Persistence

by fallenpenguin

The Return

Time passed quickly for Swift Wind. Over the course of the following week he talked with almost every human in the village. He played with the three children and while they were not helping with his physical recovery, they kept his spirits high and the laughter plentiful.

Most of Swift’s time however was spent at Korohe’s side. They talked about similarities and differences between their cultures. They talked about unicorns and pegasi and powerful pony princesses. They also talked about kudu and kookaburras, of their behavior and the hunt.

Swift had learned about how the humans hunted and he was surprised to find out that in contrast to the griffons the humans only consumed meat when the opportunity arose. He was fascinated by their rituals to show respect to the animal they killed for sustenance. There was so much knowledge for Swift Wind to absorb that he was saddened when the day of his departure came.

Swift Wind approached Korohe, who was standing next to the large fire pit in the center of the village. The man was talking to a group of four other men with bags and bows on their backs. When he noticed Swift Wind, Korohe turned to face him.

“This is our hunting party. We will head north to the zebra village. From what you described, you should be able to return home from there.”

Swift nodded and the group of five humans and one pony walked to the edge of the village. Before they left Swift Wind turned around one last time.

“Goodbye everyone and thank you so much for everything!”, he said with a raised voice. Some of the humans smiled at him and some waived in goodbye. However, just as many did not look up from their work. So it was with a bit of disappointment that Swift Wind turned around to leave. He did not get very far before he heard hollering from behind and then Thoma, Nala and Tobe crashed into him again as had happened so often during the last week. While they smothered him in a big hug the three children laughed and giggled.

“Are you going to visit us again soon?”

“Yeah, when will you be back?”

“Yes, please come back soon!”

When Swift Wind got up to his hooves with the children dangling off of him, he had a big smile on his face. “Oh, I’ll try my best to come back soon, but first I’ll have to visit the Princess and tell her of all the great friends I made!”

At that the children let go of Swift and cheered. They remained at the edge of the village waving goodbye and laughing until they could not see the hunting party and Swift Wind anymore.

***

“Well, the heat is still unbearable”, Swift Wind thought. They had walked through the dry plains for an hour or two and the sun was burning down on the group from its zenith. Swift Wind was incredibly thirsty and regretted not drinking more water before they left. When Korohe noticed the earth pony’s tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth, he brought the group to a stop next to a small group of shrubs and started digging. He followed the small plant to its root which to Swift’s surprise was rather large. Korohe pulled the root free of the earth and cut it into slices with his knife. Finally, the man distributed the slices among their party.

“Chew this”, Korohe said, as he handed several of the white pieces to Swift Wind. “The roots contain a lot of water.”

The pony tentatively put one of the slices into his mouth and chewed. The root had no discernible flavor, but it released so much moisture that it felt like a waterfall to his parched throat. He was chewing his last slice when one of the hunters who was walking further to the side called the rest over.

“There are fresh tracks here”, he said as they approached. “They are from a leopard, but he is dragging something.”

“Everyone fan out and keep your eyes open. We follow the tracks”, Korohe commanded with authority in his voice.

“Um…”, Swift Wind interjected timidly, “Is that really wise? Following the tracks TO the leopard?”

Korohe knelt down between Swift and the tracks and then pointed to one particular drag mark. “This is a mark left behind by something the leopard is carrying in its mouth”, he then explained. “The depth lets us know that that something is very big. The leopard cannot eat that much, so he is going to hide it somewhere and we are going to steal it.”

Korohe stood up again and motioned for the group to get moving. Two of the hunters walked in the front following the tracks and the other two walked to the left and right to make sure that the group did not stray from the path. Korohe and Swift Wind brought up the back with Korohe scanning the surrounding shrubs and plains for any danger. Swift Wind kept looking around as well, but did so with very quick movements to keep every possible angle of attack in view. He was startled by Korohe’s hand on his withers.

“Do no worry, friend, the leopard has probably left already.”

“It’s the probably part I’m worried about.”

Korohe chuckled and then continued: “We have done this many times and only once the leopard was still there.”

“So…what happened?”, Swift asked nervously.

Korohe’s smile widened. “We ate more than well that night.”

Swift Wind was surprised that he didn’t shudder at that thought anymore. Instead he was glad to have a friend with such experience at his side. He was brought out of his thoughts as one of the hunters in the front gave a low whistle and with that the humans all ducked down to a crouch. Swift Wind tried to see what was going on, but Korohe signaled for him to be quiet and crouch down as well. He went as low as he could and the entire group approached the hunter who had given the signal.

When they arrived at his side, the hunter pointed to their right and explained in a low whisper: “The leopard made a turn towards that group of trees over there. He probably stashed his kill there.”

Korohe thought for a moment.

“There is too much open ground between here and the trees. We should go over to those shrubs and approach from there.”

The other hunters nodded in agreement and they started slowly walking towards the shrubs. As they came closer to the bushes, Swift Wind felt his fear rise. This was absurd, utter madness in a way. Why would he approach the feeding grounds of a predator even the zebras were wary of?

“You do not have to come with us”, Korohe suddenly whispered next to him. “You can wait here with one of the hunters, if you want.”

