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[b]Name:[/b] Be-Ca, the singing tribe

[b]Totem/Fetish/Guardian/God/Spirit:[/b] The Songbird, the uncaged. Bright and loud though he may be, the Songbird remains free to do what he pleases. He cheers the forest with merry song, clad in his brightest plumage, for all to see and hear but none to control. Songbird  must never fall silent - for on the day he stops his song, the valley will surely fall.
[i]Pact:[/i] The songbird will never accept a master and neither must his chosen. A songbird must never make two nests - likewise, his followers may only call one place "home". Nor does the songbird claim dominion over others, for such matters are best left to the likes of lions. The songbird knows his offspring are his future and so they must be respected and revered. The songbird preens daily, and must be kept presentable at all times - his followers are called on to bathe and wash at least every day. To eat in excess would stop the Songbird flying, and he calls upon his people to eat only in moderation.
Follow this pact and your gift shall be the secrets of the glamorous. Your women will know only beauty, your men   handsome without fault or blemish. Your skin will never be marred by unsightly disease, and even in old age you shall retain a grace that others find only in their youth. Your voice will never crack, your song will never falter, your feet never misstep in merry dance and the colour will not fade from your cloth.

[b]Leadership:[/b]  Its members present unanimous decisions after lengthy discussions, although one chieftain has the honor of being the official spokesperson.

[b]Organization:[/b] Settled Hunters

[b]Warriors:[/b] The Be-Ca use a distinct two-tier military tactic, honed from their hunting experiences. At the front are spearmen, men with short hunting spears and throwing javelins. Behind them are bowmen, warriors with, what else, bows to pepper the enemy with holes whilst the spearmen engage in the swirling melee

[b]Important People:[/b]

[b]Story:[/b]
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 As the forest came to bloom, the forest listened to hear the Songbird began his song anew. But alas, he was silent. He did not sing to the trees and flowers, nor to the hares and rabbits. He sang to the proud Lion, the vicious Wolf and the stalwart Bear. He did not sing to the fish of the sea nor the other birds of the sky. To all, the Songbird was silent.

Eventually, the Robin, the most helpful of all birds, said to the songbird "Songbird, why do you not sing?"

"Oh, Robin" replied Songbird, "I do not sing because I lament and I cannot sing, lest my song become a dirge"

Said the robin "Then Songbird, why do you lament?"

"I lament", said the Songbird, "Because no one sings my song but me. It is as though none know it"

"But songbird, without your music, our forest falls silent!"

"Better silence than sorrow", Songbird replied

And the Robin saw that the Songbird was unhappy and would not sing unless someone else could sing to him. But the Robin did not know the Songbird's song. Nor did the Lion, nor the Wolf, nor the Bear, nor the fish of the sea nor the birds of the sky, nor the trees and flowers. In fact, no-one knew the Songbird's song. And so the forest fell silent and a great mourning swept over the land.

But there was one who was not disheartened. The Mouse, a small and resourceful creature, came to the Robin and told him "I have seen a new creature in the forest! Perhaps it will know the Songbird's song?"

The robin was at once overcome with joy, thanked the Mouse and took this information to the Songbird. But the Songbird did not share in the Robin's enthusiasm. "Old or new, none can sing my song. It is folly to even wish it"

But the Robin insisted and, after much cajoling, the Songbird agreed to see the new creature.

The Mouse showed the Songbird the way, to the furthest edge of the forest. When they arrived, the Mouse proudly displayed a small human girl-child playing on the forest floor. The Songbird was very curious, for he had not seen a man before, but his curiosity did not rouse him from his malaise

"See, Songbird, this creature is very remarkable!"

But the Songbird insisted "Old or new, none can sing my song. It is folly to even wish it"

They watched the girl-child for a moment longer. Unaware she was being spied on, the child began arranging sticks and branches fallen from trees to make a small den.

"See how it changes the forest floor with its paws! Is it not a wondrous thing?" cried the mouse

"Yes" replied the Songbird glumly, "But our Anteater can do that. And it cannot sing my song"

And the girl-child went into the nearby river and began swimming.

"See how it swims with ease! Is it not a majestic sight?" pleaded the Mouse

"Mayhap" Replied the Songbird, "But our great Salmon can do so better. And it cannot sing my song"

Then the girl got out the river and began to climb a tree

"How magnificent! The forest truly is its element!"

At this point, the songbird was getting annoyed. He declared loudly "Yes, it may build like an Anteater and swim like a Salmon and climb like a Monkey. But it cannot sing my song! Old or new, nothing can sing my song!" and in his frustration, he began to sing.

The girl-child, hearing the Songbird, looked up and was at once struck by what she saw. "How beautiful are his feathers" she thought, "How enchanting his voice!". And so the girl-child listened to the song of the Songbird and thought about how wonderful it would be to be like him.

The Songbird finished his song and told the mouse "If it cannot sing my song, then I am lost!"

But the girl, not knowing how to speak with the Songbird, had memorised his song. At once, she began singing it back to him. Her notes were not perfect, as no man can ever hope to be perfect, but the Songbird was nonetheless amazed at the girl.

"What are these creatures called?" Asked the Songbird of the Mouse

The Mouse, having lived amongst Men before, replied "They are called Men"

The Songbird was in great joy "At last! A creature that can sing my song! Man, oh Man, Glorious Man, you have saved my voice and this forest!"

And the Songbird began singing again, and all the forest rejoiced. And from that day forth, the Songbird vowed to watch over the little girl and all her kin and all her descendants, from now until the end of eternity.
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