The Legend of Tal-niene
A long time ago, the plague of Restulan spread across the world of Qudara. The Forvite race was in danger of extermination.
Small tendrils of smoke rose slowly toward the sky, as if the fires were in danger of going out. The village streets were nearly deserted save for one lone figure moving with purpose. The young vixen stopped at a doorway, sighing softly, her tail drooping as she hoped to find her patient feeling better this day.
Tiene quietly entered, sneaking a quick look towards the bed where rasping breathing could be heard, placing her burden of food and drink on the table. The smell of the sickness lay heavy in the air, a foul stench triggering the urge to snarl. When the numbers of ill Forvites continued to climb, it had been decided that the able-bodied would move the beds into the kitchens for warmth and ease of care. Now the young healer checked her sleeping patient, wincing as she saw that more clumps of fur had fallen to the floor. She hesitated briefly, knowing that the sleep was needed yet food was also important. She placed her paw on the vixen's shoulder and spoke her name, repeating it louder a second time. Mystiene's rasping breathing stopped then became a racking cough as the vixen struggled awake. Tiene helped her sit up then poured her a tumbler of lightly flavoured water. Once the vixen had drunk enough to breathe easier she replaced the tumbler with a warm bowl. "Easy now. It's still hot."
"Thank you, young one," the vixen replied, her voice shaking.
Tiene smiled, helping Mystiene as she sipped the broth. She took the bowl when the older vixen made a tired motion, helping her lay back before placing the bowl on the table.
"Would you like some bread now, G'rneal? Perhaps with a bit of brendgen on it?"
The vixen hesitated then nodded. "Yes please."
Tiene took the loaf of bread and sliced it carefully, her tail curling around her leg as she concentrated on the knife. Then she opened a container and spread some of the creamy purple cheese on one slice. She wrapped the remaining bread in a warm cloth and placed it on a platter. She took a serving slab and placed the coated bread along with a few strips of nea'ra fruit and cold meat cubes on the slab. She placed this close to the vixen and refilled the tumbler.
"Liemeine said this will give you strength and not upset your stomach," she said confidently. "Don't rush it though. Your stomach isn't used to food right now."
Mystiene was aware of faint hunger pains and picked up the bread slice first. Nibbling on it, she watched as Tiene tended to the fire then started cleaning up.
"And how is your mother today?"
The young vixen's tail drooped suddenly as sadness filled her eyes.
"Still ill. Momma wore herself out before she fell ill."
Mystiene sighed. Before she had found her mate she and Ilniera had run together as kits. She knew how close Tiene and her mother were and she often thought of Tiene as one of her own kits.
"I'm sorry, Tie. Are the medicines helping at all?"
Tiene brushed a tear from her eye and shook her head. She barely kept back the news that the medicines had run out and they were in danger of losing the kits and elderly.
"Liemeine is trying new combinations of herbs but so far nothing seems to be helping more than the usual medicines."
Mystiene looked stricken. Despite Tiene's answer she could guess at the risk to the kits and elders. Mystiene shuddered at the thought that so many might soon die.
"Without the kits, the community will not survive," she spoke slowly, still struggling with the realization. Tiene looked startled then her ears flattened.
"I know," Tiene confessed shakily, her tail flicking in her distress. "I've been praying daily but sometimes I wonder if our prayers are being heard." Mystiene gasped deeply and Tiene looked startled. "Not because I don't believe they care but maybe because...because," Tiene drew a shaky breath then leaned closer to whisper her fear. "I think we aren't the only ones suffering from this plague and our prayers are being lost in the numbers of prayers being said every day."
Mystiene looked frightened and grabbed at Tiene's paw. The young healer clasped the older vixen's paw firmly then her defences crumbled and she clung to the older vixen as she cried out her frustration, heartache, and fear. Mystiene held the healer as her own tears rolled through her clotted cheek fur. After a few minutes they separated and Tiene got cloths to clean them up. She gestured to the food.
