Disclaimer: I do not own any of Tamora Pierce's characters. She owns them all.
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Chapter 4: Memories
It was a brilliant autumn day. The long grasses, brown and brittle from the dry season, rustled in the slight breeze. The valley was barren, the horses long gone. Except for one. She was a mare, still not a full adult yet no longer a foal. She was a magnificent black, with large, intelligent brown eyes. Besides her, against all odds, was a large dog. He was a handsome animal, with yellow, intelligent eyes and a beautiful silver coat. His ears pricked up with a sound a human could never hear. His gaze was drawn to a small dwelling. It was a simple shelter, half hidden in the dappled shadows of the forest floor. It had a framing made of long sticks, and was covered with various hides stitched together. The entrance to the dwelling was a magnificent white hide of a horse. Smoke rose from a small hole in the middle. The hut had the appearance of being lived in for a while, with herbs drying in the entrance. Fish, fowl and other small game was being smoked outside. Baskets woven from grasses were filled with berries, nuts and mushrooms. Magic shimmered in the air, warding against foxes, raccoons and other scavengers. There was movement inside the hut, and then a young woman walked out. She was short and stocky, with high cheekbones and intelligent, gray green eyes. She wore a tunic made from the hide of a deer and a large cloak made from the shaggy hide of a bear was draped over her shoulders. She had a small knife hanging from her hip and a small bow slung over her shoulder.
Onua grinned as she saw the wolf. "Tahoi!" she called. Tahoi gave a great wolf grin and trotted to his mistress. He had known her since he was a pup and had been rescued by her after a summer flood. To him she was the leader of his strange pack. Wagging his tail, he jumped up in his enthusiasm to greet her. Onua laughed. "Don't get too excited, were going hunting." Though Tahoi didn't understand most of the words said, he understood hunt. He wagged his tail even harder his whole body wiggled in his happiness. Onua then whistled for the horse. When the horse came, Onua ran her hand along the beautiful hide, feeling the warmth of her skin. She remembered vividly how she came upon the horse.
It was a clear summer day. Onua sat perfectly still. Her bow was drawn and strung, and every sense riveted on the deer in the clearing. It was old, and lean, but it was the hide Onua wanted. It had been too old to go with the other deer and had been left behind. It was so close. All she had to do was aim and… suddenly, a loud roared echoed through the trees. Startled, the deer fled, and Onua's arrow hit right where the deer was the second before. Cursing, Onua ran toward the valley, already nocking another arrow. She knew that roar anywhere. The K'miri hated and feared that sound. It was the sound of a lion.
Onua's run turned into a sprint as she heard another sound, this time a whinny of a horse in mortal terror. But it wasn't just any horse, it was Chavi. When she finally sped into the valley, it was too late. Chavi lay on the ground, her throat tore out. Beside her was a young male lion, just out kitten hood. He was poised just above Chavi, ready to gorge. Onua didn't think just acted. Letting out a bloodcurdling war cry, she sprang toward the lion, using only her small knife. The lion jumped back, startled by this strange women attacking him. Onua managed to get him in the chest before he jumped back. Girl and lion circled each other warily. Luckily, the lion was not full grown and Onua thought she stood a chance. Dropping her knife, she slowly drew out her bow. Bad idea. The lion saw a chance to strike, and he pounced. Onua wildly drew and shot an arrow before he was on top of her. Onua grabbed another arrow from her quiver and stabbed the lion blindly. The lion roared in pain and slashed with his claws. Onua screamed as she felt his claws rake across her chest, shredding through cloths and skin. The, the lion gave a great shuddering sigh and died. Onua pushed the lion off of her and stood up. Examining the body, Onua found her first arrow lodged in the lions back throat. Stab wounds from her arrow peppered his face. She guessed the arrows slowly got deeper as the lion thrashed. It then pierced the spinal cord, killing the lion almost instantly. Onua breathed a sigh of relief. That was close, almost too close. She should be more careful before she tried that again. She looked down at her knife, suddenly realizing what a primitive weapon her stone knife she carefully sharpened was. Chavi! She suddenly thought, and she hurried to the horse's side. The white horse was dead. There was a pool of blood around her head, and it contrasted against her white hide, making her wound stand out even more. She had a leg broken in three places from an accident, showing why she didn't leave with the other horses. Whether this valley was just a breeding place, or other reasons, the horses left through the mountain pass early summer. Chavi had just been in an accident and her leg was horribly broken. Onua had tried to get close to her to heal, but Chavi would roll her eyes in panic whenever she got close and Onua didn't want Chavi to strain herself more than necessary. For a few days the stallion stayed with Chavi, but the call must have been too strong and eventually he left. Onua felt a sob escape her as tears ran down her eyes. But in the harsh reality of nature there was no time for grief, and, her hand shaking, Onua drew her knife and make the first cut at the throat. As her knife touched the throat though, a strange fuzziness filled her mind. Then, before she knew it, she was galloping, and her mind was saturated with fear. Run, run, run, that's all she thought of as she sped across the small valley that has been her home since she was born. Then, she tripped. Lights flashed behind her eyes as pain erupted in her legs. She screamed in pain and agony as fire burned in her legs. She could only lay there, helpless, as darkness overtook her.
Onua blinked and promptly retched in the grass. What was that? She thought, shivering as she recalled the strange vision. Sometimes a K'miri, usually a shaman, got visions from gods. But Onua was no shaman, and had never showed signs of being god-touched. Scratching her head in puzzlement, it was then when something caught her eye. It was a small hoof print, to small to be that of a full grown horse yet too big to be that of a foal. Of course! She thought suddenly. The foal! She had assumed that the foal had been carried off by the lion, and was too busy to see the signs. Excitement coursed through her body as hope bubbled up. She followed the tracks until it stopped, turning in to skid marks. It led into bushes. There, lying in the bushes was the mare. Onua caught her breath as she saw the beautiful black coat, and two liquid, intelligent eyes. Onua could see that at least two of her legs were broken. "Horse Lords above!" she breathed. She decided then the horses name would be Mari. Just thinking of the name brought up sorrow that threatened to overwhelm her, but she pushed that aside for now. This horse needed help.
Onua sighed as she remembered the memory. "We've been through a lot, haven't we Mari?" The mare snorted, and for a second Onua could feel the horse's conscious, brushing against her mind like a light feather. Onua vaulted onto her horse, and, whistling for Tahoi, headed toward the mountain pass. Ever since she first rode Mari, Onua rode farther and farther out, sometimes even camping out overnight. Outside the pass lay the large plain that took up most of Sarain. Antelope and zebras grazed on these plain, and although she had tried, Onua has been unable to catch one yet. Farther out, near a water hole, a pride of lions lived. Onua always carefully avoided the pride, and the lion pride for the most part avoided her. Onua started heading the opposite direction, but then she heard a faint sound. It was almost inaudible at first, and Onua couldn't figure out what the sound was. Curiosity overriding caution, Onua turned her horse around and went forward. It wasn't until she was almost on top of him did she see the bloodied and mangled body of a man.
I wanted to apologize on lack of elaboration on how she got the horse, why the horses left, and Chavi's accident. I was in a rush to get it all down. As for the vision, I haven't decided if it was just her horse magic or if she's god-touched. Maybe It'll be both. I'll try to update soon!