Pegasus Herds

Erdas; home to the Herds: the Dawn of Time

Erdas, home to the ten Kingdoms of the Pegasus.
THUNDER, MUD, WIND, SKY, RAIN, SAND, SEA, ICE, NIGHT, AND STAR:
THE HERDS
The story of the beginning of the pegasus Herds has been passed down by pegasus of all Herds, from elder to warrior, from warrior to apprentice, from dam to foal. The story is never the same twice, and parts grow uncertain, or they become clear in the telling. There are some pegasi who walk dimly, their names and deeds lost in the sweet fog of the Herd's territories, the pegasus Herds have roamed the forest for years beyond counting . . .
Many years ago, the forests was a wildness, untamed by territories. In the north layed the wild snowlands, in the northwest layed windy slopes and mountains, in the northwest layed the sea, islands, and beaches, in the northeast layed sweeping meadows and moorlands, in the east layed yellow-grass slopes, sand, and fields, in the west layed swamplands and marshes, in the southwest layed the dense woodlands, in the southeast layed the shadowed volcanos and night time forests, and in the southwest layed the rainforests.
Pegasi came into the land. They were drawn by the beauty of the land, shadows under water, and the sudden commotion of birds' wings in the trees. These were not were not warrior pegasi. They lived in small groups, not yet Herds. There were no borders set down. They fought constantly, fearful that food might run out and that their overlapping territories were being threatened. It was a lawless, bloody time for the land, and many pegasi died.
One night, when the moon is at her fullest, the Pegasi agreed to meet at a clearing in the forest surrounded by nine great oak trees. They argued over stolen food and lack of land. Hooves flashed; challenging and powerful horse-screams rang across the forest, the sea, and the sky. A terrible battle followed, and soon the land and sea was wet with spilled blood.
Many pegasi died that night. Exhausted by their battle and their wounds, the survivors slept where they had fought. When they woke up they were bathed in moonlight. All around them they saw the spirits of their slain kin, but no longer torn and bloodied but shinning like fallen stars. They looked up at the spirits with moonlit reflected eyes, as the spirits spoke, they saw terrible visions of the future. They saw the forest drowned in blood, their foals, animals, birds, and human children stalked by death at every step. They knew that the fighting had to stop.
"Unite or die."said the spirits.
Among from the living Pegasi, a black mare with silver on the underside of her wings and dark blue eyes was first to speak. She rose from the ground on stiff, battle-wearied legs. "My name is Night," she neighed. "How should we unite without a queen or king? I can fly in the depths of the darkest night. Let Night rule the forest!"
"And you will lead into darkness too!" nickered a silver-blue stallion with blue eyes that are shiny as ice and blood-stained sapphire blue on the underside of his wings. "I am Ice! I travel through blizzards and snowlands, with the Northern Lights to guide me! It is Ice, not Night, who should unite the land!"
"That will also lead us into darkness too!" whinned a sea-blue mare with blue eyes that are deep as the sea itself. "I am Sea! I move through the sea waves that leads me through the forest along secret paths and hidden places. It should be Sea, who shall unite the land!"
"The land is more than Sea, Ice, and Night," nickered a wiry brown mare with blazing amber eyes and huge wings. "Wind alone reaches its distant corners. I am fast as the wind that blows from the high moors. I should be the ruler."
"The land is not just Sea, Ice, Night, and Wind." neighed a amber mare with golden-yellow eyes and huger wings. "Sky alone reaches to high distance above the clouds and to the sun, the moon, and the stars! I can fly mountains through any blizzard. Let Sky rule the land!"
"The land is not just Sky, Sea, Ice, and Night!" nickered a tall, rainy-blue stallion with bright green eyes and narrowed-agile wings. "I am Rain, the land needs rain for water! I can fly in and out of trees and I hear the sounds of rainforest! It should be Rain, who shall lead the land!"
