[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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Elior was on my mind. Three years ago he'd made the ride to the loch where he had met his final resting place. What was awaiting me?
Father and I rode out of Huntloch village beneath a cloak of night, riddled with a sea of stars. We said our goodbyes to Yrdrid and Lylef, met with much worry, sadness, and bitter enthusiasm. Not the same enthused energy on the day Elior left to become a man.
I slid my hand down until my palm met the hard hilt of antler. I wrapped my fingers around it. For a moment I wanted to remove the blade from its sheath. It was going to be Elior's gift. The one I gave him after his manhood hunt. I'd spent many hours chipping the stone to its sharpened point. But all I wanted to do was cast it into the loch and forget about it.
"I'll finally give you a proper burial ..."
The trail was dense, windy, and hilly. A hard path for most flatland horses, even a hard ride on the High Riders' father and I were mounted upon. Karqibhan was the lead horse. My father's horse. And a horse who knew its rider like his rider knew his horse. He strode valiantly. Aware that it was a chief whom mounted him and not some tribal warrior. He knew the path that'd he'd walked a hundred times over. He knew where and when to stop. Wise, a horse as there ever was, though his years showed in the gray in his mane. My mount, Haridel, was as sure-stepped as the lead horse he followed. Though his young, wandering mind often caused him to yank in odd directions, causing me to fight him back onto the trail.
"Right! I said right, yah dumb beast!" I yanked the reins right and drove my heel into his left side. Haridel shook his head and neighed. "I think he's broken."
Father guffawed. "I have given you the horse ... but I have not trained him. If you are to ride as one, you must learn to trust each other. And you can only build that trust if it is you whom does the training."
"Why couldn't I have taken Mokrah. Mule's been with me since I was a boy. Had no problems with him."
"Mokrah is for a boy, not a man." Father replied in a chiefly tone. "It is a long ride there and back. By the time we get home, you two will have broken the first wall between you. That'll be the foundation of your trust. You can build upon that."
"Seems to me Haridel doesn't enjoy building ... he prefers destroying." I chuckled. My father's voice rumbled above my own. "How did Elior do on his ride?"
Father grew silent for a time. Nothing could quiet the chief like the name of his firstborn. He took a breath. "Elior had a connection with animals, even over people." He shook his head then looked at me. "Your brother never wanted to be Chief."
My tongue felt heavy. "What do you mean?"
"He told me he didn't want to stay in the tribe. That he wanted to start a new tribe."
"Why?"
Father pat Karqibhan's neck. "He was in love." Wind slipped between his words and father drew a mouthful. "I forbid it ... and he was upset at me on the day of his manhood hunt ... then it happened, he fell through the ice." Enoch looked off into the trees. "You were meant to be Chief. You have the heart for our people."
