54th of Spring, 517 AV
21st Bell
Azmere had spent the better part of the previous night making preparations for the event. Today was Tomas’ first hunt; Badla Jagt. There were few things more important in a young man’s life but Tomas was no ordinary kid. At thirteen, he had experienced a similar kind of loss and turmoil that had befallen his new ankal –Azmere. While their bonding time had been limited, the scarred Drykas always enjoyed the company of one so eager to learn yet patient enough to listen. More than once, the archer wished that he had more Ra’athi just like Tomas and knew that the young man had a bright future as a watchman.
Haena had given her blessing for the ritual and Lodai insisted on making it into a spectacle. ‘We need more people or we’ll get shyke and Tomas’ll feel stupid!’ The bear grumbled. While a dear friend and a good man, Lo had a way –rather a habit- of not being able to find the right words for his thoughts. Azmere agreed, of course, but he had to argue enough to make the brown eyes red and the huge figure stutter from frustration. Asher always sat back and smiled. His nonverbal grins and winks seemed to goad the two younger men into unnecessary quarrels but if anyone ever witnessed the whole dynamic they would realize that it’s simply the nature of how Az and Lo work.
Asher decided to plan the meatless dinner and even prepared a few words of advice for the lad who did most of Asher’s heavy lifting. There was a soup of grains and vegetables that was spicy yet succulent and a dense bread that Asher claimed could sustain a man for weeks if he could get past the crunch of the dense nuts that riddled the loaf.
The night was filled with casual stories of how hunts had gone for the pavilion’s members. Azmere recounted how he had been thrown from Hephiestian when a boar charged the horse. He blamed Lodai –even though he wasn’t there which caused a series of shouted arguments- then confessed that he had spent too much time focusing on an attempted shot and forgot to hang on to the yvas. Even though much of his childhood was unpleasant, Badla Jagt held a special place for him. Asher shared his tale and started it off with a typical elderly lead of “When your parents were still shyking their drawers…” The old herd hand managed to kill a night lion on his first hunt. He attributed it to his fantastic luck, Caiyha’s grace and a really good spear. The chef lifted a charm from around his neck and passed it around for all to see before handing it over to Tomas. It was the tooth of his first kill.
Lodai went next and half of the assembled mass rolled their eyes before he ever started. The ankal was smiling his signature half-grin and tossing bits of his soup at the bear man’s braids with Julai. Despite the distractions, the deep brown eyes were intense as he spun a story of great deeds and heroic actions while facing beasts of legend and wonder. Lodai killed a grassbear with nothing but his hands then while he wore its skin, he fended off six night lions and then finally killed a glassbeak with his falx that he retrieved from the bony hands of an ancient king. After the calls of cultakh, geht voune and horzpah stilled, he confessed that his badla jagt was a disaster. He and his clansmen spent five days in the grass chasing a herd of antelope who always managed to elude them. Finally, in a fit of rage and frustration, Lodai chucked his weapon into the Sea of Grass and gave up. When the falx came down, it severed a warthog almost clean in two. More calls for lies and a hunter’s memory rose around the fire but the look on the big man’s face was clearly one of honesty. “Ask old man Windcaller! I’ll go get him right now!” The small gathering of family and friends erupted with laughter and teasing.
Azmere got up and quieted everyone. He thanked the Dawnwhispers for sharing in this special event and suggested that everyone find some rest for the badla jagt of young Tomas would take place early. Asher interrupted his ankal and stood. He had something to say.
