valor and strength

Dawn forest

"I was born and raised east of the Sícarion Mountains, in the Dawn Forest, a place of towering trees piercing the clouds, letting the sun peek through, and ferns hiding in the morning mist, dampening the rocks to allow moss to grow. Rain is an essential part of the landscape, and the scent of the air evokes nostalgia.

From a young age, I understood the value of effort. My father, Raobeon, a guardian elk who has protected these forests since before my birth, taught me everything a guardian elk should know: nothing is free, everything has a price, our limits are only overcome through effort; don't expect anything from anyone, and never meddle in others' affairs.

Although many elks inhabit these forests, we rarely even greet each other, except at the new moon gathering, where we catch up on what's happening in the forest. Each one watches over their territory, and each one is responsible for their own. We are the first line of defense against any threat trying to invade Sícarion or its surroundings.

The Cardobians keep us under constant siege, and their incursions are frequent but not very fruitful. Until recently, they had never posed a serious problem for my people, as they worked in isolation without cooperation among themselves. However, about a year ago, the appearance of an eagle made us reconsider what we thought we knew.

As far as we knew, all eagles had long been extinct, and tales of these mythical creatures were used to scare young elks. At first, it was just a rumor, some sightings here and there, but nothing concrete. However, at the last new moon gathering, five northern guardians did not attend. Five guardians! It was an alarming number that alerted everyone; the sightings of an eagle were not mere coincidences. That's why we decided to create an investigation squad. My father, Raobeon, and I volunteered, along with eight other volunteers, to find out what was happening with the northern families.

As I explained all this, the pain and exhaustion became more evident in my body. When I looked up, I realized I was surrounded by some armadillos, toads, land turtles, and several sparrows, among other animals, who seemed to lose their shyness. An armadillo, with an excessively shrill voice, stammered, "Wha-what-what di-did you fi-find?"

I couldn't help but smile at him, but as much as I wanted to continue, the still-fresh wounds didn't allow it. Coeni approached me, touching my forearm, and looked at the curious crowd saying, "Friends, Raoban needs to rest. I appreciate your understanding."

Several little rabbits, Coeni and Mavane's children, were pushed to the door of the house by their mother, who said with a kind but firm voice, "The day is over, it's time to sleep. Inside, my creatures."

Coeni came up to me and said, "Rest and regain strength, great Raoban, so that tomorrow you can continue telling us more about yourself." "Of course, my friend," I replied. Although it was strange, I don't remember ever calling anyone else a friend before.

When I was alone, to the sound of the night, I felt so tired that my eyes closed without realizing it, and at that moment, a memory came to me in the form of a dream: the moment when my wife Sinem and my little daughter Bérami, along with the rest of our village, left the forest.

After only three of the ten guardians who went out to investigate what happened to the northern families could return, a decision had to be made: we fought alone against the Cardobian army or joined the central army. Unfortunately, the decision was not very difficult, and it was agreed by a majority vote to abandon our home. Although most voted, there were also many abstentions, including my wife's.

Sinem has always been very serene, and I could even say timid, but on the day of that exodus, she really surprised me; as all the guardians headed south to join the central forces that would defend the continent from the newly formed Cardobian army, everyone else would take refuge in the Valley of the Butterflies, southwest of the northern mountain range. Everyone was on the verge of panic, while some cried, others complained, and many more cursed the situation, Sinem, seeing the chaos that was forming due to such a tragic event, took control of the situation.

Just before we said goodbye, she said to me, "Give me a moment." I didn't know what she intended to do; She trotted among the crowd shouting with beautiful bravery, "People of the Dawn," "People of the Dawn," "People of the Dawn, listen." And when she reached the edge of the crowd, calling the attention of every elk, big and small, she raised her voice even more, "We have nothing to fear if it is the guardians who protect us, we have nothing to fear if we are the people of the Dawn, we have nothing to fear if the creator has made a guardian of every child of the forest." She looked around and continued, "Brothers and sisters, even in times of darkness, the light shines within us. Let's give peace and strength to everyone around us, so that when the day the sun rises again, we have no regrets."

The atmosphere changed completely; the contingent heading to the valley got organized, and a breath of hope encouraged us to continue with courage and strength. I was truly surprised and proud of the leadership my wife showed to everyone. At that moment, I heard Bérami say, "You can close your mouth now, Dad." I smiled embarrassedly, and when Sinem came to us, I kissed her strongly. As we said goodbye, kissing my daughter Bérami, I whispered to her, "There's nothing you should worry about; your mother takes care of you."

While dreaming of those memories, Coeni's whisper alerted me. "Raoban, wake up Raoban." Opening my eyes, the rabbit accompanied by a couple of mice seemed alarmed and said to me, "Do you think you can get up? There's something you must see. It seems we've found someone.""