The Warrior Tribe Natoon.
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There was a tribe of warriors call the Natoons. These warriors
were the strongest, fastest and most cunning of all humans.
They sought out contests and when they did, they always won.
They enjoyed the heat of competition when the blood in their
veins ran hot. They lived at the base of Peatrous where it was
cold for the cold winds fell down from its height. On one hand
the cold kept them from burning up from their own heat, but
on the other it fed their desire to stay warm through the heat
of contest.
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Their leader was an archer called Estello who could shoot arrows at great distances and still split arrows miles away. He was a noble leader, well respected in his tribe. The fastest runner in the world was a woman called Lune. She could run great distances at great speeds. No race was too long and no runner could keep up. She was strong willed and determined, and would not stand for things to stand in her way while she was running.
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There was a blacksmith named Ingous. He could forge metal from soil. He could smelt and hammer great swords and knives, axes and shields. He had a haughty temperament but this only added to his focus when forging. He relished in the heat of the forge and had no need for gloves or tongs, for his hands were callused against the fire.
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There was a great swimmer named Dellmar who could swim across the sea at speed and distance faster and farther than any other man. His wife was Hurclone, a great fisher woman who could catch and had caught all known fish that lived in the sea.
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There was also the hunter Bront. He had killed every animal known to the world. He wore a patchwork jacket made from squares of every animal he had killed and knew how to cook every form of meat. He had a booming laugh which could be heard for miles whenever he had a successful hunt.
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The two strongest warriors in the world were twins, a man Viribo and a woman Viriba. Both won every wrestling match and test of strength ever put forth. They were the only ones who could challenge each other, and they reveled in contests of sibling rivalry.
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There were many other warriors, all champions in their own right. They constantly pestered the humans of the Earth picking on them and bullying them about their weaknesses. The humans avoided the Natoon and let them remain settled at the base of Peatrous.
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Estello desired a great bow. All bows he made or used did not reach his desired distance and all had too weak a draw to challenge his strength. So, Estello asked Bront if he knew of a great tree made of the densest wood. Bront knew of such tree from his many hunts. What he did not know was that the tree was part of Preem. Estello desired to make a bow and arrows from it so he commissioned Ingous to forge an ax strong enough to cut down the tree.
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Ingous agreed, but he needed the finest of metal to forge the ax and the strongest metal to forge a hammer that could work the metal for the ax. He sent Lune to run the world in search of metal shards which fell when Preem was a tree. Ingous also sent Dellmar to the depths of the sea on the same quest.
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Lune ran the earth, but every bit of metal she brought back, Ingous was not satisfied so she continued to run looking for what Ingous might be looking for. Dellmar and Hurclone dove deep into the sea. At the deepest part, he came upon Preem, who was sleeping, but Preem is so large they did not comprehend they were looking upon the first creation. Hurclone saw Preem’s hair and when she did she pulled a strand out and thought it would make a fine net. Preem stirred but did not wake but was now Preems sleep was not as deep. Dellmar saw Preem’s teeth and thought surely these would be the strongest material in the world. But Dellmar was not strong enough to pull the stones from where they rest.
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They returned to the earth and told the tribe about the stones they had found and Hurclone fashioned a net out of Preem’s hair. Viribo and Viribra accepted to try and remove the stones. They asked Dellmar to show them where in the ocean they were. So they took mighty breaths and followed Dellmar to the bottom. There they found the teeth of Preem. Viribo and Viribra each grabbed a tooth challenging each other to see who would pull one first. They pulled with all their might and at the same time two teeth popped out of Preem’s mouth.
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Preem awoke from the pain and shifted violently. Preem did not notice the small humans who had stolen the teeth but in pain Preem writhed causing the world to shake. Viribo and Viribra swam to the surface each with a tooth in hand and presented them to Ingous. Preem was angered by the stealing of Its teeth and Its sleep disturbed. So Preem dug deep into the ash at the bottom of the egg. Preem pressed and kneaded the ash until it was hot and molten. The ash formed metal and from it Preem fashioned a beast, the most terrifying thing which was ever made. It was long and slender and had claws larger than any man. Its mouth was filled with pointy teeth as sharp as swords. Its skin was made of scales as hard as the egg shell itself and its tail was long and fashioned with a point harder than any metal known. Even its bones when made of metal. It was also given wings so it could fly about the world. Deep in its throat Preem set a stone that was as hot as the yolk itself, so when the beast breathed it would breathe fire. Preem called it a dragon and told the beast to stand guard while Preem slept in case something else came upon them to cause Preem harm. So Preem attempted to return to sleep.
