Saturday, May 12, 2012

Harper's Beginning (Part 1)

By Snowyclaw

Not much is known of the seal shaman, Harper. What was her life like before she appeared so suddenly in Jamaa? Let's find out. . .

Chapter 1
"See that gathering of stars, my child?" the mother harp seal asked her daughter.
"Yes, mum," the pup replied.
"That is our spirit, the seal goddess Cithara. She is what gives all things beautiful to this frozen land. From her eyes shine the northern lights, from her sleek white fur comes the snow, from her silver claws the ice, and from her tail the endless currents of the ocean."
"How do you know she's there?"
"Cithara is always there, she is our protectress, our life-giver, and our guide wherever our travels take us. She lives within us, here on the ice, and in the realm of the ice spirits. We are her children, just as you are mine," the mother seal looked into the sky, her mind lost in the stars.
"You'll always be with me," the pup whispered, "right?"
"Sometimes you won't be able to see me, but I'll always be with you Harper."
"Always?"
"Always and forever."

Chapter 2
Forever did not last long. Though it felt like days the light never differed, and as hard as she searched, Harper could not see her mother in the dark waters of their breathing hole. Her mother had set out for a hunting trip and never returned. A tear slid down her face, freezing droplets forming in her snowy, white fur. Deep down Harper knew her mother was not coming back, and that's why she was different from the other seal pups. She was barely five days old, still pure white, certainly not a sleek, grey ten-day-old. Survival? Impossible. Heart heavy, but will strong, Harper set forth where no pup had gone before - the dark icy ocean. Harper gathered herself at the edge of the ice, stared into the dark depths, and plunged headfirst. She froze in shock, the icy chill of the ocean tearing at her with it's cruel talons, pulling her into its lair of everlasting sleep. Harper shook herself, even her spirit felt like it was shaking,  but she at last woke up and felt her body stir. I escaped, but this won't be the last time I evade the jaws of death, Harper thought. Even with the first flick of her tail she fell in love with the icy, forbidding waters. She new this was her home, and where she was meant to be. What she didn't know was that because of her close call with the endless sleep, her snow white fur would never fall. Harper would forever be the white seal pup that slid into the depths of the sea and found . . . hope.

Chapter 3
As Harper grew older she changed; though her body stayed small her spirit grew. The currents of the ocean could barely keep up as she cut the water like a streak of white lightning. At a standstill below the ice her silky white fur would glimmer and float in beams of sunlight, making her seem like a vision to fellow seals. The dazzling moonlight shining through the Arctic ice led her eyes to glow like stars. Other harp seals generally kept away, awed and intimidated by the strangeness of the white seal. Harper was fine with that. She spent her days and nights alone, and in doing so discovered the magic of silence. She could hear the voices of the distant whales, the whisper of the wind above the arctic ice, and the murmur of the sea currents on their travels. One night, however, she heard something else. What is that . . . singing? Harper though. She slowly pushed herself up onto a thin ice sheet, listening keenly. Hearing nothing she sighed, looking up at the stars of Cithara, the seal goddess, that her mother had shown her long ago. One seemed to wink at her, when she felt something strange. There was a gentle pulse of sound that came from the stars, one not heard, but felt. Harper closed her eyes, and let her spirit stretch out into the sky and stars. A melody of gentle voices wove through the night; whispers of the past, present, and future brushed Harper's mind. She opened her starlit eyes in wonder. It's the seal spirits, they live in the stars. Mother was right, she is with me even now, always and forever.


