Creatures Caves

((I got inspired for this by the movie Lady in the Water. Hope you like, and please comment! If you have any ideas for this story, please PM me.))

Prologue

Long ago, before your grandparents? grandparents? great great grandparents were born, there were two kinds of people that made their home on this planet: those of the Earth, and those of the Sky.

These two peoples were close allies. They shared ideas, stories, inventions, and many other things. The swift-footed people of the Earth gave those of the Sky the gift of language. The winged people of the Sky gave those of the Earth the ability to listen to nature. The ever-moving wind spoke of its many travels. The vast sea spoke of the mysteries to be discovered on its other side. The ancient trees spoke of the secrets of the past. The drifting clouds spoke of far distant lands they had seen from the sky.

But all that changed when the people of the Earth began to listen to Fire.

Fire is the all-consuming, ever-hungry monster that knows to do only one thing. Destroy those who oppose it. When one of the people of the Earth started listening to it, it began to corrupt his mind with visions of glory. Glory that was achieved by warfare.

?You can create a new world. All you must do is remove those who stand against you. Do you see the people to your west? They have many fruit trees. If you destroy them, those trees could be yours, and you could feed your family for years upon years.

?Do you see the people to your east? They have plentiful prey to hunt; deer, rabbits, wild sheep. Do you not wish that for your people? If you could take what they have, you?d never go hungry over winter ever again. Do you not see? All that you will ever need is all around you. All you must do is take it.?

As for the people of the Sky?

They were being slaughtered in uncountable numbers. They would not reveal the secret of their ability to fly, so the people of the Earth tried to force the secret out of them. At last, the Sky people fled to the world?s tallest mountains.

Without the guidance of the Sky people, many lives were lost, and many things were forgotten. No more did the clouds speak of foreign places. No more did the trees tell tales of times long past. No more did the sea invite brave people to cross it and discover new places. No more did the wind whisper of adventures far beyond the known world. Not even Fire could reach them. But its vile deed was already done.

The Earth people had forgotten the Sky people, and despite numerous attempts by them to speak with the Earth people, they failed to establish contact. Eventually, they just gave up, and over time, the knowledge of how to speak with the Earth people faded. Slowly, the Sky people began to change. They grew beaks and talons. They lost their hands and arms.

The birds forgot how to speak. And the men forgot how to listen.