Dana Choicha

Dana was out amongst his herds one morning, besting his hounds in their paces. Both his great chunds, Cricket and Sprocket leapt over milch cows and dashed between their stamping legs but could not but find their Lord waiting for them. For not only was he swift, and a master of the salmon feat and the deer feat and the oxen feat; he was cunning and won great renown through all of Alba for it. It was while out racing his hounds that Dayna with his keen eyes spotted a royal messenger riding over the crest two leagues away. Curious what the news was, he gave chase and met the messenger.

“What do you carry with such urgency?” asked Dayna.

“I bring word of war between my Lord, the Prince Tir Righ and the lands of Avacal,” said the Ostman messenger.

Hearing this Dayna returned to his rath and gathered to him his array of war. A great torc of iron, wider than his head sap upon his neck. He wore an ionar padded by the wool of his herds and bound with the hides of his herds. Upon his feet he wore boots woven with silver and clasped by the antlers of a great stag. Overall he wore a coat of the Ost fashion, for though he was a proud son of Alba he bowed to no flag. And in his hands he had an axe of the same mode. Upon his back he lay the great round shield of his wife’s father and the spears of his house.

With those, and his hounds Dayna set out to war. He ventured from the Isles deep into the lands of Tir Righ. Along a narrow wooded pass he came upon the men of the Storm Thrones and the assembled masses of the eastern Dragon locked shield upon shield. He knew there were no steers or renown to be gained from a push-and-shove that would not yield. Dayna stepped forward and challenged the Avacalian champion.

“What unnamed menace would bring battle upon me?”

“I am Dayna, come far from these lands. There I am called Danekiller, and Saxonbane. Not a day passes when I have not brought heartache upon the gallaich. Their herds overspill my fields and their wives mind my house. Their sons sleep beneath the earth and their daughters warm my bed. I have come here for renown and I will have it upon you, or your Prince.”

Ill tempered, the Avacalian charged at this, throwing himself at Dayna. Like a hawk from one breeze to another he moved aside. The Dragon’s champion stuck himself upon Dayna’s out flung spear, passing it through his helm, carrying an eye out upon its tip. In terror he scrambled back between him men, leaving one eye gazing back at Dayna.

Dayna watched the Avacal arrows crowd the sky and reached up. When he was born, the druids gave little Dayna a single geiss. The boy was told that he was never to give without also receiving, and he was never to take without also giving. Dayna snatched an arrow from the sky and deftly plucked out his eye. And that is why we call his Dayna Coaiche.

For Caemgen wrote this,
and placed it upon this stone with the hands of Avacalbeside him