Where the winds blow

[Sweetcherrie]

The wind was cold and Maiara wondered what the skies would bring this night. She looked up and tried to decipher what was happening in the clouds that fled through the heavens. They definitely looked like storm clouds, and she decided to make sure all her belongings were put away safely in her tipi.

 

Just when she put the last hides she’d been working on away the storm broke lose. Rain poured down on the fields, and she was glad that her gift had saved her from getting everything wet. Maiara folded back the flaps of her tent slightly and looked at the other people from her village. They were running and cursing while all got drenched till the last thread. For a moment the thought of helping them crossed her mind, but immediately after she decided not to; after all they had never been there for her either.

 

Two minutes later the sky was torn apart and a lightning bolt had cut through the sky. It had hit the ground in the middle of the herd, and the animals were crying out with fear. Maiara sent a comforting thought to the animals, and felt how they relaxed.

 

CRACK!

 

Another lightning had bolted down. This time the target had been less fortunate. The holy tree of the tribe was set ablaze, and without thinking she ran out of her tent. She wouldn’t be able to do much, but what she could do, she had to.

 

When she arrived at the tree only a black trunk was left. The lightning had hit with such force that nothing would’ve been able to stop it. Maiara sank down on her knees. How would they manage without the ‘Tree of Prosperity’? Their camp would not live to see the next few weeks!

 

She placed her hands on the trunk and stroked lovingly over what was left of it. The rain had now soaked her till the bone, but she no longer cared. Maiara tried to blink away her tears, and tried to catch a mental image of the tree how it had been in spring before her eyes, but all she saw were the coal-black leftovers.

 

Then she blinked. Was there something shining inside the trunk? With shaking hands she reached out and took the golden ball out of its safe home. It must have been there ever since the tree had been planted. With her sleeve she rubber the ball clean, and heard a click. Obviously her sleeve had gotten caught behind some mechanism, and now the ball folded open in half. Inside it there was an ancient scroll.

 

The scroll glanced with spellcraft, and she carefully put the ball next to her, glancing around if nobody could see her. She then opened the scroll, and started reading.

[Appy]

The horses were restless. Nahuel looked at the sky and saw the thunderclouds hanging above the next hill. The view from here was impressive, he could see all three hills that he would have to pass still to get home, and further.

The herd circled around him, neighing with every lightning flash and thunder.

Nahuel sighed and got of Saqui. He would have to decide whether to camp here, on the hill, where it would be very bad should the thunderstorm catch him. Or he could go down to the valley, and camp there.

He made his way through the herd and set his knee down at the edge, a thoughtful look on his face as he looked at the hill again. Something was funny about this thunderstorm..

He had seen many in his years, but never had one concentrated itself so clearly around one hill. They always wandered down into the valleys, as if sliding of the slopes.

 

Nahuel made a decision. He would camp in the valley sideways of the hill he was on. That way the horses wouldn’t see the thunderstorm but he could still easily find out whether it had stopped or not.

He whistled and grabbed Saqui’s manes to jump on as she galloped past, steering her to the left with only the slightest pressure of his hand against her neck.

Saqui snorted and changed direction, the herd following her without command.

[Patrick]

The storm overtook Jacob, just as he cleared the forest. At least he would not be under the trees as lightning struck. As he rid hard west on his trusted companion, Yellowmane he saw lightning alight a tree on a distant hill. He kicked his boots hard into Yellowmane's sides, and the stallion added more speed to his already considerable pace. Speed was essential. Being the king's most trusted messenger, and carrying the one message, which could save the kingdom from ruin made speed an utmost necessity. His health and that of Yellowmane were only secondary.

 

The rain dripping from his hair obscured his sight, and he relied more on Yellowman's instincts than his own judgment. He had been through much with this horse and it saddened him that soon he would have to abandon him. Already some signs of age were showing in the stallion's movements, and he was not as fast as he had been in his golden days, but he was still the fastest horse available to Jacob.

 

The rain increased in intensity as did the lightning, striking more and more often. Thunder rolled almost continuosly over the plains. Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck within 100 yards of the galloping horse. Yellowmane almost bolted in fear, but Jacob's grip kept him going. The next bolt of lightning fell much closer, and sent Jacob flying off of Yellowmane.

 

His head struck a rock as he landed and all went black around him.

[Sweetcherrie]

Her hands shook as the content of the scroll seeped into her head. It was written in an an older language which contained words she knew, but not all the words were clear, and those that were made her shiver. It spoke about a divine secret up in a cloister in the mountains, and about powers beyond men’s current knowledge.

 

Maiara tried to decipher the rest of the scroll, but only managed to find the first hints of where to look. There was a piece of a map drawn, but it seemed that the maker of the scroll had intentionally left out the rest. Studying the map she thought it could possibly be where her tribe had had set camp six winters ago.