“For Tomas, I wanted to share a bit of our history since I was there when it was written.” Chuckles and murmurs passed about but they were much less rowdy than before. “When the grasslands were first turned over to the Drykas, our people had spent so much time living in caves that we had forgotten what it was like to ride under an open sky. The striders saved us by delivering our people unto Semele’s womb where we remained strong but also complacent.” He pulled out a white shirt with no sleeves and a few feathers and colored ribbons sewn into the left shoulder. “Caiyha had blessed the grasses with so much game that our people had only to remember the power that we held in order to assert dominance over the land. With Zulrav’s horses, Caiyha’s bounty and Semele’s love, the Drykas rediscovered what it mean to be the lords and ladies of our world.” He made Tomas come stand next to him. The light of Leth from the pavilion’s opening blended with the light of the fire to paint a glow on the lad and the old man. “Everyone knows that stider’s love bonds a person to our people but it is the badla jagt that bonds a youth to his pavilion as an adult who is capable of supporting his family.” Asher presented the shirt to Tomas. “Wear this tomorrow with pride, gapeo. The spirits of your ancestors will guide you.”
Azmere was smiling and Lodai was trying to look bored so no one would see that he was about to cry. Asher looked to his ankal and nodded. “The men and women who will accompany you are some of the finest I have known. You will be in good hands.” Azmere signed a gratitude for Asher’s handling of the entire affair and went about seeing to cleaning up when Lodai stood and announced that Tomas had better be a decent shot otherwise they’d have to eat the goats. Asher groaned. Before the Dawnwhispers left, Azmere caught Naiya and instructed her to meet before Syna’s light. “We’ll be west of the city by a the jagged rock. Don’t be late.” He gave her a smirk and a firm squeeze on her shoulder then went back to tidying his home.
55th of Spring, 517 AV
4th Bell
Azmere had been up long enough to get dressed, load all of his gear and wake Lodai as well as Tomas. The boy had decided to sleep out by the fire all night so he would not be late to his own party. The ankal was decked in his black leather armor but had removed the hood by sorting out the rivets. The black gauntlets were in place as was his arsenal. Lodai was lumbering around in his normal hide armor, falx and a big grin while attended to the blig black strider, Atavan.
The cats were prowling back and forth. They sensed that something was about to happen and instinct pushed them to want to participate. While the ankal adjusted the leash on Zora, Grey sat near Skylla and thumped his tail on the ground; tongue wagging off the right side of his open mouth. Nyne was staring at the hooded hawk who sat perched atop the ankal’s yvas. When the watchman was finished with the female’s leash, he reached out to scratch the male’s chin and drew his eyes to follow the fiery orange stare. He tsked in response and rose to his full height then marched back to his strider. Skylla was normally excited this early in the morning but the added activity was reason enough for her to be still. The archer removed the bird back to the pavilion and caged him. Bareth was ready for a hunt but Azmere was not and decided against the distraction since their party was going to be so large.
The scarred man mounted his yvas with a quick hop then adjusted his hip quiver and club. His riding quiver was also full and everything seemed to be in place. When the group was ready, he gave the sign to follow then led Syklla away from the pavilion at a trot. The young mare remembered her enthusiasm for the cool of morning –despite still being hot for Spring- and tried several times to take off at a full gallop. Her rider coaxed her down with words and a soft stroke on her next but used his legs and weight to prevent the runaway on the second round. Azmere gave her a firm squeeze with his knees but also straightened his legs which forced his mass deeper into the yvas and shifted his weight further along her back. This gentle adjustment told the strider not to take off which was a sign that she respected.
The Stormblood pavilion arrived at a large rock that jutted out of the ground which was west, northwest of their camp. The smooth, light brown surface looked like bone in the dim haze of dawn and was large enough for a horse to stand upon. Azmere gave Tomas a sign to lead his mouth onto the steep ramp which the boy did. When he passed a sign as to why, Azmere simply smiled. “So the gods can see you.” The ankal took a moment to ride a bit away from the rock and closed his eyes as he faced the open steppe in front of him. He took a deep breath and urged the djed in his body to wake the stars in his eyes. When the lids peeled back, the blue and gold stare was laced with twinkling rings of color around the pupils. Azmere turned Skylla back towards Tent City and waited for the colors of a small band of riders to approach from the Amethyst spoke. There was very little joviality or speaking. Part of this was due to the wee hour but a larger share was because a large hunt away from Endrykas demanded the utmost focus. The Sea of Grass was dangerous and had to be taken seriously.
