The Legend of the Forbidden Cavern

By: Yami (xxLordLuciferiahxX)1

Hour 32

creative writing3

BEAST FABLE4

A hawk soared high upon the African thermals, searching for something to eat. Below him sat a male lion and a female tiger. He flared his tail and swiftly eased over to a tree branch just above them. 5

“So, how’s it goin’?” asked Tigress.6

“Ah, no good, no good these desolate lands have come to an end,” responded Kaiku, the lion. He was resting on a large boulder above the tiger, who sat impatiently below him.7

“Great, so then migration is our only hope?” she asked.8

“Yes.”9

“Pardon me, but if you don’t mind me saying so, that does sound like our best option.”10

Tigress sat up. “Who said that?”11

“Why it’s me – dear, Skyler, the red hawk.” Both creatures looked in the direction of the voice. They were staring at a large brownish bird with talons that held him to a branch in the tree.12

“Skyler, eh? Well, I’ve heard a great deal about you.” The lion yawned.13

“Oh really?” The hawk stretched his wings.14

“Why yes. You’re the guardian of the sky. I’ve heard about your leading the hyenas and what not.” The lion sneered. “Filthy creatures.”15

“They are no longer – my friend, moved on about two days ago – hungry, I think.”16

The lion, the tiger, and the hawk talked for hours. Then, once they’d expressed all options and opinions, they set off to The African Clearings. 17

“Legend had it that a long time before Africa was at all warm, an Arctic Wolf and his mate made it out there all the way from Alaska. They supposedly crossed the Atlantic – which was frozen over back then – and started a family. Rumor was, that the Great Wolf Sukka thrived there and never aged. They say that Sukka and his wife Mederuh lived there where plants and animals lived in plenty. Mederuh died however, after giving birth to Vengeance – her son. They say that Vengeance killed off the entire pack that joined them – including Sukka – claiming the land. No one knows if it’s true, because now the land is beautiful – paradise. Legend has it that Vengeance is still out there – however, killing all that crossed to his lair.”18

The hawk finished his story when the lion and tiger sat down and drank from a stream.19

“Skyler - do you believe it?” Tigress asked. Her brown/gold eyes were struck with amazement.20

“I do.”21

“Then you realize that you’re a fool,” Kaiku growled. He lashed his tail out at a fly. “It’s just an urban legend.”22

“Say what you want.”23

About two days later, they met the African clearings. The three animals were surprised to find what they did. 24

“Well I’ll be…” Tigress leapt over a stream. Beyond it and many grasses, stood a huge clearing full of trees, berry brushes – and most important, a massive cavern that spilled into tunnels. Birds, deer, and other common animals used the area to relax.25

“I told you.” Skyler circled above.26

“Hmm…I don’t remember a cavern in the legend.” The lion snorted.27

“Are you kidding me? Why, that’s Vengeance’s sacred cave. If you go through the right tunnel you’ll find the lair in which his mother Mederuh died giving birth.” Skyler floated through the trees into the tunnel in the center. Tigress shook herself, licked her right paw, and then followed him. Kaiku, being somewhat curious, tagged along behind her.28

On the cavern walls, pictures and claw prints were carved everywhere. Tigress, too busy following paw prints, wandered into a tunnel that led below the first one. Skyler and Kaiku noticed five minutes later, and went into a tunnel leading upwards!29

“We’re lost,” Kaiku growled.30

“This isn’t good! We might run into someone!” The hawk landed on Kaiku’s back. Kaiku ignored it and continued calling out for his friend. Meanwhile…31

Tigress continued walking forwards, hearing something…laugh at her. 32

“Hello…? Hello…?” She would call. Chills ran down her spine. She lowered herself to the ground, extended her claws, and crept throughout that part of the cave.33

“Hahahahahaha!” Something cackled. Tigress bared her teeth and howled. Her roar echoed throughout the cave, until it no longer was heard. She moved within the shadows, sensing something closer. She sat and waited. She was close…34

Then it happened. Her night vision saw something move – she pounced on whatever that was and pinned it to the floor.35

“Hey! Hey…stop!” The thing yelled.36

“Why are you following me?” The tiger growled.37

“Me? Oh I was only playing! Lemme go!” It yelled. Tigress backed up off it, but demanded an explanation.38

“Well? What are you doing here?”39

“You? I have a name! I live here!” It cackled.40

“Well, okay – I almost ate you.” Tigress warned. “You ought to be scarier to frighten or follow me.” She sat up tall and eyed the peculiar creature. 41

“My name’s Namu – it means ‘nameless.’” 42

“Go figure.” Tigress rolled her eyes. “What are you?”43

“A hyena – duh.” The hyena rolled it eyes and chuckled.44

“Well, Namu – I’m Tigress, the tiger.” 45

“So I noticed. Friends?”46

“Alright.”47

Tigress and Namu began heading out of the cavern. Namu told her that Vengeance really did exist. He never aged because he stole his parents’ power. He didn’t take to newcomers either.48

“We’d better get out of here – and now.” Kaiku snorted. “Aren’t you supposed to know everything?”49

“No.” Skyler was flapping through the cave and zipping around, Kaiku below him. Kaiku did his best to follow the hawk, but they reached a sudden stop just as he caught up.50

“What?” Kaiku asked. The hawk adjusted his feathers and soundlessly vanished into the darkness. Kaiku attempted to chase after him, by means of smelling the air for the scent of him, but found that Skyler the hawk, held none. He continued to run through the passageway until he smelled something. Where the passage came to an end there was a slide that led to a stream below. Something moved above the lion and swiftly glided over towards the stream.51

