Rakeesh and The Helpless Nightwing
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The City-State of Tarna. South of the searing deserts of Shapier and Raseir - north of the Endless Sea. Friccana lay to the west, beyond impassable (or so your common street vender would tell you) mountains - and to the east lay the lands of the Simbani Tribe and the ancient rainforest. There was magic in this country, but then again - there was magic in every country on Gloriannia.
This is the tale of a cubling liontaur; Rakeesh Sah Tarna was not born a King, or even a Prince. He was born into the Warrior-Cast (as was his father before him) and his mother was a great Seer. It is said that the cat has an insatiable curiosity, and this was certainly true with the young cub in this story.
In this particular story, the young liontaur (truly only six years old) had followed his father out from the gate-wall of the city. Rakeesh was clever and it was not difficult for him to slip past the complacent guardsmen. He was excited, for it would be his first time leaving the city and traveling into the Savannah. If he would have looked back as he pounced his way towards his father, his four small legs pushing carrying him energetically through the dryland, he would have seen The Great Temple of Sekhmet - and perhaps he would have even seen the statue of the God smile at the cub. He would go on to do great things and to become a great leader in his homeland.
In this story, however, Rakeesh was not able to catch up with his father in the Savannah. The older liontaur was a fierce hunter, and it was not long before the cub was alone, his father not even a shape on the horizon. Tired, lost, and scared - Rakeesh sought shelter from his frustrations at a nearby formation of large rocks. To the youngling, the formation looked like a mountain; the truth was, however, that these rocks had been placed there by the Simbani Tribe, to help guide the humans and liontaurs who moved between the two countries as they sought trade, shelter, and sometimes even Exile itself.
With sweat dampening the liontaur's short mane, Rakeesh fell to the cracked earth once he reached the shadow of the Great Rocks. He wept out of fear; fear of being lost, fear of disobeying his Father (he would be reprimanded harshly, he knew it!), fear of never seeing his Mother again. It was while he was crying and further dampening his fur that he saw the most amazing piece of fruit that he had ever seen in his whole life! It seemed to change colors as he watched it, and it throbbed with a life of its own. Suddenly, Rakeesh felt hungry " so, so very hungry " and the only thing that would slay the cub's hunger (and curiosity) was a taste of the large, magical fruit.
And so young Rakeesh began to climb the twelve or so feet up the rock wall. When he could climb no further, when the wall became too steep, the liontaur reached, his small hand stretching hard to claim the treasure that had been found. Rakeesh imagined what it would be like to have rubber arms " to be able to stretch and stretch and stretch forever. Despite himself, the cub was laughing between the groans from failed grasps.
However, the lure of the fruit had caused the na've liontaur to ignore caution and safety. Had he noticed the many holes in the rock wall, perhaps he would not have been so hasty to fight his way up it. It was while he stretched and groaned and giggled that another creature set its eyes on the fruit's promised prize. A young bat flew down from shadows created by the sharp and curving formation of the high rocks. It swooped down quickly, landing directly on the fruit that was just beyond Rakeesh's reach.
"No! It's mine!?, cried the child as he grabbed wildly, tossing himself off of the rock wall on accident. Several oomps and ouches later, the cub had bounced down the wall, short-falling to the Savannah ground. It was then that tentacle-like vines shot out of holes on the rock wall; each vine had many teeth-like thorns running up-and-down it, and their target was unmistakable. The vibes latched onto and wrapped themselves around the young bat, and there was a monstrous growl within the rocks, celebrating as the creature's bait had been taken.
Rakeesh panicked. He could not let such a young creature be eaten by a monster! It would be bad Karma! Rakeesh did not pause to think as he crouched low, grabbing a large stone. He had played throwing-stones with the other cublings before, and he could not claim any great skill at it in those games. However, as the would-be Hero swung his arm to throw the stone, his aim was as true as the Heart of a Child. The rock smashed into the color-changing fruit, miraculously missing the bat itself (that would have been an ill-fated rescue attempt). There was another hideous growl from within the rocks, though this time the plant creature sounded far less pleased with itself.
The vines fell away momentarily, and the small bat immediately began to flap its wings, finally aware that its very life was at stake in that moment. Rakeesh, though shaking with fear and anxiety, watched as the flying creature made its way back to its hiding place amongst the top rocks. Rakeesh roared then, for the first time in his young life (he had tried before, but the sound had always caused more laughter than fear). The formation of rocks bounced the sound off of them, causing a supernaturally loud echo to split the air there in the Savannah. Rakeesh heard nothing more from the hidden plant-monster, though his victory cry soon brought a scouting party to his location. After much scolding, the older liontaurs carried the exhausted young cub back through the Savannah, and to the worried arms of his Mother.
It was that day that Rakeesh Sah Tarna would learn that not all that glitters in this world is gold, a lesson that he would never forget later in life. Even his Mother, who after crying, and after shouting, and after listening to the cubling's story; even she would tell her beloved son that his eyes always seemed a little wiser than they had before that day. And Rakeesh would always remember his first roar - one that had shaken the earth, had frightened a mythical beast, and had rescued a young creature from deadly peril.
http://archive.gp2x.de/cfiles/screenshots/qfg-0.png
The City-State of Tarna. South of the searing deserts of Shapier and Raseir - north of the Endless Sea. Friccana lay to the west, beyond impassable (or so your common street vender would tell you) mountains - and to the east lay the lands of the Simbani Tribe and the ancient rainforest. There was magic in this country, but then again - there was magic in every country on Gloriannia.
