The moonlight shines so smoothly this time of the season,
my father Daktari says.
do you remember the first moon ceremony?
I turn around from the iboga tree, and saw the moon shimmering behind him. The savannah is all covered in the moonlight, the high grass gives us good cover and the locusts sings a sweet melody, together in harmony with the rest of the insects.
hmm... I think so, I was just about one full sett of seasons old, mother still tells me that she could barely hold me in her lap. The music was just so full of energy and the dancers seem so welcoming, did you really think I would be able to keep still?
He laughs that warm and comforting laughter that only he does, his beautiful hoof-made shaman clothing was blood-red, leaf-dark green and golden lines all over it. As its laying nicely over his back with all the small frills hang from his sides and the mask is matching except for one eye being covered and he says
most of our tribe still tells me about how you spilled the dance paint all over you, so you where red and green from hooves to ears.
I blush and snickers to myself, then turns back to the iboga tree, as i study it, a spider jumps down on my muzzle and I jult. Both the spider and I runs in each our own directions, father starts humming to hold in the laughter,
you may be a warrior but you still are jumpy as a filly.
I stop running and trotted back to him, as we both check our supplies bags and count the herbs, the locusts, stops singing. We throw ourselves to the ground and clams our hearts so as not to make any sound. My father slowly started to meditate, I ready my Dancing knives and waited for a sound or any signe from him. While i still heard my fathers spirit flying over the savannah towards our camp, something starts nibbling on my back hoof, a little spiny mouse was trying to warn us from something.
My father returns shortly after and told me that new strangers had come to the main camp, and that I should stay back to make sure we do not get any more '' surprise guests''. I start patching my dancing blades for not to make any sound, when we got closer to the camp, I jump up a Akasie tree and kept myself hidden, as I watch my father approach the main camp and the new strangers.
While I am one of the more darker zebras I have a better chance to stay hidden. The strangers were in many different forms, my father was quite small compared to most of them, but one I did recognized. Krish a Indian earth pony, he had been following the tribe for moons, My shamans mark startet to burn again. They did not seem threatening but as soon as I thought that, the ground startet move and roar out with all the power of 10 tatzlwurms. I jump down and run all i could and screamed with all my heart,
Father! Everyzebra! The tatzlwurms are here! RUN!
Creatures running anywhere and everywhere, warriors getting there families out of the camp, my father leading them out of the chaos. I started looking for zebras that needed help, all was just screams, running and the shaking ground did not make anything easier. As I was running around, suddenly the ground disappeared beneath me, I was lifted by the head of a tatzlwurm into the air.
My body struggled against the air pressure of the force of the tatzlwurm moving so fast upwards. The dizziness hit my head hard and the colder air sent a chill down my back all they way out my tail. My heart pumped like it never had before, adrenalin kicking everything in to high speed, all my senses were super charged! The blood was flowing through all my veins and the head was spinning even more then from the air pressure!
Around me the spirits of birds are flying, so many different ones, even a manticore! My head still spinning and the blood making it way thru me faster then ever before, I get caught up in what I am see around me and my feelings. But something hits me, the tatzlwurm is standing still, the coldness return to my body and I am able to clear my head. I took a second look around, the sky was clear and the little smoke that came from the campfire down below was almost non-existing in this higet.
The fear and panic kick in when I understood how much danger I was actually in, one wrong move and I was a part of the earth! Standing on the tatzlwurms head, praying to all the spirits for it not to throw me off, I prepare for any movement it could make. The sounds around me where muffled and even for of the top of it's head i could see the light of the fire down in the main camp and all the zebras and others running, I was so scared.
The horror in me took hold, was I going to lose all my family? my home? was my life going to end before it had really begun? Would I end up being united with the spirits or just get reborn? I looked up for comfort, the moon was really beautiful, its clear and cold color with the muffled sounds below, made everything seem so insignificant.
A few moments ago, I was in full panic but now, I felt like I was back in my mothers lap, just wanting to dance. I startet to hear the spirits of the animals, the earth and the stars with its moon above, they where singing and playing the drums. Crazy as it was, I could feel my hooves wanted to move to the drums, spirits of birds and insects starting flying around me dancing in there own way. I took a large breath and the spirits of old and new have, not put me in harm before and always given guidenes when i have ask for it. The tatzlwurm still standing strangely still was humming WITH the others! My tummy felt like it was making big ball of pain, my eyes was glossy and a bit of lump of energy in my throat.
