Well, most of Mother Seas children were fish, but some of them werent. Those were the ones who crawled up onto the face of Father Earth. They looked like snakes at first, but then they sprouted legs and they grew up to be very big. Some of them ate trees, but some of the others ate the ones who were eating trees. Then a great big rock that was on fire fell down out of the sky, and when it hit Father Earth it made an awful splash, except that it was rock that splashed instead of water, and everything got dark for a long time. It finally started to get light again, but the snakes with legs werent there any more.
Did my relatives go away, too?
Some of them went to sleep, but they woke up after a while, and the ones whod stayed awake went to sleep. There was one that never slept, though. That ones very ugly, isnt it?
Indeed it is, child, Zelana replied with a shudder. Its an outcast, and we dont even like to think about it. What happened next?
There were a lot of things with fur wandering around, and there were birds and bugs, too, but then some things who walked on their hind legs came along. They didnt look at all the way we do, though. Their skin was scaly, like the skin of large fish or maybe snakes, and their eyes were huge and stuck way out in front of their faces. That went on for quite a long time, and then everything was all covered with white, and it got very cold. Mother Sea seemed to shrink, and she ran away from her shore. Then the white went away, and Mother Sea came back. Thats when the man-things who look like me arrived. They didnt look exactly like me, though. They wrapped themselves up in animal skins for some reason, and you and I dont do that, do we?
It isnt necessary for us, Eleria. The skins help the man-things stay warm, and theyre ashamed of their bodies.
How peculiar, Eleria said, frowning slightly. That was about all there was, Beloved, except that the awful-looking watcher was still way off at the edge of my dream, and I dont think it likes me very much. I get the feeling that its afraid of me for some reason.
If it has anything like good sense, it is, Zelana said. Do you think youll be able to manage here by yourself for a few days? There are some things I need to attend to. I wont be gone for long.
Cant I go with you?
Im afraid not, Eleria. I have to go by myself this time. Maybe you can come along next time. Well see.