//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 - Human: The Calm Before the Storm // Story: World of Ponies: The Pony-Human War // by ShadowWalking18 //------------------------------// Valen Valen crouched low to the ground. His spear, a long shaft made from thick strong wood, clenched tightly in his hands. He could feel his heart thumping in his ears as he gazed down the cliff side; and down to the herd of Hoofbeats below. He couldn't help but feel a spike of fear come over him as he gazed down at the quarry of his group’s hunt. The Hoofbeasts were large four legged creatures with a thick muscled body supported by long and thick legs; that always made Valen think of tree trunks when he looked at them. The creatures supported a long neck, which allowed it to eat the leaves on tree tops or graze on the long grasses of the plain should trees be unavailable. Still, despite the fact the creature ate plants, Valen found its huge size intimidating. Even more so that its tough hide was difficult to pierce with spear. No few hunters had been crushed to death by an angry Hoofbeast because of improper hunting techniques. 'But we have only been hunting them so often for only three years.' Valen thought, and clenched his spear tighter to reassure him. Since turning fifteen, he had been allowed on hunts and he had been proud of himself taking that step towards manhood. He looked around, and saw other members of the hunting group. All were crouched low, and watching the herd move through the canyon. Normally, they would avoid a difficult and dangerous prey as a Hoofbeast. But winter was approaching, and such a kill would feed many of the people for weeks. And with winter approaching, and many of the herds having left for the south, hunting would be scarce and they would need the boost to their stores. A loud bellowing noise made Valen look back down the cliff at the herd. The noise had come from a Hoofbeast; but one that was straggling behind the rest of the herd. Valen felt himself grow excited as he saw the struggling beast. Hoofbeasts were very protective of their herds. Herd members would come to the aid of another if any of the herd was threatened. But only if the member kept up. If a member lagged too far behind, the herd usually left them. This one, seemed to have a limp, and it was the target of their hunt. But he was still too close to the herd for the hunters to move, and the Hoofbeast was still keeping pace with the herd. But that was about to change. Valen saw the hunters move, and spotted Marcus, Huntmaster of their group, as he peered over the ledge. His hand held up slightly, as other hunters got behind a large boulder next to him. Out of all the hunters, Marcus had the most experience in hunting Hoofbeasts. Valen gulped and moved to the other boulder to join other hunters. They all watched Marcus, who watched the struggling Hoofbeast. Everything went quiet, and Valen had to hold his breath to keep from breathing heavily in anticipation. Then Marcus brought his hand down, and the hunters near him groaned as they pushed the boulder over the side. The great rock fell, and Valen then heard a loud cry as the boulder slammed into something with a loud thump. The Hoofbeast had been struck by the first boulder. Marcus then brought his hand up and down once more, and Valen and his group of hunters, mostly the young and inexperienced hunters like himself, struggled to push the boulder. The rock grounded against the ground but finally Valen felt its great weight fade as it went over the ledge. Valen and other young hunters went to the ledge, some of them making whoops of success as they saw the boulder fall. The Hoofbeast had survived the first boulder, but its limp was more pronounced now and was struggling to move. The second boulder fell and crashed onto the creatures back; making in roar in pain and finally hit the ground on its knees. Valen gave shouts of joy, but he went quiet as the Hoofbeast began to stand... ...and then fall to its knees once more, rolling on its side in defeat. He gave another whoop of victory and picked up his spear. It took the strong grip of one of the older hunters to keep him from rushing down and around into the canyon. "We move. Now." Marcus said, and picked up his spear and began running down the path to the canyon below. Hunters around gave whoops and followed. Reaching the ground, the hunting party entered into the canyon. They soon found the Hoofbeast, and Valen saw in the distance the disappearing figures of the rest of the herd. They no doubt knew their herdmate was lost, and so moved on. Valen exhaled a breath he didn't remember holding. He had worried, as no doubt other hunters had, that some herd members would have stayed behind. Now they could kill the Hoofbeast without worry. Valen approached the beast with the other hunters, spear out and at the ready. The hoofbeast groaned and lifted its great head to stare at them; trying to move again. Marcus kept the lead, holding his hand up to signal for the hunters to wait. Though Valen did not want to