This is another fic for my Myths meets Ponies. This time it is a Turkish myth, yet alot of this stuff is actually historical :D ain't that awsome? Well...let us begin.
Ashina Asil sat upon a rock, gazing down over the lands of this clan's kingdom. The beauty of the wide open steppes. The beautiful crystal clear rivers under the blue sky. The spirits that called the land home, and the creatures both great and small. All of it was beautiful, it would make one shed tears. Asil was shedding tears even now, though sadly they were tears of sorrow of the blood he felt would soon be spilled across the Khaganate.
"Brother. We will have to pick a side. The very future of our clan and our empire hangs in the balance."
Asil turned his eyes over to his brother, Ashina Bora. The warrior stood there, full dressed in his armor and his bow in his hands. Behind him stood all the warriors under their command. Five hundred strong and all battle hardened clans members. Among the warriors were a dozen or more wolves, some laying upon the rocks as their pack brothers scratched behind their ears. While others merely watched him, waiting for what the pack would do.
Asil sighed and turned to gaze back on the land of his clan. Pack to fight pack, brother to fight brother. Wolf to fight wolf. It did not seem right to him.
"Brother. Did you hear me?" Bora said again.
"I heard...." Asil said, his voice carried great sorrow and sadness. His brother picked up on this and sighed.
"Little brother. I know this is hard. By the spirits I wish it was not so, but it is and we must make our choice." Bora said.
Asil was silent for a time, "No matter the choice, only Tengri knows what the final outcome shall be."
Bora growled, this was the same line his little brother always used when he was stalling on making a choice. Bora finall sighed and sat down next to his brother.
"Asil. Our empire is divided. Three Qaghan's announce their claims for the empire. Three Qaghans!"
Asil was silent. He knew this, ever since the death of Taspar Qaghan and the last request of his will, the empire had begun to collapse from within. Asil had hoped the clan would listen to the leaders and the council's wisdom. But sadly, it was not so.
"What would you have me do brother?" Asil said, not looking at his brother.
"Ishbara maybe named the rightful Qaghan by the council. But he is grip is weak, and Apa is no better." Bora said.
Asil nodded, "And what of Tardush?"
Bora snarled, "That man is power hungry and ambitious. I do not trust him."
Asil sighed, "So...what do you think I should do then?"
Bora bit his lip, "Step forward and claim the title of Qaghan. You are respected among the clan and the council. The blood of Asena is strong in you, and the warriors all hold you in high regard."
"And then there would be four Qaghans." Asil said.
"Apa would see the wisdom and join your side. Even Tardush, snake that he is, respects you and would surely join you. No doubt in return for some title or another. All that would remain is Ishbara and he would fall like the leaf does against the wind." Bora said.
Asil was silent. No matter his choice they would be playing into the Suis plans. He looked to his brother, and his eyes widened.
"Look out." Asil said and pulled his brother to the ground.
And it was not a moment too soon, for an arrow struck against the rock, where Bora's head had been previously in the way. Asil and Bora looked at the arrow then to the sky as hundreds of arrows rained down. The thundering of hooves and howls of wolves soon followed.
Bora got up, "We're under attack! Defend yourselves!" He called to the warriors as the enemy descended upon them.
Chaos erupted on the field, as wolves and Ashina howled. Horses screamed as arrows bit into their flesh, and the sound of clashing swords filled the air.
Asil dived and danced along the battle, his bow firing arrows at a lightning pace. With every arrow fired, there was one body on the ground. And he had many arrows.
"Bora!" Asil called, looking for his brother who had grown lost in the growing battle.
A snarl brought Asil's attention to his left as he was leaped upon by an enemy soldier. His wolfen eyes and bared fangs betraying him for an Ashina. The attacking Ashina drew a dagger and brought it down on Asil, but his progress was halted as Asil gripped the man's wrist and pushed against the coming blade.
Asil snarled and opened hsi jaw, fangs show and with his free hand pulled the man close and bit down upon his neck, twisting and tearing.
