Anohe Hetawa

The Anohe Hetawa - "The Ghost Walkers." Unlike the other societies that serve as pools of knowledge for the Blackblades the Anohe Hetawa are not an order that is frowned upon by the people of it's origins, nor do they have need to conceal themselves from ridicule but for other reasons. In truth the Anohe Hetawa is actually considered a prestigious order of hunters. While the term hunter is misleading for the Anohe Hetawa are not solely labeled as hunters who wield bow or gun, for in fact this ancient circle often comprised of elders who hold within it's ranks tauren of many walks of life from that of the spiritual shaman, druids, and sunwalkers, to the most robust of their warriors and of course hunters. They are called hunters simply because the one aspect loved by them all as is true with many tauren is the love for the hunt, and is their primary focus. At their heart the Anohe Hetawa is among one of the most esteemed echelons of tauren society, and as well as a hunter's club. So prestigious is the Anohe Hetawa that the circle's very existence is kept hidden as a fabled rumor, but a much sought after rumor, among the common tauren, and they induct new members on an invite only status.

Anohe Hetawa have given rise to some of the tauren's common day superstitious hunting beliefs, yet when the rituals are practiced in earnest mystical and spiritual understandings of shadowy tactics and nature are revealed. They are the shadows of the long bladed grass across the open plain. They are the moonless night were the savanna cat prowls. They are the distant howl of the pack on the hunt. They are the Ghost Walkers. Said to move without leaving prints, and able to conceal themselves in a shroud of invisibility, the Anohe Hetawa hunt even the greatest of hunters. Like beast they hunt with an uncanny instinct only obtained via primordial rituals and rites. In packs they route their prey, teamwork and mystical maneuvering is their strength. Many know of the tauren's exceptional sense of smell, but for Anohe Hetawa it is said their smell is so enhanced they can even sniff out ghost and spirits.

History
It is unsure when or where the origins of the Anohe Hetawa began for the practices are older than tauren written history and indeed there are tales, indicative of their existence, which have been orally transferred from generation to generation of tauren long before tauren began recording their history in written documentation. Though, it is commonly believed by the elders of the Anohe Hetawa their practices are as old as the tauren race itself. Their own telling of the tale, is that of when the Earthmother created the tauren by passing her arm's shadow over the golden field in the mist of dawn she imbued within them the love for the hunt, but this was especially so for one of the first tauren whom they call "First Spear.

Anohe Hetawa legend says First Spear yearned to hunt so, that while other tauren were gathering the bounty of the land's fruits and vegetables he crafted the first weapon ever seen by tauren, a spear. When the other of the first tauren took cover in a cave as the first rain storm fell, First Spear went into the land and stalked the biggest animal he could find, the kodo, slew one, and made a tent from it's hide. When the other of the first tauren ate all their fruit and vegetables and cried out in hunger, First Spear shared his meal of kodo meat, and showed others how to craft a spear. It was not long after that First Spear had other tauren joining him in hunting parties, making tents and moving their homes to hunt the kodo. First Spear was named chieftain and his tribe grew prosperously, learning and gaining the love for the hunt. First Spear had grown wise in the ways of the hunt realizing the the biggest animals were not always the most challenging, and to sate his thirst for memorable hunts he began to stalk the other animals that hunted.

These animals were more difficult because they themselves were hunters with tooth and claw, and so First Spear devised ways to give him an edge in hunting them. He called upon the first of the shamans to bless his sight. He called on the spirit walkers to bless his smell so he may track any prey, anywhere. He called upon the very land itself in ritual to imbue himself with the hunting spirit of the animals he slew. First Spear became the first Anohe Hetawa. His tribe spoke of him as he who walks like a ghost, the hunting shadow. They praised and loved him for his skill and the bounty he brought them; nearly worshiped him as a demigod, but First Spear was humble and refused their praise. He told them instead if they wish to honor him they too should learn his ways and become brethren in the most glorious of hunts. So, he taught his tribe his ways of the Anohe Hetawa and together they went into the land to seek out the most glorious of hunts.

They hunted in every land until one day they came upon a majestic white stage who's coat held a sheen like that of the stars above. First Spear and his Anohe Hetawa brethren stalked the stag for many days and nights, chasing the creature to the ends of ancient Kalimdor and back. Finally, on a fateful day's dawning amidst the dew laden foliage, swirling fog, and golden rays of a rising sun breaking through the forest where they had tracked the stag, First Spear spotted the creature drinking from an unusual pool vibrant with light and motes of wonder. He was alone, hidden behind a bush and shrouded by a spiritual blanket he had invoked. First Spear readied his weapon to hurl at the beast's chest, yet for some reason he hesitated. It was then that the others of his brethren came upon the clearing in silent, waiting and watching for First Spear to take his deserved kill.

Yet, as they watched First Spear stood from his concealment and released the mystical powers that shrouded him, and the Anohe Hetawa nearly gasped. But still they watched. The great white stag peered up from the pond into First Spear's eyes, and the tauren calmly laid his spear on the ground. He walked toward the beast. The Anohe Hetawa were confused yet still they watched thinking perhaps this was some new power First Spear had discovered and they gazed on in hopes to learn his secret. First Spear's hand then came to rest on the great stag's head. He smiled, mumbled something and then laughed. The stag even seemed to nod in agreement!

What happened next even the Anohe Hetawa are unsure of to this day. The thick fog in the forest billowed up and clouded the two, hunter and prey standing together, and when it dissipated they were gone! All that was left was the spear of the first Ghost Walker laying on the ground. First Spear's brethren took up his spear and planted it into the ground beside the pool as a marker for the amazing sight they beheld. Some of them would later say that the stag was a spirit, the very spirit of the hunt, and had taken First Spear away to an eternal hunting ground where he could find all the game in the world and then some. Others would claim it was the Earthmother who had at last given rest to First Spear and his endless yearning. Whatever the case may be they honored his memory in the ways of their people, and by keeping his teachings alive.

Through out the generations the Anohe Hetawa became to be known for the most skilled of hunters, and to be counted among them was an honor short of being a chieftain. Their fame grew so that they had to hide their circle from the common tauren to not dilute their practices with too young and overly eager tauren who would fuddle the rites. So, they became as the mist of dawn, a distant memory, receding into the fog of history, keeping mostly to themselves and watching for new potential members. Every once in a while a hunter, or shaman, or warrior, or druid, now even sunwalkers would come along who was skilled in their craft and held a love for the hunt which would catch the eye of the Anohe Hetawa elders and they would invite them to join their circle.