A Crown of Blood and Iron
The time of Prime has become my preferred time of day. Not because I enjoy the feel of Sol burning my white coat. No, that simply reminds me that the unicorns who rose it feel smug over me. Over my tribe. Bah, a pox on all of them. Pointy headed layabouts! That is what they are. No care for real work. At least those flapping, dunderheaded Pegasi know what an honest day of work is. No, that is not why I favor this time of day. It is because I have survived another night.
As I walk out into the bright light of Sol I squint and rub a hoof across my eyes as my ears perk. It will come soon and I must be ready for it. I hear it coming closer to my own place of rest than I would wish. A mare’s wail, I was expecting it to come but I was still praying that it would not. I take a deep breath before I turn to go back inside to ready myself to meet with the newest grieving mother. I stop, my ears twitching as I can now hear the mare’s unique voice in her wail. I know that voice. Abandoning any type of readying I gallop towards the cry, praying that I was wrong.
It was not to be. My Mother was being led from where I had placed my foal brother to sleep just the night before. Mother was trying to get away from the other mares I saw as she bit at least one of them. It was better though that she be led away. My Mother is a delicate mare… I walk forward to see Father standing outside the hut. I come to a stop before him, lightly bowing my head as was proper. For a split moment my Father takes on the look of a stallion far older.
“Solestia, I was about to have you summoned,” he says, looking me in the eyes after a brief moment of silence between us.
“Well, I am here. You do not expect me to comfort Mother do you? You know I… am not gifted in that regard.” My eyes almost glance away but I will not allow it. Father has raised me to be strong. "A stallion in mare form" he would often laugh after too much to drink.
“No, I know that is not what you are Solestia. You and Noctis. You are different from mares. I know not why, but, know now as I have told you both before. It will not be something I battle against. You are far too stubborn!” A smile lights up Father’s face for a split moment before he shakes his head. “Your brother is gone.”
“I know, a week before his naming day. Is the shaman going to speak with Mother?” The fact my brother was taken before his naming day was the hardest part. Without his name he would be trapped between the land of Elysia and the Vital unless the shaman felt that he had made enough difference to be recognized by the gods as a pony.
“A runner has already left to find him. He left the day after your brother’s birth and could be one or two tribe’s away by now. We can only hope he can return with much haste.” Father pulls the curtain to his and Mother’s hut open and I step in. Before I can move away from the opening I hear the skidding of hooves coming to a stop.
“Solestia, you left without your spear.”
I sigh, pulling the curtain back to reveal my dark coated little sister balancing two spears on her back. I can’t help but smile at her. She is always so eager to please me and I love her. She is bright and once she grows a bit more will be a most powerful warrior. Maybe she will even take my place once I find a stallion able to keep up with me. “My thanks, Noctis. Did you see Mother?” Noctis shaking her head causes me to frown “Brother was the victim last night. Go be with her now. Until she bears another you are the youngest once again.”
“But Solestia, I am a warrior the same as you now. I am nine winters now.” Noctis takes a step towards me, clearly testing me. I notice from the corner of my eye Father watching. He wishes to leave this to me, then? I grit my teeth for a moment. Sol and Noc above know that I feel more at ease with my sibling beside me. And were I to make her attend Mother it is likely Mother would demand she return to the family hut. A shame on my sister because I ordered it? Nay, I can not and will not do that to her.
“Stay then Noctis but do not get in my way.” I may have been growling as I spoke but I can see that Noctis understands. Her eyes shine as she takes her place just behind me. She truly is a faithful sister. I am proud she is mine. I step towards the mat my brother had slept upon for his week of life. I frown and bend down, kicking at the mat with my hoof. Blood soaked I’m not surprised. I sniff it and wrinkle my nose. I can smell the drool.
“It is the same as before Father, blood soaked with the smell of canis!” I stand back up, stamping my hoof. “Brother is dead! I will wait no longer! You have told me a team of stallions is hunting yet Brother was still taken!”
I look up to see Father gazing at me. “I understand your feelings Solestia, but, you are only eleven winters. You are still small - half the size of a stallion. In time you will hunt great beasts I know it. Just let the hunting party do as it does.”
My teeth clench together, but I take a deep breath. “Yes, Father. Come Noctis let us get breakfast before everything is picked through.” I brush past Father as politely as I’m able. I can hear Noctis’s hooves crunch the grass as she follows me. Bless her, to go against even Father for me.
