Fires in the Sky
The sound of the drums beating rhythmically outside the small leather tent woke the young centaur up with a start. The cool, night air was coming in and it smelled of midnight. Her chest felt shallow and her stomach a little sick as she rubbed her eyes knowing that it was time to wake for the ceremony. She pushed herself up from the pillowed floor before feeling a sting in her hind that caused her to reflexively yelp and slap at the pain. When she looked at the perpetrator, she saw a small insect between her fingers, it's stinger still embedded in her as it fed on her blood.
She groaned and gently grabbed at the insect between two of her fingers and gingerly pulled on it, tenting her skin temporarily until the barbed stinger let go and it was now detached. It's small brown and green shelled body was colored perfectly to blend in with the colored grasses of the Verdant Plains, and its tiny legs were now peddling fruitlessly to try and escape.
"I hope your belly is full, you little troublemaker," she said as she put the critter on the floor as he quickly scurried towards the exit, leaving into the night.
She let herself collapse back into the soft padding of the floor again and grabbed a small pillow that she hugged close to her body. She nestled her head into it and let her heavy eyes close again, but it wasn't long before the flap to her tent was flung open.
"You're still asleep?" The familiar voice of her father asked. She let one eye peak open to see that he had shaved the sides of his head and had his hair styled into a mohawk. "I swear you'd sleep through the end of the world as long as you had a pillow."
She groaned, reached for another pillow, and threw it at her father. In one fluid motion that looked like it required no effort, his hand went up and caught the pillow. He gave it a little squeeze and inspected it, scoffing.
"You know, back in my day we didn't have any of this pillow nonsense. We would wear this leather backbrace and lock it into place so we slept standing up," The elder centaur said with pride. "Meant we were ready to go at a moments notice. That's how we earned our family name. We weren't called Dawnriders because we slept in."
"Well, now we know better, old man. Lucky you werent around when they were giving out surnames. We'd have been called the Ale Bellies," the young centaur said as she pushed herself up sleepily. Her father snorted and crossed his arms, trying to glance at his belly slyly. She moved over to where she had hung her ceremonial clothing and pulled it over her head. "I didn't miss the dance, did I?"
"No, it's about to get started," He said as he motioned her to follow him. "Now get moving, Hoofy."
She groaned at the name as she followed him outside.
The typical quiet, warm glow of the evening fires coming from the dug pits was replaced by a roaring bonfire, which lit up the camp like there was a warm orange sun. She felt the warmth on her face as she put a hand up to look closer at the area in front of the fire, and she saw the silhouettes of the Firetenders there. She scanned the shapes until she found the smallest one.
*There she is,* she thought as she straightened her dress. She started to walk forward to go wish her luck when she felt her father's hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at him and he gave her a stern look and a head shake.
"Everyone has their place, and the Dawnriders protect the perimeter. Do your friend a favor and make sure it's a safe ceremony," he said as he started walking away waiting for her to follow. When he saw her scowl, he slowed down and took a breath. "You can sneak off and see the end of the ceremony. That's the part you want to see anyway."
"See, was that so hard?" Hoofy asked walking past her tent again, grabbing her shield and spear.
***
When her father rolled his eyes and gave her a subtle nod, Hoofy ran off to where the rest of the tribe had collected. There were drums and flutes, cheers and singing, and in the center the Firetenders were dancing. The bonfire blazing behind them, she could see their silhouettes moving like dancing flames... or maybe like a river... or a stampede moving in unison, but there was only one dancer she could see. The words escaped her as they normally did when she watched Darsica dance.
Darsica, feeling her stare, looked out directly at Hoofy, giving her a smile and a wink as she lept into the air.
The rhythmic sound of drums outside the small leather tent jolted the young centaur awake. The cool night air drifted in, carrying the scent of midnight. Her chest felt tight, and her stomach churned as she rubbed her eyes, knowing it was time to rise for the ceremony. Pushing herself up from the cushioned floor, she felt a sharp sting on her hindquarters that made her yelp and slap at the pain. Looking at the culprit, she saw a small insect between her fingers, its stinger still embedded as it fed on her blood.
She groaned, gently grasping the insect between two fingers and carefully pulling it out, tenting her skin until the barbed stinger released. Its small brown and green shell blended perfectly with the grasses of the Verdant Plains, and its tiny legs pedaled fruitlessly as it tried to escape.
"I hope your belly is full, you little troublemaker," she said, placing the critter on the floor. It quickly scurried toward the exit, disappearing into the night.
She collapsed back onto the soft padding of the floor, grabbing a small pillow and hugging it close. Nestling her head into it, she let her heavy eyes close again. But it wasn't long before the flap of her tent was flung open.
"You're still asleep?" her father's familiar voice asked. She peeked open one eye to see he'd shaved the sides of his head, styling his hair into a mohawk. "I swear you'd sleep through the end of the world as long as you had a pillow."
