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 look up at the moon then to him. The savannah is all covered in the moonlight, the high grass gives us good cover and the locusts sings the sweet melody, together in harmony with the rest of the insects.
hmm... I think so, I was just about one a full sett of seasons old, mother still tells me she could barely hold me in her lap. The music was just so full of energy and the others dance seem so welcoming, did you really think I with had 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 snicker to myself, then turns back to the iboga tree, as i study it, a spider jumps down on my muzzle and I jump too. Both the spider and I runs in each our own directions, father starts humming to hold in the laughter,
you may be a full-fledged warrior but you still are jumpy as a filly.
I stop running and troted 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!