With a wet and fleshy tear, Asil tore his attackers throat out and tossed him off of him. He spat the throat out, his face and upper torso covered in blood. He howled, causing hundreds of wolves and Ashina to howl in kind.
Out of all the howls, one was more clariant. A large booming howl of an Ashina in wolf form, a howl he knew to be his brothers.
Asil turned and picked up his bow again. Not far from him he saw two wolves, each the size of a full grown tree, snapping and clawing at each other.
Asil howled and charged, arrows ready as he took aim. Time seemed to slow as he moved. Wolves pounced on one another in slowly rollings of snapping fangs and flashing claws. Men fell and felled men with arrow and sword. At times the earth seemed to heave, or some other form of mystical happening that would claim a man's life. A sign of a shaman among the enemy.
He leaped onto a rock and fired his arrow, the projectile flying true and striking his brothers attacker in the eye, just before the enemy wolf could strike a death blow. Time speed up once more as the Ashina wolf howled in pain and backing away from Bora. Asil dropped his bow and pounced, his form shifting into his own wolf form and he snarled as he struck the enemy Ashina and bit down, clawing and twisiting forcing the enemy back.
Bora looked to his brother and his eyes widened at what he saw, that Asil did not in his rage.
"Asil! The ledge!" Bora called.
Asil howled bit down once more on the enemy Ashina and with a twist threw him off the ledge. Bora watched as the enemy wolf fell, but turned slightly and bit down upon Asil's leg, causing his little brother to howl in pain and be dragged down over the ledge with his enemy.
Bora howled and rushed to save his brother, but he was stopped by several attacking soliders, each armed with spears. Bora howled in rage and tore through his blockers, ignoring the stabbing bites of the spears and killing their wielders. He looked down over the ledge, but could not see his brother for the way down was far and deep.
'No...' Bora thought and he howled in grief, while around him the battle began to end.
The battle was done, Bora and his men had won the day. But the cost had been high. Fourty eight of the seventy wolves in their pack, two hundred and thirteen of the original five hundred Ashina warriors. And the loss of Asil.
Bora stood near the ledge where his brother had fallen, his eyes filled with tears as he grieved. His soldiers said nothing, and all joined in another mourning howl.
"Who....who was behind this..." Bora asked with a snarl. He turned and made his way to one of the enemy soldiers bodies and looked for any distinctive mark.
Bora snarled when he found what he was looking for. They were part of Ishbara's pack. Bora howled again, this time in rage. His choice was made.
"Ishbara! You will pay.....oh yes you will pay!" Bora shouted and began rallying his troops. He would join Apa, for he did not like Tardush, and he would soon be tearing Ishbara's throat out.
'Asil..little brother. I will avenge you.' Bora thought as he mounted his horse and lead his warriors toward their future. One final howl being given for those who had been lost, and of the vengence that would be made.
Asil groaned as his vision began to unblur. His eyes opened and he looked around. He was surrounded by trees. Hundreds of trees. He looked around in awe and shock. For a man having spent his lives on the steppes, trees were a rare commodity. To see so many, it was over wheleming.
Asil was taken from his awe to his leg as he snarled and looked at his leg. He was still in his wolf form, and it was probably for the best. Wounds carried over when changing form had a tendency to be worse on the human body then they would for his Asena form. And a bite from an Asena was probably not the best wound to carry over. He licked the wound slowly got up, testing to see if he was still able to walk.
The leg hurt, but the wound was not as deep as he feared, and would heal in time. Still he would not be changing form for that time.
'Better safe then sorry.' Asil thought as he returned to looking at his surroundings, 'Now....where am I?'
Well there you go :). Time for a history lesson. The Ashina Clan is a real and historical turkish clan. They were the rulers of the the Gokturk empire, as well as several other turkish kingdoms. They did have a civil war, though most of what happened here was all just my own creative liscense :P. Still there was a civil war, which would later bring the end of the empire.
Hope you all enjoyed it :)