While I swallowed the lump that was in my throat, I made a decision, even though I was terrified and cold, I would trust the spirits. as I let myself be guided by the spirits and energies around me, the music became louder and I joined them. When I startet to dance, the tatzlwurm startet moving again. But not like the others, when i took a left swing, he took a right swing. It was almost like we where dancing together!
Author's Note
This chapter is short beacuse it is a forword.
Tabernanthe iboga is a tree use by african shamans. https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iboga
spiny mouse - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiny_mouse
Akasie tree - https://www.google.com/search?q=Akasie+tree&rlz=1C1SQJL_noNO809NO810&oq=Akasie+tree&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60.833j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Tatzlwurm - https://mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Creatures
A few moons later......
The sun was hige on the sky with its light shining in every corner of the kitchen, as I am making some dough with my mother for dinner and, my mother Aiyana is telling me about how every meal needs its own personal appearance, and that the way to a stallions heart is no other then the tummy. As i roll my eyes for this, I did know I couldn't deny that she was right, after all she had hijacked the most sought after stallion in the tribe with her food.
In our tribe, appearance has little to say when you have found your special somezebra, its skill and mastery of the old ways that tells if you are worthy of the zebra you ask for in marriage. Of course if the zebra that is ask for, do not approve they are allowed to deny the asker to try out. When my mother ask for my father she meet 3 other zebra ladies and 1 zebra male. It was a hard and rare event of a challenge, but she show herself worth. I always have looked up to her, but she may be a bit to much of a food-lover then I am willing to be.
The food house was one of the few things that was still standing after the last tribe was here, it had good steady tables and a stone burning oven. Its always warm and busy, kinda nice if you wanted to work with food and talk to others. I personally preferred to be with the musicians and work with my father, but since it mostly happened at night time and today's shaman duties what was already done. Made my mother so delighted to hear that morning was free and that ended up with me in the food house, (lucky me i was thinking sarcastic to myself,) making food was easy and boring. With medisin and potion making there was always so much more to keep track of, and always on the right time of day or night, really gets the blood in me going.
Not like with the music and dancing but a calmer and more focus one, sometimes i wonder what i love the most making medisin and healing or the music and dancing with both spirits and others. But in the food house I was mixing everything from spises and flour to water with equal amounts and knead the dough until it is just the right consistency adding spice and other to make it, its own. Its so easy it is boring but luckily I had the spirit of others to keep me with company and music. Starmaker a red unicorn with purple mane and matching eyes, always played a odd and unusual instrument called accordion, its weird music always made things better and has been a life saver more then once.
I could feel a small cat purring close to my backlege and looking down it was a cat soul, looking at me with big eyes and I bow down to pat the him over his back. His purr gets louder but then Chenzira walk in the house and over to me, and all the unmarried zebra girls turn heads and stopped working. The spirit cat disappears into thin air and I look up at his face with a slightly irritated face and him looking back with a uncomfortable but confident face.
Hey star child, the elder ones wants to talk to you and father, they are waiting in the chief's tent.
My dear brother always have a smart thing to say no matter the zebra he meets, we are not playmates but if one of us is ever where in trouble, we are the first one to help. As I galopp past his gray stripy body with a very, very long mane I yell back to him,
You better get going or the ladys here don't get the food ready until nightfall and You better not let the new warriors wait, your fan-girls are not patience!
I could feel him sticking out his tongue at me as I jump out of food house, and the glare of all the ladys, hatefully loaded for telling him to leave right away. The new camp looked a lot better then the last one, here there was more trees, some giraffes packs was walking by ever day or so, a large water hole and all the good flavors of the fruit a zebra could wish for. The food house was where all zebras in our tribe could make more then just the plain fruit goes, a hut of healing and the biggest tent, the chief's tent.
As I trot past a group of small zebra fillys and the hut of healing, which was happily empty, I could see that the aura around the chief's tent was stronger and more vibrant than usual. And as I arrive at outside the chief's tent where i could already hear my fathers calm, deep, low, a little raspy but always reassuring voice, that my curiosity was greater than never before.
