(This post is a reply to Snowyclaw's Monday Mystery.)
The eerie wind blew through the empty tundra, which grew into great mountains and touched the skies of Mira. A white blanket covered everything in sight, from head to tail. The cold could chill even the thickest fur of a tiger, and freeze even lava it seemed.
Liza, the panda shaman, had traveled all the way to these freezing mountains in search of a new land and Spirit Stone. "Ah, a good name for this place would be Mt.Shiveer. It does make me shiver quite a lot,"Liza stated. "Now, I just need to find a Spirit Stone. What lies hidden in these mountains?"she thought aloud. The thick-furred panda traveled deeper into the cloudy white mist, her paws freezing at almost every step. No longer could she see what lay in front of her eyes, for the mist turned her vision to white, and no longer could she smell clearly, for she only smelled the icy water, no longer could she hear anything but the howling of the wind.
After a few minutes that seemed a long expedition, she slipped over an icy surface and lost her footing. She looked down into the frozen waters, and saw a fish frozen in place, and once again she slipped and hit a hard, icy, cold wall. She looked up, and she faintly saw a blue glow. There was something else up on the ice wall, but she couldn't make it out. "What is that?"she whispered silently to herself. Liza could not hold onto consciousness, and she fainted in the freezing cold.
~*~
When Liza awoke, she felt oddly warm after all of the numbing coldness. She could feel a pelt of warmth set over her, but she could tell from her smell that they where in a watery cave. Liza blinked three times and finally opened her eyes. Around her was a family of never-before seen animals. They had round bodies and slick flippers. These animals where as white as snow.
In her curiosity, she spoke, "What are you?" One of the boldest seals replied,
"What are YOU? I have never seen such a furry thing in these lands!" Liza sat up, then sad firmly,
"I am the Panda Shaman. And you?"
"I'm Harper, 'seal' is what we are called."
"Ah,"Liza said, looking around the cave. "How did I get in here?"
"You where fainted outside of our cave. So we decided to take you inside."
"Do you have any type of... stone here?" She knew the Spirit Stone had to be in this cave for these seals to exist.
"No stone... just ice. This is an ice cave, it's great for seals like us."
"But.. then how do you exist? Do you know of Spirit Stones?"
"No,"a smaller seal replied. "Stones are stones."
Liza looked at the little seal and said,"Spirit Stones are stones that make it possible for animals to exist. There has to be one here."
Harper, the largest seal grumbled, "Silly legends..." Liza turned around and looked at Harper softly, with a pinch of annoyance in her eyes.
Liza, the panda shaman, had traveled all the way to these freezing mountains in search of a new land and Spirit Stone. "Ah, a good name for this place would be Mt.Shiveer. It does make me shiver quite a lot,"Liza stated. "Now, I just need to find a Spirit Stone. What lies hidden in these mountains?"she thought aloud. The thick-furred panda traveled deeper into the cloudy white mist, her paws freezing at almost every step. No longer could she see what lay in front of her eyes, for the mist turned her vision to white, and no longer could she smell clearly, for she only smelled the icy water, no longer could she hear anything but the howling of the wind.
After a few minutes that seemed a long expedition, she slipped over an icy surface and lost her footing. She looked down into the frozen waters, and saw a fish frozen in place, and once again she slipped and hit a hard, icy, cold wall. She looked up, and she faintly saw a blue glow. There was something else up on the ice wall, but she couldn't make it out. "What is that?"she whispered silently to herself. Liza could not hold onto consciousness, and she fainted in the freezing cold.
~*~
When Liza awoke, she felt oddly warm after all of the numbing coldness. She could feel a pelt of warmth set over her, but she could tell from her smell that they where in a watery cave. Liza blinked three times and finally opened her eyes. Around her was a family of never-before seen animals. They had round bodies and slick flippers. These animals where as white as snow.
In her curiosity, she spoke, "What are you?" One of the boldest seals replied,
"What are YOU? I have never seen such a furry thing in these lands!" Liza sat up, then sad firmly,
"I am the Panda Shaman. And you?"
"I'm Harper, 'seal' is what we are called."
"Ah,"Liza said, looking around the cave. "How did I get in here?"
"You where fainted outside of our cave. So we decided to take you inside."
"Do you have any type of... stone here?" She knew the Spirit Stone had to be in this cave for these seals to exist.
"No stone... just ice. This is an ice cave, it's great for seals like us."
"But.. then how do you exist? Do you know of Spirit Stones?"
"No,"a smaller seal replied. "Stones are stones."
Liza looked at the little seal and said,"Spirit Stones are stones that make it possible for animals to exist. There has to be one here."
Harper, the largest seal grumbled, "Silly legends..." Liza turned around and looked at Harper softly, with a pinch of annoyance in her eyes.
"Harper, trust me, the legends are true. I will find the Seal Spirit Stone and show you that the I am not lying." Harper's only reply was a grunt of disbelief, but before anyone could speak up, Liza calmly walked off(rather slipped and fell over) looking for the Spirit Stone.
"It has to be here somewhere,"she thought to herself, looking around the ice cave. She wasn't having much hope, for all she found was ice-made furniture and sometimes animal hides for beds. But no stones. The icy surface was difficult to walk on, and Liza kept on slipping. She could hear the seal's talk from where she was, because even the smallest sounds echoed through the cave.
"She's slipping a lot."
"Maybe we should help her."
"Spirit Stones can't be real!"
"Liza is crazy."
"Harper, you should have helped her find this stone!"
"She is crazy."
"But-"
"SHUSH YOU!" Harper's voice echoed so loudly that the cave began to rumble, and then it only took her a few seconds to realize that-
"THE CAVE IS COLLAPSING!!! RUN!!!"
