How I feel? I feel...
Username: Lita Rutherford
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Name: Illiniwek - Meaning "The People", this name is a Miami-Illinois tribe name and is where the state name "Illinois" comes from.
Temper: Free
Domain: Freedom from Persecution - To free those from judgment and persecution for who they are, both from outside and within.
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His story:
(PLEASE: If you have had negative experiences coming out to your family, or are easily upset/triggered by those situations, it might be best to skip my entry.)He had never experienced pain. He never had been treated unkindly, never known a bad word or distrustful glance. His life had been full of kindness and acceptance since the first day he had come to the Kawani lands. A large herd along the coast had taken him in, amazed by his beauty and by his breed. Their very own herd, they believed, had been blessed with the presence of an Angeni. It had been everything he had dreamed of when he made the choice to descend.
But then came the visitors. Those from the outside, travelers and lost souls. Many simply passed through, occasionally one asked to stay, but they all brought tales of the outside. Tales of fear, all manner of creature harmed or ostracized for who they were and who they loved. At first, he simply could not believe it. They must be telling tales, horror stories, surely. The herd members, in an effort to protect their guardian from the harsh world outside, assured him this was the case. But while he was not wise to the world, he was no idiot, and over time the doubt grew, and the fear of what lay outside his small paradise grew.
The idea came to him after a particularly battered traveler passed through. She had been thin, battered and dirty. Her tale broke his heart, and made his stomach sick. She had once been a young colt, full of promise and life. Groomed to take over the family herd, promised to the mare of a neighboring herd, her life had been prearranged down to the finest detail. That was until she had come to her family and told them of the stallion who had stolen her heart. They had beat her senseless, assuring her that her family would help her. That they loved her...
Until she asked to be called she.
The angeni was in shock. Such horror, such torture. The herd tried to protect him, tried to hurry the beaten visitor away, to care for her but quiet her, least it taint their holy protector. It was no use, however. Outraged by what he had heard and witnessed, he set forth from the herd and left his paradise home, searching the land to learn the truth.
It had not taken long for him to find the truth. He came first upon a small village. There were a few Soquili, but most that seemed to live in the huts by the river were of the Kawani people. He took the form of one of them, a lean, strong male figure. The noon-day light glinted off his dark hair. He approached the first person, a frail woman of considerable age. She smiled to him, offering a greeting and her hand. He could not understand her, but the warmth and kindness need no translation. He offered his own greeting in return, bowing at the waist, a smile upon his lips. As he raised himself to look upon her again, however, that kindly smile was no longer. Her eyes were wide, her face ashen, pale. There was a fear about her, that confused him. He opened his mouth once more, asking who she seemed so fearful of. What terrified her so?
The scream was deafening. His ears rang and his eyes looked about wildly as more villagers came forth, spears and bows in hand. They shouted to him, and even the Soquili seemed to take up arms against him, shouting for him to leave. Calling him such names that he had never heard of. Skinwalker, Devil, Evil One, Freak.... demon... Each word cut into him and he reeled as if they were physical daggers cutting into his flesh. He returned to his Soquili form, surely that would calm the rage. And yet... it intensified. Now they advanced with purpose, the human and soquili alike. It took a moment, for someone who had never been in such a situation. But then it hit like a herd of buffalo. He was not safe.
He took to the sky with a great rush of his wings. His body shook, the emotions filling his body to the brim. Rocks flew through the air, then arrows shortly after. He dodged and weaved through the air, taking off as fast as he could. He felt the thump long before the sting of pain shot through him. Turning his head, he saw the stream of blood pour from the arrow lodged in his hindquarters. Soon, tears followed. His vision blurred and his body shook, and it was not long before he crashed into the forest, alone... injured...and afraid.
He will never be sure of how much time passed between the moment he crashed and the moment his purpose came to him. A small band, he would later be told had been looking for berries, made their way through the forest. Three Soquili, a mare and her two lovers, and two Kawani people, a male and his male mate, walked into the small clearing caused by his crash. They had gasped, stunned by the creature before them. Their chatter woke him, and he opened his eyes, weak from exhaustion and blood loss. The mare came to him, laying beside his head, whispering comforting words to him. The smaller of the human males came to his rear, touching the arrow. He turned to his stronger mate and said something, his tone urgent. The stronger one nodded and turned, rushing away with surprising speed. The two other Soquili moved to the outside and began to circle the area, ears back, eyes sharp. He spoke up, his voice weak, hoarse. "I am fine, friends..." He tried to say. "Please, do not worry for me. I am fine."
The mare shushed him like he was a foal. "You are injured, dear angel. Quiet now. They will return shortly with help."
His body reacted before thought. Springing up, he nearly knocked the small human male to the ground. "No!" His voice boomed. "No, you must not bring anyone here! You must not bring anyone to see me!"
The four strangers stared at him in shock, and worry. "Why not?" Called one of the guarding soquili. "What reason would you have for not accepting our help? What do you fear from us?"
He shook his head. "I am fearful... I am hunted... I have learned what this world holds and I...." His body shook and he collapsed to the ground.
Warm arms wrapped around his neck. He blinked, opening his eyes and looking down at the human male. He spoke, but the words held no meaning to him. He pulled away gently and changed, taking his Kawani form once more. Later, his new family would ask him why he had trusted them so. Why he had been willing to show what had been so dangerous before. And he never could give them an answer. But something in his heart told him he could trust them, that they would not hurt him as the others had.
"I am not like those that walk this land. And for that I must be afraid..." He said. The human male fell back, eyes wide and clearly shocked. But there was no scream. Instead, slowly, he moved to his knees and bowed to him. "No!" He reached forward, pulling the human off the ground. "Please... do not... Oh it is useless, you cannot understand me..."
"No, he does not. But we do, and we trust. You are an angel, dearest, and have nothing to fear from us. Help will be back shortly, rest now..."
He returned to his soquili form and rest he did. Help did come, as promised, removing the arrow from his rear. The soquili spoke to him, calming him and telling him tales. They had a small bit of land, just at the base of the nearby mountain. A clearing in the forest held their homes, and there were more of them. More of these kind souls that did not hide the world from him, but did not break against the winds of the darkness that had so shocked him. And he spoke to them in return, asking questions about what had happened to him, about how the world really was... and if he may be permitted to return home with them. They agreed quickly, and there he found his newest of homes.
Life resumed, and soon he was no longer an outsider but a member of their family. Soquili and Kawani alike, their little clearing was always abuzz with those whom had been outcast from their own families. The kindness of the kawani people shown through and soon he could speak to them as well, albeit non to well. As he found his place, so did he find his name, for never before had anyone called him other then "great one" or "guardian". The people of his new home granted him "Illiniwek", for he was they, and they were him. One people, together. And with time, and much teachings, he was traveling the lands to bring those in need to their little home. Those who had been sheltered, as he had, and were now lost in the world. Those who had been lied to and abused, like the kindly soul who had prompted his search. Those who feared what they were... who were bound by chains that could never be seen.
And for once, he felt sure of himself. He felt truly loved.
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