Tribal Legends - Ash and Coal or Gaining the Mind.
#3 of Tribal Legends
Tribal Legends
a suite of stories
Written down and translated by Sharpfang '99. You can copy this story freely as long as no contents are changed
Ash and Coal or Gaining the Mind. ================================= The Story of Thought.
A tribal legend by Aris, translated and written down by Sharpfang.
Dedicated to Furtail
There was a village of wolves in the middle of a big stretch of woods. The village was surrounded by a moat and a stockade which was guarded all the time. There was a reason for such caution - in the woods lived a tribe of wild hyenas who often attacked the village. The hyenas were just a small step above speechless animals - cruel, merciless, stupid, quarrelsome, greedy beasties who just ate rare meat, used very primitive weapons and knew no sorcery. Unfortunately for the wolves, from time to time, amongst the hyenas a sorcerer appeared. No one knew where they came from, or where they learnt their art, but they were the leaders who guided the hyena tribe against the village and using their talents they equipped the hyenas with powerful spells, providing high battle abilities, strength, stamina and other such help. Every time such a sorcerer appeared, it meant a time of terror for the wolves. So far, they had succeeded in defeating them, but they always paid for the victory with high losses.
There were two wolves called Ash and Coal. They were twin brothers, one was grey and the other black. One could stalk, being invisible in the moonlight, the other in the shadows of the night. They guarded the village and were two of the best warriors. One day, along with a group of other warriors, they went on patrol in the woods. There were rumors that amongst the hyenas a new wizard had arisen and was preparing the tribe for an attack. They came to check it out.
When they were far from the village, they were suddenly attacked on a narrow path in the forest - numerous arrows hit the group from different directions. That was something they hadn't expected - the savage hyenas had never used bows and arrows. But that had been the hyenas, and when the wolves scattered, they left their bows, took spears and attacked. The wolves were better at hand-to-hand combat, but the enemy outnumbered them, they were taken by surprise, and many of them were arrow-bitten. The battle raged for a while, and it seemed the chances were balanced. After some time few survivors remained - a few hyenas and two wolves - the twin brothers. Some of the hyenas kept them at bay using spears, the rest ran for their bows - so the brothers had to run quickly into the forest. Ash had to support himself on his brother's shoulder as his leg was hurt. While leaving the battle arena, they heard screams of their wounded friends still being mercilessly murdered. They also heard the hyenas call for reinforcements and decide to follow them when the reinforcements come.
Leaving a trail of blood that was easy to track down, they got to a small cave upon a mountain. They decided to rest for a moment before they continued running - or stay there and fight to the death if the enemy arrived first. Ash guarded the entrance while Coal went deeper to check whether there are any dangers in there, or maybe backdoors.
Shortly he smelled something stinking slightly - it was the well known smell of dirty hyena - they never washed themselves. He entered a chamber - and suddenly heard a voice from above and behind him.
Please, don't kill me. - He turned around and saw, over the entrance, in a shallow niche, a hyena, with a spear aimed at him. Coal was flabbergasted - the hyena could have thrown the spear at him at any moment killing him instantly, and every hyena would do this without a second thought. He lowered his spear, the hyena put his aside too.
I'm sure you wonder why I asked you not to kill me while I could kill you easily - the hyena said - I can explain. I don't want to fight with you. Now many hyenas don't want to. There's a new sorcerer in our tribe. His talent gives us mind and intelligence. He wants us to design and use new weapons, tactics, traps and lead us to the victory, but many of us, just after we gain the intelligence think: "Do we have to fight? Can't we live in peace?" Those are busted and killed if he finds out, but many of us succeeded escaping from the tribe and scattered. We hide in the forests. I'm hiding here for a few days, but I was wounded and my wound is getting worse. I want to ask you for help. I was a shaman of my tribe before I ran away. Under the ceiling of this chamber there's some fungi that heals any wound quickly. One of the previous wizards taught me how to use them, but they are too high - I couldn't even scratch some of them with my spear. If you just could help me reaching them...
My brother is wounded too. Would it work on him too? - asked Coal.
The hyena confirmed it would. Coal climbed to the niche and lifted the hyena up while he scratched some of the fungi with his spear. Coal mumbled something about the stench coming from the hyena.
Since I gained my mind, it disturbs me too, but what can I do about it?
Wash yourself?
In water? Does it help?
Usually does.
Good, when we find a stream I will try - said the shaman, squeezing the fungi in his hand and placing them on a suppurating wound in his side, and then climbed down from the niche.
