Yokhen Stories

Above and Below

The land and the sky were always separate. They exist simultaneously. Equal and balanced. But one day, things shifted. Either the sky fell or the land rose, it doesn't matter. The two collided. Suddenly, they blurred together. Both occupied the same space in an endless swirl of chaos. Eons went by and things finally began to settle. The land and sky were separating back into themselves.

   When the two settled, three entities were left in the in-between. The first was a being of balance. He had his feet planted in the ground like massive trees. His horns reached up into the sky. For he resides in both domains. His eye sees all that exists in the in-between.

   The second never touched the ground or rose to the sky. She exists only in the in-between. Her long, golden hair flowed behind her. Lightning pulses through her veins and she longs to create.

   The third hated the sky. He kept his four feet steadily on the ground. He tried to return to the ground from which he was born, but was unable to. For he has a part of the sky within himself.

The first dawned the name, Yiriy. He looked out at the in-between. It was formless and bare. He stretched out four of his six arms across the land. With his two right hands he formed mountains and valleys. With one of his left hands he severed the other hand's fingers off. Five of his seven fingers fell to the ground. Yiriy's blood also fell. His blood pooled and formed oceans and rivers. Two of his fingers fell in the oceans and became creatures of the seas. One had gills and fins to swim the oceans. The other drifted aimless, following the flow of the oceans. Two of Yiriy's fingers landed on dry ground. One grew four legs to run across the surface of the land. It also grew a dark fur coat to protect it from the elements. The other stretched out into a long, slithering body. The last finger grew wings and took to the air before hitting the ground or oceans. It's feathers carried it over the land.
  
   These beasts would be the Elders to all living creatures that roam the land, swim in the oceans, and soar through the air.

   Yiriy's last two hands, he holds hidden behind his back. For in his hands he holds Secrets that must not be shared.

   The second declared herself to be named, Ven. Inspired by Yiriy's creations, she sets out to create as well. She flies around, gathering materials. Once she is happy with what she's collected, she finds a spot to begin. With clay, rocks, ores, and mud, she forms twelve bodies. She makes them in her image. Six she makes male. And six she makes female. With all twelve bodies made, she cuts her hand and pours her blood into the mouths of the bodies. With her blood now flowing through them, the bodies come to life. They all sing praises to their creator.
 
   Ven pairs them up into six groups. Male and female. She calls them Taelin. She then gives them all names to take with them. Lastly she gives them a task. Each picking a different direction, she tells them to walk across the land to find a home. Claim the land and have children. Grateful for the life and the task they were given, they go their separate ways.

   The third never chooses a name for himself. The children of Ven come to call him, Gan ere Hagonka, meaning "longing to return to the ground". He sees what Yiriy and Ven are doing with disgust. He wants no part of it. In sorrow, he cries out. His tears are black and stain the ground. From the tear soaked ground sprouts many trees and bushes. None look the same. The more Gan cries, the larger a forest grows around him.
  
   Millennia go by and he remains in solitude. Eventually, he grows content with his existence. He walks around in his forest and tends to the plants. Over time he learns to care for them and love them. His gardens are beautiful and grow many fruits and vegetation.