 

It had been one of the toughest winters since years, but they had managed to find some game in that valley. The tribe had spent the winter there, and because of the valley they had gotten through winter with only a few losses. Already back then Maiara had felt that there was something special with that valley, as if some greater force had made sure they survived.

 

On the map she saw buildings that she couldn’t remember, and was certain that weren’t there, but still the flow of the rivers, and the surroundings; she was sure it was that valley. The thunder had drifted by, and the rain had also changed into drizzle. She had forgotten all about her surroundings, and now returned to it.

 

With care she rolled the scroll back in the ball and stuck it under her clothes. Maiara stood up and looked around; nobody to be seen. She hurried back to her tipi. Once there she hid the ball under her sleeping hides, but no matter how much she wanted to hide it out of view it didn’t leave her mind.

[Appy]

The horses had stayed restless most of the night, even though the thunderstorm had stopped soon after they had reached the valley.

The next day he decided to go straight to that hill. It was unlikely for that thunderstorm to have hung around and it should be save now.

 

Nahuel hadn’t slept much, and therefore almost fell of his horse as she reared.

He saw the reason.

There was a strange looking man lying on the ground, his head against a stone. Most of the herd had passed him without noticing. So either he was dead, or pretending to be…

 

Nahuel jumped to the ground and calmed Saqui by leaning his forehead against her neck. He then got his knife out of it’s sheet and sneaked towards the man.

That’s when he saw the dark spot on the stone. He flared his nose and noticed the metallic smell of blood.

 

Dead or wounded then.

He crouched closer and took in the strange clothes and his skin. He was pale, very very pale. Nahuel doubted the man was still alive and touched his forehead.

“Ou!”

The man was burning! The wound in his head looked terrible, but Nahuel had seen enough that men who had looked worse had survived before.

 

He stared into the distance for a while (the herd had gathered behind him again as soon as they noticed Saqui had stopped) and made the decision to stay.

His teacher had done well to imprint on him a most important lesson; “Always be willing to help the wounded, friend, stranger, or foe”.

After all, he might need it himself one day. And if he was always prepared to help others, the gods would be more willing to send help.

 

He whistled for Saqui and took his pack down.

A short while after he had a fire going, had found running water nearby, and almost had it cooking in one of his leather skins.

 

Skilled hands took his head and carefully lifted it. Something warm was moved over the back of his head for a long time. Then he was put on the ground again, this time lying on his right cheek. Not long after, something was wrapped around his head. Put lying down again.

A blanket draped around his body.

Something hot forced between his lips, which he couldn’t swallow.

Darkness

[Patrick]

Reality and the unreal intermingle as oil and water would. The unreal, this dream-like state floats on top of reality as though it were oil floating on water. Occasional stirring allows water to reach the surface, but these glimpses are few. The unreal blocks off the real, keeping Jacob unaware of the pain, his head wound would be causing him. For indeed, were he completely aware of reality at this moment, he would be screaming in a pain, the likes of which he had not felt before.

 

He swam in the calm waters of the unreal, his only glimpses of reality were a pair of hands tending to him, and a blanket being draped around him. He was unsure whether he was still alive or not. For all he knew, the afterlife could be exactly this. Disconnected from one's body, and surveying what would have happened to it if one had not died. Only time would tell whether he would come back to his senses. Time, he had plenty of, he thought, his mind slowly drifting along strange thoughts.

[Sweetcherrie]

Her dreams revolved around the golden ball she had found, and by morning Maiara knew she had to follow the map. It wouldn’t be a wise move to journey this close to winter season, and the people of her tribe would declare her nuts, but then again, they already thought that anyway. Her father would not especially like her going off on her own either, but it was something she simply had to do.

 

As the first rays of sunshine broke through Maiara was fully packed and snuck out. She had decided not to tell anybody, it would simply be easier that way. The map was already engraved in her brain, so she had packed the ball and the scroll away safely in her bagpack. With a last determined look over her shoulder she started walking towards the mountain range in the east, and with each step she felt more certain that she was doing the right thing.

[Sweetcherrie]

The mountains were golden with the last sunlight of the day, and on the highest summits Maiara could see some snow. In the distance she could see where the forest would start, and higher up the mountain she could even see it end again.

 

For a whole day she had been walking now, and her feet had grow tired, but she wouldn't be able to camp out here yet. Maiara had wished several times already that she had brought one of the ponies, but she hadn't dared to anger the tribe even more.

 

She checked her water supply and decided that she would have to find a stream or a pond sometime soon to replenish her water supply, but for now she really needed to sit down for a bit; the forest was closeby enough to still be able to set camp there for the night and have a short stop now.

 

She sat down next to a treestump, and after gulping some of her water down she took out the golden ball. She had taken it out several times since last night, but only once she had opened it. Maiara didn't want the scroll to be damaged, but now she felt an irresistable urge to see it, and to have a look at the map if she was still going into the right direction.

