The old ones speak of little people and ancient dragons living deep within the mountain. Little people with eyes like children and pointed ears, dragons of both the evil red and honorable black. The yound ones believe them without question. Those who are in between laugh, but they have seen the eyes watching them from the trees near the mountain, they have heard the small voices in the night.

Some fear them, some worship them as nature spirits, but none provoke them. It is said that they keep the peacocks and what dragons are left as pets, and all other creatures obey them. Some even believe that they can make trees and rocks grow and control great healing powers. They do not know how close they are to the truth about...

The Holt. Peacock Mountain Holt. Here Chieftess Snowfall watches over her tribe with relatively young eyes, eyes so much younger than her mother's when she was Chieftess. Quick and sharp-tongued, no one would dare to challenge her authority. Some fear her temper, but all respect her judgement and intelligence. She was born and bred for this life, but has a temper more becoming a full-blown warrior. Some of this she can vent in displaying, teaching, and practicing her superior skills at the art of swordplay. There is still some of it that cannot be controlled however...

...but by Marlin Her lifemate and her sanity, Marlin is the tribe's symbolmaker and humorist. His laughter is the perfect balance with Snowfall's serious outlook and bad temprement. He prefers not to hunt or fight, and likes to stick to the gardens, as many in the holt do. When necessary, though, he never misses with his boot dirk.

Their sons, Fireshadow and Highsun, both wear the boot dirk as well, although they are both far more accomplished at hand-to-hand and archery. It is a family tradition. They are best friends and soul brothers, with personalities that could not be more different.

Rarely does anyone but his brother hear Fireshadow laugh, and not many more have seen him smile. He is not unhappy, only serious and aloof. He fears things he cannot understand- such as the empathy that appears in tribe members from time to time- and keeps himself to himself. His greatest skill is at hand-to-hand, but he is one of the best archers in the holt. His focus allows his skill to rise above the average quickly. He is so like is mother in temprement he was called Snowshadow till he came of age and passed his right to the Sheng's tatoo on to his younger brother...

...Highsun. Like his father in more than his looks, Highsun is everyone's best friend, and more than a few's lover. He wears the Sheng's tattoo with pride, but without pretense. He depends on his brother for stability and advice, as his brother depends on him for laughter and companionship, and his fierce loyalty manifests itself most when Fireshadow comes into the conversation. He is best known throughout the holt for his fearless laughter and love. Even the elders could not deny that he will be a brilliant chief someday.

Thistletricker is another jovial soul; plant-shaper and dreamberry lover extrordinaire. He spends most of his time with Highsun, or with Highsun and the ladies. Their little group is quite representative of the happy-go-lucky, characteristic attitude throughout the tribe. Prankster, jokester, peacekeeper, Thistletricker hates to hunt, and rarely eats meat. He prefers to spend his days in the sun with the plants, and his days in the snow with the maids.

Neubach takes care of Thistletricker's share of meat. Big and friendly, Neubach is often considered the gentle giant of the tribe. Until he's faced with a hunt or the occasional battle. In such cases, anything in the way of his sword will soon be cut down. He will go down in the tribe history as being the one who killed the Lesser Red Dragon that destroyed his entire family. He has lost a lifemate to the dragon he destroyed, and a lovemate to the Wandering, but he took in her cub when she was called to wander.

Rivershine is a young archeress in training, as full of life and love as her adoptive father (but substatially smaller). She loves nothing more than the hunt (except for a good roll in the furs now and then) and doesn't mind voicing any opinion, no matter how disagreeable it may be to others. A fantastic huntress and an excellent representation of the care free existence and vitality so many here share. Those who knew her mother well find it amusing how different she is since she's been raised by Neubach and not Aerie.

Silvan is one of the greatest magic users the holt has ever known. He is a skilled healer, brother to Chieftess, and father to Plumtree. He is quiet and often smiling, with no sign of the temper his sister is famed for. Confidante and sage to all, he dispenses wisdom almost equal to that of the hold mystic, Knotwood, in words that are far easier to understand. His lifemate died soon after the birth of their cub, before he could reach her, and Plumtree is is life.

