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 Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 10:32 am
Lunador coming soon! A howl, eerily familiar, rings across the mountains and echos into the valleys. This time it reaches only the ears of an even smaller number of male Lunars, summoning them to the dark embrace of the pine forest once again. For those who enter the forest in response to the call, the smell of the air, the feel of the forest underfoot, and even the sounds had changed from their normal routine. It all seems older than anything on the island should be, as if the forest's roots stretch back to the seams of time, entwined with the fabric in a tenuous embrace. The creature was near the center of the forest, where a clearing that hadn't existed before now was. This time he was not covered in shadow, but basking in the light of the full moon that nearly dwarfed the twinkling stars. A small fire crackles in its pit, contained and tame for the time being. Lunador is definitely wolvish in appearance, but his size could challenge any European Kyn's strength. The Eldest, front paws crossed in front of him and his tail tucked neatly at his side, is watching everyone arrive. His coat glimmers faintly with each movement, sparkling as if the night sky was trapped in the fibers of his fur. He is old, gray-nosed and bearded, but undoubtably strong. "Welcome, you few remaining. Fewer still, when we are done." His voice is melodious as he speaks, yet innately mournful. It is as if he has simply seen too many winters, making him jaded, yet he is entranced by the simplest of visual pleasures: the moon's light across the forest floor, the way the fire dances in the faint breeze. With a small sigh, he continues. "Sometimes, the truth is not what should be shared. I want you each to tell me a story in answer to my question. Whether you tell the truth or not is up to you."
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Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 10:40 am
Entries are due by December 31st
Judging for this event is based on: creativity, grammar, and getting your point across
You are not allowed to read the entries of the other competitors until after you have submitted your own. For this reason, all entries are to be posted in white text.
If you reference mythology, science, or anything else, it would be wonderful if you provided links. In that situation, please PM them to me. I'll add them to your post after everyone has submitted their entries.
Entries are ideally less than one page long, but should be greater than 250 words. I'm not going to count or check, but please be reasonable.
The Gift of the Moon is roughly valued at 10,000; this event is free, however.
Remember that the Gift of the Moon changes your Lunar permanently. This includes items for the time being. The Gift of the Moon cannot be given away, and is only usuable by the Lunar it is given to.
Hints are suggestions, not directions you have to take.
Choose one of the following Tasks to answer:
- Why does the moon wax and wane?
- Where do reflections in water come from? (Hint: think about the moon's reflection, specifically)
- Why do stars twinkle?
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Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2008 7:24 am
In response to the first prompt, "Why does the moon wax and wane?"
Once upon a time, the world was nothing but chaos. Flecks of Light and Darkness fought for control for countless millennium, battling each other for the right of creation.
The conflict centred around a mass of land, water, and life. This was the Kyn Island, whose inhabitants lived in a world of swirling light and darkness, a world of perpetual twilight.
Over time, light and darkness began to gather their forces, forming two great armies. Both forces were now united against each other, and the battle rages on to this day. The two armies chases each other across the sky, never willing to truly break up into smaller forces. The inhabitants eventually called the army of light 'Day', and the army of darkness 'Night'.
One day, a general of the army of light decided to attack the darkness from within.
"We can not win by constantly chasing them like this!" He argues. "If we are to bring the darkness down, then let them collapse from the inside!"
His name was Brave Vesperia, and one of the most influential generals of the light army. His stirring speeches convinced many of the army of light. He was eventually given permission by the Sun, the head of the Army of light, to launch his attack.
And thus, Brave Vesperia took his finest troops, and slipped into the darkness, attacking wherever they sense the darkness was weak.
The attacks lasted for many years, and while many soldiers of both sides died, Brave Vesperia was eventually able to claim several areas for the light. These small conquered area are called by inhabitants of the world as "stars".
Brave Vesperia was proud of his work, and soon stars covered the entire sky, providing bright beacons of hope that surface dwellers could use as a guide when the army of darkness was overhead.
The Sun was not pleased though.
"Many of our troops have died in your quest." The sun roared. "And while you were successful, what have we accomplished?"
"We have attacked the heart of darkness, my lord." Brave Vesperia responded. "The stars provide us many bases with which we can attack our enemy."
The sun glowered at his most prized commander.
"Remember the goal of our battle. To bask those on the surface in our brilliance, to provide them with light with which they can see and live in. Many of our troops have died in your quest." The sun said once more. "While our stars glow brightly in the sky of darkness, they cast no light upon the surface world, with which the creatures of the Island can use."
Frustrated, Brave Vesperia was forced to stop his invasions into the darkness. He returned to his home in a particularly high cloud, where he was greeted by his younger sister, Luna.
