Warnings and Disclaimers: mine, all mine! Violence and possible future lemon, I'm not sure 
what will happen in this stupid thing. ^____^ C&C's loved and worshipped at a golden pyre.

***

"Kanani!" called Erfen, folding his robes and settling down. It had been two years since 
her Spirit Ceremony, and at five, she was a happy vivacious young girl whose bright smile 
and cheerful disposition had won the heart of every Clan member... Except her mother, that 
is...

Kanani went running happily to the man she adored above all things.

"Yes, Erfen?" she said, happily clambering onto his lap.

"Want to go for a walk after supper?"

Kanani threw her tiny little arms around his neck, holding the smooth plane of her cheek 
against his rough one. "I would love to, Erfen! Can we eat right now? I really wanna walk 
with you! Come on! Let's go eat now!"

"Now, Kanani... You know better than to try and force a man to do anything against his 
will! Sit patiently like a good girl and the time will come soon enough..."

Having received her gentle chastisement, she quietly sat and tried not to pout too 
obviously.

Murre threw some food down unceremoniously for her mate and daughter and then left the 
room bitterly.

Erfen frowned at her retreating form, but had to smile as he saw Kanani digging into the 
food with relish.

Finally, Kanani's happiest moment came as she went trotting breathlessly after Erfen as he 
swiftly made his way away from the village.

They made these walks fairly rarely, but Erfen found them to be very important. Kanani had 
the same inability as her mother to forget, so Erfen used the walks as a way of explaining 
things to her so she wouldn't wind up as miserable and bitter as her mother. Kanani 
received answers for the most sacred of questions about men and spirits... Things that no 
other person in the Clan was permitted to discuss.

"Erfen? If the Ancient Spirits are so bad, why were they called at my Guardian Spirit 
Ceremony?" asked Kanani, gently looking down at some interesting stones that lay by the 
river.

"Well, Kanani," said Erfen, settling on a large water-beaten stone next to her, "They are 
the most powerful of all Spirits, you see."

"Why?" she asked, her smooth brow creasing gently into a frown.

"Well... The Guardian Spirits take care of us. That's why they're there. The Ancient 
Spirits, however, are there to run the universe. They create and control everything. What's 
more, is that they are very temperamental, and like to stay asleep, so we rarely ever wake 
them."

"Why do they like sleeping?"

Erfen sighed and settled back, trying to recall the ancient tale, "Once, long ago, Orlov 
was even more lush and beautiful than it is now. All of the planet was covered with rich, 
ample fruits and healthy, plentiful game. The Ancient Spirits ruled over the planet, and 
thus things were different than they are today.

"Women were often skilled hunters, and they controlled the dealings with the Spirit World. 
They were honored members of Orlov.

"Over time, the men realized what a loss they were at, and thus overturned the women. The 
men took total control of everything they could, and within a few generations, the women 
had the same amount of power that they have now: None.

"The Ancient Spirits, who are all female, were extremely angered at this development. The 
men didn't like having female Spirits, and so they formed the Guardian Spirits. The Ancient 
Spirits were so angered at this that they caused great floods and holocausts. Only a 
quarter of Orlov's original population lived.

"The men and women who were left grew and multiplied until they got where we are today. A 
thriving planet!

"Now, the Ancient Spirits are so terrifying to us that we simply stopped worshipping them. 
After a while, they went to sleep in the heavens, regulating our world only barely.

"Since you're getting the power of the Great Lion to protect you, you have amazing status 
in the Clan. This is rare for a woman, so I felt it appropriate to ask for the Ancient 
Spirits to protect you on your life's Journey. They work in close league with the Great 
Lion Spirit, and thus you are well protected by them."

The girl thought for a moment and then leaned back on her heels, "if they're helping to 
protect me, than aren't they also my Guardian Spirits? Don't I have many then?"

Erfen felt as if his mind were spinning through a black void. No one had ever thought in 
such a way. No one had ever questioned that such a thing could be possible. The answer must 
be "no" but there was no way to tell for sure. Could this child have been protected by the 
very Spirits that controlled the planet?

Erfen felt the prickling pain of a headache advancing and closed his eyes to try and stop 
the whirling vertigo.

He took a deep breath and tried to answer her gentle question, "Yes, it is true that they 
are protecting you in this world, but in the Spirit World they will protect you no longer, 
and you will have only the Great Lion. Thus, you must pay homage to him and not the Ancient 
Spirits, for they are only helping for a short time."

He looked back at Kanani and suddenly got panicky. "Kanani. You have to understand that 
even though you have fairly high status, you are only a woman. You may feel special, but to 
the Clan you are not. You a simple woman who knows too much. Do you understand?"

Kanani stared at him with wide, luminous eyes. She wasn't special? Not to anybody? She was 
a worthless woman? The girl felt tears pricking her eyes, but dared not to let them show. 
She felt very small and unimportant right then--a feeling that would stay with her for a 
very long time.

***

That night Erfen had a Ceremony for a young man to perform, so it was mother and daughter 
alone together.

"Mother?" Kanani asked tentatively.

"Hn" grunted Murre, as she was trying to repair a bowl that Erfen had broken the night 
before and hadn't bothered to fix.

"Mother... Erfen said that I wasn't special... I'm only a woman... You're a woman, too 
aren't you?"

Murre rolled her eyes and grunted again, cursing silently at the bowl she held.

"Aren't you special? I think you're special... Not just a woman..."

Murre looked up at her daughter and actually felt something. Something not cruel or 
bitter... She was actually quite pleased. "Yes, I am special, I think. You and I aren't 
like the other women. We can't forget all of the memories that everyone else has no problem 
forgetting. Listen, brat... You have to promise me one thing: As long as you live, don't 
ever forget your memories. If you live long enough to have a child you had better make sure 
they remember everything, too... That's the only way this stupid world is ever going to 
change. Men are awful here. I know about the past, and so do you. Don't you dare forget 
that, Kanani!" she stood up at the last few words and hissed them vehemently at the
frightened young girl sitting a few feet away.

Murre ran from the room, clutching the broken bowl in one clenched fist.

Kanani felt very confused and very, very afraid. Not only had her mother actually spoken 
to her, but she said her name. Murre had never called Kanani by her name; it was always 
"brat," "stupid," or "worthless child."

Kanani mulled over the words that her respective parents had told her. Erfen told her she 
was "just a woman," while Murre had said she was special and unique. The child just didn't 
understand... It was so out of the realm of her experience...