An Introduction from Zariah

[Zariah]

Zariah enters the Assembly room with quiet grace, her head to the floor composing her final thoughts. She walks toward the center of the room, aware that all eyes are on her. She produces and timid smile and begins her formal introduction.

 

“Good evening to all. I am aware that I have lived here at the Pen for almost one turn of the four seasons, and I have not yet formally introduced myself to you all. Well, that is about to change this very instant. For those interested in my past and present, please bear in mind that I am not a gifted public speaker.”

 

Zariah pulls from her tunic a stack of oversized index cards. Clumsily, they scatter upon the floor and her cheeks turn a rosy red as she bends down to pick them up.

 

“Err…. Pardon me for a moment; I am having some technical difficulties.”

 

She gathers the remaining cards and begins to read…and LITERALLY read the words on the paper.

 

“My Personal History”

 

“I was born almost twenty turns of the four seasons ago in the winter. Small and fragile, my parents feared that I would not make it more than several days past birth. Rather that take that risk, they left me bundled in ragged terrycloth behind a shed, many lands far from here. I was found by my Mother-wing, the head Mistress of the Crows. She was this middle-aged woman who did not realize she was a woman. She, as I was told by my Crow family, was raised by them. Mother-wing had been with child less than three days before my discovery, but the child died. Heartbroken, Mother-wing was prepared to take her life. She stumbled upon me while raiding through the garbage on the outskirts of town for food for the Clan. Instantly, she took me in as her own “lost” child. Mother-wing spoke no English, so naturally I was raised for most of my early childhood speaking the languages of the Crows. Yes, I say languages in plural because there are many. Just as humans have many different cultures, so do the Crows. I was brought back to the forest and introduced to the Clan, and very welcomed. I have fond memories of my early childhood. At the age of seven, Mother-wing died of an illness I have never since encountered. Without her to watch over me, the Clan became worried that I would not survive, for I had no wings to fly from danger. I was so tiny and vulnerable.

 

I decided to travel back to the town where Mother-wing had found me to find my human birth parents. The Clan accompanied me to the outskirts of the forest. When I arrived, the town had been burned to the ground with no human in sight. I was too young to understand this phenomenon and so I returned to my family. They taught me everything I needed to know to function as a human from their own interactions with humans, but knew I needed to be with others of my kind. After a two year journey with them, they delivered me into the hands of an elderly gentleman by the name of Freiffer. Freiffer lived several lands away, but alone apart from a small village. He was a grandfatherly man, kind and wise. Freiffer taught me the language of man, and all the proper human activities. I helped him gather food each day from the forest. When I was eleven, he brought me to the village to sell goods at the market. This was my first encounter with human society, and I was fascinated. Each fourth-day I would accompany Freiffer to the village and ask him every question about everything. When I was twelve, he told me that he had taught me everything he knew and that I needed to learn from someone else.

He introduced me to the village recorder, Shutnol. Shutnol took me under his care and I learned how to read and write. He found that I was a quick learner and fascinated with everything I discovered. I was then asked to study with other young apprentices in the arts of writing and recording. Shutnol took me and three young boys to Hustbrier, the town to which the village reported to for political affairs. In Hustbrier, I was enrolled in a guild school with sixty other apprentices. Here was where I excelled in composing and writing. This was the first place I felt that I fit in and found a niche. I had many adventures in Hustbrier, but those stories are quite long and deserve a different occasion to be told. I remained an apprentice for five years, and was the first to graduate from my year mates.”

 

Zariah pauses and glances around for a place to sit. A kind listener offers his seat and he finds another. She takes a deep breath and notices that there are quite a few more members present than when she began.

 

“So, I decided two years ago that I am determined to find my birth parents to let them see who I am and what they gave up. I have traveled from far away. One winter evening in the forest beyond the Pen, I was encountered by a huge crow. She seemed angry at the time about something and was cawing to herself. Little did she know, I understood her, for her particular crow language was the same of my Crow Clan. She spoke of her master and friend Nyyark, (Whom I have yet to meet) and told me of this wonderful place. So here I am, Zariah, Lady of the Crows, pleased to make your formal acquaintance.”

 

Zariah stands and gently bows, glancing to each member present. Satisfied with her introduction, she returns the index cards to her tunic pocket and resumes to her sitting position.

Edited October 8, 2003 by Zariah

[Kalypso]

Tempest boldly plods over to Zariah, laps her cheek in greeting, and stands nobly at her guard.

 

Kalypso, with her face flaming brightly, walks briskly up to the front of the room.

 

"Oh my! Tempest! I turn my head for one minute and he wanders. Umm... you have a little something on your cheek let me help you with that. “

 

Fumbling through her bag she finds a cotton kerchief and wipes the streaks of drool from Zariah's face. She glares at the towering steed as she stuffs the kerchief back in her bag. Tempest nudges Zariah with his soft black muzzle, nearly knocking her chair over, and casually strolls out of the room.

 

“Gosh, I’m so embarrassed! Truly I’m sorry about this. Tempest is kind of like an oversized, stubborn watch dog that has no boundaries. He really took a liking to you. Oh! I haven’t introduced myself! I'm Kalypso, and Tempest already introduced himself.“

 

She smiles sheepishly at Zariah and suddenly realizes that a whole room of people are watching.

 

“Alright, well....I have to go...ummm find Tempest....I'm sure these wonderfully gracious people have something to say to such an established member as yourself. “

 

She hugs Zariah and whispers a quick apology in her ear before skittering out the door.