OOC: Parts one and two of my story for this turn, hopefullly it gives you a basic idea of the area and people... Many thanks to Contempt for helping me with proofreading/correcting this.
The day dawned beautiful this fall evening, the sun rising over the crest of the bluff overlooking the wadi, spilling over the edge to cast a beam of brilliance down upon the undulating waters. The night faded quickly, and Juba stood up, knowing that soon he would have to rejoin the rest of the tribe in the encampment.
The plains grass rippled beneath his touch as he ran his hand over the tops of the thousands of stalks. The grass stretched on for miles, thousands of miles, the sea of limitless prairie, unbroken except by the occasional hill or mountain range. He could stare at the horizon for hours and see nothing but grass, it enveloped him, it engulfed him. He knew the prairie, like the back of his hand, he knew the hills, the rivers, the watering holes.
He took a deep breath of the soft, smooth morning air. It was sweet with the smell of the grass, pure and unadulterated. The slightest movement of the grass at his waist made him turn his head a second earlier than most others would. A soft rumbling noise emanated from the plains, the hooves of a thousand antelope pouring across like a tidal wave of life. The rumbling growing louder, he smiled.
The antelope signaled that there would be plenty of food tonight. But this food ran. And to catch that food... Meant he had to run himself. No sense in going it alone, though. He jogged the short distance through the grass to the encampment. An elder caught him by the arm. Why are you running?
The antelope come, elder. Surely there can be plenty of food for us all. But we must hurry.
The elder gave a curt nod, and hurried off to find the others. He sprinted to his tent and grabbed his bow. If they were going, well, he wasnt going to stay behind, he thought. They were his antelopes. He had found them.
The men merely glanced at him when he came with them. He wasnt so far from coming of age. He nearly trembled with excitement. He would go on his first real hunt. He had dreamed of this. They quickly covered the distance to the wadi. It would not be long until they circled around the herd and trapped them at the watering hole... He gripped the bow tight in his hands, nocked the arrow...
...
And loosed it. He smiled as it flew straight and true, plunging its tip into the leg of the warrior of Do Dimmi. The man let out a cry and fell on the ground, writhing. He would not be able to fight now, and the twenty-three year old Juba ran up and kicked the man in the temple to knock him unconscious. No need to kill in such a simple raid.
He ran further, fitting another arrow to the bowstring, and ran further into the city. The people were huddled with fear, but he did not worry about them. He ran with his comrades to the central square of the city, to the largest building, obviously the chiefs hut. Inside it was a perfect pile of gold, ready for the taking. Gold wasnt necessarily so useful, but the northerners did like it so. He took a bunch and stuffed it hastily into his sack, slung that over his back, and put the bow there, too. He grabbed a stick to use as a club, and began a heavy run out of the city.
It was a good raid, yes, and he would be glad to make it back home. The rest of his party went with him, whooping and exulting as they ran. Just to see the look on his wifes face when he brought back his gold for her made him run all the harder. Suddenly, he tripped.
Or rather, was tripped.
A woman screamed at him, presumably the one who tripped him, and she began to attack him with a club. He desperately fended off her attacks on his back. He could hold her off... And then some more of them came up.
Im going to die here, he thought... Im going to die...
His vision blackening, he saw one of the other men run up to fend them off. He heard as if from far away, well get you out of here, Juba, well get you out...
Oh, his back. His aching back...
