Dragoncrest Cliffs all that my heart longs for,

for the most treasured moment, his maman smiled. encouraged by that brief knife of sunlight nestled between barbs of darkness, val sat on his haunches and grinned in return.

"our story takes place a hundred years ago," val informed erzulie. like any child, that breadth of time seemed immensely huge -- little did he know it was only a mere handful of generations. "once upon that time, there was a tribe of wolves known as the kamatiki tribe. they lived just beyond the cliffs, in that big mountain over there." val motioned to the grim peaks sagtannet had dwelled.

"they were lead by proud wolf who was white as the clouds, and for that he was named nimbus. he was loved by almost all the wolves in kamatiki, save his brother shade." val peered at his mother to see if she was following along - of course she was. "shade lived in his brother's shadow. every day resentment built in his heart to see the people love nimbus, and shun him. day by day the townfolk grew more fond of nimbus, and more wary of shade.

shade busied his time with trying to earn the affections of a young she-wolf named woka. to shade, woka was the most beautiful thing to walk this earth. he confided in his brother his intentions to marry woka, to bring her to the hotsprings to the east where he'd stored elk-pelts and rabbitfurs, and earn over her heart.

nimbus encouraged his brother's dreams, meanwhile he took his brother's idea and claimed woka as his own. shade was devastated, and in a fit of anger he found his brother at the rendezvous and threw himself upon nimbus.

there the two brothers fought viciously. the townspeople gathered in horror to see shade and nimbus at each other's throats, fur flying. woka was horrified and begged to the gods to intervene -- she flung herself off a cliff while the two brothers tore into each other.

the gods were furious to see woka's life wasted. pamola, the god of thunder and the skies, reached down and seized both brothers by the scruff and lifted them to the sky. around the towns-people, white fur fell in soft flutters. enraged by the mortal brother's short-sightedness, pamola turned the two of them into white birds and banned them from the earth. woka was lifted from her grave and placed in the skies, the brightest star next to the moon.

now, whenever it snows it is said it is the spirits of nimbus and shade, searching for woka."