It had been over three moons since the Star People had first come to their land.
Their giant monster had appeared over the skies of the plains, always hovering, never moving. The people of the plains were amazed, and confused. They had never seen anything like it. At first, they were cautious, in case it turned out to be a hostile creature. Then they tried to send their hunting birds up to it, calling on them to fly higher and higher. But the birds could not reach the Star People's monster. And they returned to the earth, empty handed.
Then the monster came down, landing atop a flat plateau. That particular plateau had some significance to the people of the plains, for it was there that they got their medicinal herbs. They were wary, and avoided the place for many days, as fiery lights raged across the top of the plateau, and the noises of shrieking and clanging echoed throughout the plains. Then, at last, the Star People came down from their high land, which they had claimed as their own. And the troubles began.
They were initially welcomed by the plains people, who were used to trading and negotiations. But things spiraled out of control. The Star People did not want to trade. They wanted to take, and if anyone tried to stop them, they were taken too, in body, and in life.
Things became very hard for the people of the plains, they were massacred with such ferocity, like an unspeakable one had stumbled upon them. The few who survived enslavement or death, came to the jungle, and some settled among the tribes there. That was how the jungle people came to learn of the Star People, of whom they were previously ignorant. It was debated what it is they should do, for such a thing like this could not go unpunished. But these Star People did not understand nor abide by their laws. They were cruel, and alien, like savage animals. It was unlikely they would abide by the rules of combat, and so, for the first time in thousands of years, it was decided that the Star People, who had brought such destruction to the once peaceful land, must be destroyed. And so, they began their forgotten war of Old War.
It was predicted that since the Star people wanted jewels, they would want the mines, which they had plenty of in the plains. But the survivors said the Star People were lazy, and never worked. They used slavery, forcing the proud people of the plains into submission, on the threat of death, with sticks that burst out steel and fire, and birds of death. And what was more, they were greedy. Even though there was no practical use for jewels if your weren't going to trade, they wanted more. And they were impatient. So, the village elders predicted that if the Star People, who were so greedy, impatient, and cruel, could not obtain satisfaction with their number of slaves fast enough, they would look for more slaves. And they would either come to the jungle or stay in the plains to get their slaves, and it was only a matter of time before the refugees led them to their forested settlements.
And so, it was decided that the Star People should never be allowed into the jungle. Barriers and traps were set in anticipation of their invasion, and the people readied themselves. And that was when the scouts spotted a second Star Monster, high in the sky.
Urara dashed across the fallen log, over the raging river, his feet pounding hard with each step. He jumped up onto a boulder, catching his balance with his long, black tail. Scanning the horizon, he kept very still, searching for signs of movement with his eyes, ears, and nose. The jungle was constantly alive with sound and motion, but he was filtering those sounds out, searching for larger prey. He was not the best hunter in the village, but with the older men on patrols, he had to find food to feed his people. He also wanted to prove one of his friends wrong, one who had claimed the only thing he could catch was illness. He was right, Urara was very poor at tracking, he couldn't pay attention long enough. He much preferred fishing, where he could laze about as his line did all the work for him.
But it was the end of the rainy season, and prey in the jungle was becoming plentiful, as plains animals sought refuge from the droughts. Urara could not help but notice that there were fewer this year, many suffering from small circular wounds, caused by the Star People's sticks. He had seen injuries like those on people who had survived. But why did the animals suffer this abuse? Were they being enslaved? Or were they being hunted? From him many of them he had seen, he concluded that the Star People were very poor hunters, even worse than he was. He hoped they would starve and die, so that the plains people could go back home. It was something of a strain providing for them when they did not know how to survive in the jungle.
He made it to a clearing, staring up at the second monster that had appeared only a day ago. What did this mean? Were there more Star People? Had these ones also come to enslave them? He narrowed his eyes, stepping back into the trees. Star People... He had never seen one, but from the reports of others, they were strange and terrible, looking like their own people, but with different colors of skin, some were black, some were pink, some in between. He also heard they had terrible fangs and claws dripping with venom, four eyes, and blaring voices, like a Caxeri in heat. The thought of them made him shiver, then get angry. Definitely... They would definitely drive these Star People away, and back up into the sky where they belonged!
