"I am from the neighbouring
Sphere of Waters Gather, where my father’s tribe still dwells. My father,
Swiftfeet the Hunter, was a Spherewalker; he captured and sold rare birds
for a living. He was famous for his skill at tracking, coaxing and keeping
healthy the beautiful birds he traded in. He is the one who taught me how
to call the feathery ones and understand their language.
"Father was renowned as
one of the best at what he did, but he wanted to reach higher. He took
it into his head to find the
famous Phoenix and snatch
the one golden feather on the bird’s breast. Legends say that whoever can
catch that feather is
assured good luck and
prosperity for life. Each incarnation of the Phoenix grows only one such
feather.
"Well, he apparently did find the great bird, or so rumor has it. Whenever somebody asked him about the feather, and what it is Father had been hoping for (didn’t he already have success, fame and a loving tribe?), he would only smile silently. But shortly after his great hunt for the Phoenix, he came back from his travels with a beautiful woman called Goldboon. She was a graceful dancer and a kind soul; the tribe took her in gladly when Father married her. A year later, I was born. I had a happy childhood with Goldboon and Swiftfeet, but no siblings were ever born. I learned the hunter’s tricks from Father, and the art of sacred dancing from Mother.
"The day of my Rite of Passage came, and the tribe had a great Firedance. We whirled into a trance farinto the night, with Mother guiding my steps into the sacred patterns. I lost track of time and space, as I danced with the Holy Flame that my parents had chosen as my world-name (we, in my tribe, also have heart-names that we do not share with the outside world).
"When morning came, I could
not find my parents. I learned that Father had been careful to close all
the deals he had been
working on, leaving no
unfinished work. But they had left no word for me, of where to find them
or why they had left. The tribe
didn’t know where they
had gone, but people seemed to think that whatever had happened, it was
for the best. No one but me
seemed distressed.
"It dawned on me that I
was now completely free, and officially an adult. I gathered my traveling
gear, and went a-Spherewalking. This was a good while ago, now; I have
sometimes visited the tribe again, but never stopped anywhere for very
long. At first I had hoped to find my parents, then I looked for my mother’s
tribe; I don’t even know what Sphere she wasfrom. Now I just travel because
this is what I like."