Post by hayder on Feb 3, 2010 6:26:23 GMT -5
The desert might have seem to be one huge sandy landscape without any borders or boundaries for the outsiders, but the tribes knew exactly where their territories began and ended. The tribe into which Hayder was born was a relatively large one, and it was able to control a rather substantial part of the desert. Naturally, it was still a little piece of the Hadarac, but it was more than most of the other tribes had. It required the warriors of the tribe, who were not hunting, to patrol the area. The more warriors a tribe had, the larger territory it could control, and even though there were smaller tribes neighboring the Hayder's tribe, and they could be relatively easy overthrown, the tribe leader never tried to take a bite of their land. It was much easier to take over someone else's territory than to hold and control it.
All in all, as of late, all sorts of people came to the Hadarac, and owning a territory meant more than having a power. It was about being able to minimize the trouble caused by the slavers and bandits. Even though each of the tribes lead their separate lives for centuries, with the recent attacks on the nomads, a pact has been made. The tribes were supposed to patrol their territories, protecting them from the outsiders, and providing help to the neighboring tribes in case of emergency.
Today it was Hayder's turn to patrol this specific area, and he left the tribe's encampment before the sunrise to be able to spend as much time doing his duties as possible. On a white stallion he rode the dunes and hills of the Hadarac, making a stop once by the concealed well to get a supply of water. The outsiders who passed the desert had trouble locating the sources of water, but the tribes had at least one well on their respective territories. The wells were carefully concealed though, even from the other tribes - because water was scarce and valuable.
The sun was high up in the skies, but the heat was still bearable when Hayder neared the northern border of his tribe's territory. The nomad's outfit allowed him not to worry about the overexposure to the sun, as his body, and most of his head were well covered in cotton. As Hayder ascended one of the sand hills, he stopped his horse. The landscape that was presented before him wasn't variable, but the point at which he was standing allowed him to observe a wide area, and that was what Hayder wanted. There were no signs or fences signifying the end of his tribe's land, and the strong wind changed the pattern of the desert, but Hayder, as all the nomads, had a sixth sense that allowed him to locate himself in the desert. Nomads were never lost, as the sun and the stars were their guides.
Something has attracted Hayder's attention as he scanned the area in silence. There was a movement to the north-west. Hayder could not make out who was riding or walking in his direction, but he was sure there was someone out there. He commanded Ilderim to walk forward toward the traveler and, as the small dot got nearer, Hayder was pretty sure that whoever the stranger was, he was alone. Riding faster towards the person, Hayder had his spear in his hand. He stopped about fifteen meters away from the lone rider, clearly blocking the way. To his utter amusement, Hayder realized that the rider was a woman. Even though the nomad had a spear in his hand, he didn't intend to attack the traveler if he didn't have to. "Why are you here?" - Hayder addressed the woman in the common language, his voice loud and determined. The nomad's accent was obvious as he spoke. He wasn't very proficient with the language the outsiders used, but his guess was that the traveler didn't speak the language of his people, so he didn't have much of a choice in that regard.
All in all, as of late, all sorts of people came to the Hadarac, and owning a territory meant more than having a power. It was about being able to minimize the trouble caused by the slavers and bandits. Even though each of the tribes lead their separate lives for centuries, with the recent attacks on the nomads, a pact has been made. The tribes were supposed to patrol their territories, protecting them from the outsiders, and providing help to the neighboring tribes in case of emergency.
Today it was Hayder's turn to patrol this specific area, and he left the tribe's encampment before the sunrise to be able to spend as much time doing his duties as possible. On a white stallion he rode the dunes and hills of the Hadarac, making a stop once by the concealed well to get a supply of water. The outsiders who passed the desert had trouble locating the sources of water, but the tribes had at least one well on their respective territories. The wells were carefully concealed though, even from the other tribes - because water was scarce and valuable.
The sun was high up in the skies, but the heat was still bearable when Hayder neared the northern border of his tribe's territory. The nomad's outfit allowed him not to worry about the overexposure to the sun, as his body, and most of his head were well covered in cotton. As Hayder ascended one of the sand hills, he stopped his horse. The landscape that was presented before him wasn't variable, but the point at which he was standing allowed him to observe a wide area, and that was what Hayder wanted. There were no signs or fences signifying the end of his tribe's land, and the strong wind changed the pattern of the desert, but Hayder, as all the nomads, had a sixth sense that allowed him to locate himself in the desert. Nomads were never lost, as the sun and the stars were their guides.
Something has attracted Hayder's attention as he scanned the area in silence. There was a movement to the north-west. Hayder could not make out who was riding or walking in his direction, but he was sure there was someone out there. He commanded Ilderim to walk forward toward the traveler and, as the small dot got nearer, Hayder was pretty sure that whoever the stranger was, he was alone. Riding faster towards the person, Hayder had his spear in his hand. He stopped about fifteen meters away from the lone rider, clearly blocking the way. To his utter amusement, Hayder realized that the rider was a woman. Even though the nomad had a spear in his hand, he didn't intend to attack the traveler if he didn't have to. "Why are you here?" - Hayder addressed the woman in the common language, his voice loud and determined. The nomad's accent was obvious as he spoke. He wasn't very proficient with the language the outsiders used, but his guess was that the traveler didn't speak the language of his people, so he didn't have much of a choice in that regard.
