Author's Note: I'd like to thank Torny for his review, and a special thanks to Miveen for her corrections and criticism (I'll edit the prologue as soon as I can). More reviews would be welcome – and please give as much criticism as you can.

Also, a special thanks to the D'ni Dictionary, which I used to write the various D'ni phrases in the chapter. A translation will appear at the bottom of the page.

Chapter 1: Encounter

The three of us entered the Forbidden Valley during the afternoon break. Of course, it took us a while to plan for our entry. Judging by a small D'ni watch kept in the Chamber of Discipline – a mystery in itself, for how could a device that small operate without the use of fire or water? – It was night in D'ni. Our presence would be undetected.

If there was a single living soul in the Valley, he would have seen three shadows looming over the limestone wall: one peering downward in fascination, one crouched bravely like a predator about to jump its prey, and one cringing nervously

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" the cringing shadow would ask, the chirps in his native Bahro-speak sounding more like a whimpering, defenseless creature.

"No," the crouching shadow would respond, "But if we came back and told everyone in the Den that we spend an entire mark in the Forbidden Valley undetected, we would be honored like the heroes of the Great Rebellion."

"And lashed like them, too!" cringing shadow snaps, rising up a bit in defiance, "Remember what the elders said about entering?"

"Yes," replies the crouching shadow, a tinge of irritation in his growls, "But what's a few lash marks among us? Parrin, you slept in yesterday, and you still have the scratch wound from it. Kantath was hit in the head for eating a maggot in the middle of a lecture."

"He's right," the gazing shadow remarks, "If we were beaten any more, we would have to grow more skin for them to mark!"

The crouching shadow shoots up, making the first shadow shrink down in fright, "See, Parrin? At least the grub-guzzler gets it."

"There still is the question of what happens if it rains," the third shadow states, trying to protect his cringing comrade, "It will get in my eyes – and you remember how sensitive my eyes are."

The crouching shadow returns to his original position and scoffs, "If you two human-spawn want to see rain, go ahead and wait it out. I'm going to go myself."

At once, the shadow bounded into the valley (which would have definitely have scared away any observers) and onto a puffer plant, which shook and spurted pollen in every direction. The being, no longer silhouetted against the sun, turned to reveal himself as Kepik, the largest and most reckless of our group.

"Well, come on!" he shouted.

Parrin, formerly the cringing shadow, turned to me, the third and last shadow. "Should we go after him?" he inquired, like a timid servant before a violent dictator.

I couldn't help but chuckle. Parrin and I share a bond uncommon among others – stronger than that of a usual friend, but weaker than that of mates. "Brothers," Nraavat Ai called it. When our people were permitted to raise our own young, rather than give them up to servitude, such a bond was formed among the offspring of the same mother. I still do not quite understand it, for how can such a crude connection create such a complex bond?

Although I never experienced brotherhood, I'm pretty sure my relationship with Parrin must be kind of like that. He is younger and weaker than I am, so he often relies on me for aid and comfort. I even helped him out of a few violent scenarios in the Corridors. Nonetheless, I do not feel this is a burden; on the contrary, it seems like it's my duty to protect him.

"Why not? We can't him eat all the Keanulints, can we?" I smirked, recalling the many occasions when Kepik literally caught and devoured several large Keanulints in a matter of marks, with no ill effects. "Besides, what will the D'ni eat?"

Parrin chuckled, but suddenly turned to me and asked shyly, "But I thought the D'ni hated bugs!"

"That was supposed to be a joke, youngling." I grumbled.

Parrin hissed; he hated when anyone called him "youngling," "I'm being serious, Kantath! They don't eat bugs!"

This always raised a heated debate: what did the D'ni eat? Nobody from our Den knows, but Parrin always expects me to know the answers.

"That is true. Ancient texts said that the Ronay found our diet as repulsive," I began, trying to remember Nraavat Ai's lectures, "and made for themselves a delicacy 'as soft as clouds, made from the heads of long grass.' Says so in the Runes of the Ronay, one-circle two-mark."

"Yes, I know that," snapped Parrin, "but I tried to the fog once, and I didn't taste anything! And when I tried to eat grass…"

"Wait… you tried to eat grass?"

"Yes!"

This was honestly taking too long. As Kepik so generously pointed out, if we wanted to see the rain, then we could just wait for it. Just then, I had an idea.

I smiled, "Well, why don't you try it again!"

And with that, I shoved him off the cliff, sending him shrieking not into the grass as I expected, but the pond. It wouldn't matter either way, anyway. Bahro tend to be very hardy creatures. The three of us (or at least Kepik and I) used this to our advantage.

Parrin arose from the pool in what even an upside-down beetle would find to be the least graceful way possible. In a usual case, he would clamber onto his hind legs and bellow ridiculous threats that he would never fulfill, but not this time. I tackled him to the ground before he could.

From that point on, the time decided to move faster than its usual slow march. We were younglings then, so we did what younglings were meant to do: forget all the bitter dangers that lurked around the corner and simply play. Being exposed in the Forbidden Valley was a heresy that could shatter every rule set down by the elders many ages ago. We knew this well, but the fact that it was taboo made the experience all the more fun.

