The beginning of the end

How long had it been since the ancient warrior had first seen this view? Yodaka stood at the top of the hill looking back down towards the Great Barn. The Barn had been derelict since anyone could remember and sat near the end of a large field at the bottom of the slope he now stood atop. It must have been impressive in its day with the main hall a vast cavern that could easily accommodate four large houses. At the back end of the Barn was a small warren of rooms, of various sizes, which were probably used for storage, housing farm animals and offices. Now they were used by the Clan as sleeping areas’ and the Elders Council meetings during the Gathering. As he looked at the Barn it brought back many memories, some good and some bad but always evoked a feeling of pride, as this was their Barn and everyone knew it to be so. Yodaka’s gaze now drifted over to the right of the Barn, towards the Green Forest, as he saw members of the Clan weaving their way through the trees and out into the field. They walked in single file, as was the Clan way, using well worn trails in the overgrown field which snaked round towards the front of the Barn. To his left stood the Great Hedge, some distance away, which ran down the side of the field and disappeared into the distance as far as you could see. Where the hedge met the slope and made its way upwards, there was a gap large enough for three or four of the Clan to pass through abreast. He again watched as a steady stream of the Clan came through the gap, some stealing a glance up towards him and nudging their young ones forward to stop them staring and gawping up at their Clan chief. In the far off distance behind the Barn he could also make out the Clan coming towards the Barn in a steady stream. Yes, this gathering would be the biggest anyone could remember. He had been standing watching everyone arrive for some time now, the sun had already moved half way across the sky and was just beginning to start its decent into the blackness. At the front of the Barn there seemed to be a small bottle neck developing, which was strange considering that one of the enormous doors was fully open, in fact nearly falling of its hinge. He looked closer and soon discovered the reason for the slow entry into the Barn. There on either side of the entrance stood his two brothers, Jounka and Blacken, living legends to the Clan, immortalised in stories and used to keep young ones in line if they misbehaved. “Blacken will steal you away in the middle of the night if you don’t go to sleep”, “Jounka can swallow a young one whole, if they are bad” that sort of thing. As the Clan filed past them, they slowed and dipped to show their respect to the two warriors. He must admit, they looked very impressive and slightly intimidating, standing either side of the entrance. Jounka was almost as big as Yodaka and had over the years put a little bit of weight on his midriff, however Yodaka thought that even with this Jounka might be able to take him in a straight up fight, of course, he would never admit that to him or anyone. There are only three other Clan members that have ever seen Jounka in battle, being it was so long ago, the thought of it still sends shivers down his back, the red mist in his eyes as he hacked at The Hoard, cutting down dozens at a time, fighting his way through their defensive line like it was not there. On many occasions he had kept a safe distance just in case he had been caught in the blood lust whirlwind. Jounka’s demeanor was always dark with his stern face and seemingly sour mood, however, Yodaka knew this to be a front, as Jounka had a heart as big as a Barn. Now his other brother was a bit of an enigma, Blacken “the Ghost” “Night Crawler” “Shade.” Even as youngsters he was always distant and really only associated with their mother and baby sister Tigera. Blacken was the smallest of the brothers and famous for his unexplainable ability to suddenly appear beside you without warning. Extremely supple, agile and strong even when he walked down the path, it looked like he was floating. During the battle of the Great Hedge, Jounka had done his usual thing and cut through the Hoard’s front line, deep into their ranks. I had followed him in, however as we stopped, we found ourselves completely surrounded with what appeared to be no gaps in their line. When suddenly I felt something brush past my back and Blacken appeared at my side. To this day I don’t know how he managed it and he never talks about it. Now that was a battle to remember.

Watching the Clan make their way towards the Barn indicated that there would be a large turnout for the gathering. Just as well he thought to himself.

Something was in the air

He had been having strange dreams of late about mother, or rather with mother. Don’t get me wrong, she was often in my thoughts, however this was different. It was like she was there, with him. They would walk and talk about the Clan and even go hunting, although he could not remember all the dream, it was very surreal. He suspected his brothers and sister were also having these dreams and no one talked about it. No one also talked about the fact that the four of them had already lived at least five times as long as anyone had done. They had watched whole generations being born, live and pass to the Holy Mother’s bosom and still they looked not much older than that of someone who had just entered adulthood.