“Do you believe Father is right Tia?” I smile at the name Noctis prefers to use. Only in the privacy of the two of us, of course. “That grown stallions can better hunt the slayer of baby brother than us- I mean you?”
So sensitive my little sister is. To be a great warrior she must outgrow it though. “No, Noctis. I think him wrong. He is too protective of me. I have bested many who have come against me! So I am not tall, bah it can give me an advantage! The ability to sneak when I must.” I look down at her. Though winters younger she is less than a hoof smaller. She will outgrow me soon, I am certain. “And you Noctis are far better than any so-called hunters from the other tribes!”
My dear Noctis beams at me and nuzzles my barrel. “I am hungry Tia, let’s eat!” She takes a hurried step towards the feeding area and pauses. I stop as well, my ear flicking the sound of hooves galloping and the crying of Father’s name. I turn to see the crier running towards me.
“Hold!” I cry out and he stops breathing out hard and fast swallowing air as if it was water. “Now speak, my father is grieving. Speak to me in his stead.” He nods.
“Princess Solestia, forgive my quick breathing. I ran as fast from Uku as I could back home to Kairakau. A hunter returned from the hunt, alone. He was injured, Princess, and may never hunt again! The others with him, they are now in Elysia.” I swallow hard listening to his words. The hunters were dead and they had failed. Father is not in his right mind. I have to make a decision.
“Go, eat and drink, I will handle this. You may put your faith in me.” He drops to his knees and kisses my hoof. How strange when ponies treat me this way. I turn to Noctis. “We will not allow another hunting party to perish. I told Father that this was a Warrior’s work! We will go. Gather Cousin Morning Star, Cousin Mountain Thunder, and Cousin Storm Edge. We will be leaving after breakfast to battle and win!”
“Father will not be happy.” I saw Noctis chew her lip. Still she fears angering Father. I had no more fear.
“If Father is not happy then he can come speak with me as I string together canis teeth for my necklace!” I stomp my hoof firmly. “Noctis, I will take my spear from you now.” I grab hold of my spear with my sharp teeth and carry it back to the hut I share with Noctis. If I am going to war I must prepare.
I set my spear down and nudge my leather harness from the wall and slip it on. I do wonder what ponies did before harnesses to hold weapons were created. Depend on unicorns? Ha! I shake my mane free of the harness. My pink mane has never done me favor in camouflage. Good thing I do not often need to hide. It did not take long to decorate my face and coat with brown markings. I smile, looking at the lines on my legs. I earned each mark I painted on myself. I close my eyes and sit, still thinking of Brother and what will be coming.
“Tia? I brought you breakfast. I know you don’t like to eat before a large hunt, but we do not know how long we’ll be gone.” I open an eye to see Noctis in the entryway, a bowl of water and chunk of meat in front of her. My caring little sister.
“I will eat. Get yourself ready while I do so. Are our cousins preparing?” I stand up and walk to the entry way. I bite into the cooked meat and wash it down with some water as Noctis gets her own harness on.
“Yes, they will meet us at the edge of the village. Most heard my words. They will be there to see us off. Even Father.”
I stop eating as my ear flicks. “Very good, can you paint yourself?” I hear Noctis grumble under her breath.
“Of course I can paint myself. I am nine winters, not five!” I smile, imagining the puffed up cheeks Noctis is surely displaying.
“Then paint yourself while I finish eating.” I smile as she grumbles and stomps over to where her white paint was beside my own brown. Noctis has not earned many lines. I know this will change. She is strong. And fiesty. When I finish my last bite of breakfast and the last sweet sip of water I look up to see my sister gone. Before my eyes stands a proud warrior, spear held in the crook of her foreleg. I know on this hunt she will not let me down.
I pick up my own spear and walk out of my home, Noctis following me step for step. As I look around I see ponies hurrying to the edge of town and gathering around three ponies. My cousins are already painted and waiting. I see Father standing beside Mother. Her eyes are red but her head is held high. I pause in front of her for a moment and she smiles. I puff up my chest and walk towards my cousins Noctis running again to line up beside them. All four of my warriors. My War born. As I draw closer they draw up to rest on their hind legs, spears in the crooks of their forelegs. I gaze at each one of them in turn. It is time.
“Ka Rite! Ka Rite! Ka Rite! Kia mau!” I cry out, coming to stop in front of them and coming to rest on my own hind legs as I wait for the response.
“Hi!”