When I enter the chief's tent, even more before I could feel the strong vibes of energy from the chief and the rest of the elderly, including my own father. Although my father is younger than the chief, he has always had a stronger aura and power. What is often forgotten by those in my generation is that the chief was our previous shaman but during a lightning strike he lost his ability to talk to those in our dimension.
He is still the wisest and the most respected in the tribe, but without my father he could not had that role in the tribe, for how can a leader lead without words. When you see him outside the tents, you may only see a frail thin, old and weak zebra, in fact he is maybe one of the strongest I have ever encountered.
Once before I was born I heard the story for how powerful he really was, even more then my father when struggled to chase away a herd of Jackal's. He only needed to look at them and they would run, like, when my brother was born during one of the walks that the tribe takes 4 times a year, once to be out of the seasons of nature. Later the same day 4 bullies of otherwise Nobel and kindhearted Manticores demanded the newborn zebra as payment to cross their river.
The chief tried to talk to them, wondering and asking why they suddenly owned this river which had always been its own. The Manticors just laughed up in the air where they was flying over them and as soon they stopped laughing, 3 of them plunged down on my mother and big brother, the chief jumped in their way and gave them a quick touch to their neck. Just as quickly as they where flying before he sendt them flying and, with 3 small hoof pressures.
The manticores landed 3 meters away where my mother was standing with my big brother in her front hooves. As the manticores was getting to there feet they startet walking in circles around the chieftain as they tried to figure out where to attack, my father and the other warriors wanted to jump in and help but the chief stopped them. They circle like vultures around a dead sick animal, nervous movements with their scorpion tails, watchful eyes and low growls.
The chiefs was standing calm and looking at the leader, the vind was dead still and the sun keeps burning, out of the blue my brother starts to laugh. Then the smallest of the manticores attack and him, he jumps up and with the speed and force of the manticores movement he manges to send him crashing into the one left of the leader.
In the same moment the leader manticore with a bigger mane and big scars on this back signals to the one on his right to attack and they jump. They landed on the chief and startet to claw and keep others away with there tails, the other manticores got up and block the other warriors, not long after the 2 big manticores where flying upwards and crying in pain, the 2 left on the ground looks confuse and followed them, the leader growling at the chief.
The Leader howl at them that it was to our own good that we never came close to this river again. Of course, my father was very impressed with this and asked his mentor that, this was something he absolutely had to learn, the Chief looked at him with half an eye and shook his head. He said in a thunderstorm of wisdom;
Those who seek power over others and battle might often lose their identity and compassion. No boy, your path is to be a teacher and father, not a warrior who will fall in battle.
The tent was full, all the elders of the tribe were gathered, also an old friend of the tribe, an Okapi sitting by the chief's side. I've never known his names, for some reason the chief keeps it a secret, when I ask my father in the past, he says the Okapis has strange rules when it comes to names. His small horns where golden covered and had even small gems in-bedded, his entire long neck was covered in jewelry and even more jewels then I can count.
The rest of his body was covered in a yellow-brown armor of fabric, kinda like the mask my father use but still had another aura on it. His long ears had a few earnings and other steel pins in it from one end of the ear to the other, it made me wonder how he could fight with so much on his ears and his neck.
My father takes his place opposite of the okapia, next to the chief, my place is behind my father's left side, to be able to understand everything that is said but still not part of the circle until my father is no longer able to speak, I am allowed to come up with ideas and ideas but must always go through with my father before I can get the word as a sign of respect for the present shaman. Everyone was seated and present so my father took the word for the chieftain and spoke about the vision he had had, since I already knew it and had no interest in it.
I didn't listened very well and instead focused on a locusts soul wandering up the tent's cane. As it jumps from elder to elder, I did my best to keep my laughter inside me, probably made weird facial expressions, cause my father turns around fast and asks me,
what's so funny about a big fire spreading across the savannah?
I bow my head in embarrassment and shame, as a full-fledged warrior and shaman apprentice, I should at least be able to control my emotions and facial expressions. As I was thinking for myself, I bet my brother will laugh with tears in his eyes of this when he gets his ears on this. I look up and my father has turn around agen.
