Welcome to Gaia! ::

Username: SwordOfTheDarkOnes
Stallions Name: Wayra - means "wind" in Quechua.
His Story: Three bands, one circle and the handprint of his last rider marked him as a War Horse for the Tribe. His age and experience earned him the title “War Chief”. The stallion settled down as a old woman gathered children around her to tell his tale. He flicked his gaze to them only once, a small smirk as he knew what the old woman was going to say.

“You children see the War Chief over yonder?” the withered woman asked, several of the children nodded as one sole child watched the stallion, “Shall Granny tell you his story?”

Chorus' of “please!” and “tell us!” were her answer. With a wheezed chuckled she waved her hands over the fire-pit which they all were sitting around. The child looked back to the elder, their mismatched eyes glittering with the fire's glow.

The Old Woman started her tale....

The young colt was raised by a proud warrior father and healer mother, he was taught many things throughout his life. The most important of these was the value of honor and trust in his rider. When he was old enough for a rider the young stallion met a human of equal morals. The young male instantly bonded with the stallion the two becoming fast friends. He earned his circle during a simple hunt, one which would of ended in tragedy. A rival hutnsmen to his rider had taken aim at the youth upon the stallions back. The stallion saw the glint of the arrow and made a quick turn letting out a whinny as the arrow tip grazed his flanks. Once he had gotten his rider out of danger, the youth leaped to the ground to stop the bleeding. The two exchanged a look and knew then; they were brothers.

It wasn't until his first war that the stallion got his circle and first band. The war was between their tribe and the tribe of the rival who nearly shot his brother off his back. The stallion worked hard spotted things his human companions missed and nearly lost his balance a few times, but they won in the end. His brother was proud as the elder marked the stallion with his first band and then with his circle for his sight to dodge.

His second war came a few years after his first, the stallion merely earned his second band from it. As well as more experience on the battlefield. His acute vision was something the Tribe was starting to praise him for. His brother merely praised him for being family. His last war was when he got the hand-print. His brother placed it over the small scar the stallion earned from their first encounter with the rival. That war was one the stallion would never forget. His brother was struck by a arrow from behind. The stallion will never forget the male's last moments on the battlefield, he never left his side.

The old woman looked around at the children, most were tearful a few crying outright. The stallion was a war vetern, the war horse of the late son of the current village chief. The child with mismatched eyes got up. The elder watched as the child walked over to the stallion. The large male looked down at the child with a indifferent look. The child was the only son of the stallion's brother, the child his brother left behind. The small being crawled carefully into the area in between the stallion's front legs. Relaxing back against the broad chest, the stallion lowered his head to nuzzle the child's cheek. Memorizing the child's scent...mentally taking note that it was similar to his brother's.

Username: krusnik05
Name & Meaning: Helushka: Meaning Native American Winnebago name meaning “fighter”
Entry:
Far off into the past of this story begins in the great open plains where a thriving tribe lives as masters of their home lands. They were also well known as horse riders and traders who were often sought out amongst their allies and even outsiders for the best horses. They, the tribe of Manche, placed a great value on their mounts to the point that they were treated as closely as any blood relative. So much so that it was considered a greater crime for anyone to harm a horse among the tribe and outside of the tribe holding to the high values and importance they were to all of them. To break this was to receive exile or death depending on the circumstances of the harm to their proclaimed animal spirit. That of course is the connection to the story of Helushka and his rider Sik’is.

Helushka was born during a fierce storm inside a round teepee style home. It was a difficult birth for his mother to bear considering the stress of a potential flooding if the heavy rains continued that she and the others of the tribe could be caught up in if they didn’t take the chance to move to higher ground but also from her unnaturally large girth she had carried to full term. Everyone thought that she was going to give birth to twin foals both of whom would be colts at least that was what the medicine man had predicted. That was quite fortunate for the man who owned the mare. The sire of Heluskha was renowned for his strength, handsomeness and usefulness within the tribe as the chief’s mount. The idea of two colts born to the tribe was considered a blessing as one of those colts would be chosen as the mount for the tribe’s chief son, Sik’is.

