Cloudspeak of the High Mesa
Cloudspeak - December 12, 2005
“What are you looking at, grandson?”
I smiled at the sound of the familiar voice, but kept my eyes on
the sky.
“Why do you always ask me questions you already know the answers,
to?"
“An old woman’s way of getting the young to speak aloud. Since
the young so rarely listen to the council of the old, perhaps
their own words will convince them to cease wallowing in
futility.”
She put her hand on my shoulder and I turned and looked at the
old hand resting there. The dark fur was streaked with gray and
the fingers knotted with pain. I reached up and gently rubbed her
fingers. She sighed slightly in relief as I touched her aching
bones.
“I always listen to your council, great mother.”
“Ah. So you choose to ignore me.”
I glanced at her and smiled affectionately before turning back to
the sky.
“It has been generations since the Cloudspeaks could read the
sign, grandson. The secrets of the sky remains hidden from us."
“We will again.”
She sighed and removed her hand, then stepped forward to stand
next to me admiring the view of the valleys from the edge of the
mesa. “This quest of ‘honor’ has destroyed many of our tribe’s
bulls. Fine and brave, they wasted their lives.” I could feel her
eyes on me then. “I do not want to see you follow this path.”
I turned to her and took her by the shoulders. I wished I could
find the words to tell her. Tell her how hard it was to live with
shame of - not the tribe’s loss - but the manner in which it was
lost. How hard it was to bear the weight of my ancestor’s
dishonor. In truth I did not care to read the sign hidden among
the clouds, nor the secrets whispered by the birds. Knowledge of
the future was dangerous. It had helped corrupt our forefather
who had brought the curse which left us blind upon us. I only
wanted to restore our honor.
“I will not fail.”
She snorted and brushed my hands away, then turned back toward
the village.
“You have known my heart a long time, great mother,” I called to
her. “But I think there is something more behind your words.”
She stopped and turned with great effort leaning on her mighty
staff.
“I am concerned about this journey you insist on undertaking.”
Her words were uttered softly, the wind nearly whipping them away
before I could hear them. "I sense you are coming to a crossroad
in your life. Much of your future will be determined by what you
find and the decisions you make in the coming days. You are the
last of the Cloudspeak bulls. I fear for you.”
“Can you read the clouds, great mother, and kept it secret from
me?” I teased.
“No!” I blinked in surprise at the sharpness of her tone.
“Perhaps an old woman’s intuition? A mother’s love? Not all
things are read in the sky, grandson.”
I walked up to her an put my arms around her, brushing my muzzle
affectionately against the softness of her cheek. “I must go. I
must see it for myself.”
“I know,” she sighed, pushing me back. “I love you like my very
own.”
“I know, great mother.”
“Hurry back my son.”
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“Land ho!” The goblin lookouts cry caught my attention. I left my
position near the stern wheel and made my way forward. Already a
crowd of goblin sailors stood at the bow looking eagerly at the
horizon. It had cost me nearly everything I owned to make this
journey. My mouth felt dry as I awaited the sight of land. I
swallowed several times to try and moisten my throat.
I saw its tall and mighty branches first. They burst forth from
the sea and into the sky like some legendary sea monster rising
from the depths to swallow ships and sailors.
Teldrassil.
Even from this far away I could already see the corruption of the
great tree. A blight upon the soul of the Earthmother. What were
they thinking? I wondered. The elves had unselfishlessly given
their immortality to save the world. Then in one great act of
selfishness, undid all they had done. I had heard they fought to
save the great tree and restore the balance. Great mother was
right. Some things were not read in the sky. I could see with my
own eyes teh elves battle was useless. This corruption went to
the roots which even now were clenched into the bowls of the
Earthmother. They could not win. Yet, Stormrage's arrogance drove
them on.
I felt the bile rise in my throat. I gripped the railing of the
ship until the wood began to crack. The bulls of the Cloudspeak
tribe were stripped of their ability to read the signs because
they were not strong enough to act on the knowledge they held.
Whenever it seemed honor would be found and the curse lifted,
they had failed at the crucial moment.
I would not follow them. I would lift the curse and return my
tribe’s honor. I would not fail to act upon the knowledge I held.
The elves did not have the courage to let go. They did not have
the moral fortitude to burn out the festering disease upon the
world they had created. To cut out the tumor they had so
erroneously planted. I would not fail in this. If they could not
do what was right, then I would do so for them. I would see their
wicked creation burned to sea and see its foulness removed from
the world. Even if it meant the end of me.
I turned to the captain as he walked up behind me.
“I have seen enough. Take me home.”