InsaneJournal

Herder in the night

When you lose something, you can ask for the Herder to bring it back.

He was once but a slave in the stables of his master, a fat, gluttonous man with a golden mustache. This master of his was a man greedy and detestable, so greedy that not a single cup of water he would offer to a dying wanderer; and his money he would so tightly hold that, despite the vast crops and the flock of chocobos he possessed, and despite the many fine dishes and silver and the ornaments of gold and skins he held in his home, only his own son was welcome in his dining room. The neighborhood and city folk disliked being invited on his parties, for it was said he’d cut up a scrawny ox and offer hard rice and grain with cheap wine, all the time lamenting as if it were his own flesh and blood he was offering for food.

The one other living creature he loved apart from his son was a golden chocobo he possessed; it was his pride and joy, and had won him much gold and fame in racing fields. The slave herder had raised it from birth, and as such was his favorite human, above the master or his son, and for that reason alone the young herder was given food and a name, that meant “Cloud”. He had no father or mother and no adult to look after him, but he believed to be a child of Ifalna, the spirit of the land, mother of all those who had none.

One day, his greedy master and a neighbor crossed paths and beliefs and raised their voices against each other. The greedy master believed the prize for a race should belong to the owner of the winning chocobo; his neighbor, who was an upright engineer from the city with new ideas, believed it should belong to those poor and in need. Their arguing brought many opinions from the people; some believed the greedy master was right, others stood behind the engineer, most of those being the poor folk; and the poor folk were so numerous that the rich and greedy farmers found they were floundering for an argument. And so the people went to old and wise Bugenhagen, asking for a decision.

“Race your chocobos,” said the old man to the greedy master and the engineer. “The winner will be the right one!”

And so they set a race between the master’s golden and the engineer’s black, and the bets started; the golden was so legendary it was said its claws could not be seen touching the ground, but it was said that the black could run like shadows in front of light.

And so the son went to the master and swore to win the race through deceit, if he were given half the prize; but the greedy master had other plans.

“The engineer is too smart to be deceived; but our golden loves the herder, and if the herder mounts, it’ll run the fastest.”

And so the master went to Cloud and said. “Win me the race tomorrow, or I’ll have you whipped till you die from it!”

Came the racing day, and Cloud lit a candle by Ifalna’s altar, asking for protection. The field was filled with the rich and poor folk, and they screamed their encouragement and threats at the runners. And so it came to be that Cloud was at the start, sat on the back of his golden, and by his side there was a black, with a black-haired rider; and both said their prayers.

“Please win this race, or master will kill me!” plead Cloud to his golden.

And then they started; and from the start it was impossible to tell who was best. “It’s a draw, it’s a draw!” screamed the folk; but the owners still held their hope.

Every curve one gained was short-lived; they ran shoulder to shoulder and beak to beak. And then came the last stretch, and the black-haired rider leaned down to the black-feathered chocobo and said:

“Please win this race, so we can feed the poor!”

And poor Cloud’s heart sank to the ground; his chocobo reared back and shook its wings, and refused to run anymore. And it was the time the black needed to win the race.

“Cheating! Cheating! Something is wrong with the golden!” screamed the greedy master, and those who’d bet on his chocobo, but Bugenhagen, who was judge of the race, stepped forward with gil in his hand.

“I bet on the golden and lost,” he said, “and it was a fair loss. Those who are owed my money can step forward!” And the farmers could not argue the judge.

The greedy master turned to the engineer his neighbor and threw the money at his feet as if it were spit; and many others followed suit. But the engineer gathered the betting money and ordered many foods and drinks for a huge feast; and the prize money, such as he promised, was divided and given to the poor folk.

As for Cloud, he was shaking with fear, and had reason to; as soon as they reached the master’s farm, he was made to be tied to a pole, and a slave would whip his back till it bled. And then, at night, the master dragged the herder to the field where the flock was kept, and tied him to a pole by the wrist, along with the golden, and said:

“By thirty feet you lost to the black, and so by thirty days you’ll be out here, minding the herd,” was what he said. “And you’ll be sorry if a single one of them happens to go lost!”

And so Cloud the Herder sat down and cried, and prayed; he was cold and hungry and thirsty and in pain, and finally he laid his head down and slept.

But the master’s son was wicked, and also furious, believing he could have won both the race and the money; he wanted to deliver his own revenge, and so at night he frightened the herd away while the Herder slept. And so it came to be that, come morning, there was none but the golden around when Cloud woke up, and, tied as he was, he could not find them before the master came.

So once again was Cloud tied down and whipped to bleed; and he lay fainted until night without food or water, and when he woke up, the master said:

“Find each and every one of my chocobos, or I’ll have you whipped till you die from it!”

And so Cloud stumbled out into the cold, dark and starless night. But before starting his search, he found the altar for Ifalna, mother of those who have none; and taken the lit candle in his bare hands, he mounted on the golden bareback and galloped in the dark night. And every drop of the candle he held became a light as it fell to the ground; and soon, the fields were alit with stars of its own. The oxen lay unmoving; the owls lay silent; one by one, the chocobos were found and quietly followed their Herder back to the field they belonged to. And so, come morning, Cloud tied the golden in its place and, knowing he had finished his work, and after thanking Ifalna, mother of those who had none, he laid down to sleep.

But the master’s son was still vengeful; and, arriving before his father, he couldn’t admit the Herder had finished his task. Once again, he frightened the herd away; and once again, when the master came to check his flock, only the golden remained, and Cloud lay asleep.

Furious, the master woke the Herder, who couldn’t believe all the hard work of the night was gone. But the greedy master cared not for explanations; once again, he had Cloud tied down and whipped.

Poor Cloud! The master had not truly meant it, but, having gone hungry and cold and wounded for so long, after taking this new round of punishment, the Herder laid still and dead. Still the master did not lament or weep; he merely became angrier. Had he not fed the Herder since youth? Given him something to do with his miserable life? Why, but he should have been thankful enough to endure at the very least! And so, as a final punishment, the greedy master found an ant nest and, having it disturbed to bring forth the ants, threw the Herder’s flayed body upon them, so that they may feast in his flesh and blood and bones.

For three days both master and son thought little about the slave they had lost, but then their curiosity was aroused. What of the body? How long would it take for the ants to consume it? How would it look like? So they went to the ant nest; and how surprised they were to find the Herder, not dead, not eaten, not even flayed – but standing up, as perfect as the day he’d been born, shaking the ants from his legs and bidding them goodbye! And behind him the flock stood as if in wait, and Ifalna, mother of those who had none, sat upon the sky and looked down with pride upon her son; and at the sight of her both master and son groveled in fear.

And Cloud saw their groveling and fear and laughed at the irony; and, jumping on the bare back of the golden chocobo, he sucked his lip in a whistle and rode away, followed by the flock.

All the folk had heard of the poor slave, killed by his greedy master, and of the disappeared flock; but afterwards many would swear to see him riding through the fields and hills, herding as was his job. It is said that he stops once a year for three days to visit the ants, his friends who respected his body and gave him shelter; and that, whenever a person lost a treasured object, they only had to light a candle in the name of Ifalna, mother of those who had none, and the Herder would use it to search what was lost, and set it down on its owner’s way to be found.