She groaned, reached for another pillow, and tossed it at her father. In one fluid motion, his hand shot up and caught it effortlessly. He gave it a little squeeze, inspecting it before scoffing.
"You know, back in my day, we didn't have any of this pillow nonsense. We'd wear a leather back brace locked into place so we slept standing up," the elder centaur said with pride. "Meant we were ready to go at a moment's notice. That's how we earned our family name. We weren't called Dawnriders because we slept in."
"Well, now we know better, old man. Lucky you weren't around when they were giving out surnames—we'd have been called the Ale Bellies," she retorted, pushing herself up sleepily. Her father snorted and crossed his arms, slyly glancing at his own belly. She moved over to where her ceremonial clothing hung and pulled it over her head. "I didn't miss the dance, did I?"
"No, it's about to start," he said, motioning for her to follow. "Now get moving, Hoofy."
She groaned at the nickname as she followed him outside.
The typical quiet, warm glow of the evening fires from the dug pits was replaced by a roaring bonfire, lighting up the camp like a warm orange sun. She felt the heat on her face as she raised a hand to shield her eyes, looking closer at the area in front of the fire. There, she saw the silhouettes of the Firetenders. Scanning the shapes, she found the smallest one.
There she is, she thought, straightening her dress. She started to walk forward to wish her luck when she felt her father's hand on her shoulder. Turning to look at him, he gave her a stern look and a shake of his head.
"Everyone has their place, and the Dawnriders protect the perimeter. Do your friend a favor and make sure it's a safe ceremony," he said, starting to walk away and waiting for her to follow. Seeing her scowl, he slowed down and took a breath. "You can sneak off and see the end of the ceremony. That's the part you want to see anyway."
"See, was that so hard?" Hoofy quipped, walking past her tent again to grab her shield and spear.
---
When her father rolled his eyes and gave her a subtle nod, Hoofy ran off to join the rest of the tribe. Drums and flutes filled the air, accompanied by cheers and singing. In the center, the Firetenders danced. With the bonfire blazing behind them, their silhouettes moved like dancing flames—or perhaps like a river, or a stampede moving in unison—but there was only one dancer she truly saw. Words escaped her, as they often did when she watched Darsica dance.
Sensing her gaze, Darsica looked directly at Hoofy, giving her a smile and a wink as she leapt into the air.
But just as she did, the sky opened up like soap dropped in oil—an impossibly large tear ripped across the heavens, revealing a fiery hellscape. For a moment, there was only silence as everyone processed what they were seeing. The first sound anyone heard was Hoofy's father.
"Vel! Protect the Queen!"
Hoofy reacted instinctively; if her father used her given name, there was no time for questions. She rushed forward, leaping over the crowd as balls of fire began to fall, winged demons and creatures pouring out like a storming army.
But it wasn't the Queen she found herself running toward. She grabbed Darsica just as the first fireball hit the ground, sending others flying in all directions.
"Vel! What are you doing?! You're supposed to protect the Queen!" Darsica pleaded, her hooves barely touching the ground as Vel practically carried her alongside.
Just as they both turned their heads to look towards the Centaur Queen, magical red tendrils erupted from the ground, wrapping around each of the Queen's limbs, ripping them all off at once.
Devils swarmed the tribe from all sides, herding them into groups like animals.
"We need to make it to the tree line... if we can get there, we—" Vel began, before a massive creature with eyes and a mouth like the open door of a forge landed in front of them, wielding a weapon larger than both their bodies combined. "Darsica, go. I'll distract him and catch up."
"Vel, I can't! I'm not strong enough, I can't even—" Tears streamed down her cheeks as the reality of the situation set in.
Vel ripped a necklace from around her neck and tossed it to Darsica. It was the one she wore every day—a winged serpent wrapped around a tree.
"My mom gave me that before she died. Said it was made from a fragment of the Timeless Guardian and would protect me always. Hold it tight and run. I'll be there soon, and we'll get to safety with everyone else!"
Darsica nodded just as the creature's weapon slammed between them. Vel rushed forward, driving her spear into one of the creature's muscles, causing it to roar as Darsica ran for the trees and never stopped.
---
"Then what happened next? What did you and Vel do once she got to the trees?" the young human asked, sitting on the floor with a group of other children from the tribe—now a mix of all the races of the plains unified under her rule. "Where did you go? And where is she now? Is she a queen somewhere else?"
Darsica smiled as she returned to the present, having been lost in her story. Some of the children's parents looked a little shocked at the tale's content and how they were going to explain it.
"Well, I have to leave some of the story for next time, don't I?" she said, as the children let out disappointed groans. "Plus, the Shadow Lord is visiting soon, so we need to make sure our decorations and performances are all perfect, right?"
The people began to scatter with the cold night winds as Darsica stared into the fire. She brought her hand up, pulling a necklace from under her shirt, and ran a finger along the winged serpent.
The image of Vel's body on the plains was something she'd never forget. And it was the reason she'd never let herself be weak again.