Something was not right He did not need the Transformation and enhanced Ka, he sensed it straight away, long before she even spoke, his sharp instincts had never let him down before, however, he had been sitting here for some time, was he sleeping? Had he nodded off with his thoughts? He did not need to turn around to know she was there “I see you mother” “I see you son, Yodaka of the Clan, head of the Elders, the great Lord GreySteel”

“Are you real, Blessed Mother, or another dream?” “You know I am real, you have known this moment was coming” “The dreams” “Yes, the dreams” “I have missed you mother” “I have also missed you, my son” “Do the others know?” “I have been in all their dreams of late, Blacken and Jounka suspect but won’t admit it to themselves. Now Tigera is a bit different. She is my daughter and her gifts”, she let that statement hang there for a moment. “I was able to enter her dreams at the start and then she seems to have blocked me out” “Why would she do this?” “Having the Gift, she probably knew the day was approaching when we would all be united” “I have missed you mother” “You too my son, I have watched you all from a far, these last seasons and I am very proud of you all. I have missed you all but knew we would all be united as a family again in the great meadow. This has comforted me immensely” “Will it hurt?” ‘No” ‘What’s it like?” “You have always wanted to know everything and always want an answer. You will see when you see” mother chuckled ‘How soon” “Soon and not just yet”

Yodaka turned and, best way to describe it, snuggled into his mother. He buried his face in her hair and filled his nostrils and his every being with her scent. And if truth be told, a small tear fell from his eye. Yodaka turned to look down at his brothers and in that split second there was a blur and he found himself standing alone with a deep aching in his heart. Was it a dream? Did he really just see, touch and talk with mother. He could still smell her scent, it was real Yodaka sat for a few moments of calm, enjoying his encounter. Now it was show time.

Now there are few things you need to be aware of in relation to the Kin. The Kin are, by tradition, rather shy and do not like mixing in large groups. In fact, many Kin will live out their lives having only met close family and not travelled far from their own back yard. Some will have lived most of their lives in isolation. Therefore, over a few Millennia, this lack of conversation and interaction led to the Kin developing other senses and skills rather than relying on speech. No one knows how or when it happened but gradually the Kin developed a close bond with nature and their surroundings and the very nature of all things.

They called this the Ka, an ability to communicate with each other by using their body language and minds. Again, over time, some of the Kin claimed they could sense others who had died and passed over to the Holy Mother, even claiming to have had conversations with them. One fact, which is not disputed, is the emergence of the Protectors. Once in every twenty generations or so, one is born who has the ability to transform. At first these Kin were seen a monsters or spirits and where often referred to as Djinn. By tapping into the Ka these Kin were able to increase their size by up to six or seven times their normal size, appearing as huge giants or monsters. However, over time, when the Kin faced a threat, these Djinn would come to their rescue time and time again. Soon they started to be known as Protectors and leaders of the Kin. Most tribes seemed to have a Protector amongst them, living an extended life span. When they eventually passed, then a new Kin would emerge who now had this ability, as if passed on from the previous one.

Yodaka was a Protector and a leader of the Clan. Now the Gathering must begin. Yodaka concentrated and began the transformation. He was Lord GreySteel who had received the Blessing along with his siblings. It only took a second to change into his Djinn form. Yodaka knew that this tapping of the Ka power could be used for both good and evil. Some had abused this power, Lord Adeben being a prime example from the past. Suddenly he changed in shape, growing quickly in to an intimidating size, legs extending, body expanding until he was a Giant of the Kin with his huge muscles visible under his famous grey coat, Lord GreySteel was here.

He walked to the brow of the slope, took a deep breath and cried a thunderous calling “Let the Gathering begin!!” Heads from even the far end of the huge field swung and looked up to the top of the slope. There stood Lord GreySteel, Clan Chief and Leader of the Elders Council. He started down the slope building speed as he went, his huge frame seemed to move so easily and gracefully as he jumped over large boulders. “Nothing stops GreySteel”, Clan members remarked as they stood open mouthed watching. As he made his way down the slopes, the crowd now surged towards the Barn and began to form a vanguard for their leader’s approach. “There he goes, showing off again” Jounka said “Be silent and show respect to your brother” Blacken growled “There is something he is…...” whatever Jounka was saying was drowned out by the throng of the Clan chanting “GreySteel, GreySteel, Greysteel!!!!