Destiny by Jason A. Cheek Page B

he climbed, but mercilessly his self-loathing continued to flail at his soul. Since time immemorial, Centaurs from all of the Tribes had been called here to speak with the Great Spirit. Called both Sky-Father and Earth-Mother by the People, Luonnotar was the essence of nature in all of its forms. All life was interconnected and dependent upon one another in the great circle. Where there was life, there was death. Each form of existence gave meaning to the next for they were inseparably a part of one another. When Norek had denied this simple truth, he had put the entire Thunder Tribe in danger.
    It took all of the strength of Norek’s upper body to pull his lower half up enough to hook one of his forelegs on the edge of the ridge. Still, it wasn’t until he got the second foreleg up that he managed to pull himself the rest of the way up onto the weather-beaten plateau at the very top of Mount Airy.
    Standing up straight, Norek took in the breathtaking view. To the north and west, the plains disappeared into the horizon marking the lands of his people. To the south, the vast mountain range of the Fangs rose into the sky creating a natural barrier to the lush farmlands of the Imperium far away. Even from this distance, the impregnable walls of the Citadel could be seen on its lone vigil guarding the solo pass through the mountains, while the Great Forest towered at the edge of the plains to the east. Home to the Elves, his people’s longtime allies, and the place where Tolnik had lost his life.
    As the wind whipped Norek’s long gray-streaked hair about his shoulders, a tear ran down his rugged face. What the Raven Tribe brought to him that night was not his son. Even though he knew that now, it still took everything he had to fully accept that soul crushing truth.
    Initially, Norek had falsely accused his own daughter of lying about Tolnik’s death. Accused her of conniving to steal away Tolnik’s birthright for her very own. Ignoring Nessa’s wails of anguish, he had welcomed the creature that wore his son’s skin into their encampment with open arms. That is until he’d seen the truth for himself.
    Remembering the harsh words of hate coming from his son’s lips, Norek hung his head in shame. Against all tradition, Tolnik had demanded the right of combat for leadership of the Tribe.
    Hanging his head in despair, the pain in Norek’s chest refused to go away. Such a foreign thought, but that’s when he knew the creature standing before him was not his son. The People of the Tribes simply didn’t think in those kinds of terms. When the creature that wore Tolnik’s skin realized the seriousness of its mistake, the challenge had been immediately withdrawn, but the damage could not be undone.
    Norek knew the truth. He now understood why Nessa had been so distraught. Why she’d continued to mourn over Tolnik’s death even after he’d been returned to the tribe. She’d seen the truth from Wakinyan. That realization was when the true horror of the situation had hit him. If the Raven Tribe had fallen under the control of these creatures, then how many other Tribes have been corrupted?
    Focusing once again on the present, Norek looked down at the stone beneath his hooves. The place he stood was called the Council of the Ancestors by his people. This was where the spirit messengers had summoned him. This was where he would meet his fate. Offering a silent prayer to the Sky-Father, Norek went about the preparations necessary for the vision quest as he began humming a chant in the language of the ancients.
    Aya Wani Shivaya yo chago. (Oh Thunder Chief focus your mind.)
    Aya Wani Shivaya yo chago. (Oh Thunder Chief focus your mind.)
    Jai om numah heyaho halne yohna. (Search for the truth and you will find.)
    Tu nelyo chonga gohea yo choo yohnale. (The strength to fight the evil you have found.)
    Using white kaolin clay paint, Norek first laid out the circle of calling on the weathered stone large enough for him to kneel