The hyenas who attacked us tried to follow us, they will be here soon. - said Coal - we'd better go.
They went back towards the exit of the cave and Coal calmed his brother down and explained what had happened in the cave, while the hyena was putting the mashed fungi on the wound on Ash's leg, then they dashed towards the nearby stream and the wound didn't bleed nor hurt anymore. The hyena lead them. They ran down alongside the stream and then into the water, then the hyena stopped, turned back and guided them up the stream, warning them not to step off the water. He explained the pursuers would follow their trail and continue downstream towards the wolves' village, which would seem very reasonable, while they could hide somewhere upstream in mountains. He was right and soon they heard hyenas' voices behind them, but they receded into the distance.
After a hour or so, the shaman suddenly heard something that sounded like a bird, and stopped. He called with the same voice and it responded.
- It's my mate - he said and repeated the bird's voice this time slightly different. - She ran away a while before me, but I haven't been able to find her since.
A female hyena appeared from the forest, and happily hugged the shaman. He introduced them, and told her his story while they continued upstream. She told them about a small lake in the nearby forest, where no one would find them. They walked there. She complained about how she was stinking and that she'd like to change that, and her mate told her - she giggled at this idea, but agreed to try.
That evening they made a small smokeless campfire, the two brothers caught a small animal and cooked it over the fire, while the two hyenas were playing in water. That was unknown fun for them, it was considered a shame for a hyena in their tribe to be wet. They giggled, splashed the water and were making love, but tried to be quiet, knowing the dangers. When they returned to the wolves they were very happy and weren't stinking anymore. The meal was ready and it tasted good, but the two brothers weren't happy. They knew their families and friends in their village would have a very hard time soon, and they couldn't help. They told the hyenas about their worries.
- We must gather those who don't want war, and attack the rest from behind - decided the shaman. The others agreed this would be the best strategy - attack the hyenas while they attack the town. Only, how would they find the scattered ones, hidden from their busters, with functional minds and intelligence, enabling them to hide effectively?
When the day of the attack came, on the fields around the village the army of well organised hyenas stood. With long, poisoned spears, poisoned arrows, bows, a battering-ram, sharp knives, planks to put across the moat and ladders to climb the stockade, in ranks, prepared for organised attack, they were like professional soldiers. The wizard in purple cloak was checking on the last preparations. The defenders on the stockade seemed helpless, outnumbered and not as well armed. They didn't even look as well trained as the enemy, especially since their best warriors were killed in the ambush in the forest. The wolves were extremely nervous.
The wizard stopped in front of one of the divisions and started a short speech.
Today we will defeat them. Their land, their property, their riches will be ours. I want you to leave none of them alive. Burn this village when you finish plundering it! Be merciless!
Gods, forgive me, I must stop this madness! - one of the hyena soldiers shouted suddenly, and hit the wizard with his spear, pierced him and pinned to the ground. The wizard yelped, looked at him, flabbergasted, and died. Everything stopped for a moment - and the lines suddenly split, and hyenas began fighting with each other. In the chaos, no one could tell one side from the other, the two parties began forming. They seemed to be identical, but you could tell the difference while observing their style of fighting - one was savage, cruel and blind, desperate and blood-thirsty, the other was defending, using their skills and battle tricks, but retreating from the mad enemy. And then suddenly the gates of the village opened and numerous wolves, led by Ash attacked the savage enemy. From the other side Coal and the shaman led a big group of armed hyenas too. When the hostile group saw enemies approaching from three sides, they turned back and began retreating, in panic dropping their weapons, howling in terror and falling on all fours to run faster. The pursuit lasted a few hours, but the hyenas in panic were so quick that few were found. They have never been seen in those woods since then.
And those who rebelled against the wizard? First they asked the wolves for peace, and the offer was gratefully accepted. Then they all took a bath, and took part in the great feast in the wolves village. Since then, the two tribes lived in friendship next to each other, helping each other in trouble, removed the stockade and moat to stop the plague of mosquitos, and never needed to fight anymore with anyone, and every year since then, in the day of the battle there's a big feast in the two villages. This is called the bath day and that day all the wolves and the hyenas take a bath together. Even though this is just a ritual connected with feast and (you know what ;) as the hyenas take bath quite often and stay clean and don't need it as badly as when they took it first time.
. . . . Sharpfang Fri Oct 8 00:47:49 CET 1999