You all know this rhyme, for the children sing it while picking apples from the orchard and I know you were all children once.
Dance left, dance right
Seek the rabbit in the light
Dash, dash, run, run
Down to where Quick Rabbit runs (2)
Hunt left, hunt right
Find his prints, mark his bite
Dash, dash, run, run
Follow the trail beneath the sun
Search left, search right
Peer in holes without fright
Run, run, dash, dash
When he runs, run just as fast
Jump left, jump right
Catch him there, hold him tight
Run, run, dash, dash
Tie him to your sturdy sash
Hop left, hop right
Come on back before the Night
Many times have you heard this rhyme, but how many of you know why you must seek the Quick Rabbit in the light? Many times have the children followed the trail in the Sacred Dance (3), but how many of you know why you must return before the night?
I tell you this because there was a time when in my own grandfather's day when the village did not know. This was in the Year of a Thousand Rabbits (4), the year the village first honored Quick Rabbit with the choicest greens and said the first prayers over the slain rabbits. Quick Rabbit was pleased and told the Keepers how to honor him upon the Day of Ralaska during the Sacred Dance.
My grandfather was one of the ten children chosen to seek for Quick Rabbit. But they did not know better yet, so they did not start the hunt until Yelem had left his throne. The ten children set off to find Quick Rabbit. Each of them carried a special tool, just as they still do. My grandfather carried the Hawk Feather for far sight and quick movement. Others carried the Tasty Greens and the Five-star Clover, the Foot of Yurmalio and the Wolf Tooth, the Holding Knot and the Binding Sash. (5)
They all ran into the Quick Rabbit Run and scattered so they could cover
the most ground. They looked by the Old Willow and atop the Giant's Toe
(6). They searched the creek bed and the Mossy Slope (7). They found
quail and cardinal, squirrel and mouse. But they couldn't find the
Quick Rabbit.
At last my grandfather, standing still and waving the Hawk Feather, saw Quick Rabbit dash from his den. He ran after Quick Rabbit and shouted for the others to come. They did, dashing first left and then right, until at last Quick Rabbit tired. They lured him close with the Tasty Greens and the Five-Star Clover and caught him with the Holding Knot.
It was late then and Yelem was at the Gates of Dusk. When they tied Quick Rabbit to the Binding Sash, Quick Rabbit looked up and spoke. "Too late, too late!" he cried. "The sun is down, the wood folk prowl."
This, of course, scared the children, including my grandfather and they all ran. Now, though, the Emperor of the Night and his minions were about. And with them walked Long Willow (8), angry that the village abandoned him for Quick Rabbit.
Shadows rose up before the children, turning them from their way home. Wind dogs howled amongst the trees to mark the paths the children took. Behind them came the Night Hunters, cloaked in darkness and carrying whips of knotted flesh. (9)
When the children ran down paths, Long Willow seized them in his branches and through them aside. When the children ran to the creek banks, Long Willow lifted his roots to trip them up. When the children screamed, Long Willow masked their cries with his mocking laughter.
Soon the children, including my grandfather, found themselves upon Ash Knoll, surrounded by the minions of the Emperor of the Night. The evil dark things giggled and tittered, anxious for a taste of the children. Changelings walked forth to mark the children they would steal away.
Then a hush fell upon the dark assembly and the shadows parted as a
throne was carried forth. Upon that throne sat the Emperor of the Night
(10) himself and he was blacker than the night, blacker than the
blackest shadow. Even Long Willow trembled and bowed at his passing.
The children cried and wailed at their fate.
Alas, poor little Hudor (11) tried to run from there. His wails can still be heard upon Ash Knoll on the darkest nights as he struggles to break free from the clinging shadows. The others, though they stood their ground, would have suffered similar fates, too, and woe betide our village should that have happened.
But Piritin (12) was ever a wily man and you know his blood passed on to Belhar the Elder (13). He, though despised by all the village men, was the only man to make his way round shadows and through grasping trees to come to Ash Knoll.
And when he reached it, he took a stand between the Emperor of the Night
and the children.