The girl hugged her older brother as he neared. He noticed that Luna was in battle gear, a sword belted at her hip.
"What is it?" He asked. Luna smiled and stepped back.
"Ask the sun to allow us one more chance." She said. "One last attack within the midst of the darkness. I will accompany you."
Brave Vesperia was bewildered, and shook his head.
"No sister, even if we carve another star out of the darkness, we will not make much difference." He tried to explain, using the Sun's logic. Luna just smiled, and said "Trust me."
And thus, Brave Vesperia went back to the Sun, and requested another attack on the darkness. The Sun did not want to grant Brave Vesperia's request, but finally gave in to the commander's convincing words.
"It will be for naught, I tell you." The Sun said tiredly. "But do as you please. One last chance."
Brave Vesperia gathered all his troops, and this time, his sister Luna joined their ranks. In one massive head-long attack, the Light carved a large segment out of the forces of darkness. This wasn't a star, what they carved out was many hundred time larger than the stars. It was a great shining beacon in the night, and the land dwellers calls it the "moon". The Sun was satisfied; the Moon provided a large amount of light for the dwellers of the land. And thus, the Sun allowed Brave Vesperia to sustain the new fortress.
The darkness panicked, and withdrew all of its forces from fighting the stars, and instead focused all its troops on the moon. And thus, the stars stand to this day, unchallenged by the darkness
With suddenly all of the forces of darkness besieging it, the moon started to falter, and collapsed under the assault, until the Darkness finally crushed the moon.
The Light fought back, and slowly carved out a large segment of light again. When Brave Vesperia was sent to maintain one of the brightest stars in the sky, Luna took over the battle for the moon. She was eventually named the Child of the Full Moon.
To this day, the Light and Darkness continues this cycle, of claiming, losing, and reclaiming the piece of sky called the moon. And that is why the moon waxes and wanes, its shape changing daily.
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Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2008 4:23 pm
Why do stars twinkle?
It had been many moons since Taku had heard the howl that had summoned him from his den, and in those many moons he had been tracking the whereabouts of the source. He had left poke in the care of Shiro and everybody else, and even though he was worried for his clan’s wellbeing, he knew they would be alright.
But now, finally he had heard the howl again. His ears pricked, knowing the sound was coming from the forest. Taku Sprinted towards the area, the speed with which he ran and the cool night air rushing through his fur invigorating him.
His pace slowed once he reached the forest. All his senses were alert, and they told him that something was different this time. The scent of the forest seemed old, ancient even. Taku’s ears lowered, and cautiously he stepped into the forests shadow. Already his nose could detect another creature was hidden within its depths, the one which had summoned him here.
It didn’t take him long to reach the clearing. Once there, he gasped at the sight before him. It appeared to be some sort of lunar kyn…but the Size! He was s big as a European kyn! And his canine teeth were so large, he could see them protruding from the sides of his muzzle.
Slowly, Taku immerged from the shelter of the trees and into the clearing. He could see and smell a few other lunars in the area, but wasn’t sure of their identities.
As the Lunar spoke, Taku could detect an air of sadness around his voice. He seemed tired, yet peaceful at the same time.
When asked to tell him a story, Taku seemed quite taken back. It seemed such a simple task, but the weight of it was also immense. What kind of story could he possibly tell this great beast? As he pondered away, his mind went back to a time when he was still just a pup, and poke was trying to get him to go to sleep (he always seemed his most energetic right before bedtime).
Taku had run outside, and was now gazing up at all the stars in the sky.
“wwooww, look at them all!” he barked while trying to jump up and down, as if he was able to just snatch one from the sky with his paw. As he jumped, poke had run up behind and snatched him from the air. “Aha! I got you, you rascal!”
“awww!” The lunar pup whined in protest. “But I don’t wanna go to bed…hey! Pokey, can you tell me a story?” At this he turned around and give the old “puppy-eyed” face, to which poke sighed. She could never resist him when he looked that cute…
“Well…I spose I can tell you one story...” she sat down on the rock and absent-mindly stroked the puppy’s soft, fluffy fur and continued. “It was told to me by an old lady in a small village. I had stopped to help her cut some firewood…”
His mind now focused, Taku repeated the words of the story that poke had told him to the large lunar kyn.