"Sorry Mystiene, I didn't mean to break down like that. You need to eat so you'll be healthy," she said in a determined voice. Mystiene studied her for a moment then nodded and resumed eating.
"Have you eaten today?" she asked, hiding her concern over the thinness of the healer.
Tiene smiled wryly, her teeth bared briefly. "Liemeine made me eat before she let me do my rounds. She's looking after me."
"Good," Mystiene said, feeling too exhausted for more words. Then Tiene had to leave to tend to her next patient and Mystiene sat back with a sigh. While she had often been envious of Tiene's healing talent, now she wasn't sure if she could bear up half as well under the burden the youngster was carrying. Sending her own prayer to the Lord and Lady, she continued to eat, trying not to see how many patches of bare skin were showing on her body.
Tiene closed the door and took a deep shaky breath. Hot tears spilled uncontrolled down her cheeks. She raised a paw to wipe away the tears then realized that a fine rain was falling. She looked around the empty village square, the falling rain making it gloomy and gray. Despair filled her heart as she faced the fact that only she, the healer, and Liemeine, the herbalist, were left to tend to the community. Tiene stared at the temple then padded inside to the statues of Iskt and Illiene, the Lord and Lady of the Forvites. She knelt to one knee, tail curled to her right, left paw on the crossed sword and shield at the base of the statues, right paw on her heart. Her voice was low, intense, and carried her heart in it.
"ShaltarIskt, ShanieltarIlliene, may your blessings fall upon your children. May your guidance lead us through these days of strife to safety. I ask for your assistance, my Lord and Lady, so that I may help my people live."
Tiene dipped her head briefly, hoping that her plea would be heard. She was about to rise when she heard a musical voice in her ear.
"You think the gifts your gods gave you are not enough?"
Tiene froze, every sense alert. She could not scent anyone in the area with her. She kept her voice low and respectful as she answered.
"I am thankful for the gifts from my Lord and Lady but my skills are not enough to heal my people."
Tiene felt that she was being appraised then movement caught her eye. She turned her head to see a young todd lounging by the temple door. She knew he wasn't from her village even before she realized that his scent was healthy.
"There is much that your skills can do, Tiene."
She rose slowly to her feet, aware that a god might consider that disrespectful but subtly reassured by his presence.
"I know, my Lord, but there is much that needs to be done that I do not have the skills for."
He sighed and jumped up onto the shoulder of his statue.
"There is also a limit to what we can do." He tapped his nose. "Don't tell Jarnial that."
Tiene cracked a small smile.
"As you wish, my Lord."
Iskt smiled approvingly then looked serious again.
"You are willing to help? In any way?"
Tiene nodded solemnly.
"I would do anything to help my-our people, my Lord."
Iskt nodded slowly. "This is our deal young one. Consider well before answering."
Instantly the offer was in her head. Tiene's large platinum eyes widened. It seemed like eternity but was only a few heartbeats before she nodded once.
"I agree," she said softly, her words hanging in the air. Iskt leaned forward, laying a warm paw rest on her forehead. A tingle went through her and then he was gone. She turned to Liemeine's home.
The older vixen's head turned as the door opened, her hearing no longer sharp enough to distinguish soft footpads on the steps. Her nose identified Tiene before the younger vixen came into the room.
"Fair day young Tiene. Back for more supplies?"
"Yes G'rneal," Tiene said respectfully. She paused briefly. "Also I had an idea for a new combination of herbs to try."
Liemeine sighed as she stared at the current mess she was mixing. "I'm willing to try anything at this point Tiene. If we can't find a solution soon we'll start losing the weaker ones in the next few days."
Tiene nodded and moved over beside the old herbalist. Liemeine started to move aside then got a clear look at the young vixen. She stared at the white paw mark in the center of Tiene's forehead. "Tiene?"
