[color=FFDEAD][h1][center][b]The White Skulls[/b][/center][/h1][/color] [h2][center]A Bandit’s Life for Me![/center][/h2] Keshi’s life was, in truth, not the best. She was not high up in the pecking order, especially by Bjork standards. Her scent was the lowest of the low, pretty much ensuring her life would be nothing more but labouring in the cold to build dams constantly. But she could do more, she could fight! She could hunt! But no, because of her scent, there was nothing more she was allowed to do. It didn’t help that her clan had submitted to those damn Voganids, so that just dropped her further and further down. It was a pitiful life. That was, until the white-streaked Bjork arrived. They suddenly arrived in the village one day, they looked old, a long white streak going from their face all along their back, and they carried with them a gnarled and rotten staff of wood. It was as clear as the rivers that they were not from around any of these parts, as their scent was nothing like anyone had ever smelled before. Keshi could even swear that sometimes, it smelled like they were shrouded in a scent of death. That wasn’t even the weirdest bit, the visitor was always smiling, regardless of what was going on, and no one was quite sure why they had come to the village, they would only claim they were passing by, but, to be so clearly far away from their home, it put everyone on edge, and everyone generally tried to avoid them. Keshi tried not to think of it that often, it was something new in her drab life yes, but, in truth it was not what she had desired. She wanted liberation, not some creepy old Bjork. What she didn’t know at the time was that that very same Bjork, would be her ticket to a new life. [hr] She was sat upon a log that fateful midday, next to her was her friends and clan mates: Orik, a large Bjork who Keshi had known since they were little kits. There was Lugan and Borof, two brothers known for their speed in their work. And finally Iga, a bjork with far more smarts than strength, sadly though she, like the rest, was not high enough on the ladder to use it. They all were upset with their lot in life, that was for sure, Keshi and Orik both wished to become hunters and warriors for their people, Iga wished to use her mind to learn the tales of their people and pass them down, and the twins meanwhile just wanted a better life, not being at the bottom of the rung. But, their scent refused to let them do anything akin to their dreams and desires. And as they sat and chatted, gnawing upon the leaves of the trees they had just cut down, they expressed this openly, not too openly though, just with each other, when anyone else was present, they were all careful to keep their mouths shut. That, was when she smelled it, a sudden burst of that scent that had become all too familiar to the people of the clan. She spun around, only to be face to face with the white-streaked beaver, their smile plastered upon their face, almost unnaturally. With a yelp she fell out of her seat, the others quickly noticing the newcomer as well, Orik bent down to help her back up, though her focus was entirely upon the white-streak. “What do you want?” she spat at them “My apologies, I didn’t mean to startle you, I forget my own silence at times,” The Stranger chuckled, “But I overheard your conversation of dissatisfaction. And if you would indulge a lone Bjork I must ask, why do you not do something to change that dissatisfaction?” Keshi looked at the others with a confused face, before turning back to the white-streak “How, would we do anything? Our scent has made it so we can’t do anything, even if we tried to achieve our goals we would just be forced back because of it.” It was an argument they had had many of times, there was no changing it. Yet, the white-streak merely stared at them, smile still upon their face, and calmly replied “You can not change your scent, yes, but do not let that shackle you to your lot, you have the strength, you can break free.” “Are you implying we break from the ways of our people?” Piped up Iga, who alongside the others had been watching the exchange intently. “That is exactly what I am implying, the ways do not work for you, perhaps it’d be time to break them and take what you deserve.” They gestured towards themselves, “Afterall, that is what I did.” “You, took from your clan?” they all wanted to ask it, Keshi was just the first to blurt it out, a sense of confusion in her voice. “Yes I did, I left shortly afterwards, but I have lived, a far more fulfilling life ever since.” They tilted their head some, smiling wider at the group “But, a mere suggestion I suppose, it is not fit for everyone.” Keshi looked at the others once more, their eyes locking for brief moments, each one of them wanted to ask more and more. They were always dissatisfied, but to just abandon the clan? That seemed, almost too much. She turned back around to ask the stranger one more question, yet, they were already gone, vanished into the wind, as if they were never there to begin with. They spent the rest of their meal sitting in silence. Each one of them contemplated what the stranger had said, even as the smell of death still lingered. [hr] Keshi had thought about it long into the night, sitting by the riverbank, upstream of the central dam. She looked out into the ever dwindling forest and swamp, whittling away a piece of wood in her hands in a sharpened point, just to give her something to do. The stranger had not said much, but what they had had really stuck with her, would it really be possible to just rebel like that? What would the other members of the clan think? Surely it was not that simple, there was no way they would just let her and the others just leave like that, though they certainly wouldn't let them stay if they did push back against the system. Soft footfalls sounded behind her, she didn’t need to look back to recognize Orik sitting down next to her, his wide and beefy frame was easy enough to recognize. For a while, they just sat in silence, the sound of the swamp and forest playing in the far distance, as the silence of the night crept closer and closer. “What are you planning to do?” He suddenly asked, breaking the tense silence. “I'm not sure, to just, take what we want, to break tradition, it’s, almost tempting in a way.” “That I can agree with, it would certainly aid our lot, our scent keeps us down, yet our strength could put us back up.” “But, we’d become outcasts, would we really be willing to accept that?” She stared at the