Chapter 4
Seeing the vast inequality between the two-leg hunters and her kind, Harper vowed to find a way to teach them that seals were not the helpless creatures they appeared to be. The animal spirit two-legs hunted the seals to live, Harper could see that, but the pale two-legs did it for their fur. Harper could see that greed in their eyes when they killed a snow white pup with their hideous clubs. Where the pup died the snow was stained, not only with its blood, but with its mother's grief. The death spot of a seal pup was avoided by all seals, even those of different species. As the years swam by Harper grew stronger, she was an adult harp seal with pale white fur, stronger than any male of her kind, her brilliant grey eyes where unlike any other's. Harper was also born with strangely long claws and immensely strong front legs. This meant she could travel on ice as well as in the Arctic waters. Harper began to sharpen her claws on the ice, and along with their constant use, the outer black slowly wore down to show a brilliant silver that stayed needle sharp. Though she didn't notice, Harper became the embodiment of Cithara, the Seal goddess, to other seals. Legends were spun of her great adventures to the land of no-ice, incredible battles with rabid white bears and pale two-legs, as well as her kindness towards all seal species. Fiction and fact became one and the same, her stories would be passed down generations, never to be forgotten.

Chapter 5
The ice crackled under Harper's paws as she walked and slid along the arctic ice. The bright sky illuminated everything around her, nothing went unnoticed. Suddenly, a small figure appeared in the distance. Harper tensed, but continued forward until finding that it was an old, animal spirit two-leg, one she recognized as the medicine female of a nearby two-leg nest. Harper let the two-leg approach, warily stepping closer to another seal's breathing hole.
"Do not be afraid my child," the two-leg called, "I mean you no harm."
Harper froze. How can I understand her? She thought.
"The same way I can understand you, little one," spoke the two-leg calmly, "I also am of a seal spirit."
"Are you, perhaps, one of the spirt two-legs of the ice village?"Harper murmured hesitantly.
"Yes, strong one, I am what they call their shaman. A wound healer and a tale singer."
"Have you come for me, wise one?" said Harper, now emboldened by the honesty and kindness lining the words of the spirit shaman.
"Yes indeed, clever one," the two-leg smiled, "I'm here to guide you in what you need for the next world."
With that she slowly turned back to the direction from which she came, beginning to shuffle through the snow and ice. Harper stood a while, watching the spirited one, head tilted in thought. She blinked in surprise at her own decision. With the gentle push of the wind and the whisper of encouragement from the deep waters Harper set off; head help high and silver claws flashing, following the two-leg towards the frigid horizon.

The Beginning Continues . . . In Part 2

36 comments:

  1. Cool!!!! I can't wait to see what happens next! Keep up the good Story writing Snowyclaw!

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    1. Yep i have to agree all the stories are amazing i hope you do continue snowy claw!

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  2. Such a sad story.... when Harper's mother never returns, heart-breaking...

    SpiritHowl

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    1. NO ITS NOT SHE GOT STRIPPED APART BY A KILLER WHALE!!!!!!!!!!! ITS PART OF NATURE!!!!!!!

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    2. PIKA IT IS SAD THAT HER MOTHERWAS....
      WELL I DONT WANT TO SAY IT BUT YOU KNOW SO STOP IT IT IS SAD -princesscutelilly1235 (yes i know my name is long)

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  3. I loooved it! :) First story in a long time

    ~katkit418~

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  4. Replies
    1. of course not!lol (:

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    2. It's made up, all my imagination. Inspired by Harper though! :)
      ~Snowyclaw

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  5. YAY! SHE GOT EATEN BYE A KILLER WHALE AKA WHALE KILLER!!!

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    1. food!!!! prey!!!! yay!!!!

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    2. Pika your just sick to the mind... -princesscutelilly1235 (yes i knowm my nae is long i did that on purpose)

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    3. Pika your a mean sick person to say that!

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  6. DO YOU READ WARRIORS SNOWYCLAW?

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    Replies
    1. Yes snowy reads warriors. Snowy's favorite books are on snowyclaw's profile.

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  7. One word. AWESOME!!!!!

    Juliaparker

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  8. Hi SnowyClaw! It's me the girl who emailed you! Can I put your stories on my blog? I'm not trying to copy, I'm doing it because your stories are awesome!!

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  9. I made Ruby's begenning!

