By Snowyclaw
The wind danced with the sand in the thin air of the forgotten plains. Mira stood on the crest of a high dune, proud and tall, but almost transparent with exhaustion. Thousands of years fighting the darkness can leave even the strongest of spirits without the strength to go on. With this encounter, however, Mira had something different, something she had been saving for a time such as this.
This would be the end.
Her bright eyes watched the horizon patiently, watching as the darkness invaded the sky, shadows rippling along the sand at a breathless pace. A looming eye surrounded by a swirling darkness rose about the earth, invading the blue of the desert sky. An involuntary shiver ran down the grey heron's spine as she watched the hideous thing she created so long ago creep toward the sandy hilltop she stood upon. A laugh echoed along the plains.
"Give up mother," the phantom boomed "all is lost."
Mira shook her head, eyes never leaving the creature. "I am not the mother of one such as you," she replied, "you were born of hate and pain, and so do not belong here."
A gleeful giggle, one not fit for the ears of any sane creature, erupted from the darkness. "Oh but you are. You created me. When Zios left this world you hated him so; he left you alone didn't he?"
Mira lifted her wings high, "I was angered, but that is but an emotion. You are the embodiment of despair, and so do not belong in this land."
"And you expect to stop me, after all this time? Foolish bird."
It was the spirit's turn to laugh. "I am not finished yet dark shadow. As you said, you are part of me, and what am I but the earth?" Mira's wings began to flap at a dizzying rate as she rose, twisting and turning on the howling wind. Sand rose in a cyclone, engulfing Mira and the phantom.
"NO!" the phantom bellowed, "YOU CANNOT BIND ME!"
The spirit that was once a grey heron whirled through to sky, rising to the clouds and gently falling to earth. With one last shrill scream of rage the phantom dissipated, the shadows it was once made of raced away along the sand. The sand fell and the plains lay empty. Nothing but the gentle whisper of the wind was left on the empty landscape.
And so Mira fell, but is she gone? No, she lies within the earth. Within the sky. She is part of everything in Jamaa, just as we are a part of her. She is proud of our strength and watches over us. Perhaps you'll catch glimpses of her spirit from time to time. The shadows remain as well, but not strong enough to emerge on their own. They grasp at the minds of the weak and the petty, but jamaasians are always there to fight the darkness. Mira and Zios fight as well, though they reside in a place beyond sight. Sometimes we can feel them as they fight the shadows, the earth rumbles and lightning flashes. Even the earth boils over in Jamaa's highest mountains in their struggle. Mira, Zios, the shamans, and us. Those that inhabit Jamaa. We all play a part in the fight against the darkness, and we will continue. The war may never end, but that doesn't mean that it isn't worth fighting.
The End
