Episode 1. The Legend of Mount Norme

“I must run… I have to run away…”

The forest seemed to spin around her. The twigs cracked beneath her steps as she ran as fast as her small legs could carry her. Her feet were scraped by stones and roots, but she couldn’t stop.

Behind her, her pursuers were getting closer and closer.

Her small, fragile body suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground without a sound.

Camilla was only nine years old.

She was an Arvendal. The Arvendal carried the blood of the fox. Once, they were simple foxes living among the other creatures of the forest. But they were hunted by humans, captured, sold as slaves, mistreated, and humiliated.

One day, six foxes decided to put an end to that suffering. They went to Mount Norme, an ancient place surrounded by mystery.

An old legend said that an entity named Himé resided there.

It was said that Himé could hear broken souls and feel the despair of spirits.

During a ceremony performed by the six foxes to summon her, something incredible happened.

Suddenly, the earth began to tremble.

From the ground then rose a huge rose, as large as a tree.

The flower slowly opened. From it came a cloud of bright, sparkling smoke that enveloped the six foxes.

That smoke was the power of Himé.

It surrounded those who were strong enough to endure the strength that the spirit offered them.

The smoke entered the bodies of the six foxes.

But three succumbed to that power. It was too great for them.

The other three suffered terribly before fainting.

When they woke up, they saw their companions dead.

The wind blew softly around them, and a voice seemed to whisper through the breeze:

“Arvendal… that will now be your name.

You will no longer be hunted… you will hunt.”

The smoke then descended from Mount Norme, invading the forest. It continued its path to the human cities.

A strange epidemic spread.

The livestock died. Humans died.

But the foxes remained unharmed.

No one understood the origin of that disease.

It was the revenge of the Arvendal.

The first three Arvendal then began to massacre villages.

It was said that some now possessed incredible powers: healing, controlling certain forces, and many other abilities.

And with each new descendant, an even more powerful ability appeared.

They now lived to take revenge.

Faced with these massacres, a great council was organized. Representatives of every nation and every creature gathered.

One of the first Arvendal was also present.

The Witch of the North spoke.

— We cannot let these massacres continue.

One of the first Arvendal answered coldly:

— When we were hunted, killed, and sold as slaves… where was this council?

A murmur spread through the assembly.

— The forest around Mount Norme already belongs to you. What more do you want? said some members of the council.

Then Myria, an oracle, stood up.

— We understand your suffering. But today, even the innocent are paying the price for the guilty. That is why we hope we can reason with you.

After this meeting, the Arvendal withdrew into distant forests.

Little by little, people stopped hearing about them.

With time, some even began to believe that the Arvendal were nothing more than a simple legend, invented to prevent people from mistreating foxes.

But in the shadows, their numbers kept growing.

And so did their influence.

© Jameila pose – All rights reserved.

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