the Beginning Time
There is the story each Papillion pup listens to before they even open their eyes, the story that is retold on the day of a wolf's first kill. It is one of the few things a Papillon remembers.... even if not exactly.
Due to Papillon habits of forgetting and imbellishing, the story of the Beginning Time might not be entirely accurate, but each Papillon remembers it is based on certain truths that cannot be forgotten. Details are immaterial.
When the Cycle started its Eternal Rotation, there was, in the center of all that is, a Forest. The Forest was more beautiful than can be described with words or be painted with mortal pigments. There winters were mild and spirngs lasted longer than any place else, and, by the grace of Balance, the sun rises and sun sets lasted for hours, the entire sky alighting with firey beauty.
The forest existed, but found Her existence empty... She was alone. She wished for a companion... a counterpart.
One day she noted the tears of the stars* that blanketed her each morning. They glistened with life but disappeared before midday, life spans too short to learn to speak. So the Forest gathered the dew each morning, and hid it in her many flowers, to protect it from the sun. When She had all She could carry, She released them all at once to flow together, hoping that together they could survive the heat of the sun. They became the River Startear.
Now the Forest was acceptable for the animals, whom the Cycle had held back, knowing that the Forest alone could not have supported them. Her new children named her Firesky, which suited Her very nicely. Now the Forest, at last, could be Balanced.
Firesky knew only joy for many, many years. Yet, with time, She became restless and sad.... She loved Her children dearly, but She wanted childen of Her own making.
Firesky was well aware She could not allow Her new children disrupt Balance, but She did want the best possible for Her children. So She choose Butterfly, defenseless and beautiful, and Wolf, noble and majestic, to create Her new children from.
Thus were born the two Papillon species.
The larger Papillon were wise, even if forgetful. Firesky named their kind Asahiko.
The smaller Papillon were smaller only in body, but not in spirit. Firesky named their kind Sakura. So
Firesky was at last content, and She watched over all her children equally, even if the Papillon had a special place in Her heart. This is why She was so upset when they began to quarrel.
When making the Asahiko, Firesky realized that their wings would suffer more wear and tear than that of a butterfly, so She gave them the ability to willingly shed and regrow their wings. The problem was some of the Asahiko believed it was not worth it to grow wings at all! These rebel Asahiko were shunned by their winged siblings. They formed seperate clans: the Hikari, who maintained their wings, and the Jitsuko, those who were flightless. They eventually became friendly with one another, but some hostilities still remain..
Meanwhile, the Sakura had found a baby race, called hoomyns. The Sakura felt sorry for them. They had no wings to fly, nor fur to keep them warm, or even claws to keep them safe. So they began to look out for them; they showed them what fruits were good to eat, which places were best to hunt, and led their children back to them when they were lost... nevermind that it was often due to playing with Sakura that the children had become lost. It was during this time that the Sakura developed the ability to establish a permanent mindlink with their favorite hoomyn.
But, things live and die, for it is the way of the Cycle. Firesky and Startears' time was near. Twoleggers who smelled badly came invaded the Forest, lighting parts of Her to drive the inhabitants towards warparties. Many brave Papillon (of all the clans and species), hoomyn, and other animals died fighting them, but in the end Firesky was razed and Startear dried. Few Papillon escaped alive, scattered thinny across many, many furlongs.
The devistation brought by hoomyn warriors threw the Sakura into Chaos. Many believed all hoomyns were accountable, and should be avoided and hidden from. Others believed hoomynity was divided between good and bad, and that the good should not be punished for the travesties committed by the bad. They believed they should still be friendly to twoleggers. The Sakura ended up doing as their their larger cousins had done long ago; they split into clans. The Duuyo shun hoomyns and other twolegged races, while the Kenjin are friendly and open with them.
So the Papillon have been left to rebuild and to work together despite thier many differences...
Each Papillon that tells the story ends by sending the youngster an image mentally... it is one that stays burned into the fickle Papillon memory... and that is of Firesky at sun set, in all its blazing glory.
* Papillons tend to believe that at night, the stars cry silently, which is why, in the morning, the world is covered with dew. Rain, depending on whether occuring during the night or the day, is either the tears of the sun or the moon. Why these celestial bodies cry is explained differently by different Papillon, often due to different Clan beliefs.
.:back:.
