Myra always believed in the pride, which once fueled her tribe's greatness.
She learned the secrets of the wilds hoping to one day bring honor back to
her people. She was a'kuron'mei one of the few remaining children of which
both parents were born into this ancient and sacred tradition. The secrets
of the a'kuron'mei were passed down from parent to child but only during the
season of learning. Myra was still two seasons away from her time of
learning the ancient ways when her mother was slaughtered by a group of
humans who were warring near her home. The traditions of her people were
gender specific; the fathers taught their sons to wield weapons of battle
and to be aggressive and cunning in the ways of war. The mothers taught
their daughters to be aware of the land, to nurture it as it nurtured the
people and in some manner of defense at home while the men were away. Having
lost his life's mate, Myra's father bore the burden of teaching her alone.
How could he prepare his daughter for a world of cruelty and war and still
maintain his tribe's proud traditions?
Drawing from his best memories as a child of the ways of his own mother,
Myra's father taught her during her season of learning all that he knew of
the ways of a'kuron'mei women. Seeing that his teachings fell short and
fearing for his daughter's survival Myra's father also instructed her on the
ways of battle and war. He hoped to keep her safe from such devastation, but
the world around him was changing rapidly and the cruel warring lands that
contributed to the loss of his people reminded him that no one's destiny was
absolute. When Myra was 3 seasons past her time of learning her father took
her to a village that bordered her tribe's lands. He left her in the care of
a known friend of his people and said that he must journey many days to
recover an artifact, which would restore some lost knowledge of Myra's
people. Myra's father never returned but 2 years later she received a
message from a young man who was employed to aid her father in the recovery.
He told her that he would wait for her to join him in a village two days
away and they would go together to the location where the artifact was
hidden. As proof of her father's word he included one of the secret symbols
of the a'kuron'mei.
When Myra received the message she made no delay. She traveled fast and long
taking very little rest. She arrived at the village and met the young man.
He was in ill health and believed he would soon die but swore he would carry
his message to Myra. Her father had died valiantly but the mission was
incomplete. The location of the artifact was known to be in the heart of
territory of the people who were at war. She would need to somehow journey
into enemy territory to get close enough to recover her artifact. Her tribe
must not perish. She must not fail. Her parent's deaths must not be for
naught. She would find a way to recover the artifact.