wait, but he fought back his impulsiveness and listened to Marcus. Even wounded, a Hoofbeast could still kill a hunter if it swung its long neck and struck him with its thick skull. Slowly, Marcus drew closer, and Valen and the other hunters followed. Valen licked at his lips, and his grip tightened as the Hoofbeast reared its head again and watched them. He watched as Marcus made the first strike, as his bronze spear tip bit into the tough hide of the Hoofbeast. He quickly pulled it out as he dodged the Hoofbeasts swinging head. The long spear's shaft made avoiding the crushing blow easier, but Marcus had the skilled reflexes that were also needed. Blood flowed from the wound, while another hunter made a stab at the beast’s underside. He did not move as fast, and while he managed to avoid being struck, his spear shaft was broken, and half of it left stuck in the beast’s hide. It soon moved on from there, as the older hunters stabbed and retreated from the ever weakening Hoofbeast. They would weaken it first, allowing the youngsters to watch them and then they would be allowed to make the killing blow. As the Hoofbeast slowly weakened, Valen was the first to rush and stabbed his spear deep. The Hoofbeast groaned in pain, but only barely lifted its head. The other young hunters took this sign and began stabbing at the Hoofbeast 'till at last it lay dead at their feet. Valen gave a whoop, as did others. His first Hoofbeast hunt had gone better then he had hoped. No doubt because Marcus had been leading. The man didn't allow young hunters who could not listen to orders to hunt the great beasts with him. That usually led to someone being killed. With the Hoofbeast now dead, Valen joined the hunters in the work of gathering up the meat. Skinning a Hoofbeast was a difficult task, as the hide was always a problem in cutting. The hunting group worked hard, with the older and more stronger hunters carrying most of the meat, while Valen and the other young hunters carried the bones and Marcus himself took the hide. They took all they could, before beginning the long trek back to the camp. The bone was heavy, and Valen began to feel an exhaustion he hadn't noticed before. But he didn't care, he had just helped in taking down one of the most difficult of animals to hunt and was returning with the spoils and tales to share. He had taken his first full steps to becoming a man. When the hunting party finally returned to the camp, Valen was greeted with the sight of many tents upon an open field. He saw the dark forms of people moving, all heading to the main fire at the center of the camp which glowed brightly now. There could only be one reason for the gathering. The Fire Man had arrived to tell his stories. Valen almost ran to go hear, as did other young hunters, but a shout from Marcus made them all stop short. "Are you boys men or children? If you be men, then you will see these all get to the storage hut before you go running off. Children forget what they are doing in place of fun. Men do not." Marcus said, his deep voice sharp and cutting deep. Valen blushed, looking down as he felt embarrassed. Other of the youngsters also seemed embarrassed and muttered apologizes. Marcus merely nodded, and some of the older hunters laughed as they all made their way slowly down to the camp. Yet each step only made Valen want to get there faster. The meat and bone were brought to the Storage tent, but while Valen wished to deposit his load and rush to the fire, he knew that the work was not yet done. There were still lessons in curing, smoking and preparing the meat for storage. The hide as well, and Valen and the other youngsters begrudgingly listened and learned as the older hunters and Marcus showed them. Valen found the lessons boring. By the time they were finished, the moon was already at the top of the sky, and Valen was now rushing to the fire with the other youngsters; the older men trailing behind at a walk. He worried that he would miss the stories of the Fire Man and the Fire Man would leave. "-And with the Northlanders bested, and Morghast the Bloodied dead in the snow, did the Winter Wars end. Peace at last had been returned to the coasts of the Northlands and so did Malak the third, Conquer of the North, and the twelve Dragon Lords of Valhrua make their return to the golden city of Val. But the war had not been without its price of blood, and so before they left, Malak and the Lords merged their power as one, and wove forth a column of Ice. Etched into the ice, were the names of all who had fallen in the war; so that their sacrifice would never be forgotten. And the pillar was made strong, so that wind would never weather it and the sun would never melt it, and no force could shatter it. An eternal testament to lives lost in those dark and cold years." Cheers and claps greeted Valen as he heard the last bits of a story. His heart fell as he saw the Fire Man stand and give a bow, before looking up and smiling. "Ah, our hunters have returned." He said, and Valen saw that all now looked at him and the other