This is the tale of a cubling liontaur; Rakeesh Sah Tarna was not born a King, or even a Prince. He was born into the Warrior-Cast (as was his father before him) and his mother was a great Seer. It is said that the cat has an insatiable curiosity, and this was certainly true with the young cub in this story.
In this particular story, the young liontaur (truly only six years old) had followed his father out from the gate-wall of the city. Rakeesh was clever and it was not difficult for him to slip past the complacent guardsmen. He was excited, for it would be his first time leaving the city and traveling into the Savannah. If he would have looked back as he pounced his way towards his father, his four small legs pushing carrying him energetically through the dryland, he would have seen The Great Temple of Sekhmet - and perhaps he would have even seen the statue of the God smile at the cub. He would go on to do great things and to become a great leader in his homeland.
In this story, however, Rakeesh was not able to catch up with his father in the Savannah. The older liontaur was a fierce hunter, and it was not long before the cub was alone, his father not even a shape on the horizon. Tired, lost, and scared - Rakeesh sought shelter from his frustrations at a nearby formation of large rocks. To the youngling, the formation looked like a mountain; the truth was, however, that these rocks had been placed there by the Simbani Tribe, to help guide the humans and liontaurs who moved between the two countries as they sought trade, shelter, and sometimes even Exile itself.
With sweat dampening the liontaur's short mane, Rakeesh fell to the cracked earth once he reached the shadow of the Great Rocks. He wept out of fear; fear of being lost, fear of disobeying his Father (he would be reprimanded harshly, he knew it!), fear of never seeing his Mother again. It was while he was crying and further dampening his fur that he saw the most amazing piece of fruit that he had ever seen in his whole life! It seemed to change colors as he watched it, and it throbbed with a life of its own. Suddenly, Rakeesh felt hungry " so, so very hungry " and the only thing that would slay the cub's hunger (and curiosity) was a taste of the large, magical fruit.
And so young Rakeesh began to climb the twelve or so feet up the rock wall. When he could climb no further, when the wall became too steep, the liontaur reached, his small hand stretching hard to claim the treasure that had been found. Rakeesh imagined what it would be like to have rubber arms " to be able to stretch and stretch and stretch forever. Despite himself, the cub was laughing between the groans from failed grasps.
However, the lure of the fruit had caused the na've liontaur to ignore caution and safety. Had he noticed the many holes in the rock wall, perhaps he would not have been so hasty to fight his way up it. It was while he stretched and groaned and giggled that another creature set its eyes on the fruit's promised prize. A young bat flew down from shadows created by the sharp and curving formation of the high rocks. It swooped down quickly, landing directly on the fruit that was just beyond Rakeesh's reach.
"No! It's mine!?, cried the child as he grabbed wildly, tossing himself off of the rock wall on accident. Several oomps and ouches later, the cub had bounced down the wall, short-falling to the Savannah ground. It was then that tentacle-like vines shot out of holes on the rock wall; each vine had many teeth-like thorns running up-and-down it, and their target was unmistakable. The vibes latched onto and wrapped themselves around the young bat, and there was a monstrous growl within the rocks, celebrating as the creature's bait had been taken.
Rakeesh panicked. He could not let such a young creature be eaten by a monster! It would be bad Karma! Rakeesh did not pause to think as he crouched low, grabbing a large stone. He had played throwing-stones with the other cublings before, and he could not claim any great skill at it in those games. However, as the would-be Hero swung his arm to throw the stone, his aim was as true as the Heart of a Child. The rock smashed into the color-changing fruit, miraculously missing the bat itself (that would have been an ill-fated rescue attempt). There was another hideous growl from within the rocks, though this time the plant creature sounded far less pleased with itself.
The vines fell away momentarily, and the small bat immediately began to flap its wings, finally aware that its very life was at stake in that moment. Rakeesh, though shaking with fear and anxiety, watched as the flying creature made its way back to its hiding place amongst the top rocks. Rakeesh roared then, for the first time in his young life (he had tried before, but the sound had always caused more laughter than fear). The formation of rocks bounced the sound off of them, causing a supernaturally loud echo to split the air there in the Savannah. Rakeesh heard nothing more from the hidden plant-monster, though his victory cry soon brought a scouting party to his location. After much scolding, the older liontaurs carried the exhausted young cub back through the Savannah, and to the worried arms of his Mother.
It was that day that Rakeesh Sah Tarna would learn that not all that glitters in this world is gold, a lesson that he would never forget later in life. Even his Mother, who after crying, and after shouting, and after listening to the cubling's story; even she would tell her beloved son that his eyes always seemed a little wiser than they had before that day. And Rakeesh would always remember his first roar - one that had shaken the earth, had frightened a mythical beast, and had rescued a young creature from deadly peril.