a battle of fate [our plot]

[Befera]

A Battle Of Fate

Autumn Scar used to be a peaceful land, believe it or not. It was inhabited by very calm-natured horses that only dreamed of keeping the land that way. Peaceful and contented. It was never called Autumn Scar back then, however. It's former name is unknown to it's inhabitants because it was so long ago that the land received it's first name. Some elders that visit the ancient Tanlena Temple have caught the sight of some sort of scripture on the temple's inner walls. Maybe this writing was carved in the stone of the temple by the original five spirits of Autumn Scar. Yes, there are five separate rooms in the temple in which the spirits spent their leisure time. The original five spirits took the forms of animals and paraded around the land like they owned it.

As long as any one equine can remember, Autumn Scar has always been governed by some high power. The five spirits were the first. Horses eventually became fed up with spirits pushing them around and following them everywhere they went. One stallion established a group of horses known as the SEF. The Spirit Extermination Force. [xDDD] this group consisted of about 70 stallions and mares alike that hated being controlled by a bunch of spirits. They watched them for years studying their movements and watching for any weaknesses. The spirits started getting suspicious when a large rock was toppled over on of the less-powerful spirits, causing minor injury.

The head spirit, who took the form of a cougar, called a meeting of all Autumn Scar's inhabitants. The SEF knew that the spirits had become suspicious ofd the horses trying to rebel against them. It was quite obvious seeing as the cougar spirit had an expression on his face that shot fiery terror into every equine's heart. Surprisingly, this meeting had nothing to do with suspicion. It seemed that the spirits were getting quite bored of this land and decided they would depart in peace. No one knew why, really. The spirits never gave an answer. The horses remained silent about this matter until the five original spirits departed the next morning. This was in the spring.

The summer of that year was a glorious one. Peace spread throughout and Autumn Scar was thriving. Everything seemed to be just perfect until the, not spirit, but the god, 'Vornak' [vohr-nahk] came quite suddenly to Autumn Scar. This was the beginning of their troubles. Vornak took the grotesque shape of a giant spider. Vornak's fuzz-like pelt was the color of dried fecal matter that had become infested with maggots [pretty much brown with whitish spots i guess]. His eyes were hypnotizing and his legs were strong enough to penetrate six-foot deep holes in the ground. This god was power hungry and blood thirsty and this could be plainly seen by his expression. He was the first to ever turn the horses against each other for his own amusement.

He told lies and spread rumors about others and soon enough there were two distinct groups of horses battling against each other. And yet, some horses actually trusted him. It was amazing to think that this land used to be in peace when the battles against one's own kin were so brutal. Vornak would steal foals from one herd and blame the other. He would then place the dead foal's corpse in the opposing herd's land to frame them for his own crime. He too lived in the Tanlena Temple like the original five did. He had problems fitting into some of the rooms but eventually found one that suited him. He would oftentimes watch battles from atop the temple roof, cackling quietly under his breath. What was truly sad was that the horses never knew that it was really Vornak that had destroyed their peace and serenity.

Years of fighting went by until one Autumn evening when yet another god stumbled upon the land. His cursing was unknown but most called him 'Savion' [sah-vee-yon]. He took the form of a golden-hued dragon-like being. He was nicknamed Savion because he was the one thing that caused the fighting to stop for a time. His nickname was chosen by elders that related the name with the word 'savior'. His voice was soft and calming and it rang like the perfect wind chime in the horse's heads. Savion told them that there was no need to fight and that it would only take a minute of calm discussion to resolve everything that has happened and that everything would be okay.

Vornak became very displeased with this new god on his stomping grounds and soon enough they began to battle. This huge battle was scheduled to be in the current battle grounds of Autumn Scar called 'Caleanc Ravine'. The leaves tossed about in their mysterious way as the two gods took their positions. Vornak was sure he would win and got his poisonous venom ready to excrete from his yellow fangs. Savion conserved his energy and rested for the few minutes before battle. Horses gathered around the outer rim of the ravine and looked down into it with excitement and fear as the battle began.

Vornak vs. Savion ended no where near as quickly as the still rivaling horses thought. It dragged on for weeks. The two gods loosing energy with each passing day. It was strange though.. that as long as the battle continued, not one more leaf fell from the colorful autumn trees. Not one piece of grass died or grew. Autumn seemed to be lasting longer than it should have. Walking paths in forests were covered with pulverized leaves and no new ones fell on top of them. The horses began to feel quite fearful of this strange phenomena. Not long after the horses began to notice that autumn was way longer than it should have been, the battle had begun it's last leg.

The horses once again gathered on the ridges of the ravine and watched as the two gods delivered their final blows. The spider, Vornak was tired and weary whilst the dragon, Savion seemed to show no signs of tiredness. The final blow from both gods was extraordinary. The battle ended with a flash of light and a sound like a million hooves striking the side of a rock wall. One crash was heard. Then another. After the dust cleared from the area, the horses looked down into the ravine to see Vornak and Savion.. both dead. Minutes later, the two bodies seemed to melt like butter into the ground. Flesh and bone alike.

The days wore on but there was no change in the season. Winter never came. The temperatures changed somewhat but as far as any equine knows, another autumn-hued leaf never fell naturally from the trees again. This is when Autumn Scar was actually named Autumn Scar. Obviously by the elders who seemed to have never ending luck with names. The alliances that Vornak established among the horses still continued to wage war against each other. The Score gradually became more evil by the years and the Luce were always more peaceful and kind with each passing day.

The battle and deaths of the gods forbid the horses from ever knowing the truth of why they are still fighting today. Regardless, the war continues under the shade of the autumn trees or atop the blanket of crushed leaves on the sod or in the crisp autumn air. Today the battles are over land, herds, mares, foals and just because the hatred set up by the evil god Vornak has left a neverfading scar on the hearts of the horses. Will the hatred ever end? Is there some way to find out the truth without traveling back in time? Is there still hope for peace in this scarred land? This is Autumn Scar.