Atelani Defiant

A Legend of the Before People, of Atelani, the First Female Chief

Atelani’s eyes glittered with something akin to madness.  There was nothing left to her but a singleness of purpose which held black despair at bay.  The world was a dark and evil place, but with each miserable life, ending in her own, she would make it a little less evil than it was before.

Once in a while, she would let them score a shallow cut.  It made her feel ferociously alive, but more importantly, it made them feel sure of themselves.  “This blood is my gift to you, false warrior!  So that you will not be completely shamed when I send your antlerless soul to plead before the gods!”  Such talk enraged them, as did the deeply insulting sight of her antler-tine trophies.   Overconfidence and rage made them careless -- and carelessness led inevitably to their defeat.  To be sure, Atelani worried about the day when she would meet a truly disciplined foe, but these guardians of stolen villagers were no match for a quick and clever fighter.

With the brutish overseer dead at her feet, Atelani faced the startled gang of slaves.  “Brothers!  I give you a choice!  Will it be your tears or your blood which soaks the earth!?  Will you die for the gods-cursed Twins or will you die to be free!?”  Almost always, the captives fled into the jungle, presumably to remake what they could of their destroyed lives. 

 

But today was different.  This ragged band of bucks had found their courage in Atelani’s words and, having nowhere else to go, they pledged themselves to her madness.  

And the madness of one became the cause of many; and the cause of many turned despair into hope.  Atelani fought no longer to fulfill her own dark purpose, but to raise others from misery.  And with each life she touched, ending in her own, the world grew a little brighter than it was before.

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