Ingous now had the material he needed to forge a hammer and an ax to fell the tree. But not before building the greatest fire the world had seen.
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Ingous forged hardened axes to cut down the forest that surrounded the tree. He asked Viribo and Viribra to cut down the trees with his axes which they accepted the challenge with zest.
After many months, the forest was cut down and all that was left was the great tree. Ingous built a great fire and began to forge the hammer made from a tooth of Preem. The fire raged, it was so hot that all the stumps left from the cut forest disintegrated and all the soil was changed. Any rivers or streams evaporated. What was before a lush forest with rich soil was now a barren desert. The burned soil and metal fillings from the forging mixed and created sand. All that remained was the great tree which was part of Preem. Eventually Ingous forged his hammer he called Portous. Then Ingous set out to forge the ax head. Again the fire raged, burning and changing the land. Sec noticed the fire and cried at the destruction of the land. But Sec’s tears did little to quench the fire and a great desert spread through much of the world. All that remained in the middle of it was a great tree that was part of Preem.
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Eventually, Ingous had flattened the ax head and sharpened it. He fashioned a handle and presented the Ax to Estello. Estello said it was a fine ax and named it Securous, but he knew he was not strong enough to wield it. He then asked Viribro and Viribra to use the ax to cut down the mighty tree. They accepted the challenge and set to work each taking turns chopping at the tree.
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After many months, they were almost done chopping the tree. It took many ax handles and the ax had to be sharpened but eventually with one last mighty chop Viribro fell the tree. It came down with a thunderous crash, so loud the earth shook and the many branches of the tree dug into the ground. Preem, slumbering, was awakened as the piece of him was cut loose. There was an earthquake and all the world felt the tree fall. Preem angered again that he was awoken sent the dragon from the sea to search the world for the culprits.
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Estello had set to work fashioning a bow from the felled tree. He was able to use Securous for the task but he needed a quiver large enough to carry all the arrows he would make from the tree and a bow string strong enough to draw the bow. He would also need arrow heads. He asked Ingous to begin forging arrows heads. And he asked Bront to find a beast whose sinews would be strong enough for his bow. Bront knew not of such a creature, he thought he could weave the sinews of many beasts to make the bow string. Then the dragon from the sea found the tribe and set out to destroy them. It breathed fire and flapped its wings, but the tribe was not afraid, in fact the opposite. They reveled in the fact they were being challenged and until that day they had never been met by such an obstacle.
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Lune ran about being chased by the dragon, but it was not able to catch up to her. Lune ran around the earth distracting the beast while the others planned. Hurclone used the net she made from the hair of Preem and when the beast was near she threw it over its head. Viribro and Viribra jumped onto the beast and wrestled with its wings so it would not take flight. Bront used every weapon he had and struck at the Beast but nothing penetrated the armor. Estello shot arrow after arrow but they too bounced off the scales. Then Ingous picked up the ax Securous and with one fierce blow like that of a hammer to an anvil he struck the beast’s neck cleaving the head off. The body of the beast went limp.
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The warriors reveled in their glory. Estello now had sinews strong enough to string his bow. He would use the hide for a quiver and Ingous would fashion arrow heads from the scales. When they cut the beast up, Ingous found the ball of fire in the beast’s throat and with that he could make fire hot enough to smelt the beast’s parts. From the tip of the tail he forged a spear head and fashioned it to a metal arm bone. The arm bone was crooked and somewhat jagged, but every time it was thrown it always met its mark. The bone and spear were polished and shone silver so when it flew it lit up the sky brighter than the yolk. He named the spear Fulger and presented it to Bront who could hunt with it for all of time and fell the mightiest of beasts with just one strike.
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Ingous carved a mighty shield from the wood of the tree and wrapped it in the wings of the dragon. No arrow or sword not made of the beast could make a scratch or dent. This shield he gave to Lune, so she may run into battle if ever needed and not be harmed by missiles fired at her. He also made handles from the beast’s bones for his ax and hammer so they would never have to be replaced again.