21st Bell
Azmere had spent the better part of the previous night making preparations for the event. Today was Tomas’ first hunt; Badla Jagt. There were few things more important in a young man’s life but Tomas was no ordinary kid. At thirteen, he had experienced a similar kind of loss and turmoil that had befallen his new ankal –Azmere. While their bonding time had been limited, the scarred Drykas always enjoyed the company of one so eager to learn yet patient enough to listen. More than once, the archer wished that he had more Ra’athi just like Tomas and knew that the young man had a bright future as a watchman.
Haena had given her blessing for the ritual and Lodai insisted on making it into a spectacle. ‘We need more people or we’ll get shyke and Tomas’ll feel stupid!’ The bear grumbled. While a dear friend and a good man, Lo had a way –rather a habit- of not being able to find the right words for his thoughts. Azmere agreed, of course, but he had to argue enough to make the brown eyes red and the huge figure stutter from frustration. Asher always sat back and smiled. His nonverbal grins and winks seemed to goad the two younger men into unnecessary quarrels but if anyone ever witnessed the whole dynamic they would realize that it’s simply the nature of how Az and Lo work.
Asher decided to plan the meatless dinner and even prepared a few words of advice for the lad who did most of Asher’s heavy lifting. There was a soup of grains and vegetables that was spicy yet succulent and a dense bread that Asher claimed could sustain a man for weeks if he could get past the crunch of the dense nuts that riddled the loaf.
The night was filled with casual stories of how hunts had gone for the pavilion’s members. Azmere recounted how he had been thrown from Hephiestian when a boar charged the horse. He blamed Lodai –even though he wasn’t there which caused a series of shouted arguments- then confessed that he had spent too much time focusing on an attempted shot and forgot to hang on to the yvas. Even though much of his childhood was unpleasant, Badla Jagt held a special place for him. Asher shared his tale and started it off with a typical elderly lead of “When your parents were still shyking their drawers…” The old herd hand managed to kill a night lion on his first hunt. He attributed it to his fantastic luck, Caiyha’s grace and a really good spear. The chef lifted a charm from around his neck and passed it around for all to see before handing it over to Tomas. It was the tooth of his first kill.
Lodai went next and half of the assembled mass rolled their eyes before he ever started. The ankal was smiling his signature half-grin and tossing bits of his soup at the bear man’s braids with Julai. Despite the distractions, the deep brown eyes were intense as he spun a story of great deeds and heroic actions while facing beasts of legend and wonder. Lodai killed a grassbear with nothing but his hands then while he wore its skin, he fended off six night lions and then finally killed a glassbeak with his falx that he retrieved from the bony hands of an ancient king. After the calls of cultakh, geht voune and horzpah stilled, he confessed that his badla jagt was a disaster. He and his clansmen spent five days in the grass chasing a herd of antelope who always managed to elude them. Finally, in a fit of rage and frustration, Lodai chucked his weapon into the Sea of Grass and gave up. When the falx came down, it severed a warthog almost clean in two. More calls for lies and a hunter’s memory rose around the fire but the look on the big man’s face was clearly one of honesty. “Ask old man Windcaller! I’ll go get him right now!” The small gathering of family and friends erupted with laughter and teasing.
Azmere got up and quieted everyone. He thanked the Dawnwhispers for sharing in this special event and suggested that everyone find some rest for the badla jagt of young Tomas would take place early. Asher interrupted his ankal and stood. He had something to say.
