The Great Parent

**The Great Parent**  is an animal who is inhabited by the Great Spirit. He or she holds the title of either **Great Mother** or **Great Father**. The Great Parent is the main spiritual ruler and leader of Bravelands. Their job is to ensure all animals follow the Code. They help resolve issues for the animals. Some animals, such as the lions, do not usually seek guidance from the Great Parent, though they still follow the Code. The current Great Parent is Starlight.

## Description

Almost every animal believes in the Great Spirit, a god-like force. Different species interpret and relate to the Great Spirit in different ways. Most of them believe part of the spirit lives in the Great Mother (or Father) who leads the animals and resolves problems and disputes across the plains. While a Great Mother or Father can, in theory, be any animal, as far back as any animal can remember, the Great Parent has always been an elephant, the most spiritual of all the creatures.

## Eras

### Unnamed Vulture

An unnamed female vulture was the first Great Mother. She is also the only known skytongue-speaker to have become a Great Parent. Windrider reveals the origin of the Great Spirit to her grandchick Stormrider.

Long ago a vulture found an egg that was not a vulture's egg. Just before she was about to eat the egg, she heard a voice speaking to her. The voice told her not to eat the egg, but instead care for it. When the egg hatched it was empty. Though not visible, the Great Spirit hatched out of the egg. And the vulture became the first **Great Mother**.

Little is known about the first Great Mother apart from the fact that she remains a key mythological figure for vultures and explains why vultures are closely affiliated with the Great Parent.

### Orchid

Orchid was a male baboon who carried the title of Great Father. He is one of the ancient Great Parents who existed prior to Great Mother Sun. It is unknown who succeeded or preceded Great Father Orchid. He is noted to have harbored the ability to see through the eyes of other creatures, a power shared by all baboons who become Great Parents. He is also mentioned to have come from the Golden Forest.

### Sleek

Sleek is a male leopard from the Greenforest who held the title of Great Father. He is one of the many Great Parents who oversee Bravelands prior to Sun. His successor and predecessor are unknown. It is mentioned that he had the ability to see the actions of creatures through his spots.

### Zag

Zag is a male cheetah who held the title of Great Father. It is unknown in what period of time Zag ruled. He is now regarded as a mythological figure for cheetahs.

### Sun

Sun is an elderly female elephant that holds the title of Great Mother during "Broken Pride". She comes from the Strider Family and is also the matriarch of her herd. Under her rule she leads a peaceful life mainly resolving disputes and making herself available for consultations with the creatures of Bravelands. She is beloved by all except for Stronghide's Crash who grows increasingly antagonistic to her rule. Despite the reality that any creature can become a Great Parent, animals under her rule began to believe that only elephants were favored by the Great Spirit and are the only contenders to become Great Parents.

Unlike other Great Parents, Sun's ability is one shared by her entire species and consists of reading the bones of the dead. As Great Mother she also retains a close bond with vultures as they often bring her bones of creatures who have died in injustice. Sun is eventually killed by Stronghide who was conspiring against her with Stinger. As a result, Sun never passed the Great Spirit to her successor before her death causing chaos in the continuation of Great Parents. Although her predecessor is unknown, she is succeeded by Stronghide.

### Stronghide

Stronghide is a male rhino who falsely held the title of Great Father despite never being inhabited by the Great Spirit. He suceeds Sun by pretending to have been chosen by the Great Spirit. A notable attribute that Great Parents have is the ability to communicate with sky-tounges and sand-tounges. Stronghide took advantage of the two oxpeckers, Babble and Chatter who frequently land on him, and pretends to communicate with them. Stronghide's ruse only worked temporarily as throughout his continued rule he is shown to be ignorant towards the increasing danger of Titanpride. He often held a stubborn demeanor and gave senseless advice to the creatures threatened by Titanpride.

After a period of time, the creatures of Bravelands realized that Stronghide's advice did more harm than good and with the his reveal as Sun's murderer, the creatures rebelled against him. Stronghide was then forced to resign from the position of Great Father and exiled from Stronghide's Crash. This left the Bravelands without a Great Parent and gave the opportunity for Stinger to succeed him.

### Stinger

Stinger was an elderly male baboon and Crownleaf of the Brightforest Troop. He succeeds Stronghide by falsely holding the title of Great Parent despite never being inhabited by the Great Spirit. Stinger used Stronghide's exile to fill the occupation of Great Father. He also manipulated Stronghide into killing Great Mother Sun in order to take the role for himself after Stronghide proved to be an incompetent Great Parent.

Stinger consolidates his position as Great Parent by being the one to reveal Stronghide as Sun's murderer. He also portrays his friendship with Fearlesspride as an ability given by the Great Spirit. Throughout his rule Stinger hides under the appearance of a kind and intellectual Grand Father. He takes advantage of his natural surroundings and projects the belief that everything he does is blessed by the Great Spirit. He allies himself with Titanpride when faced with the threat of being replaced by the true Great Parent. This leads to a battle between the Great Herd, formed by Sky, and Stinger's followers. Stinger's rule ends in his death and the role of Great Parent is succeeded by Thorn.

### Thorn

Thorn was a male baboon and held the title of Great Father. He succeeds Stinger.

### Bramble

Bramble was mistaken to be Thorn’s successor before Prance arrives at the Great Gathering and proclaims herself as the New Great-Parent.

### Starlight

Starlight is a female elephant and the current Great Mother of Bravelands. It’s unknown if Starlight succeeded Prance or if another animal was The Great-Parent before Starlight.

## Trivia

* The Great Spirit has never been passed to a rhino.
	+ However, the rhinos thought for a long time that it should be their turn to have one of their kind to host the Great Spirit, causing discord in Bravelands.
		- In *Code of Honor*, Stronghide falsely assumes the role of Great Parent. He gives the animals unholy advice that led to the animals revolting against him. Stronghide was then exiled from Bravelands and he died in peace.
* The only animal that does not usually seek the advice of the Great Parent is the lion.
	+ However, the lions used to follow the Great Spirit. This was a very long time ago.
		- The reason why the lions decided to stop seeking the advice of the Great Parent is the result of their species' natural arrogance.
* Stinger Crownleaf convinced Stronghide to murder Great Mother, because he sought power over Bravelands. Stronghide agreed to murder her because she did not help him when his daughter, Brighteyes, was dying. Stronghide murdered Great Mother in the Watering Hole on the first night of the Great Gathering.

1. ↑ Prologue of The Venom Spreads