Call of the Horn
Chapter 1
The pale sun began its ascent over the snow-covered foothills. Everything glittered like the sparkle-rocks found in the caves far from here. I breathed in the scent of fresh, cold, morning air. My nostrils tingled with excitement. It was finally the day! I let my tent flap slide from my back and draped my furs round my shoulders, followed my large net. I called back to say goodbye to my Dam, who had decided to stay back to tend to the youngsters who were still too small to partake in the great event.
The snow crunched beneath my hooves as I trotted down a small hill to the center of my herds' village. Most of my herd was already around the center fire, waiting for the most powerful Shaman-Elder to bless our hunting group before with set out the meet another herd, with whom we were on friendly terms, at the Mother-Pine, the largest tree in all of our beloved forest, Gragnar. Once we meet up with the Black Skin-Gray Coat herd, Alsniarg we will begin the Winter Solstice hunt, the goal being to capture and bring home the Spirit Buck, who will bring good fortune to our herd for many winters to come. But we are not the only ones hunting the Sacred Buck, many other Centaur herds, including our most despised enemy, the herd of Haitia, are trying to capture the Buck. As well, there are two rules. It is forbidden to kill opposing tribe members and we may only hunt the Spirit Buck till the sun sits on the opposite horizon.
I made my way through the crowd grouped around the center fire, in front of the Shaman-Elders' tent, searching for my friends, Alernia, Ost and Haobi. I found the latter of the three off to the side of the gathered members of the herd. Haobi was a year my elder. He was taller than most, with our herd's characteristic black-with-white-spots coat and cream colored skin. His eyes were piercing; the color of young leaves. His short, ebony hair looked as though a wild wind forever tousled it to and fro. He had not yet taken a mare as a mate, but there were many hopefuls.
As I came up beside him, he turned to face me. We touched heads and grasped each others' wrists in greeting.
"Good morning Alliak. Perfect day for the Hunt no?"
"It certainly is. Where are the other two Friend?" I asked, gazing through the crowd hoping the glimpse them.
Haobi always took long to respond, giving newcomers the impression he was not high in intelligence. After staring into space for some time he responded in his deep, quiet voice. "Ost is late, as usual, and the fair Alernia is in the Shaman-Elder's tent. He is currently not in the best of health. I feel our God, Lacomin, wishes him to join the winged ranks in a short time."
Haobi seemed to be able to easily sense these things. I had the feeling he was destined to be something than just a warrior or hunter. "But since when is Alernia a healer? She has always been a fearsome fighter and hunter."
My friend shook his head slightly. "No, she is no healer, but she is aiding her elder sibling, Rana, who is a healer. The Shaman-Elder's voice has become nearly impossible to hear. They are trying to summon it back and Rana may need some extra energy to complete the task." I nodded in understanding and stood patiently as the pale orb climbed slightly higher in the clouded sky.
After only minutes, Ost came galloping across the field, furs flapping wildly behind him and his fiery red and brown hair trailing far behind him. He came to a sliding stop and nearly bumped into me. We greeted each other with a head touch and wrist grab, and then he greeted Haobi in the same fashion. His crimson-brown sides heaved as he caught his breath. His coat color set him apart from the rest of the herd, it was that tone because his father was of Ghirb, a herd on the other side of the foothills, near the base of the Singing Mountains. Ost was the product of force breeding, one of the many ways that were used to gain information in a nearly forgotten war between our herd, Falynic, and Ghirb. His Dam was mortally wounded in a war not long after the one during which he was conceived and she died birthing him. Some of the herd members were wary of him, Ghirb being a very secretive and suspicious herd; the traits may have been passed down. But my friends and I found few issues with him, besides his habitual lateness and him acting like a foal half of the time.
Like me, this was his first hunt, and a test to see if he was ready for the coming-of-age trial and ceremony. To be deemed ready, one must be able to follow orders, show maturity, and be an enthusiastic member of the Hunt. Once one had completed this test and the trial that followed, you were eligible to take a mate.
He questioned Haobi and I on the whereabouts of Alernia and Haobi recounted what he told me. Once again we waited, but I noticed the gathered members were impatient, eager to get on their way. Our lead Stallion, Cairnic, paced back and forth in front of the large fire. His colored beads clicked together. He had a half moon of blue spots painted from the center of his forehead, curving down the left side of his face, ending on his chin. I then realized I had forgotten to paint my herds' symbol on the left side of my chest. Asking my friends to wait, I galloped back to my tent as fast as I could without tripping in the deep snow.
In my tent, I found our skin paint and quickly painted a dotted half moon. It was my first time being allowed to wear it as a member of the Hunt. I flexed my muscles and watched it ripple. 'No time to waste' I thought as I turned and galloped back to the gathering. My Dam must have taken the foals to the village center already.
When I found my friends again, Alernia had already joined them. We brushed cheeks to greet each other then turned to listen as the group went quiet and the flap to the Shaman-Elders' tent slowly opened to reveal our oldest, wisest herd member.