[b]The Cindorayi, Population: 82, Year 3 IL (Inland), Age of the New Moon[/b]

[b][u]The First Discovery[/u][/b]

The Cindorayi village had prospered in the first few years under Ekatyrina's leadership. Several new huts had been constructed, and others made homes in caves in the face of the hill that overlooked the water. The main problem that had emerged was the same one they had been facing until now, that their population could not last long on only the fish in the nearby area.

Ekatyrina called the Cindorayi tribe together for a meeting, where she announced her solution. "We must begin trying to forage for plants and berries in the wild if we are to survive in one place. As well, we may need to hunt land mammals for food. We must organize such a hunting and gathering party to try this." In response to the evident dismay present at the idea, she said "We cannot stay on this hill forever. As our population continues to rise, we will eventually have to build villages farther away, so no matter what happens we must venture inland." There was a murmur of reluctant agreement.

The first hunting/gathering party was soon assembled, and they ventured out into the forest. After a few hundred feet of traveling, they found a cluster of bushes with large fruit that seemed quite tantalizing to behold. When Andrei, the leader of the party, pulled one off however, a loud shout of "Stop!" came from the bushes behind them. The Cindorayi party turned around and witnessed in amazement several other Cindorayi they had never seen before filing out of the bushes.

"Who are you? Where are you from, and why are you telling us to stop?" Andrei asked confrontationally. "I am telling you to stop," responded the Cindorayi female in front in a distinctly accented voice, "because that fruit will kill you in three seconds."

Andrei looked at the fruit in his hand, and then dropped it. A mere moment after it hit the ground the fruit poked out large spikes glistening with some kind of poison. Meeting no flesh, it quickly retracted them.

"As for your other questions, I am Viktorya. We are from a small village a few versya* north of here. I already know you have a significantly larger village close to the coast."

"How do you know that?"

Viktorya smiled. "Followed the smoke, of course. We have come to meet with your koroleva**."

Andrei nodded, and he lead the significantly larger party back to the main village, which had been named Lunysvet in honor of the former Great Elder.

"I expected you would be bringing food back, not other Cindorayi, Andrei." Ekatyrina smiled and raised her arms in a V pattern in the traditional Cindorayi greeting. Viktorya responded silently in kind, and then said, "They have." Upon her signal the others who had accompanied her brought forth gifts of many types of fruit and berries from the interior of the continent. Beaming, Ekatyrina signaled to another of the villagers and they brought forth platters of fish as well as a necklace of coral and moon crystals, which they placed upon her neck.

That night there was great feasting and celebration, for two branches of the Cindorayi race had been brought back together. It was decided that regular trade parties should travel between the two villages, the other which was named Zemlyarod, and that they should remain separate for now, but work together in any circumstances of hardship or war. The Lunysvetians taught the Zemlyarodians how to fish and make beautiful necklaces and knives out of coral and pearl, and they received in return knowledge of gathering food in the wild, as well as what plants were useful for medicine or healing. The Zemlyarodians had also discovered that if you placed fruit in the ground, a tree would grow with the same fruit in a few years. Her interest piqued by the idea of a self-sufficient food supply, Ekatyrina planned to test the method further.

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*A versya is roughly equivalent to 2/3 of a mile or 1.1 km.
**Generic term for leader in Cindorayi culture, with distinctly feminine connotations.