Friend of chief,
my father said while addressing the Okapi,
you have for a long time kept your name hidden from the tribe but should your desire to be a part of us you need to show more the respect we give you, back to us.
The Okapi finally looked up from the ground all his jewelry clanged together, a long tongue stretched out into the air in my fathers direction and stopped a few inches from his muzzle, it went back in quickly and Okapi took a breath.
The name, my birth mother gave me is Nguvu but the name my past leader gave me is Watoto wanaua.
Every zebra except the chief and my father gaspt, my heart stopped and then I looked to the opening of the tent, the zebra kids playing 2 boys, 1 gray and the other dark purple. Looked almost 1 full sett of seasons old and a girl maybe 2 seasons old with her bold orange colors she blended good in with the yellow grass. then I looked to the chief. Atuanya a elder warrior gets up and looks at him questioningly, and says
if this is true how can we trust you?
Watoto wanaua looks slowly up at him,
I have been traveling many years since that day and none of you except Akili knows my story.
I look to my father wondering why he looks so sad, the rest of the tent looks angry, scared and a mix of both. Akili stands up next to my father and my fathers says,
My friend's story is a story of lies, hate and injustice, I myself was traveling as a cloud in my few years away from the tribe.
I sadly with a havy heart need to tell everyzebra not yet to be 6 full seasons old to leave the tent.
Everything was quit like the time before the start of a war, Myself getting a bit moody sins I was the only one not old enough to listen to the story. As I walked cautiously and silently out of tents my father did my the kindness of sending one of his spirits with me. It was a Giant Kingfisher, the one called Deep dive, I continued to pretend that nothing had changed while Deep dive starting to telling me what was going on inside the tent.
That same day at the evening.......
The countless herbs that hung to dry in the healing hut always looked so reassuring and uplifting, so much unused herbs meant many healthy zebras and guests. My father always say, '' When you let the others pick your herbs you will never know what you truly need.'' So I remembered every single herb that was hanging from the ceiling where they where growing and how much they could be used.
the late evening sun was setting and a few birds was still singing. The strong smell of the different herbs made most insect stay away and that was good if we ever had hurt patients, but empty beds made me always waiting for something to happen. Behind me I hear my father come in and give a cough, I turn my head with a smile and ask,
Do you not feel good or do you have a ghost in your throat?
A little laugh comes from my father but it quickly disappears when he starts talking.
You remember what Deep Diver told you earlier today?
I could feel my heart hit the earth under me, how my hooves became weak and unsteady, something wet behind my eyes tried to push forward but I kept it inside. I shook my feeling and looked him directly in the eye as I answered with a firm and strong yes. My father walks closer and looks into my eyes, he knows how i really feel and sit down to hug me.
The same way we hug children for calming them if they are scared of timberwolfs or hurt from a wound. When I feel his embrace I feel the security and the warmth, my heart opens again and the tears fall, I squeeze him hard next to me. I just squeeze everything I can while tears and my voice erupt all feelings of the sorrow, terror and desire to be able to help but that can never be fulfilled.
The world around me goes silent, the only thing that exists is me and my feelings, but suddenly I hear another heart, in the middle of the darkness a flame is lit. I stand bare, newborn and trembling, the front in front of me a small fire grows until it becomes a bigger bonfire than a tent, everything is quiet again and only the flames crackle is my company. I get closer and sit down in front of the fire, as the moisture of my fur dries and I begin to regain strength, the void of darkness begins to fill around me and with the heart pounding and my father's voice humming in a verse from my childhood.
dance little flame, the world is dark,
your light is enough.
no need to spread you strong enough as you are,
let the star guide you and lead you far
dance to heal, dance to share joy.
the world need you more then before.
The world around me crumbles and I open my eyes, in front of me I see my father holding me. The moon is up and he looks at me with the love of father that is wishing to only heal and help to a daughter, and says.
I had to put you in that dream trans to help heal your mind, I am sorry for going so fast but we need to get back home.
No need to say sorry, I needed it, to both burn out the pain and get myself back. How many hours have we been sitting here?
5, but you mother will have my hooves if we are late for dinner, let get going.