Small and curious, ever the daddy's girl, Plumtree provides no end of entertainment to the tribe, and no end of happiness to her father's world. She does not remember her mother, who was killed on the mountain, but is never afraid to ask questions about her... or anything else that strikes her fancy. She does not look to anyone as a mother-figure, and seems to know that she is the only one who knows her father.

Goldvoice is often the one who answers the little one's questions. The appropriately named talekeeper is another peaceful one, like Thistletricker and Marlin, who prefers to spend her time working in the garden and telling her stories. Both of her parents are alive and Wandering, her mother was talekeeper before her. She holds within her 15 chiefs of tales of Peacock Mountain Holt, and trains her daughter to take over in the future.

Moonpool, weapon maker and skilled hand-to-hand and knife combatant is her balance, her lifemate. Dark and grinning, no one is ever quite certain how to take him. Although he seems to find almost everything funny, many wonder at his strange laughter. He is empathic, as is a common phenomenon within the holt, which adds to the uncertainty surrounding him for some (such as Fireshadow). Aside from his lifemate and daughter, only little Redleaf seems completely at ease around him.

Brighteyes is the daughter of the talekeeper and weapon forger, so named for the shining blue eyes she inhereted from her father. She shows signs of his empathic abilities now and then (not to mention his sense of humor), but mostly sticks with her mother to learn her tales. She is young and adventerous, a skilled knife user. She is aggressive in the hunt, but prefers the company of her young energetic friends...

...sometimes including Jade. Serious and focused, Jade trains whenever possible with Snowfall to become a swords-woman. She wishes for few things more than to be exactly like Snowfall, and will have no lovemate but Highsun. Both of her parents were killed by a Red Dragon, and Jade took care of her sister Redleaf and herself from a young age. Moonpool, their uncle, was always watching, trying to help whenever possible, but Jade's pride would not let her accept his help.

Redleaf is her spunky younger sister. She is one of the few young ones who are not completely intimidated by Moonpool's odd sense of humor and quite enjoys his company. So, she became her uncle's apprentice. She likes the older members of the tribe and prefers their company over that of the younger members. Her strength excels the average for her age, so she is already skilled at hand to hand and is a fine archer, learning from the acknowledged teacher of the holt...

Jay. Wild and untameable, brother to Marlin, Jay is a truly free spirit. He is the acknowledged teacher for young archers and often hand to hand, since he has incredible skill at both and unsurpassed patience. His carefree attitudes endear him to his pupils, especially his nephews, and make it easy for him to get through to impatient students. Jay is quite the dreamer and will often go wandering in the forest for days at a time, then return to his lovemate...

Lotus. Lovemate to Jay, mother to Cloud. She is tribe-tanner, a happy, pink-cheeked elfmaid with deep spiritual connections to the mountains and forest. She remains smiling though everything. Her Lifemate was lost on a hunt while their cub, Cloud, was just learning to walk. Her father and sister live on the outskirts of the holt, and that is where she grew up. As an empath, she always prefered it thus.

Cloud is her son. Dreamy and excited, he adores both his mother and her lovemate, Jay. He does remember his father, but he has come to terms with his death, since he was very young when it happened. Cloud has the beginnings of magic in him, and looks forward his coming-of-age to see what it will mean. He is a deeply spiritual child, very much influenced by his Grandsire...

Knotwood. Once, Knotwood was very much involved in the day to day life of the holt. After his lifemate died, he withdrew permanently to the outside of the holt to raise his daughters. some (Marlin, for example) feel that his ideas about nature's spirit are beautiful inspiriation. Others (Snowfall, for example) feel that he's a bit mad. But all respect and even revere this elder. Lotus is his elder daughter...

Sleepfloweris his younger daughter. By far the most powerful empath and magic user in the tribe, she is quite introverted. Her sensitivity makes the mistrust some members of the tribe feel for empaths hurt terribly, so she tends to keep to herself. Her only "friend" in the holt is Highsun, who makes it a point to visit her on the edge of the holt often. She has the ability to "travel." She is skilled at tailoring and embroidering, but abhorrs fighting and killing.

So sits Peacock Mountain Holt. On the edge of the world, on the edge of a change. Who can say what stories will unfold themselves from such a mystery.

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