Sunday, June 26, 2011

Greely's Beginning

By Snowyclaw

All Jammers know of Greely, the dark wolf shaman, but what was he like in his early years; before magic, before Jamaa.

Chapter 1
The wind ruffled his fur as Greely stood on the grassy hill. Far below was a caribou herd, one that, luckily enough, stumbled right into pack territory. Darting in the shadows were the hunters, the swiftest and strongest of the pack, who brought down the large kill. These were the subordinate, directed by the beta they circled around the sick caribou separated from the herd, then the alpha gave the signal. Greely stepped forward.
"Get back here pup!" Growled the omega.
"I don't take orders from the omega," Greely snapped, glaring at the pale grey wolf. "I'm almost eight moons old, old enough to join in the pack hunts, I'm not a pup anymore."
The wolf winced at the cold fury in the young one's eyes. Legends of the sight, the power to see beyond, flashed through his mind, legends of dark wolves knowing dark magic...
"I'll be beta before you know it, then you'll regret treating me like a pup," Greely stalked off to the cave, joining his sister. Something moved in the corner of his eye, whipping around he found nothing. The omega looked nervous and wouldn't look at him directly.
The rest of the pack returned soon after, giving up meat for those not in the hunt. 
One wolf stood on moon watch as the pack drifted to sleep, Greely slept at the mouth of the den, under the stars.

Chapter 2
It was dark when Greely awoke, but he felt restless. He stepped lightly out of the den, making no sound. Greely murmured a greeting to the moon watcher, but he didn't turn around. Asleep are we? Greely chuckled to himself, ready to pounce on his pack-mate. Then he jumped through him. Yelping in surprise he looked at his paws; they were were made of a dark mist, not solid. His body looked asleep in the den. Is this a dream? Greely wondered. He spent the entire moonrise exploring the territory, never getting tired and never need to pause to catch his breath. Sometimes his mist shape would be wolf, other times a bird, but most of the time a shadow, melting into the landscape. As moonset came he wandered back to the den, gleeful from the freedom he experienced. Suddenly it was there again, something in the peripherals of his vision. He tried to catch sight of it, but it disappeared when he faced it. What if... Greely focused his outer eye on the den, while his inner eye roamed. This was the true sight, seeing things beyond, seeing the fabric of time and space. There was a tear in that fabric, and through it Greely could see dark and light, shadows and mist. He felt pulled toward it, like he was part of it. Looking back to the den he saw his pack and knew he must make a choice. 

Chapter 3
Greely knew where he belonged now. Stepping through the fabric he felt his shape give way, and felt the life he once knew end. Now a shadow in the mist. A grey heron formed from the mist, somehow he  was not surprised.
"What is your business shadow?" The heron murmured.
"I belong here, I am a dark wolf." Greely replied, the heron looked taken aback.
"Then you are the one foretold, welcome to the new land. I am Mira, the Sky Mother."
Greely felt the mist clear and found himself a wolf once more, yet still part shadow. He felt the magic of the Canyons fill his veins, filling him with a powerful energy. He could feel the aura of the world strengthen against his shadow magic, and he knew that his time had come.

The End of the Beginning

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Liza's Beginning

By Snowyclaw


Many of you know of Liza as the kind and caring shaman that first welcomed you to Jamaa, but no one knows of her beginning. It all started when a panda was born in a small bamboo forest, near rural China...

Chapter 1
"Where are you going ma?"
"Liza, it's time you had your own feeding grounds, I can't take care of you anymore."
"But ma..."
"You knew this day was coming, I'm going to leave you here, instead of making you finding your own stead. You should be grateful."
Only because of those humans getting too close, Liza thought. She watched her mother amble away, disappearing through the bamboo. I'm not sure if I'm going to miss her...
Liza spent over a year in her little bamboo forest, inspecting every inch of it, and obseving the curious people that lived nearby. One day Liza heard lound yells and destruction at the edge of the forest. Curious as ever she went to find out what was going on. She found the humans destroying what little land she had.No! They're stealing bamboo! I can't let this happen!Liza was outraged, just because they had strength doesn't mean they should take all the land for themselves! Gathering her strength she went to confront the humans.
"Stop!" Liza yelled. The humans looked up in amazement.
"Stop, you're destroying my home!" She cried out, they didn't seem to understand. A man came with a long pointed stick, holding it like a weapon.
"What are you doing?" Liza growled. Suddenly she felt a fire in her chest, and the world went black.

Chapter 2
Liza felt herself rising, she watched her lifeless body grow smaller and smaller, her spirit rising into the vast expanse of space. She watched Earth, then the Sun, then the galaxy, disappear as she traveled with the speed of light. The stars winked out, one by one, and she found herself suspended in complete dark, or light; somewhere in between.
"This is the world between the worlds," a voice echoed, "I am Father Sky, Zios. Your bravery in your past has brought you here, to a new land, in need of guidance."
"How? I'm only one. What do I do?" said the spirit-that-was-Liza.
"You will know in your heart. Other's will come, but you are the first panda, and will guide the animals,"  the spirit Liza felt his voice reach her very center, warming her, filling her with purpose, "Now open your eyes."
Liza felt the between world slide past her as she opened her new eyes. A grey heron, made out of light and mist, carried her down to the wonderful new world.
"I am Mother Sky, Mira. Here is your new home. Welcome to Jamaa."
Liza found herself standing alone in a forest of bamboo. Walking along the path she found a town filled with beauty and magic. Looking up she saw the glittering forms of Zios and Mira. She smiled.
"I am ready."

The End of the Beginning



The Story

By Animal Jam
And so it was that the Sky Father was named Zios. He created many stars and planets, and set them in motion. But after eons of creation, he became lonely. So he created the Sky Mother, a grey heron, and named her Mira. 

Mira was beautiful and kind and they were very happy together. She loved Zios deeply and often told him how talented he was, encouraging him to create. Together, Zios and Mira created their masterpiece: a lush land filled with oceans, mountains, meadows, and all kinds of plants and animals. They named this special world Jamaa, and for hundreds of years, the world and its animals were at peace. 

But today, all is not well in Jamaa. A mysterious dark force has crept into the land, stealing away animals and ruining the beauty of Jamaa. Only you can help save the animals and restore the world to its glory. Please help, for you are Jamaa's only hope.