“For Tomas, I wanted to share a bit of our history since I was there when it was written.” Chuckles and murmurs passed about but they were much less rowdy than before. “When the grasslands were first turned over to the Drykas, our people had spent so much time living in caves that we had forgotten what it was like to ride under an open sky. The striders saved us by delivering our people unto Semele’s womb where we remained strong but also complacent.” He pulled out a white shirt with no sleeves and a few feathers and colored ribbons sewn into the left shoulder. “Caiyha had blessed the grasses with so much game that our people had only to remember the power that we held in order to assert dominance over the land. With Zulrav’s horses, Caiyha’s bounty and Semele’s love, the Drykas rediscovered what it mean to be the lords and ladies of our world.” He made Tomas come stand next to him. The light of Leth from the pavilion’s opening blended with the light of the fire to paint a glow on the lad and the old man. “Everyone knows that stider’s love bonds a person to our people but it is the badla jagt that bonds a youth to his pavilion as an adult who is capable of supporting his family.” Asher presented the shirt to Tomas. “Wear this tomorrow with pride, gapeo. The spirits of your ancestors will guide you.”
Azmere was smiling and Lodai was trying to look bored so no one would see that he was about to cry. Asher looked to his ankal and nodded. “The men and women who will accompany you are some of the finest I have known. You will be in good hands.” Azmere signed a gratitude for Asher’s handling of the entire affair and went about seeing to cleaning up when Lodai stood and announced that Tomas had better be a decent shot otherwise they’d have to eat the goats. Asher groaned. Before the Dawnwhispers left, Azmere caught Naiya and instructed her to meet before Syna’s light. “We’ll be west of the city by a the jagged rock. Don’t be late.” He gave her a smirk and a firm squeeze on her shoulder then went back to tidying his home.
***+++---+++***
55th of Spring, 517 AV
4th Bell
Azmere had been up long enough to get dressed, load all of his gear and wake Lodai as well as Tomas. The boy had decided to sleep out by the fire all night so he would not be late to his own party. The ankal was decked in his black leather armor but had removed the hood by sorting out the rivets. The black gauntlets were in place as was his arsenal. Lodai was lumbering around in his normal hide armor, falx and a big grin while attended to the blig black strider, Atavan.
The cats were prowling back and forth. They sensed that something was about to happen and instinct pushed them to want to participate. While the ankal adjusted the leash on Zora, Grey sat near Skylla and thumped his tail on the ground; tongue wagging off the right side of his open mouth. Nyne was staring at the hooded hawk who sat perched atop the ankal’s yvas. When the watchman was finished with the female’s leash, he reached out to scratch the male’s chin and drew his eyes to follow the fiery orange stare. He tsked in response and rose to his full height then marched back to his strider. Skylla was normally excited this early in the morning but the added activity was reason enough for her to be still. The archer removed the bird back to the pavilion and caged him. Bareth was ready for a hunt but Azmere was not and decided against the distraction since their party was going to be so large.
The scarred man mounted his yvas with a quick hop then adjusted his hip quiver and club. His riding quiver was also full and everything seemed to be in place. When the group was ready, he gave the sign to follow then led Syklla away from the pavilion at a trot. The young mare remembered her enthusiasm for the cool of morning –despite still being hot for Spring- and tried several times to take off at a full gallop. Her rider coaxed her down with words and a soft stroke on her next but used his legs and weight to prevent the runaway on the second round. Azmere gave her a firm squeeze with his knees but also straightened his legs which forced his mass deeper into the yvas and shifted his weight further along her back. This gentle adjustment told the strider not to take off which was a sign that she respected.
The Stormblood pavilion arrived at a large rock that jutted out of the ground which was west, northwest of their camp. The smooth, light brown surface looked like bone in the dim haze of dawn and was large enough for a horse to stand upon. Azmere gave Tomas a sign to lead his mouth onto the steep ramp which the boy did. When he passed a sign as to why, Azmere simply smiled. “So the gods can see you.” The ankal took a moment to ride a bit away from the rock and closed his eyes as he faced the open steppe in front of him. He took a deep breath and urged the djed in his body to wake the stars in his eyes. When the lids peeled back, the blue and gold stare was laced with twinkling rings of color around the pupils. Azmere turned Skylla back towards Tent City and waited for the colors of a small band of riders to approach from the Amethyst spoke. There was very little joviality or speaking. Part of this was due to the wee hour but a larger share was because a large hunt away from Endrykas demanded the utmost focus. The Sea of Grass was dangerous and had to be taken seriously.