Minutes turned into hours as the storm continued its violence outside that muffled the mare’s birth scream. It also muffled that of the man’s roar of grief and anger. Indeed twins had been born but only one survived and that one that survived was so weak and small, that the man didn’t believe it was going to survive the rest of the night. In his heightened emotional state, the man went to the colt that lived intending to put him out of his misery to not suffer but it was not a call for him to make, as his wife stopped him and ordered their sons to get the chief, Sik’is and the healer. All the important figures came rushing in during the struggle between the spouses. The chief stopped the man and ordered him to stand away. The healer came to check on the mare giving her a liquid herb and proclaiming that she will survive and recover from this….as for the colts. The deceased twin was wrapped with loving care for a burial while the other colt was deemed too weak to survive. Sik’is looked at the colt with dark brown mane and tail, sabino markings…..The weak colt’s eyes opened to show grey eyes and a fighting spirit.

Stepping up, the future chief of the tribe commanded that he keep the colt to care for. He wanted him and felt that not giving the colt a true chance at life was just as bad as taking that life away. The Great Spirit had spoken in taking the life of the twin because it wasn’t that little one’s time to be born and they were fortunate that the mother’s own life wasn’t forfeited either. They should count their blessings but also they should consider this a sign. At least Sik’is considered it so. From there Sik’is took care of his colt by hand taking milk from the mother until he was able to wean him seeing that his colt, named Heluskha meaning fighter, because this colt was a fighter to keep his life, Heluskha grew up into a worthy steed for himself.

Heluskha was very handsome but had a kind humble heart that meshed well with the change that would come over him and his rider. It would be adventures that these two would go through that developed their bond as horse and rider but also beyond. It was the first adventure that earned his status as future chief’s steed to war horse with the impending war against a band of outsiders wanting to raid and take their lands. Such things were not going to be given without a fight to the death. Heluskha and Sik’is rode into battle fiercely both fighting; Sik’is with his tomahawk, bow and arrows while Heluskha literally used his hooves, kicks and bites to assist his rider. It was there that they became true warriors in scaring off outsiders to protect their tribe. It was also the moment where Heluskha would earn another war paint around his eye for the acute vision when he pushed his rider out of the way from an impending hit with a bullet that narrowly missed his own chest in the same space of time.

When the second stripe was earned it was this time a war against their neighboring enemies, the Foolechue tribe. They were a violent and war raiding tribe that wanted the same prosperity that the Manche had, that included wanting their horses and women. That of course would be absolutely wrong for this enemy tribe to do as whispers of Heluskha and Sik’is part of the war party made the warring tribe eager to do battle but they were too confident to go up against a seasoned pair.

Sometime later, roughly two years after those battles there was a period of peace. It was so peaceful that Sik’is became chief after proving himself worthy through a series of tests with Helushka and agreed to be betrothed to neighboring chief’s daughter to merge their tribes stronger. It would have come to pass that Sik’is future wife would have come to his tribe to live if it were not for the Foolechue warriors kidnapping her away and holding her hostage.

That is where Heluskha earned his upside down hand print and third stripe. This was a fight that could end their lives or they will come back with his future wife to forever banish the Foolechue from the neighboring lands for their troublesome ways. Yet with the war chief’s together they were able to conquer the forces that had been weakened two years prior. This was accomplished because the other allied tribes came together in such a great war that the Foolechue surrendered the princess to Sik’is and were truly driven from the lands that were then divided up equally by the allies. Helushka with his rider were praised for their leadership in this latest battle and will no doubt look forward to continuing the peace in their land. Even the feathers in his mane and tail were gifts from Sik’is promised wife as a thank you for helping to save her as well as a gift to want him to look his very best for the future wedding.


(.............I think I wrote too much. Sry!!!! *goes to corner*)

Oh look, a winrar and a pony. biggrin