At the beginning, two sisters were born.
They were called Life and Death.
Life was energetic and wild, who thrived in meeting new creatures and challenging them to competitions of many sorts. With her strong fins she could cross oceans in no time, diving into the deepest of depths. She was interested in various cultures, and was always excited to learn something new.
Death was calm and collected, with her wings she enjoyed flying high and seeing the broad world. She delighted in the warm winds and ever changing seasons, savoring the quiet moments the world offered to her. What she lacked in desire to socialize, she made up for in empathy to the living.
Death was calm and collected, with her wings she enjoyed flying high and seeing the broad world. She delighted in the warm winds and ever changing seasons, savoring the quiet moments the world offered to her. What she lacked in desire to socialize, she made up for in empathy to the living.
The two sisters wandered the world, living its wonders and magic. They soon grew overly fond of the lands and their creatures, yet felt overwhelmingly alone. They only had each other to rely on, while other creatures had many of their kind. They also noticed something peculiar that was unknown to them: these creatures ceased to exist after a certain time; be it that their bodies expired from age, or they sustained injuries and perished. Yet more of these creatures were born, and they treasured life more than the sisters could even begin to. They were mortal.
Eventually, Life came up with an idea.
"Let's create our own kind which we can watch over - mortals to experience what we cannot. Species we can live with."
"That is a marvelous idea," answered Death, "and when their time comes, I will take them under my wings to rest, heal them and return them to live once again."
"And while they live, I will look after them, and experience the world with them."
The sisters combined their powers to create something to bond with - thus the first Kukuris were born. Life created Aquatic Kukuris to her image, to explore the depths of the oceans and to be close to the lands she loved. Death created Aerial Kukuris, winged creatures to fly high above the ground, to experience the sights and landscapes she so adored.
For a long time the sisters looked after their creations, fulfilling the promises they made to each other. Life looked after their creations, offering them challenges to overcome and better themselves, goals and dreams to achieve, battles to fight. Death took those who perished, sheltered them like a mother and kept them from harm, allowing them to heal and rest. When they were ready once more, she sent them back. As time passed, they noticed that their creations were taking new forms - as aquatics and aerials bred together, they had slowly created creatures that neither excelled in flying nor swimming, but were magnificent gliders and ever more accommodated to dwelling on land. Excited with this new form of their creations, the sisters encouraged them and welcomed these new lives.
One day, Death came to speak with Life regarding a shadow that has long been creeping at the edge of her mind.
"Sister, our creations are suffering. You are giving them challenges too difficult, goals nay unattainable. They are perishing before their time."
"Nonsense! My judgement is fair, I aim for their evolution!" Life roared, "If they perished before their time, it means so they were not fit for the world! Life is a battle of survival, where the strongest prosper!"
"But sister dear," Death pled, "they weep to me. They are in pain, and they do not have time to do anything they wish to when they pursue your path."
"Are you claiming that I wronged them? My own sister?" Life screamed, "Do you think I do not feel their pain? That I do not feel their agony? It is for that pain I wish them to grow!"
Death looked at her sister. Her only family and kin - yet it felt like she didn't even know her anymore. Weariness was showing in Life - her once beautiful fins tattered, her eyes wild and panicked.
"Sister dear... You are losing yourself." Death said, sadness apparent in her voice, "I fear you are taking on too much yourself. Let them live their lives, they do not require us as much as they once did. Even without our guidance, I am sure they will prosper, for they have each other."
Life couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You're saying that all that I've done was for naught? No... I've done everything I could for them. They cannot forsake me now, I am their mother! No... no... it... it was you. You made them hate me! You let them get lazy! You!"
Before Death could answer, Life lunged at her - blinded by her sorrow and pain, unwilling to listen to reason. So deep was her desire to live, that she would attack her own sister to keep on living through her creations. But no matter how ferociously she attacked, how long they fought, neither one of them collapsed. So great was their power that they were unable to meet the very aspects of life they themselves represented. An immortal does not live, nor does it die.
Exhausted, Life retreated, Death doing the same. And without a further word to her sister, Life turned and addressed her sister's creatures instead. "If that is your wish," she announced with a wavering voice, "I shall bury myself in the deepest of oceans. I will touch your lives no more. I will take my creations with me, and in time shall we be forgotten."
And ever since, neither Life nor the aquatic kukuris, were seen again. Death was right, their creations had grown strong enough to survive on their own. But in the grief of losing her sister, she hid herself in the highest of mountains. In a quiet place, where she could still watch the lands she loved, reminiscing the times spent traveling with her sister. Some suspected that she lost her ability to love the creatures they created, as though blaming them for the loss of her kin.
Still life went on. Slowly the gods were forgotten and dwindled to mere legends and myths, degraded to guardian spirits and symbols of luck. Without aquatic bloodlines, the Gliders slowly diminished from the bloodlines and as they bred with the aerials, another subspecies was born. A feathered Kukuri who walked on land, stronger than their flying relatives, and more versatile than their gliding, semi-aquatic counterparts. When the last Glider died, Aerial bloodlines withered too, and soon the Prairie kukuris were the most widespread kukuris there were. As human civilization progressed and they began domesticating the Kukuris, what will eventually become the now Common Kukuri emerged. Though rare sightings of small packs of prairies still occur from time to time.
Yet some say that during the fiercest storms on seas you can still hear the wrath of Life, and during the silent moments of sunrise the gentle winds carry the tears of the Death.
