Ail'wanu, The First S'honon -or- Why Men Are On The Council of Mothers

Long ago, when the world was young; before the great Gates of Drimotia were built; before the Ursine capitol was even half as grand as it is today; before the Trade Ring outposts were founded; there lived a man named Wanu.
Wanu was of the Bear tribe. He was tall and broad, and thick with muscle. His mane grew black as jet, and his voice was as deep as the bones of the mountain. Unlike many boys, he listened carefully to his mother growing up and so retained her wisdom as an adult. He was the most skilled hunter and forager in his tribe, and recognized the signs of change in the weather and seasons the same as the women could.
But Wanu was not respected, for in this time there were no male priests of Bear and the Council of Mothers ruled without care for the voices of men. This did not trouble Wanu overmuch, as it was just the way things were.
Until one day men from a caravan of traders came to Drimotia. They were of many clans and carried many goods, and requested to speak to the Mothers about brokering a trade agreement, as they wanted the gems within the mountain. At first they were courteous, ingratiating, saccharine-sweet in their treatment of the Mothers. They offered glass baubles and cosmetics and exotic furs.
But they had nothing that the Ursines wanted, for the mountain and the forest provided everything they needed and the frivolous offerings were not worth their wealth. And so the Mothers sent them away. Still the men lusted for the jewels the Ursines dug from the mountain, and they became more forceful. Simpering became shouting, offers became threats. Eventually the Mothers had them thrown out.
That night, Wanu had a dream. In it, he stood at the top of Drimotia itself. And looking down, he could see the campfires of a small army. Beside him, a bear as white as the snow, and glowing softly with starlight, sat on her haunches.
And Bear spoke. Her voice rang through the silence and struck Wanu's soul like a drumbeat.
"They are coming."
Wanu ran to the Mothers to tell them of his vision, but they would not heed him. What could a man know of Bear, or the way the world worked? They were much too busy preparing for the imminent winter to play with him, they said.
And Wanu wept, and worried. They were coming for the gems, by force if need be. If an attack came during the winter the Ursines would be slain as they slept. They believed themselves safe, as the entry door was nearly covered with snow after a few weeks, but Bear's message was all too clear to Wanu.
So he packed up as many provisions as he could carry, and warm winter blankets, and left Drimotia. He stayed out even after they locked the doors for the winter. He made a small cabin, not too far from the entrance to the mountain, and waited. He meditated in the freezing cold while it was safe, trying to find a solution. The snow piled quicker than usual, and Wanu thanked Bear, as he had faith she was sending down snow to help protect her people.
They came when the snow was halfway up the door. A group of 100 armed men milled about, frustrated by the frozen barrier. They began to dig it out and Wanu approached them with open hands. He did not want to fight them, he said. He wanted to make a deal that would let everyone win without harm.
At first they were suspicious, but opened their minds when he told them the problem: that they were offering the wrong goods to the Mothers. They simply needed to offer the Mothers something they would truly want, and show them the value of the items. Wanu learned that they had never considered this, as the merchants believed they were dealing with stupid, barbarian women.
This insult to the Council of Mothers angered Wanu, but he sagely kept his peace. They discussed at length the treasures of the outside world, and after many days of deliberation they determined what their second attempt should include. They left slowly through the snow, but in peace with promises to return with a proper offering.
The rest of the long, cold winter Wanu spent alone in meditation and prayer. He had further visions of Bear, and though she did not speak again Wanu knew she was watching over him. At times they walked through the woods and she pointed out places he could forage and stretch his provisions a little further.
At last the first green shoots sprouted through the snowmelt, and the Ursine opened the mountain's door. When Wanu returned everyone stared in awe, for his hair had gone from black to white over the winter, and would stay so the rest of his days. The Council of Mothers were gathered in the Main Hall to meet him.
They had shared a dream vision of a great white bear walking into the hall, bringing with it the spring. Wherever it stepped, grass and flowers sprouted. Bear had walked straight into the Hall and said: "Listen." And so they listened when he told them of the averted attack and the merchants' promise to return to try and negotiate again. He advised them to consider the proposal shrewdly, for they were being underestimated.
They thanked him and sent him home, uncertain of what to make of these portents- taking council from a man? Bear revealing wisdom to a man? Unheard of, and curious indeed.
The caravan returned some weeks later and the procession began anew. This time, however, the men brought cotton and silk, both in bolts and finished garments the Mothers could try on. They also brought cotton batting, and gifted the Mothers a warm fluffy quilt stuffed full. These things did not grow in the forest, and they were immense improvements to what they had known previously. The Council agreed to a trade agreement, and haggled fiercely to reach reasonable terms.
In time, this trade agreement would expand into the Market District as we know it today, and the Trade Ring outposts. Once the door was open, greater and greater luxuries were sought after, and the lives of all Ursines became more comfortable and colorful.
And Wanu? The Council of Mothers came to him after the delegation had gone. They bowed to him and gifted him the quilt and granted him a place on the Council; for he had proven beyond doubt to have the wisdom necessary to have a voice. From that day on he was called Ail'Wanu, as his fur had turned as white as the glacier atop Drimotia. And he was known as S'honon, or The Wise Man.
To this day, men who spend a winter in secluded meditation are allowed onto the Council. And those whose fur grows white thereafter are given the title S'honon- it is believed that Bear walks with them as she once did with Ail'Wanu, when he answered the call to protect his people.