sharpened wood in her hand, a sense of uncertainty gnawing at her. “I guess that entirely depends,” Orik looked towards the den, before continuing “Y’know, the guard of the food store is off in the woods today, it’d be easy to do a little test.” “A quick in and out, nothing more.” She said, pocketing her sharpened wood. “Aye, I can agree to that.” And so, they got up and walked towards the den, heeding the words of that white-streaked stranger, to see if they could take what they were owed. [hr] Orik was right, the guard was nowhere to be found. The stores were wide open, heaps of food laid out before the two novice thieves. Unfortunately for both of them, they hadn’t really expected this to work, so neither was prepared. They had nothing to carry any food with, and quite honestly they didn't know what to take, surely someone would notice, right? Regardless, Orik began to grab small amounts from each section, not enough for someone to notice but certainly enough to be a nice feast when all put together. Keshi joined in, a sense of eagerness developing in her, damn the consequences! This is what it meant to live, to finally have what was owed to her. "And what do you think you two are doing?" The two would be thieves spun around. Standing just in the open doorway was another Bjork, a higher Bjork to be exact, and to be even more exact it was Otto, a clanmate. In one hand he had a solid looking piece of wood, and the look on his face told the two of them that there was no doubt he was willing to use it. Keshi merely stood there, a silent look of shock upon her face, luckily Orik spoke up, saving them from the silence. "We were, asked to deliver some food." “This late at night?” Otto’s eyebrow rose, clearly he was not buying it. “Ya, one of the den mothers asked us to grab some.” “And which one would this be? I’m sure she could confirm your story.” “Well, I don’t quite remember her name, but I do know where she is.” Keshi was beginning to realize Orik was not the best at lying, and found her left hand drawing towards the sharpened wood in her pouch. “Uh-huh, sure, and why don’t we stop by the Matriarch’s den while we’re at it.” He gestured his staff out towards the door “Come along you two.” This, this wasn’t good, being brought before the Matriarch? This wouldn’t result in exile, this’d be full on punishment, maybe even death if she wasn’t in a good mood? Orik was scrambling for a solution out of this, but Keshi knew what she had to do. For a brief moment, she smelled a rotten scent upon the wind, and lunged. The wood found purchase in Otto’s body, sinking deep within, the Bjork fell to the ground, clutching the now bleeding wound, gasping for breath. Keshi didn’t wait for him to properly react, she grabbed Orik’s arm. “Get the twins, I’ll get Iga, we’re leaving.” She ordered him The two thieves rushed out of the door, droves of food in their hands, as the wounded Otto yelled at them to stop, and then, when they didn’t, promptly yelled for the guards. They split up, rushing in different directions. Stopping by their friend’s dens, and practically ripping them from their matts, the now five criminals rushed about as the den began to awaken to the commotion, grabbing whatever they could before meeting back up at the exit. “Where the hell are we gonna go now!” Yelled Lugan, already they could hear the footfalls of guards coming up behind them “To the forest,” Keshi replied, “We’ll lose them there.” And with that, they ran. Deep into the darkness past the village that had been rudely awakened, away from the guards brandishing spears they would use to cut them down. Into the forest they went, its darkness, and stench, bringing a comforting wrapping to the fugitives. [hr] They huffed, and they puffed as their lungs threatened to erupt from their bodies. The group sat in a circle upon the dirt of the woods. They had lost the guards some time ago, but they kept running, just to make sure. Now, they were directionless, only a few items they could grab, and barely enough food to make it past a week. What where they to do now? The crunching of leaves alerted them to a newcomer, they reached for the branches they had grabbed to defend themselves, yet, calmed when the smell hit them. The stench of death. The white-streaked stranger stood before them, their form masked by the darkness, yet they could all swear their smile was visible as a full moon. “You’ve done well our kin,” They spoke, staying just out of reach. “You’ve taken what was owed to you, we couldn’t be prouder.” “But what are we to do now?” Keshi asked, looking at her despondent friends. “Simple, become like we are, Parasites, Bandits.” “Bandits?” [color=CECECE]”Yes, Bandits, steal what you need from the weak, use your strengths to take from those who do not deserve it as much as you, thieves of all, yes yes.”[/color] They all could swear the stranger’s form was warping and twisting, but they figured it was just the tiredness. “Bandits...yes, we need to take what we’re owed, but first, let's rest.” She said that as much to the stranger as to her friends. They nodded in agreement, and one by one, they fell asleep, the tiredness of the night taking them in. As the stranger sat, smiling just behind them. When they woke, they were no longer labourers, they were Bandits, thieves, the very first in all of the Galbar. They would refine themselves in the coming months, learning how to better steal from the clans around them, and someday, attracting others to their banner. But for now, they were five, and in honour of that stranger who had guided them, they took a name, and dyed parts of their fur that same stark white. They were now, the White Skulls. [hider=Summary] The Tale of Keshi, the soon to become leader of the first Bandit group: The White Skulls. Dissatisfied with her current state at the bottom of the Bjork ladder due to her scent, her and her other friends talk to a mysterious white-streaked stranger, who says they should pretty much just take what they believe is owed to them. Later that night, her and one of her pals decide to do just that, but instead end up stabbing a guard and having to leave with the others, where they decide, with some prodding from the stranger, to become the first bandits in the Galbar. [/hider] [hider=vigor] Starting vigor-9 0(discounted due to Parasites)(done offscreen)-Create the eternal temptation of thievery for all mortalkind. Who gives in to such temptation entirely depends on who is willing to take the risks for the rewards, and become one of Yesaris’ kin.” [/hider]