"Nonsense! It doesn't take Rain, Wind, Sky, Sea, Ice, or Night to rule the forest!" neighed a tawny golden mare with green-gray eyes. "I am Sand! Sand can leave out open spaces with plenty places to fly! I can feel the shifting dunes underhoof and I can fly with sandstorms behind me! It should be Sand, who shall lead the land!"
"Then we won't be able to survive without the water we need!" nickered a large fiery orange stallion with burning amber eyes, golden hooves, and narrowed-agile wings. "I am Thunder! I can fly through thunderstorms! I can fly faster before the first lightning strike and I can fly ahead of wildfires! It should be Thunder, who shall lead the land!"
"That won't be good enough!" neighed a large brown stallion with golden-amber under feathers, hooves, and burning golden eyes. "What good is any of that compared to my strength and skill at tracking? If any Pegasi was born to rule, it is I."
A furious neigh broke out under the nine great oaks, watched in silence by the spirit-pegasi. Dark clouds suddenly blew away from the moon and the sky brightened blue with parting white clouds, they saw a white stallion with huge wings and burning eyes and the living Pegasi trembled in fear. On the top of a high waterfall was Pegasus. He was here! His fur was shining pure white like the white moon. His eyes flashed angrily at the Pegasi on the ground.
"You are all foolish as chickens!" neighed Pegasus. "Can't you think beyond yourselves for one moment? Think of your foals!"
The nine Pegasi — Night, Ice, Sea, Sky, Wind, Rain, Sand, Thunder, and Mud — looked up at the stallion, but none of them spoke.
"The land is big enough for all of you, your family, and many more," he neighed. "You must find other Pegasi like you, choose a home in the land, and set down territories."
"We will watch from the Silverpelt." said a tan and white mare with green eyes named Eura, and she lifted her eyes to the crowded path of stars that swept across the night sky. "We will visit you in your dreams and guide you on your journeys."
"Once a month," nickered a sky-blue stallion with sky-blue eyes and sapphire-blue and silver-blue mane and tail, his name is Oceanus. "At the full moon, you will gather here together, between the nine great oak trees, for a night of truce. You will see us above in the Silverpelt and know we are watching. And if blood is spilled on those nights, you will know we are angry."
"You shall be Herds!" neighed a chestnut black mare with golden-green eyes, her name is Nilo. "From now on, you will live by a Herd's Code and a Warrior's Code. Your hearts will be filled with courage and nobility, and if you must fight, it will be not for greed, but for honor and justice."
There was a long silence. Finally Thunder nodded his broad orange-gold head. "That is wise advise. I believe we can choose our territories and lay down borders fairly, in peace."
One by one, the other Pegasi murmured their agreement. Then they returned to their homes and sought out other Pegasi like themselves, with similar strengths and abilities. Sea found Pegasi willing to swim and live on beaches. Night gathered nighttime fliers with clever minds and sharp hooves. Thunder found Pegasi who could track through the thickest undergrowth. Wind came to the fastest runners and fliers and Pegasi who loved open moors. Ice gathered Pegasi who loved flying through cold temperatures and bright light. Mud found Pegasi who doesn't mind getting covered in mud now and then. Rain found Pegasi who loved flying through jungle trees and listen to the rainforest sounds. Sand gathered up Pegasi who loved flying in hot temperatures and make ancient buildings such as pyramids and pillars. Sky gathered Pegasi who loved flying above the clouds and likes living on mountains. Then they divided the land so each Herd had enough food, water, stampeding and flying grounds to survive, and all the Pegasi could live in safety. When the leaders returned to the nine great oaks for the night of the full-moon truce, and as secretly promised their starry ancestors gave the leaders nine more lives, as they promised.
There was not always peace between the Herds, but that was to be expected — Pegasi are born with wings, hooves, and teeth for a reason.
Still, as long as they lived by Herd Code, their fallen ancestors would watch over them and guide them through their lives.
And so the age of the warrior Herds began.