We were studying the hero cycle in creative writing and this was the story spawned from it.

In a thriving forest, a large birds egg fell from a tree into to the arms of a man in red robes. This man was the fire god. He smiled at the egg and kissed it. He set it down and walked away from the egg. After three days, it hatched and a human baby came out of it. An older woman walked through the forest and found the newborn babe. She picked it up and walked back to the village with it. She named the boy, Mikal. Mikal grew in the village for twenty years and enjoyed every minute of it. His red hair grew past his waist and towered above most men his age. He also had a much skinnier frame than the rest of men and was a lot lighter, but he was not weak. The men of the village taught him to hunt and fight and women taught him to preserve food and cook.

The village prospered during his twenty years of growing up but then a woman insulted the nature goddess. The nature goddess made the village suffer a serious drought and sent the animals of the area to another part of the world. People started to become ill from lack of food and water. The woman who insulted the mighty goddess was killed because of a dead tree falling on top of her. Some thought it was an accident but most thought it was the nature goddess exacting revenge. Mikal’s mother begged him to find the oasis across the Sands of Burial, the place where honored warriors ands maidens were sent after their death.

“Be back in five days. I fear that if you wait longer you will come back to a dead village.”

Mikal journeyed for a few hours, trying to find a way to die a hero’s death. Half way through the dead forest, he came across a young boy who claimed to be the god of death. Mikal bowed in respect. Even if the boy wasn’t the god of death, Mikal thought it would be good to humor him. The boy said, “I will grant you passage to the Sands of Burial.”

A twisted scythe appeared the in the god’s hands. There was not a doubt left in Mikal’s mind about who this boy was. The boy lifted the scythe and slashed Mikal across the chest. Mikal was forced to his back and fell asleep.

Mikal awoke after a small nap with the god of death standing next to him.

“Take this pouch with you,” the god said.

“What’s in it?”

“Soul water. Without it, you will become another lost heroic soul. There are only five drops so use them only when you feel like you’re about to pass out from exhaustion.”

Mikal took the pouch and nodded.

The god of death smiled, “ I will also protect you from all the souls eager to regain life.”

“Not to be disrespectful young god, but what can you gain from protecting me?”

“You are my cousin,” the god of death began to disappear but continued to speak, “Even I wouldn’t allow family to die.”

Mikal nodded again. He stood and began across the harsh desert. The god of death was right about the souls. Many of them cried to him to be let go or to have him trade places with them. Most of them he could ignore but there were a few he couldn’t. When that would happen, the god of death would cry that would sound like an eagle’s shriek. Mikal would come out of the trance and continue on with his journey.

On the first day, Mikal only needed one of the soul water drops. The second he needed two and he cursed himself for it, knowing he needed to make two more last three days. On the third and fourth day, he needed one apiece. During the middle of the last day, he began to feel tired. He came to a large depression in the ground and began to sob. After the depression there was a wall that reached to the sky. His body collapsed to the ground. The young looking god only stood next to him. The god did nothing to help his cousin. Mikal fell asleep again.

“Rise my son,” a voice called to him.

Outside of the world of the dead hero’s, an oasis waited. A man in red robes stood in the middle of it and watched as an egg fell out of the tree, and he caught it. The god brought his lips to the egg and he set it down. The egg hatched, and a baby came out of it. The baby grew into Mikal within minutes. The fire god threw desert robes at the younger man.

“Dress, quickly, my son. From here you must ride my phoenix and bring your people here.”

Mikal grinned and found the large brilliant phoenix relaxing right outside the oasis. He got on the phoenix and rode it back to the dying forest in less than twenty minutes. All of the men, women and children got on the radiant bird and it flew them back to the oasis safe and sound.

The people first found the water which they drank until they could drink no more. Then the men hunted small animals for a little bit of food for the weaker people. Many months later, the statues of Mikal and the fire god were mounted in the middle of the village.