed for strength and strong swimming. Ah, this fish is truly perfect. What colours should I paint it? He asked himself as he considered the beautifully arched back." Koumyou says peacefully, with stillness of his in his voice and body. "Black Raven rushed out and stepped on the fish, crushing its arch and changing its graceful form to squatty flatness. It became the first flounder..." Ukoku says quietly, reaching into his robes and grabs his pack of nicotine, and begins lighting one up. "We seriously need to do something about that bad mood of your's..." Koumyou says, gazing at the young priest with a half quiet smile on his face, smiling childishly. Ukoku removes the cigarette from his mouth, and laughs out right. The rawness of his laughter of his crow-like voice echoes in the stillness of the night. A blanket of cloud slowly engulfs the moon, hiding it behind its thick shadows. But the full moon remains glowing, and illuminating behind the clouds, and continues shining dimly behind it.
""Why do you this?" White Raven cried out. "You want everything to be ugly, you hate what is beautiful in the world, and you are happy when you only hurt or destroy. If you damage another creature I will surely kill you!"" A raw voice in high pitch note mimics the bunny doll, loosely held between the fingers as it being gesture from the arms. The smell of heavy scent of cigarette lingers the room, the stick of nicotine hanging loosely from the side of his mouth. ""Black Raven laughed and tormented his brother, "Only one thing can kill me, the same thing that can kill you: an axe." He said."" Nii laughs darkly at himself, gazing intensely at the bunny doll, and holding it closely with the grips of his fingers.
""An axe? Well, maybe that will kill you, but only a whip can kill," White Raven said. White Raven was lying to his brother because he had become suspicious of him after all the cruelty he had observed. He feared his twin brother might try and kill him."" Nii continues mimic the bunny doll talking. He sits in small dorm of his room with his back against the wall, and legs stretched out on the tiny bed. His lab coat hangs on the back of the computer chair, beside his messy and unclean desk. The desk linger smell of days old of black stale coffee. ""That night when the moon was full, when the earth bathed in cool beauty of its beams; Black Raven crept up his brother as he slept, and the loud crack of a whip echoed through the stillness of the night."" Nii says, mouthing around his cigarette as he continues gesturing and mimicking the toy doll in his hands. The bunny doll smiles back endlessly, and the abundances of secrets that it holds behind its endless and watchful smile.
""Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" White Raven cried, rising from his bed in pain and anger. "Is there no limit to your evil?" He screamed at his brother, grabbing an axe. In anger, White Raven drove an axe deep into his twin brother's skull. Blood spew from the splintered skull, spattering his white feathers and covering him in gore..."" Nii says in a low and steady voice, gesturing the bunny doll's arms as if it's in pain.
Nii moves himself closer to the small window, sitting his dark room with one leg crossed and one leg up, resting one arm loosely atop of it. The bunny doll sits beside him, its head resting against on the side of the doctor's thigh. He opens the blinds a bit, as stream of white and warm light enters the room. He turns his head away a bit, and returns looking out the window as mere frown appearing across his lips, watching the full moon silently. "White Raven watched his brother die. All the anger filled his heart with remorse. He was a lover of life and was horrified of his own actions. He looked down at his mountain-maker hands disgusted in shame. He had only created life until now, and brought death to his own brother..." Nii says darkly in an unsteady and wavering tone, blinking his eyes and swallowing hard. His head hanging low between his shoulders.
"The blood stained his white feathers as darkness gripped his heart and soul. He tried all his might washing the blood of his murdered brother. The dark stain spread, covering his body. He was no longer covered in white feathers. He was now covering black; the soul of his lost twin had entered into him, where joy and love of life once been, and darkness and brooding prevailed." Nii continues with a trembling note in his voice, blinking his eyes rabidly as his mask fall, still hanging his head low. Strands of black hair, loosely covers the black-framed glasses of his eyes. His cigarette dangling from the tips of mouth, smouldering as it continues to burns slowly. Silent tears slowly roll down from his black eyes and down his cheeks. The bunny doll curls loosely around his fingers, holding from its sides, remaining closely beside him.
"Raven was overcome with sadness, and he withdrew from the world in deep grief."
Footnote:
1. Northern Tribes knew this moon as Crow Moon. This moon appears in month of March, when cawing of crows signalled the end of winter.
2. Ravens are known to be mystical and mythological creatures, and often appear within the deity itself. They are known to be good and bad, or both. However, they appear to be more of a devious trickster than their cousin, Crow.
3. Crows are similar to Ravens. However, Crows are closely connected to earth with their cousin, Eagle. They are often the main characters of the stories with themes that speak of justice, rather than greed.