The younger vixen looked at her with pleading eyes. The elderly herbalist drew in a shaky breath before nodding in understanding. She closed her muzzle on the questions rumbling in her brain and instead watched as the young healer selected several different herbs. She opened her muzzle when a poisonous herb was selected then shut it firmly. She would trust the mark of Iskt. Her eyebrows rose as Tiene selected more herbs then studied the procedure for mixing them intently. At least her mind was still sharp and she quickly committed the combination to memory.
Tiene looked over at her mentor as the final steps were completed.
"I have enough here to test on Mother and the worst of the kits. Can you brew some more as I tend to them?"
Liemeine nodded silently. With Ilniera healthy they would have three capable of brewing the concoction and to tend to all the patients. Then they might save the village.
Tiene went home first. Her mother tossed on the bed, delirious with the fever. Tiene's upper lip drew back as the musky scent of the illness reached her. She managed to get the brew into her mother without spilling any then covered her carefully. She leaned forward to kiss her mother's forehead.
"Get well Momma. I love you."
Tiene slipped out of the house and headed for the nursery where all the kits had been taken as their parents fell ill. A vixen, well bundled against the disease, met her at the door.
"Fair day young Tiene. You come in good time. One of the kitlings is worse."
"Fair day revered one. May I enter? I have a new medicine to try."
The vixen nodded and led Tiene to a large, well-lit room. Several kit-sized beds were arrayed in the room and large, listless eyes watched the vixens cross the room. Tiene was led to a bed where a tiny kit, no more than 3 weeks old, lay shivering despite the warm blankets carefully tucked around her. The other vixen brought a chair for Tiene to sit in and a small table for her to place her medicines on. Tiene poured out a small dose then reached in to pick up the kit. A small inarticulate cry of protest escaped the other vixen but Tiene smiled serenely at her.
"Rest easy kitling," she crooned as she settled into the chair, dipping her finger into the brew and then brushing it over the kit's lips. The kit tried to suckle but had no strength. The other vixen handed her a small dropper. "Thank you revered one," Tiene said softly, drawing the medicine into the dropper and then inserting it into the kit's mouth. As she squeezed a drop she rubbed gently along the kit's neck, helping her to swallow. By the time she was done the kit was starting to suckle the dropper. Tiene removed the dropper and rocked the kit, crooning softly. In a minute the kit fell into a peaceful sleep and Tiene was able to place her back in the bed. The other vixen stared in awe.
Tiene looked around the room and counted the beds. "I have medicine for all in this room and we are making more. I'm assuming that the sickest are here?" The other vixen nodded and her voice was muffled, like she was crying under all the wrappings.
"We thought it might help, that maybe the others wouldn't get as sick, but they still are." She looked down at the kitling. "I never thought I'd see any of them sleeping peacefully again."
Tiene touched the vixen's arm. "It will take more than one dose and I have many patients to tend to. Is there anyone else here who can help us and continue the doses when I can't be here?"
The vixen nodded. "Yes, there are seven of us healthy here. We can all administer the medicine once we know what dosage to give."
Tiene smiled warmly.
"Then revered one, let us begin." Tiene explained the dosages to the vixen as they tended to the next three patients, then Tiene let the vixen tend to three more before she left the medicine in her capable paws. She headed back to Liemeine's house.
Liemeine lost track of how many times she brewed the medicine over the next few days. Tiene seemed to be tireless, often coming in to find the older vixen falling asleep and coaxing her to bed. Somehow there always seemed to be enough supplies available to brew another batch.
Mystiene was always asleep when Tiene dropped by and would wake to find a small bottle on her table along with fresh food and a note advising her what dosage to take and how often. Five days after Tiene had cried her heart out, Mystiene tried to stand and found she was able to although her legs wobbled. She carefully made her way to her doorway and leaned against it, looking out on the village. She noticed that several other doorways had unsteady, ragged-furred Forvites leaning against them.
Liemeine came out of her dwelling and looked around. She raised her voice to be heard by the villagers. "There are staves beside your doors to help you walk. Will everyone please make their way to the temple?" Liemeine watched, ready to go to the aid of anyone who stumbled as they made their slow way to the temple.
