The Ulakyo Daybreak

Asher D. Elbers

English 10

Ms. Tobin

5 October 2023

The Ulakyo Daybreak 

Ulaki emerged in 10,300 BCE throughout what is now the American Continent. Its members estimate that The Sunrise was many millions of years ago.

• Emergence

1) It all began with the Pool of Everything, a swirling vortex of colors and light in a timeless void. The Pool of Everything was incomprehensibly vast. The essence of time evaporated off the Pool and filled the void around it. Then, a speck of dirt emerged and became a trickle and a flow until rocks and soil created banks around the Pool of Everything. Materials spewed out of the Pool, forming volcanoes, vast oceans, towering mountains, and clouds. They continued until the earth was much like it is now, except devoid of living beings. 

• Sunrise

1) The earth continued without life or light for millennia after its emergence. Then the Pool stirred again. It swirled, and its light intensified until a blinding orb breached the surface. This matter is now called the Sun, which rose into the air. The Sun hovered there for a time, waiting until the Pool of Everything stirred again. This time, a gray, rocky orb, now called the moon, rose toward the Sun. They collided, and the two were knocked in different directions. Both have continued on their courses since sometimes visible and sometimes not, which is why there are days and nights.

• The Firsts 

The Firsts were entities that took from the Pool of Everything and made living entities. They were the only beings able to use the Pool. Each time anything was made from the Pool, it shrank ever so slightly.

• 1) Riah the First

The Pool remained for around two million years after The Sunrise until it stirred again. Ripples formed, and a hulking, shapeless blob crawled out. It was slightly transparent, black, and did not contain any organs. It dipped a tendril into the Pool, which grew into a scaled arm with giant claws, and three more arms grew. A gaping hole formed, and the blob took a sip. Its shape became more rigid, and It rejoiced Its new arms toward the Sun. This being's name was Riah, and they were an entity without gender or impulse. 

Riah was calm and patient and kept balance in the world. They could see the vast Pool without eyes and understand Their surroundings much better than their eyes could. They realized They could form the Pool's material into any shape. They made a being, a tiny slug. Riah practiced for many months until they could make little spineless beings like slugs and snails. Once Riah was prepared, They tried creating a being with scales: a lizard, snake, and frog. Riah was responsible for making all spineless creatures, amphibians, and reptiles. 

• 2) Tad the First

One warm night, a sudden movement breached the surface of the Pool, and a human-sized cricket jumped out. His name was Tad. He hopped around joyously, for He was happy to be alive and free. He saw Riah's creations and used the Pool to make His first bug, a worm. It was ugly but essential for rich soil and compost. Tad kept on making bugs. He made honey bees and cockroaches on a bright summer day when He couldn't sleep and discovered that His flightless wings could make songs. He would dance and sing every night, making it His duty to keep spirits up.

• 3) Grib the First

The next thing to come from the Pool of Everything was a plant. It slithered out and quickly spread in years to come. Its name was Grib. Grib used Its roots to soak up the Pool and plant seeds everywhere. It became known as poison ivy and worked to protect Itself and the forest from destruction. It also made edible and medicinal plants to serve other beings. It was the first of Foundation and Stability.

After 3,000 years, Grib made a Second, a tree (a Second is the offspring of a First). Grib used all of its strength to make the tree and perished, becoming a mere plant. The Second was named Groot, and it created all the trees. It made evergreens in the cold season and deciduous trees in the warm season. Its job is to give food to fleshy creatures, make beauty, and keep erosion from flattening everything.

• 4) Bhurv the First

Thousands of years passed, and the Pool was still. It had become much smaller than when it began. Plants and animals thrived, and there was growth everywhere. However, areas became overrun with pests, and predators could not keep up.

At this time, the Pool stirred again, and a huge Crab crawled out. From the moment he emerged, he was angry. He stomped on herds of terrified animals and flattened forests. He was named Bhurve. He was as tall as a mountain and as furious as ten thousand hornets. 