“There was once a small girl who lived in a grassy meadow, all by herself. She had a peaceful life, but sometimes she felt very lonely, and wanted a friend to talk to. One day, she stumbled across an injured wolf pup, and taking it back home she nursed it back to health. The pup stayed with her and they spent hours every day playing games and having lots of fun. Then one day when the wolf had grown up, he disappeared, and the girl went out the find her lost companion. As she looked for him, she was attacked by a large bear. She ran away from the beast, but he pursued her. Just went he was about to catch her, the wolf came back! The bear and wolf fought each other for a long time, until the wolf was able to kill him. However, he was not without injury himself; the bear’s long claws had slashed him many times. The girl was crying now, knowing that she was about to lose her best friend forever. But the wolf told her that he would not be completely gone, as his spirit would join the countless others in the sky, and there he would watch over her and keep her company from afar. He then passed away, and his spirit rose up and traveled into the sky, were it became a shining star.
So now, whenever the girl felt sad or lonely, all she had to do was to look up at the night sky and look for her star. And when she found it she would watch it twinkle, for that was her wolf friend’s spirit letting her now that he was watching over her.”
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Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 8:06 am
Entry 1: Why Stars Twinkle (Racer's entry)
The call had been issued and the brothers had responded. Their paces matching each others, their eyes facing forward and not around. Upon coming to the meeting in the announced clearing, both bowed their heads in respect before placing their haunches upon the ground to wait for the others. It wasn’t long before the rest had gathered and the older started to speak. The brother’s eyes remained fixed, ears perched and listening. Stories they had to tell, but there was one hitch, they supposed they had to tell their own and not one with each other. Seemed simple enough as the silver brother stepped back a pace to give his brown colored brother his room to think and to speak of his tale, one the silver brother would hope to equal in knowing.
Racer, the brown brother raised his head high as dark eyes closed in thought. His mind raced a blank, before filling with tale, to tell the tale would take much contemplation and tried to bid his brother to speak first, no avail, seemed the older had to speak first before the younger. What a world it was that the eldest had to be the first in line, shoulders rolling a bit as an ear turned back to the silver brother whom was as silent as the stars over head, ah yes the stars. That was one thing that was to be mentioned, the question of why they twinkled? Sounded simple enough it seemed.
“The twinkle of light, the glimmer of tears. The stars they twinkle much to the tears of those who have fallen.” His head raised toward what sky could be seen on this clear night. “Shimmering and shinning, they look much like the bugs who light up the ponds, but why do they really twinkle? It was many years ago, When a great war ravaged the lands between species and generations. Many were lost, one the son of an elder Lunar. This lunar wept for many turnings of the moon.
In her grief, small spots had started dotting the blank skies over head. She soon fell to grief and she too lost her own life, but the skies still wept in her absence. It was said that her tears were turned to stars and that they twinkle whenever another is lost by either natural death. Or they were taken by another’s paw. And reflect the grief of the loved ones who knew those that were lost.”
He ended it there, not overly sure of where else to take it. Racer could only hope that it wasn’t too boring a tale, he had remembered most from a story his mother told. But in great sadness, he couldn’t remember the whole thing thus his tale was short, shorter then he had truly wanted. He hoped that his silver brother could do better to impress the one who summoned them.
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Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 8:07 am
Entry #2: Why the moon waxes and wanes(Moonshadow's entry)
The silver brother listened to his brown counter part’s tale and shook his head some. He knew his brother could do better then that. He supposed that it was the pressure that had gotten to him. Taking a breath, he nosed at his brother trying to get him to feel more accomplished then he might have felt before stepping forward to tell a tale of his own. He had thought hard about what was presented before them, his brother told of the stars and now it was his time to tell about the moon. The moon it seemed to shine down upon them all before the silver brother looked away from the shinning orb, the one he was so cleverly named after, though he took no pride within it.
“There have been many stories about the moon and why it does what it does, but none know why, truly way it shows itself the way it does.” He began, though his thought too seemed jumbled, mixed and mashed together incomplete. “It was a long time ago, long before the time of our brothers and perhaps even before them. The lands were young at that time and their existences small. Sure the moon would rise and it would be fall with the rotation of sentries between it and the sun.
It was a cold night when the moon was still bright and shinning down upon the lands a terrible crime was committed. The stars they began to twinkle in the shame of it all. The crime didn’t go un-noticed as the moon kept watching that of whom did the wrong. Where ever the wrong doer went, the moon followed, until it was caught. As punishment, the young kyn was banished to the moon to forever run as where ever it went the light followed. Thus now to this day, when the moon waxes and wanes, it is the light following the kyn who had done wrong all those generations ago. Some say, he still runs just a head of the light and barely behind the shadows.”
Moonshadow too ended his tale short, and felt the same shame of his brother as he stepped back and sat beside his brown counter part, His face hidden within shadows and his eyes looked down cast, not even the comforting nudges from his brother could help.
“We are sorry for our failure, it is not easy for one to become two when the two are only complete when they are one.” The brother recited in unison, though their voices low and ears laying back to await the decisions of the larger lunar. Knowing well that their uncompleted tales were less then worthy to their own minds.