Swift calmed a bit at having that option presented to him, but he shook his head. “No, I’ve lived with you for a week. I can do this!”

A small smile passed over Korohe’s face and he patted Swift on the head. “Good. Just know that whatever we find there, the leopard has already fed on it and we will have to pack it up fast.” Swift gulped at that, but still continued forward.

As they approached the trees, one of the hunters slowly rose higher to get a better look. When he was standing upright and indicated that the leopard was not around anymore, Swift Wind let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. The group continued forward, but Swift stopped when Korohe held out a hand in front of him. At that Swift looked up and his ears splayed back.

The trees were surrounded with high grass. The trees themselves were dry and twisted things and really had no foliage to speak of. There was a shape hanging from one of the lower branches and when two of the hunters brought it down, Swift Wind gagged at the sight.

It was the body of a gazelle. As the hunters carried it out of the high grass by its legs – its head dangling limply in the air – it was clear how the leopard had attacked. A huge chunk of the throat and chest cavity was missing and there were deep claw marks on the gazelle’s back and hindquarters. Swift Wind’s curiosity wouldn’t let him look away until Korohe stepped into his field of vision.

“Come with me, we need to build a fire”, the man said. Swift Wind looked up at him and then gestured for him to lead the way. Swift did not notice it at first, but while they were gathering dry wood and grass he heard something that reminded him of the sound of sticks breaking and cloth tearing.

Swift was fascinated by how Korohe ignited the dry grass they had gathered and soon the flames died down and they had a patch of smoldering wood going. The other hunters joined them and placed several red pieces on stones next to the wood. When a familiar smell filled his nose, Swift Wind had to fight hard not to start gagging again and suddenly the sounds of sticks and cloth took on a more sinister meaning. He turned to look at Korohe.

“Thanks for distracting me”, the pony said.

Korohe only smiled and while the humans started distributing strips of meat among themselves, he reached into his bag and placed a jar with a piece of cloth on its top and a spoon in front of Swift Wind. The pony peeled the cloth back tentatively only to find the jar filled with bulgur.

“I thought you might want a snack”, Korohe said and bit into a piece of meat. Swift Wind thanked the man again with a smile, picked up the spoon and started shoveling his new favorite dish into his mouth. When the group had finished eating and packing up, three of the hunters stood separate from the group.

“They will bring the leftover meat back to the village. Only the three of us will continue north”, Korohe explained. After Swift had said his goodbyes to those returning to the village, the pony and remaining two humans turned north and continued their trek through the savannah.

***

It was very late afternoon, when the group spotted a zebra village in the distance.
“If I did not know better, I would think we walked back to our village”, the other hunter in their group commented.

“It does look a lot like our village”, Korohe agreed. “How do we best approach it? Maybe we should remain some distance away and let Swift Wind walk the last part alone? Otherwise me might cause a panic.”

“No”, the mentioned pony interjected. “Just come with me. I will vouch for you and you can rest and return tomorrow.”

The two humans looked at each other and thought. Finally, Korohe sighed. “You are right. To wander the plains at night is too dangerous.” With that the group continued towards the village and the humans fell a bit behind to let Swift Wind take the lead.

As the group approached the village, they could see multiple striped shapes run towards their huts. Then a few more shapes ran from one hut to the next and finally three zebras left the safety of the huts to meet the group halfway. They were all carrying spears and the zebra in the center had three rings in his right ear, which signified him as the most experienced scout in the village.

“Halt!”, the chief scout exclaimed. “You are approaching the village Nakuru. State your purpose.”

“Oh, this is Nakuru? Perfect!”, Swift Wind exclaimed. “I was part of the expedition that passed through your village about a month ago. I was separated from my group, but these generous humans saved me from the dangers of the plains. I ask for a day’s rest for my friends and I would like some way to contact either my expedition or a representative of the Crown.”

The zebras to the left and right of the scout looked at each other and then one whispered something to the scout. The scout looked at his companion and then continued: “Yes, I remember the expedition. You may enter the village. Your two companions howeve—”

“As co-leader of the expedition and thus a representative of the Equestrian Crown I vouch for them and bestow them with my fullest trust.”, Swift Wind interrupted the zebra and puffed out his chest at the last bit.

The scout looked them over begrudgingly and then gestured for them to follow him. As they did, Korohe said in a low voice only Swift could hear: “You honor us.”

“It’s the least I can do for not eating me.” Swift whispered back with a large smile on his face and the zebras could only look on with befuddlement as the two humans burst out laughing.

Comments

[fallenpenguin]

As with the other chapters, feel free to comment. If you see any errors or have any criticisms, please let me know

[Sky Hooves]

4769814
Last time, you wrote to me this Story had only three chapters. But when THIS is everything, well... be ready to get a buck in the ass.

This Story is totally AWESOME! Don't stop there. This is one of the few Stories how can be totally EPIC!

[the_sane_maniac]

4769814 Im sorry but i agree with the other guy. Please do more of this awesome stuff. This site has nothing like it and I find myself falling in love with the setting

[Scarheart]

I like how this story is presented. All we need now are some white colonists...*sees pony*...no, we're good!

Dumb humor aside, this is very enjoyable!