Inside the temple the shaman Jarnial stood before the statues of Iskt and Illiene. The villagers could see a cloth-covered table set up between the statues and the shaman. Mystiene could see Ilniera sitting to one side, her body straight but with tears running through the remains of her fur. She made her way to the seat next to Ilniera and could finally see behind Jarnial. Tears started to run down her cheeks as she saw the thin body of the young healer on the table. As the last of the villagers sat he moved aside so they could all see.
Jarnial looked at Tiene, seeing the contented smile on the young vixen's muzzle. The white patch on her forehead gleamed in the sun pouring through the window. The sun seemed to give an unearthly glow to the vixen and he felt the same reverence he usually felt when praying.
"We are here to say goodbye to a member of our family. For Tiene made us all feel as though we belonged to hers. She gave her aid without reservations and we all were the better for having her. She didn't die alone," he said looking at Ilniera, Liemeine, and Mystiene. "She was surrounded by the love of Iskt and Illiene." He looked at the villagers. "We will honour her as she gave her life to help us."
Two nights later, the villagers gathered to watch as the shaman tenderly laid the young vixen's body on a funereal byre and lit it. As the flames curled through the wood, everyone stared in awe as the body turned translucent and the form of Tiene rose to her feet, looking over the villagers. They could see a hint of a smile then her head turned as if she had heard something beyond their range. A large white male fox head appeared and a shimmering paw presented itself to Tiene. She placed her paw in his then looked back at the villagers, bending forward as if blessing them. The white fox nodded then the two of them dissolved into millions of sparkling lights, which fell toward the earth. Except for eight bright stars that continued rising higher into the sky until they settled into the center of the night sky.
"Rest well, my daughter," Ilniera whispered. "You are loved and will be remembered."
Several months later, life had returned to normal. One clear night, Ilniera was sitting outside, staring up at the eight bright points of light still visible in the sky. She could almost see her daughter dancing in the night sky. A trader who had come to the village that day approached and asked if he could sit with her. He looked up into the sky and, without any hesitation, pointed out the new stars. Then he told her a strange story.
He was from one of the larger coastal communities and had fallen ill of the plague, as had many in the city. The plague had hit hard and just when all hope had been lost help arrived. At first no one realized that only one vixen had arrived. Then one night, as everyone was recovering, they had felt an overwhelming compulsion to go outside. Their eyes were drawn to the sky where they could see the smoky images of a white male Forvite's head and a young vixen bending and bestowing a blessing before turning into eight bright stars, which then ascended to the sky. Shaken by the experience, the survivors exchanged stories and it was discovered that the same young vixen had tended to everyone. Realizing that they had been blessed by the gods and it was their duty to help all others, the elders of his community had asked him to find out how the other communities had fared and arrange for needed supplies to be transported to them. As he travelled around, he heard the same story. In the midst of the plague, as people lay dying, a young vixen had walked into town and began to care for the ill. She ignored all pleas to save herself, or to continue on for help. She never spoke, only smiled gently, as if she carried some great weight she knew only she could carry. She tended to all the sick people, never sleeping, rarely eating, always patient and gentle. Then as the people began to recover and grow stronger, they were compelled to go outside and see the smoky vixen turn into the eight new stars.
As Ilniera sat frozen, tears running down her cheeks, the trader described her daughter in perfect detail. He said that she was being hailed as a gift from the gods. That she had been sent to let the People know they had not been forgotten. They were calling her "Tal-mar-niene" or "Our Young Protector". He said that their village was the only one where the story differed. He wanted her permission to tell the other communities her daughter's story. How she was so generous that she was able to help the world and was blessed by the gods. He handed her a paper that had the stars drawn on it. He had drawn lines around the star that looked like a girl half bent over with her arms open, bestowing a blessing on the world.
In time, the image became more stylized and the name was shortened. However the constellation remains. Mothers still take their newborn kits out to see Tal-niene on the first night of their lives and cuddle them as they relate the story of the young vixen and her love for her people.
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