Maybe the three of us stayed for the mark we had agreed on, maybe we stayed for a whole circle. We were enjoying ourselves too much to keep track of such a tedious and depressing thing as time. We wrestled (where Kepik had the upper hand), we had races (the smaller, faster Parrin had the advantage – especially when he had to flee from Kepik after he won), and we drew various scribbles on the cliff walls with charcoal (which everyone agreed I had a bit of talent in doing so).

Just then, as I was sketching a drawing of the fireflies, I felt… I can't describe it exactly. A presence, one would say, but it was more than that. The air rushed in a way that it wasn't supposed to, like it was running away from something. An eerie sound echoed through the air; like a low groan of pain, together with a hum of pleasure and the shifting of sands. Only, it didn't sound like anything I've ever heard before in my life, and it sent a cold chill down my spine.

Even as the supernatural sound was whispered against the cliff walls, I felt the wind rush in an unnatural manner, like it was fleeing from something. Someone – or something – was there that had not been there before.

At first I thought it was the wind. After all, the sky was beginning to darken, and the storm was coming. But then, I heard yet a different sound, soft and short, but strong and with a fast pace. TAP, tap, TAP, tap, TAP, tap. Whatever it was, it was coming toward us.

I turned to Kepik and Parrin; they, too, had heard the noises. Kepik, always the one in charge, grunted, "Hide." I could tell that he, being the brave one among us, resented issuing this order, yet it was necessary. Kepik clambered up the cliff wall with his sharp claws helping him. Parrin hid behind a boulder – a foolish thing to do, for whatever it was that had arrived, it would be able to find him before Parrin could peer out from behind the stone and realize it. I took behind a leafy flower bed, which happened to be very convenient. The cover was thick enough to conceal me almost completely but allowed me to see enough of what was happening outside.

Darkness blanketed the Age, and the rain began to pound down on the earth, yet with my sensitive eyesight together with the glow from the fireless torches (another D'ni anomaly), I saw a vague figure silhouetted against the limestone wall. At first, I assumed it to be another Bahro, for I did not know of any other moving creature that could be so tall. But soon, I realized that it couldn't be. It was far too slender to be a Bahro, and walked upright. And the way it carried itself was differently; its claws were behind its back, and not held in front of it like a Bahro would. Stranger still was the way it walked. Its legs were not bent at the knee, and it walked very leisurely and with fluid grace.

What was this creature, some sort of spirit or a messenger of the Maker?

My thoughts were interrupted when a bolt of lightning emerged from the heavens, striking against the rim of a nearby cliff, which made it dangerously unstable. The cliff began to crumble, sending a barrage of rocks down onto the poor creature. The being let out a low-pitched wail of terror before being knocked out cold.

As the rain receded, I scrambled towards the unconscious organism, followed by Kepik, who almost flew off of his hiding place, and a worried Parrin. The three of us stared at it, not knowing what to do, before Parrin summed up our alarm in one simple question, "What is it?"

Kepik looked closely at the limp form, before announcing coldly, "It's a D'ni."

Parrin and I looked at him inquisitively, "That's a D'ni?" I asked.

I looked back down at the body. I have always heard from the ancient texts that D'ni had soft, oily, almost wormlike skin, grew a crown of reeds from atop their heads, and clothed themselves with soft tapestries. The first thing that came into my mind whenever I heard this was a gigantic worm with grass growing out of one end and wearing a tattered, brightly colored tapestry around its middle.

This ancient description, I learned, proved to be horribly inaccurate. The form of the comatose closely took that of a Bahro, yet its figure was softer and frailer. There was a light material wrapped and closely fitted around its whole body, leaving every part covered except its head and its hands.

There were so many mysteries around this creature; the thick leathery substance where its feet should have been, the delicate features of its face, the weak claws which would have served very little use in climbing rocks. It was the most fragile thing I've ever seen. Such an animal could not exist in the wild, since it would make a terribly easy target for predators.

"Is it… still alive?" asked Parrin, his eyes filled with guilt and pity.

"Let's hope it's not," growled Kepik, "miserable parasite…"

Parrin looked at Kepik as if he offended him instead of the creature.

"What did that thing ever do to you?" snapped Parrin.

"It's not just him," snarled Kepik, "it's all of them. Ronay, D'ni – doesn't matter. Remember what it said in the Runes of Neglect? 'A people of wisdom and brotherhood, they claim to be, yet it was they who denied us their Art and it was they who captured the Tablet.'"

"So," Parrin scolded, "that doesn't mean the D'ni's at fault."

"Treachery runs in their tainted blood!" howled Kepik, "they murdered, beat, and tortured our fathers. I wouldn't be surprised if this creature's father lashed your own! And you want to help the poor slime?"

That's Kepik, all right. Not only is he the strongest of the three of us, but he is also the most knowledgeable of the ancient texts. Yet the texts only fuel his anger; the stories of oppression and cruelty make him more enraged at the D'ni.

