PROLOGUE “ALRIGHT,” shouted Hyena. “The sun is high above the sky and YOU’RE STILL ASLEEP! You promised you were going to train me!” As usual, Hyena’s brother, Zaiku, had been sleeping away. Even though his mother just assured him that his older sibling needed sleep for his upcoming Ascending, he still promised Hyena they would train together, and he had always been taught lying was wrong. So… Maybe that meant… “MOM, ZAIKU LIED!!!” His mother just sighed. “When has he ever not lied?” Now that he thought about it, he did call out he was lying every day, so maybe it was fair for his mom to see that, but still. “Now, dear, can you please gather some berries? Maybe catch a few mice? Your brother caught a Sungori yesterday. I know you want to shove something in his face, so why don’t you get some food for us, okay?” Hyena’s mom was sorting out some different stones she found on the ground. Hyena never understood why she did that, but it had to be for some reason. A few minutes later and Hyena found himself crouched in the tall grass, looking for a deer with golden antlers. Those things are pretty wicked looking, Hyena thought as he remembered seeing one for the first time yesterday, when Zaiku brought one in during hunting. It was pretty impressive at the time, but now that was just one more thing his older brother could taunt him about. Hyena grunted and thought he should start focusing on trying to catch one instead of dozing off. It was easy to blend into his surroundings, given his spotted brown fur on his hyena like body. He then remembered how creative his mother had been when naming him. He wished he could turn back time and change it, however, he knew that was impossible. Another thing my brother can taunt me about, he thought. Zirkus, why couldn’t I get a name like Zaiku? He heard a rustle in the undergrowth. Hyena put one paw forward and strained his eyes to try and spot that golden shine of Sun Gori antlers. However, he was disappointed. It was a mouse. It will have to do, Hyena thought. Stupid Zaiku. It had been about 3 hours since Hyena had caught the mouse, and he couldn’t even believe it when he saw his brother was still sleeping. Luckily, it seemed his mom had picked some fruits while he was gone, so they didn’t starve, thank gosh. He curled up near the lingering smoke emerging from the purple flame that always burned in the cave, and laid his head down on his paws. It was only then he noticed his brother’s eyes flick open and sit up. Hyena felt rage pulse through him. He was just now waking up? It was then he realized that he didn’t yawn or seem tired at all. He just sat up like he’d been awake for hours. Now he was confused. “Zaiku,” Hyena questioned. “Have you been pretending to sleep for the entire day?” Zaiku hesitated, and Hyena knew he guessed right. “I um, yeah. I was,” he admitted. “Why in the world would you do that? You were supposed to train me!” Hyena replied in frustration. “I’m just a, uh, little anxious. That’s all. I just didn’t need Mom encouraging me or reassuring me that Ascending was a good thing.” Oh, that’s right. Hyena completely forgot tomorrow was Zaku's Ascending. But during Ascending, you’d get to meet Surkis, and then after you’d get cool powers! Why didn’t he think that was a good thing? “I see that, expression on your face. Yes, I don’t think it’s a good thing. Please don’t ask why.” The room fell silent. Of course he’d ask why. That’s what little brothers were supposed to do. Be all curious and obnoxious. Zaiku sighed. “Fine, I’ll tell you. Just please, PLEASE, don’t tell Mom, okay?” Zaiku finally said. Hyena slowly nodded, wondering what he was getting himself into. “So I uh… I don’t…,” Zaiku hesitated, “I don’t believe in Zirkus.” “WHAT?!” Hyena then regretted yelling, glancing back at their mother, who was fast asleep. At first, he just stared at Zaiku in disbelief, then his mind slowly put together the pieces. Of course, he thought. Ever since Echo’s Ascending failed, he must’ve just stopped believing in Zirkus. He did notice he didn’t really pay attention and seemed to look almost frustrated when they were giving thanks to him, but Hyena always thought that he was just mad about how he usually accused him of lying around that time. At the thought of Echo, he shivered. Echo spent a lot of time with Zaiku, but after she Ascended she was almost deaf and her leg joints melted together, giving her difficulty walking. Hyena wondered if that was why Ascending made Zaiku nervous. Then suddenly, a thought came to Hyena that shook him so hard he almost yelped out loud. What if something like that happened to Zaiku?
CONTINUED PROLOGUE The next morning was cold and eerie, fog drifted in the air and the usual sunlight that greeted him every morning had dimmed. Zaku's legs were trembling as his mother and sibling trudged through the fields. Hyena couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. They were almost to the place were the usual Ascending rituals were held, and other Zirees were waiting for them there. Some of the more official ones had a gaze that pierced through Hyena like a spear. He soon noticed that he too, was trembling. Some of their fellow tribe members nudged Zaiku up to a large platform, where Hyena counted 5 more hyena like creatures, around the same age, sitting. To his surprise, none of them were shaking nearly as much as Zaiku. “Members of the Ziree Island,” an official Ziree that Hyena remembered as Shaden had stepped up to a tall boulder started to speak. He tilted the skull covering his head. “We have gathered here today to celebrate our young fellow member’s Ascending.” He paused, as there was a large applauding and cheering that rose from the crowd. Did they know? He wondered. Did they know that Ascending could go horribly wrong? The thought of Echo slithered into his mind. He then pushed it out almost immediately. “I will now go over the ritual procedures, to make sure everyone has got a good idea of what wonders will happen here today,” Shaden announced. “First, the Ascending Zira's mother will come up. They will momentarily remove their skull masks and will be given the correct tools they need to put their children to rest.” He didn’t realize it before, but these procedures seemed more… wrong, to him. Having mothers kill their own child? Why had he been okay with this before? “We will then wait 10 minutes, and then our officials will start the reviving process,” Shaden said, pointing to one of the circles drawn with purple chalk on the platform’s surface. “Then the newly Ascended, stronger, wiser Ziree will step up and claim the skull of their former selves, showing how obsolete their previous self had been.” Now that, Hyena decided, is just not okay. Having them die would be bad enough, right? Why should they wear their own skulls as masks for the rest of their lives? Constantly reminding them of the pain they’d been through? He had to change this somehow, he just had to. But how? “Let the Ascension begin!” Shaden exclaimed, his glowing purple eye floating eerily in the darkness of his skull mask. Six older Trees stepped onto the platform. The official tribe members had given them sharp, pointed rocks. He guessed they had been carved for weapons, as the Trees removed their masks and took up the spears in their jaws. They looked strange without the usual skull and glowing eye he was used to seeing on them. He was able to spot his mother with a sorrowful expression that was clouded with pain. He guessed she was enjoying this as much as his older brother was. “Ready…,” Shaden started. “Begin!” Hyena could only watch in terror as Zaiku was impaled through the chest. Mwhahahhaha cliffhanger Anyway I needed a way to get the story to my peoplez on Blockheads, cuz they wanna see it for some reason. ALSO YAS I WROTE THIS MYSELF THERE WAS NO PLAGIARISM INVOLVED, AND EVENTUALLY I'LL PUT THE DESIGNS UP ON HERE.
