The Desert Sun

Write stories as told by your kin, either to fill Legendary requirements or just for fun.
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Ruriska
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The Desert Sun

Post by Ruriska »

It wasn’t unusual to find Journey with a new group of strangers, his legs tucked beneath him and a story on the tip of his tongue. It was a classic summer night, the cicada song was a constant drone and the air was still heavy with the day's heat.

Everyone had been idly complaining about how hot it had been that day and Journey took his chance to ask, “Have you heard where the sun comes from?”

There was a brief pause then a gentle rumbling of answers, all of them different. MotherFather’s eye, a big firefly that got stuck up there, a big ball of gas burning billions of miles away, were just some of the suggestions.

But Journey had a different story.

And his was from the desert.

“The place I come from is far hotter than anywhere else. Desert Acha know the sun very well, for it is our constant companion, both an ally and enemy. Without it there wouldn't be the land that we love so much.

But that was not always the case.

In the beginning, the desert was cold and dark. There was no sun to warm the land and no moon to light the way at night. There was only an endless frozen land, where frost crackled at every step and the only way to keep warm was to continuously keep moving.

Acha back then were covered in long fur and spent their lives hunting alongside packs of dogs, cousins of the sand dogs we now cherish. They roamed the barren lands, seeking heat and prey.

But how did they find their way at all in the endless night?

The dogs they hunted with glowed like miniature suns and during a hunt they could be seen streaking across the frost-covered world like shooting stars.

They sought the only other creature that lived there, white softly-glowing frost rabbits that could dig into the harsh frozen soil and ate the hardy moss that was the only thing that ever grew there.

It was a hard life.

And eventually even the rabbits began to dwindle in number.

Hunger gnawed at the bellies of all creatures and the Acha slept in great piles for warmth, never knowing if they would find something to eat the next day or if they would succumb to starvation.

Then one young Acha had a dream.

It is very rare for a kin to be given a second name.

But when need is great, sometimes a kin will discover a new naming dream, one that will lead them to a great future. When this kin slept they dreamed of a great light that warmed the land and chased a smaller one across the skies in endless circles.

When they woke, they knew what needed to be done.

They called together all the shivering, hungry Acha from across the frozen desert and with them came their dogs.

Together they began the great hunt.

They ran across the desert, over every inch, seeking every last rabbit. But they did not kill them. They herded them, the dogs snapping at their heels, collecting more and more, until they were a great hoard.

Rabbits followed by the glowing dogs followed by the Acha.

This was the last of their strength and they drove their prey to the cliffside that was the end of their domain.

They ran and ran.

To the edge of the cliff... and then over it!

But they didn’t fall.

They were running so fast they went up instead.

And the dogs followed.

The Acha all came to a halt with the dreamer at the front, watching as the rabbits and dogs continued the chase. Up and up until they were just glowing balls of light. They ran so high and so hard that they began to blaze.

Shielding their eyes, the Acha felt the world around them change. A brilliant heat filled them and their bodies felt properly warmed for the first time in their lives.

The sand dogs created such a brilliant light that it covered the whole world.

“What do we call it?” Asked the Acha, their eyes squeezed shut against the glare.

The dreamer smiled.

“Sun,” they said, for that was the new name they had been given.

The rabbits were also shining, though their light was far more gentle and when it was their time, the world was soft and full of shadows.

The never-ending hunt continues even now.

With the sun chasing the moon.

Around and around they go.

And sometimes they even catch them, covering the world in darkness once more, until the rabbits escape their bite.

With the sun in the sky, the desert was transformed and became what it is today. Now we Acha know both the great heat of the day and the bitter cold of the night, and when we look to the sky, we hope our loyal hunters never falter.”
word count: 827
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