She-Who-Calls-The-Dead and her nameless daughter fluttered through the sky, following the elder human and younger human, who walked hand-in-hand towards the Dead Place. Here and there, they pecked at holes in the ground that they thought might contain worms, or perhaps a nice, fat bug or two. After some time, the two humans stopped.
"The elder one will be greeted by Grandmother Death shortly, youngling."
"How do you know this, mother?"
She-Who-Calls-The-Dead lifted her beak in the air and ruffled her wings. "There is a smell about the air, a feel to the wind. You will learn it in time, dear. For now, you can simply trust me."
"I'm scared."
"As you should be, but you will be safe. The spirits of human-kind are big, and they are frightening, but they cannot harm you. We must do as we have always done. We will call to them, mimicking the voice of their ancestors. Their ancestors will call to them as well. And they must choose which call to follow to the Sunless Lands."
"And if they choose to follow us?"
"Then you shall gain a Spirit, daughter. And you shall gain your name."
"But what of them?"
"What happens to the humans when they pass into the Sunless Lands, I do not know. We birds hear much, but that is beyond even our reach."
"How many Spirits do you have, mother?"
She-Who-Calls-The-Dead cocked her head. "You will learn in time that is not a question you should ask aloud. The truthful answer is, I do not know. I lost count around one hundred and seven."
Her nameless daughter cawed in surprise. "What are they doing now?"
"They are telling their stories. They are people of stories, of tales, like we are. They are telling the tale of the All-Conqueror, who created his own twin in order to help him rule the world. His twin then rose up and imprisoned him. Despite this, the All-Conqueror still offered his counsel from beyond the walls of his prison. Together, they flew to the Sunless Lands and conquered Grandmother Death.
"The women of the tribe tell a different version of the story altogether. In their story, the All-Conqueror creates his own twin without intending to do so. The two are mortal enemies from the very beginning, and after many long seasons of war, the twin finally defeats the All-Conqueror, whose mind has grown frail with the rot of evil."
There was silence for a time as She-Who-Calls-The-Dead pecked at the ground, idly. After a bit, her daughter spoke.
"Which one is the true tale?"
"Ah, my daughter. Well, we birds have our own tale as well. Come, roost. We have time to wait before we must make our calls. I shall tell you our story."
This is your final exam. You have 630 hours to complete it.