[Complete] Eroh has reached his seventeenth spring and has finally become a man. With manhood comes a gift: marriage to the woman he loves. But when a strange new woman from another world enters his life, he is stuck with the decision to honor his...
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A ride with father was not the time to have the first blood of womanhood, and yet the Horn Gods gave me this grievance.
I felt the pain in my loins since we rode south from Bronzebuck Village; a sharp ache that moved up to my abdomen. At first, I thought it was the replacement saddle. It was made of cedar, wrapped in freshly boiled leather, and needed at least a dozen rides before it'd shape to my buttocks. But then came the blood...
My sisters told me about their first blood: The aches. Cramps. Bloated stomach. Severe headaches. And the feeling of constant fatigue. But they'd dealt with it days prior to their bleeding; a fair warning. Yet mine came on with a sudden urgency. Like the Horn Gods were testing me, or preparing me for what came next.
'How am I to explain this to father, Mayhee?' I whispered, running my fingers down the horse's hazel-colored mane. He shook lightly and responded with a soft grunt. 'Should I just tell him?' He shook again in approval. 'Father is not one for surprises nor secrets ... but he doesn't understand a woman's troubles.' The horse grunted in protest.
He was probably right.
I looked ahead to my father, who led by a few paces. He sat mounted upon a golden-bronze horse, built of lean muscle, and made for long battles and long treks across the plains. Father's face was unkind and sharp. Head bald. And eyes the color and shapes of almonds. He wore a large hide robe, one that hung heavy on his shoulders and was light on his frame, concealing his muscular torso. He sat up. Chin raised. Back straight. Riding high, cloaked in an aurora of sunlight, giving him the essence of a Chief.
'Nhedri, my Filly,' father's tone was proud and true, 'come and ride at my side.'
I stretched my eyelids. It was as though he'd read my mind. I sighed, patting Mayhee to give myself comfort. I didn't wait to find my courage to do as I was told. Instead, I gently kicked Mayhee, ushering him forward. When our strides evened and the horses aligned, father looked my direction, studying my frame. He smiled warmly.
'Look ahead, daughter. Tell me what you see.'
He and I both looked outward: Golden hills rolled on for miles and miles, off to lavishly brown peaks and a golden-orange sky on the horizon. There was a gentle wind that swept across the grass. The buzz of thousands of bugs. The flutter of birds, the shuffle of critters, and the smell of floral earth that lingered in the air.
'I see our country, ArkiLa.' I sent him a smile of my own. 'Bright and full of life.'
'Indeed.' Father nodded, giving the landscape one last look, the air one last breath, and the buzz one last listen. 'Can I tell you what I see?'
'Of course, father.'
His face hardened. 'I see the home of our ancestors — the home of our clan — and the home of our descendants long after we're gone.' He sat silent to choose his next words wisely. 'A free land ready for the taking.'
