Greetings, Ashskins

I come bearing strange gifts, and secrets not often told, in honor of this day of Merry Consummation. This is the story of the First Things, and the Only Things. We give thanks to the Zero'd one, for reminding us of the meaning of life, even though he is a number, and did not much care for it. It is given with love, from our people to yours.

In the very very early nights (for back then there was no such thing as daytime) there were only two things - the Tail and the Mouth. They lived in a great big void with no light or sun, so they had to intertwine their bodies to keep each other warm. They locked milk-finger and pleasure-womb coming together in the first mating dance. It was then that the first birthlings crawled from the Mouth's throat. The parents were so overjoyed with their creation that they bestowed great blessings on each of them.

The first to fly out was Dragon, who they gave time, for he was the oldest, and they believed him the wisest.
The first to crawl out was Ashskin, who they gave flesh, for they knew he was the most beautiful.
The second to fly out was Cliff Racer, who they gave the sky, for he was restless, and there were too many of him for the ground.
The second to crawl out was Mother Kwama, who created flesh from flesh.
The third to crawl out was the Bloody-Clawed Nix, who reduces us all to meat.
The only one to breathe her way out was the Empress of All Parasols, whose breath was life, when it was not poison.
Holding on to the Empress’s roots was the Bloatspore, who made her home in the Parasol’s shadow.
The fourth to crawl out was Animunculi, a walking cave of nonlife that held all the secrets of the world, 'cept for one.
The fifth to crawl out was Shalk, who divided justmeat from stillspirit.
The third to fly out was the Bull Netch, who was eaten by a malevolent biped and turned into the Lonely Netch.
The sixth to crawl out was Silt Strider, who is big and sharp-clawed but does not kill us.
The only one to murder her way out was Miphilite-With-Many-Many-Legs, who taught us what hurt means, and who taught us what make means.

And the first birthlings intermingled, and locked milk-finger with pleasure-womb as their parents had, creating more birthlings. They all took great joy in this, except for Ashskin, who was restless, and had lusts so strange that none of his kin could satisfy him. So he set off into the cold of the night, journeying for eleven nights and eleven nights. It is said he reached the end of Everything and took another step forward, reaching Then Some.
From there, he opened his eyes and gazed back at the dark, scary blackness of his home, and saw a New Thing, which was really the Only Thing.
"Oh, I see." He said. "It's all just grass and sunlight, isn't it? We just had our eyes closed."

So he returned home, eager to spread the good news to his family. When he told them, some of them said he was just imagining the grass and sunlight, and he should return to their orgy. But Dragon believed his favored brother has must have been right, and convinced many of the others to heed Ashskin’s words-- First Cliff Racer, then Mother Kwama, then the Empress of All Parasols, then Bull Netch, then Shalk and finally Silt Strider.
So one by one, they all opened their eyes. When it came Cliff Racer's turn, he realized though there was plenty of grass to eat, but the sun was being blocked by a big rock. So Cliff Racer bravely flew up to the sun and pushed the big rock away from the sun, giving up his share of the grass so his kin could enjoy the sunlight. One by one, they all opened their eyes and marveled at the grass and sunlight. Alone among his family, Dragon saw nothing, only the darkness of before. He believed Ashskin had lied to him,tricking them into ending their orgy so they would all be as lonely as him.

"It's all just night!" He yelled, burning all the grass with the power of his voice. This is why some of the ground is green and fertile, and some of it is ash and fire.
"Brother, please, you'll burn it all!" Ashskin pleaded. "You must be blind!"

But Dragon did not see reason, and grew angry with his brother. He went to his younger brother Bull Netch and convinced the poor beast that he was just imagining all of the grass and sunlight. In anger, Bull Netch tore out out Ashskin's heart and hide it deep within the earth, where no one would ever find it. Then, Dragon scorched the world around it, turning it into a hellish place, that knew neither grass nor sunlight. This is why time is a prison; the Dragon is a creature of stress and fear, and must be forgotten before peace can be attained. In Ashskin’s dead body, a parasite was born. The parasite was called the Wild Spirit, who possesses our bodies and drives us to madness.

But Ashskin left one last gift; he had impregnated Mother Kwama, who gave birth to many people. The Paleskins, who live in grand palaces and wear moths on their skin; the Scaleskins, who can speak to trees without saying a word; the Also-Ashskins, who wear the face of their father; and the Guar, the keepers of his lesson.

Remember; there are storms made of blight, and people who kill other people, and people who can't see anything but the night. But you must keep your eyes open; because in the end, there are only two things - grass and sunlight.