The island night held many wonders for the shaman and his boy. They sat by the fire, stoking the flames. The shaman held a long ornately carved pipe, and occasionally he would draw from it, hold in the smoke and exhale. The boy, his son, watched in fascination. From the hillock they now sat upon, they had seen many stars, falling and stationary, and many tales were told to the boy here, now, was time for another.
The shaman drew one last drag from the pipe and set it on his lap. Looking at his son, he couldn't help but notice how much the boy was like himself at that age. His mannerisms, boldness, and curiosity especially made him remember most vividly the tale he was about to tell.
"Taku. Daiga has many forms; healer, warrior, mother and martyr. I have seen these and many others in my lifetime as her shaman. She is worshipped and adored by some detested by others, but always our family has served her. I get ahead of myself though. I will start at the beginning."
"I wasn't much older than you when I first encountered the mystical moth. As you know, this land and our home, has been in our family for many generations. When I was a boy, we tried to farm here, instead of living off the land, and we had livestock. I had the responsibility of tending the animals, and taking them to graze in the rich and lush pastures in those hills behind you."
"One day, I had taken the herd far out to a mound not too far from the Holy Mountain of Daiga. Great Grandmother told me tales of the earth spirit, just as I am telling you. She spoke of a powerful but kindly spirit that protected us and this island. I didn't believe her, but they filled my head with dreams of tender blue eyes, like the azure sky."
It took me most of the morning to get the herd out there, so when we finally reached the knoll, and the animals set to graze, I fell fast asleep."
The shaman stared deep into the fire. He could see the images of his story dance through the flames. He looked to his son, who was also staring into the fire, and he knew Taku could see them to. He had the gift as well.
The shaman continued, "I awoke with a start. The animals were acting nervous, and I looked around to see what had them so excited, but found nothing. Then, the ground rumbled, and fell away beneath my feet and I dropped into a dark place unconscious."
"I came to with pain like knives jabbing in my skull. I tried to stand, but fell straight away. I could feel the bones in my ankle scraping, and I knew it was broken. The pain was more than I could handle, but I tried to be a man, and think of the animals, getting them back home. My mother and father didn't know I had taken the herd this far out. It would be along time before they found me."
"What did you do then dad? How'd you get out of that hole?"
The shaman smiled, "I looked up through the opening I had fallen through, and saw the light was fading, soon it would be night. I became scared, being injured and all alone. I cried"
"You cried? I never thought you cried. You never show any fear of anything. You didn't even cry when mom died."
The shaman looked at his son, but didn't answer. "Suddenly, a soft, warm white light surrounded me, bathing me in its eerie glow, and I calmed down, feeling peace. I looked around now, and saw I was in a vast cavern under the mound. Bigger than our home. On the walls were glyphs and sigils that I had never seen. My attention was diverted by something I had seen from the corner of my eye."
"In the air to my left something was forming. It was Daiga. She was huge. She filled the cavern with her delicate wings. Her body glowed white, and her eyes were the truest turquoise. She was everything Great Grandmother said, and more. Much More."
"I forgot all my troubles. I was in the presence of a god, or something close to it! The stale air of the cave was replaced by the sweet fragrance of lavender. Once more, I cried, but this time from joy."
"Daiga grew brighter still. So much so I had to shield my eyes from the flare of white light . When the light died down once again, I saw hundreds of little moths, all Daiga, all beautiful as the fluttered about me."
"One of them stopped in front of my face. All I could do was smile. With a flap of her wings and a sparkle in her azure eyes she used her powers to heal me. I stood up, and all the Daiga's coalesced around me."
"In one quick flutter they all flew together, and Daiga was reformed to her immense stature. She looked down from above, and to this day I swear she spoke to me."
"What did she say father?"
He had Taku enthralled in the tale, so he emptied his pipe by tapping it against the rock he sat upon, refilled it, and smoked of the ceremonial herbs. Once he exhaled, he continued.
"She told me to sleep, and I did."
"And then what happened?"
The shaman got up, and started to walk down slowly from the hill, "That my son, is another story...."
