The First Flame and the Kenku

Summary

When the world was young, the waves and land were cold under the sun Allathra and its light. A young winged hero named Arrī (/ˈarriː/) flew upon rainbow wings and gemstone feather to the storm of creation, where the celestial gods were shaping the world. He begged them with his beautiful voice to give a gift of warmth and safety to the people of Hillit.
The sun and the three moons conversed to each other, debating on what gift to give. Laetha agreed to share the divine flame with Arrī, but it would come at a cost. To carry the flame back through the storm into Hillit, Arrī would suffer grave injuries from the fire and smoke. He knew the risk and accepted it.
The smoke from the fire scorched his throat, taking away his melodic voice. The flames burned away his wings and singed his feathers, leaving him blackened. When he landed in Brasi, he couldn't say a word and resembled a wingless, blackened bird. The people wept for the lost beauty of Arrī, but he held aloft the divine flame and lit the first hearth in Hillit.
The gods took pity upon Arrī and his sacrifice. Like Allathra and Laetha gifted him fire, Aalun gifted him the ability to speak through the voices of others and Corserei gifted him the ability to recall any sound he has heard. Arrī and his descendants lost their ability to fly amongst the sky and became blessed as the first kenku.

Variations & Mutation

Some variations of the story insist that Arrī stole the fire and was burned for his pride. The gods took pity upon him and gave him a means to speak, but not completely as punishment. In this version, the kenku aren't viewed as blessed, but they still are seen as the bringers of the first flame.
A rarer variation has the same basis of Arrī being gifted the first fire, but he used it for selfish purposes when he returned to Brasi. The divine fire rejected him as its steward and burned him for his folly and cursed his people. This has the most villainous of kenku portrayals.

Cultural Reception

The kenku revere this story and take pride upon themselves for being marked as progeny of the first flame steward Arrī.