returning men. Men, women and children rose to greet friends and loved ones. Valen spotted his mother and younger brother rise and move to meet him; engulfing him into a hug. He could not help but smile as he returned the hug. "Valen. I am so glad you have returned." His mother said, hugging him tighter. "Brother, did you hunt with Marcus? Did you slay a Hoofbeast?" His little brother of ten, Franz, asked as he tugged at his shirt. "Yes I did. It was a great hunt, the clan will eat well for days." Valen said with a smile as he remembered the hunt. "I can't wait till I can go hunting, then I can learn to hunt the Hoofbeasts." Franz said with enthusiasm and he made motions with his hands in the play of stabbing a spear. "Well, my two mighty hunters. Let us return to the fire, then we will rest. We will have much traveling to do." Their mother said as she herded them to the fire. In time, all had eventually returned to sit by the fire, and Valen saw that the Fire Man still stood and watched them all. He felt his heart beat fast as he stood in the presence of the man. Though small of height, Valen had been a child when the Fire Man had gathered him and his family from the pony lands. He still could not remember anything since that day, as did all the others of his clan. The Fire Man had told them he had....freed them from a darkness. Though Valen never really understood what it meant; and some had wondered if it was the ponies who were the darkness. The Fire Man of course ended those thoughts when he had been asked. The Fire Man moved his head to gaze at them all and then he spoke. "It is good to see that all have returned safely. I wish I could remain longer, but time is short as there is much to set up for winter." He said, and the young children moaned in disappointment. Valen himself could only frown; he had missed the stories. "Do you have to go Fire Man?" A small girl asked, clutching at her mothers leg. The Fire Man looked to the girl with a frown, "I am sorry little one. But I must. But we will all see each other again at the Moot and I will be free to tell all you tales and stories all winter." That got a cheer from the children, but Valen still frowned. The Moot would be weeks away. Weeks before he could hear one of the Fire Man's stories. Despite the success of the hunt, Valen felt that this day was ending poorly. The Fire Man looked at them all once more, and Valen met his eyes and for a moment thought he saw a glint in the Fire Man's eyes as he smiled and continued looking around. "However," Fire Man said, "I think I have time for.....one last tale." Valen felt his heart lighten and he smiled and joined in the cheers of the youngsters and children and even some of the adults at the prospect of another tale. The Fire Man laughed before taking his seat on a stump, "Then listen well, for the tale I tell is true. It is a tale of our past, before the Darkness claimed your minds. When all of the people named ourselves Valhrua. In a time where the land, sea and sky were ours to command and great cities flew through the sky and men rode great dragons to war. Of golden roads and towers of silver. But all these beautiful wonders paled in comparison to the greatest of all cities and citadels of those days. Across fields and rivers, at the very central of the empire stood a range of mountains know as the Heart Mountains. Within these lonely rocks was built one of the greatest of constructions of the ancient Valhrua. Val-Cor. Heart of the Empire. All roads lead to Val-Cor and all the wealth of an empire came from the Empire's Heart. It was said, that the ones to hold Val-Cor would hold the empire in their palm." The Fire Man paused to sigh, and Valen felt his heart shudder at the words. He could picture the scene so well in his mind. Then the Fire Man raised his hands, and from the fire shot thin lines of flame that brought a gasp to all. The thin flames soon began to shape and form into images. From shock and fear, turned awe as Valen leaned forward with everyone to stare at the moving flames and the images they made. "Oh, my people. Val-Cor....built deep within the heart of the mountains themselves; the beauty and strength of this mountain city was legend. it's great wealth lay in the rock and deep in the earth. Precious gems hewn from the rock, and veins of gold, silver and mythral that seem to flow like veins and rivers. Val-Cor produced the greatest of smiths, unequaled in the workings of their craft as they molded works of beauty. And in the center of this great city, sat the Throne of Cor. The chair where only the Emperor would sit when he stayed in Val-Cor and above the throne would sit....the Arkenstone. The White Heart of the Mountain." And the Fire Man spoke more, of the beauty and wonder of Val-Cor, the flames shaping themselves to give images to his words. Valen found himself lost in those words, and even later after the Fire Man had left and all began to go to bed was he still lost in those words. Even as rest came, Valen soon found himself walking those ancient halls in his dreams.