After three years of strife, Bhurve was exhausted and receded to the ocean. He made all the creatures of the sea from His arms and legs, for He was too tired to travel back to the Pool. He gave himself the power to regenerate limbs, giving the ability to other water creatures as well. He was the First of Strife, whose job was to disrupt the natural order. To this day, he strikes in one way or another every one hundred years. At this point, the Pool had dwindled to a pond.

• 5) Drachan the First

Only a short time after Bhurv surfaced, so did another First. She was a Golden Eagle named Drachaan. She soared the skies and screeched to make Her presence known, for She was the First of justice. Her sharp eyes could spot a lousy deed anywhere. However, She did not try to punish Bhurve. He was much too strong and helped keep balance in His way.

Drachaan made all birds, including three Seconds. Misha was the owl of wisdom, Ravlon was the falcon of bravery, and Urthis was the swan of strength. They differed from many other creatures, for they were neither male nor female. They were merely personifications of their respective duties. Their few descendants still exist today, formed by the minds of their forefathers.

• 6) Hochaa the First

The final First that emerged from the Pool of Everything was named Hochaa. He was a human with endurance that nothing could match and more ambition than all creatures combined. He made elaborate mammals from the Pool of Everything. He even made things like whales and bats that belonged in different realms. He made more of His own: humans, who were the smartest yet least wise of creatures. These humans made tools and villages.

Hochaa had no definitive job or duty, and humans would follow many different paths later. Some attempt to embody other animals, while others try to separate themselves from nature. Humans cut down entire forests, hunted animals to extinction, and polluted oceans. They also constructed amazing inventions and forged powerful friendships. Hochaa drained almost all of the Pool of Everything until there was only a tiny puddle. He used half of it to make a Second named Etic, a cat. But Etic was less loyal than He had wanted. Cats were independent, and in their eyes, humans were not above them. Luckily for Hochaa, he had a bit of the Pool left. He created Brooknol, a bloodhound Second. Humans could tell dogs what to do, and dogs trusted and relied on humans. At this time was the creation of man's best friend.

• The Amendments

The First's offspring are called Seconds. Those with First Blood are Thirds, and those who follow Ulakyo are Fourths. These branches of Ulakyo are regarded as equal, though Seconds and Thirds can have special abilities.

• 1) Conscience

Riah, the First of Balance, saw humanity developing and couldn't stand the volatility. They came to Hochaa and told Him to stop going to such extremes. Hochaa didn't understand His wrongs, so Riah gave Him a conscience. Humans now reflect on how they changed the world, but humanity continues on its path.

• 2) Gratitude

Tad saw the strife the humans were causing and decided to help. He hopped through Hochaa's village and stopped in front of Him. He didn't know how to convey negativity, so he began to dance and sing a beautiful song of gratitude to nature. The humans loved it. They have continued to sing and dance since.

• 3) Agriculture

The plants realized they had to improve to save themselves from the humans. They made flowers, fruits, and seeds. The humans helped the process by cultivating plants of all kinds. They made orchards and fields of wheat. They respected the plants that could serve them.

• 4) Humility

The Firsts begged Bhurv to help them with their plight. Bhurve boldly stormed into the village until He came to Hochaa. Hochaa quivered in the presence of such power. He knew that Bhurv could kill Him in the blink of an eye. But instead of agreeing to respect nature, He offered to sacrifice a villager every full moon, and Bhurve loved the idea. That is why the Ulakyo must feed Bhurv a person every full moon as a gruesome reparation.

• 5) Respect

It was now when Drachan came from raising her three Second children, Misha, Ravlon, and Urthis. She saw the humans devastating the land. Drachan swooped down and took Hochaa. She sat the struggling man down before her three children and told them to instruct him on respect, wisdom, and bravery. Misha shared nature's secrets, Ravlon taught Hochaa to maintain nature, and Urthis taught him to be headstrong against humans' wrongs.

• 6) Change

Hochaa was changed when He returned and taught the other humans. Some followed Him, but some were still greedy. The human Seconds, Thirds, and Fourths have since learned from their forefathers and aspired to maintain a balance between humanity and nature. They share their way with others using the stories of Ulaki. These are the Ulakyo people..