The Tale of the Serpent People and the Promise of Temu

In the long ago, when the Serpent People were few, we lived in the caves in the shadow of the Mountains.  The fathers of our fathers’ fathers kept true the rituals of the Old Ones.

But a foolish man named Uman, who brought great evil, came down from the mountains.  This evil cursed the Serpent People, and made the earth to shake, and the rocks to fall.  The great leader, Dar the Mighty, was killed, and so were all who stood with him.  And foolish Uman said it was not he who brought down the evil spirits.

But the skies parted and the Four Heroes stood forth, each with a mighty club, and they said to the Serpent People, “You have done well to keep sacred the ways of the Old Ones.”  They gave to the People a tree tall enough to hold up the sky, and to all in the tribe the Four Heroes gave mighty gifts.

And they raised up Dar’s son, Drim, and promised unto him that he should have a bride from among any of the People.  And he chose the best woman from all the tribes, the daughter of Uman.

Then Uman said, “Mighty Heroes, why must my daughter be taken?”

And the Heroes said, “It was you who brought the evil spirits.  It was you who corrupted the ways of the people, and caused them to put aside the ways of the Old Ones.  Your wrong will be made right by giving your daughter to Drim.”

Then they took their mighty weapons they drove away Uman, and all those who believed him, to live in the Cold Mountains forever, and they became the Fox People.  And that is why the Serpent People have a matchmaking ceremony.

Drim led the Serpent People for years and years, and when he was as many moons old as half the earth itself, Drim took a mate, and his mate gave to him a daughter.  And her name was Temu, and she was a mighty healer, and a great sorceress.

One day a witch, in the form of a raven, came unto Dar’s daughter Temu and said, “I too am a mighty healer, and I challenge you for the leadership of the Serpent People.”  And the raven brought forth two cages, and each cage was an aguen.  And the raven said, “I have hunted for two days and nights, and I have killed these aguen.  Now you must bring it back to life.”

And Temu knelt by the first cage, and the witch knelt by the second cage, and each worked great spells.  And the witch brought back the aguen to life, but lo! The aguen in the cage of Temu also lived.  And the witch was defeated.

But behold!  It was not a witch, it was one of the Four Heroes, and he said unto the aguens, for he spoke the tongue of beasts:  “Now you and your kind shall labor for the Serpent People for all the days, and they shall feed you, and they tend your wounds, and they shall shelter you from the deadly winter.”  And the Hero said to Temu, “Now you must promise that this shall be so.”

And Temu promised, and thus it was so.  And by the hand of Temu the aguens were fed, and their wounds were tended, and they were sheltered from the deadly winter, and the aguens grew bigger and stronger, and they were laden with meats and furs from the hunt, and they bore great burdens, and to this day, the Serpent People keep the promise of Temu.