It took a while, and the sun was high in the sky of mid-day when she finally stood back, satisfied with her work. With a nod, she discarded the stick and gestured to you to join her at the first image.
Once there were three kin, each born on the same day and at the same time.
An acha as bright and pure as a morning cloud.
A kimeti as intense and golden as the afternoon sun.
A zikwa as dark and mysterious as the night sky.
Taking up the stick again, she drew a line between each drawn kin.
They were connected by an unseen thread crafted by the Motherfather. Due to this link they quickly found each other as foals and remained inseparable as they grew.
One night they all began to share the same dream: the biggest tree in the middle of the swamp and a watering hole hidden beneath it.
To emphasize the dream, she tapped her hoof near the image 3 times.
Every night, they had this dream. Once they discovered they all saw this, they decided would leave their hollow together and find this tree. It was a long and difficult search, leaving them scratched, bruised, and covered in mud and filth.
When they finally found the tree it was just as massive and majestic as they dreamed with massive roots.
They found the opening and made their way through the maze-like root caves until they found the watering hole.
Tired and relieved that they had made it together they drank and bathed. Once clean, they quickly fell asleep in the safety of the tree and shared another dream.
To help you understand, she laid down herself and curled up to mime their sleep.
From the water a turtle appeared and they knew that this wasn't an ordinary turtle as it spoke,
“Sun rising, Sun High, Sun gone.
Thrice connected, thrice strong.
Once separate, they’ve come together,
Now each will never be without the other.”
When they woke they looked at each other in shock. They were no longer their pure colors! They now had stripes.
At this images she pranced in place, showing the excitement that the kin felt at their new marks.
The acha was given black stripes as well as bright markings to show morning’s mingling with night and touching of day.
The kimeti was given darker stripes, but also cuttings of soft blue to show day’s brush with the soft skies of morning as well as the darkening of evening.
The zikwa had gained white, glowing stripes to show his connection with morning light, but also the glow from the light of day.
The Motherfather had rewarded them for their journey and gave the friends a part of each other that they would never lose.
***All images created by Scaramouche Fandango***