Their giant monster had appeared over the skies of the plains, always hovering, never moving. The people of the plains were amazed, and confused. They had never seen anything like it. At first, they were cautious, in case it turned out to be a hostile creature. Then they tried to send their hunting birds up to it, calling on them to fly higher and higher. But the birds could not reach the Star People's monster. And they returned to the earth, empty handed.
Then the monster came down, landing atop a flat plateau. That particular plateau had some significance to the people of the plains, for it was there that they got their medicinal herbs. They were wary, and avoided the place for many days, as fiery lights raged across the top of the plateau, and the noises of shrieking and clanging echoed throughout the plains. Then, at last, the Star People came down from their high land, which they had claimed as their own. And the troubles began.
They were initially welcomed by the plains people, who were used to trading and negotiations. But things spiraled out of control. The Star People did not want to trade. They wanted to take, and if anyone tried to stop them, they were taken too, in body, and in life.
Things became very hard for the people of the plains, they were massacred with such ferocity, like an unspeakable one had stumbled upon them. The few who survived enslavement or death, came to the jungle, and some settled among the tribes there. That was how the jungle people came to learn of the Star People, of whom they were previously ignorant. It was debated what it is they should do, for such a thing like this could not go unpunished. But these Star People did not understand nor abide by their laws. They were cruel, and alien, like savage animals. It was unlikely they would abide by the rules of combat, and so, for the first time in thousands of years, it was decided that the Star People, who had brought such destruction to the once peaceful land, must be destroyed. And so, they began their forgotten war of Old War.
It was predicted that since the Star people wanted jewels, they would want the mines, which they had plenty of in the plains. But the survivors said the Star People were lazy, and never worked. They used slavery, forcing the proud people of the plains into submission, on the threat of death, with sticks that burst out steel and fire, and birds of death. And what was more, they were greedy. Even though there was no practical use for jewels if your weren't going to trade, they wanted more. And they were impatient. So, the village elders predicted that if the Star People, who were so greedy, impatient, and cruel, could not obtain satisfaction with their number of slaves fast enough, they would look for more slaves. And they would either come to the jungle or stay in the plains to get their slaves, and it was only a matter of time before the refugees led them to their forested settlements.
And so, it was decided that the Star People should never be allowed into the jungle. Barriers and traps were set in anticipation of their invasion, and the people readied themselves. And that was when the scouts spotted a second Star Monster, high in the sky.
Urara dashed across the fallen log, over the raging river, his feet pounding hard with each step. He jumped up onto a boulder, catching his balance with his long, black tail. Scanning the horizon, he kept very still, searching for signs of movement with his eyes, ears, and nose. The jungle was constantly alive with sound and motion, but he was filtering those sounds out, searching for larger prey. He was not the best hunter in the village, but with the older men on patrols, he had to find food to feed his people. He also wanted to prove one of his friends wrong, one who had claimed the only thing he could catch was illness. He was right, Urara was very poor at tracking, he couldn't pay attention long enough. He much preferred fishing, where he could laze about as his line did all the work for him.
But it was the end of the rainy season, and prey in the jungle was becoming plentiful, as plains animals sought refuge from the droughts. Urara could not help but notice that there were fewer this year, many suffering from small circular wounds, caused by the Star People's sticks. He had seen injuries like those on people who had survived. But why did the animals suffer this abuse? Were they being enslaved? Or were they being hunted? From him many of them he had seen, he concluded that the Star People were very poor hunters, even worse than he was. He hoped they would starve and die, so that the plains people could go back home. It was something of a strain providing for them when they did not know how to survive in the jungle.
He made it to a clearing, staring up at the second monster that had appeared only a day ago. What did this mean? Were there more Star People? Had these ones also come to enslave them? He narrowed his eyes, stepping back into the trees. Star People... He had never seen one, but from the reports of others, they were strange and terrible, looking like their own people, but with different colors of skin, some were black, some were pink, some in between. He also heard they had terrible fangs and claws dripping with venom, four eyes, and blaring voices, like a Caxeri in heat. The thought of them made him shiver, then get angry. Definitely... They would definitely drive these Star People away, and back up into the sky where they belonged!