The sun had gone down and the grasshoppers had started singing along with other insects, the light from the camp fire was shinning on the beds and we could hear the music from the music around the fire. Both our stomachs were rumbling and startet to feel the hunger. After some stretching the body is back to its normal state, several hours in the trance can sometimes put the body in spasm-ish state.
I look at the big camp fire as we pass it, it burns good and I keept hoping it was keeping up the whole night. When i enter our tent, dinner was ready. My mother and brother are already there, waiting for us and I feel safe and warm. This is my home, this is where I belong. The thick soup was full of vegetables and the bread on the side was freshly baked, with my mother's signature spices. I toke a big bite and chew on while waiting for my bowl to be filled with soup, as I receive it we hear outside a big bang and several screams.
Author's Note
Okapi - https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okapi
Manticore -
https://mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Creatures
traveling as a cloud - means taking a few years\4 seasons x 2-5 away for your tribe to learn for others but still being your own tribes member. (normaly the shaman or just chief does this.
Giant Kingfisher
http://southafrica.co.za/giant-kingfisher.html
timberwolfs - https://mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Timberwolves
Fire! Fire! Everyzebra get out!
Atuanya shouted while standing in the middle of the camp, multiple wounds down his neck all the way down to his knee, his dark red blood blended well with his dark yellow strips. For a older skinny zebra he lookt like a warrior of strength, bravery and rightness, a spare in his left hoove and his bloody mane in the vind looking like how you would imagen a hero from legendary storys.
Smoke was starting to fill the air around the camp, the healing hut was on fire, bigger then the one I seen in my visjon. Strangest thing of all was that, normally there was all those small spirits everywhere, even past loved ones following there children or friends. I look up and the moon was fully covered by the smoke with something that was something flying over us in the sky outside the smoke but the a new big explosion behind us happen. That was when it hit me, somepony was trying to hit OUR TENT!
As the explosion hit the ground, we where flung forward and roll over until I hit Atuanya, I moved one of my back hooves away from his cheek as he look down at me and gave me his hoove. Helping me up and looking to all of us saying:
We are being attache, forget all your materiel stuff and get your love ones somewhere safe.
My father just nodded in affirmation and helped my brother up, although the long mane makes him popular with the zebra ladies, what it doesn't help much with is when you manage to tie your legs in it. My mother lookt at my father with a love-full expression in her face, she tied her tail together with his and startet galloping out of the village. My brother lookt at me with worries in his eyes like I have never seen them and said,
I have to find Adimu go with mother and father I will be fine!
Without another word, he turn around and blended into the smoke with the other zebras. Standing there alone and with father and mother already out of sight, I startet galloping out of the smoke. But when I took my first step i heard a baby colt cry, its scream was of absolute terror. Without another thought, I turned and ran towards the sound.
Everything was black by the smoke and night sky, suddenly I ran in to somezebra. The sound of metal hitting a rock and a irritated grunt by a male voice as I shake my head to clear out the dizziness from the crashed.
The smoke was bruning in my eyes and my lungs startet to hurt as well, with this ut was challenging to avid all the fires and other zebras running around. I wounder to myself, why had they not gotten out yet? and the baby colts crying was MOVING?! I stopped at the spot and rubbed my eyes while trying to find out where the crying came from now. In my hooves I could feel fewer and fewer zebras running around, my eyes who barely could see anymore, saw something running around. As I was trying to where the sound was going, a big sound hit my ears and it all turn black.
Everything hurts, I could feel a warm stinging pain in the back of my head. Trying to move my front hoove to rub my head, I heard a *clink* and felt something cold and hard restraining my hooves. As I lookt down, I saw that I had been locked down in chains and that I was in a metal box.
The little light i could see was from 3 small air holes and i startet to tremble from the cold air and ice-like metal i was in. When my eyes adjusted to the dark, I notes that the metal box was bolted together and that was was laying bear on the floor of the box.
the box started to move, i lay completely still and hold my breath. there was someone making stock of the boxes as i heard them counting them when i was moved, it starting to smell horrendously of cigars and sweat.
work in progress, thank you for understanding and hope you enjoy the story so far. <3
hugs Flitterkriz