Kepik, I think, was the exact opposite of Parrin. The latter was compassionate and gentle, while the former was cunning with a foul temper. It still surprises me why the two were friends, since they detested each other. But whether they liked it or not, they needed each other.

Naturally, neither of them admitted it.

"The masters said that we're supposed to be forgiving, remember? It's the Bahro way!" cried Parrin.

"The Bahro way? To Jaktooth's Age with the Bahro way! That's what's keeping us fifty feet below the ground where nobody can find us." Kepik retorted.

"If the elders heard you," roared Parrin, making himself sound as imposing as he possibly could, "they'd banish you!"

"And are the elders here, O mighty and righteous Parrin?" Kepik scoffed.

"W-why you…" Parrin stuttered, unable to think of a good retaliation. Kepik let out a short chirp of satisfaction; he had finally got to him.

"Why me… what?" smirked Kepik.

I had enough of this. My claws clenched into a fist, I struck Kepik in the back of his head.

"Kepik," I scolded, "stop it already!"

With a light flick of his wrist, Kepik smugly pushed away my arm. "Why," he asked in mock astonishment, "I was only asking 'why me?'"

I rolled my eyes. Kepik always took everything too far, especially when it came to taunting poor Parrin. Yes, true Kepik blasphemed against our traditions, but I often doubted the validity of them myself. But Kepik and Parrin – they were my friends. And Parrin's well-being was as important as the Tablet any day.

So what if we were slaves? No-one said we had to act like it – the three of us always made the best of our situations! In fact, I rarely took our rituals seriously. Why was there all this commotion about a Tablet we lost eons ago? We could make a new one, couldn't we? Our elders warned us time and time again never to come in contact with the D'ni, but what for? Here was an unconscious D'ni right in front of us!

Who was slowly coming to…

The human gave out a deep groan, like that of a falling tree. It then twitched its delicate hand. Then its head tilted upward, preparing for its ascent from the ground.

"It's waking up!" screeched Parrin. He then realized how inconveniently loud he was, and clamped his claws over his snout. As if that would help, anyway. The D'ni had already opened his pale grey eyes, and was staring right at him.

At first, it did nothing. It simply stared in our direction, as if it was looking right through us or at nothing at all. Perhaps it felt that we were just an illusion of its hazy mind that would vanish very soon. It blinked several times and ran its dull claws over the corners of its eyes before it finally realized that what it was seeing was real.

Now looking straight at us, alternating its panicked gaze between me, Kepik, and Parrin, it began to breathe quickly. Finally, it spoke in a strange, flowing language, "Kamrov… kamrov kentee?"

Parrin looked at me, as if expecting a translation – we had never heard such communication before, since we were only adapted to understanding short chirps and growls. The D'ni had begun to scramble to its feet, crying, "Kamrov kentee? Kahm kentee?"

Kepik looked at the startled creature menacingly, and began to slowly rise himself, raising an arm to strike it down. For him, this would be a dream come true: to strike down a son of the oppressor. But he never did. For some reason, he simply stood there and began to tremble, like he was trying to evade the powerful grip of an unseen adversary. For the first time in many circles, I could see alarm in his eyes.

Suddenly, I saw a flash of blue light and the sound of something rushing. When it cleared, Kepik was on the ground, groaning in agony. Parrin and I had no idea what to make of this. We looked back and forth between the two anomalies that came within our midst: Kepik's sudden injury and the now-bewildered D'ni.

Parrin immediately catered to the former problem, trying to help Kepik off the floor. As he did this, I tried to make peace with the D'ni.

I slowly approached the terrified creature, extending my arms as if to embrace it. "It's alright," I muttered, "We will not hurt you. I swear by the Tablet."

But the D'ni had seen enough. He (at least, I assumed it was a he) looked back at the wounded Kepik, then at me, and then sought an escape route behind him. He shrieked, "Rihl! Vehrehnehmah! Vehrehnehmah, mahnshooth!"

Although this might have been foolish, looking back, I stepped even closer. Immediately, the D'ni scuttled backwards. My words of peace did not seem to convince him. Finally, he picked up a rock, and held it in the air warningly. I doubted he could harm me, but I moved backwards nonetheless.

"Ken Esherokh D'nee," he cried, "Koozahehmah!"

With this finally word, we stood staring at each other, not knowing what to do. Finally, he ran as fast as he could, down the valley. After time passed, I heard the strange noise again – the mournful hum and the shifting sands – and then nothing. The D'ni had vanished from the world.

However, the Maker seemed to be in a very peculiar mood that day. Just as the D'ni vanished, another being came into existence, this time with a strange screeching sound.

I looked behind me…

"Nraavat Ai! What brings you here?"

D'ni Phrases (shown as D'ni – literal translation – English meaning):

Kamrov kentee? – What-person are you-plural? – Who are you?

Kahm kentee? – What are you-plural? – What are you?

Rihl! – No!

Vehrehnehmah! – stop-you-command! – Stop!

Mahnshooth – death-bringer (sort of the D'ni equivalent of the Grim Reaper. It is the closest thing I could find for "demon")

Ken Esherokh D'nee – I am Esher of D'ni

Koozahehmah! – Leave-you-command! – Go!