A Rakash fable, as told by Ticetar, Cleric of Siksraja


Very, very long ago, apples were not known to our people. Perhaps they did not even exist.

Then, as now, we ate the meat of animals and flesh of the fruits and vegetables that we found or grew, and, in times when the weather turned and the creatures evaded our hunters, we turned to the stores of cleverly preserved foods that our cooks had prepared for just such instances.

So here our story begins, in one of these hard times. The supplies of preserved foods were dwindling dangerously in the village, and yet the hunt remained elusive and the crops hit by blight after blight. Prayers were given unto Enelne, Coshivi, and Mrod all, but again and again, the spears were bare of blood, the fields and baskets were bare of leaf and stem, and the people grew ever more hungry and weak.

At first, nobody noticed the small sapling that had begun to grow behind one of the buildings, so focused were they on other concerns, but soon food was so scarce that the tiny plant was discovered by some foraging children, desperate to find anything to eat at all. Overjoyed as they were to see the green leaves and the slender stem, that several of the children tried to yank the sapling out of the ground straight away, yet it did not yield. Undaunted, the children decided to instead try to pluck the tiny leaves instead, but those held firm as well!

With a howl of frustration, some of the children then went to find their older siblings and parents, thinking surely that they would be able to best this tiny plant and maybe make a soup out of it. However, just as with the children, when their older siblings and parents went to tug at the tiny sapling, it did not budge, not even one small leaf!

It was then that an elderly woman, beloved by Enelne for her wisdom, came upon the group. With a soft smile upon her muzzle, she motioned the others to step back and said a prayer of thanks. She then grabbed the top of the sapling and yanked, and lo, did the sapling respond! It came up and up as the elder pulled, but never did it leave the ground. Instead, the tree simply grew taller with each tug! Soon it grew so tall that she began to push upward upon what was now a true trunk, and its growth continued until the tree was full and lush, mature and glorious to behold.

Awestruck, the assembled villagers gazed at the miraculous tree without a sound. That is, until the youngest child snorted loudly and said that while it was a lovely tree and truly Enelne had worked Her ways before their very eyes, a lovely tree did not fill their empty bellies. The old woman simply smiled once more and stretched her arms wide. A soft breeze swept through, and the old woman transformed into a swarm of pale pink butterflies, her clothing falling to the ground where she had once stood as the colorful wings carried the creatures up amongst the leaves!

Dumbfounded once more, all stood before the tree in wonder, even the young one who had spoken up before. They watched as the butterflies landed upon the tree’s branches, only to transform again, this time into flowers. Then, before their eyes, the flowers then gave way to rapidly growing fruits! When full and red, the fruits began to tumble to the ground, and soon there were enough to feed the entire village.

When first they bit into the miraculous fruits, the villagers saw that inside of each of them were five small seeds set into the shape of a person with arms spread wide, just as the old woman had been standing before she had first transformed! The villagers planted the seeds and yet more trees did grow, though not with the swiftness of the first. And though the weather did grow pleasant, the foraging baskets and fields filled, and the hunters’ spears did find their targets once more, none in the village ever ignored the trees, or forgot the lesson of the old woman. They ate of the fruit often, and always with thanks and joy in their hearts, knowing that the Great Pack will always change, always grow, and always become anew, so long as it remembers itself and its place in the Oneness of all things.