“Skyler?” The lion called. No answer. He extended his claws and adjusted his huge mane. He lunged over a crack in the ground and began sliding down the “ramp” to the stream. The lion lost control of his grasp and flew forwards – into the stream below! Coughing and gagging, the massive beast pulled himself from the river. He shook himself and threw water everywhere.52

“Tigress? Anyone there?” He bellowed. Again, no answer. Kaiku snarled and took a few steps forwards, beginning to think that there was no one around for miles. He stopped when he stepped on something, drawing his paw back into the air. That something had cracked and became dust under his paw now. He stepped backwards.53

“NO!” he had discovered Mereduh’s skeleton! He backed up, tail down to the floor. He shook himself again, feeling rather uneasy. He jerked around to run but found a much larger skeleton. This one being the skeleton of the Great Wolf Sukka. It still had dead flesh attached to the skeleton, and it appeared to  be frozen over. A huge boulder was on the backside of the skeletal form – crushing whatever was part of Sukka’s backside and spinal cord. The lion, filled with fear, bolted back across the stream to the other side.54

“There’s gotta be some way out!” he breathed. He fled through another tunnel only to find more dead skeletons (the other wolves and their cubs). He backtracked again, only this time following the river north. He quickened his pace when he recognized Skyler flying ahead again.55

“Hey! Skyler! I believe you now! Hey – wait up! Slow down!” He yelled. The hawk landed high upon a perch – his eyes reflecting a horrifically odd green. “Skyler?” The lion crept closer. Suddenly, a large white form appeared from one of the caves. “Tigress?” Kaiku swallowed. It wasn’t Tigress.56

“My name – is Vengeance. And this is my acquaintance Skyler.” The form grew as it got closer. Kaiku was shaking nervously and stretched out his claws. A huge white wolf stood only a foot away from him at eye level… 57

Tigress and Namu escaped the caves successfully. 58

“KAIKU? Where are you?” The female tiger called out, almost happy to have reached the hot sunlight. 59

“Kaiku? That who you were with?” the hyena asked. Tigress nodded. “Oh, there’s o hope for him…who did you say led you here again?”60

“I told you – Skyler – this hawk.”61

“THE SKYLER? Oh hun, his name is LORD SKYLER and he has no intentions that are – or ever could be – good in any way.”62

“Then how do I know you do?”63

“Because you’re safe – that and I’ve been trying myself to escape these parts for years on end.” Namu sat on his hunches and sighed.64

“Hey – I thought you said you knew this place? That you lived here?” the tiger was beginning to question the hyena’s true intentions. 65

“That I do, but remember? Vengeance never ages, and neither does this place, in order to survive – one must grow and adapt and change in order to fit the alterations. Vengeance has to, too. Like him these caverns and things change and alter each day, making my escape forbidden. I never found a way out – and I usually ate whoever was trying to get me out (like you) because they’d always die on the way or something. So I ate their corpse, basically, and buried them after…”66

“EW – so, where’s Kaiku then?” the tiger’s instincts almost banned this question.67

“Vengeance will find him if he’s not already dead.”68

“You mean tell me that Skyler led us here, not to migrate, but to become food for Vengeance?” Tigress swallowed hard and tried not to imagine the things that sat at the edges of her mind.69

“Vengeance lives forever – he needs to make one kill a day to sustain that life.”70

“How do we kill him?”71

“Starve him, I guess.” The hyena shrugged.72

“Wait- what’s in it for this hawk character then?” Tigress snapped.73

“Oh that’s easy, Vengeance will let his family live on if he does what he’s told. Supposedly they’re being held captive by another of Vengeance’s workers…That’s all a lie though, because Vengeance has no one else and I’ve watched him myself, eat the young of Skyler and his wife Skylara, he killed his wife too, tore them all up and hid their bones he did.” Namu closed his eyes and remembered them.74

“Well – then why are you still alive?” Tigress needed to get the full picture.75

“Easy I’m the scrapper, whatever Vengeance can’t eat, I get it I guess…” Namu met Tigress’s eyes, trying to figure what was on her mind.76

“Wow – okay, let’s go kill him – now!” Tigress lunged for the cave out of rage, but the hyena grabbed her by the tail, stopping her.77

“Don’t go back there, he’ll kill you, remember – the cave will change again tonight…you’ll never make it back…”78

“But what about my friend!” She wailed.79

“You friend didn’t believe – and now he’s forced to pay for it. Promise me, that no matter what happens, you won’t go back there – promise me.” Namu stood in front of her, his green eyes meeting her brown ones. Tears filled here eyes and she wiped them away with her paw. Namu and Tigress swore to never look back; they promised each other that no matter what came over them, the other would stop him or her from making foolish decisions. Tigress cried for weeks on end. Both she and Namu migrated to what is now South Africa. It is said that they lived on “happy ever after” being that they joined a Pride of animals. The hyena and the tiger found mates, had children and passed on the tale of Vengeance tom others. 80

“The moral of the story is to never just give your trust to those you first meet. I was lucky enough that Namu didn’t hand me over to Vengeance.” Tigress ended the tale and the African animals talked with each other. Namu wandered away from his family for the moment, and spoke to her briefly. 81

“Think Kaiku ever got out?” Tigress asked softly, still pained by the memory of the season before.82

“I’m sure that in some distant place Kaiku managed to escape.” Namu said. “Someway, somehow.”83

“Just believe.” Tigress said, looking at the grass below her feet. She yawned tiredly, “Just believe and anything that you put your mind to is possible.” She was beginning to look older now and her stripes were fading slowly.84

“Yeah…” Namu agreed.85

They all watched the sun set, far in the horizon, and prepared for the day ahead of them. Little do they know, that very legend will get passed on for generations and generations to come…86

*THE END*87