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So the beast was used for weapons and tools. Estello fashioned his bow string from the sinews of the dragon and made a bow from the tree that was part of Preem. Only Estello and the twins where strong enough to string the bow which they named Arkom. Ingous forged arrowheads from the scales of the beast using its inner fire. The arrow heads glowed white hot and no amount of water could quench them. A quiver was made from the hide of the dragon and it was the only quiver that could hold the white hot arrows. The entire tree that was part of Preem was used for the arrows and Estello found that no matter how many arrows he put into the quiver it never filled up, for the dragon was formed in the sea and like the sea it is vast and deep.
Hurclone fashioned another net with the remaining sinews from the beast, and her net could catch and hold even the strongest of sea creatures.
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For the rest of the warriors were made armor and clothes that no weapon could pierce or cut. The tribe of Natoon returned to base of Peatrous where the cold winds descended on them and kept them cool. They now seemed invincible to the world and no one challenged them. They desired to again be challenged as to keep the fire in them alive.
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The Creation of the Moon and Stars
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When the Natoon had won every contest against every human alive, they could only compete against themselves to stay warm. Soon they became bored with competing against each other and desired instead to complete against the elements. The Natoon decided the only thing more powerful than them was the Great Yolk and its warmth would be the only thing that would fulfill their desire to stay warm. They set out to climb Peatrous for they thought at its peak they could catch the yolk. It took many years for the first people to descend Peatrous after the great flood and it would take many years for the Natoons to climb it. But they were relentless. Their desire to catch the yolk burned within them.
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They climbed the mountain and their bodies began to change. The higher they went, the colder it became. Their skin turned white as the ice that surrounded them, their eyes froze to a bright blue, brighter than the sky, and their hair turned pale as all color was sucked away from the cold. But they did not die from the cold. The fire that burned inside them kept them alive and the fierce competitiveness they held was too much for them to give up.
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After many years of climbing, their changed bodies reached the top of Peatrous. They found even at the top they were no closer to the yolk than when they might have been at the bottom. And there were no trees to cut for making a fire and the cold winds began to bite them and put out the fire within. Ingous, angry that they could not reach the yolk slammed his hammer Portous down on the top of the mountain. When he did a great shower of sparks flew up in the air and warmed them if only for a moment. He struck again and more sparks flew. He continued to pound at the rock and more and more sparks flew and eventually fire spewed from a hole that was being carved out by Ingous’ Hammer. Soon he started using Securous as well and two handedly chopped and hammered at the mountain.
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The fire heated the Natoon and they sat on the mountain thinking about how they could catch the yolk. Dellmar and his wife Hurclone desperately missed the sea. They had been bored on the climb up the mountain and wanted to return to the water. Lune also wanted to sprint again across a flat plain or dodge trees in a forest.
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“Return to the bottom of the mountain,” Estello said to Lune, Dellmar and Hurclone. “Find your own ways to catch the yolk. If you do I will reward you with becoming the new leader of the Natoon, and I will bow to you.”
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“I will carry you both” said Lune to Dellmar and Hurclone. She donned the dragon wing shield on her back and the couple grabbed on. Lune began to run down the mountain. Lune was overjoyed running again. She skipped and jumped and dove down the rocky mountainside and was soon picking up speed. Dellmar and Hurclone held on as Lune raced faster and faster.
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“Lune!” said Dellmar. “We cannot hold on much longer! You need to slow down!”
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But the fire inside Lune was burning with an intensity she had never felt. Running downhill she was able to reach speeds she had never reached before, if only she did not carry Dellmar and Hurclone she would continue to gain speed. From the height they could see the ocean and Lune said, “Jump you two, jump into the ocean. I fear I am going too fast to slow down,” She lied. “If I misstep all three of us may be gravely injured or killed. Jump!”
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So, Dellmar and Hurclone jumped from Lune’s back and fell from a great height toward the sea. But they were not afraid. They were great swimmers and great warriors. Their fall would not hurt them, they dove and the idea of them returning to the ocean reignited the fire in them.
Lune, with her burden lifted, ran faster and faster spiraling around the mountain. Her feet began to burn and in her wake was a line of flame. What took normal men years to climb down Peatous, Lune took only a few days. She neared the bottom and the fire burned within, she knew she only had a few miles left to enjoy her epic sprint so she pushed herself farther than she ever had.