Along with my War Born I bring my forelegs up to my chest one over the other and look out at my village. They are gazing at us with hope and trust. We cannot fail! I open my mouth and slap my thighs. “Ka Mate! Ka Mate!” I can hear the voices behind me we are in synch as we bring our hooves to our chest thumping hard. “Ka Ora! Ka Ora!” I can see a colt trying to do it along with us. He is small. To young to be thinking of joining us.
“Ka Mate! Ka Mate! Ka Ora! Ka Ora!” We repeat the same motions as before, thighs then chests. I bare my sharp teeth and flip my spear out from where I was holding it in my crook and jab forward three times. “A Te nei! Te A Nga! Ta Pu! Hu Ru! Huu!” I stick my tongue out and lick my teeth before I drop to all fours. I hear them follow behind me. I lift my right foreleg high and stomp followed by my left.
“Na Bei! Tiki Whaka! Whti te!” I take a full step forward and bare my teeth, thrusting my spear out straight. “Ra! U Pa! Ka! U Pa!” I step back again my spear returning to the crook of my foreleg as I rest back on my hind legs. I slap at my chest even harder, proud of my strength. I will bruise from this but I will bare them proud! “A Hu! Pa Ne! K'U! Pa ne!” As one we jumped from Mother Gaia into the air. “Whi Ti! Te Raa!” With practiced grace we land as one back on all fours and spears thrust out with sharp teeth on display.
“Hi!”
My village stomps their hooves in response and we get ready, putting our spears in their harnesses, Storm Edge strapping his bow tightly. I look up to see Father standing above me.
“Solestia, return with your spear or not at all!” I puff out my chest proudly. As he walks back to Mother. I will not fail in this.
I turn and head outwards from the safety of our village. Several foals chase after us until their mothers bite into their tails. I smile to myself. I remember being one of the foals running after the brave warriors leaving. I wanted to be them. Now I am. “Spread out, single line one spear length apart. Be on the look out from leavings or prints!”
“Yes!” Soon we are slowly walking forward, looking for any sign of the great beast taking foals from us. I sniff the air and wrinkle my nose. Fresh leaving I’m sure of it. After another dozen steps I locate the pile of dung. I hate having to do so but I look for pony bones within. It would do us no good to slay a beast which was not hunting us. I see them, I wish I had not.
“It is close, within the distance of us and Uzu. Stay quiet. Storm Edge ready your bow.” I look around the area. Many tall walls of rock surround us. I quickly make my decision. One which many may call suicide. “Noctis, lead the others to the top of the wall and run to the end.”
Noctis opens her mouth, possibly to disagree with me but she shakes her head. “Yes, as you say Solestia. Come, cousins!” I watch as they climb the rock wall until I can see them no longer. I close my eyes and send a quick prayer to Sol and Noc before pulling my spear from its hold and bang it against the rock wall.
“I am here! If you want me I am here!” I see a cave in the rock and slam my spear against it again. “I am here!”
In the cave two burning yellow orbs appear. At the sight of them I run. Being small comes in handy when I need to run. I can hear it behind me catching up. I grit my teeth and put all my strength to my legs. I see the rock wall in front of me and veer to the left, causing the Canis to slam into the wall. The impact almost knocks me off my hooves but I am now behind him. I hear my sister and cousins cry out pelting him with rocks and arrows. I whistle and he turns.
His muzzle is longer than I am tall. I do not care. He opens his mouth, drool running down and his sharp teeth glimmering in the light of Sol. I bare my own in response. An arrow catches him in the eye and blinds it. In anger he launches into the air towards where my war born are still pelting him. I take my chance. Climbing to my hind legs I hold my spear with both forelegs and when he lands I stab upward my spear slicing into his chest spraying me with blood. I grit my teeth and yank my spear down to cause as much damage as I can. He staggers above me before falling to his side still.
I smile. My white coat is now red as I pull a flint stone from my harness and begin cutting the meat from its chest. I buck with my hind legs four times, hearing his rib cage shatter and grab each piece with my mouth. I see it. Unbeating the beast's heart and as my war born watch from above I reach my head into his chest and bite into his heart, the blood dripping down my chin.
Victory tastes sweet.
Author's Note
Time of prime- Dawn to mid morning IE 8-9 am
Uyu- Ally, A village they are friendly with.
Kairakau- Band of Warriors.
Rough translation of the chant they perform-
There was death, death,
But now there's life, life!
Here is the male,
with the hairy limbs,
Who came forward and caused
The sun to shine forth
Strike its head, smite its head!
Bright shines the sun.