 

With care she clicked open the golden ball and held it in here hands, but inside there was no scroll. The insides of the ball held a statue of a lizard. The statue was made of green jade stone, and shone brightly against the sunlight as she took it out. With the ball in her lap, the statue in one hand, she felt around the insides of the ball to check if that was really all there was, but there was really only the lizard that was there.

 

Panick surged through Maiara. How would she ever be able to find where she had to go without the map? She put the statue on the side, and investigated the ball again and again, but the map was really gone.

 

'Don't be silly, the map is engraved in your mind after all. And maybe, just maybe, you were never supposed to really hold the map.'

 

This line of thought calmed her down a bit, after all she really knew where she had to go. In her head she could see the map as clearly as if she was holding it in her hands. She picked up the statue again, and looked at it closely. It almost felt as if the cold jade was alive, and if the lizard would walk away from her hands any minute now. Its tail had the most peculiar shape, almost as if it was an eye.

 

Maiara held the statue up against her face and looked through the hole that was formed by the lizard's tail. Through it she could see the mountains, but it changed nothing. With a sigh she put the statue back in the golden ball, and decided that she would have to keep moving if she didn't want to sleep out in the open that night. After having packed up she set off towards the mountains once more.

[Appy]

Nahuel stretched as he woke, and first checked the man he found the day before. He was still unconscious, but his breathing was steady, and so was his heartbeat.

It looked more like he was in a deep sleep.

Nahuel nodded to himself, and thanked his old teacher. She had told him that the brew would keep a man sleeping, so that his mind would not disturb the body in the healing process.

He then checked on the horses, got some more water, refreshed the bandage around the man’s head, adding some herbs he had found near the stream, and whistled for Saqui.

She would have to carry them both today. The grazing grounds where still far ahead, and their journey was far from over.

 

Nahuel made Saqui kneel, and bound the man on her back, so he could sit in front of him, without him falling off. The man grunted a few times, but remained in his slumber.

Not long after, the herd set off towards the hill that had been plagued by thunderstorms the night before.

 

They hadn’t moved far or Nahuel saw the signs of another tribe living here. He stopped and discussed in his head what he should do. On one hand, it would be nice to leave the man in the care of another. On the other, he didn’t know this tribe, and could get into serious trouble. Especially because a herd this big was well sought after, but he couldn’t afford to loose even one of the magnificent horses.

Nahuel stared at the hill, and decided that he would move around the east of it, riding along the forest edge.

 

He was almost halfway around the hill, and nearing the forest as he saw a small girl moving through the grass. She was heading straight to the forest, and looked like she packed for a longer journey.

Nahuel moved his legs so Saqui would halt, and heard the herd mill behind him, restless because of the sudden stop.

 

Saqui also neighed her discontent, but then she suddenly saw the girl as well, and the change in her stance was obvious to Nahuel. Here was someone that Saqui wanted to protect, as if she had found one of her children.

Nahuel frowned and patted Saqui´s neck, showing that he had understood her movement. He just didn’t understand why she acted this way.

But he had always believed his friend, and so far, she had always been right in whatever her horse spirit saw that he couldn’t.

 

Normally Nahuel would’ve stood up on Saqui´s back now, and waved a greeting. But the strange man was still strapped to him, and he couldn’t do that.

So instead he whistled a tune he normally used to calm horses, and waved, hoping to attract the attention of the girl.

It shouldn’t be that difficult, with the whole herd behind him, he thought. The question was if she was able to see him as well.

[Sweetcherrie]

In the distance Maiara sensed the presence of the horses, and not much later she heard the whistle. Knowing that she would never be able to outrun someone on horseback she stopped, and looked who it was, hoping that her tribe hadn’t yet discovered her midnight run.

 

She could see how man and horse were hindered by something they were carrying along, and she felt how the horses of his herd were ready for a rest. Slowly she sat down, facing the direction from where the horses would come, and took a swig from her bottle. She would wait here for him, and maybe she could even convince him to borrow her a horse.

[Patrick]

Drifting...slowly...in and out...of consciousness.

 

Jacob did not know which one he preferred, soft unconsciousness, or the pain consciousness brought. When he was at his senses he felt being moved rhytmically up and down, as though he were on a ship crossing the seas during a storm. When unconscious, he was the ship, and the storm was the turmoil going on inside him. In a certain way, reality was stranger than fiction, for the ship did seem to move rather un-ship-like, and it stank of sweat and blood.

 

The blood was Jacob's own dried blood, and the sweat came from the horse he was being carried on. It was strange that it was his sense of smell, which was coming back first. Jacob tried opening his eyes, but all he could see was a massive blur in front of him, and this image was accompanied by a painful headache and a fall back into unconsciousness.

 

The blurred shape slowly started taking form, and Jacob recognized the outline of a head above him. He opened his mouth to speak, but only basic sounds came out.

 

"Wha...to..."

 

He tried again.

 

"What ha...tom"

 

The third time he managed to utter his question in an understandable form.

 

"What...happen me?"