Nunne Cha'Ha

White River Wolf was eager to return home to his tribe in Nune Cha'Ha. He had left many moons ago in pursuit of a troublesome group of gnolls. Now he returns triumphant with the black mane of their leader draped over his shoulders.   Soon he could smell the fresh scent of the blood grass, native to his homeland. There were many outsiders who believed the "red plains" as they called it, to be strange or even ugly. White River Wolf thought they couldn't be more wrong. He loved his home land, and saw its natural beauty. The blood red grass danced in the wind, caressing his legs as he walked through it. He could see the maroon acacia trees reaching their branches filled with ruby red leaves into the clear blue sky. Vibrant colors of the fire blossoms were in full bloom on the crimson cacti.   Seeing a fallen cinder fruit at the base of a tree, White River Wolf went to pick it up. He had not eaten for a few hours now and the smell of the spicy, sweet fruit was enticing. But something was wrong. There was another scent in the air, smoke! He looked to the north to see black plumes drifting into the sky. They were coming from his tribes last known location! Dropping the cinder fruit he took off sprinting towards his camp. When he arrived he could only look on in horror. The tents were on fire, bodies of his tribes men were strewn about. They did not die without a fight, but the state of their corpses were truly gruesome. White River Wolf knew there is only one type of monster capable of this much gore, and fresh tracks confirmed his suspicions, gnolls. The hyena men are cannibalistic. They tore into the flesh of the fallen eating what they could. They would try to capture as many as possible to bring back to the rest of their tribe. If he moved quickly there might still be enough time to save them.   White River Wolf called upon his totem spirit to bless him with it's abilities. His hair stood on end and began to grow, covering his whole body. His eyes turned yellow and his nose began to stretch into a long muzzle, his teeth becoming razor sharp. He placed his hands on the ground and watched as his fists clenched and turned into white paws. With his transformation complete he could now pick up his prey's trail with his heightened senses.   The smell of death was heavy in the air but the smell of gnolls was stronger. In only a matter of minutes White River Wolf arrived at enemy camp. As he watched from the cover of the tall grass, he could see the remainder of his tribe bound to the thick trunk of an acacia tree. There was only one gnoll on guard while the rest took part in their victory dance where they barked praises to their demon patron. Swiftly and silently, White River Wolf lept from the tall grass, pouncing on the guard and ripping out it's throat before giving it a chance to raise an alarm. He shifted back into his human form so his tribe would recognize his and so he could speak to them as he untied their bonds. "Are their any other survivers? Where is the chieftain or the spirit walker?" A young warrior spoke up to reply. "The chieftain and spirit walker are dead. They would not be taken without a fight." Another said "they have more of our people at the center of their ritual. They are the first of us to be sacrificed." White River Wolf furrowed his brow and took stock of the situation. The guard he killed was equipped with a long bow and a spear. He took the weapons and handed them to the first two warriors to approach him. "We attack cautiously and quietly. Each of their warriors we kill before they notice will increase our chances of freeing our tribe. Now follow me." Shifting back into the form of a wolf, he led his people towards center of the camp. Along the way they took out any stray gnolls they could find. With every kill they were able to equip more of their own warriors until each of them were ready to fight.   They circled around the gnolls as they preformed their ritual. A group of White River Wolf's tribesmen were bound together forming a line in front of a stone slab caked in dried blood. A gnoll shaman stood by the altar holding an obsidian dagger in one hand and a dried human heart in the other. A pair of guards took hold of the first tribesman, forcing him to lay on the altar facing the sky. Just as the shaman raised it's dagger, White River Wolf went in for the kill. Like a pack of wolves, he and his tribe came out of the shadows, ripping and tearing into their prey with fang, spear, and tomahawk. Archers gave them cover as they made their way to the altar. White River Wolf charged at the shaman, biting at it's ankles causing the gnoll to stumble and fall. The wolf then dove in for the kill, tearing into the shaman's throat with his powerful jaws.    By this time the surviving gnolls had begun to flee. Shifting back into human form, White River Wolf spoke to his tribe, "let them go. We have won our freedom this day. We must gather our wounded and salvage what we can from this camp before moving on."    "Yes chieftain!" Shouted one of the young warriors before running off. White River Wolf looked stunned. He had no intention of leading, however after seeing how his people looked to him for guidance there could be no doubt that they have chosen him as their new chief. "Where will we go?" He heard a young woman ask. White River Wolf thought for a moment before responding. He wanted to be sure that his decision was truly in the best interest of the tribe. "We will leave Nune Cha'Ha for a time. We will travel south and seek new allies. A new settlement is forming near our borders. I believe they can use our help as much as we can use theirs."    And so the White River tribe was born that night. They gathered any supplies they could carry, burning the rest so as not to leave anything behind for their enemies. Once they were ready, they began their journey south to Glenhaven.