Perception of Shadows

“The Night Shades were here long before the Tribe.

“In fact, it was the Night Shades that chose and guided the founders to the Shaded Mount.

“A loner from the plains, a rogue from the streets, and a healer from the woods, those three were chosen to take on the journey from their birthplace all the way to the mountain that would soon be home to the Tribe.”

Sunlight paused, her tail flicking as Creek watched her and Shred chuckled.

“You speak as if you are not still here, Sunlight,” Shred mused, her whiskers twitching in amusement.

“Well, we won’t always be,” Sunlight pointed out.

“Continue, Sunlight,” Creek prompted, bobtail twitching. “I’m sure we all have other things to do than here the recounting of information we know.”

“This is important, Creek!” Shred chided, though there was amusement in her tone.

Sunlight rolled her eyes, turning back to their audience.

“These spirits, the First Shades, served as a foundation for us. They taught us so much that now informs the Tribe. They took us as students, as their children who may one day walk in the shadows as one of them, and in return we honor them. We put weight behind their words, we honor them by dedicating ourselves to the Tribe, by giving our all whether that is in herb gathering or hunting or defending our borders.

“It is their promise, so long as we remain loyal to the Tribe, that they will continue to guide us. They will teach our kits by night how to thrive in this world, will offer us a way forward no matter what challenges arise, and welcome us to their ranks when our time in the living world is over.”

Shred nodded, stepping up beside the healer as her tail flicked and she took her turn to speak, Creek still quietly watching the two mollies.

“They offer these things to us primarily on good faith, but that does not mean it is entirely free. As said, they expect our loyalty in turn. We dedicate our lives to the Tribe, and we honor the Shades as the ones who came before us. After all, the acorn may have the power to become a mighty oak, but without its parent tree it would be nothing to begin with.

“That is why we listen to them, why we respect them and treat them as both respected advisors and our friends.” She paused, considering, before she continued. “I have heard more than one ask what it means to have both a waking and a dreaming life, why we need the Shades to teach us hunting and fighting when we can teach one another, and… In truth, I am no more all-seeing than you.

“But I know that to have two lives is to be able to live for our Tribe twice, to be able to remain here after my physical form is gone to look after those that come after me. The only thing in life that we can be certain of is that change is inevitable.

“Even Shades, after all, eventually fade away into the Beyond. But that is what makes even your dreaming life precious, because it is finite. We live, and we learn, and we die, and we remain as our dreaming self to guide our Tribe and teach the next generations, and then we are allowed to rest in the shadows of the Beyond.”

Shred shot a gentle look at Creek, who smiled and nodded his approval to the speech, finally standing to stride forward and take his own turn speaking.

“As for why we are grateful for their teachings… Have you not seen multiple techniques for the same result? Have you not listened to more than one voice, chased more than one possibility, when making a decision? The Shades offer us their knowledge, tricks that would otherwise be lost or advice we would not otherwise hear. That is why we have a Shade mentor, why they walk in the dreams of our trainees and guide them by night while we guide them by day.”

Sunlight smiled as she nodded, taking over for the other two once more.

“Not to mention, the Shades have lived to times we can only tell tales about, stories that are otherwise relegated to only the tongues of elders’ stories and our cave’s walls. Especially the First Shades. In many ways, the Shades are the history of our Tribe given form, given a way to be passed down for generations to come when it would otherwise be mistold or forgotten.”

The three cats were quiet for a moment, sharing smiles as they remembered when they had first come to the Shaded Mount.

They had known then that what they were doing would be important, but… Well, to see the Tribe they had left behind all they’d known for be given solid form, it was more than any of them had been able to fathom once upon a time.

Shred took a breath, and stepped forward.

“I know one other tradition that has confused outsiders before is why we have true names. Why there is a significance to them. Simply put, it is because they are a part of us. A symbol to all others to recognize that we are part of the Tribe, a hidden mark upon our souls that claims us as a part of the Shaded Mount. Kits and trainees do not have this name yet because they are young, they are still growing. They do not yet need to carry the weight of a true name, do not yet need to have something signifying that they have found their place in the Tribe.”

Sunlight smiles as she nodded, Creek chuckling under his breath at the healer’s quiet excitement at the topic of their names.

“Our true names hold weight to them, which is why we use them only for special occasions. It is why they are given to us by the Night Shades, why a trainee receives it from their Shade mentor and the Shadevoice hails them with it upon their graduation.

“Perhaps we do not need them, but they are special to us, a sign of where we belong and who we are.”

She fell quiet, glancing to her companions. “Is there anything else?” she murmured softly.

Creek shook his head. “I believe we’ve covered just about all of it.”

Shred nodded her agreement, tail flicking to dismiss their audience as she turned to leave. “I believe we have other duties to attend to then?”

“I’m sure we do,” Creek agreed with a soft chuckle, smiling as he followed after the Shadevoice.

Sunlight spared one last smile before she followed the duo, adding in her own comments about herbs she was on the hunt for.