A children’s story Auren wrote and illustrated for her daughter, as Kado told it to her when she was a child.
Gauwai and Gauwin were identical twin brothers and among the first shadow stalkers. They were clever and powerful, but they were also competitive. They always wanted to prove who was the better and most powerful.
They started with simple pranks, like hiding each other’s treasures or leading one another down a wrong path.
Eventually, though, their pranks grew more and more perilous as they worked harder to get one over on the other.
“Your games are becoming far too dangerous, and they must stop,” their father, the Foramar, warned them.
But they didn’t listen.
Then one day, Gauwin led his brother into the forest, still uncleared of venomous plants, a place they were told never to go.
“Quick! Kara is trapped. We have to help her,” Gauwin told his brother.
Gauwai followed him into a part of the forest, still uncleared of venomous plants. He hesitated because he knew they weren’t supposed to go there, but if one of their friends was hurt, he knew it was his duty to help.
They ventured too close to a Sayos Godi, and one of the spines pierced Gauwai’s heart.
“Help! Help!” Gauwin yelled as he ran back to the encampment to get their father.
It was too late to heal Gauwai. He had already passed into the shadow world.
The Foramar stood over his fallen son with tears in his eyes, because he knew he was going to lose two sons that day.
“We were given our powers to serve others, not to make us feel more important than one another,” he tells Gauwin. “You both allowed your pride to rule you, and this is the result.”
The Foramar raises his arms to the sky, and both boys turn to dust. The dust floats into the heavens and forms the two moons that have illuminated our sky every night since.
“Now you are both equal. Both giving the same light and guiding our people through the darkness for eternity. Neither of you more important than the other,” the Foramar says.
Now the twin moons shine every night, guiding travellers and creating shadows to hide us from danger. Always remember that, whenever the twin moons light our night sky, the shadow people have made not one of us more important than another. May Gauwai always light your path. May Gauwin always guard your shadow. And may pride never lead you astray.
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