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As she neared the bottom something miraculous happened. There was one final boulder in her way so she leapt to dodge it but when she did she did not return to the ground. Instead she began to fly. She continued to pump her legs and she rose higher and higher into the sky. Although she was surprised she did not stop and she remembered Estello’s words “I will bow to you”
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So Lune ran toward the sky, her dragon skin shield on her back, and began to chase the yolk. So at night, when the yolk is far away and the sky is dark, you can see Lune chasing the yolk across the sky. Sometimes she gets close to catching it, but she is running too fast to slow down. Sometimes, rarely, she catches up to the yolk but passes it by because she cannot slow down. One day she will catch it and that day will be one of many that will signal the end of the world, but that day has not yet come to pass.
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Dellmar and Hurclone fell into the sea with a great splash. As they did the yolk was moving away and the sky was darkening. Dellmar saw the yolk and an idea struck him. “My love Hurclone, let me borrow your net made from the sinews of the dragon. I will swim toward the yolk and when it is low in the sky and near the sea, I will catch it with your net. Estello will bow to me and I will make you my queen.”
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Hurclone agreed. And gave him her net. Dellmar began to swim toward the yolk, the fire inside him had been reignited and he swam with all his strength as fast as he could. Hurclone returned to land and repaired the net which caught the dragon made from Preem’s hair. She continued to fish waiting for the day her husband would return and hopefully make her a queen.
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Meanwhile, up on the mountain, the rest of the Natoon saw Lune raise up and begin to chase the sun. Estello watched her and he was glad, but he was also worried she may actually catch it, so Estello set out to extinguish the yolk himself.
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He drew his bow and notched one of his many white hot glowing dragon scale arrows from his dragon skin quiver. He drew back an aimed, he loosed the arrow and watched it fly toward the yolk, but he was not aware of how large the yolk was or how far away it was. The arrow continued to sail and missed the yolk so it stuck into Sec. Estello notched another arrow aimed and let loose. He again did not know where the arrow went and it again stuck into Sec. Sec could feel the arrows, only a few at first but as they began to cover Secs body, the pain became more and more noticeable.
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Over and over Estello notched the burning arrows and shot them at the yolk. When the yolk was too far away and the sky went dark, Estello could see the white hot burning arrows stuck way above and shining back. Day after day Estello shot arrows at the yolk and at night he saw the arrows stuck to Sec. Estello found he could see where the arrows went at night, so he began drawing designs with some of the brighter arrows.
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He drew the mighty warriors of the Natoon, he even drew the dragon Preem had sent. And he drew himself with his bow drawn ready to be let loose. He continued to shoot arrows at the yolk never knowing where they would land. At night you can see his white hot arrows shining down stuck in Sec.
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Ingous still struck the top of Peatrous with his ax and hammer. It had been many years since he had forged anything and now the fire in him was reignited. He was burrowing a hole into the top of Peatous and has he struck over and over, the hole became deeper. Since Ingous was cold on the outside he was protected at first from the rock that began to melt from his crushing of the stones. The ax began to dull and lost its edge which had never before happened. Ingous continued to hammer down deeper and deeper into the mountain. The deeper he got the hotter it became. His body thawed, but he did not notice. Then his body began to burn, but that only caused him to hammer more. On and on he hammered, and Estello shot arrows into Sec and Lune chased the yolk.
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The End of the Natoon and the Destruction of Peatrous
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Ingous hammered for many years. Dellmar continued to swim not fully comprehending how large the world was nor how far away was the yolk. Estello continued to shoot arrows at the yolk filling the sky with points of light at night.
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Sec contorted in pain. Sec tried to move around to dodge the arrows, but wherever there was a black space it was filled with either a drawing from Estello or a trail of arrows he shot chasing the yolk.
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Preem saw all of this through the parts of him that were trees. Preem was angered Estello was hurting Sec, and angered the Natoons desired to catch the yolk. Even more so that they had killed the dragon he made.
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Ingous dug below the mountain. He had reached the ash near the bottom of the egg. His body was now burnt black. A crusty layer formed all about him from his burning, but he did not perish and the heat did not dissuade him. A long column of molted rock towered above him. The ash melted and parted and with one final blow he hit the bottom of the egg. The world shook, and Preem felt the blow. Preem seeped like a root to where Ingous stood dumbfounded and smoldering realizing he had reached the bottom of the world.
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“Who are you that has dug into my realm?” asked the angered Preem. “Who are you that killed my dragon after you cut a part of me? Who are you whose kindred needle my beloved Sec and chase the yolk who are determined to end the world and all the creations?”
