The Academy: a song as old as time;

Unity --
They stood united: hand in hand - held tight in hope and trust and blind faith - and there was no difference among them. Not even in the color of their skins for they embraced unity and equality and individuality.

To the gods; they built temples.
To unity; they built nations upon nations.
The foundations of neither were capable of crumbling until it came.

It fell out of the sky.
It caused an uproar as it soared through the air and slammed into the earth.
That was when the first of the temples fell and after, all the nations and unity laid broken in the timbers and ancient stone of houses of knowledge and religion.

They - to horses - are stranger creatures. They stood upright - on two legs and had strange appendages that hung from their torsos that compelled and charmed birds to their fingers and ants to their palms. They were magicians - masters - tamers - and secretly, beasts. They were man and they were woman, and they had built these temples and these nations and in the time of the fallen star (molten rock and ice that smoked and slumbered in its cradle of earth), they began to forget these things - to master the animals and most of all, each other.

Unity was shattered. Equality forgotten. War sprang up and devastation ran rampant amongst the people. They slaughtered one another - they slaughtered themselves in the name of the fallen star that shot across their night, brilliantly blazing. Their quest for its precious star-metal became their religion and to the rock that cooled and steamed and hissed through their dreams, they knelt in prayer amongst temples laid to ruin.

Eventually, the star-stone was excavated - drudged up - moved - stolen - hacked, hewn, and melted until it became less of itself and eventually, it became the shards that found the flesh of horses in the four corners of this place. As for this land that once grew green and beautiful… it turned to dust and the temple fell further to ruin - to wild creeping vine and bird’s nest.

But time (and the elements - beautiful, savage elements) passed its hands over this earth and made it green again. The flower opened to the sun and spread its scent across the land. The sun chased the shadows from the corners of the temple and cast forth first light into an old darkness and the stain of memories - dry red, as rust, as death - began to fade from the stone until it shone after storms and snows and became fresh in its ruin. What was destroyed found new purpose for the horses that came here.

First, they were wild and had no voice - no humanity to themselves. They were wild souls, undiscovered countries trapped within their skins that moved and shook and had no purpose but to breed and survive and ensure that the Horse stood first against the dawn of time and earth and end. But they gained voices - gained humanity - built nations - made war, and love too. And they rediscovered this place because old magics deep in the earth had lent to them their voices - their selves - their humanity and forever after, they felt a strange attraction to this place of peace and power and knowledge.

Ever after; this land and its ruined temple became the beacon of hope and faith and wisdom for those that set foot upon the scholar’s path. It became their haven - their stronghold - their heart, for they never felt calmer and wiser than they did in the shadow of this temple or the sun lining old paths that led to it. It was not that they chose this place but that this place chose them - it beckoned, it sang beneath their feet, and when the first horse touched hoof to ancient stone, something awakened in them both - Life, and ever after, the scholars came here as if to a second womb to be born again - as students, as teachers, forever each and both.

***

Did you enjoy the dream?

It calls to him in a matter of minds - of spirits merging.
He stirs, waking at once and still asleep at the same time.

There is a spirit - a shape - a mist recognized that swims before his gaze as if risen from the sea that he has left behind to sleep here, in the temple’s shadow. It is the shape of a strange creature though he recognizes it and calls it by its name in the old tongue - “Oomingmak - the Bearded One.”

The creature - spirit - totem - animal - his - inclines its horned and shaggy head to him. There seems to be a hint of laughter in its eyes. Yes, it says to him in spirit-speak and the stallion smiles. Do you know why I have come to you as thus? As a dream? the stallion nods - he understands, this is his quest to become a seer and to find the totem spirit that will guide him.

In his sleep - his waking - his dream - he shakes with laughter that booms like thunder from his mouth. (It is all a dream after all - for now.) A musk ox, of all the creatures to come to me, a musk ox. He is beside himself with amusement as the small, hairy beast lowers its head and glowers at him. The stallion is quick to apologize, “I meant no disrespect Oomingmak. It is merely that I expected something other than…” his swallows the thought - the word on his tongue that holds the weight of stone to it. Me? says the musk ox for him and then it too, laughs.

You get what you get, he says and vanishes, galloping back into the stallion’s dream and when the stallion wakes…

ap. Kemush
Lighting III