Piritin asked for a boon. The Emperor denied it. Piritin asked for justice. The Emperor just laughed and ignored it. Piritin asked for a wager. The Emperor smiled and accepted it, for he ruled over Luck and knew he could not lose.
Piritin bet that only he, of all assembled, could catch Quick Rabbit that night. The Emperor agreed. But when the Emperor made to take Quick Rabbit from the children and bind them, Piritin held up his hand.
"You agreed that all assembled should try to catch Quick Rabbit. The children are assembled, therefore they should also try to catch him."
The Emperor agreed that this was so. When Piritin came to the child carrying Quick Rabbit, he told all of them to dash for the village as soon as all others started after Quick Rabbit.
Piritin turned back to the Emperor with Quick Rabbit in hand. "See, I have already caught Quick Rabbit. Now lets see if you can catch him." With that Piritin released Quick Rabbit and Quick Rabbit started with a great dash and jump, right over the assembled shadows. The assembly dashed after, all except the children, who ran for the village as fast as they could.
Piritin, though, followed the trail of Quick Rabbit. When Long Willow was about to catch Quick Rabbit, Piritin called out to Long Willow. Long Willow turned just so, and Piritin looked him square in the eye. Long Willow's branches caught in his roots and came tumbling down right into the creek and could not right himself.
When the Wind Dogs were about to catch Quick Rabbit, Piritin called out to the lead dog. The leader of the Wind Dogs turned just so, and Piritin looked him square in the eye. The leader of the Wind Dogs stumbled and all the other Wind Dogs crashed into the leader and they could not free themselves.
When the Night Hunters were about to catch Quick Rabbit, Piritin called out to the Night Hunters. The Night Hunters turned just so, and Piritin looked at them sqaure in the eyes. The Night Hunters cloak's caught in the shadowy branches. When they raised their whips, their whips caught too and they could not go on without their whips and cloaks.
When the Emperor of the Night was about to catch Quick Rabbit, Piritin called out to the Emperor. The Emperor refused to turn his head though or look Piritin in the eye. So Piritin flung a jagged rock as hard as he could and hit the Emperor square in the back of the head, knocking him right out.
Now only Piritin was left to run after Quick Rabbit. And he called out to the Quick Rabbit and the Quick Rabbit turned just so. Piritin looked him square in the eye, too, and Quick Rabbit caught his foot in a hole in the ground. Piritin came up, pulled Quick Rabbit out and carried him back to the village.
Thus was Quick Rabbit first honored in Moonpost, but never again did the children wait to go hunting Quick Rabbit, and they always make sure they get back before sunset, lest they be caught by the Emperor of the Night and his minions or hear the sad wailings of poor little Hudor.
Notes:
(1) a village in the Southlands of Imther
(2) Quick Rabbit is the current fireseason spirit for the village
(3) Sacred Dance = Sacred Time
(4) Year of a Thousand Rabbits - supposedly 1000 rabbits were caught by
villagers that year, apparently a higher amount than before.
(5) Hawk Feather, etc. - these are items charged with magical
significance during Sacred Time. It is not clear whether these were
spell matrices or not.
(6) Giant's Toe - a rocky outcrop in the Quick Rabbit Run
(7) Mossy Slope - a rocky slope covered by a bright green and shaggy
moss. This is sometimes called the Giant's Beard.
(8) Long Willow was the fireseason spirit for the village before Quick
Rabbit. Ousted spirits often try to exact vengeance against the
villagers that have abandoned them.
(9) Wind Dogs and Night Hunters - spirits of darkness that can only
easily manifest during Darkseason or Sacred Time nights. They are
usually restricted to certain locations such as the Quick Rabbit Run.
(10) The Emperor of the Night is an arbitrary god, the ruler of the
underworld by day and the surface world by night. He receives no
worship, but is known to manifest occasionally in Sacred Time. Yelem
spends much effort righting the wrongs created by the Emperor.
(11) one of the village children
(12) Piritin was the village trickster at the time, probably a
worshipper of Yurmalio, a wily god who often steals the luck of others.
(13) Belhar the Elder was a more recent villager who won a farm from his
brother in a famous dice match.
End of Glorantha Digest V1 #255
WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html
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