The seals slipped past her, including Harper. Liza had a hard time running, and kept on falling down and slipping backwards. Liza heard Harper yell, "Liza! Just slide on your but! It's the fastest way out!" Liza did what Harper said and pushed herself along, sliding way quicker then she would have thought. As she came to the entrance, she saw that it was about to crumble.
"I'm not going to make it!" The icy roof fell away, but in the last seconds of the cave's life, Harper grabbed Liza and pulled her out into safety of the open snow.
Liza, Harper and the rest of the seals just stood there, looking at the ruins of the cave. For the first time, Liza noticed the carving at the top of the cave. It showed a seal, and right away, Liza knew that the Spirit Stone was the only thing that could have created that drawing in such a lonely place. In the ruins, there it was, the Spirit Stone, the markings of a seal glowing on it brightly. The seal on the Spirit Stone perfectly matched the drawing on the cave.
"That's just what I saw before I fainted,"she whispered. In a louder voice, Liza pointed out, "There it is, the Spirit Stone." Harper looked at the chunk of rock with the mysterious markings.
"It has to be here somewhere,"she thought to herself, looking around the ice cave. She wasn't having much hope, for all she found was ice-made furniture and sometimes animal hides for beds. But no stones. The icy surface was difficult to walk on, and Liza kept on slipping. She could hear the seal's talk from where she was, because even the smallest sounds echoed through the cave.
"She's slipping a lot."
"Maybe we should help her."
"Spirit Stones can't be real!"
"Liza is crazy."
"Harper, you should have helped her find this stone!"
"She is crazy."
"But-"
"SHUSH YOU!" Harper's voice echoed so loudly that the cave began to rumble, and then it only took her a few seconds to realize that-
"THE CAVE IS COLLAPSING!!! RUN!!!"
The seals slipped past her, including Harper. Liza had a hard time running, and kept on falling down and slipping backwards. Liza heard Harper yell, "Liza! Just slide on your but! It's the fastest way out!" Liza did what Harper said and pushed herself along, sliding way quicker then she would have thought. As she came to the entrance, she saw that it was about to crumble.
"I'm not going to make it!" The icy roof fell away, but in the last seconds of the cave's life, Harper grabbed Liza and pulled her out into safety of the open snow.
Liza, Harper and the rest of the seals just stood there, looking at the ruins of the cave. For the first time, Liza noticed the carving at the top of the cave. It showed a seal, and right away, Liza knew that the Spirit Stone was the only thing that could have created that drawing in such a lonely place. In the ruins, there it was, the Spirit Stone, the markings of a seal glowing on it brightly. The seal on the Spirit Stone perfectly matched the drawing on the cave.
"That's just what I saw before I fainted,"she whispered. In a louder voice, Liza pointed out, "There it is, the Spirit Stone." Harper looked at the chunk of rock with the mysterious markings.
He blinked then said, "I have seen that in my dreams before. It glows the color of the great blue heron that I also sometimes see. The heron talks a lot about destiny and go to Jamaa."
Liza gasped in astonishment, and then replied, "The blue heron is Mira, Sky Mother. I.. I think you are the destined Seal Shaman." Liza bowed her head to the young white seal, and he just looked at the ground in embarrassment.
"I guess you were right. Now, thanks to my yelling, my cave is destroyed."
But Liza just smiled and softly spoke, "Don't worry, you can come back with me to Jamaa. Just don't forget the Spirit Stone, and make sure to ask your seal friends if they want to come."
"Okay,"Harper smiled, and he picked up the Spirit Stone and went to talk with his seal friends. Afterwards he went to Liza and announced,"I'm ready! The others say they want to stay, so I'll be the only one coming." Liza, the panda shaman, and the new seal shaman, Harper headed off, back to Jamaa.
~*~
Quick Summary of Answers:
In the ancient ice mountains of Mt. Shiveer. . .
. . . there lies a carving of a seal.
1. Who carved it?
The Spirit Stone created the carving because it was locked away in the ice, above the icy cavern. The carving looked exactly like the carving on the Spirit Stone.
2. What does it mean?
It means that a new animal, the seal, was going to be created. It also meant that there was a Spirit Stone in the ice.
3. Who lived in that icy cavern?
Later, Harper and his friends where born from the Spirit Stone and drawn to the cave. There they lived until the cave collapsed.
4. How did it close?
It closed from an argument about Liza and her fantasy of "Spirit Stones"(which was really real). Harper yelled and due to the cave's echoing, the cave began to collapse.
"I guess you were right. Now, thanks to my yelling, my cave is destroyed."
But Liza just smiled and softly spoke, "Don't worry, you can come back with me to Jamaa. Just don't forget the Spirit Stone, and make sure to ask your seal friends if they want to come."
"Okay,"Harper smiled, and he picked up the Spirit Stone and went to talk with his seal friends. Afterwards he went to Liza and announced,"I'm ready! The others say they want to stay, so I'll be the only one coming." Liza, the panda shaman, and the new seal shaman, Harper headed off, back to Jamaa.
~*~
Quick Summary of Answers:
In the ancient ice mountains of Mt. Shiveer. . .
. . . there lies a carving of a seal.
1. Who carved it?
The Spirit Stone created the carving because it was locked away in the ice, above the icy cavern. The carving looked exactly like the carving on the Spirit Stone.
2. What does it mean?
It means that a new animal, the seal, was going to be created. It also meant that there was a Spirit Stone in the ice.
3. Who lived in that icy cavern?
Later, Harper and his friends where born from the Spirit Stone and drawn to the cave. There they lived until the cave collapsed.
4. How did it close?
It closed from an argument about Liza and her fantasy of "Spirit Stones"(which was really real). Harper yelled and due to the cave's echoing, the cave began to collapse.
