Storyofthequietbird

This is a tale that dates to a time before even the first age, an ancient story told by children from Threshold, to the shoulders of the imperial mountain, to the deserts of the south and the glaciers of the north. It is extreemely heritical, according to the imaculate phillosophy, but no amount of proclimations can stamp it out: Just when the Imaculates beleive they have succeded, the story passes around again, from the lips of a woman swordsman, often identified later as an Anathema, to the lips of children who know no better than to listen to a kind lady swordsman. This woman has susposedly been killed for the Heresay several times, but allways returns, weather in a decade or a century.

The Quiet Bird's Tale

In the beginning of Creation, it is written, there was a Quiet Bird who had small children in the nest and a fledgeling with a broken wing, after meeting with a dark thing from the wyld.

A doctor said unto the Quiet Bird that her chick would live at most, seven days, and that no mortal agent could possibly save it. Her only hope was to pray, but the creators were all away, having been distracted by a new game, and abandoning their creation, all but two, and one of those had no part of healing. Still, there were new gods, whom the creators had left to oversee heaven and earth, and perhaps she might try praying to those.

On the first day, The Quiet bird prayed to Gaea for aid for her chick, but Gaea was too huge to hear the quiet bird's voice, and her dragons merely laughed: What did they care for the life of a little bird? They were dragons.

On the second day She prayed to Luna, but the Moon's face had turned away and it did not hear.

On the third day, her chick cried piteously and whimpered in terrible pain, and She prayed to the Maidens, but the stars were too far away for a Quiet Bird's voice to reach.

On the fourth day, the Quiet Bird prayed to the Sun at midday, but it was involved in makeing grand proclimations, and could not hear her clearly over it's own light; Still, she felt, the sun at least looked upon her.

In the night, the Quiet Bird prayed to the Sun, but it was far beyond the other side of the world, and heard her not.

On the fifth day, the Quiet bird prayed to the Sun as it fell to the horizon, but the sun was walking away and her plea went unanswered.

On the sixth day, her chick was all but still and dead, and the Quiet Bird prayed to the Dawn, giving up her own sleep to be the first to speak to the new Sun; And the Sun said, "Who are you, oh bird, who is awake before I, and why have you not slept, as all the world is ment to sleep untill I face it?"

The Quiet Bird sang quietly as allways, but in the morning, all was still, and her voice was heard thus: 'Forgive me, oh Sun, but my chick is injured, and sits near an unnatural death. So I have not slept, and am up before the dawn, to work for my child and pray to you for his life."

"So this is why a bird sings in the morning, more loudly than I have heard birds sing." said the Sun. "I am no healer, Quiet Bird, but you have moved me. I will heal your chick, and he shall live. But in return, I would have you and yours spread your song on my behalf, in all the mornings."

On the seventh day, the Quiet Bird's chick sang a thankfull song to the morning, to it's mother, and to the Sun, and the Quiet Bird sang the Sun's Song to all that it met.

And this is why birds sing in the morning.



The often hunted teller of this tale is allways named for a bird herself, and children who know the tale quite often know of the Quiet Bird who tells it - and who's sword is like the rays of the sun in their defense.

It is not the only legend about the Sun which children know that refuse to die and be forgotten. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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