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Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 6:25 am
((Ganon... This is the event for males. Did you read the rules and intro post here? It clearly states Lunar males. And considering that Lunadore is the male Elder, and that the female is at the ranch...
It's a good entry, but it's not the same prompt for the Lunar females. That, and I give more than a handfull of days to get the elder prompt responses written. ^.^;
We are, however, still waiting on DW to get her post for Blue-Eyed Beast in))
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Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 8:35 am
((Entrants have until 11:59 tonight, right before midnight, to get their entries in. If you know of anyone who has not submitted, please please contact them about it.))
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Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 10:49 am
The elder Lunar considered each story in turn, his eyes closed in silent contemplation. It was a long time after the last Lunar spoke before Lunadore opened his eyes and nodded briefly.
"You all are good storytellers, and it interests me that every one of you prefers legend and myth over reality." He chuckled faintly, standing in a stiff movement and stretching over his forepaws. "But I can only give the Gift of the Moon to one of you."
"It is not without risk, of course, accepting this gift. Its effects cannot be reversed, and it will forever separate you from the world you now know and thrust you into something completely different." He looked at each of them in turn as he spoke, but his eyes lingered on one Lunar in particular.
"So I will ask one final time. Racer, do you take on the burden on the moon's light?"
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 6:00 pm
[[ *Hopes she's answering this right* xD ]]
The brothers look at each other as Racer stood upon his paws and took a small step forward to slightly approach the elder. Though Shadow looked at his brother with both sadness and admiration that he was going to apart of something greater then what they already were. Racer stood tall, forepaws planting themselves together. He was shaking on the inside, surprised that the elder actually spoke to him, surely someone else would have been chosen? Well he wasn't about to disregard the question that was thrown to him to answer.
"I take on the burden with a whole heart." He answered, his mind reeling about everything that was happening. Hoping that he had answered to what was hoped of. Behind him, he could still feel his brother's gaze, wishing everything that his brother could join him in this cause.
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 7:02 pm
Zephyr released a breath that he didn't know he was holding as the elder addressed not him, but another lunar. Oddly enough, he felt relief flooding him, and felt his tense muscles relax.
The elder Lunar had first called for him long long ago- more than a year ago, now that Zephyr considered it. He had accepted the challenge, but had always been uneasy about this mysterious 'gift' that was offered. Part of him felt that it was his responsibility to do his best to achieve this gift, for whatever it is, he was sure it was of significant importance.
But another part of him shirked away from the idea of receiving such a burden, for he had always been content with his life, and feared upheaving it. So while part of him was disappointed, he easily pushed that side out with his relief and acceptance.
Zephyr then wondered if it was time for him to take his leave, then and there. Zeph had come out into the wild to look for his missing little sister, Origin, who had gone missing a few days previously. He had been sidetracked by the summoning calls of the Elder Lunar, which he answered, but his concern for Oreo was rising once again.
Especially with the recital of his story, the story of Brave Vesperia and the Child of the Full Moon. It was a story he had created for his little sister long ago, and one he had adapted for the questions the elder had asked.
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Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 4:18 pm
Taku had also relaxed after the elder lunar had asked racer about the gift. Now, he was able to go back to the clan and make sure everyone was alright. He had spent so much time tracking the elder lunar, he had had no time to see them properly.
There was also something else, something that unsettled him about what the elder lunar had said, about being seperated from his own world. He had heard of the stories of lunars becoming much more powerful, but he did not want to be seperated from poke and the others as a result of it.
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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 1:51 pm
The eldest Lunar nodded briefly, shaking out his coat. "There isn't much time, I fear. Most clans are back at the place you call the ranch. We must all hurry there. Racer, I encourage you to use your Gift alongside Zareb as soon as we return."
He danced away from the group, surprisingly agile despite his graying fur. "Hurry, there isn't time for us to waste here any longer." And with that, he sprinted off into the forest, moving faster than any Lunar could.
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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 5:53 pm
Racer gave a nod, though looked to his brother before he would follow the elder Lunar. He knew his brother would be separated from him now that things were about to change. Shadow smiled at his brother sending a message that only he could understand. Shadow nodded biding farewell to his brother before turning and dashing off back to the den. It would be there that he would wait for his brother to return, true his brother would be different, but still... He would still be his brother.
Turning to where the elder had vanished, Racer dashed off behind him, moving as fast as his legs could take him, he hoped to try and catch up. The Ranch, he hadn't really been there before, but it would be a first, Following the scent of the elder, following the trail, it lead him toward their destination where he would arrive behind the elder and stand at his side glancing about...
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