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“We are the Natoon” answered Ingous. “We are the greatest warriors in the world. None can challenge us, none can defeat us. We pulled the strongest stones from the bottom of the sea to forge ax and hammer. We cut a great tree for the strongest bow. We defeated a dragon. And we will catch the yolk, for nothing else in the world is stronger than us. And now, I have burrowed to the bottom of the world. I will continue, and you who has stopped me will feel my wrath for as I cut the dragon so will I cut you.”
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Inguos tried to strike Preem, but Preem was too great. The ax Securous took many months to cut the tree that was Preem, and now it was dull as a hammer. Preem felt the blow but with no effect. Preem began to speak and his voice echoed up the molten shaft and out of the top of Preatrous for all the world to hear. “I am Preem. I was here when all was yolk and ooze. I created Sec and we created you. It was my teeth you stole to forge your ax and hammer. It was I you cut when you fell the great tree. It was my dragon you killed which I had sent to punish you. And now you torture my beloved Sec who we both sacrificed our company to save you. You speed toward the destruction of everything we have created and saved. And now I will end your folly.”
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Above Ingous was the column of molten rock leading up to the mountain Peatrous. Preem stretched out a great hand and squeezed the column just above the head of Ingous.
In that one mighty squeeze, all the molten rock shot upward. All at once the lava poured forth from the hole in the top of Peatrous. Then there was an explosion. The whole of Peatrous blew up and boulders miles across shot into the sky. All the boulders flew out to the sea landing in the water and creating the now numerous islands and continents that dot the ocean.
All the Natoon who were at the top of the mountain were blow up with it.
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Estello, who was closest to the hole that Ingous dug, was incinerated. His dragon string bow and the remainder of his arrows survived, but were blown to all corners of the world. Some say his bow survived as well as his arrows which if you are out at sea you can see them at the bottom of the deep ocean.
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The twins Viribro and Viribra were so strong that the blast did not destroy them but they flew well out into the ocean on separate boulders in separate directions. Bront was hunting farther down the mountain, he too was blow high into the air and out to the sea.
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The rest of the Natoon we all killed. Their burned and wrecked bodies flew throughout the world. The only thing that remained of them was the dragon armor which they wore when they died. Some flew out to sea, some landed on the new islands, but the Natoon were no more.
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Peatrous was destroyed. The humans of the world saw its destruction. Many were killed in the aftermath but those who survived passed down the story of the great explosion and the voice of Preem.
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At the bottom of the egg, Ingous saw the pillar of lava shoot to the surface and he heard the explosion of Peatrous. The light from the lava was extinguished and Ingous was now left in the dark. Down the hole he dug fell rocks and ash burying him while he still held the dulled ax Securous and his forging hammer Portous. The rocks and ash also extinguished the fire that burned within him. But an ember remains in his heart, glowing, smoldering and one day he will awaken to wield his ax and hammer again; and that day will be one of many that will signal the end of the world, but that day has not yet come to pass.
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Dellmar and Hurclone saw the destruction of Peatrous. Dellmar was swimming out at sea chasing the great yolk. He saw the boulders miles across sail over his head. Some fell hurtling toward him and he had to swim fast in all directions dodging the waves and the rocks. Hurclone too saw the fire in the sky and the massive boulders flying in all directions. She saw the rocks fall into the ocean and feared for her husband’s life.
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Sec was hurting form the many arrows and still twists in the sky. In her writhing every once in a while one of the many arrows falls from Sec, if you watch the sky long enough at night you may see one of the arrows falling. One day the arrows will fall all together and that day will be one of many that will signal the end of the world, but that day has not yet come to pass.
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Sec, seeing Peatrous destroyed and a great many people killed, began to cry. The fires burning from the explosion were extinguished. Water poured over the edge of the great egg and continue to pour today. Eventually, the ocean calmed from the rocks that fell into it. Where Peatrous once stood was a pile of ash. But humans settled it and soil was made from the ash. Eventually trees and grass grew there. Now it is unknown where Peatrous once stood, perhaps you sit on it now.
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The world calmed. Humans went back to living and were no longer pestered by the Natoon. But Dellmar, knowing the destruction of his people at the top of Peatrous was resolved more than ever to catch the yolk when it dipped near the sea. Lune still ran on but was now vengeful and desired nothing more than to catch the yolk and punish the world by extinguishing its light.