    The hot African savannah was crawling with life. Ruby, a young rhino, was taking care of her little sister, Flower. It was then she heard it. A noise like a gunshot echoed through the air. Ruby knew she had to keep Flower safe, so she took her sister to a nearby forest. Then, all of a sudden, she heard voices, and a BANG! She felt a pain in her chest, and then, everything went black.
    Chapter 2
    She felt herself floating, and then saw a large bird. "Do not be afraid, little one, for I am Mira, the mother of everything in Jamaa." "Really? Is that where I am going?" "Yes, Ruby, you are going to Jamaa!" As the horizon cleared, Ruby could make out the shapes of other animals. A town! An ocean! Wow! This will be a great place!, Ruby thought
    Chapter 3
    That was..... until the phantoms come. All of a sudden a huge black tornado spun Ruby into a vast bare land. A land no one went to. This land was now called Appondale! Well, Ruby hiked back to the Township, wondering what new adventures would be in store for her, and all the other Jammers of Jamaa.

    Juliaparker

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  10. To celebrate the naming of the new shamans, I think I might comment stories about some of them! Is it ok if I put them in comments here?

    Naturegirl100

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  11. Snowyclaw I just noticed something! My animals have the same name tag thing! But I didn't copy it or anything... That is so weird!

    Naturegirl100

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    Replies
    1. Not anymore...

      Naturegirl100

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    2. Now we can... But we don't.

      Naturegirl100

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  12. When will you make part 2? I really enjoy reading stories :3

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  13. Snowyclaw where did you get the thing at the top for this blog! I <3 It, and your blogs! You Rock!!!

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  14. Nice story.... when will you start part 2?

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  15. Please do part 2! I really like this one!

    Naturegirl100

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  16. Thats a great story! Hope you make part 2 soon! -ilovecutechihuahuas

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  17. I made a new Ruby's beginning!
    Chapter I
    The savanna was desolate. Ruby sniffed the air, inspecting for signs of danger. It felt like just yesterday, when her mother had told her what all mother rhinos have to say, someway or the other. “It’s time for you to live on your own, now Ruby. Remember, I will always love you. Always.” Ruby was now on her own. Satisfied that there was nothing dangerous, she put her head to the ground to graze. She could hear every detail of the world around her, but she wasn't listening. Her mind had wandered from reality, onto her mother. Goodbye, mama. I will see you someday, I promise. That was when she heard the sound.
    Chapter II
    It was like a shot. Ruby ran faster than her legs could possibly have run. She ran for about a mile, and then spotted a tree. Really? A tree? There aren't any trees around here, only shrubs, and even those are rare. Ruby pondered this, but kept running. She suddenly found herself in a dense forest. She stopped, and looked, when something occurred to her. Someone was calling her name.
    Chapter III
    Sunlight filtered through the trees, and leaves dappled the ground. A warm breeze seemed to sing out to Ruby. A voice called her name. Ruby, I have come for you. It is time. A large, majestic crane soared down from the treetops. I am Mira, the mother of everything in Jamaa. That is where you will go. Jamaa. Ruby didn’t know what to say. She felt at peace, even though she should have been terrorized. An archway of trees stretched out before her. Not even hesitating, she walked through.
    Chapter IV
    A huge plain stretched beyond the horizon line. Trees, oceans, mountains frosted with snow, and grass. They all sang to her senses, thrilling her. Animals stood in the distance. She felt better than she ever had before. Go on, and meet the others, Mira’s voice urged. You will be a leader of Jamaa. You will create and sculpt a culture that will last longer than a lifetime. With those final words, Ruby walked out into the sunset, which washed the world in a warm glow. The whole of Jamaa was waiting for her, and all she wanted to do was explore it.
    Juliaparker

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    Replies
    1. Wow, good story! You should make more lol.

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  18. *claps* GREAT STORY! i LOVED it!

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  19. …..
    SORRY SNOWYCLAW I DONT THINK THERE ARE MORE THAN ONE GODS…
    oh boy sorry for the all caps… D:
    well anywyas, your a good writer!

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  20. When is part 2 out??? You rock SnowyClaw <3
    ^.^

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